'68 FJ40 WTF???? this will take a lifetime build (1 Viewer)

[zidaro]

OK. Troll a ton, so thought i better start a thread here cuz i will certainly need help and lots of criticism

Scored this thing just as Covid was striking down humanity, mid-March 2020

1968 FJ40 (early production- 11/67)
mostly stock
F motor- original
spring green OG color with overpainted Ronald McDonald schema going on
runs and stops perfect, most electrical works. aside from needing bulbs, etc...
Clean of any real rust
registered

now WTH am I gonna do with it??


-get it safe, somewhat sealed up, and reliable is the first steps.
resto? i think not, i don't have the patience and i wanna wheel it a bit


a Fr/Rr axle set off an FJ80 fell into my possession

Rear full floater/disk axle for a wicked good price, but has tons of rust on it.... big cleanup required, thank god for Evaporust and grinders It cleaned up well, OEM brackets all cleaned off and axle housing is now treated with Rust converter (VHT)!!

the FJ80 front- super clean. Now i just need to pick up ta set of Hellfire Knuckles and grind off a bunch of OEM brackets.
Once i have that dialed, then i swap in Full Hydro Steering to ditch the manual non. Still figuring that one out, as i have 3 on the tree trans shifting, and when i swap to PS i will possibly have to swap out the entire Steering column. Though i hear whispers from Redline of an option.
Still deciding if its getting linked or Shackle reversal using FJ60 springs. Regardless i will be stretching the WB out as far as possible while still retaining my stock rear taillight location. (cuz i like its vintage look)



in process


Winter arrived here in the Sierra. Got snow on the ground and its cold as F***!
Been working on straightening up the body and getting weatherproof. Behind schedule a bit but..... have a fresh and straight windshield frame, windshield, Hood, front Apron/grill almost set to reinstall. As well as some other goods.





Got a bit jiggy on the yellow paint once i started exploring the idea of exposing the OG Spring Green that was covered by a few layers of other colors-- Fugly Yellow being my least fav!!. Realized the condition was dire, and removing any bondo i began building a CAMO pattern that almost looked good, and certainly FUNKY. Kinda liking it and may leave the tub in camo till i can afford the time/money to do something better (which includes replacement Heavy plate rear Quarter panels- not diamond plate scab plates :shake



Also replacing these sweet seats with a set of Mastercraft Baja RS reclining seats in front. Heated of course :biggthumpup: and swapping in a rear bench bc the jump seats are just not practical or safe for actual wheeling or touring. As sad as that may be!!! :dunno:


these are VERY cool though!!


pic of my addiction :ha_ha: :yikes: the struggle is real

 

[zidaro]

Not sure when this will get hardcore, but stick it out

Jan 2021-
New windshield frame and new glass!! And a sexy fresh coat of Spring Green

Not gonna lie, installing that glass solo kinda sucked.



Now just need to clean up the wiper assembly and reinstall. Top and doors might actually fit with a straight windshield frame


mellow Winter so far, minimal snow, so been busting out on some repair/refine bits.
Running good, i drive it around town daily. But till its got a windshield and hood completely installed that's as far as it goes

Cleaning up the electrical a lil so it works better, replaced all the front lighting and cleaned up any evidence of corrosion on the front.
Windshield Frame and new glass, Aprons, Hood, Grill and bezel are fresh, no bond. even pops for professional paint- a first in my life .
IPF headlights, Sylvania H4 pro? bulbs and Painless High Amp Headlight harness. A start.
Slapped on some better wheels and tires. Nothing special but honestly 33's just make me feel better Tight fit in the rear, but the suspension is so stiff there is no rubbing
Few other things too, ill update later.
Still wrapping this stuff up, before winter hits






While i had the front body torn down- swapped out the sketchy steel 4blade fan for a 6blade upgrade, so IF it breaks it doesn't become a throwing knife! pulled the radiator out and cleaned it up, straightened the radiator support bracket, cleaned it all up, replaced all the hardware and gaskets/seals with new. all bolts turned! (2/10 that i turn seem to break and need a drill/tap :smack: ) Feels good when its done



Broke down some hinges i picked up to replace the bent hinges from the flop it had 40 years ago. The "new"ones were frozen too, dripped out the pins and cleaned up the hinges for paint. Replaced the pins with SMG Fab SS/bronze pins for a tight long lasting hinge with fresh anti seize to lat forever!



Hardwired in the new Painless Headlight Harness, cleaned up a bunch of front wiring and replaced the wiring distribution blocks on the fenders. the new Hella H4 100/55 bulbs in the IPF housings are BRIGHT :biggthumpup: like most newer vehicles

Time to button the front clip up (for now) and bust out the Windshield frame install and get the top dialed and weather-sealed for the first time in 40years since it flopped in a driveway mudslide. Then it will be ready for EasternSierra Winter- If it ever arrives!! Only logged a few days in the backcountry on the sticks this season :shocking:

 

[zidaro]

progress pics before the snow started flying here! Crazy looking at pics from last season today, and today Jan18 2021. We've got no snow in the Sierras!! Gonna be a crazy summer if we don't have a Miracle March


Before- Notice the household door hinges welded to outside and the bent frame in both pics. roof didn't seat/seal, doors didn't align. 40 years like that :yikes: :yikes:






After- or mid?, maybe someday i paint the tub after some things change



New dash pad from FJ40dash.com and some bling billet windshield knobs to shine in the sun. Pad soft, supple, and not rotten :drooling:

old-


new


front engine bay somewhat cleaned up



More to come :beerchug:



Paint preppin the splitHood. Picked this mostly strain survivor up down in SD offf a guy buying up everything around him on the web to build his 40 piece by piece.
Original hood had the metal 4blade fan blade rip thru it, and it suffered some damage when this slipped off a driveway in a mudslide in the 70s. So im told.

 

[zidaro]

Hoods drying! took her for a local spin. Stock 53 year old springs are a bit ROUGH
Thin impenetrable slab snow layer







that headliner glue sure looks s***ay in pics (and in person)!



then that snow started flyin! windshield wipers workin pretty good, defrost has an affect. Not bad for a '68

need that hood on before this 6' storm hits tonight!!!

 

[zidaro]

April 24, 2021

finally getting to instal on a pair of sliders i purchased from Metal Tech
removed the stock side steps and trimmed the rocker panel up 2"





snagged a Muncie SM465 transmission to be installed at a later date. Bolts up to the 3sp. bell housing and the stick t-case with an AA adapter. stays short. Has a granny gear.



installed a newer starter, as mine was a slug in the cold weather of the Sierra Winters. HUGE difference with the High torque, and weight /size difference is at least half of the OG. Made new wiring too.



Scored a Diamond Housing for this ride too!!
FJ80 outer balls, 9.5" FJ80 third, 67"wms.... nice n wide= stable






Got a trip on the Con planned for Early June. Stock suspension , manual steering, drum brakes x4, open and stock axle gearing and transfer case gearing. Top and doors off obviously. Gonna HURT!!!! but what a blast to run an OG ride thru the Con.

Then game on!!! axle/brake/gearing/transmission/steering upgrades over next year.


May 5-

trimmed 1.5" off length of front frame horns.
Mounted up a @red line landcruiser front bumper. beautiful piece of work!
threw on a Smittybuilt 10.5 xO2 winch that i had laying around for my 08 T4R. Need to be able to drag this thing across the Con





finished burning in the Sliders. added a 3rd frame to slider bar and gusseted them all. Not certain why MetalTech doesn't include of suggest this for real wheeling. 2 bars not enough.





Found a cheap waterproof cover for a Jeep on amazon that fits great. should work nicely in the Eastern Sierra when it can snow any time of the year. Keep those seats dry and the Bears from sniffing around and putting their paws on everything when the top is off.





next up is stout trans skid and rebuild the exhaust to fit above the frame instead of 4" below it

and put some comfy seats in!!!!

 

[zidaro]

More progress!
comforts for the creatures. Mastercraft Baja RS seats HEATED!!!!! got the DS installed, PS happening. MAJOR difference in comfort and retainment. side bolsters keep you in the seat much unlike the old duct-tape covered upside down snow discs in here before.
Still lap-belt only for now. Need to get the cage and 28gal tank in before it all is settled and ready for harnesses.



Scored a set of TrailReady Beadlocks in a 17" flavor. This will make 31" tires much more capable crawling. and in place for the future. now just need some tires to mount up with tread on them for the con in a few weeks. 17x8 3.5"BS +25mm offset



Hitting the trail on the 10th, be there a few days. Anyone plan to be on the Con that weekend? June 10-15th

Cruisin the 40 life Picking the Kid up at school, soaking up the Vit D




there we go! all current and we go real time!!
i initially started this thread on Marlin, but as one could expect- crickets! so now here i am

 

[74fj40]

Looks really good. I like the spring green. Maybe check out front range off-road for keyed knuckles.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Really like what you are doing with this rig!!! Cool.

can you share what you are using for battery terminals and large wire you show for grounds and starter? Some additional pics would be appreciated!!!

 

[DangerNoodle]

80 axles are a perfect width, I think. I wish I found one of those Diamond housings when I built mine. The 8" HP is really nice in the rocks, but it does scare me.

 

[zidaro]

Looks really good. I like the spring green. Maybe check out front range off-road for keyed knuckles.

Brians got me dialed!! His new FJ80 keyed Histeer knuckles are enroute!

 

[zidaro]

Really like what you are doing with this rig!!! Cool.

can you share what you are using for battery terminals and large wire you show for grounds and starter? Some additional pics would be appreciated!!!

Nothing crazy, i made the cables howmbrew and upgraded the coil and starter at same time. the battery terminals i will have to take a pic of and get back to you

80 axles are a perfect width, I think. I wish I found one of those Diamond housings when I built mine. The 8" HP is really nice in the rocks, but it does scare me.

View attachment 2673864

Danm that rig is sexy! the stance im aiming for. its a big leap once i finally swap the axles- disc brakes, driveline, SUA rear/SOA front with a reversal, upgrade brake master to power dual diaphragm, steering pump on a F????, full hydro steering, swap out 3ontree steering column and wheel, convert trans to floor shift (sm465).

 

[zidaro]

Really like what you are doing with this rig!!! Cool.

can you share what you are using for battery terminals and large wire you show for grounds and starter? Some additional pics would be appreciated!!!

got you a better pic of that battery zone.
Mostly simple stuff. 2G copper strand cable, simple crimped ends with heat shrink. JL Audio positive terminal. haven't gotten to the battery terminal on neg. side yet but planning to run fresh stuff there too. Grounds are same. Ground to starter, frame, body.
there are 2 large gauge cables off the top posts of bat. that are for the winch




Amazon product ASIN B004NONEZW

 

[zidaro]

Scored a set of lightly used almost 32" Toyo MTs on Thurs. Amazing they popped up considering i live in a very sparsely populated area, not much happening around here in the off-road world. Unless you consider the thousands of overlanders that pass thru daily
Mounting em up on the Trailreadys.
Cleaned up the mount surface on the wheels,
chiseled grip grooves into the backside bead surface for added bead holding traction (an old trick i learned from a crusty grizzly old Baja Racemaster Dog) ,
8oz Ceramic BBs dumped in to balance.

Mounted, they are offset out a lil more which is great- more stable! sticking out of wheel well about an inch.

 

[DangerNoodle]

What is your final tire size going to be?

 

[zidaro]

Finished tearing out old PS seat, cut off the hoopty seat mounts someone welded on and cleaned up the cage.
Fit up the Mastercraft seat and Tuffy console with a simple angle iron mounts. Solid and secure. No sliders yet. But they recline and HEATED!! Luxury, and mandatory in the Sierras.
That will do till i can acquiesce a LRA 28gal underseat fuel tank and then ill need to fab up an entire new seat mount incorporated into a cage.

 

[zidaro]

What is your final tire size going to be?

31.5"!!!!! go big or go home

 

[zidaro]

What is your final tire size going to be?

J/k!

Hoping to bump up to 40's.
BUT--- happen to have set of very nice MT ATZP3 in a 37" flavor that i will likely run for awhile. Currently they are mounted up on Tundra 5lugs and i use them under my Tundra when we are not out on Baja or Death Valley tours, so i dont waste my meaty Toyo MTs just running around the hills here.

 

[zidaro]

All this cool stuff ive been doing but i do have a real issue. One that will prevent me from going on the Con if not addressed.
My clutch is slipping like a MoFo!!
It was very mild a few weeks ago. I though i would just flush my MC/Slave, then got crazy and just ordered a NEW MC upgrade kit from CCOT that brings the old uncommon fittings and components up to snuff with current '74+ Toyotas. Kit arrived and was planning on the swap. TURNS OUT, the CCOT complete kit is not. It lacks the 90* banjo fitting and includes an inferior rubber line. So i ordered the banjo, washers, and bolt, and a slick SS line from SOR. They RULE BTW! Specter consistently has EVERYTHING and its always top shelf. I buy from other shops too, but they're TOPS!
So.... before i got to the MC upgrade install, my clutch starts slipping BAD!! 2 weeks ago i could drop the clutch in 1st and it would accelerate rapidly. Now it revs high, stays high rpm, then slowly accelerates. same slipping in 2nd/3rd.

I ordered a full clutch kit for SOR.
Now just gotta get at that trans cover so i can pull the trans. get the flywheel resurfaced and slip in the new goodies. Hope it goes smooth and no bolts are frozen

 

[zidaro]

at least the new clutch, and MC/slave - will work with the SM465 trans once i slip it under!
hate doing things twice and hate even more, spending $ to do things twice

and..... SOR shipped instantly, arrived 2 days after i ordered it.

 

[saltydog20]

Nice work! I am in the southern Sierras, but I have a family home in Mammoth that we visit from time to time. I am working on a Rubicon capable rig but I am still a while from being done. I will look for you next time in Mammoth. Cheers.