1979 BJ40 Story and Modifications

[AlbertoSD]

My friend Pete @94SRUNNER and I met Onur @beno for dinner, beers, and some pool. It was great to personally meet Onur.

 

[Shes Mad]

They are very nice. I run half doors all summer. I do not put the hard top on at all anymore. Just soft top. If I need a hard top, I drive the BJ74

 

[AlbertoSD]

This 1979 BJ40 didn't have Power Steering from the factory, and since I will be wheeling this truck, I wanted some of the modern commodities. I bought power steering conversion plates from Luke @4x4labs and started mocking the plates and the box. The plates and bushings from Luke are very well made and totally worth the money.

 

[Tapage]

this community it's just plain awesome ..

 

[AlbertoSD]

Initially we were only going to notch the factory shock tower to clear the power steering box. Once we mocked it with the plate, it became obvious that the outer plate will move the box away from the frame, requiring additional trimming and potentially compromising the strength of the factory shock tower.

We then decided to remove both factory shock towers and use the Ford F-150 replacements that a bunch of MUD members use in the Power Steering Conversions. I want to include this photo with the Ford Part Number just in case anybody needs to get some. They cost about $14/each from a Ford dealer.

 

[AlbertoSD]

this community it's just plain awesome ..

Couldn't agree more with you, David!

 

[AlbertoSD]

I have since decided that this BJ40 will be a soft-top, to lower the center of gravity and improve stability.

I bought a set of Paki/OEM style soft top bows from Mark @woytovich

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/pa...-soft-ambi-door-frame-ny.808094/#post-9226699

Once again, two great MUD members helped me getting the bows to Cincinnati. Mark @woytovich and JimC @FJ40Jim both attended the 2014 Coal Mine Cruiser Classic (CMCC) http://gclcli.com/coal-mine-cruiser-classic/. Mark gave the Soft-Top bows to JimC to bring them home for me. I want to publicly thank both, Mark and JimC for helping me with this. Both super great people.

I then bought an OCD Soft-Top from Alex @SouthBostonFJ40 for the BJ40:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/two-used-soft-tops-boston.802999/

And then sold the BJ40 Hard-Top

 

[AlbertoSD]

Since the gauge cluster on my BJ40 was old and tired, I found that Yan @Akella was selling a brand new 12V OEM Toyota Speedometer Cluster. My BJ40 was originally from El Salvador and the Speedometer was already in Km/h (which is it is not a big concern for me anyways).

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/brand-new-40-series-oem-toyota-speedometer-cluster-12v.805477/

This is a thing of beauty

 

[WickedFever]

wow que chulo amigo...saludos desde REp Dominicana

 

[AlbertoSD]

Little progress since the last update

 

[AlbertoSD]

Since I will be using an H55 on this project, Chris and I mounted the engine using the existing factory engine mounts for the B engine configuration and see where the transmission would line up. It became evident that the E-brake set up would interfere with the cross-member located right in front of the fuel tank (under tub fuel tank on the 1979). I started doing some reading on MUD to see what others have done.

I remember reading Dan's @DanS HJ-45 FJ40 to 3B turbo conversion and started reading that thread again. On post #32 he went through some of the same questions and ideas that Chris and I came up with.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/here-we-go-fj-40-getting-a-3b-turbo-h55f.249156/page-2

After much reading and measuring, we decided to follow Dan's route on this, too.

Chris got really busy on his shop and we had to move my BJ40 back home and the project sat for a few months. A couple of weeks ago I talked to JimC @FJ40Jim and he agreed to help me locate the engine mounts and fabricate a transmission mount for the BJ40. The BJ40 got then towed to JimC's place where some work was done.

We removed the factory frame mounts for the engine off the frame, bolted them to the 3B with the proper engine mounts and moved the whole drivetrain forward until the H55 shifter was properly centered on the floor of the tub.

Don't mind the oil pressure sender. I have a new Toyota one I will install it when the engine is mounted for the last time on the frame.

 

[AlbertoSD]

The JimC @FJ40Jim welded the frame engine mounts in place

 

[AlbertoSD]

Then moved to fabricate a transmission mount for the drivetrain.

Since this engine/transmission/transfercase combo is from a 1985 BJ70, the aluminum bellhousing is "clocked" about 7 degrees to slightly drop down the output flanges of the transfercase and help reduce driveline vibrations on these vehicles. I bought a late FJ60 transmission crossmember from Georg @orangefj45 and used that as basis for the crossmember for the 40.

JimC @FJ40Jim plasma cut two L-shaped brackets to use the existing BJ40 frame mounts for the transmission crossmember.

And then we transferred the mounting bolt pattern onto the new brackets and mocked the whole assembly under the drivetrain.

We then removed the excess material from the 60-series crossmember (as it is much wider than needed for the width of the 40-series frame).

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Nice!

Moving the engine forward is hands down one of the best decisions we made. Not only did it solve a lot of problems, but skittle air between the engine/exhaust and the body is never a bad thing.

Our body is noticeably cooler on the firewall than typical. 10/10 would do again.

Dan

 

[roma042987]

That's great alberto! I wonder if i'll be doing the same once again when I start on my bj40 to 3b h55f? I do have both types of bell housings for it though, the steel one and an aluminum one. Was the main reason you moved it forward was to clear the parking brake on the back of the transfer? Also moving it forward on my 3b fj40 allowed me to use the factory fj40 drive shafts with the 60 ends on them to mate up to the transfer flanges. No modifications to drive shafts.

 

[roma042987]

Oh and you better get that diesel out of Jims shop in a hurry or you'll pull him over to the oil burner crowd and there wont be anyone to rebuild carbs anymore.

 

[AlbertoSD]

I bought some reinforcement plates from Luke @4x4labs and JimC @FJ40Jim welded them to the front frame horns. We also cut and slightly modified the B fan shroud to accomodate the forward move of the drivetrain.

 

[AlbertoSD]

Then we prepared the body to be removed of the frame to reinforce the rear spring hangers with Ruff Stuff plates and also to weld reinforcement plates to the back portion of the 40.

Ruff Stuff spring hanger reinforcement plate:

 

[AlbertoSD]

Now I have to wait for the 40 to come back home so I can finish stripping everything and get the frame blasted and the body prepped for repair and paint.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Alberto, Did that guy on the right pass himself off as some kind of parts guru to get you to buy the beer. He pulled that trick the last time we met for lunch.