First Vehicle to work on - FJ40 (3 Viewers)

[45Dougal]

Making some great progress.
I'd hang the bonnet on the wall if you have space up high somewhere.

The other option I see is to source a used tub.
I know there are a few places scattered around Benelux, and Germany too.
Yours is in pretty bad shape, and another one will likely be much better but still maybe need a bit of work.
Is that an option for you?

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

Hi PidgeonG and welcome to Mud, your new home!
Sweet FJ40 (and dog)!

Your Cruiser, although abused, seems to be solid and certainly unmolested. Definitely doable!
It would be nice if you could upload some more pics with details (e.g. the interior etc).
Its steering wheel indicates a 1981 model (and not 1979 or 1980), is this the case?
As it concerns the Power Steering, probably the Swiss market got it like the US, earlier than the rest of Europe (1983!).

You mentioned most sources for new body panels.
In 2006 I went the CCOT path and did my frame-up resto in Germany. I used all their parts needed for a 1/2 tub:

Show us your FJ40 then and now

November 1980 and more recently

forum.ih8mud.com

No issues since: good quality, good fit. Today I may have considered some other options too.
Have fun with the resto mate!

PS. Did four summers with my brother as teenagers in your country (Vevey and Chatel St. Denis) learning French, we both have the best memories from our Swiss days in the seventies.
Moreover, it was there we saw for the first time a Land Cruiser and our father's comment (with the WWII Willys MB experience in the battlefields of the 1940s) was that "the clever Japs are able to make a good Jeep nowadays" (no comment today)!...

 

[FJ404345]

Congrats! Welcome to the madness!!

Do you know if this a USA truck ?

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

The top part of the cruiser i have i still very good. So i am really just in for the bottom part. The whole tub. The whole Body with roof is too much...

@45Dougal thanks! i can easily hang it up i have a lot of space on the walls . Im also considering a used one but it must be a really good one because i think doing all this work for a car which i would like to keep for a long time should be done with parts which are not rusty in places i cant get to and cant treat very well.

@Greek Cruiserhead Yep its 1981. Carb is from 81 so i think this is most likely the birthday of the car. And you are right it has power steering already. Really nice. I was reading a lot about upgrading it but am very happy now its stock. As soon as im back in the garage i will upload take some more pictures so you can see how badly it was fixed inside. They used a lot of bitumen and plastered over the metal... very badly done so there is no panel repair for the tub. Very nice resto you have! Looks really good. The issue on mine is it did rust higher than the 1/2 tub flooring. So i cant use this one as its missing quite some material where the cluth and the feet are of the passenger. Haha your father was spot on

@*FJ404345 It is definately the european edition.

I will get the door fixing panels for now and work on them soon. Got to come up with a solution for the tub though because i didnt want to wait a year for it but it could also be better this way so i have enough time to thoroughly overhaul all the parts which suffered from the rust. Its many...

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

And of course the muffler, exhaust. Currently it looks like i need to make one myself because i cant find anything. And since they are so stringent in switzerland this part actually makes me worry a lot.

 

[onemanarmy]

For the Swiss road inspection, does the rusty body matter? A rusted rear sill is not a safety concern.

New brakes, all new fluids, all working lights/horn, and new exhaust is about as 'safe' and 'clean' as they came from the factory

it might not be the prettiest, but its no safer than a new aluminum tub.

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

...@Greek Cruiserhead Yep its 1981. Carb is from 81 so i think this is most likely the birthday of the car. And you are right it has power steering already. Really nice. I was reading a lot about upgrading it but am very happy now its stock. As soon as im back in the garage i will upload take some more pictures so you can see how badly it was fixed inside. They used a lot of bitumen and plastered over the metal... very badly done so there is no panel repair for the tub. Very nice resto you have! Looks really good. The issue on mine is it did rust higher than the 1/2 tub flooring. So i cant use this one as its missing quite some material where the cluth and the feet are of the passenger. Haha your father was spot on

Thank you PidgeonG !

I am sure you will find the best solution to the body rust issue, we do have more options now than 2 decades ago.
An unknown X in our problem is the quality of the Chinese parts, imported now in Europe too, e.g. in France and Belgium.
I would like to know me too, as I badly need a FJ45 bed (Pritsche/benne) for my J45 resto, but for the time being there are very few reviews (mostly concerning their doors), not to mention the lacking experience in the field...
As it concerns the made in France LEKMA panels, they should be available at a vendor in Belgium, but at what price?

PS. Yes, Dad bought our first Toyota in 1983, (E80 or 5th generation Corolla, the first with front wheel drive). Only Toyota since then...

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

For the Swiss road inspection, does the rusty body matter? A rusted rear sill is not a safety concern.

New brakes, all new fluids, all working lights/horn, and new exhaust is about as 'safe' and 'clean' as they came from the factory

it might not be the prettiest, but its no safer than a new aluminum tub.

I will make some pictures. Because its not just rusty its rotten. Some things really are missing, just dissapeared due to the rust. So i dont think i stand a chance. Aand i dont mind doing it since im willing to spend the money to do it and 9 months time

 

[pb4ugo]

It sounds like this is going to be a vehicle your planning to keep for a very long time. I'd be looking for a quality tub. If it takes a yr so be it. In the meantime start removing and restoring the parts you have. Rebuilding the driveline and frame. Once you get the tub you'll be ready for a little fitment and assembly. It appears there's a stainless steel Testevens tub for sale in the classified section. Unfortunately its in Colorado, but seems reasonably priced. You'll probably have to pm the seller.

For Sale - Durango Co: 1979 FJ40 Stainless Steel Body Tub (Teseven)

You are reading that correctly. Its a stainless steel tub instead of carbon steel! No future rust problems with this tub. It was manufactured by Teseven in 2018 before the fire destroyed the facility. Teseven is up and running again but they are no longer selling stainless steel tubs....so...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[45Dougal]

If you choose a used tub then you can easily find somewhere to dip & strip and then treat it with anticorrosion too.

The only real exhaust solution seems to be to have a stainless one fabricated from scratch. So far this seems to be about 500 euro from what I've seen.

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

It sounds like this is going to be a vehicle your planning to keep for a very long time. I'd be looking for a quality tub. If it takes a yr so be it. In the meantime start removing and restoring the parts you have. Rebuilding the driveline and frame. Once you get the tub you'll be ready for a little fitment and assembly. It appears there's a stainless steel Testevens tub for sale in the classified section. Unfortunately its in Colorado, but seems reasonably priced. You'll probably have to pm the seller.

For Sale - Durango Co: 1979 FJ40 Stainless Steel Body Tub (Teseven)

You are reading that correctly. Its a stainless steel tub instead of carbon steel! No future rust problems with this tub. It was manufactured by Teseven in 2018 before the fire destroyed the facility. Teseven is up and running again but they are no longer selling stainless steel tubs....so...

forum.ih8mud.com

Nice find thanks! Im checking in the evening today if the tub could fit. I see there are a few parts missing and it has a more edgy look but given its stainless steel i might be able to turn a blind eye.

If you choose a used tub then you can easily find somewhere to dip & strip and then treat it with anticorrosion too.

The only real exhaust solution seems to be to have a stainless one fabricated from scratch. So far this seems to be about 500 euro from what I've seen.

I think i would find the right places.

Where did you see such an exhaust? I would be happily paying 500 euros for it because its also subject to european standards. Its in the end way cheaper than refurbishing a us exhaust which is missing a few parts.

Thank you PidgeonG !
I am sure you will find the best solution to the body rust issue, we do have more options now than 2 decades ago.
An unknown X in our problem is the quality of the Chinese parts, imported now in Europe too, e.g. in France and Belgium.
I would like to know me too, as I badly need a FJ45 bed (Pritsche/benne) for my J45 resto, but for the time being there are very few reviews (mostly concerning their doors), not to mention the lacking experience in the field...
As it concerns the made in France LEKMA panels, they should be available at a vendor in Belgium, but at what price?

PS. Yes, Dad bought our first Toyota in 1983, (E80 or 5th generation Corolla, the first with front wheel drive). Only Toyota since then...

Where did you see those reviews? I only saw one where it was barely any useful information.


I have just also seen the portuguese company called BTO, better than original. Couldnt find any reviews here but they seem to also to a good job from the pictures only. There i could get it as well but its regular steel. And unlike the french company it sure looks like its a lot less rust preventive minded.

Im quite sure the belgian parts are chinese imports. Anyways it actually could be very good parts these chinese parts. Since they have the tech and knowhow for sure...

Ive added a few images of the car to this google drive because it said im restricted to 5 only. Here is the link:

FJ40 Pictures - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Then attached its the Belts i saw when visually inspecting. But somehow this does not reflect the diagram. What am i missing?

Going back there tonight to get further with the disassembly. So many things in my head. Sandblasting, i have a little room next to the shop, should i get the stuff, frame is too big and i wanna do it by professionals but most of the parts which are not visual body parts i could do. Electrolysis also seems good...

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

...Where did you see those reviews? I only saw one where it was barely any useful information.

I have just also seen the portuguese company called BTO, better than original. Couldnt find any reviews here but they seem to also to a good job from the pictures only. There i could get it as well but its regular steel. And unlike the french company it sure looks like its a lot less rust preventive minded.

Im quite sure the belgian parts are chinese imports. Anyways it actually could be very good parts these chinese parts. Since they have the tech and knowhow for sure...

Ive added a few images of the car to this google drive because it said im restricted to 5 only. Here is the link:

FJ40 Pictures - Google Drive

drive.google.com

First of all: I really appreciate the detail you've put in to your vehicle and your pics at your google drive collection, thanks for sharing mate!
Second: can't find the Portuguese firm BTO you mentioned, any help?
...and yes, the Belgians are importing now the Chinese parts, as well as the French.

As it concerns the two reviews on these parts I saw:

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

First of all: I really appreciate the detail you've put in to your vehicle and your pics at your google drive collection, thanks for sharing mate!
Second: can't find the Portuguese firm BTO you mentioned, any help?
...and yes, the Belgians are importing now the Chinese parts, as well as the French.

As it concerns the reviews I mentioned on these parts:

Wow thank you so much, was just having a break and eating breakfast. Perfect timing They seem to be of very good quality. Thats what i suspected. I think the chinese know how to do it. Thanks for the appreciation

Sorry i got this wrong the parts names are BTO, its https://www.cruiserworks.pt/index.php/loja/

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

Wow thank you so much, was just having a break and eating breakfast. Perfect timing They seem to be of very good quality. Thats what i suspected. I think the chinese know how to do it. Thanks for the appreciation

Sorry i got this wrong the parts names are BTO, its https://www.cruiserworks.pt/index.php/loja/

You're welcome, keep up with the good work!

It seems that their doors and roof are ok (ja, Ich weiss: ok ist wie nett, die kleine Schwester von Sch@@, Lol! ).
Let's hope for their tubs and beds too!

PS. Now it's clear with the Portuguese.

 

[45Dougal]

"Where did you see such an exhaust? I would be happily paying 500 euros for it because its also subject to european standards. Its in the end way cheaper than refurbishing a us exhaust which is missing a few parts."

We've got quite a few places here in the UK making up bespoke stainless exhausts.
I'm sure you'll find someone locally.
Most of them are focused on offering performance exhausts, but they also cover the classic car market in general.

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

Hi All,

Lots has changed on my end. I got many new tools. So i have now most of the tools i need to go on i think. Not just a hammer and some screwdrivers

While i was working on removing the roof and spending time inside the car i realized how wasteful it would be to replace the whole tub. I believe the front part of the body is still very good and also the oem look and feel seems to be one of a kind. So as the coincidences must happen i was ordering all the tools from a good friend who is maintaining garage doors as his main income. He just briefly asked why i need all these tools now so i told him about the car. One thing led to another, his father has built chasis for custom racing cars in the past. So, i showed him the car and the welding which needed to be done and he was super happy, not only does he love the work he enjoys people doing things like this decades after he stopped. So he encouraged me to weld all the smaller pars myself but would be very happy to work on the cutting and welding of the tub. So im going for 3/4 tub now. And with the research i did i think i go for a chinese manufacturer, lead time 1-3 weeks. So i got this big blocker out of my brain. Really excited.

Besides this i had removed the roof and some smaller parts. Roof gots to be unriveted i think. So i need to remove the silicone. Then check the metal part but it looks not too bad.

Next up removal of the airfilter and finally going for the compression check. So after i can soon remove all the engine parts and take away the tub.

looking forward to the next steps

 

[45Dougal]

Sounds like a great way to go.
I'm really interested to see how the Chinese tub turns out. Maybe worth adding a few spares to the order to offset the shipping cost?

 

[PidgeonGuggolo]

Sounds like a great way to go.
I'm really interested to see how the Chinese tub turns out. Maybe worth adding a few spares to the order to offset the shipping cost?

Yeah i think ill get a few things. Maybe also one ambulance door as mine is pretty badly beaten. But i try to weld it up. Its the second time im welding something so i need to practice a lot still. So many things coming together. Hours of watching explanatory videos. I feel ready to start now, time to get the materials. Im definitely going to acid dip the car and let it be coated there directly with Cathodic dip painting procedure. I think it gets a really good protective finish to all the tiniest gaps in the car.

Im continuing to strip the car. I think im making good progress. Also got new tools now and a proper tool drawer thing.

I started to do compression tests but couldn't finish since the booster is to weak and takes 24hours to charge so i only can do 1-2 at a charge. I got following numbers:

1. 97
2. 89
3. 97
4. 90
5. 103
6. 120
(What to make of it?)

Overall the plugs look old some even rusty, im a bit afraid to turn on the car again with these plugs as i fear there could have gone some rust inside the chambers while removing the plugs. Generally i would say except for number 2 they are not burning to fat. i would say something in between carbon deposits and oil deposits. but it was sitting for so long and im not sure how to correctly interpret them. It was firing up quite fast so i think its not really that big of an issue but i wonder what you all have to say?

Next i have a question on how you guys would get familiar with the engine room. I bought this hayes guide but it is not what i expected. I cant find for example number 3 in my attached picture. Im struggling to find out how to understand what is what. Ive attached a image on some questions i have. 5. there are huge clips but i have no idea for what they were used once. Would love to get some help from you guys on this.

Cheers

 

[Greek Cruiserhead]

View attachment 3499163

View attachment 3499164

Great pics (and workshop)!

 

[45Dougal]

The big clips in 5 are for two pipes that ran to the air cleaner. Yours are sealed off. I guess they are crank case breathers?

No idea what number 3 is. Looks like an electric fan or maybe an old police siren?? What's it connected to?

I've never seen the horn there on the bulkhead - is it still wired with the relay?