Builds Good Dog Build

[RiggityJ]

I am starting this build thread to document my project and try to enlist help from those smarter, more knowledgeable, and bloodier knuckles than I. While i have some mechanical experience, it is a torrid history of mostly doing things slowly (typically 3-4x the quoted time) and occasionally wrong.

Meet Good Dog, the FJ40 or GD40 for short. I bought this sight unseen off eBay from a gentlemen in Birmingham Al, where it was last titled. I think the guy just buys/sells cars as he only owned it for a month or two.

Photos below are from the eBay ad.

 

[RiggityJ]

After I got the rig, I soon realized that the line "the top fell off the truck" that the previous owner fed me, was BS. During the initial walk around I started noticing dents in certain locations, cracks on the doors, one of the doors has been bent into the cabin, cracks in the rear end where the side-to-bottom bolts were ripped out, and the missing fiberglass top. Clearly this thing was rolled and apparently it freaked the previous owner out as there is a pretty nice roll cage that was installed and welded to the frame.

So, since this FJ40 knows how to roll over, it must be a...Good Dog!

Videos of walkarounds:
Running and Engine Bay Peek
Walk around Part 1
Walk around Part 2

 

[EStein]

Haha! Love the name and story behind it!

 

[HemiAlex]

I’ll leave this here.

 

[jim land]

Missing two bolts on the left windshield hinge

 

[jim land]

Look good, make it safe and drive it
72-73 ?

 

[RiggityJ]

"Ya, totally. Come check out the 40! It starts right up!"

-Me 2 hours earlier.

I’ll leave this here.

View attachment 2226370

 

[Jetlander]

Nice rig! Where in Houston are you located? I’m on the SE side near 45 and the Beltway. Also, if you’re not interested in keeping the cage let me know as I’m in the market.

 

[HemiAlex]

Nice rig! Where in Houston are you located? I’m on the SE side near 45 and the Beltway. Also, if you’re not interested in keeping the cage let me know as I’m in the market.

It’s one with the truck now. Seats and frame all all tied together! Never seen a frame tied cage on these.

 

[Jetlander]

It’s one with the truck now. Seats and frame all all tied together! Never seen a frame tied cage on these.

I know the MetalTech cages (which yours appears to be) can be attached to the frame. My soon to be finished rig will never be wheeled that hard though so I’m looking for a cage that attaches in the normal locations.

 

[RiggityJ]

@jim land , that's the plan! GD is a Jun 1971. Also, its missing a lot of bolts among other things.


Build Goal:
1. Weather proof it. GD is currently taking my wife parking spot and I won't get hear the end until she can use her spot again.
2. Make it safe to drive.
3. Enjoy. As my @cruisergear shirt says "Build Wheel Break Fix"
4. The end vision is to have it look rough, but be reliable.

Recent progress:
- Ordered a set of zinc bolts from Overland Metric
- Ordered a wheel spacer to offset the spare so I can close the door.
- Ordered a new fiberglass top from Classic Cruisers.
- Ordered a bunch of new weatherstripping from @Racer65

ToDo's/On the horizon thanks to @HemiAlex :
- What's going on with my carb?
- Need to replace pretty much all the rubber...everywhere.
- Does anyone make a gas peddle spring? Couldn't find one on sor.com
- Engine valve adjustment (listen to the videos) and new gasket. Tapping noise lessens when engine gets to temperature.
- Air/fuel filter.
- Replace fluids
- "LIFT IT SKY HIGH" @1projectwrongway (jk, new lefts and shackle lift with new wheels/tires)
- Thinking about the JT disk brake upgrade. Anyone with a 1971 have experience with it? Do I need anything else? Just found that today.

 

[samatulich]

Nice find. Looks pretty solid.

 

[RiggityJ]

@Jetlander I’m in the montrose area, but my work has me out by you about once a week.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Nice looking rig. I also have a June 71
Did I read correctly CCOT has new fiberglass lids? That carb as you probably figured is an older smaller CFM and it looks cracked.

Mark's Off Road in Burbank, CA will have a two barrel Aisan 71 carb if you want to stick with OEM. He mods 71 carbs so you can run a vacuum advance distributor and ditch the VSV. Mark's also can help with an electronic distributor if you don't want to mess with points.

On the weather stripping, there's a thread about the recommended 3M 08008 "super black" adhesive not working for some. 3M states it is not compatible with EPDM. Just a heads up Help, I'm in FJ40 door weatherstrip replacement hell

 

[jim land]

For disc your better with factory 76+ parts from a donor 40 or 60

 

[reddog90]

Can't wait to see it.

 

[RiggityJ]

@thebigredrocker that was classic cruisers in CO for the fiberglass. Thanks for the stripping tip.

They recommended I get the rain gutter from Cool Cruisers in TX.

 

[RiggityJ]

@jim land , that's the plan! GD is a Jun 1971. Also, its missing a lot of bolts among other things.


Build Goal:
1. Weather proof it. GD is currently taking my wife parking spot and I won't get hear the end until she can use her spot again.
2. Make it safe to drive.
3. Enjoy. As my @cruisergear shirt says "Build Wheel Break Fix"
4. The end vision is to have it look rough, but be reliable.

Recent progress:
Ordered a set of zinc bolts from Overland Metric
Ordered a wheel spacer to offset the spare so I can close the door.
Ordered a new fiberglass top from Cool Cruisers.
Ordered a bunch of new weatherstripping and plastic fan from @Racer65


ToDo's/On the horizon thanks to @HemiAlex :
What's going on with my carb?
Need to replace pretty much all the rubber...everywhere.
Does anyone make a gas peddle spring? Couldn't find one on sor.com
Engine valve adjustment (listen to the videos). Tapping noise lessens when engine gets to temperature.
Air/fuel filter.
Replace fluids

 

[RiggityJ]

Not much progress. Just cleaning the inside and slowly replacing bolts with new zinc coated bolts. I have found that some of the bolt holes don't line back up once I take a bolt out (probably because its been rolled). So that will make this fun.

I have been ordering parts and they have started to arrive. Should start to attack the backlog of parts this weekend.

 

[RiggityJ]

Been awhile, partly because I have had computer issues partly because progress is slow. Now that I have figured out the computer issues and have hit some stoppages, I'll make some update posts.

Hammered out the bent up door with my wife hair dryer. Unfortunately, I didn't get it hot enough (or the paint was just too old) and the paint cracked. But the door is straight now.