Builds Doc's 1978 FJ40 Rebuild (1 Viewer)

[TractorDoc]

I was able to lift the body off this weekend. . . just never enough hours in the day to post the details. I was able to remove the front four body mount bolts without incident (they actually turned out and did not break). One of the "mid region" mount bolts did break but the other one came out. . . all four along the rear bumper broke. Before trying to lift the body at this point I could see there were two more bolts on the underside but could not right away locate them on the upper side of the body. Took me a minute to figure out the previous owner laid a metal plate down over the rear floor and covered up those two bolts. Luckily he/she left access holes that had metal plates welded over them to chisel off (gas tank still in the body -- sparks = bad) to get to the bolts.

They both broke. . . but those were the last connections the body had to the frame. I left the fabricated roll bar in place as it made a nice attachment point for raising the body and then just rolled the frame out from underneath.
A bodiless frame revealed another one of the previous owner's "fixes;" a cable strung from one side of the frame to the other under the transfer case I suppose to help hold it up.

I do not know that it was doing all that much but I am sure it made the installer feel better. There were numerous mounts found on the frame from the original engine, what I suspect was a SBC in the past, and the current Chevy 250. Someone did a number on the factory front engine mount -- guess it was in the way of their progress.

I cut off the extra pieces and shaved off the rivets from the front factory mount so I could remove it and install another factory mount I stole from another FJ40 frame. I could try and find a way to use rivets again for installation but I am hoping bolts with Loctite will do the same job. I suppose I can add a few tack welds here or there as well. . . right the mount is just mocked up in place. I plan to clean/paint everything before installing.

This weekend's plans (if time becomes available. . . ) include rolling the frame out for a good power washing, needle scaling, etc. Then the fun of removing the shackles/axles. . . at that point I will have my foundation to start building my truck back up. Progress will probably slow down some as the inexpensive part is over -- the rebuild kits for the axles are in and I will probably be saving up for the 2" OME lift. I hope the next series of pictures show something prettier than what I have posted up so far!

 

[TractorDoc]

Some nice weather allowed me to roll the frame out for some clean up. I am ready for the axles to come off except that they allow the frame to be a rolling work station -- I set the cowl on the frame and was able to roll it out for sandblasting (it was too big to fit in the blast cabinet).

I do not like sandblasting. I usually farm the work out to a friend that has a business of it -- I chose to do the cowl myself as the metal is thinner and I wanted to make sure I did not warp or somehow smash it up (my buddy usually hires younger folks to do the labor -- they typically do not have the same standards that I do). I did take him the rims, roll bar frame, spare tire carrier frame, etc. I will probably clean the frame myself, I will hit the heavy/hard to reach areas with the blaster and wire wheel most of the flat areas. My friend usually charges me very little for the work but he gets to it when he can. . . it can take several months to get some parts back. I may be ready to install the axles on the frame before he can get around to blasting it so I will do the work here.

My plan is to focus on the cowl before the weather turns cold -- I hope to do the necessary body work, prime, and paint it yet this year before winter. It is a bit optimistic on my part but if I can have the cowl ready to bolt on the frame then I should be able to install wiring, brakes, etc. while the snow flies outside.
There is a little metal work to be done on the drivers side floor -- I hope to focus on/make that repair my next step.

 

[TractorDoc]

Had an extra couple hours today to start a little metal work. There were a couple broken bolts in the frame -- Ive found the best way to remove them is to weld a nut to the top of the broken bolt when possible and turn it out. The secret is to slowly rock the welded nut back and forth to break the threads loose. . . sometimes it takes a couple nuts but after a couple rounds back and forth the broken bolt is ready to come out. I have never had good luck drilling them out -- no matter how hard I try I can never seem to perfectly center the drill hole and even then I have trouble backing the broken bolt out.

I also started to address the rusty areas on the driver side floor of the cowl. I used some card stock and the traced the passenger side mounting channel -- then flipped it over/used it as a pattern to cut a piece of metal to install on the driver's side. A pneumatic flange tool is helpful to create an offset "lip" that will slide under the existing metal and make it easier to weld the two pieces together flush. I cut out a portion of what was left of the existing metal from the cowl with a cutoff wheel (below the new piece in the picture).

The new piece of metal test fits in ok. . . The original piece looks like it was stamped but I will make the repair in three pieces (two sides/bottom). I will try to cut out the bad metal/shape the new replacement pieces for the channel bottom and opposite side then weld everything back together (ran out of time today).

Once the cowl mount support channel is less holey I will replace the lower firewall corner and make extensions for the floor to extend a little farther back for correct mounting of the tub. The previous owner cut the floor a little short (either by mistake or he had no choice due to rust) and the holes for mounting the front of the aqualu tub currently sit over nothing. Id like the have the metal work done this weekend. . . will post more pictures if I can sneak off to the shop. For what its worth I am no metal worker. I am trying these repairs myself as they are out of the way/out of sight -- they may not look perfect but should be better than a rusty hole in the floor. I am more familiar with welding bigger pieces of steel and want to see if I have what it takes to do the thin stuff!

 

[sggoat]

Remember--it's thinner than you think!!

 

[emac]

enjoying the thread. Thanks for posting the pictures. I bet the cut up tranny hump was to get the tranny out without removing the hump. FWIW, I found out from MUD folks that you can remove the rear motor mounts and angle the motor to get just enough room to remove the tranny.

I just finished a frame off. A bolt kit from @davework was really worth the money. I think he is working on a new kit that is closer to OEM. I thought my wire harness was in bad shape, until I laid it out and went through each section. I ordered a bunch of OE connectors and wire from coolerman and it cleaned up nice. Keep up the work! Dont finish too fast, I am having withdrawals!

 

[TractorDoc]

I did send a message to @davework -- I will also keep an eye on his postings as one of his bolt kits (currently out of stock) would be very helpful for a clean start. Ive been keeping a lot of the hardware identified but a nice clean stainless or plated set would compliment my attempt at restoration. I know coolerman has cut back on making wiring harnesses but if I take my time I think I can do the job. My mind is much better at understanding mechanical things that I can see vs. electrons invisibly flowing across wires; new wire and connections will probably be a good idea.
I took a different angle on the project today -- I loaded up my seats and took them out to a local Amish fella that has a good reputation for restoration work. I know it is a little early in the project to be thinking of upholstery but he has such a good reputation that his work is backed up and by getting in line now I should have the seats done by January next year. There were some nice looking motorcycle seats he was just finishing up on the work bench.

We looked everything over and decided it would be best if I took them apart and blasted/cleaned up/painted the metal pieces to my satisfaction. He said he could do it himself but I knew it would add time/cost -- and I have that issue again with wanting things done to my liking so a little more metal prep/painting is ok with me. Id didn't take long to have everything apart.

I will leave him to clean/paint the one metal bracket that sticks out the side of the seat back. . . but everything else I will take care of.

I have a situation with color choices. Not sure what happened in the vehicle's past, but it seems the seats were a blackish color but the headrests that were on them are more of a "dirty" gray.

The headrests are not covered in a fabric/vinyl that can be replaced (at least not by my Amish friend) -- its more like they were dipped or coated with a vinyl covering over the foam. They cleaned up ok but I was leaning toward wanting black seats with silver stitching (I know -- Ill hate that in the sun), but may go with a matching gray color to work with the headrests I have. I have seen some paints/stains for vinyl materials but I do not know how they hold up. I will have to do a little more research and post back with what I decide.

 

[samc2447]

I've used the SEM vinyl and leather paint with excellent success. I color matched a couple of headrests I replaced and a driver's side seat bottom in a truck. After years of use there has been no degrading of the coating and you would not know its not factory if I didn't tell you. If anything those areas look newer than the areas I didn't paint. If you're after black seats, doing just the headrests black should be no problem.

 

[TractorDoc]

Thanks for the info on the paint -- I will give it a looking into. I remember I used something similar on the dash of my first car and it seemed to hold up pretty well.
I worked in a couple hours at the shop and make a little progress on the metal work. I started welding a few patches in the cowl channel -- I am working on balancing laying down a decent weld vs. burning holes in the sheet metal with the welder. One of my mechanic mentors growing up had told me anyone can look like a good welder with enough grinding! I cut an extra piece of metal and secured it to the inside of the channel to fill in all the holes.

While my welding leaves something to be desired I do think I do a good job of cutting the pieces to put in place. Ive always liked geometry and fitting pieces of a puzzle together -- this is a different kind of puzzle but another couple pieces have been added in.

The cowl channel is finished. . . a little primer and some spot filler should make it look solid again.

I also had a couple minutes to cut out the rusted areas of the floor board and shape a new piece of metal to replace it.

A couple of initial welds and a test fit with the aqualu transmission hump. . . more welding/grinding will be done to smooth out the floor patch. Hope to get more accomplished tomorrow.

 

[TractorDoc]

The floor metal work has progressed and I think I am finished with it. . . after rebuilding the cowl support channel and replacing the section of firewall I added floor extensions to allow more secure mounting of the Aqualu Tub.

I added an extra two inches to each side/floor pan; enough to reach under the new tub and allow the factory tub mounting holes to be mounted to something. When the previous owner installed the tub he made new holes in the Aqualu tub as well as the cowl floor and used some sort of plastic rivets to secure the two together. You can see the makeshift holes -- I hope to fill/cover them once everything is together but they will aid in alignment if nothing else.

I spent a good hour tweaking the replacement transmission hump to get it to sit against the cowl half straight. . . I am not sure if the previous owner had done some bending on the edges himself or if they were just smashed up when all the parts were thrown into the truck when I bought it. View from the driver's side:

And view from the passenger side:

Overall I am happy with the metal repair. On the exposed edges of the floor pan repairs I smoothed the welded edges over with USC All-Metal. It has a quicker cure time than I am used to but goes on smooth. I have a little bit more sanding/body work to finish on the outside of the cowl; the next step will be to start with an epoxy primer and then several layers of a 2K primer surfacer. Not sure if I can get after it this weekend but I will be thinking about it!

 

[TractorDoc]

I have found time over the last couple weeks to be in the shop -- just have not had the time to post about it.
Once I was satisfied with the new metal pieces installed I gave the cowl a once over with initial body work to smooth out some of the more obvious dents, divits, spot welds, etc. I know in the end the truck will not be perfect but if I can take some of the waves out of the body panels this is the time to do it. Again I used the USC All-Metal filler for the obvious areas and then sanded the entire cowl down with 80 grit. Moved out to the "paint booth" (all my painting is done outside) and wiped down with a degreasing solvent and tack cloth.

At this point any professional painters may want to look away. . . my methods do not necessarily follow the industry standard.
I used an epoxy primer from my local Chem-Spec supplier (paint Ive used on the tractors over the years that I really like) as the initial foundation. I have never been good at pouring the paint from the can to a cup so I use a dipper (half a soda can) initially to transfer the primer from the gallon can. I have seen the fancy pistol grip pouring devices that you can attach to the top of paint cans but never painted often enough to justify buying them. After trying to pour the full to the top gallon cans in the past and spilling large portions of paint on the table I have found the dipper to be much less wasteful (for me). Another hillbilly mod I have always used is/are my mixing containers. Rather than spend the money on measuring cups I cut the top off an old gatorade/powerade/etc. bottle and mix my primer/activator in it. I can pre-measure the amounts I need and mark the bottle myself so I know how much of each component to add. . . cleanup is much easier this way as well. My primer gun is nothing fancy -- gravity feed model from the Chinese Tool Store but it gets the job done.

Several light and quick coats of epoxy and the cowl is starting to look like a more finished product.

Once the epoxy was applied I moved onto the 2K filler primer. Several heavy coats were applied to hide some of the minor imperfections that I did not cover with the filler initially. I am not usually taking this step with the tractor restoration -- most of those parts are cast iron/heavier metal and some imperfection is to be expected. I am trying this Transtar Brand I picked up when I drove out to TP Tools to get some blasting media for my blast cabinet earlier in the summer.

The Transtar brand says you can apply it directly to bare metal but a buddy of mine in the paint industry still recommended I use the epoxy primer first. Why did I go with white? I am usually more of a gray kind of guy when it comes to primers but I was still not sure what color I was going to paint the FJ40 when I picked up the primer -- figured white would be the easiest foundation to cover over if I went with a lighter finish color. The cowl is looking more finished with each step. You can tell this process took me the better part of the day by following the light/sun as it hits the cowl in different areas at each stage.

Since the last picture I have block sanded the cowl and sprayed a second coat of the 2K primer. I will give it another block sanding and if satisfied I will hit it with some seam sealer, a sealer primer, and then hopefully finish color. I am still working with my paint guy to get my finish color right; he has sent me a couple samples of my requested color but they have been a touch off. I hope we can get on the same page before my painting window (the weather) closes for the year.

 

[TractorDoc]

On a side note, Mrs. TractorDoc and I took a field trip last week (another reason why progress on the FJ40 has slowed some). We were originally going to drive out to Yellowstone NP (and a few others along the way) but had some family stuff happen and our lodging called/cancelled on us due to wild fires in the area. At last minute we caught a cheap flight out to California -- to make it post related I did see on FJ40 in San Francisco. White truck, no top, driving around the northern part of the city. I have a lot of respect for anyone driving a manual transmission on those hills! For some bonus points can anyone identify this location from our trip?

 

[TheHardWay]

Some of us may need a hint... or two...

 

[tstepp920]

On a side note, Mrs. TractorDoc and I took a field trip last week (another reason why progress on the FJ40 has slowed some). We were originally going to drive out to Yellowstone NP (and a few others along the way) but had some family stuff happen and our lodging called/cancelled on us due to wild fires in the area. At last minute we caught a cheap flight out to California -- to make it post related I did see on FJ40 in San Francisco. White truck, no top, driving around the northern part of the city. I have a lot of respect for anyone driving a manual transmission on those hills! For some bonus points can anyone identify this location from our trip?View attachment 1324639

Yosemite ??

 

[upperblack]

Half Dome in Yosemite

 

[TractorDoc]

Yosemite is correct!
That view is from above the valley at Glacier Point -- Half Dome is the big chunk of rock with the flat side. Doubt they'd let you drive a FJ40 up there but you can hike it. The job and life in general have kept us busy and we have not really traveled anywhere in the last 10 years -- we were looking forward to the road trip but CA worked out ok. I had the brilliant idea of taking a shuttle bus ride up to this area and then we hiked about nine miles back down to the valley floor (Mrs. TractorDoc was not impressed). I highly recommend a trip to the parks here -- Yosemite has great mountain scenery and nearby Sequoia NP has trees that you have to see to believe they exist.

Sorry about the sideways pic. . . its in the upright position in my picture file.
The trees next to this parking lot were big but they were not the biggest we saw by far. Id love to drive cross country with the Land Cruiser once its done. . . I've done the drive several times across the northern states over the years and would tell anyone with a love for the outdoors to do the same if they ever have the opportunity. We are a long way from even driving across the farm at this point though so its back to the shop for now.

 

[handcannon]

Thanks for posting the pics. I've never been to Yellowstone yet, but those Redwood trees are definitely impressive, especially in person. Something else that's impressive is Crater Lake. Next time you have a chance to come out west you need to come a little farther north and see the Crater Lake area.

Don

 

[TractorDoc]

Id post a ton more pics of the outdoor stuff if I thought it was appropriate -- photography is another one of those things that I have an interest in and I always have the camera with me in the vet truck. I made it up to Crater Lake about six or seven years ago. . . back when cameras still used film! I made a loop trip out of the Redwoods, Crater Lake, and Lassen Volcanic NP (another really cool place -- almost like a mini Yellowstone but less animals). All the pictures really cannot prepare you for the moment you first catch sight of the deep blue water at Crater Lake -- Id like to take a trip back there again someday too. In my younger days I used to book a lower cost flight, rent a car, and camp my way through the different parks/more scenic areas of the country. That's back when I could still check a bag with my tent, camp stove, etc. on the plane without worrying about security. I never had much money but found a way to see new places; really want to get back up to the Mt. Ranier, Olympic NP areas again someday as well.

As far as truck progress goes I am still waiting for a paint sample to arrive so I can have my paint guy match it -- going off paint codes has not produced the correct color (to my eye). I did place an order for some parts with Roger at City Racer LLC -- a good source for hard to find parts that Toyota might not have available anymore. Thank You again Roger!

 

[TractorDoc]

A rainy number of days has pulled me away from thoughts of painting -- although I did apply the seam sealer to the joints in the cowl. I am no professional with the caulk gun and I think I wiped off as much as I applied. I tried to keep it clean looking -- the parts truck in the yard had it applied much thicker/drippier at the factory.

I started taking pieces off the engine and took it out for a bath. Ive started the search for a good gasket "kit" to reseal everything. I know the one piece oil pan gaskets are the way to go -- just need to decide if I have to go thru Toyota to get it (my local dealer was no help -- the 22 year old in the parts department did not have the desire to look anything up for me. . . too old he said) or if I can find a quality aftermarket source. If anyone has any good recommendations my ears are open.
I also found I am in need of a replacement carburetor insulator/spacer -- mine is cracked/broken into two pieces. Posted a "wanted" ad in the classified forums but no response as of yet.

The sun did peek out from the clouds this afternoon so I took the opportunity to finish sandblasting the frame. I found a few more broken bolts that need removed -- I think they were for mounting the skid plate. There is a little cleanup that I still need to do in the back bumper area. I cut off the welded on hitch and cleaned that area up as best I could. The only real area of rust on the frame is on the angle brackets between the main frame rails and rear bumper -- I do not think it is bad enough to justify replacing both pieces but I will add some new metal and reinforce what is there. Once those areas are finalized I have a gallon of POR-15 waiting to be applied.

Talked with FJ40Jim last week and it sounds like my carburetor/distributor will be on his rebuild bench soon -- looking forward to seeing his work. Once the frame is painted the axle rebuild comes next. . . If I can stop jumping around/working on different areas of the truck!

 

[Jdc1]

beno @Land Cruiser parta ans consulting is a great source for OEM parts (gaskets)

If you ever get to Kent, Bob at Don Joseph Toyota has been in the game for awhile and is willing to take the time to find the right parts.

 

[TractorDoc]

Thanks for the leads Jdc1; I will put them on the contact list.

Took two steps forward and one step back today. . . I have been pushing to get the cowl painted while the weather was still nice. I gave paint codes to my paint guy and I also ordered a factory matched paint sample for the color I was looking for -- nothing was matching the color I was wanting. I was hoping to go with a Toyota Sky Blue -- at least what I thought was Sky Blue from pictures I had seen. My truck is white (for some reason, nearly all of my responsible adult vehicles have been white), the Mrs. SUV is black, and I wanted something more colorful and "fun." Every sample color I had received was much darker than I was hoping -- almost to the point of being a navyish blue. Wednesday I drove out to the paint shop and picked out a "blue" that I liked from a stack of paint chips -- told my guy to mix me up a gallon (he thought I was crazy). It didnt have a name -- just a number to identify it. When someone asks what color your vehicle is you dont want to say "Metallux 60159." Ive decided to give it one of two names -- either "Big Mistake Blue" (if it looks better on the paint chip than the truck and I hate it), or Earlie Blue (if I like it -- in memory my Blue Heeler, Earl. Lost him about the time I started the FJ40 project -- best dog buddy I have ever had for 15 years).
Had them mix it up and I drove the hour back and forth again to pickup the paint so I could take advantage of the nice weather today. Prepped everything, sprayed one coat of sealer, then sprayed the blue.

I thought it came out very nice. There was a little bit of orange peel but I could deal with that. Just as I was cleaning the paint gun one solitary gust of wind blew about half a dozen blades of grass on the driver side panel. . . after a few curse words I plucked the grass pieces from the paint. I suppose I will give the surface a light sand and try one more color coat -- perhaps I can knock back some of the orange peel as well. All part of the fun when painting outside.

I do think I like the color -- Earlie Blue it may be!