I'll be interested to see how you go... I'll be doing the same thing in the future.
Build 1st FJ40, '76 - SMOKEY - Puttin’ her Back Together
- Thread starter Vae Victus
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #1,842
I did end up removing the rain gutter and ordering the "visor" section from CCOT. I am sanding off the coat of paint that was put on to save my painter from having to spend his time and my money to do the same.
Ended up using a 1" Roloc disk to grind off the rivets from the bottom, and then quickly tapping them out while still hot with a punch. When the fiber glass is hot, the rivets slide out easily (hint to the future restorers out there).
I'll post some pictures later from my phone.
Ended up using a 1" Roloc disk to grind off the rivets from the bottom, and then quickly tapping them out while still hot with a punch. When the fiber glass is hot, the rivets slide out easily (hint to the future restorers out there).
I'll post some pictures later from my phone.
- Thread starter
- #1,843
Big day last Friday, 9/26 - after 7 long years, I finally took her to get painted!
Pics when I get to my phone.
Pics when I get to my phone.
- Thread starter
- #1,844
I’ve done some powder coating on some engine bay parts and panels, and removed and worked on the Pitman arm to try to get it to seat further.
Any progress pics from the painter?
- Thread starter
- #1,846
Catching up. Been a couple of months since i posted my progress.
I decided to learn how to Cerakote and purchased the basic, 6 color kit from the company with the better Iawata LPH-80 gun in it. You can go cheaper, (< $200) but with a generic gun.
Nice gun! Never done any HPLV painting before so this was pretty cool to learn. I love how easy it is to clean up after spraying a color!
Basically I thought with all the effort I was going to, I could make the intake and exhaust manifold look better.
Exhaust before:
So I did a couple other parts, then did the exhaust and intake. You cannot tell I did the intake, because it ended up being the same color as the raw aluminum, but at least it will stay clean.
Intake Before:
Both after:
Colors:
Black Velvet C-7300T
GLACIER TITANIUM C-7900T
Lots of other details here, but more on that in the next posts.
I decided to learn how to Cerakote and purchased the basic, 6 color kit from the company with the better Iawata LPH-80 gun in it. You can go cheaper, (< $200) but with a generic gun.
Nice gun! Never done any HPLV painting before so this was pretty cool to learn. I love how easy it is to clean up after spraying a color!
Basically I thought with all the effort I was going to, I could make the intake and exhaust manifold look better.
Exhaust before:
So I did a couple other parts, then did the exhaust and intake. You cannot tell I did the intake, because it ended up being the same color as the raw aluminum, but at least it will stay clean.
Intake Before:
Both after:
Colors:
Black Velvet C-7300T
GLACIER TITANIUM C-7900T
Lots of other details here, but more on that in the next posts.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #1,847
When I decided that I was going to rebuild this truck, I decided to upgrade the available amperage so I could add AC, electronic power steering, some lighting or a winch, stereo power, charging ports etc. Hey, heated seats are not out of the question in the future! I'm getting older, and creature comforts are key.
With the help of @Coolerman (hey Coolerman, hope you are able to catch up on your honey-do projects), I now have a wiring harness that will handle the upgraded 1988 TLC Alternator that puts out 80 amps. I began working to see how that was going to be mounted in my truck, of course spending a week to find the bracket that wasn't going to work anyway since I was going to put in a Vintage Air system that has a compressor that is mounted on a custom VA bracket.
With some luck though, I stumbled across an eBay listing for just the Vintage Air alternator/compressor bracket and hardware for a pretty good price, so I bough it.
This was actually my first Cerakote trail run, and I used an "H" series paint that has to be baked at 350 degrees to harden the paint. I had some overspray, and some underspray, but the resulting finish, where I didn't f- it up look very nice. The color here is GLOSS BLACK Item: H-109T.
Overspray at the bottom, and underspray on the left. Oh well, I'm learning. If I was being a perfectionist, I'd reblast and repaint.
Same here - a couple of flaws. But, the rest of the finish is a nice, thin, gloss black.
With the help of @Coolerman (hey Coolerman, hope you are able to catch up on your honey-do projects), I now have a wiring harness that will handle the upgraded 1988 TLC Alternator that puts out 80 amps. I began working to see how that was going to be mounted in my truck, of course spending a week to find the bracket that wasn't going to work anyway since I was going to put in a Vintage Air system that has a compressor that is mounted on a custom VA bracket.
With some luck though, I stumbled across an eBay listing for just the Vintage Air alternator/compressor bracket and hardware for a pretty good price, so I bough it.
This was actually my first Cerakote trail run, and I used an "H" series paint that has to be baked at 350 degrees to harden the paint. I had some overspray, and some underspray, but the resulting finish, where I didn't f- it up look very nice. The color here is GLOSS BLACK Item: H-109T.
Overspray at the bottom, and underspray on the left. Oh well, I'm learning. If I was being a perfectionist, I'd reblast and repaint.
Same here - a couple of flaws. But, the rest of the finish is a nice, thin, gloss black.
- Thread starter
- #1,848
Once I got the Vintage Air bracket done, I could mount the alternator. I had some issues to deal with there too however. The FJ60 alternator comes with a dual pulley, which won't work in the FJ40, so I had to swap the pulley from my old alternator. But, the original pulley was too thick to allow the nut to seat all the way (i.e. the shaft on the 80 amp alternator is shorter). I took it to the machine shop and had them cut it down to the same thickness of the double pulley. Worked great.
Side by side of the two alternators. The new one (link to example part for those who are looking for one, Toyota Part No.:27060-61090,
Replaced By 27060-61090-84), and the original.
Here is the original pulley, prior to getting it cut down at the machine shop. Only 4 threads showing.
And here it is after, while still in the first color I tried (CERAKOTE GLACIER GOLD C-7800T, which I hated). But you can see that the nut and lock washer fit perfectly now. I was hoping that "Gold" was going to be close to the Zinc plating color, but not even close. On the advice of another local Mud'er, @ukaviator, I went with the Burnt Bronze (there is a "C" version, and an "H" version - I used the "C-148" air cure version) instead (that in a future post).
Note also that I used the original (old) fan on the newer alternator since it was slightly lower profile than the new fan. It mated properly with the pulley - there is a raised area on the old pulley that does not exist on the new pulley (the fan on the new alternator is convex where it meets with the pulley, creating the proper spacing)
In order to connect to the alternator, Coolerman used a different connector than the '76 version. I've not started connecting the wiring up yet, but I know he has the conversion kit on his website).
Side by side of the two alternators. The new one (link to example part for those who are looking for one, Toyota Part No.:27060-61090,
Replaced By 27060-61090-84), and the original.
Here is the original pulley, prior to getting it cut down at the machine shop. Only 4 threads showing.
And here it is after, while still in the first color I tried (CERAKOTE GLACIER GOLD C-7800T, which I hated). But you can see that the nut and lock washer fit perfectly now. I was hoping that "Gold" was going to be close to the Zinc plating color, but not even close. On the advice of another local Mud'er, @ukaviator, I went with the Burnt Bronze (there is a "C" version, and an "H" version - I used the "C-148" air cure version) instead (that in a future post).
Note also that I used the original (old) fan on the newer alternator since it was slightly lower profile than the new fan. It mated properly with the pulley - there is a raised area on the old pulley that does not exist on the new pulley (the fan on the new alternator is convex where it meets with the pulley, creating the proper spacing)
In order to connect to the alternator, Coolerman used a different connector than the '76 version. I've not started connecting the wiring up yet, but I know he has the conversion kit on his website).
The @Coolerman conversion kit works a treat! I used it on my FJ75 without a hitch.
- Thread starter
- #1,850
Mounting the FJ60 alternator on the Vintage Air bracket was pretty easy. There is a large spacer in the FJ60 alternator that allow you to move it around a bit, and grind off if needed, to fit on your mounting bracket.
The spacing comparison. The large spacer gives you the ability to move things by about 3/8 to 1/2" as needed.
If I had used the FJ40 normal bracket, it fit easily with a full length 135mm bolt to hold it in place. I did need a longer bolt for the VA AC bracket, but when looking at the mounting instructions, it used two bolts instead of one long bolt to hold it in place. Amazing how tunnel vision I get - I never thought of that until after returning from driving downtown to the bolt and screw place to buy a single bolt.
Below is the only picture I have of the new alternator mounted to the normal bracket. The regular length bolt shown above with the old alternator fit the new one. You can see that it would need a tensioning arm that came up to the 11:00 position, which I did not have. The old alternator had it's tensioning hole at the 12:00 position, so they were close to each other, but not the same. (I didn't have the correct tensioning arm for my bracket PERIOD, much less a solution for this new alternator). I realized that I couldn't use the normal bracket anyway, so it did not matter.
Below shows the mounting using two bolts that do come with the VA kit. I decided to find some Zinc plated yellow ones, but did not replace the aircraft nuts as those were not available, and I don't need another (3rd) batch of zinc coating, yet.
I did ultimately trim about 1/16" (2 mm) off the spacer to get the bolt to seat against the alternator.
You can also see the new Burnt Bronze cerakote color I went with on the fan and pulley. Looks much better. It's behind the fan on the water pump pulley as well.
Seems like this thing needs some way to create a mechanical tension rather than just a hand-held tension then tightening down the bolt on the tension mount, given the fact that bolt and spacer at the rear of the mounting, no matter how tight, will rotate fairly easily since it is only the spacer and nut that are pushing against the bracket. The alternator can rotate freely on the spacer. Yes, the front bolt will resist some rotation when tightened. And, the tensioning arm does have a bolt that can be tightened to hold the alternator at the proper angle, but that is putting a lot of trust in a single bolt! You can see the arm and bolt behind the (yes, old) belt at the 6:00 position to the alternator.
The spacing comparison. The large spacer gives you the ability to move things by about 3/8 to 1/2" as needed.
If I had used the FJ40 normal bracket, it fit easily with a full length 135mm bolt to hold it in place. I did need a longer bolt for the VA AC bracket, but when looking at the mounting instructions, it used two bolts instead of one long bolt to hold it in place. Amazing how tunnel vision I get - I never thought of that until after returning from driving downtown to the bolt and screw place to buy a single bolt.
Below is the only picture I have of the new alternator mounted to the normal bracket. The regular length bolt shown above with the old alternator fit the new one. You can see that it would need a tensioning arm that came up to the 11:00 position, which I did not have. The old alternator had it's tensioning hole at the 12:00 position, so they were close to each other, but not the same. (I didn't have the correct tensioning arm for my bracket PERIOD, much less a solution for this new alternator). I realized that I couldn't use the normal bracket anyway, so it did not matter.
Below shows the mounting using two bolts that do come with the VA kit. I decided to find some Zinc plated yellow ones, but did not replace the aircraft nuts as those were not available, and I don't need another (3rd) batch of zinc coating, yet.
I did ultimately trim about 1/16" (2 mm) off the spacer to get the bolt to seat against the alternator.
You can also see the new Burnt Bronze cerakote color I went with on the fan and pulley. Looks much better. It's behind the fan on the water pump pulley as well.
Seems like this thing needs some way to create a mechanical tension rather than just a hand-held tension then tightening down the bolt on the tension mount, given the fact that bolt and spacer at the rear of the mounting, no matter how tight, will rotate fairly easily since it is only the spacer and nut that are pushing against the bracket. The alternator can rotate freely on the spacer. Yes, the front bolt will resist some rotation when tightened. And, the tensioning arm does have a bolt that can be tightened to hold the alternator at the proper angle, but that is putting a lot of trust in a single bolt! You can see the arm and bolt behind the (yes, old) belt at the 6:00 position to the alternator.
Last edited:
The tensioning arm bolt is really what you are relying on to preserve the tension. Get a lock washer on there, use a lever of some kind to hold the alternator at the desired tension, and then since it down. You can also cinch the front mounting bolt up for additional "insurance" on holding the alternator.
But really, the tensioning arm bolt is it. That's how it is on my 40 and 75 (a 3F with very similar characteristics to our 2F's).
- Thread starter
- #1,852
That's good to know. I'm now questioning my cerakoting the pulleys as it has made the slicker than I had imagined it would. May need all the tension I can get.
You have me jealous with the Cerakote... so gorgeous.That's good to know. I'm now questioning my cerakoting the pulleys as it has made the slicker than I had imagined it would. May need all the tension I can get.
Just take some 400 grit and scuff it up inside the pulley. The belts are going to wear down to exposed metal anyway. And honestly, the belts end up putting a pretty slick polish on the inside of the pulleys anyway.
- Thread starter
- #1,854
Will be working on this shortly. Have the parts now - really expensive for a couple of pieces of sheet metal, but at least I waited 2 months for them.I'll be interested to see how you go... I'll be doing the same thing in the future.
- Thread starter
- #1,855
Thanks Honger. Good to know.
- Thread starter
- #1,856
Paint update! Been at paint since September(!), but in the past 6 weeks he has made progress on it. Color is exactly what I wanted. Love the Spring Green.
Raptor on the lower part of the inside. Body color underneath where visible, black raptor where not visible.
Raptor on the lower part of the inside. Body color underneath where visible, black raptor where not visible.
- Thread starter
- #1,857
Made some batter cables from 1/0 cable, lugs, a nice ebay-sourced-old-but hefty-crimper, and some heat shrink.
Safety Reminder:
Don't do what I did and turn the lug so that it touches the edge of the starter body. I got a quick lesson in welding when I tightened down the connections! Burned right through the starter at the corder where it is touching. You can see the new "drain hole" that I created. You can also see the little weld nugget on the lug after I swapped it around. Geez that was exciting.
Also hooked up an MSD coil and the distributor, got a momentary switch, mounted the battery, installed the plugs, and turned the engine over until oil came out of the journals. So I was never able to line it up at TDC and get oil to come out, but turning the whole engine over for a minute or so got it going. I did prime it with a long screwdriver shaft and drill first. Put a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the spark plugs to make sure the valves and rings were all a little wet.
The Coil part number is MSD 8222 if anyone needs this at some point. It is compatible with a Trollhole Electronic Dizzy, at least that's what I'm told as I've yet to prove it.
Safety Reminder:
Don't do what I did and turn the lug so that it touches the edge of the starter body. I got a quick lesson in welding when I tightened down the connections! Burned right through the starter at the corder where it is touching. You can see the new "drain hole" that I created. You can also see the little weld nugget on the lug after I swapped it around. Geez that was exciting.
Also hooked up an MSD coil and the distributor, got a momentary switch, mounted the battery, installed the plugs, and turned the engine over until oil came out of the journals. So I was never able to line it up at TDC and get oil to come out, but turning the whole engine over for a minute or so got it going. I did prime it with a long screwdriver shaft and drill first. Put a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the spark plugs to make sure the valves and rings were all a little wet.
The Coil part number is MSD 8222 if anyone needs this at some point. It is compatible with a Trollhole Electronic Dizzy, at least that's what I'm told as I've yet to prove it.
- Thread starter
- #1,858
Next steps are to (not necessarily in this order):
- weld in the roof rails that are rusted out and get the roof to the painter
- get the Vintage Air unit so I can finish placing the large pieces in the engine bay
- get the fan housing cut to fit the compressor
- finish the water system
- gap the spark plugs
- get the fuel system hooked up
- test fire the engine
- drive shafts can go back on soon
- fill the transfer case with oil (though I think I did that already) LOL
- Find some valve cover nuts
- pipe the vacuum fittings
Awesome progress. I was able to use a newer(late 70s) fan shroud and it cleared the compressor without cutting. I didn’t like how the early trimmed shroud turned out. Also, while you’ve got the rad out, slotting the mounting holes in the frame to give you more adjustment front to back might be a good idea. My AC condenser is pretty close to the Bib.
Last edited:
I would recommend taking a couple pieces of plywood nailed together. Lay the old roof on the plywood and trace the outline of the roof. Then you can spot weld the pieces together. You dont want to weld the pieces on the fiberglass. The outline you traced will be a guide to align the pieces up for you. I used the compression rivets and a special tool used. I borrowed the tool from a guy in town. I did this back 20 years ago..