Builds 69 FJ40 - The Wrong Call (1 Viewer)

[TreadingLight]

I've never owned a 40 but we had a '69 with a 3 speed when I was a kid. And after riding shotgun in a '69 fj40 on the Rubicon recently I've had a short wheelbase cruiser on the brain.

But I don't really have the time or space for a major project like this. This pile of parts is most of a cruiser but it's incomplete. It's largely disassembled. I can't fit it in my garage. It needs a lot of rust repair and fabrication work and I don't even own a welder. I'm not done with my Troopy build yet. Passing on it would be the right call.

But nope, enabled by some friends that wish to see me mired in endless projects with no prospect for free time or successful completion, I decided to make the wrong call. Probably the first in a series of wrong calls.

So here she is. A '69 with a 12/68 build date. Buying this rig was definitely the wrong call.

 

[3_puppies]

as to quote a line from a CW McCall song

I've seen better stuff in a junkyard, where did you ever get that truck?

for those who don't know it, the name of the song is classified

 

[TreadingLight]

That was a little bit of a tease. That is what i found when i showed up to buy it, but true to their word, they gave me most of the rest of it the next day.

Don't get me wrong - this is still a terrible idea.

But all I am missing are the top, doors, and seats.

Fenders are not bad

Many things were removed by the previous owners

Spare windshield frame included

Hood has some bondo

I also picked up a bin full of engine accessories and other parts.

 

[TreadingLight]

Those of you with an eye for detail may be looking at the first picture and wondering what that box is on the frame up front.

That my friends, is a counterweight. Because in its previous life, this rig lived on a ranch where it was used to move bails of hay around. Here are a couple pics the PO shared with me from when they bought it from the ranch.

Rear forklift not included

That counterweight is a solid block of steel welded to the frame

 

[cruisermatt]

this is pretty much how my 71 was when I got it. Same color too. Yours is in a lot better shape. Looks like it went from SOA to SUA?

 

[Living in the Past]

this is pretty much how my 71 was when I got it. Same color too. Yours is in a lot better shape. Looks like it went from SOA to SUA?

First picture is currently suspension, SOA. Originally was a SUA.

Too bad the FJ45 was no longer imported after 1967. A pickup would have been better suited to work on a ranch. A stock jeep in 1969 wouldn't have held up to that type of abuse.

 

[Rigger]

That thing is an absolute diamond! All it needs is a bushel of money and decade of work!

 

[TreadingLight]

Pfff, I beat the system. I bought this 40 for $2k and am going to come out of this cheap.

 

[TreadingLight]

Pros	Cons
Cheap	Rusty
	Missing pieces
	Not assembled

I think I'm coming out ahead here. The chart proves it. The ad said it needed a tub but I think we can get this sorted.

Perfect for a patina finish

Should I get a new faceplate for the gauge cluster?

These corners tell stories!

It came with a new rear pan. Just gotta glue that bad boy down after I hammer off the loose rust.

 

[middlecalf]

Cream puff. But you're going to need a welder.

 

[pb4ugo]

Pfff, I beat the system. I bought this 40 for $2k and am going to come out of this cheap.

You ain't done yet. You're just getting started.

 

[TreadingLight]

Well, that's the big question.

I could probably have it driveable in 3 or 4 weekends. Clapped out but driveable. I'd do a front disc brake conversion, replace all the rubber, minimal electrical fixes, slap it all together and drive it home. Then it'd be a rolling project.

But maybe I'll take some time with the build before putting her on the road.

I'm still thinking through the options, it would be something like this.

Phase 1:

• Clean and POR15 the frame
• Rust repair
• Clean the remaining paint and clearcoat it (rattle can)

Phase 2:

• Reinstall engine accessories
• Belts/hoses/filters/waterpump
• Spark plugs, wires, distributor
• 70 series front/rear axles
• Springs/shackles/bushings
• Brake lines
• Fuel lines
• Seats
• Ignition, brake lights and turn signals
• Roll cage

** drive it home **

Phase 3:

• Repair/upgrade wiring harness, fuse boxes, aux power, dual battery
• Brake pads, shoes, calipers, master cylinder, drums/rotors if needed
• Alternator upgrade
• Knuckles and wheel bearings as needed
• Tires
• Koito headlights

Phase 4:

• 1hz-t
• 4 speed or 5 speed
• Split case w/4:1 gears
• Saginaw power steering
• York compressor
• Power brakes
• Winch
• Hard top

I'm not sure yet which would be the wrong call. Do I put it back together and run it, or do I finish the PO's efforts to take it apart first?

 

[TreadingLight]

this is pretty much how my 71 was when I got it. Same color too. Yours is in a lot better shape.

Oh wow. I'd like to see some photos from when you started your 71.

Looks like it went from SOA to SUA?

She's currently sprung over.

What I have is actually an amalgam of two '69s. The PO bought them during covid as a father/son pandemic project. They put the best parts on one and sold off the other one. I bought the one they had planned to build (they never got finished with the teardown). The axles with spring over and a couple body parts are from the other 40.

It looks like someone cut and rewelded the perches and welded on a high steering arm. It would take some work to make this spring over "right" which is part of why I am debating moving to 60 or 70 axles and just building those.

 

[Ditcherman]

I think I'm coming out ahead here. The chart proves it. The ad said it needed a tub but I think we can get this sorted.

That’s the spirit!

Subscribed.

 

[TreadingLight]

I moved the rig from it's first temp home to it's second temp home, where it has other cruisers to sleep next to at night.

And I guess you could say the build has begun. I reattached the fenders, put a borrowed wheel on it, and set the hood in place.

Starting to look like a real rig now eh? Take that naysayers!

But she's all wrapped up until November when I will either start taking her more apart or putting her back together, whichever call seems wronger.

Until then .... I will do some planning and acquire parts.

 

[TreadingLight]

Speaking of planning, I decided to go through the bins of parts and my photos and start making a list of what is missing.

Driveshafts, flywheel, clutch parts, and a sweet factory air cleaner. Am I missing any ducting for the intake?

A heater housing with no blower, starter, alternator, and a battery tray.

A bunch of linkage. What for? Clutch fork, steel fan, and fuel filler parts.

So, many, hinges. The windshield hinges currently installed are welded. I have a replacement windshield frame and am glad to see I have 3 early style hinges. Curiously I have one useless later hinge. I also have hood hinges and door hinges. I'm not sure what those brackets are to the right.

I've got hood and windshield latches, one tow hook, one windshield knob, and some brackets and a linkage I don't recognize. Missing one windshield knob and one tow hook.

 

[TreadingLight]

Part Deux

Two different color side vents, cowl vent, fan pulley, ignition coil, and a 4wd emblem.

Red and amber reflectors, a pair of amber marker lights, reverse light, and two headlights, one with some strange damage. I am missing the front and rear turn signals, dome light, and license plate light.

Two bins of miscellaneous hardware and brackets. Also a headlight switch sans knob and a wiper knob sans switch. I am missing a lot of switches and pulls.

A gleaming freshly painted bezel. This rig is going to be an absurd combination of rusty parts from multicolored cruiser donors and one very clean bezel. I may have to rethink not painting it. Anyhow I will be sure to install the bezel upside down to see who remembers me saying I would do that.

I do have an engine, tcase, and 3 speed. There is a protective paper towel in place of a water pump. I hope no squirrels decide to take up residence in the block. There is a protective cap made of electrical tape over the carb. Most of the brake lines have been cut. The wiring is a disaster. I am missing the washer tank and coolant overflow tank.

 

[3_puppies]

linkage rods are for 4 wheel drive engagement along with the pivot piece for the firewall and also maybe the 3 speed column linkage
not sure there was an overflow bottle for that year
no other ducting for the air cleaner

 

[Ditcherman]

Part Deux

View attachment 3735515
Two different color side vents,

These are this way because someone painted them two different colors previously, and that’s how light works.

cowl vent, fan pulley, ignition coil, and a 4wd emblem.

View attachment 3735519
Red and amber reflectors, a pair of amber marker lights, reverse light, and two headlights, one with some strange damage. I am missing the front and rear turn signals, dome light, and license plate light.

View attachment 3735523
Two bins of miscellaneous hardware and brackets.

This is standard equipment with any used 40, and there’s a lineal relationship between how full the buckets you get are and how many other 40’s you own with other buckets. The more you already own, the fuller the buckets will already be.

Also a headlight switch sans knob and a wiper knob sans switch. I am missing a lot of switches and pulls.

But you will always be missing at least one knob.

View attachment 3735530
A gleaming freshly painted bezel. This rig is going to be an absurd combination of rusty parts from multicolored cruiser donors and one very clean bezel. I may have to rethink not painting it. Anyhow I will be sure to install the bezel upside down to see who remembers me saying I would do that.

You’re holding it wrong, the bezel goes side to side, not up and down.
#bezelpolice

View attachment 3735531
I do have an engine, tcase, and 3 speed. There is a protective paper towel in place of a water pump. I hope no squirrels decide to take up residence in the block. There is a protective cap made of electrical tape over the carb. Most of the brake lines have been cut. The wiring is a disaster. I am missing the washer tank and coolant overflow tank.

Trust me, I know things.

 

[Paul_A]

It's a Land Cruiser kit!