Finally Joined the 40 Club!

[tarheel40]

After being a long time Toyota fan and dreaming about an FJ40 for many years I finally added one to the family a few weeks ago! I’ve got a 97 40th Anniversary Edition and a 2016 200 that are my daily drivers so my 40 will be the new weekend rig. @Chris8760 rescued it in 2014 and did an amazing job bringing it back to life before selling it to @pawleymack in 2016. I came across it in the Mud classifieds last month and decided it was time to pull the trigger on a 40.

It’s a 1976 wearing the original olive green paint, numbers matching body and frame, original 2F engine with a Weber carb and stock air intake delete. An OME lift has been added along with 33x10.50 KM2s on stock steelies. ACC baselined it a few years back and it runs like a top. I really appreciate all the work that has been done by some great Mud members and look forward to keeping this truck in the community!

I’ve spent the last week refreshing the paint by hand, using Meguiars #7 glaze to brighten it up and then coating with Jetseal and finally a layer of NXT wax. I’ve topped off fluids, tightened the fan belt, greased everything with a zerk, cleaned up the interior a bit and painted some shackles for fun.

The to-do list for the next few weeks includes removing the hard top to line up a few bolts better before reinstalling, addressing a steering box leak (likely just adding some grease, maybe Penrite?), and a few other minor details. Not planning to do anything significant right now, basically just drive it and smile!

The day I bought it and first trip to the gas station :

And at home after a great 185 miles road trip:

 

[tarheel40]

I was amazed at how well the paint cleaned up, the first picture is before I started any detailing and the next few are after I finished up - it’s been a dramatic change!

 

[TheHardWay]

Hmmmm, wonder what you're doing this weekend. Welcome!

 

[Tancruiser]

Nice and one of my favorite colors.

 

[Slapshot]

I love the family portrait! Nice work on the paint. Looks like the only thing left is to drive it, enjoy!

 

[Ocho77]

Awesome! Paint looks amazing. That was a great buy, way to jump on it.

 

[plink01]

That's probably the coolest colour 40 there is. Looks awesome!

 

[tarheel40]

Nice and one of my favorite colors.

Thank you, I’ve fallen in love with the color - looks so different in different lights. A lot more of the olive is showing through after the detail, which I love!

Awesome! Paint looks amazing. That was a great buy, way to jump on it.

Thank you, felt like it was too good an opportunity to pass up. The seller was awesome to work with and so far the adventure has been better than I could have dreamed! I was amazed how well it cleaned up, once the very top layer of oxidized paint came off the truck really started to shine.

 

[cruiserkev]

Nice 76, the best year and coolest paint too!

 

[Catching Neutral]

Welcome. Nice rig. Enjoy the holiday weekend. Fiddle, Drive, Smile, repeat.

 

[tarheel40]

Welcome. Nice rig. Enjoy the holiday weekend. Fiddle, Drive, Smile, repeat.

Love it, that advice should probably be on an LC tshirt!

 

[Catching Neutral]

Love it, that advice should probably be on an LC tshirt!

You make it, I’ll buy it

 

[Catching Neutral]

However it would be a bit better if it read....wrench, Drive, smile, repeat

 

[Chris8760]

So glad to see this 40 back on Mud! This truck was really special to me and I had a ton of fun bringing it back- It was a random Craigslist find and I couldn’t believe the condition of the frame and body- zero rust. I was always tempted to paint it, but you can’t fake that patina! Have fun with it!

 

[tarheel40]

So glad to see this 40 back on Mud! This truck was really special to me and I had a ton of fun bringing it back- It was a random Craigslist find and I couldn’t believe the condition of the frame and body- zero rust. I was always tempted to paint it, but you can’t fake that patina! Have fun with it!

I’m really glad you found it and appreciate all the time and energy you out into making this 40 as nice as it is today! It’s a very solid, original driver and the patina is too perfect to cover up - I don’t have the heart to paint it. Will do, thanks!

 

[tarheel40]

Today’s project was a temporary shop extension so the 40 and the 80 can both be kept in there while the 200 is in the main garage. I’m about a foot short of them fitting end to end (the previous home owners built this shop, I would have definitely made it deep enough to hold at least two cruisers!!).

Planning to do an addition off the current shop in the future but for now I framed a 3 foot extension off the back garage door, covered the top with plywood and then wrapped it with a tarp as the outer layer, using a staple gun to secure the tarp. Still a few more loose ends to tie up but big picture the cruisers are all under a roof tonight and I’m a happy camper!

 

[tarheel40]

Still having a blast with the 40 and checking things off the to-do list: got into the steering box and filled up with lithium grease, painted the rear bumperettes close to factory pewter with Duplicolor SS, and have gotten some fluid film on the underside of the body.

I’m planning to remove the hard top for a few weeks to enjoy the fall weather and line things up a bit better as some bolts are not installed due to holes not lining up. After reading some threads on the forum I think I’m going to put the top and side panels together first then lift then them back on as one unit, we’ll see how it goes!

A few driveway pics from this morning, she’s coming along!

 

[Ocho77]

Love those pinstripes.

 

[tarheel40]

Got the top off this week and ordered some hardware and a windshield gasket from SOR to make the re-install a bit easier down the road. Going to completely reassemble the top before I put it back on in hopes of things lining up better, fingers crossed!

In the meantime, I’m having a blast with the top off - it’s been sunny and 70 here all week so couldn’t have picked a better time to do it!

 

[tarheel40]

Took advantage of the top being off and ordered some new hardtop hardware as well as new weatherstripping for the top of the windshield from SOR. I decided to reassemble the hard top off the body and was able to get the cap lined up much better with the side panels. There were several gaps between the top and side panels when I bought the 40 and some C clamps were being used to improve the fit, I was able to eliminate the clamps and the gaps which I was very pleased about! Put the hardtop back on several weeks ago with the help of a few buddies, went smoothly and wasn’t as heavy as I was worried it would be. I did take the spare tire off and loosened the jump seat bolts ahead of time to provide the needed clearance, I’m planning to continue to remove/reinstall the hardtop as one piece in the future.

I had noticed a slow and sporadic leak in the lower part of the radiator, decided to be proactive and replaced with a new OEM radiator before any issues arose. Also added a front mat from City Racer to spruce up the look of the interior just a bit, very pleased with the look and functionality!

Still loving this rig, went on a ~200 mile road trip earlier this month and had a blast - so much fun to drive and I’m still shocked at how well it handles and rides on the highway considering it’s 44 years old!