Alaskan FJ40 Build Thread (6 Viewers)

[Aussie Alaskan]

Greetings all.

I picked up this 1973 FJ40 last night from a local in the interior of Alaska and will be chronicling the journey here. The plan is to keep it rough enough around the edges to be able to do a bit of off roading and exploring and not feel too bad about scratching the paint.

Pertinent details:
1973 FJ40 with seized original 1F engine.
Original Warn/Bellview winch 5687.
Original winch bumper and interior controls.
Sunvisors still in plastic wrap!!
Everything on the dash looks complete and original.
What looks to be 17,000 original miles on the odometer as this has been a plow truck its entire life.
Still has the original floor mat but it's in rough shape.
Drivers seat was replaced at some point.
I found the original work light in the glove box too. Never seen one of those.

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Photos

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Photos

 

[TEakins]

That was the year the bezel installer at the factory got canned for drinking on the job.

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Towing it home last night I had a jeep pass me and give me a thumbs up. Made me chuckle.

I know I can source new floor pans from a few different online websites, but if anybody has a set of unused floor pans sitting around I'd be interested in buying them. Same goes for a set of rear quarters patch panels and rear sill.

Also I'm debating what engine to replace the seized 1F with. If I could source a good inexpensive 2F I'd go that route, but I'm not aware of any for sale near me.

What do you guys think?

SBC? LS? Small Mercedes Benz Diesel?

The PO has another 1975 parts rig with a good/rebuilt 327 and 4 speed tranny. I could probably grab that easily enough and drop it into the 1973, but I've never driven an FJ40 with a V8 so I'm not sure if that's the route I should take.

Again, open to suggestions so let me know what you guys think.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Have you considered trying to free up the F engine? Just because it's seized doesn't mean it's toast. It could just be ridges on the cylinder wall that are keeping it from turning.

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Have you considered trying to free up the F engine? Just because it's seized doesn't mean it's toast. It could just be ridges on the cylinder wall that are keeping it from turning.

Ok yes I've considered it and will be trying to break it free this week. But, the PO said he let it run dry on oil and that's why it seized up.

So I may get lucky, but the reality is that it's probably toast and I'm exploring other options. I've also got a trip planned down to the States in July where I'll be driving a truck and trailer home so I'm also open to bringing some power plant home with me.

 

[pb4ugo]

If you go with the V8, you'll probably like it.

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

If you go with the V8, you'll probably like it.

Why do you say that? Do you drive one with the V8? How's the fuel economy and how's it do off-road going slow?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Mike Shull]

I love my LS. It has been very reliable and relatively simple to setup, plus it has way more power than I need.

 

[Mike Shull]

Why do you say that? Do you drive one with the V8? How's the fuel economy and how's it do off-road going slow?

Thanks in advance!

Mine is getting 13 mpg and it weighs 5700 lbs empty. I also am not too light on the throttle.

I have 187:1 final drive in low/low and I have amazing control off road.

 

[Mike Shull]

I’ve had a 350 and 383 sbc in this same cruiser and the LS is no comparison. It drives like a modern truck, and smells like one, too.

I drive mine on the road and I pull a camper over the mountain passes in CO so the extra power comes in very handy. I also have a 5 speed transmission, which helps with noise and fuel economy.

 

[pb4ugo]

Why do you say that? Do you drive one with the V8? How's the fuel economy and how's it do off-road going slow?

Thanks in advance!

I've been running V8's since the mid 80's. 1st sbc was a 450+ hp, then eventually a stk 350 with stk 4 speed. Currently it has a stk sbc, sm420 with lockers frt and rear with 4.88 gears. It's been relegated to more trail than on the road. Probably sub 10 mpg's, mainly because of gearing and tires. My other one is stk 350 NV4500 stk tcase and diff gears. SBC's offer about twice the hp and torque than the 6. Both are extremely reliable. They've both been properly installed. Stk rad. fan shroud and a mechanical fan. Both have power steering and 4 wheel disc brakes. The stk 4 speed is a lot more refined than the 3 speed. The spec on both are in my signature. Ill be glad to answer any questions.

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

I’ve had a 350 and 383 sbc in this same cruiser and the LS is no comparison. It drives like a modern truck, and smells like one, too.

I drive mine on the road and I pull a camper over the mountain passes in CO so the extra power comes in very handy. I also have a 5 speed transmission, which helps with noise and fuel economy.

Did you do the swap yourself? I'm tempted to go this direction, but am a bit nervous of the electrical/wiring side of things. What tranny do you use?

Seems like a lot of work to do an LS swap for 13 mpg. Obviously way more power, but unless I'm towing a camper (which isn't the plan) the power is less important to my use case. Not to say I won't spin the tires from time to time for some fun

 

[Mike Shull]

Did you do the swap yourself? I'm tempted to go this direction, but am a bit nervous of the electrical/wiring side of things. What tranny do you use?

Seems like a lot of work to do an LS swap for 13 mpg. Obviously way more power, but unless I'm towing a camper (which isn't the plan) the power is less important to my use case. Not to say I won't spin the tires from time to time for some fun

Keep in mind that my Cruiser is very heavy compared to a stock Cruiser, which I imagine cuts into the fuel mileage quite a bit. It weighs 5700 lbs empty. That is without a hard top and doors, too. I am also running a 6.2L with 1-ton running gear, NV4500 and 40” tires. I’d probably run a 5.3L LS if I were lighter.

I wired my engine myself using the stock GM harness as a donor, which was a recommendation that I received from someone in this community (@archie73 ?). I connected with Brendan Patton at the following company for guidance and tuning.

Wiring Harness Information

 

[pb4ugo]

The v8 makes them sporty and a lot more enjoyable to drive. Carb'd 350. Wiring consists of a hot wire to the dist and wiring required to run an internal regulatated GM alt. I use the factory gauges and an idiot light for the alt. All wiring is stock color correct. I added 2 wires. Currently It gets about 14mpg's, but should improve once I get better heads on it.

 

[Mike Shull]

The v8 makes them sporty and a lot more enjoyable to drive. Carb'd 350. Wiring consists of a hot wire to the dist and wiring required to run an internal regulatated GM alt. I use the factory gauges and an idiot light for the alt. All wiring is stock color correct. I added 2 wires. Currently It gets about 14mpg's, but should improve once I get better heads on it.

View attachment 3934768

View attachment 3934769

your Cruiser is clean!

 

[pb4ugo]

your Cruiser is clean!

Thanks.
Strategic pics and a shiney frt end parts. It's got some issues, but overall pretty solid. It's a work in progress. I've never had one drive so nice.

 

[archie73]

I’ve had a 350 and 383 sbc in this same cruiser and the LS is no comparison. It drives like a modern truck, and smells like one, too.

I had a 350/SM465 in mine for a couple years. It was a vast improvement over the F/3spd. Felt good on and off the road. Quadrajet for the win. Pretty mild build-cam and exhaust. I’d guess 225hp. Really liked it. I d of know what I got for mileage.

Then I came across a $400 5.3 w/165k. I had read about how they were more refined, so I figured what the hell. It was Covid, I had time. Utube university taught me how to pair down the harness. It’s not hard, just tedious. There’s videos that go through the harness wire by wire. My engine is bone stock. Only exception is center dump headers to get around the frame.

Supposed to be putting out around 300hp by the interwebs. The power is really only part of the equation though. It’s how smooth it is that blows your mind. No more fluttering the gas pedal. Just touch it and the engine puts down the power. That’s with a clunky SM465 behind it. It’ll lug pretty nicely as well, but I have deep gears as for that.

On the other end of the spectrum- they like to rev. We were playing in the sand and lined up to sand drag my buddy in his early bronco- 5.0 HO with a mean growl. I blew his doors off with just a stab of the throttle. I had to slow down to not go into orbit at the top of the dune. The V6 jeep watched from the sidelines. (To be fair they both out crawl me). I recently found out the 5.0 may have bent a pushrod in the race.

As to mileage- around the valley our speed limit is 55, so 60 is the top speed- I measured it at 17mpg once. That made me so happy I decided to never check again. Until a recent wheeling trip 2.5 hrs away. Averaging closer to 70mph (& topped out at 85) I got 12.5mpg both ways. I should check my air filter. Topless and 35” tires aren’t helping, but like em.