This week wrenches have been turning on a different shop project.
Sometime back I picked up a Steiner garden tractor that was having hydraulic issues. I've had 40 tunnel vision over the last couple of months but now that we are cruising around the neighborhood I bought the tractor into the shop and removed quite a bit of stuff to get access to the hydraulic pump and drive motors.
The Toyota looked on with curiosity. . .
Deep down inside the forward drive motor (of course the most difficult one to access) was a jacked up cylinder block/piston assembly (on the right in the next picture). I took the other cylinders/plates from the tractor plus an extra set I had saved for just an occasion to the hydraulic shop. They lapped the machined surfaces which should bring hydraulic pressures back up to like new condition. Now to put everything back together. . .
October has been fantastic weather wise and I have taken the 40 out whenever I can both on the road and off.
Of course the off road adventures have been in areas that are completely dry and free of paint swiping branches. We give the farm trails here plenty of width. . . travelling off the paved path is fun but we are not savages.
After a lot of looking, researching, and more looking I finally settled on a new wide angle lens for the camera. I find the 40 is a good subject to photograph and have been pleased with the new perspectives allowed by the wide angle.
At this point in the build I want to declare "Phase 1" complete.
The goal was to have a running/driving truck this year. The doors (all four) and hardtop could/can wait until next year; I did not want to burn out on trying to finish everything at once without getting some enjoyment from the work put in thus far. I think it was a good plan -- its been smiles all around (myself included) whenever the 40 has been out over the last month or so. I cannot stress enough how helpful the MUD forum and its members have been along the way. Helpful advice, knowledgeable vendors, and positive commentary made working thru the teardown and rebuild process a joy even when things in the shop were not going my way.
Specifically I want to thank different members/vendors for their advice and wares.
The first pieces I purchased (after the truck itself) were the rear disc conversion parts from
@Poser . Thanks Steve for welcoming me to the world of Land Cruisers and answering all my new guy questions.
From there I think I called
@cruiseroutfit weekly -- they provided the OME lift as well as engine parts, knuckle rebuild parts, transmission/transfer rebuild parts, etc. Kurt and Bryce were great to talk to and were able to send the parts I needed, even from my less than knowledgeable descriptions.
Of course
@FJ40Jim worked his magic on the carburetor -- thank you Jim for taking a crusty core and making it new again.
I installed the transfer/trans oil bypass hose from
@shipmag just in case. . .
The wiring was given new life by
@Coolerman . Thank You Mark for working with me to keep the old style rear lights with a newer style front harness -- for sure not just plug and play!
I stopped by
@RockAuto for brake calipers, rotors, and misc. engine parts. Not quite "All the Parts my 40 will ever need" but they had more than I thought would be available for a truck of this vintage.
Most of the Stainless JIS Hardware was obtained from
@davework . The dished heads on the bolts give a much more authentic look; Thanks Dave!
CityRacerLLC.com was visited frequently enough that
@Racer65 's site was near the top of my browser's history bar for awhile. I still keep checking back to see if he has added anything new since I was last there. . . Thanks Roger for so many great offerings.
These are just off the top of my head. If there are others that I missed I sincerely apologize and will go back and add in with the edit feature as I remember.
My local paint guy, tire, glass, muffler, and seat shops get a big thank you. . . but I do not believe they are members of the forum so do not get a call out.
Not listing everyone that ever made a comment, but Thanks to
@Jdc1 ,
@waiting for time ,
@gator25 ,
@DSB345 ,
@mrboatman ,
@alabamatacomaguy ,
@tstepp920 ,
@White Stripe ,
@pngunme and everyone else for being regular posters and likers.
Now that all that is out of the way we can get back to work.
One last parting shot before moving on and starting "Phase 2. . . "
!" Most people have a different definition of restored than I do and I do not have it in me to cut corners. When asked I usually reply that I never have enough time for my own endeavors but thank them for noticing my work. Michael is right. . . if I ever did decide to take on full restoration of someone else's vehicle I would spend too much time worrying about their happiness while my level of joy would likely be zero. Always willing to lend a hand on someone else's project but for now I better stick to my day job vs. entering the restoration business. 
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