Big T's 77 FJ40 resto thread

[Big T]

Nice work! I'm in the same boat as you with my 1965 Fj40 needing either massive rust repair on the rear tub or a new tub, or donor tub. trying to figure out which one is more feasable..
Also what is involved in cutting out the rear tub? as ive never attemped this.

Actually not a ton of work. The obvious stuff of course removing the roll bar and top. But on the sides it is two bolts and two spot welds and the rest is held on by a strong adhesive. The bottom of the tub is held on by a bunch of spot welds. I just took a air chisle and cut rite through them. Took a total of about 3 hrs to do it all. Good luck on the project. Keep me posted and let me know if you find anything else that is easier then what we are going through.

Thomas

 

[thecrazygreek]

If you want the amby doors, I would go ahead and replace your rear sill. Its gonna be about 300 or so to do it, but you will have the peace of mind of a rust free rear end. And you get the correct sill for the amby doors to seal up against.

I replaced the rear sill in my 69 and it took about 8 - 10 hours of labor to complete. That also included cutting the rear quarters and welding new metal in.

 

[Big T]

If you want the amby doors, I would go ahead and replace your rear sill. Its gonna be about 300 or so to do it, but you will have the peace of mind of a rust free rear end. And you get the correct sill for the amby doors to seal up against.

I replaced the rear sill in my 69 and it took about 8 - 10 hours of labor to complete. That also included cutting the rear quarters and welding new metal in.

Now will I have to do this no matter what because of the diffrent doors? or is that just recomended? I was planning on doing it anyway but like you say its a ton of work. Thanks

Thomas

 

[Big T]

I was able to remove alot of the electrical today. got the main wiring harness and fuse box out. What a pain.

What a fluster cluck

thanks again for you help guys. Again let me know if you guys see something I need to do!!!

Thomas

 

[dmaddox]

Nice work.....

As far as the major mods to the 73 tub:

1. The rear sill on that 73 tub is good but not great. Just replace the outter section of the sill with a CCOT sill for a 78. You'll have clean steel, can prep it, and will fit your ambulance doors perfectly.

2. The bottom portion of the amby hinges do require a tricky fix, but it's actually pretty easy. You can just cut open a tab (have clarence do it), and insert the threaded do-ma-hicky, spot weld the bracket, and then close the tab back up. Done. Take a look at the hinge bolt holes on your tub, then go check that older tub out - you'll see.

3. Fuel filler hole. Cut yours out and weld it in the early tub, done.

4. Door strikes. The door strikes on the early model are different. Just bolt you late model strikes on.

5. Don't forget your birth tag on the bottom of the A piller. Swap that over too.

You'd have to do 80% of this if you bought a new tub anyway, or at least adjust the fitment of it.

 

[Big T]

Nice work.....

As far as the major mods to the 73 tub:

1. The rear sill on that 73 tub is good but not great. Just replace the outter section of the sill with a CCOT sill for a 78. You'll have clean steel, can prep it, and will fit your ambulance doors perfectly.

2. The bottom portion of the amby hinges do require a tricky fix, but it's actually pretty easy. You can just cut open a tab (have clarence do it), and insert the threaded do-ma-hicky, spot weld the bracket, and then close the tab back up. Done. Take a look at the hinge bolt holes on your tub, then go check that older tub out - you'll see.

3. Fuel filler hole. Cut yours out and weld it in the early tub, done.

4. Door strikes. The door strikes on the early model are different. Just bolt you late model strikes on.

5. Don't forget your birth tag on the bottom of the A piller. Swap that over too.

You'd have to do 80% of this if you bought a new tub anyway, or at least adjust the fitment of it.

Cool,
thanks man. correct me if im wrong but the birth tag is held on by a couple pop rivets? That should be easy to swap. Im looking forward to getting it all pulled off the frame. I will have more pics and up dates soon.

Thomas

 

[dmaddox]

Rivets, yes. Today's thursdie....give us some updates on the progress!

 

[Big T]

Rivets, yes. Today's thursdie....give us some updates on the progress!

OK will do....it might not be until fridie cause im working today but I will get something updated. : )

 

[Big T]

Hello again everybody. I had a pretty busy weekend but was able to get another good chunk done on the resto. first off I was able to find sacagawea's boot. It was on my shifter this entire time. lol. That will be swithced back to original!!

But not only that I was able to finally get the heater motor and lines all pulled as well.

So after I got done doing that I was able to find out why my heater was not getting very hot. Look at all the junk .

So I will be going through and cleaning this entire system out. I was able to finish pulling the stearing column out to. The next step will be to remove the master cylinder from the fire wall and all the linkige. Not looking forward to that part. I have only removed one before in my life and I remeber it being a beast of a chore. So if you guys have tips on pulling it let me know .

So this is the most current update I will let you guys know what else I finish when I get some free time.

Thomas

 

[Big T]

Well this moring I was able to get the body almost all ready to come off the frame. I have pulled everything off the firewall including all electrical and lines as well for brakes/clutch. What a pain. But one step closer!!!!

Thomas

 

[Big T]

Hey guys another question........What would be the easiest way to clean out the heater? Is it pretty easy to pull apart or should I just run a vacum and some compresed air through it? Thanks again for the help.

Thomas

 

[PabloCruise]

Hello crew,

I have officially started the restoration of my 1977 olive FJ40. This is my first FJ40 so this will be fun (and take quite a bit of time with a busy work schedule, so bear with me).

The tub was pretty much shot, but the front half was in really good shape. 72K Original miles and the engine runs like a top. It is mechanically perfect.
It has a Weber 42/46 (I think) that I'll want to replace with the OEM Aisin carb (found in a box in the back of the cruiser luckily). I was also able to track down an oem air cleaner.

I started by disassembling the back half of the tub and then taking the fenders to the body shop. The hood is near perfect, and I'll post pictures of each item as I finish body work on them.

Excited to start the project

Here is my brother Dallas (dmaddox on the forums) removing the windshield glass:

What is really strange on this cruiser is that all of the body panels were straight and virtually rust free except for the rear half of the tub!?

Tub removed:

Stay tuned for more project photos.

In the meantime I have a question for you guys. No one seems to know if this is a stock "build sheet" or "birth certificate" but it has very detailed information on my cruiser and appears to be very stock-like. Thoughts?

Thanks much and stay tuned! If you have any comments or ideas feel free to share

Alright! I found your build thread! I look forward to catching up on all the details. Thanks again for all your help on my project.

 

[Big T]

UPDATE!!!!!

Well it has been a few days since I have been able to work on the 40. With a combination of a busy work schedule and cold weather it has been tough.

I do have another question that I will need assistance on. Im getting ready to lift the front portion of the body off. (firewall back to were the tub splits) It looks like a can just lift it off and maneuver it around the gear shifts but it would be much easier not only to remove but install the new body as well. What kind of a pain would it be to remove the transmission shift leaver? Do I need a special tool or do I just push and turn? Or is it going to be a bigger hastle then just maneuvering the body around it? Thanks for the help again and I will post more updates soon.

Thomas

 

[Leaping Deer]

Taking the shifter off should be easy. You might need something to push down with on both sides as you spin (counter clockwise?) and it should pop up. I think I used a pair of channel locks to push down with while turning.

 

[Big T]

Taking the shifter off should be easy. You might need something to push down with on both sides as you spin (counter clockwise?) and it should pop up. I think I used a pair of channel locks to push down with while turning.

Cool, thanks for the help and tips. Should it take alot of down pressure? or should I feel if slip down a little before I start turning it?

Thomas

 

[Big T]

Well everybody I was able to finish pulling the rest of the body off......finally. What a process and a pain.

It was much easier removing the transmission cover and having to lift it up and over the gear shifter then removing the gear shifter all together.

So after removing it I then shipped it off to the sandblaster. That should hopefully be finished by next week. Well after that gets finished I will be ready to start working on the rest of the body getting it ready to shoot with paint.

Thomas

 

[ColoradoFJ40]

Big T- I live in denver and will be diving into my 30 over Thanksgiving. It is back in Iowa so I will be working on mine on and off all next year. If you need a hand I would be glad to help you. Anything I can learn from helping you would help me on mine. Mark

 

[subzali]

Big T - your shift lever shouldn't take all that much to pop out. I'm not sure exactly which way it's supposed to rotate but if you push down and rotate it should pop out easily. Your brother should know, I'm sure he's done it before.

To clean the heater, go down to the hardware store and buy some muriatic acid. Also known as hydrochloric acid. Be careful with this stuff and don't let it get on anything except the copper. You can flush out the tubes using this. To clean the radiator portion I would just use compressed air/vacuum. Even once your heater core is clean, you will want to check your heat control valve (I'm assuming you have one) to make sure it works properly and your thermostat has the o-ring on top when you reassemble. That way your cooling system should operate properly. Good luck!

 

[Big T]

Big T- I live in denver and will be diving into my 30 over Thanksgiving. It is back in Iowa so I will be working on mine on and off all next year. If you need a hand I would be glad to help you. Anything I can learn from helping you would help me on mine. Mark

Cool Mark welcome to Denver and hopefully you can get your FJ over here to tare into it soon. Keep us posted.

Thomas

 

[Big T]

To clean the heater, go down to the hardware store and buy some muriatic acid. Also known as hydrochloric acid. Be careful with this stuff and don't let it get on anything except the copper. You can flush out the tubes using this. To clean the radiator portion I would just use compressed air/vacuum. Even once your heater core is clean, you will want to check your heat control valve (I'm assuming you have one) to make sure it works properly and your thermostat has the o-ring on top when you reassemble. That way your cooling system should operate properly. Good luck![/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tip.....I will deafanantly do all of the above. I like the acid trick as well. Thanks again

Thomas