Builds Build: Rusty Pumpkin Project 74' FJ40

[bdawg23]

gee! This is some rabbit hole. Had you been expecting any of this when you first started?. I admire your persistence here and know that you’re going to wind up with a beauty

Sorry for the delay. Had a short hospital visit for a peritonsillar abscess last week and spent the rest of the week recovering.

I was expecting some work and figured I'd be replacing some parts but I didn't imagine tearing into the engine like this.

Here is what I expected based on the look of the truck and my inspection before purchasing:
- new cooling system (completed)
- rebuild knuckles (completed)
- fix leaking gear oil at e-brake (completed)
- oil pan leak (tightened screws and it slowed a lot)
- new tires (completed)
- broken speedo (completed but not verified)
- oil pressure sensor not working
- engine temp sensor not working (completed)
- a lot of cleaning, truck was covered in chicken s***, mud and grease
- rubber hoses/gaskets/door seals etc all need replaced from dry rot

What I didn't expect:
- frozen front disc brake calipers
- front wheel bearings were shot
- rust in the gas tank
- random fuse short while driving
- poor running/idle syndrome that appeared after owning it for a few months
- low compression numbers with large variances between cylinders, which later showed two cylinders with broken rings along with excessive wear on connecting rod bearings
- broken threads on head where some SMOG attachment went

Looking back a few things I should have done before making an offer would have been:

- pre inspection, even if it was by a local shop that didn't specialize in land cruisers I'm sure I could have learned something more than doing nothing
- taking the time to a compression test, those tools are so portable and I could have easily done this at the seller's location and learned a lot about the engine
- I should have added in my time to make the repairs, even if not paying a shop the time spent wrenching is time away from other parts of my life and I should have given it a value of some sorts.

I think those few things alone could have helped me make a go/no-go decision.

I don't want to mislead here and feel like the PO lied to me about the truck. I drove the truck home about 10 miles, did some double checks, changed the engine oil and took it for a 100 mile drive. Figured if something was going to break lets make it happen but it got me home so I really didn't have many reasons to think I had hidden items to address.

 

[knuckle47]

Well, so sorry to hear of your illness. No clue what it is but I see tonsils in there. Apparently not the easiest surgery/recovery but glad you are on the mend.

When I started life buying life…probably at age 12, I have never thoroughly thought out the process of buying anything and that may be a mistake on many levels and there are a few things that I lucked out on, like everyone else.

These issues you are dealing with are large enough to have known about prior to taking it home but so many times, especially with something like this, your heart overtakes your brain to the point of your body is feeling itself being highly immersed in it.

For me, it’s always electrical that will present a wall. Breaking through that is so much more in my head than the actual problem. I have thought about re-biluding a complete wiring harness..fully detailed and as many Toyota fittings as possible..but, that’s the dream not the outcome. The brake calipers are likely a rebuild. A glass bead cabinet , if you have that option, is such a sweet item to have. When I started restoring motorcycles over 40 years ago I remember sanding things to remove rust and scale… horrible!

Saw a plan in Hemmings for SkatBlast plans to make your own…that 3/4” plywood box performed so well and lasted me over 30 years until I needed room and disposed of it. Found myself needing one again in the last few years so I have a bench top model

Good luck…

 

[bdawg23]

It’s been a bit but time to get this project going my again. Thank be been waiting for the machine shop to call and decided it was time for me to start working on this and see what I can do while I wait.

I also think assembling the engine in the frame was going to lead to more issues so it’s time to pull what’s left and rebuild the block in an engine stand!

Engine is out! Let’s go!

Tomorrow I’m going to remove the bell housing and get it mounted in the engine stand. So glad to get back to work on this. Been sitting too long!

 

[bdawg23]

Progress this morning before I get to my real job

Got the motor in a HF stand

PO said he put a new clutch in, I would agree this looks pretty fresh…

Motor mounts are out, had one that was broken and the drivers side rear mount is being a PITA but I’ll work on it

Any recommendations for cleaning the block? Is this just a parts cleaner spray and rags type of job? I was tempted to hit it with wire wheel but I’m pretty that means repainting the block.

 

[knuckle47]

I have watched this rabbit hole go deep…I can feel the desire you have to keep working for hours on end just by reading the comment you made…”get to my real job”

 

[bdawg23]

I have watched this rabbit hole go deep…I can feel the desire you have to keep working for hours on end just by reading the comment you made…”get to my real job”

Quite the hole indeed! But I got myself into this project and I’m going to get myself out. The first time this things fires back up is going to be so sweet indeed!

 

[knuckle47]

I know exactly your sentiment…when I was restoring some very old motorcycles( 1920’s 1940’s ) I could have registered them as antique and skipped the requirements for a few more modern components. It was a big grin knowing I could get them to pass inspection. But that rabbit hole was still there, only cheaper then

 

[bdawg23]

update: still waiting for the machine shop to work on the engine. Doesn't sound like they can get to it until Jan/Feb. As of know the block just sits on the engine stand so I'm going to try and work on some other areas of the truck.

Today I wanted to check out the rear drums and see what I'm working with. That little discoloration on the frame is just dirt, it cleaned right off. Drum came of super easy, no fuss at all.

Here is the right rear drum (passenger rear)

here is the left rear (driver's rear)

I did find a shoe coming apart on this side

Drums look to be in useable condition.

At this point I'm just going to order new pads and a spring kit so I can refresh the rear brakes. I'll clean this stuff up and bleed the rear brakes to put some fresh brake fluid in the lines but otherwise things are looking ok.

 

[bdawg23]

as I was cleaning up the brake cylinders the rubber boots starting coming apart, the brake lines between the brake cylinders were also brittle and basically broke when I tried to remove them.

So with that it was time for new parts and some clean up work. Here is the old stuff that came out.

Passengers side with new brake cylinders installed, need to order brake lines before finishing.

Got the drivers side stripped down as well and at this point just cleaned up and painted

No updates on the motor work yet, going to go down and visit the shop this week.

Happy New Year

 

[knuckle47]

I thought the engine was your “rabbit hole”. This hole has a few detours in it. On the other hand, when you’ve finished, it will be solid

 

[bdawg23]

I thought the engine was your “rabbit hole”. This hole has a few detours in it. On the other hand, when you’ve finished, it will be solid

The engine work is going VERY slow. I'm trying to patient and use a local shop to help me rebuild the engine but apparently they "backed up" and have a lot of work ahead of me.

I did chat with the machine shop this morning and he let me know the head has been cleaned, magna fluxed to check for cracks (none) and something with my valves (maybe the guides or seats) were pretty worn.

I did reach out to TLC Performance today to see if they are taking any work (about a 5 hour drive for me).

Working on other parts of the truck are a good distraction right now

At this point I'm just making fun of myself for how deep I'm into this thing...

 

[bdawg23]

Engine update: it's been since October 2024 and the machine shop is still working on rebuilding the head of my F engine. At this point I'm looking at some alternative shops that might be able to help out. The current shop says they are swamped and can't give me a return date for the head so I'm not giving them any more parts until I get the head back. I'm going to give the engine a garage scrub and see how it turns out for starters. No harm in cleaning it up while I wait for the head. I'll share pics when I get to this!

In other news I've got the new rear brakes on installed!

Any advice on buying premade brake lines or making your own? I don't mind the work but if folks have tried and failed for whatever reason would appreciate the feedback.

Last weekend despite freezing temps here in PA I went out to garage to keep progress moving on the pumpkin.

Here is the final result for both sides, I think they turned out quite nice!

I ran into one issue though with the slot for the drum pads on the brake pistons. The slot where the drum pad aligns into was larger on the old pistons than on the new pistons so I removed a little material from the brake shoes to accommodate.

here is the new piston and it shows 7.88mm wide

the old piston is showing 9.74mm wide

not a big deal and I removed just enough material to allow the new pads to slot in nicely

Progress is progress

 

[charliemeyer007]

Sad that they take your stuff and then fail to deliver. The new work ethic I guess.
Yep had to grind my new shoes too. And the slot in the new pistons is milled straight across not on a slant to help keep the shoes centered. On the other had I didn't have to make them myself because NLA

 

[knuckle47]

From my own experience, bending the brake lines is not too bad especially if you have the old ones to guide you. The diameter of the brake line is an easy bend and the flares on the ends are doable with a few test flares done on scrap first. I had purchased new lines for my ‘56T-bird and they are an excellent reproduction. On the FJ40 , and I do not know them as some guys do, there are a few nuances that make them different…shorter, longer, slightly greater or lesser bend angles, etc etc.

For me…it was not a major thing buying the roll of tubing and forming the ends and shapes. Seeing what you’re doing so far, piece o’ cake. If you do get one of the rolls that include the fittings, get a set of the longer fittings as well. I have had a few that needed the longer threaded pieces

 

[bdawg23]

Sad that they take your stuff and then fail to deliver. The new work ethic I guess.
Yep had to grind my new shoes too. And the slot in the new pistons is milled straight across not on a slant to help keep the shoes centered. On the other had I didn't have to make them myself because NLA

I guess, the shop came strongly recommended. Granted I know the holidays fell within that time frame but still.

Good to know about the pistons and brake pads. Thx!

 

[bdawg23]

Started cleaning up the block today. Got most of the old head gasket off and started degreasing the outside a bit. Looks lit I was painted black prior.

Not much to report but figured I’d share a few pics, here is the serial number.

Got all the old gasket sealant off and cleaned up around the oil pan.

It does look like this motor was rebuilt before since I’m seeing a stamp. Someone named “AG” did this July 30,1990.

 

[bdawg23]

Little change of plans. Still rebuilding an engine but instead of the F I’m going with a 2F!

Happen to be visiting a friend in Grand Junction and he brought me over to Metric Offroad.

It’s very much a core until I pull it apart and see what I’m working with but it sounds like the time and effort to rebuild this will be worth it down the road.

 

[bdawg23]

Got a few parts back that I had sandblasted

Also got the crank pulled from the F. Figured I’d keep working on this motor while the 2F is getting diagnosed. Not sure if I can swing it yet but I’d love to build the F myself if I can.

At least the crank bearings look descent.

Also got a chance to visit the LC Heritage museum on my last work trip.

 

[bdawg23]

I talked the machine shop and the 2F I dropped off is going to be a great core. Sounds like the cylinder bores needed refreshed but otherwise all good. Just some cleaning to do and valve job to refresh the top end. Hearing this got my butt in gear to take care of a few things.

I'm removing the single circuit (and old) brake master cylinder. This thing is in rough shape as it is (don't mind the notes, that was from workin on my 100 series).

I'm going to install this setup that will allow me to run two separate brake circuits, one for the front and one for the rear. I'll be replacing all the lines on the truck so I need order brake line and fitting and a tool to do all the fittings. This was a suggestion by Midnight Motorsports in CO and I think it will worth the effort. I'll need to drill some new mounting holes or make an adapter bracket that fits the three and goes to four.

Lastly, the wiring harness in the front of the truck is a hot mess. Literally a hot mess with melted wires and random wires running around. I tried to look at it in the truck but decided it was just easier to pull it for inspection. Open to recommendations on what path to go here, been reading other posts about wiring. Main goal for now is to ensure everything is properly insulated and all connections are clean. I was having a random short on the ignition fuse when the truck was running so something isn't quite right.

Looking pretty empty in there...at least its not leaking oil anymore

 

[knuckle47]

From my own experiences over the decades, bending the lines is fairly straightforward as is the flare fittings. Double check the threaded fittings to be sure they are threaded long enough to seal prior to closing off the other end. Don’t skimp too much on the bending tool. I have 2 crappy ones and 1 “ok” bender. Leverage is a friend. While I am a bit older, I find the loss of grip and arthritis is easier to overcome with a long handled tubing bender. The old lines make good templates. The brake lines are thin and easier to shape than the 3/8 or larger.

Glad you’re back on the motivated side. I was beginning to believe that hole was covering you up….it was so deep