77 FJ40-coming home

[yOHda]

Im excited about picking up this little project. should be in my driveway next week.



77 FJ40

solid frame
solid running 2F
33s
4" lift
full doors/half doors
warn 8274 i believe
lots of bondo
working heaters front and rear


wanted a 40 for a long time. decided to off some projects around the house and found this one locally on craigslist. second baby on the way so i wanted to buy a 40 before time and money start running short. PO says he bought it from someone in lancaster. i would like to find out who that was.

plans for now are metaltech fenders, budbuilt quarters, fj60 axles, 80 series diffs 4.88 or 5.29s and my 37" rocker radials. i have most of the parts besides the body panels and gears. i bought this to wheel for awhile then to restore down the road. i have started looking for a replacement tub but in no rush. im just excited to finally own an FJ40. better pics coming soon...

 

[94SRUNNER]

Very nice 40, should make for a great build!

Look forward to the progress.

 

[FJ40Jim]

From Lancaster Ohio?
Hmmm, doesn't look familiar to me, but my memory card is full, so that info may have been deleted.

 

[yOHda]

yeah PO said he bought it about 8 months ago from someone in lancaster. It was a green then, i want to bring back the green eventually, but repainting the roof and bezel the proper color is my priority.

my wife thinks im crazy as i plan to drive this the majority of the time and keep the 80 for when i need something more civilized.

 

[yOHda]

well the eagle has landed. learned a few things on the way home.

1. overall it drives pretty good. a little scary with the steering but nothing that cant be fixed.

2. the headlights are pointed up or the system is overcharging because every other car was flashing me.

3. the lights go dim when i come to a stop. related to charging issue probably.

4. no dash lights although i dont know if there are supposed to be. i assume yes.

5. motor does run strong but when i got home i noticed seepage at the number 1 or 2 cylinder. probably going to need a headgasket soon. it did not overheat and i sat in traffic for awhile.

6. fitment issues with the top and bib/fenders. will be addressed in time.

7. Land Cruiser Association member stickers from 99/00 on glovebox. i will join the Association to continue the heritage.

8. even with the issues ive found and sure to find, i love this truck.


more pics tomorrow. when i was picking it up from the PO today, he said the owner before him found the soft top and is getting it over to him. he will call me when he has it. way cool!
4.

 

[yOHda]

Well my woman went to Indiana today so i wasnt able to take the 40 over to my local test grounds to test out the 4wd and winch. I just stayed at the house and started familiarizing myself with my new toy.

I spent the morning reading about the 2F and have concluded that is my side cover is leaking. i need to hit the FAQ for a few days and read up on all the components.

anyway i didnt get any good pics of the exterior sitting in my narrow driveway. but here's some various other pics i took:

Anybody know what this plug is for in the glove box?

There is a serious layer of undercoating over everything. interior, underneath, most of the frame. a lot of stainless hardware on the truck.

fiberglas fenders??? im going to destroy these.

wiring is priority as there are some hacked wires on this thing.

I think i have an early hardtop on here judging by the rear door. at some point the doors were misplaced and the rear of the tub was welded up. id like to eventually find hospital doors. the hardtop doesnt quite fit correctly and there is no hardware in sight so i need to figure out the bolt sizes and get the hardtop sitting down better.

today i just cleaned up the battery terminals and grounds and tightened some screws here and there, adjusted headlights, doors. id like to make sure its charging correctly because my ammeter is buried at +30 almost all the time.

Is an 8274 only supposed to have a power wire? does it ground through the winch plate? it works but not having a ground wire is interesting.

 

[yOHda]

A little video of it running:

1977 FJ40 startup and idle - YouTube

18v at the battery while idling...i need to find out if that is normal?

oh, and the bezel was corrected shortly after the video.

video doesnt due this motor justice. it is actually a really quiet running motor. small exhaust leak towards the back that i tried to capture, otherwise its runs smooth and doesnt lack for power i feel.

 

[pb4ugo]

It appears to be the correct top w/an early model rear hatch. Most 8274 winches have a ground wire mounted on the motor somewhere. Nice 40, it appears to be fairly well kept up. The plug in the "pocket" is for a little trouble/service light that came w/it when new. Approx 14 volts is normal. You might want to check the voltage regulator, it may be overcharging.

 

[FJ40Jim]

That sheetmetal work looks really familiar. And the MOLC sticker means it was somebody in the club.
dunno

Anyway, stop running it now, before you incinerate something.
The mechanical V regulator is dead. Rather than fixing the sh!tty regulator, just bolt on a 79-87 60Amp alternator with solid state internal regulator. It needs one wire plugged into the back to get it to charge. very easy upgrade.

The head has been off at some time in the past, because both lift hooks are missing. Prolly didn't have the good OEM HG installed, so no wonder it leaks.

The heater valve is not there.

All easy mechanical & electrical fixes.
OTOH, the rotten body is a tough fix, but I like a rusty cruiser, 'cause I'm not afraid to it.

Shiny Cruisers scare me.

 

[yOHda]

Yeah i havent driven it since i got it home. ive burned up an optima in the past with an overcharging issue. i should have it fixed today. it was really difficult to not take the day off of work and stay home and tinker.

Jim, i have been searching through old threads and found a lot of useful information from you....thanks!!!

the leak is oil. side cover gasket will be replaced in a couple weeks.

Ill look into the heater valve missing. probably the reason it blows cold when i switch to vent.

all fixes im capable of, if not, ill learn. i have built 3 toyotas previously, doing most of the work in my driveway(my neighbors love me).

the rotten body is probably the easiest fix as i intend to wheel it without much care for the body and then replace the tub next summer.

 

[yOHda]

Ordered an 87 alternator and belt this morning should be here tomorrow morning. i would like to drive it for a month or so before i do any major teardowns. i have a 17 mile commute each day to canal winchester.

i found the oil gauge wire laying near the framerail and connected it back to the sender. oil gauge sprung to life, so im happy all the original gauges work.


my mod list will be short.

Gears and lockers-im looking for 4.88s to turn these 37" Rockers. the 80 has no problem turning them over, but i think they might be a little much for the 40. I will pickup a a couple used 80 series 3rds and install Aussies front and rear. my 80 has one and i love it.


Fenders and Quarters. metaltech and budbuilt. sell these fiberglas ones to somebody who wont destroy them.

Suspension-rough country lift on there now as far as i can tell. i am going to pull them off and flip the main leafs front and rear for a 5" wheelbase gain and build custom packs with thinner multiple leafs. worked well on my pickup and 4runner in the past. a 60 rear main leaf would give me 7" gain over factory and i may do that if i find a couple used packs locally. i have tons of toyota, mazda, ford, ets leafs left over from previous projects and i enjoy making custom packs.

look for some real progress in the next couple weeks as my bank account recovers from the purchase.

 

[yOHda]

this is my old turd some of you may have seen on the trail and on the road. lots of miles and memories. it will be a firewall buggy on 42s someday...

 

[FJ40Jim]

Kewel mini.
Real trucks have round headlights.

 

[yOHda]

yeah i love that little truck. you dont see too many fuel injected first gens around here...ive never seen one. the wheelbase is stretched 3 inches in front and back and its 3-4 inches wider than stock. 12" bob on the shortbed. stock rear springs up front, F150 springs in the rear. etc., etc. it works really well for what it is, it just doesnt off any level of comfort and thats becoming somewhat more important. at least with the 40 i will be able to recline. actually the 40 has really decent room with whatever seats these are in here.

i keep the little pickup running thinking someday ill come back to it. the actuality is, i probably never will, but its the first truck i built, so i will likely hold on to it forever.

short vid of us in one of our favorite wheeling spots in west virginia.

Rock Crawling in West Virginia 2 - YouTube

 

[Mattnatti]

Cool video,you don't need no stinking exo

 

[yOHda]

i had an exo on it at one point. you can see the tube sticking up through the fender next to the A pillar.it was done by lostvalleyjeep out in bainbridge, ohio. the front bumper and everything was 1 3/4 DOM. it wasnt cheap but unfortunately it didnt follow the lines of the truck as much as i would like and became a hindrance more than anything. so off it came. then i just really liked the look of it without a cage. i bought a 4xinnovations interior cage but never got around to putting it in. not to take anything away from lostvalleyjeep, as they did a great job putting the cage on and the welds were superb.



40 update:

i installed the new alternator last night and everything is charging as it should. the headlights dont dim when im coming to a stop and im at 13.9-14v at the battery. interestingly, my turn signals have stopped working, so i found a few fsms online and will just go through the entire wiring on the vehicle this weekend. i am also going to move the coil off the fiberglass fenders and onto the firewall.

 

[94SRUNNER]

Glad you have a funtioning electrical system in the 40, make a world of difference.

Have you gone through the rest of the engine or is it pretty sound?

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Suspension-rough country lift on there now as far as i can tell. i am going to pull them off and flip the main leafs front and rear for a 5" wheelbase gain and build custom packs with thinner multiple leafs. worked well on my pickup and 4runner in the past. a 60 rear main leaf would give me 7" gain over factory and i may do that if i find a couple used packs locally. i have tons of toyota, mazda, ford, ets leafs left over from previous projects and i enjoy making custom packs.

If Jim doesn't already have some FJ60 springs on hand I have some you can have. Jim might be able to at least get them to his shop in the next week or so for you as well. Let me know if you are interested and I'll dig them out of the pile...

Nick

 

[FJ40Jim]

I have no leaf springs of any sort. That shiite is up to $400 a ton!
So they were all sent to China to become MalWart toasters.

I'll be down there in a week or two Nick, to trade you some scrap.

 

[gothodgie]

I also have a set of 60 springs that have some long add a leaves in them if nobody else has any that are in good shape...