Build 1978 FJ40. Waking up the ol’ girl!

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Eric,

The top of your insulator looks ok, maybe just shave that bulge down with a single edge razor blade. Bottom needs a gasket.
Sorry to say, but an internet post on a Sunday afternoon is NO guarantee I will remember this by the time I get to work tomorrow. Easy enough to add to your box IF you can leave me a VM. :)
 
Sounds like you found your brake problem. Congrats..
I have had a lot of questions answered by using the factory service manuals. Also toyodiy.com and toyotaepc.com are excellent sources for info.
Having Mark helping along the way is like having Mr Toyota himself . Mark is truly a master of his craft.
Enjoying watching you and your daughter learning and having fun.
 
djcfj40 said:
Sounds like you found your brake problem. Congrats..
I have had a lot of questions answered by using the factory service manuals. Also toyodiy.com and toyotaepc.com are excellent sources for info.
Having Mark helping along the way is like having Mr Toyota himself . Mark is truly a master of his craft.
Enjoying watching you and your daughter learning and having fun.
Click to expand...
No... Haven’t found the brake problem. I’m just taking a break from them.
 
65swb45 said:
Eric,

The top of your insulator looks ok, maybe just shave that bulge down with a single edge razor blade. Bottom needs a gasket.
Sorry to say, but an internet post on a Sunday afternoon is NO guarantee I will remember this by the time I get to work tomorrow. Easy enough to add to your box IF you can leave me a VM. :)
Click to expand...
Did get it running today. I’d already put it together before reading this. Ran it for about 5 minutes. Checked the valves. Runs better than it did!! Still figuring out where the vacuum lines go and what to plug. Encouraged though! Had to get some family time in that I’ve been neglecting so done for the day. Prob won’t run it any more till I get the gasket.
 
Got things buttoned up today.

Figured out the brakes. Finally. I adjusted the rear so the shoes were pretty tight on the drum. Had my daughter on the brakes and by the second pump of the pedal, a big bubble came out. Same on the other side! That was it. Pedal firm now. Backed the shoes off a couple clicks to where they are just barely dragging. Took me 3 days to figure that out!

I know I said I wasn’t going to start it until I got the carb gasket in but I couldn’t help it. Ran it a bit today. Wanted to back it out so I could clean up the shop a little. Not easy when you don’t have a Pitman arm and can’t steer! I’m pleased with how it runs. Even with a vacuum leak where the insulator plate meets the intake manifold. Sprayed a bit of starter fluid around the area just to see and sure enough. Mark called it. Sending a gasket for that. Here’s how she looks currently.

88CED138-CB9F-4476-9590-07F8C5198398.webp


FD306747-C172-4ED7-BCFF-72AAD67AF736.webp


74909340-3753-450A-9D8A-6C18E0C089C5.webp


9C4B27F1-AFF6-4A45-ABBA-2FFE79E1E45B.webp
 
EStein said:
Got things buttoned up today.

Figured out the brakes. Finally. I adjusted the rear so the shoes were pretty tight on the drum. Had my daughter on the brakes and by the second pump of the pedal, a big bubble came out. Same on the other side! That was it. Pedal firm now. Backed the shoes off a couple clicks to where they are just barely dragging. Took me 3 days to figure that out!

I know I said I wasn’t going to start it until I got the carb gasket in but I couldn’t help it. Ran it a bit today. Wanted to back it out so I could clean up the shop a little. Not easy when you don’t have a Pitman arm and can’t steer! I’m pleased with how it runs. Even with a vacuum leak where the insulator plate meets the intake manifold. Sprayed a bit of starter fluid around the area just to see and sure enough. Mark called it. Sending a gasket for that. Here’s how she looks currently.

View attachment 2254858

View attachment 2254862

View attachment 2254863

View attachment 2254871
Click to expand...
Boy, those TREs look spiffy. Its on my list to do, and your pics may bump it up.
 
Had a good day! Was struggling to get it to idle. Talked to Mark (65swb45) and he suspected I may have some electrical gremlins. Had me run a wire from the idle solenoid directly to the coil to bypass the bad electrical system. Holy crap! Instant success. Another good learning day! Here’s how she runs currently. Keep in mind the last time it was registered on the road was 2002. Pretty impressive.

 
Last edited:
Also recently discovered that it wouldn’t go into 4wd low. I guess I didn’t even try that before I bought it. Not that would’ve made any difference. It would come down into four-wheel-drive high but then wouldn’t budge at all to the right to go into low. Took the boot off and did a little investigation in the linkage. The linkage at the base of the shift lever was completely frozen solid. A little bit of PB blaster and some lube and I’ve got it loosened up. Still tight but at least I can get it into gear now. I’m sure it will start loosening up over time.
Also seeing all that dirt and grime under there makes me want to pull the cover and clean it up. That kind of stuff dries me crazy.

7D89AA9B-862A-4853-8E68-01466C1BFE84.jpeg


D38E8E21-32E6-482B-AB29-B6B7D4639D58.jpeg


26B3AD4E-246C-4811-BBAF-B6B9DEA652D1.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Started tracking down electrical gremlins today. The only thing that works are the headlights, 2 turn signals, hazards, radio, and the horn! The fan was blowing a fuse when you try to pull it on so I started with that. Tracked down all the major grounds that I could find and cleaned them up. Power was getting to the fan motor so we pulled that and it was a mess. Pretty much frozen. Took it apart and cleaned it all up. Back together and now I have a working two speed fan! Major cloud of dust came out of the vents when it came on! Ha! Might tackle the rear fan tomorrow. It works but at a pretty low speed. Wish I’d taken more photos of when it was all apart but I got distracted and forgot.

i’d like to get the engine instruments working. When I first got the engine started a month ago they all worked for about two minutes and then went dead. Any ideas? I haven’t really dug into it yet besides just making sure the fuses weren't blown.

46DC1F1D-2E98-48B0-8E57-F144211D1549.webp
 
Eric,

Given what you're finding, I think I would start by pulling the fuse block out of the truck and cleaning all the connectors on the backside.

BTW, I want to take a moment to thank you publicly for your purchases, and for continuing to plug me on the forum. It's really hard for shops to hang in there right now, and some of them aren't going to make it though this. At times like this, I take nothing for granted, and really appreciate all the support you and the others reading this continue to give me.

In case anyone missed the thread in the announcement section, I am having a sale until next Wednesday. ;)
 
65swb45 said:
Eric,

Given what you're finding, I think I would start by pulling the fuse block out of the truck and cleaning all the connectors on the backside.

BTW, I want to take a moment to thank you publicly for your purchases, and for continuing to plug me on the forum. It's really hard for shops to hang in there right now, and some of them aren't going to make it though this. At times like this, I take nothing for granted, and really appreciate all the support you and the others reading this continue to give me.

In case anyone missed the thread in the announcement section, I am having a sale until next Wednesday. ;)
Click to expand...
My pleasure and I’ve enjoyed getting to know you a bit. I’ll just add another plug.... I’ve ordered from other sites and I don’t always get what I think I’m getting. 100% my fault. When you order from Mark, you have to talk to him! 😁. 100% of what I’ve received so far has fit and operated perfectly. For me it’s nice to have a go to parts and info guy to count on. Highly recommend. Especially for newbies like me.
 
65swb45 said:
Eric,

Given what you're finding, I think I would start by pulling the fuse block out of the truck and cleaning all the connectors on the backside.

BTW, I want to take a moment to thank you publicly for your purchases, and for continuing to plug me on the forum. It's really hard for shops to hang in there right now, and some of them aren't going to make it though this. At times like this, I take nothing for granted, and really appreciate all the support you and the others reading this continue to give me.

In case anyone missed the thread in the announcement section, I am having a sale until next Wednesday. ;)
Click to expand...
Sorry to hijack, but where is this announcement forum??

@EStein man you are moving fast!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom