Georgia 1980 FJ40 Build Thread w/ Cummins R28 Diesel (4 Viewers)

[Troy Pusateri]

I was told the lead times are quite long right now

Yeah. I talked to a dealer close by they have 5 on stock. So that’s good. Ordering it next week. I’ll keep ya in the loop.

 

[suzuguru]

I'm also doing a diesel build currently. I went with a 1HDT Toyota Diesel. Haven't bought my transmission or transfer case yet.

 

[numby]

Interesting 40. I've always like the final year dash configurations so that's kind of neat. Your original frame is good enough for the rust belt crew to get good use out of. Remember to transfer over your frame number to the new frame to keep the next owner from cursing your offspring. Best of luck with the build.


p.s. - it's a "40" around here, not an "FJ". FJ generally refers to the FJ Cruiser. Technically the "F" means a petrol engine and is used broadly across the entire Land Cruiser line up 0f 25's, 35's, 40's, 45's, 55's, 56's, 60's, 62's, 80's blah blah blah.

 

[-MaTTi-]

You should drive a 40 with the 2.8 before jumping in. I wish I had, just to manage expectations. Not saying I don't like it, just wish my first time wasn't behind the wheel of my own rig.

It'll cruise at 70mph just fine, but limitations on steering geometry, center of gravity, wheelbase, and poor suspension design, triggers a self preservation response going much faster than that.

You should add caster plates and you’ll get much better feeling to the steering/drivability. But yes, it’s not designed to drive so fast.

 

[sogncab]

You should add caster plates and you’ll get much better feeling to the steering/drivability. But yes, it’s not designed to drive so fast.

Steering goes back to center just fine. It's a terrible road vehicle.

I'd start at shackle reversal in the front, and flip the rear springs. Which I may do.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Well got some work done this past weekend, Managed to remove the doors, entire roof, ambo doors as well. Already have a buyer coming to take them away tomorrow am. So that’s good. I know a lot of folks advised me not to sell these, but not my vision for this 40 at all. Next steps are to remove the dash, the old wire harness, etc and then onto removing all the old paint and any bonds, etc….see what the body looks like. Then make repairs as necessary, and prime for painting.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Long time, work busy as hell lately. So got off the body, etc, down to nothing. Always nice to have a buddy with a mobile sand blaster. WELL WORTH THE MONEY just for the amount of time saved removing the paint. Some pictures of the action below. Body is now in the hands of the paint shop, where we will be LINE-X’ing the underside, floor and firewall. Decided on paint color, which will be the newer Toyota Lunar Rock color. Also, powder coated the axles, came out pretty nice. Still waiting on the R2.8 from Quick Draw…new delivery date is end of May/June timeframe. Working on rebuilding the rear/front axles/knuckles this weekend. MORE TO FOLLOW.

 

[wharden0]

looking forward to following this build! Hope its coming along.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Well, been a hot minute….life sure gets busy when you get married an inherit 3 step teens, lol. lol good though, wouldn’t trade it for the world…back to the build. Finally got my R2.8 and got the axles rebuilt, and body fully sandblasted, all metal repaired, and underside LineX’d. Got the primer on and started toying with the color, gonna be the newer gray/green color you see on the newer Yota’s, I believe it’s called Lunar Rock. Anywho, here are some recent pics…..

 

[cruisermatt]

You have the steering knuckles installed on the housing upside down. Also looks like there’s no grease in there?

 

[Troy Pusateri]

You have the steering knuckles installed on the housing upside down. Also looks like there’s no grease in there?

Yeah, not done with the front axle/knuckles just yet…..thanks for the heads up…..just getting axles on the truck with wheels, so I can get it on a trailer, and get the body back to the painter, and get all the painting done….then I will get back to finalizing the axles fully.

 

[HeavyD]

Where'd the diamond plate come from? I don't see any in the blasting pic. Cool build though!

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Well here we go. A little history on this FJ. Bought this a few months back from a fellow whom worked overseas, yes...S. America FJ out of Peru. He owned the vehicle for 5 years, brought it back with him and it sat in storage for a few years. Story goes wife wanted him to sell it, to which my response was "you can always get rid of the wife", lol.

Anywho, went and looked at it and since it had been sitting in storage for some time, it was running a little rough, but the body looked in decent shape from what I could see at the time. We drove it around the block, checked the 4-wheel drive, etc. and it all seemed good-to-go. Came back a week later and picked it up for a decent price. Took the FJ to a local mechanic friend of mine, and he showed me how to do a general tune up, change all the fluids, new battery, etc. We did so and the vehicle came to life running significantly better day-after-day the more I drove it. Drove it for about 3 weeks and then decided I was going to start restoring it.

Now keep in mind, I have never worked on a car, ever, period. It has always been a goal of mine to learn how do to so to teach/learn how to become more mechanically inclined. So I enlisted the help of a buddy or two, and just started diving in the last two weeks. My goals with this resto-mod/build are straightforward and simple:

1. To learn how to be more mechanically inclined
2. To fully understand ever square inch of this ride, and attain the satisfaction knowing that this has been done by me, for me
3. To build the FJ I have always wanted since I was a kid and originally fell in love with these trucks

So, i figured since this will be a process (keep in mind I am giving myself 6 months to start/finish) worth documenting, I am starting this thread as I am sure I will have questions along the way. I hope to attain knowledge from you all as I build this out. So, please enjoy the thread, the pics, the posts, etc. I enjoy comments, and will answer any/all question to the best of my ability. So without further ado, I present ya'll my FJ40 that I am starting with.

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Your 6 months is up @Troy Pusateri

Time to hand this 40 off to someone else to finish up. I volunteer as tribute

Seriously, cool thread and good going so far. I'm about 2 years into my own restoration/build.

My thread:
New Alaska FJ40 Intro Thread

 

[mattressking]

Pm'd ya about some frame brackets off the original frame if you still have them!

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Where'd the diamond plate come from? I don't see any in the blasting pic. Cool build though!

Just bought it at a fab, metal shop….using it on the corners just for reinforcement and, I have always liked the look.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Your 6 months is up @Troy Pusateri

Time to hand this 40 off to someone else to finish up. I volunteer as tribute

Seriously, cool thread and good going so far. I'm about 2 years into my own restoration/build.

My thread:
New Alaska FJ40 Intro Thread

Yeah, for real…the 6 months was a pipe dream. I guess we all start out with good intentions, lol. Spent a lot of time waiting on the Cummins….and also getting the body work completely redone by a professional metal worker since I am not one lol. It will all be on four wheels with completely rebuilt front/rear axles, and off to final paint this weekend. Fingers crossed.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

Your 6 months is up @Troy Pusateri

Time to hand this 40 off to someone else to finish up. I volunteer as tribute

Seriously, cool thread and good going so far. I'm about 2 years into my own restoration/build.

My thread:
New Alaska FJ40 Intro Thread

Just spent an hour looking through your build….man, you have done A LOT OF WORK !! Well done sir. I am obviously going to be adjusting my time to completion from original 6 months to 2 years…that being said, I have about 8 months left, lol…we shall see. Or perhaps a new goal would be to have completed for my 50th birthday, which will be in Feb. 2026, lol.

 

[Troy Pusateri]

You should drive a 40 with the 2.8 before jumping in. I wish I had, just to manage expectations. Not saying I don't like it, just wish my first time wasn't behind the wheel of my own rig.

I would put 3.70's in those axles.
They're apart, put in lockers.
Ditch the front drums.

Diesels don't rev very high. Mine defuels around 4k rpm. You'll want an overdrive because of that. H55 transmission and a split case transfer case is a common choice because of the length. Also a decent combo all around. Available brand new from Toyota.

With 3.70's, 31" tires, and the H55, I'm turning a hair over 2k rpm at 60mph.
It'll cruise at 70mph just fine, but limitations on steering geometry, center of gravity, wheelbase, and poor suspension design, triggers a self preservation response going much faster than that.

I had power steering added to mine. Glad I was talked into it
You have to have a small lift.

There is Cummins, and then there is Cummins. This not an industrial engine. I believe this to be more consumer grade.
It requires a massive radiator to keep cool. When worked, it gets really hot, really fast. Too little cooling, it'll go into limp mode until temps drop. I don't expect it to live a lifetime of abuse the way a 6BT would.

Also, (I've gotten used to it), that engine vibrates like a mofo.

Disclaimer: I did zero of the installation work on this. It was hired out, and they did a far better job than I could have.


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Where did you get your radiator from ????

 

[Aussie Alaskan]

Just spent an hour looking through your build….man, you have done A LOT OF WORK !! Well done sir. I am obviously going to be adjusting my time to completion from original 6 months to 2 years…that being said, I have about 8 months left, lol…we shall see. Or perhaps a new goal would be to have completed for my 50th birthday, which will be in Feb. 2026, lol.

Thanks. It's been a fun journey.

Good luck with your own journey!

 

[sogncab]

Where did you get your radiator from ????

PRLC