All you long-distance FJ40 drivers (1 Viewer)

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I don't remember mine being too hot, but I do remember my 71 Bronco was really hot. I did take the top to go up to Horseshoe lake in the Wind Rivers and it snowed.
 
MANY years ago a cruiser buddy of mine gave me a hunk of an old conveyor belt he had got ahold of. 1/2” multilayered rubber, crosswoven. After filling the wells in the floor with RamMat to come up even with the ridges, I cut sections of rubber with a large utility knife, then covered the sandwich with indoor/outdoor carpeting.

I did it for noise, but it has a good effect on heat as well. As does a direct drive radiator fan instead of clutch drive.😉
 
With all the talk about longer journeys in these tanks we own, I think the most uncomfortable aspect of both my ‘76 and less so my ‘78 is heat. Anyone else have this at the top of reasons to not take too long of a trip? In another thread also about heat and how to limit its ingress into the floorboards and past the firewall making the cab uncomfortable. Just my two cents👍

My BJ46 with factory floor mats and grommets, A/C on in 100 plus sun and she is more than comfy :) I just turn the vents to point to the driver . Any of the after market A/C head units probably do a better job that factory so throw in some dynamat etc and it would be even better

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  • Kick vents !! They really help to refresh the lower part of the cabin.
  • OEM rubber mat, it is a small difference but it makes a difference in heat and noise.
  • Adding a piece of tire tube over the PTO hole, that thing is a heat gun on full blast pointed toward the driver leg.
  • Open the hatch, during summer I'll do it everywhere except on Freeway, combined with front windows open that will provide a huge continuous blow of air from the back, almost like driving a convertible.
  • Front quarter windows, they reduce a lot the wind turbulence around the front windows when driving at speed so you have less issue opening them.
  • Speed. If you don't move even the fresh air fan will ends up shooting you hot air in your face. If you drive on a slow trail for hours the floor may ends burning hot but if you are on road the heat move away from under the car. Sadly you generally can't do much to change this point in a given time x)
Agreed on the vents, they work great. I dont have heat or AC so I plan to put a removable cap over the holes in the firewall. Take it off in the winter And leave it on in the summer. I’m running a Bestop. You guys with the hard tops I understand your frustration. I am considering clamping a car fan (cigarette lighter plug) to the truck for wheeling. It does get warm around the feet. I used to prefer to drive bare footed but in a Land Cruiser I have to keep at least sadals on shield by feets from the heats. Another way would be to go topless, put the windshield down and wear goggles!
 
MANY years ago a cruiser buddy of mine gave me a hunk of an old conveyor belt he had got ahold of. 1/2” multilayered rubber, crosswoven. After filling the wells in the floor with RamMat to come up even with the ridges, I cut sections of rubber with a large utility knife, then covered the sandwich with indoor/outdoor carpeting.

I did it for noise, but it has a good effect on heat as well. As does a direct drive radiator fan instead of clutch drive.😉
This is a great idea. I did a similar thing with plank flooring insulation in my 80. It helped. Would you have any pictures? I have some old weight room rubber that I might consider using. I still have some dynamat left from another project but I’m not crazy about adhering anything to the tub of a vehicle that will get rain in the floors.
 
Dump a 10 pound bag of ice on the floorboards during long, hot drives…open the kick vents and you have A/C
 
Not sure if anyone saw the latest issue of Toyota Trails but the Bourbon Barrel chapter drove a 40 from Kentucky to Cali and back wheeling the Rubicon and a bunch of stuff on the way home. Good story.
 
I don't remember mine being too hot, but I do remember my 71 Bronco was really hot. I did take the top to go up to Horseshoe lake in the Wind Rivers and it snowed.
I have a couple of factory holes in my fire wall. Was thinking about an open and close mount and small fan like youd use on a computer to suck heat out the engine bay toward my feet. I dont mind the cold until my feet get cold.
 
I have a couple of factory holes in my fire wall. Was thinking about an open and close mount and small fan like youd use on a computer to suck heat out the engine bay toward my feet. I dont mind the cold until my feet get cold.

You’re going to want to plug those holes. Holes through a firewall shouldn’t be left open.
 
Not sure if anyone saw the latest issue of Toyota Trails but the Bourbon Barrel chapter drove a 40 from Kentucky to Cali and back wheeling the Rubicon and a bunch of stuff on the way home. Good story.
I read it this morning with a cup of coffee!
Good reads 👍🏽

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Just disconnect the left defroster duct and rotate it 180 degrees. :hillbilly:
 
A friend wants to go to SAS next year.
I want to go to SAS next year.
He wants to drive the 40's there.
I want to find smarter friends. 😆

2400 miles in a week, plus trail time sounds like my chiropractor gets to retire a few years early. 😁
 
I drove from Paris, TX to Sabine Pass. LA/TX Every two weeks (about10 hours each way) to fly a helicopter offshore for well over a year and a half. Bone stock '78 winter and summer with deep south humidity. Never had any problems and the comfort level was okay for me. Still have my '77 (175,000 miles) and a 100 series
 
A friend wants to go to SAS next year.
I want to go to SAS next year.
He wants to drive the 40's there.
I want to find smarter friends. 😆

2400 miles in a week, plus trail time sounds like my chiropractor gets to retire a few years early. 😁
I’m 61 and I did it three years ago. To be fair though I alternated between tent camping and the hospitality of MUDers @Rigger , @2wheelbob , @ginericLC , @airon23 and @powthief19
 
A friend wants to go to SAS next year.
I want to go to SAS next year.
He wants to drive the 40's there.
I want to find smarter friends. 😆

2400 miles in a week, plus trail time sounds like my chiropractor gets to retire a few years early. 😁
Go for it! Me and @Cowboy45 took ours out to SAS #6 this year. Half the fun for us was driving our rigs up and back instead of trailering. Granted, we are 19 and 17 respectively, so youth was on our side as far as seat time was concerned. 😁

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Go for it! Me and @Cowboy45 took ours out to SAS #6 this year. Half the fun for us was driving our rigs up and back instead of trailering. Granted, we are 19 and 17 respectively, so youth was on our side as far as seat time was concerned. 😁

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It is always cool to see the old rigs driving cross country to do what they are supposed to be doing.
I turned 50 in my 50 year old FJ40 for this years SAS #6.
Solid maintenance, a bag of tools for what may randomly occur while out, knowledge of your vehicle and how to repair it, a good pair of fitted hearing protection and a laid back attitude about traveling long distances is my formula for success.
This year ended up being cooler than usual for August which made for much less driving fatigue. Close to 3000 miles on this years adventure.
All photos courtesy of @cdphotog

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i just did a 4 day road/wheeling trip in mine. had to drive about 5 hours to the trail start, average 45 miles off road each day on the trail, and then a 2-3 hour drive home averaging 60 mph. as others have mentioned, steering is a big factor in the enjoyment. i have manual steering, stock 4.10 gearing, 4 speed, stock tcase, 2f, and 33s. i chug along just fine at 50-60mph.
 
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7 hour to Valloire 4wd fair, then 9 days through the Alps and 6 hours return. Drives 120kph happily enough but this is tiring at the end of the day.

Just submitted as a complete article to Toyota Trails, so maybe a lot more about in a future publication!

Some articulation stretching at the 4wd fair
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Forte Jafferau (2800m)
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Sommeiller pass (3000m)
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Assietta (2470m)
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It is always cool to see the old rigs driving cross country to do what they are supposed to be doing.
I turned 50 in my 50 year old FJ40 for this years SAS #6.
Solid maintenance, a bag of tools for what may randomly occur while out, knowledge of your vehicle and how to repair it, a good pair of fitted hearing protection and a laid back attitude about traveling long distances is my formula for success.
This year ended up being cooler than usual for August which made for much less driving fatigue. Close to 3000 miles on this years adventure.
All photos courtesy of @cdphotog

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Rad! Well done! Did you hotel it or did you keep all of your gear in the back? Regarding the ear plugs: I love my tunes and books on tape etc. I bought some Ear pods with noise canceling but I'm not thrilled with how well they would stay in my ears while in a windy truck.... Things to figure out...
 

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