Eric's FJ40 Build Thread

[EricG]

Ok, guess I've got to do one also. Don't expect Rui-like speed on this though! First order of business is getting rid of the scary single circuit 4-wheel drum brakes. I got a great deal on some axles from a 74 FJ55 and took the knuckles off of an 83 mini truck. I've gotten the axles torn down and mostly cleaned up - paint soon. And have gathered most of the parts.

Disassembled axles and shafts - even got the kids to reach down into the oily diff to retrieve the axle clip. Of course I could just rotate the axle, but it was more fun this way

 

[EricG]

A quick test fit of some bits from Poser's rear disk conversion. Rotor is from an early 90s GMC 1500 with the center opened up a bit.

 

[Man Jerk]

Way cool Eric. What are your plans?

 

[EricG]

Way cool Eric. What are your plans?

Overall plan is basically a safe, reliable, relatively stock truck for fair-weather topless cruising on easy to moderate trails. It will likely run 33s with a 2" or so lift ... as much to replace the saggy stock springs as anything. Maybe a rear auto-locker at some point.

Now that it's running well, my priorities are:

- Brakes

- Rear wheel well rust repair so roll cage can be put back in & seatbelts installed.

- Replace PO's minivan seats with something that lets me fit behind/under the wheel.

- Put in back bench seat - have one from a Dodge Raider that should fit nicely.

- Replace rear sill & fix QP rust.

- Refinish OEM steel wheels and get the chrome ones off!

- Paint & cosmetics.

Brakes - the current drums will take alot of work and time to get into decent shape. I actually have pretty good braking power and feel at this point, but it pulls like hell to the left and the back axle locks up very quickly, which makes for an exciting ride! It leaks brake fluid somewhere, and it also appears that the axle bushing is leaking gear oil into the right front drum. From what I've read, that bronze bushing is hard to come by and harder to replace. So I could spend alot of time & $$ trying to get these working well ... and still have single circuit drums brakes when I'm done. Or just bite the bullet and go all out!

So for the front axle - I'm putting mini-truck knuckles on it with FJ60 vented rotors and 4Runner calipers. The line on the short side is kinked a little, so I'll have to replace that but it looks good otherwise.

Back axle will get the Poser kit, which takes Monte Carlo calipers. On-axle brake lines look good there.

I'm going to look into the Geo Metro brake booster - the earlier trucks have a big rib on the firewall that prevents install of a typical mini-truck booster. Some guys cut it out, but I'm going to look into this first.

Not sure what master cylinder yet - I do have a spare 80 series booster laying around, but it's from an ABS truck.

And it will take lots of new plumbing between the master cylinder and axles, so I'm going to have to learn how to bend & flare brake lines.

 

[PPFJ60]

Eric,

You may need to mow your shop soon.

 

[EricG]

Eric,

You may need to mow your shop soon.

Meh - it's supposed to be a driveway, so I'll just dump enough oil and degreaser on it to kill everything. You can see a good start on that in the first pic ... one end of the axle fell off the jackstand before I had drained the diff. On the rear axle, I drained the diff first - I can occasionally learn from my mistakes!

 

[anthonyz]

whats the rest of it look like?

 

[EricG]

whats the rest of it look like?

There was a thread when I bought it, but here are a couple.

 

[anthonyz]

Cool man, I have always really dug the size of those rigs. They look longer in person than the pictures seem like.

I will stay subscribed to this thread

 

[EricG]

Prep & paint all day today. That Chassis Saver is some nasty stuff - forgot to put on gloves, and I have a feeling I'll be wearing this until I shed my skin.

 

[EricG]

What do you think? Should I paint this side of the flange on the axle tube, and the stuff outside it?

How about the inside of the flange on the rear axles? Any reason not to?

 

[EricG]

Another project, but since I was making a mess anyway I cleaned it up and painted it.

This is a 19 gallon subtank from an early 70s Ford pickup. I think it will fit right up between the frame rails where the spare tire sits on the 80, and the inlet is on the correct side.

 

[EricG]

Dumb question time ... when I took the diff cover off the rear axle, a few of the studs came out rather then the nut coming off. Any suggestions on how to get the nut off the stud & reinstall? Or should I just treat it like a bolt?

 

[FJ005]

Dumb question time ... when I took the diff cover off the rear axle, a few of the studs came out rather then the nut coming off. Any suggestions on how to get the nut off the stud & reinstall? Or should I just treat it like a bolt?

Second option worked for me, put some threadlock on it and once it bottoms out you can still tighten the nut...or just use a vice put a nut on the other side and crank on the one that is tight...

 

[EricG]

Ancient thread revival! Started the FJ40 for the first time since about 2012. Some fresh gas, a little starting fluid and it fired right up!

The idle is to fast for some reason, and there's a fuel line dripping on the manifold, so I didn't run it long.

Hoping to finally start working on this by late summer.

 

[COS80]

I didn't even know you had a 40.

 

[EricG]

I didn't even know you had a 40.

Yep, it's been a lawn ornament for ages

 

[EricG]

Fixed the fuel leak & high idle (choke cable is frozen).
Gear shift was frozen - had to tap on the linkage a bit & some penetrating oil.

But the right front wheel is frozen. It will roll forward grudgingly, but backward not at all. So when I went to back it in to my upper drive way, I ended up just digging a hole with the front of the truck halfway out in the road! Had to pull it back into the driveway.

So I guess I'll be working on it there instead of in the garage.