CottonBall Club

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Let it be known:

I offered to sell my 40 to Noel for a hell of a good price waaaay below what I was originally asked.

:popcorn:
 
Seriously, I'm just saying all that because when I was in your position a very wise man suggested that I consider doing it. I ignored the advice and wish I hadn't. To be perfectly clear, though, I was building a truck to wheel. I never had any intentions of driving 70 mph in my rig on any road...still don't.

Sounds cliche, but the best advice I could give is the same thing that's repeated here on mud all the time - figure out exactly what you want to do with the truck first and go from there.
 
^What JT said. Times ten. There are unlimited "what-ifs" out there, and changing the "objective" mid-build can certainly be done. It's just time consuming and expensive.

Whether it's a stock restoration, a resto-mod or an all out modified truck, you'll be months/years and many thousands of dollars ahead if you can decide what the truck is going to be BEFORE you start the project.

If I were you, I'd also put a lot of weight in the advice provided by those who have built different variations of these trucks before (Bossman, 0ffr0adlim0, ntsaint, fountainhead, jrob, Bodean, etc.) There's an analogy here to a saying in drag racing community: "If you want to GO fast, talk to the people who are GOING fast"

On a related note, since Chris is going to end up putting a V8 in the 'Pig, you might as well start out planning for one of those as well. There's plenty enough V8 voodoo to go around......:hillbilly:
 
I could tell you what I would probably do but I'm into low buck wheelin and don't see a need to build something to go 70 mph down the hwy.

As said, figure out what you want to have when it's done and lets build that.
 
I can go 60mph all day long in mine. 70 plus in a 40? Thats scary....
 
......i can/have and still do 70+ in my 40 all the time.....how fast you get to 70mph is a different story.....well behaved highway speeds and firmly planted articulation is a sweet spot that many search for and few gather. I can say that you can get there, but as the gentleman noted a few posts up ".........speak to those who ARE going fast", holds a lot of water.
 
I got my 40 up to about 90 mph driving through New Mexico. I'm sure that I could have gotten it faster, but I didn't want to kill myself and the wife. 35" tires with 4.11 gearing. I regularly go 70+ on I55.
 
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Given those intended use outlines, you are not going to need a lot of mods. A soft lift with thin leafs will net you the best ride (short of coil type suspensions), 33" tires, 4:11 or even 3:73 gearing out of an FJ60 will get you to the highway speed you want without killing the 2F, upgrade to four wheel disc brakes, power steering, AC, nice cumfortanle seats, etc.

Rebuilding the 2F is going to be costly but it will last fou years and will get you down the road just fine. Affordable Fuel Injection might be worth considering but hardly a "must have" given your intended use. The stock 4speed is a fine transmission and you have no need for lower gearing. 80 axles would be nice for the wider track and bigger birfs but, again, will not be of any use on the highway. You can accomplish the width with rim back spacing or wheel spacers. A V8 would be "fun" but, again, you are not trying to pull giant tires, climb giant hills, or blast through giant mud pits. A coil suspension from something like an 80 would be nice but expensive to have built for you and hardly necessary for an occasional use highway/farm car.

Keep it simple and rock on.
 
Bossman said:
Given those intended use outlines, you are not going to need a lot of mods. A soft lift with thin leafs will net you the best ride (short of coil type suspensions), 33" tires, 4:11 or even 3:73 gearing out of an FJ60 will get you to the highway speed you want without killing the 2F, upgrade to four wheel disc brakes, power steering, AC, nice cumfortanle seats, etc.

Rebuilding the 2F is going to be costly but it will last fou years and will get you down the road just fine. Affordable Fuel Injection might be worth considering but hardly a "must have" given your intended use. The stock 4speed is a fine transmission and you have no need for lower gearing. 80 axles would be nice for the wider track and bigger birfs but, again, will not be of any use on the highway. You can accomplish the width with rim back spacing or wheel spacers. A V8 would be "fun" but, again, you are not trying to pull giant tires, climb giant hills, or blast through giant mud pits. A coil suspension from something like an 80 would be nice but expensive to have built for you and hardly necessary for an occasional use highway/farm car.

Keep it simple and rock on.
Click to expand...
moses.webp
 
This. Noel, you'd save a ton of time and heartache just buying a nice already restored 40. You've got a good start to one with the one you just picked up, but it is going to cost a ton to get it where I think you seem to be trying to get it.

Buy something like what Chris posted, and sell/part out the 40 you just bought. That tub is worth some $ if it is as clean and straight as it appears.
 
Well I might as well chime in. Doc you are the 2.5" OME lift, skinny 33" tire, hub cap type. I have always loved that look on a 40. You won't wheel it so don't stress on that too much. The stock axles will work fine. Like someone said, look into 3.73 gears out of a 60. You can probably find the whole 3rds and trade someone. The 4 speed tranny will work fine with this set-up. Also, don't get too hooked on buying "Toyota" nuts and bolts unless you just want to spend the money. Original can get expensive quick! Please let the vendors you buy parts from know you are with CLC! It helps when we ask for donations for the Crawl!

Looking forward to seeing the progress on this rig.
 
geologic said:
Give me some practical ideas about how to use the 80 parts I've got or forget that and restore a stock 40
Click to expand...

I just did. For the end product you are trying to achieve you should not be concerned with using 80 parts. Sell them to find your upgrades if you wish. The 40 components are well up to the task for your intended purposes. So... "Forget that" and restore(build) your 40.
 
The suspension seats you want are the ones with the low sides.

Most are built as a bucket. These I speak of allow you to slide in and out and not have to climb.

I think Beard makes them.
 
Let's assume you are going to move forward with the 40 you bought...

2.5" lift with + 1 or 1.5" shackles. Everyone seems to like OME. Hell Creek maybe? Fits your needs.
Rebuild stock axles with larger V6 4Runner front calipers and rear discs. If you're going 70...
Maybe taller 3.73 diff gears from a 60. Try the 4.11s first.
A nicely built/balanced 2F will rev but is $$$. I have a '78 head (unknown status) if yours is bad.
Stock trans, TCase, parking brake, driveshafts
Stock interior with extra driver seat padding. Maybe a rear bench?

I will have two complete sets of fine spline Warn Auto-Locking Hubs in the next couple of months.
Looking forward to this build.
 
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