I was a lurker on MUD years ago when I had an FJ62, which has sadly been behind me now for several years. Nevertheless, I got the LC itch again and picked up a '71 FJ40 that I found on Craigslist an hour from home. That was a week and a half ago. I've since dug into it and would love to hear advice from those who have been where I'm going, before I get there.
Here's the image from the ad. I assume this was when the seller bought it:
Getting it home. I forgot to take a picture of the truck bed full of parts, but the engine, trans and TC were out when I bought it. The custom tailgate and mural are pretty classic...
The engine has a spun bearing.
Step 1 was disassembly to see what I actually got myself into.
Tractors make life easier.
And here's where it sits today. Actually it's stripped to just the frame and the axles, but I don't have a photo.
My original goal was to restore to original, but now that I have things apart and have taken a true survey of the situation, I'm stepping back from that. The goal now is resto mod, but keeping it close to original appearance while increasing it's utility / usability.
General survey:
The body is really rough. Barn gates are MIA, inner and outer rockers are shot on DS, outer rocker shot on PS. I don't know if the lower cowl panels are salvageable or not (probably not), the rear bed is bad due to the rear sill being pretty much nonexistent, the quarter panels are rough and were previously poorly replaced, there's a hole in the upper RH windshield frame and the drivers side door has rust on the lower half. The front DS fender has a small rust patch on the inside that I think i can deal with and the rest of the body is serviceable I think. The frame is pretty pitted in the rear, but I think it will be okay (I'll know more after blast).
The truck is complete as far as I can tell with the exception of the aforementioned barn doors and hardware, rear emblems, jump seats, front seats (the bench frame is also damaged), and parts of the rear heater.
I know the engine has a spun bearing, but I haven't opened it up to see the rest of the story. I also haven't opened up the axle housings, tranny or transfer case. I was told the original starter and alternator were just rebuilt, so that's a plus.
Immediate plans:
Finish stripping down the frame and axles as prep for powder coat. I have access to a PC system, so the choice is based mainly on the low cost. The plan is to put the axle housings in a burn off oven first and hopefully expel any fluids that have penetrated the casting so the powder coat isn't screwed up.
- Rebuild axles completely and add Man a Fre front and rear disc brake kits
- OME 2.5"
- Factory 15" w/ 33"x10.5 BFG MT
That's as far as I've thought it through. It would be great if others could share their opinion on things I should cover now while I have the chance, or suggestions on the build in general. One thing I'd be interested in hearing are thoughts on 3/4 tub or trying to work with what I have. Now that I'm unsure of the original resto, I'm also on the fence on whether I should rebuild the 1F / 3 spd. or source a 2F / 4 spd. Sorry for the long post, but it should be comprehensive. Thanks!
Here's the image from the ad. I assume this was when the seller bought it:
Getting it home. I forgot to take a picture of the truck bed full of parts, but the engine, trans and TC were out when I bought it. The custom tailgate and mural are pretty classic...
The engine has a spun bearing.
Step 1 was disassembly to see what I actually got myself into.
Tractors make life easier.
And here's where it sits today. Actually it's stripped to just the frame and the axles, but I don't have a photo.
My original goal was to restore to original, but now that I have things apart and have taken a true survey of the situation, I'm stepping back from that. The goal now is resto mod, but keeping it close to original appearance while increasing it's utility / usability.
General survey:
The body is really rough. Barn gates are MIA, inner and outer rockers are shot on DS, outer rocker shot on PS. I don't know if the lower cowl panels are salvageable or not (probably not), the rear bed is bad due to the rear sill being pretty much nonexistent, the quarter panels are rough and were previously poorly replaced, there's a hole in the upper RH windshield frame and the drivers side door has rust on the lower half. The front DS fender has a small rust patch on the inside that I think i can deal with and the rest of the body is serviceable I think. The frame is pretty pitted in the rear, but I think it will be okay (I'll know more after blast).
The truck is complete as far as I can tell with the exception of the aforementioned barn doors and hardware, rear emblems, jump seats, front seats (the bench frame is also damaged), and parts of the rear heater.
I know the engine has a spun bearing, but I haven't opened it up to see the rest of the story. I also haven't opened up the axle housings, tranny or transfer case. I was told the original starter and alternator were just rebuilt, so that's a plus.
Immediate plans:
Finish stripping down the frame and axles as prep for powder coat. I have access to a PC system, so the choice is based mainly on the low cost. The plan is to put the axle housings in a burn off oven first and hopefully expel any fluids that have penetrated the casting so the powder coat isn't screwed up.
- Rebuild axles completely and add Man a Fre front and rear disc brake kits
- OME 2.5"
- Factory 15" w/ 33"x10.5 BFG MT
That's as far as I've thought it through. It would be great if others could share their opinion on things I should cover now while I have the chance, or suggestions on the build in general. One thing I'd be interested in hearing are thoughts on 3/4 tub or trying to work with what I have. Now that I'm unsure of the original resto, I'm also on the fence on whether I should rebuild the 1F / 3 spd. or source a 2F / 4 spd. Sorry for the long post, but it should be comprehensive. Thanks!
