Builds Hi, My name is..……………….(yellow 76 FJ40) (2 Viewers)

[firefighterjed]

Jed

Back in 1995 I was 20 years old. I bought my first FJ40. It was a 1977, yellow, 2F, 4 speed, mostly stock, but with a black hood. That rig drove us away from our wedding and brought our first born home. Lots of good memories attached to that rig. My second child created the need for more sensible mode of transportation & my beloved cruiser had to be sold.

Fast forward 23 years, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m grasping at my youth a little bit as I’ve purchased another FJ40. Found it in Las Vegas. Flew there and drove it home to Boise.

This rig is a 1976. It’s got headers, DUI, a Weber 32/36, A/C (Clardy), warn winch, the seats have been recovered, and exterior was repainted a similar color to original but it’s a little more gold and has a clear coat that is failing on the horizontal surfaces.
It’s super straight and complete. I can’t find any body filler or significant rust.

So far I’ve rebuilt the carb, timing and plugs. Flushed the coolant system. Rebuild the latch system in the left ambulance door. Lubed the wiper mech, replaced the washer fluid reservoir, and adjusted the parking break and switch.

My to do list:
All new wheels (two are bent)
Straps for the jump seats.
All the interior lights are functional but dim, so I’m going to get some LEDs.
I’ve ordered a new steering wheel,
Install electric locks w fobs (no switches)
Replace hood latches and rubber
Mount speakers
Re gear to 3.73 for drivability. (Tires are 31x10.50)

 

[firefighterjed]

Couple more pics. Including one of my first fj40 from way back when.

 

[cruiserkev]

Great story and very similar to my own! Bought mine in '95 as well and also drove my firstborn home from the hospital in it. Mostly a garage queen now but I'm hoping to hit some trails in the spring. Good luck with your '76, best year in my opinion!

 

[Helipilot]

Welcome to party and you have a good looking 40. Good to see the PO didn't cut up the door cards to mount speakers.

 

[Tancruiser]

Nice 40 I love that color.

 

[firefighterjed]

Welcome to party and you have a good looking 40. Good to see the PO didn't cut up the door cards to mount speakers.

Yes! I’m working on an under-dash side mount for the speakers. Above the kick vent.

 

[SteveH]

Nice truck! You might consider putting 33x10.5s-15s on it and not changing the gears. The ol' FJ40 'rubber overdrive'.

 

[emac]

Since you have to buy new wheels, why not consider the 16" wheels from @Racer65 . That would give you a better choice of rubber. Several pictures in my build thread of my rig when I swapped from 15 to 16" wheels.

 

[emac]

Where are my manners!! Welcome, and great looking rig!

 

[firefighterjed]

Since you have to buy new wheels, why not consider the 16" wheels from @Racer65 . That would give you a better choice of rubber. Several pictures in my build thread of my rig when I swapped from 15 to 16" wheels.

The 31x10.50 it came with are brand new. Still have the rubber hubbies on them. May consider a change if I ever wear them out.

I would like to see a before/after of 15-16. How do I find your build page?

 

[John in Utah]

Awesome roof rack!

Another cautionary tale about selling the 40 of our youth ... doesn’t apply to me though cuz I’ll never get old.

Welcome!

 

[reddog90]

Welcome and nice rig!

 

[ksrunner]

Looks great! Congrats! Also...LOVE Boise!

 

[emac]

The 31x10.50 it came with are brand new. Still have the rubber hubbies on them. May consider a change if I ever wear them out.

I would like to see a before/after of 15-16. How do I find your build page?

This followed me home

 

[centerlineseal]

I've got 16" wheels and 33 inch M55s on mine (1975) here in Boise, ... if'n you want to look at it. It will cruise 75 mph if I wanted to. Up to 15 mpg as well.

 

[firefighterjed]

Time to get my pics and info all into one spot:

 

[firefighterjed]

I had some great help here on Mud and was able to improve drivability immensely. Adjusted valves, verified good vacuum,
Rebuilt the Webber 36/32 carb, adjusted the choke and the timing. Flushed the coolant system, which was way more time consuming than I expected.
While all of the above made a massive improvement in how the rig runs, I still have some trouble with the Weber. What I’ve come to understand is that the 32/36 is simply undersized for the 4.2L 2F.
Here’s a thread that helped me get the Weber as good as possible.
Thread 'Tuning Weber 32/36 on a 2F'

 

[graham5david]

I had some great help here on Mud and was able to improve drivability immensely. Adjusted valves, verified good vacuum,
Rebuilt the Webber 36/32 carb, adjusted the choke and the timing. Flushed the coolant system, which was way more time consuming than I expected.
While all of the above made a massive improvement in how the rig runs, I still have some trouble with the Weber. What I’ve come to understand is that the 32/36 is simply undersized for the 4.2L 2F.
Here’s a thread that helped me get the Weber as good as possible.
Thread 'Tuning Weber 32/36 on a 2F'

You may have already done this but most issues with Webers are from too much fuel pressure. They operate around 3-5psi. If you haven't done so , buy an inline regulator and set it around 4psi and see if that helps. They are like $20. I had a 32/36 on my f engine and it ran great. 2f might need the 38/38 but I doubt it. Funny thing is my stock 1 barrel ran better than all of them on my 69 f engine. But I was 20 years old and thought the Weber and headers would give me more power.

 

[firefighterjed]

Swapped in some Hella H4 headlamps.

Because OEM headlamp voltage goes thru the dash switch I added and auxiliary relay and fuse box in the engine bay.

Night driving is vastly improved and my high beams have great reach now.

Here’s the box and part number. The lenses of the housings are just slightly flatter than a conventional headlamp. But they still have some convexity and look great.

 

[firefighterjed]

I gave my gauge cluster the spa treatment.
Some good details in the thread I posted at the time. The best advice I have is make sure your LEDs are warm or neutral white light, and while the cluster is out, trim half of the length off the tabs at the bottom of the housing. You’ll be pulling the whole unit out several times and this mod make it a ton easier.
Gave my guage cluster the spa treatment - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/gave-my-guage-cluster-the-spa-treatment.1127898/