FJ454's rebirth

[esh]

With a little help from my friends I've got FJ454 into position to restart work on it. (thank you boots4, creepersleeper, ff lc freak, tonsofun and dirtgypsy!)

We moved it out of the corner of the shop and pulled probably the heaviest steel flat bed I've ever encounted from it. (thanks Henry B)

My plans are to figure out a fuel tank, reinstall the OEM long bed, swap on my new 800 cfm quadrajet and matching Edelbrock intake (it's a 70 Chevelle SS 4-bolt main 454, going back to stock would have been 20 years ago), pull the SM465 and broken NP205 and install the 700r4/3-spd case I've already got and replace my funky ARB'd Dana 60 full floater rear with just a stock rear for now.

It is only going to see occasional street cruising and snow.. ok maybe some sand (Turf and Surf someday), so I'm not going to wheel it hard.


A summary since Mud garages seem to be gone(?):

'66 FJ45 lpb
sprung over, 37" MTRs (sits on 33x9.5 BFG AT's currently)

• 454 Chevrolet .030 over

• Internally-balanced crankshaft

• 7/16" connecting rods, 3/8" pushrods

• factory Holley cast iron intake manifold

• Corvette 7-qt. oil pan with baffles and windage tray

• 8" balancer with degree markings

• HEI ignition

• Holley 65 deg. double pumper

• Big oval port heads machined to accept 2.19/1.88 valves (Manley valves)

• factory high-performance 4-bolt main block (1970 Chevelle)

• Bluck Hugger Hedman headers

• Accel coil, 8.8 wires

• 78-amp alternator

• 3" exhaust

SM465, NP205
ARB lockers
front LC disc axle
rear Dana 60, centered/narrowed, Toyota full floater ends/hubs
4.11 gearing
Butch built power steering
Auto Meter gauges
hard top and factory soft top bows, OCD FJ45 soft top
hard, soft and oem canvas doors
Warn 8274
countless Mudrak modifications- custom roll hoop and sliders that work with the OEM bed, improved spring-over, etc..


Some day I hope to replace this somewhat epic pic with a new one

 

[esh]

Work yesterday

 

[esh]

A few pics to start off what it is

heh. this is kind of a story, but the 8274 on the 45 pulled the entire truck and heavy ass trailer back onto the road.

 

[cruisermatt]

Why would you swap the transmission? Why not just fix the transfer case?

And why swap the rear axle?

Anyway excited to see this truck get de-mothballed.

 

[chappohj47]

Love the truck mate I found that main pic a while ago and wondered who owned the truck so I am along for the ride now

 

[esh]

Highway cruising with an SM465 is not ideal. I try to build my trucks more mellow but capable of the road and the trail. So the 700r4 gets better that way being an auto for trails and also having an overdrive. Eventually it would get an Atlas or something 4:1 as a case, and the rear end beefed up if it were pulling trails. Most likely the worst it will see is Deer Valley kind of things and snow, so building it isn't a huge priority yet. Just getting it out on the road is the goal and since things are in a down state, adding a 454 flex plate and the other drive train, and matching rear axle to the LC case is in place and waiting.

We also have a pretty large muscle car community in my area so car shows are going to be a thing with it too. Most of them have never seen a 45 pickup, so the engine and other things will be a fun spectacle for those.

chappohj47- I know there are shots of it in Toyota Trails when Henry was editor and was wheeling it. it was in this kind of form (seapotato ended up with that bed and I've got a 9/10 kind of bed that's been sitting in the shop)

a lot of my pics get on google image search because I had a public accessible web server at my house with thousands of my trip pictures and a huge library of land cruiser model images and other things for many years.

 

[boots4]

I can't believe your shop used to be that clean!

 

[Dirtgypsy]

[/QUOTE]

Its going to have to snow again on the tree run for you to get that pic...

clint

 

[esh]

I can't believe your shop used to be that clean!

Seriously. I have a renewed interest in doing something productive compared to this..

 

[boots4]

Glad there's a spark under your bum. That FJ45 deserves to see some sun and you should have to wipe drool off the fenders. Can't wait to hear it fire up! Diesels are cool but there's something that makes you giggle about a healthy V8 bass note.

Did you get the FJ62 sorted out?