Future owner with random questions

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Future owner with random questions (and pics added)

I hope to be getting a 77 FJ55 this week, and already have plans for it of course...but I have few questions.
1. It was originally blue/white, but the previous owner painted it all white. It has some rust issues, and once I take care of that, I want to paint it back to the original color. I will most likely be using spray cans, so what brand/color should I look for to mimic the smurf blue?

2. I see in the picture thread that some came with a color roof, and some came with a white roof, what was more common on multi colored Pigs?

3. I want to add a tach...what is the easiest/best way to do this?

4. The grille is currently black, but I have seen grills in silver as well. Did only certain colors get a silver grille stock?

5. There is a hole under the grille that is off centered, looks like there may have been a plug of some sort there...what is that for?

Hopefully I'll have some pics later this week, and I'll prob have more questions.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
Hmmm, as far as I know...

1. No idea.
2. All two-tone pigs came with a 'colored' roof.
3. No idea.
4. Not sure, but I too have seen both colors. I assume they all came in stock silver and some PO's painted their grill black at one time.
5. Hole in the lower valance should be for the engine crank.

Hope that helps a little. Other folks should chime in shortly. Pre-congrats on your pig purchase! Cheers.
 
Most likely, you can not find the "factory" blue in a spray can.

You can pay to have someone mix the correct color and put it in spray cans but that would be expensive.

Look for something close or go with Voodoo Blue from the FJC.

Use the search function, there is a list of factory colors and their numbers. It may help in finding some spray cans.
 
here are some pics...1977
DSC02138.jpg

DSC02137.jpg

DSC02136.jpg

DSC02135.jpg

DSC02129.jpg

DSC02139.jpg


roof and floorboards are solid. it looks so bad becase the previous owner got crazy with the brown primer.

and a couple more questions:
1. I have a 4speed..what model is that? Also, what model tcase do I have?
2. I assume GL4 in the trans and gear oil in the tcase?
 
Welcome!

As others have said:

1. Can't help you on this one
2. In most cases the roof of a pig matches the lower panel colors
3. Autometer has a nice small 5k tach you can add to the steering column - runs about $60 IIRC
4. Most are painted silver with a chrome one or two on some years
5. Yep, hole is for an engine hand crank

Enjoy the madness.
 
and a couple more questions:
1. I have a 4speed..what model is that? Also, what model tcase do I have?
2. I assume GL4 in the trans and gear oil in the tcase?

Assuming stock US model, the 4 speed will be what is known as an H42 and the transfer case will be what we all call a (4 speed) single piece transfer case
GL4 is gear oil, the same goes in both tranny and transfer as well as the diffs and steering box (unless you have P/S).
 
how close to smurf blue are you looking? if you can get a chunk that has smurf blue, you can take it to ace, have them color match it, then do the mopar paint job (see the paint and body work section). if you don't care that it be an exact match, just find a nice blue. my blue piggie is actually ford motor blue.

i run 75w90 in trans and diff. been doing it for decades. no issues.;)
 
question about the rear window...mine does not work. i've read through many posts here and on the web about troubleshooting, and it seems that no issue is exactly the same. First off, when I hit the switch on the dash, I get nothing.. so i took the dash off and all the wires are there, in good condition and hooked up. so then i took the back panel off, and everything is there. I have read that the pastic gear goes bad, but would the motor still turn? I'm not exactly sure where the gear is. Also, the junction strip seems to be in good condition. I took the wires off and made sure they have a good connection. All of my fuses under the dash are good. I think I'm getting power to the wires, because I can make them spark if I touch the junction strip and the body with a screwdriver. The tailgate is fully closed, but I have read that there is a fail safe that won't let the window work if the tailgate is ajar, and that can go bad, but how do I find that? On my junction strip, there are four connections, with the 5th one open (the top location)..is that correct?

Is my best bet to take it all apart and clean everything and put it back together? What wires do I need to touch directly to the battery to see if the motor even works? It is more complicated because I can't get the tailgate open, or is there a way to manually do it?

is this where the gear is?
DSC02146.jpg


what is this piece?
DSC02144.jpg


and here is my junction box
DSC02142.jpg


and an overall pic
DSC02143.jpg
 
the safety switch is located in the upper left corner of the tailgate. if you have someone push in on the upper corner of the tailgate to engage the switch, that may be the problem.
or you can reach the wires, I think, by removing the taillight assembly and reach inside, you can disconnect from the switch and connect the 2 leads together.
you can leave it like that but you need to be sure the window is down before closing the tailgate.

to lower the window as a last resort, with the tailgate panel removed, at the bottom of the glass where the rails are located, on each end there is a rod you can remove, once removed you can lower the glass and get the tailgate open.
 
thanks for the quick info. so i guess the safety switch shouldn't be a problem, since it will work disconected?

not disconnected, bi-passed. you need to have a complete circut. thus the wires need to be connected, either thru the switch or connected together thus bi-passing the switch.
 
ok...I have another favor to ask....i need a close up pic of the front corner of the engine bay, on the passenger side. In the corner, there is a plug looking thing with two wires running to the bottom of it..I have taken the wires off and now don't remember the orientation. If someone could snap a close up for me, I would appreciate it. Thanks
 
ok...I have another favor to ask....i need a close up pic of the front corner of the engine bay, on the passenger side. In the corner, there is a plug looking thing with two wires running to the bottom of it..I have taken the wires off and now don't remember the orientation. If someone could snap a close up for me, I would appreciate it. Thanks

The wire orientation doesn't really matter. That "plug thing" is for the OEM 12v trouble light that all 'Cruisers came with. Looks just like a 120v two prong outlet right?
 
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