Build 1979 FJ40 Preservation-ish Project

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

OPMACHINE said:
@Oregon80fj40 we could remanufacture the exhaust manifold out of formed sheet metal and create something that would last a lifetime. I just need to find somebody that is willing to float the first article costs. The first one would be very expensive, the next 200 would be pretty reasonable.
Click to expand...
Maybe @Racer65 would be interested in a project like this.
 
The ECM is working again. I am not exactly sure what the problem was, but I replaced all of the old fuses and the FCSV is working properly.

Tentatively off of the To-Do list, I feel like this issue is not resolved for good.
 
Just sitting here polishing/brushing the aluminum valve cover with scotch brite while I wait for the intake to get back from powder.
342CF1A2-3351-4CE2-87BE-D2FFD3845E61.webp

Not sure if I should clear coat or leave it raw when I am finished. I am leaning towards raw.
 
OPMACHINE said:
Just sitting here polishing/brushing the aluminum valve cover with scotch brite while I wait for the intake to get back from powder.View attachment 2586597
Not sure if I should clear coat or leave it raw when I am finished. I am leaning towards raw.
Click to expand...
We polished mine to a mirror finish during the restoration... and without any protective coat it was oxidizing/tarnishing pretty good within a year.

I suggest a clear coat or, what I went with, was a nice pewter paint. Several years in, the paint is holding up MUCH better than the bare Al did.

For what it’s worth... I was bummed after all the work that went into polishing it. But I love the painted look. And it cleans very easy.
 
OPMACHINE said:
Just sitting here polishing/brushing the aluminum valve cover with scotch brite while I wait for the intake to get back from powder.View attachment 2586597
Not sure if I should clear coat or leave it raw when I am finished. I am leaning towards raw.
Click to expand...
You know they were zinc plated when new in '79. Some of the original coating is still on mine. The '78's and earlier were raw aluminum
 
I had a similar issue with the emissions control computer in that it didn't work when I got it. More than a half dozen solders were cracked and not making ground for the idle solenoid amongst other things.
Perhaps revisiting that or try just grounding the idle solenoid. That's how mine was rigged when I bought it.
 
Interesting, I had not considered zink platings or know it was original.

The yellowish discoloration on the valve cover was old clear coat. I scraped it off with a plastic razor blade and mineral spirits.
 
I don’t think it was zinc plated. I would guess it was a clear coat or a cosmoline coating that has yellowed over the years. I can take a look at my 79’ advertisements I have squirreled away later today and get back to you.
 
Yep, I agree the pictures are from a 78’ for the 79’ model year. Here is my advertisement. The fan shroud and the oil cooler lines are known to be cad plated. @overton used to have the most original 79’ the I knew of on his website but I can’t find it anymore. Maybe he can spread some light on this discussion.
F7AC3A3C-2579-4AB9-B818-CE9EC578B174.webp
6B08E9AB-0769-4FE4-970D-59A6597AA18A.webp
D509A239-FEBB-4527-A32D-FB07DB0E76E7.webp
 
I stand corrected. It was cadmium not zinc but I am certain that the coloring on my valve cover is/was not a clear coat.
It's color exactly matches the many other cadmium plated parts on my survivor. It matches all of the hardware, air rail, oil cooler, emissions brackets, carb, throttle linkage, emissions octopus, & brake calipers.

I'm certain that these were all this way from the get go.

Interestingly the engine lift hooks and factory AC fan shroud are all painted black
 
@N919HJ Those brochures are very cool!

My valve cover was coated with some kind of clear coat, I do not see any signs of plating. But, Im sure not the first guy to pull the valve cover on this old girl.
 
Thanks, I have a full book of all the paperwork my Land Cruiser came with when it was bought new. Everything from the “Welcome to the Toyota Family“ letter to the slip for the free tank of gas. My valve cover looked just like yours before I powder coated it. I’m going to politely disagree with @S.CarolinaFZJ80 about the valve cover being plated. But who knows....
 
Just to contribute to this discussion...My 3/79 was incredibly well preserved by the PO, who was also the OO. Unlike many PO's, he was determined, for his three decades of ownership, to not modify anything on the truck from the original factory configuration. When I went through the engine bay and cleaned everything up, I'm convinced that the valve cover gasket was original, so the valve cover probably hasn't been removed more than a couple of times since 1979, and all maintenance was performed at the same shop in Manette since the truck was new. My valve cover has the exact same honey colored "smoodge" on it as @OPMACHINE, and @S.CarolinaFZJ80. Most of the coating is on the front half of the valve cover, and most of the back half is gone. It's almost like it got shellaced at the factory. I have no idea what the coating actually is, and most other years of the 2F engine don't seem to have this. It's a similar color as CAD plating, but it flakes off like some sort of clear coat. None of the CAD plated items like the engine hooks, heater pipes, will flake off like the coating on the valve cover does. After seeing the results of @OPMACHINE 's scubbing efforts, that is what I am going to do the next time I take it off. I'm afraid if I clear coat it myself, it will just start flaking again in a few years. Perhaps a nice powder coat is the best answer?
 
Shellacked is a great descriptor. I powder coated mine. From what I’ve read, it is very important to get the valve cover super clean or you’ll get bubbles.
 
All very interesting. Thanks for all of the info. Perhaps a 1980 brochure will have a 1979 model depicted such is the '78 in the '79 brochure.

It would be nice to see a pic of what the engine bay of the '79 model originally looked like.

Maybe the shellac coating on the valve cover was dropped after 79 due to the flaking. That might explain why later models don't seem to have it.
Perhaps a good idea at the engineering level that turned out to not be well executed
 
@overton, what happened to that white 79’ with like 6000 miles on it? Do you still have the pictures of it somewhere?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom