77 FJ40-coming home (1 Viewer)

[yOHda]

I just got off the phone with Marlin. my plans for gearing are on hold for about a month until i receive some goodies from them.

went up to a buddy's property in Powell saturday night for some good sloppy fun. i had a blast and am completely blown away by the torque of this 2F. this motor has just continuted to impress me the more i drive it. if it lasts, i think i would like to keep it in for awhile.

 

[yOHda]

parts are slowly starting to trickle in.

got my sleeve from lcwizard

picked up my rear 60 springs

got less than half of my order from ruffstuff. perches came in and some ubolts i didnt order

dont know what happened with ruff stuff. he didnt contact me to tell me all my stuff wasnt going to ship. ill place a call today and see where the rest of my plates and tabs and junk are.

i got enough though that i can at least start on the front axle this weekend.

 

[yOHda]

started cleaning up my axles this weekend and pulled the 60 spring packs apart to clean them up as well. gonna chop my rockers today if i get home before dark.


i did a little searching on the 8274 and it turns out that according to the serial number and metal socket, my winch was born on a Thursday in November, 1978. my winch could be original to the truck. i doubt it, but its possible. it amazes me how well it works for as old as it is. ive put it to the test a couple of times already and it has worked flawlessly.

 

[yOHda]

Been a while since i posted. Work is getting in the way of my fun as usual. I have been driving my 40 and enjoying it. I fought a cooling issue that ended up being a bad clutch fan and radiator. i went with a heavy duty 4core from radiator barn. I do have my rear axle stripped and ready for perches. my plans to build the truck in a nice comfortable shop has changed since my buddy has a lot of old 30s and 40s cars in there right now and it's not the best time to be throwing rusty metal all over the place. i have it up on blocks at my house and will as much as i can here and take it to the shop to finish weld everything. i dont have enough juice for my welder at home.

i started stipping some parts i wont use and will probably put some things up for sale. so far i have good condition rear jump seats pulled out, rear roll bar, and pulling off this con-fer front bumper and fiberglas fenders today. is there any value in this con-fer bumper?


the bad part is now that i have had time to look at this 40 and stare at the body flaws, the PO hackery, it makes me want to cut the tub off behind the seats and redo it the entire thing. is this the sickness everyone talks about?

 

[94SRUNNER]

Yes...that is the sickness

 

[yOHda]

well...its been awhile. im moving the 40 into a new shop soon with comforts like a concrete floor and the ability to use air tools. im headed to cinci tomorrow to pick up a 91 fj80 with a blown motor but spotless body and chassis. the body is going on my current 80 that ive been destroying in the woods. im thinking about using the frame under the 40.

will update with pics soon as i plan to move the 40 this weekend and get started right away with teardown. i have most all my parts to complete my build, but i recently added another variable to the equation:

this is going to get interesting!

 

[itbrokeagain]

Where in cincy?

Sent from my Nexus S using IH8MUD

 

[Mattnatti]

Uh oh! Is the V-8 40 bound or 80 bound or still undecided?

 

[yOHda]

the V8 is 40 bound. the 80 is my tow truck so all its getting is brake pads when it needs it.


some progress:

flipping the rear 60 leafs. new center pin hole in mil wrap leaf. mocked up under 40.

front axle mocked up:

pic thru the roof. about a 100" wheelbase.

starting on steering this weekend. then on to the motor. starting a nice collection of parts i dont need. anybody need something...just ask.

 

[yOHda]

as you can see...im all over the place when it comes to making decisions. i have no clear defined goal for this truck which means i am constanly changing my mind about what i want to do. i am sticking with the 1uz V8. its going to cost a decent amount to complete the drivetrain whether i go manual or auto, but the options are there, i just have to choose.

sprung over in the rear and radiused up front. should be similar to the way an 80 feels with the rear having the dominant flex. i will set up a binks fab like 3 link eventually to maximixe the radius arm travel. i wanted a 3 link and airshocks but airshocks are a no go for the street so im stick with the stock stuff until i can afford coilovers and then i will link it then. this at least gets me away from leaves in the front which im very happy about.

 

[yOHda]

pulled my 37s off my minitruck so i can go test fit them this weekend. ordered ruffstuff outriggers, link tabs, and inside panhard mount to get this axle mounted. its a little far forward in the pic, i want it to sit about where IPOR's tire sits on his FZJ40. front axle and steering should be done within the next couple of weeks. and then its motor swap time.

 

[yOHda]

Been a long time since I posted. Its amazing how fast time gets away from you. My job has just taken over my life, but that is changing.

I have been working on the 40.

I didnt like the idea of running the 8" hp up front, mainly because that is not what a 40 came with but also I didnt want to have to carry two spare 3rds if I ever went on a trip.

I sprung for a Ruff Stuff 9.5" front axle built to stock 80 series width.

here it is with the RHD steering arm that is so hard to come by.

with that i started mocking up my suspension.

 

[yOHda]

I ended up not liking the adjustable towers so i just notched them and brought them into the frame and got rid of the adjustability. that allowed my coilovers to lean in some too, which i wanted.

Need to order the rest of my steering parts and i can finish off the front end.

Working on getting the volvo power steering pump attached to the 2F.

Had to move the radiator over an inch to clear the 80 series steering box. I will have to pick up a taurus fan now that the mech fan does not line up.

Started the 2F for the first time in almost a year and a half. This old 2F runs so good, Im having second thoughts about pulling it for the V8 right now. Im trying to decide if I should stick with the 2F and go tbi and an orion(or some other gearing option) or put that money towards the V8 swap. decisions, decisions.

So far I am at a 102" WB and guesstimating 23-24" to the frame on 37s. With the axles being 8" wider than stock, this truck should work pretty well on the trail.

 

[yOHda]

Well I am still plugging away on this thing. I got to drive it home and down to Roseville for the toys for tots run at Heiney Farms. It was nice to drive it and feels a lot better stretched and wider. Still have a few bugs to work out but I am very pleased overall. Bodywork and Motor swap next.

My cancer in all its glory.

I narrowed my old Con Fer bumper for the time being and order new tailights from the dealership which were surprisingly cheap.

So all this time I had planned on a 1uz V8 swap, but I have changed my mind. To go along with keeping it cruiser, I am swapping a 1fz. I have a complete donor so why not. Regardless of what a lot of people say I enjoyed the 1fz in the 80. It always had enough power for me and actually turned my 37s with relative ease onroad and off. So, I plan to start pulling the motor and tearing in the wiring harness in the next couple of weeks.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Looking good!
An FZJ40 will have 50% more power than a healthy 2F. Should be more than adequate.

 

[yOHda]

Thank you Jim.

I am excited about the 1FZ swap. Should prove to be a good match with what I'm trying to do.

I am just putting these links here for references for myself.

http://projectfj40.blogspot.com/2007/01/rear-fuel-tank.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-club/248944-4-5lv-build.html

https://forum.ih8mud.com/hardcore-corner/636798-project-16-a.html

 

[yOHda]

So it begins...

I have been putting all my effort into getting my plasma cutting business off the ground this year so progress has been slow on the Cruiser. I also have a few other projects(in my sig) that require attention(money). But I am back on the Cruiser to get this motor swapped before summer sets in.

Started getting the harness out this week. Getting the engine harness out was pretty easy.

There are three plugs that I need to account for. Two are in the body harness across the cowl. One heads towards the rear which I'm guessing has my fuel pump wiring in it.

IH1, IH2, and a plug I havent identified yet.

Getting this body harness out is...fun.

I am keeping the 80 harness intact and will likely gut the 40 entirely and replace it with the 80 harness. This way I can use the now unused fuses in the stock harness to power aux lights and such.

I am pulling the tcase this weekend so I can pull it apart to do the 2wd mod. Engine coming out soon. body headed to the scrapper.

More to come.

 

[yOHda]

Success!

I spent a very rainy Saturday getting the rest of the harness out. I have identifited the necessary wires and have pinouts for everything.

I have my kids at home today so I will start getting this mess sorted out.

I have a clean up and a wheeling party this month so Im not sure I will be able to start getting the motor swapped until first of May. I still need to source a taurus fan and sort out the fuel tank.

 

[yOHda]

Well that was a long day. I put maybe 6 hrs into tearing this harness down.

But I have what I need to make a standalone harness for the motor and the necessary circuits for the 40:

And a little excess:

My soldering gun is going to get a workout tomorrow.

 

[FJ40Jim]

You're doing it the right way.

Keep us posted.