Best FJ40 Upgrade Ever

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I have to weigh in on the best upgrade… just got my truck back this morning from Jesse , @Jdc1 from Rubber City Land Cruisers. Took it to the dentist today of all days: 94* and humid. My brakes are equal to my Chevy Silverado. I am so very impressed. Stops easily and with the given panic stops here in NJ, People will not allow a following distance gap without thinking you’re letting them cut in front of you. The quick stop ability is substantial…No drifting or pulling to one side…it’s beautifully straight. This is a big one . I have never driven an FJ40 with disk brakes…it is a night and day difference

I have a load of other changes that Jesse had done and I will give you the heads up shortly. The new windshield is another wonder. Not pitted up or scratched wiper blade arcs.
 
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centerlineseal said:
I might have "look" that up!

However, that stuff was strictly "verboten" in our loft! (USFS back in the 80s)
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I totally get it…

During your research, toss in a lime wedge or two. Looking forward to your peer reviewed analysis..
 
knuckle47 said:
I have to weigh in on the best upgrade… just got my truck back this morning from Jesse , @Jdc1 from Rubber City Land Cruisers. Took it to the dentist today of all days: 94* and humid. My brakes are equal to my Chevy Silverado. I am so very impressed. Stops easily and with the given panic stops here in NJ, People will not allow a following distance gap without thinking you’re letting them cut in front of you. The quick stop ability is substantial…No drifting or pulling to one side…it’s beautifully straight. This is a big one . I have never driven an FJ40 with disk brakes…it is a night and day difference

I have a load of other changes that Jesse had done and I will give you the heads up shortly. The new windshield is another wonder. Not pitted up or scratched wiper blade arcs.
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That is great to hear! Did Jesse do front discs only, or 4 wheel disc brakes? Also, did he use parts from another Toyota year & model, or did he use a kit (or kits, front & year)? For the brake master cylinder does it have 2 separate plastic fluid reservoirs, or 1 larger fluid reservoir, or the old Chevy type cast metal reservoir with 2 'pots' (for lack of a better term) like my '69 Chevy pickup had (I should have kept that truck, dang it)? Sorry about all the questions, but since this is an upgrade that's definitely on my "To Do" list I would appreciate the info, and I'm sure others would too. Thanks!
 
I had purchased FJ60 front end parts so it not a kit. I also purchased a set for a friend who moved…so I am selling that set for him. As for the master, yes…it is the City Racer master. I also had purchased all of the new knuckle rebuild parts, seals and bearings so that is done throughout. The rears are drum…and also have all new seals and bearings.

PLEASE ask away…I had been planning this upgrade for over 2 years and as my physical abilities deteriorated I was THRILLED to have a guy like Jesse help me plan a way to get this done. If you have not seen the list of stuff @Jdc1 had completed….then check this out,
Builds - My Holley Sniper EFI kit install into my 1978 FJ40 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-holley-sniper-efi-kit-install-into-my-1978-fj40.1124939/page-9
Start at post #167

I enjoy the hell out of my Land Cruiser and when I got home yesterday, I played with it all-day, bought a new Toyota True Start battery (@ToyotaMatt suggestion 3 yrs ago yet I could not lift into the battery tray but…I did. This morning I had a doctors appointment at 8:00 and cancelled it… the weather here is so damn nice after yesterday…I’m out in the garage starring at the truck…haha

It drives like a totally different cruiser
PM me if you have any other questions or post here…
 
FloridaLife said:
That is great to hear! Did Jesse do front discs only, or 4 wheel disc brakes? Also, did he use parts from another Toyota year & model, or did he use a kit (or kits, front & year)? For the brake master cylinder does it have 2 separate plastic fluid reservoirs, or 1 larger fluid reservoir, or the old Chevy type cast metal reservoir with 2 'pots' (for lack of a better term) like my '69 Chevy pickup had (I should have kept that truck, dang it)? Sorry about all the questions, but since this is an upgrade that's definitely on my "To Do" list I would appreciate the info, and I'm sure others would too. Thanks!
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They are FJ62 brakes from the knuckles(and birfs) out with stock rear drums. Master is a ‘76 era dual circuit with a prop valve plumbed into the rear line.
 
@Jdc1 beat me to it…. I came back to add those details….
 
knuckle47 said:
I had purchased FJ60 front end parts so it not a kit. I also purchased a set for a friend who moved…so I am selling that set for him. As for the master, yes…it is the City Racer master. I also had purchased all of the new knuckle rebuild parts, seals and bearings so that is done throughout. The rears are drum…and also have all new seals and bearings.

PLEASE ask away…I had been planning this upgrade for over 2 years and as my physical abilities deteriorated I was THRILLED to have a guy like Jesse help me plan a way to get this done. If you have not seen the list of stuff @Jdc1 had completed….then check this out,
Builds - My Holley Sniper EFI kit install into my 1978 FJ40 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-holley-sniper-efi-kit-install-into-my-1978-fj40.1124939/page-9
Start at post #167

I enjoy the hell out of my Land Cruiser and when I got home yesterday, I played with it all-day, bought a new Toyota True Start battery (@ToyotaMatt suggestion 3 yrs ago yet I could not lift into the battery tray but…I did. This morning I had a doctors appointment at 8:00 and cancelled it… the weather here is so damn nice after yesterday…I’m out in the garage starring at the truck…haha

It drives like a totally different cruiser
PM me if you have any other questions or post here…
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That is fantastic, and I am jealous! I would love to be able to drive mine before I'm too old to drive, but it is still sitting at the paint & body shop. As mentioned before, it is a guy that does it on the side when not at his primary job. He had another young man "helping" (it looked to me like the young man was doing all the work) and that young fella is currently sitting in the county jail for driving with a suspended license. And our County Sheriff doesn't play around. Some of you may have seen him on YouTube, Sheriff Grady Judd of Polk County Florida who when asked by a reporter why a suspect was shot by his deputies 68 times he quickly responded "Because we ran out of bullets." LOL! Not joking!

So even just a front disc conversion made a world of difference for you. That's great to know. I am definitely going to do a front disc conversion, and still trying to decide if I want to do the rear brakes too or not. Also on my "To Do" list is A/C (my wife is 100% on board with that because it is so hot & humid here), and fuel injection. I do not miss the old days of my carb leaking gas, or flooding, or having to choke it, and all that stuff. I've already done most of the power steering conversion myself, just a couple of things to finish & tidy up on that.
 
@FloridaLife …
Well, we need to talk!

My power steering conversion was barely acceptable and had a few shorts cuts made during the conversion..simple corrections but not the kind of thing I would do had I done this. The spacer in the steering column was a 3/4” sprinkler hose barb split in two to fill the column gap. The entire shaft shook loosely and the radiator strut was rubbing the steering shaft to the gearbox….the guys here on mud told me to swap the shaft was well with a collapsing shaft to eliminate the ‘spear” potential in crash…did that too


Regardless, I enjoyed the ease of steering the vehicle at slower speeds but above 30mph, it’s a thrill ride. At my age , 60% of my drive is NJ paved highways and here in NJ, if you’re not doing 65, they’ll run you over. @Jdc1 took the system apart, reconfigured the drag link and the pitman arm and coupled with the 4* caster shims… my steering a AS GOOD AS my Chevy Silverado… I can’t tell you how much I love the way it tracks. My steering wheel is dead centered and does not drift where it requires light adjustments to keep it straight when driving. If you watch some BAT auction videos you can see several FJ40’s requiring light adjustments to the steering wheel positions while driving a straight line.

Jesse and myself both agree this is as near perfect as it can be. Yesterday in Ocean County it was 94* at my house and , like Florida, very high humidity.
We already are making plans for a/c install this coming winter. There is a new Gen V kit and Jesse is installing one currently. It tucks up nicely under the dash without killing as much space under the passengers dash area. An then there is @Chungas Revenge install which I love. It’s a hybrid combination




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knuckle47 said:
@FloridaLife …
Well, we need to talk!

My power steering conversion was barely acceptable and had a few shorts cuts made during the conversion..simple corrections but not the kind of thing I would do had I done this. The spacer in the steering column was a 3/4” sprinkler hose barb split in two to fill the column gap. The entire shaft shook loosely and the radiator strut was rubbing the steering shaft to the gearbox….the guys here on mud told me to swap the shaft was well with a collapsing shaft to eliminate the ‘spear” potential in crash…did that too


Regardless, I enjoyed the ease of steering the vehicle at slower speeds but above 30mph, it’s a thrill ride. At my age , 60% of my drive is NJ paved highways and here in NJ, if you’re not doing 65, they’ll run you over. @Jdc1 took the system apart, reconfigured the drag link and the pitman arm and coupled with the 4* caster shims… my steering a AS GOOD AS my Chevy Silverado… I can’t tell you how much I love the way it tracks. My steering wheel is dead centered and does not drift where it requires light adjustments to keep it straight when driving. If you watch some BAT auction videos you can see several FJ40’s requiring light adjustments to the steering wheel positions while driving a straight line.

Jesse and myself both agree this is as near perfect as it can be. Yesterday in Ocean County it was 94* at my house and , like Florida, very high humidity.
We already are making plans for a/c install this coming winter. There is a new Gen V kit and Jesse is installing one currently. It tucks up nicely under the dash without killing as much space under the passengers dash area. An then there is @Chungas Revenge install which I love. It’s a hybrid combination




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WOW! It sounds like you've knocked it out of the park on upgrades and the resulting driveability! I'll send you a PM in a few minutes.
 
Jdc1 said:
They are FJ62 brakes from the knuckles(and birfs) out with stock rear drums. Master is a ‘76 era dual circuit with a prop valve plumbed into the rear line.
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Nice work..!!!
 
Hey @FloridaLife …hope your feeling great after surgery!

I was going to post this in the Holley Sniper install thread I have but…since you’ve asked about great upgrades, listen to this one.

I have been looking to test my cold startup conditions with the fuel injection since I’ve installed it last year. It’s been great. Cold starts are usually instantaneous. So anytime its colder than my previous startups, I’ll try to run outside and crank it over. The 40 has been sitting for a few weeks only with a battery maintainer.

Turned the key, charged the fuel pressure and cranked it over …started instantly …. pressed the accelerator and she stalled, cranked it a second time …perfect start and idling great. Man I was so happy. In the last 20 years, any vintage car I have had would need to crank for several times before even coughing to fire up. This was as good as our Suburban…
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knuckle47 said:
Hey @FloridaLife …hope your feeling great after surgery!

I was going to post this in the Holley Sniper install thread I have but…since you’ve asked about great upgrades, listen to this one.

I have been looking to test my cold startup conditions with the fuel injection since I’ve installed it last year. It’s been great. Cold starts are usually instantaneous. So anytime its colder than my previous startups, I’ll try to run outside and crank it over. The 40 has been sitting for a few weeks only with a battery maintainer.

Turned the key, charged the fuel pressure and cranked it over …started instantly …. pressed the accelerator and she stalled, cranked it a second time …perfect start and idling great. Man I was so happy. In the last 20 years, any vintage car I have had would need to crank for several times before even coughing to fire up. This was as good as our Suburban…
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That sounds fantastic! Up there where you get plenty of snow, do you have it set up to do remote start so you can stay warm in the house and crank it up and let it warm up before you go get in it?
 
FloridaLife said:
That sounds fantastic! Up there where you get plenty of snow, do you have it set up to do remote start so you can stay warm in the house and crank it up and let it warm up before you go get in it?
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Haha, no. I find the thrill of hearing it start is the fun part too. The new vehicles have that remote start and I don’t even go outside until the second set of 10 minutes are idling, heated seats are warm and the steering wheel is almost too hot to touch ! 😉
 
Not sure if it’s the best ever fj40 upgrade, but got a new Jerry can for my tailgate can mount. Looks really good and actually a functional replacement now with the nozzle. Tested it all out on a little traveled stretch of beach on my island for some quiet solitude.
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Aloha Jen said:
Not sure if it’s the best ever fj40 upgrade, but got a new Jerry can for my tailgate can mount. Looks really good and actually a functional replacement now with the nozzle. Tested it all out on a little traveled stretch of beach on my island for some quiet solitude.
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Beautiful pics! I love being near the water. Which island are you on? I spent about 1 hour in Hawaii one time. LOL! True. We stopped there to refuel on the way to Australia. It was in the middle of the night so I didn't even get to see any pretty scenery from the airplane window.
 
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FloridaLife said:
Beautiful pics! I love being near the water. Which island are you on? I spent about 1 hour in Hawaii one time. LOL! True. We stopped there to refuel on the way to Australia. It was in the middle of the night so I didn't even get to see any pretty scenery from the airplane window.
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I live on the island of Oahu, it’s the most populated of the Hawaiian islands, but I live on the opposite side from where the big cities are. It’s a quiet and rural agricultural area where I live, and happens to have some of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu. Here’s a couple scenic pics:
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Aloha Jen said:
I live on the island of Oahu, it’s the most populated of the Hawaiian islands, but I live on the opposite side from where the big cities are. It’s a quiet and rural agricultural area where I live, and happens to have some of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu. Here’s a couple scenic pics:
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Oh... My... Goodness! That is ABSOLUTELY the most beautiful FJ40 and most beautiful sea turtle, and the most beautiful beach towel I have EVER seen!!! Way better view than my yard, I can promise you that! I am jealous of whoever is holding the camera and taking the pics!!!
 
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