FJ40 project build...from Tasmania!!!

[hsv587]

Well,another day off work,which meant another day nutting out electricals :/.
Buuut,thanks to this forum and the search function,im nearly there ...got everything working now except brake lights and hazard lights (more on that in a min).

I pulled apart every plug and attacked it with electrical contact cleaner,and the wifes toothbrush ,traced wiring back,cleaned earths,sanded globe sockets,fixed broken wires,cut the abortion trailer wiring out...but still no brakelights...swapped brake light switch for another...still the same...I swore a lot,went inside,made a coffee,and started searching here.

Eureka!!! I say,thats gotta be it...hazard light switch!!!,hmmm,havent even tryed the hazard lights...

Well,I go out to the big rig,and bugger me dead,no hazard light switch,looked behind the dash,and it looks like a PO has been at it with a meat cleaver ...Im hoping theres a hazard switch and plug laying around from the 45 I wrecked,but if not,its got me thinking...

Theoretically,If I wasnt worried about hazard lights coz old 40s never die,could I ghetto rig the brakelights by running a jumper from the fusebox to 1 side of the brakelight switch,and then just run a wire from the other side of the switch to the brakelight wire in the loom,bypassing the hazard circuit?

 

[hsv587]

Well,spent a few more hours on it today...decided to put everything back together today inside the 40...

another mission.

Had a very good pair of 45 series front seats to replace my torn,waterlogged 40 seats...simple enough?Wrong.

First issue was the seat frames mounted differently to the floorpan...after a think over a smoke and coffee,I decided the best plan of attack would be to take the seat covering and foams off the 45 frames,and just simply pop them on my 40 series frames...simple enough?wrong again .

The 45 has coil springs mounted to the seat baseplate which is spot welded to the frame,and a thin layer of foam on top...the 40 had the more conventional setup of longer,horizontal springs with a thick foam layer...so in the end I cut up an old foam mteress,re foamed the 40 bases with that,and fitted the 45 series covers...

Nothing is ever simple...few pics of the results

 

[Shorty ute]

Mate thats starting to take shape. What a great price, where do you find deals like that!

I am putting a 250 and C10 in my shorty up in Devonport. Any chance you can post a pic of the engine mounts sometime, I'm looking for ideas. The 250 C10 combo is pretty long so I'm looking to see if it all can move forward about 50mm.

Cheers Andy

 

[hsv587]

Mate thats starting to take shape. What a great price, where do you find deals like that!

I am putting a 250 and C10 in my shorty up in Devonport. Any chance you can post a pic of the engine mounts sometime, I'm looking for ideas. The 250 C10 combo is pretty long so I'm looking to see if it all can move forward about 50mm.

Cheers Andy

found it on gumtree mate ,was advertised for a few weeks too at $200...i was bloody suprised when i rang and it was still there...was even more suprised when I started looking at it closer and realising it was a lot better than I first thought...

Ill get some pics tomorrow of the mounts...they are off the shelf CRS mounts that bolt to the origional falcon engine mounts,not sure how to move it forward that far,but I reckon thermo fans will be needed...maybe a short snout water pump with an early falcon fixed fan?

 

[Chamba]

Hell mate, you drive Holdens; surely the electricals on this rig can't be worse than a new Holden....

 

[hsv587]

**** mate, you drive Holdens; surely the electricals on this rig can't be worse than a new Holden....

Funnily enough im a ford man lol,ive got a 71 F100 under my bedroom window,an a 76 XC falcon panelvan around the backyard...

bought the HSV a few years ago coz I needed a later model reliable family car,and the early HSVs are a good investment...bloody reliable too.

 

[hsv587]

Well,havnt had much of a chance to do much the last coupla days...not much daylight left after I get home from work..gotta pull my finger out and finish it off...we looking at a very cold,wet and muddy winter here in tassie...4x4 season is apon us...

a coupla pics taken this arvo...not much has changed outside yet...

 

[tourboy]

Hey mate looking good, I wish my 68' that was originally from Rupert Murdock's newspaper firm in Tassie was that good in the body.

 

[hsv587]

Hey mate looking good, I wish my 68' that was originally from Rupert Murdock's newspaper firm in Tassie was that good in the body.

The mercury had 40s?They drive corolla wagons mainly now...looks like their vehicle choice has followed their lacklustre journalistic skills...downhill

 

[hsv587]

Had a quick play in paint to give an idea of my first incarnation of the shorty...

paint the wheels black,give the doors a coupla coats of gleaming grey primer,keep the factory patina,a coupla iron crosses for the ratty warpig look,and drive the wheels off it .

Later down the track I might embark on a more "complete" build,but at the moment,I just want it driving and registered

 

[hsv587]

Well,finally nearly all electrical issues are solved .
I have got all the electrics working,retaped most of the loom and generally tidyed up the wiring,but was still a bit sluggish to start...when taping the wires near the battery terminal I noticed some green corrosion at the insulation on the power cable to starter motor....negative cable isnt much better...get new cables tomorrow,and see if it improves

 

[tourboy]

The mercury had 40s?They drive corolla wagons mainly now...looks like their vehicle choice has followed their lacklustre journalistic skills...downhill

It has Australain newsprint mills visable under the paint on the drivers lower door.

 

[hsv587]

Well,had a little unexpected hiccup..easy sorted though..
I been concentrating on 1 area of the 4x4 at a time...engine/drivetrain first,electrics,interior etc...

Now ive moved under the front end,it has a bent tierod that needs replacing..can be seen in the pics...so I take a look at the double arm steering...hmmm...i didnt get pics yet,but its 2 standard arms,1 flipped,just bolted on !!!,no welds,no bracing...sorta suprising as the SOA conversion itself seems good quality..

Due to me having the steering wheel on the PROPER side ,local high steer kits are pretty pricey,and are mainly suited to the later 40s,but I may have a solution...Superior engineering do a double arm with a lifetime gaurantee against breakage...I had some of their components on a previous 80 series I had,good quality gear

http://www.superiorengineering.com.au/product_info.php?cPath=10_16_18_294&products_id=2690

 

[Chamba]

You can always use your tie rod and simply sleeve it with some 1/4" wall tubing stock with the same ID as the stock tie rod's OD. I did that on my troopy and it was as strong as my bumper

 

[hsv587]

You can always use your tie rod and simply sleeve it with some 1/4" wall tubing stock with the same ID as the stock tie rod's OD. I did that on my troopy and it was as strong as my bumper

After reading this reply,thats exactly what I had done....took it into my local engineering shop,he straightened it out,then sleeved it with some nice,thick pipe thanks for the idea

 

[hsv587]

Hmmm...photobucket dont seem to be working for me today...well,heres a coupla progress pics from this arvo...

 

[lostmarbles]

Hey. I thought we (here in NZ) were the only ones with those state-of-the-art sound systems.

 

[hsv587]

Well,big update...finally took it for its first drive tonight...no exhaust,takes 1 pump to get the brakes working...ive adjusted,reckon I still have air in there...the weber carb needs stripping down and a good clean,and retune...been sitting around a long time,but all in all,it was a sucess ,and ive finally got it up on my lawn instead of the street ...3 months of solid work on my days off and after work,out in the street is finally starting to pay off

 

[SOOT]

Awesome work dude, the Tasmanian winter slop better watch out!

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD

 

[hsv587]

Well,since i bled and adjusted the brakes,there was still some air in there,took 1 pump to get a pedal..
sorta never worried about bleeding anymore as I found some perished brake lines,and figured ild bleed when I got new hoses made up...

Some of you can see where this is heading .

got home from work,tired,needed to move it over a bit so the mrs could park on the lawn...

popped the clutch to get the front tyre off the garden bed,and promptly flattened my letterbox .
Only broke the tailight lense on the shorty,but the letterbox got nailed !!.

well,the mrs called me a bloody fool,and she was right...rookie mistake,coulda been worse...So,got new brake lines made up today,fitted them....and got called into work...so on sunday ill bleed them and sort the handbraje out.