AntFJ 1971 Build

[antFJ]

I just was looking at your old build thread and almost 5 years ago exactly I posted up my compliments to you on that thread. Man, time blows by. It is also fun to look at pics and see how life changes. Back then, cramped garage, and now you have room for kids toys alongside your projects.

Keep up the good work, and I wonder where we will be in 5 more years.

That about sums it up. But now I need to persuade the wife to let me restore another one. (She does want one with an automatic though...)

And 5 years ago I could only dream of going to work and getting to do this

 

[2fpower]

BEST SELFIE EVER...

Well, my next project (hopefully next year), is to build a fj45 on an 80 lengthened frame. That is automatic and has the 45 look for your fleet.

 

[Racer65]

I don't recall where I've seen it, but I believe there is a kiddie car FJ40. Too bad my kids are now older. I have no excuse to buy a toy.

 

[JohnnyC]

There are several that I have seen... These days the king is still the Goucho by pegpergo

I have one the kids 'rebuilt' and another in the shed waiting a rebuild

 

[antFJ]

There are several that I have seen... These days the king is still the Goucho by pegpergo

I have one the kids 'rebuilt' and another in the shed waiting a rebuild

some day i'd like to get one of those... $600 bucks for a new one was not in the cards (until I find a used one close to me)

 

[2fpower]

my son wants to ask a question about your picture.

Are you in space??? how close to being an Astronaut?

 

[JohnnyC]

@2fpower

Funny I just showed my son and he had the exact same question lol

 

[antFJ]

Not in space - the U-2 flies in the space equivalent zone - water boils at room temperature at about 62,000 feet and we fly higher than that - high enough to see the curvature of the earth. Astronaut wings are given above 62 miles - over 300,000ish feet.

 

[2fpower]

All my extended family flies -- something. My cousin flies C130's and has flown at least one that his father flew 30+ years earlier.

I am just wondering what the VIN plate says on the U2 planes-- when were they originally made?

 

[antFJ]

The ones we fly are some of the newest planes in the air force (despite what everyone thinks). The ones we fly were built in the 80s - the latest is around 1988 or something like that.

 

[antFJ]

All my extended family flies -- something. My cousin flies C130's and has flown at least one that his father flew 30+ years earlier.

I always wondered if that had happend. Theoretically a grandfather, father, and son could have flown the B52 that thing is so old.

 

[2fpower]

That is what is great about having logbooks and hours of nothing to do in the air.

 

[antFJ]

well i've been slowly fixing little things and getting the soft top ready for install. I had to modify the pilgrim bows quite a bit to get them to OEM specs. I knew I should have test fit them before I got them installed but I had my fingers crossed they would fit perfectly without any issues... so much for that!

Mechanically I have replaced all the pinion seals and and finally got the vacuum transfercase working. I got a vacuum gauge and tuned the carburetor too. Unfortunately I still couldn't get the truck to idle smoothly when warm or idle at all when cold. It idles fine when I turn up the idle speed so I re-read all the trollehole carb threads and all the threads where pinhead talks about the idle circuits. I unscrewed the fuel cut off solenoid and blasted the area with carb cleaner and then my air gun with a rubber tip on it. Turns out there was junk in that passage somewhere because the truck idles just fine now at the correct rpm (i set it to 700... i know the book says 650 though)...

I bought some UV and scratch resistant polycarbonate from mcmastercarr so I should have windows for the FST doors soon. There were some runs on the doors and the painter is going to fix them for me.

Lastly, I asked my neighbors son (who is a very large and strong guy) come over and pull the front clip into place while I bolted everything down.

 

[ginmtb]

Dang this thing looks beautiful!!! Are you going to sell or keep?

 

[antFJ]

plan is to sell - not sure if that will be this year or next but that's the plan. it is WAY nicer than my 78 but I can only keep one and my daughter can't really ride in this one safely so it's an easy choice

 

[cppilot]

Anthony, what color soft top are you planning on? Or is this a hard top?
I can't wait to see this finished. By far the best year for the FJ40 in my opinion!

Mark

 

[antFJ]

mark - it is a soft top - exact same color soft top as the one you got from me. I had to bring some pieces back to the painter so he could redo them... the doors and the above the door bow pieces had runs on them which I wasn't to keen about. I also had to do a bunch of modifications to the pilgrim bows to get them to fit properly.

Drive shafts are all good to go and installed... i got the proper clutch slave rod for my year model so the clutch actually engages/disengages at a decent spot now. Running heater lines right now and then I will need to adjust the valves and see if I can get the truck running a little smoother.
FST doors should be done this weekend too.

 

[antFJ]

Pictures... all new driveshaft flanges and seals.

I've been driving it around some. Found out I wired the high beams up as low beams... I was blinding a lot of people before I figured that one out.

and finally you can see the rearmost soft top bow was way too high. It needed two inches cut off the bottom.

 

[JohnnyC]

Top looks great!

Is it getting a 7 or 5 window?

 

[antFJ]

7