Fritz the 1978 FJ40 - Back from a Columbia Vacation

[procomsignathid]

BTW.. You do realize this is supposed to go back to the top of the head right?
View attachment 3928436

Oh 100%! That was an in-progress shot, haha. I had installed the heater + firewall hard pipes a day or so prior to the radiator install and I used those covers to keep crap out of the system while I drove around. Ill take some more pics of the completed system this weekend- I got a nice 90-degree block union from down under and made a bracket to keep the heater hose from rubbing against the firewall.

 

[procomsignathid]

Decided to get rid of some major jank in the drivers side ambulance door. I finally had all the pieces to do it. Im about to redo all the door seals and wanted to get this done before that. To add more to the list of reasons of "why not to buy a vehicle sight unseen", imagine my surprise upon reciving the truck that the door handle on the drivers side ambulance door was connected to... Nothing. To get the door to latch, whoever "restored" the truck added this matching set of custom latches:

Of course, the custom latches required a few light modifications on the body of the truck in order to work properly:

Yes... I have a bonus speed hole in the floor of the truck, and a massive dent in the ceiling. Anyways, onto the work to correct this jank...

 

[procomsignathid]

I started with picking up the latch mechanisms for the top and bottom of the door on ebay. The nicer ones were out of my price range, so I went with some parts that had more of a patina . Sorry didnt grab photos at the time, here's a few shots from the ebay listing:

Both of those are from the lower latch, which was in the worse condition of the two, given what I assume to be more routing exposure to water. Lucky for me, they're from a red truck! I took that as a good omen. I gave em a bath in WD40 for a few days, even still I needed to drill out the old bolts holding the strip of door onto the bottom latch. After wire brushing, priming, painting and lubricating, here are the results:

I picked up some stainless steel hardware from ace, drilled out the broken studs / cleaned up the threads in the lower mounting plate, and ordered some strike plates and shims from SOR.

 

[procomsignathid]

Onto the job of the actual latch today. I drilled out the rivets and removed the old latches. Careful as I was trying to be, I ran into a heap of bondo at the top of the door and made it more ugly than it was already going to be . Oh well, one day Ill take it to the body shop I suppose. I took a scrap piece of wood, and adjustable wrench and a hammer and did my best to un-dent the top of the door frame. Pretty happy with the overall straightness of it, but again, more fodder for a theoretical body shop visit in the future. I was able to mount the strike plates / latches just fine after the adjustments.

 

[procomsignathid]

As for connecting the latch to the handle mechanism, I had no luck in finding the correct linkage parts / clips, so I decided to DIY it with some 1/8" steel rod.

I used a coat hanger to get each length correct for the top and bottom rod as it was easy to bend and pretty sacrificial. Once I was happy with lengths, I took a torch to the ends of the steel rod until they were cherry red, and flattened, folded and clamped them until it was wide enough to stay on the bolt slots (they can easily go in and out when turned 90-degrees, but in the operating position they stay in). For the rest of the bends I used a bench vise, pliers and a file to make em look pretty. I made each linkage a bit longer than it needed to be, the idea being that I could easily shorten it by putting a kink into the rod after it was installed.

 

[procomsignathid]

And finally, installed, and working properly with the escuchion plate. That plate is kinda weird BTW, there's nothing to keep it from spinning with the handle, so I used some thick 3M foam tape to keep it in place. Anyways, one less piece of jank on the truck, and now I can open both doors with one hand.

 

[procomsignathid]

BTW.. You do realize this is supposed to go back to the top of the head right?
View attachment 3928436

Forgot to follow up here, this is what it looks like now… Yes indeed the heater is getting heat

 

[wimberosa]

Really doing some great work on this rig! keep it up

 

[procomsignathid]

Really doing some great work on this rig! keep it up

Thanks man! Plenty more in store…

 

[procomsignathid]

Minor work yesterday to improve startup and fix a niggling annoyance I’ve had. On the plus side, I have a gear-reduction starter. On the down side, there is no secondary connection from the starter to the coil-side of the resistor, so my starts are often kinda weak (truck often starts after cranking a bit the second I stop turning the key). Here’s the wiring that’s missing:

Did some checking here and it seems the thing to do is use a relay. This is the post that gave me the “aha” moment:
Post in thread 'Gear Reduction Starter'
Gear Reduction Starter - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/gear-reduction-starter.249017/post-3811828
(Thank you @FJ40Jim !)

Anyhoo, this is the wiring I came up with:

And installed! I used a 12v 30a 5-terminal relay (its what the auto parts store had in stock), just insulated the 87a terminal (not used). It wasnt until I installed everything that I learned about relay plug connectors, so my install has individual spade connectors to each relay terminal… sigh. Oh well, I’ll redo it when I replace the coil/dizzy soon.

Truck starts much better now!

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

@procomsignathid My best estimate would place your 40's assembly date in Japan somewhere around Monday, October 26th, 1977. Considering the details shared in your thread, along with the photos, I am inclined to believe that your 40 initially arrived in the USA in early 1978 and was later shipped to South America. There was a time, probably in the 1990s, when it was likely cheaper to restore and worth more in South America than in the USA, but then later in the 2020s it became more valuable here, so someone shipped it back.

It's pretty cool to think about the fact that your 40 has lived and spent considerable time on three distinct continents. He just needs to make it back to Japan to complete the journey... maybe one day!

When I Google the info on this sticker, it brings up info in Quito, Ecuador. I wish these things could talk. I bet yours would have some good stories.

Información de tráfico en tiempo real para llegar a TOYOTA CRUZAN CÍA.LTDA., Av. América, Quito - Waze​

Información de tráfico en tiempo real para llegar a TOYOTA CRUZAN CÍA.LTDA., Av. América, Quito, basada en actualizaciones en directo del tráfico y de las carreteras de los otros conductores Waze.
www.waze.com

Last edited: 1 minute ago

 

[procomsignathid]

@procomsignathid My best estimate would place your 40's assembly date in Japan somewhere around Monday, October 26th, 1977. Considering the details shared in your thread, along with the photos, I am inclined to believe that your 40 initially arrived in the USA in early 1978 and was later shipped to South America. There was a time, probably in the 1990s, when it was likely cheaper to restore and worth more in South America than in the USA, but then later in the 2020s it became more valuable here, so someone shipped it back.

It's pretty cool to think about the fact that your 40 has lived and spent considerable time on three distinct continents. He just needs to make it back to Japan to complete the journey... maybe one day!

When I Google the info on this sticker, it brings up info in Quito, Ecuador. I wish these things could talk. I bet yours would have some good stories.

Información de tráfico en tiempo real para llegar a TOYOTA CRUZAN CÍA.LTDA., Av. América, Quito - Waze​

Información de tráfico en tiempo real para llegar a TOYOTA CRUZAN CÍA.LTDA., Av. América, Quito, basada en actualizaciones en directo del tráfico y de las carreteras de los otros conductores Waze.
www.waze.com

Last edited: 1 minute ago

Thats amazing! I didn't have luck digging up that sticker, thanks for that! It does have a cool history for sure, and that answers some Qs about why it has a speedo in MPH, the rollbar and heater controls.

 

[procomsignathid]

Lot of work over the past few weeks!

• Identified all the loose wires on the driver-side of the engine-bay harness. It was a rats-nest in there, and I needed to find out which wires were used for the carb cooling fan (luckally the plug was still there), and the manifold temp sender. Managed to locate all the needed wires, and I took the remaining wires (all of which were for emissions-related stuff, like the VSV), labelled them and neatly re-wrapped them. I have no intent of re-smogging the truck, but in the event that life changes directions and I end up passing the truck on to a new owner, I figure its best to make life easier for the Next Guy.
• As a result of the wiring cleanup, realized that I don't need the emissions computer plugged in any longer. I think Im just going to remove it entirely and tuck/tie back the plug.
• Replaced the flasher with an OEM one.
• Re-wired the idle fuel solenoid to the correct fuse (was on the "heater" fuse, should have been on the "engine" fuse). One less bit of jank in the truck, and now the truck will not start if the engine fuse is blown (which is what you what... I wouldn't want to find out the hard way that the regulator wasn't doing i's job and I've run the battery down just driving). This required getting into the fuse block and cleaning up some other loom-related jank, but it works proper now.
• Re-added my dome light, with pressure-switches on both front doors and the pass. side ambulance door. I did a dedicated thread for this (really happy w. how it turned out).
• Fixed up the temp gauge issues (which also meant replacing the water temp sender & union). Did a dedicated thread for this fix.
• Fixed broken horn (left side was not wired correctly), my daughter got to be a helper for that smaller job. We went through how to read the electrical schematic and some multimeter basics, wire crimping and heat-shrink stuff. She was mainly interested in honking the horn (which she calls a "honker" )
• Added in an OEM-style mechanical voltage regulator (purchased from CityRacer). Needed to re-pin the plug, but its working great now. I had to do a bit of investigation and t-shooting (huge thanks to @DirtDauberGarage for his help and videos on the subject), but its in and working now (pics below). I have it adjusted a bit conservatively at the moment, its a bit tricky getting the right tension on the spring to achieve the correct charge, but getting the hang of it.

All in all, a lot of electrical-related stuff! I am currently working on restoring a carb cooling fan assembly, and looking forward to putting that back in to shorten up start times after the truck has been sitting after a hot drive.

I'm very happy with how clean the wiring is looking next to the air cleaner now, and once I get some wiring loom tape from Summit Racing, I can clean up that regulator wiring as well.

The old regulator / wiring:

And here's the new. Once I get a harness-side connector, this should look perty. In the mean time, it's spade connectors for now:

 

[procomsignathid]

As this is turning into a build thread, I renamed the thread title... The more I learn about this truck, I think we're going to say its a US truck that was on extended vacation in South America.

As for the name... my kids have come up with one, which works for me. For those who have ever read the the book "Fritz and the Beautiful Horses", you'll know what this is all about (know what you're getting into when you ask your 6 and 8-year-olds to come up with a name). Anyways, going to figure how how to get a vinyl decal of this little horse:

I feel the name is especially fitting given the magnitude of jank / electrical issues, so there it is

As for the build, I suppose I ought to call out some goals, been a long time coming and since I've been living with the truck for awhile now, here's what I want to do with it:

• It's going to be my daily driver. One of the big milestones for me will be when I feel comfortable enough to sell my 2010 Subaru Forester. I'm just about there, but I want to get the ignition up to snuff first (I'm not happy with the points-based dizzy and aftermarket coil). Plan is to move to stock electronic dizzy and coil/igniter appropriate for a '78.
• I bought the truck because I wanted to be more self-sufficient / learn how to fix things, slow down (both figuratively and literally) and to give myself access to more crunchy dirt/offroad trails that my Subaru doesn't work too well on. The truck will be a hobby, a practical means of conveyance, and a ticket to adventure in the mountains.
• I want to keep it stock, diverging only when it makes sense for safety, reliability or comfort. There is a wealth of information on these trucks (a lot of it here), and the closer it is to stock, the more I can tap into that. Also, the nicer this truck is for the family, the more they will enjoy longer drives in it.
• I have multiple goals for the truck, some near-term and some long-term:
  • Safety:
    • Re-key the car so I can actually lock it
    • Do a full brake job (discs, rotors, pads, shoes, flush, etc)
    • Fix the parking brake (and likely come up with a way to make it effective)
    • Replace suspension (new bushings, shackles, springs, shocks)
    • Add head rests
    • Fix the damn mirrors so they stay in-place
    • Tune the windshield wipers so they work more effectively
    • Mud flaps
  • Reliability:
    • Go back to a stock ignition system
    • Install a stock carb cooling fan
    • Oil change / valve adjustment (thinking of doing seafoam or MMO prior)
    • Fix the myriad of stripped threads / bolts that I've found around the truck so far
    • Re-add wiring to the brake reservoir for low-fluid warnings
    • Replace the remainders of original vacuum hoses (only a few left)
    • Fix a broken quarter window hinge
  • Comfort:
    • Find the right tire pressure for balanced wear / ride comfort
    • Replace all the door seals
    • Install a radio
    • Add oh-s*** handles for the passengers
    • Fix the driver door card / handles / window crank (all installed poorly)
    • Heat insulation
    • Sound insulation / deadening
    • Floormats
    • Replace / insulate exhaust & muffler with stainless steel / quieter muffler
    • Add a center console

There will certainly be other things as well, I have this that and the other that don't really fit into any of those categories other than making things nicer/shiny/more pleasant to look at, but one thing at a time. When all this is done (not holding my breath), I may look into getting the paint fixed up (lots of scratches, they didn't go w/ freeborn red so paint matching is a PITA, etc.)

Anyways, minor thread update.... Admins if you are able to add a "Build" tag to this thread, that would be much appreciated!

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

This is going to be geat! I can't wait to see all your progress!!!

 

[Andrew S]

Very cool.

I don't know if I'd worry about the carb cooling fan. They were mostly a band aid due to all the other emissions nonsense from that era. If you get the rest of the truck dialed in, (fuel and ignition related) you probably won't see any benefit from the fan.

I'll be watching closely, you have some great information here already. If you need any 1978 specific photos, I have a mostly original example. Dallas' thread is a gold mine of information as well. Builds - 1978 US Market FJ40 Factory Restoration - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-run-of-the-mill-78-fj40-restoration.1084111/

 

[procomsignathid]

This is going to be geat! I can't wait to see all your progress!!!

Thanks man! It's been fun to share progress / pics here as I've exhausted folks in my immediate surroundings with tales of wrenching

Very cool.

I don't know if I'd worry about the carb cooling fan. They were mostly a band aid due to all the other emissions nonsense from that era. If you get the rest of the truck dialed in, (fuel and ignition related) you probably won't see any benefit from the fan.

I'll be watching closely, you have some great information here already. If you need any 1978 specific photos, I have a mostly original example. Dallas' thread is a gold mine of information as well. Builds - 1978 US Market FJ40 Factory Restoration - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-run-of-the-mill-78-fj40-restoration.1084111/

The link is much appreciated, I'll be going through that this evening! As for the fan, I suspect you are correct but we still have a bit of July left, plus August for me to test my theory. The new battery and regulator (which now charges the new battery correctly) can put enough juice to the gear-reduction starter than I can just brute-force through the vapor lock it seems... When the truck is super hot under the hood I just have to crank for a good several seconds, whereas it starts instantly when cold. After the carb fan is installed, I'll report back if this is still the case or not. If not, I'll be a bit bummed, but I already have all the parts, plus it was a good reason to clean up the wiring harness on that side of the engine bay.

 

[Andrew S]

Try cracking the throttle just a bit when you start a hot engine, that often will shorten the cranking time needed.

I'll be restoring my cooling fan as well, mostly just because it's a unique piece of automotive history.

 

[procomsignathid]

Ive nerded out completely on the subject and have a replacement warning sticker from CityRacer on order . Ill post some pics this weekend as I dig into the fan!

BTW, I have an extra lower bracket for the fan (the one that connects between the body and the fan) as they left it in when they restored the truck, and the fan I sourced came with one as well. If you need one, let me know.

 

[Aloha Jen]

Ive nerded out completely on the subject and have a replacement warning sticker from CityRacer on order . Ill post some pics this weekend as I dig into the fan!

BTW, I have an extra lower bracket for the fan (the one that connects between the body and the fan) as they left it in when they restored the truck, and the fan I sourced came with one as well. If you need one, let me know.

Any chance you have a photo of that bracket you can post or PM me? I may be interested in it if you still have it.