Just bought our '65 FJ40. Lots of question (1 Viewer)

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Welcome. Be sure to check out the club house ONSC- Olde North State Cruisers. They are a local north carolina state cruiser club. Since it is a '65 (same as mine), check out the FJ25 Owners group section. Just fair warning, your cruiser is far from stock. It is still a great looking vehicle. Good luck. Post some more engine bay pictures!


Our engine compartment
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That is a very interesting engine bay. You have the original F135 engine. You also have a Saginaw power steering set up. I would be concerned with the wrap on the alternator though. It looks like it is barely touching. If you have any issues with battery charging, that would probably be the problem point. I had to fabricate a custom mount to relocate the alternator to the passenger side of the motor. You can not use a later mount since the F135 does not have mounting holes near the valve cover. I also put in a double harmonic balancer. This allowed me to run two belts which created fuller wraps around both the power steering pump and the alternator. But hey, run what you brung.

I would also look into swapping out your single reservoir master cylinder to a dual unit. It just adds another factor of safety with breaking. If that master cylinder fails for any reason, you will not have any breaks to stop. With a dual unit, you still have half your breaking power if one part fails.
 
You do have the slanted air cover on the passenger side cowl, which is correct for ‘65 and the original brake MC.
 
The clutch MC is missing the tin cup (I also do not believe that it is orignal). It should be the similar to the brake MC (which is correct for '65). The air box is interesting how it runs out the side to the slanted air cover. This may have been added since the carb is not original and the orignal air filter couldn't fit. Where the air box currently is, is where the intake for the heater would be.


Here is what a more period correct engine bay looks like. Side note: this is not my engine bay.


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That is a very interesting engine bay. You have the original F135 engine. You also have a Saginaw power steering set up. I would be concerned with the wrap on the alternator though. It looks like it is barely touching. If you have any issues with battery charging, that would probably be the problem point. I had to fabricate a custom mount to relocate the alternator to the passenger side of the motor. You can not use a later mount since the F135 does not have mounting holes near the valve cover. I also put in a double harmonic balancer. This allowed me to run two belts which created fuller wraps around both the power steering pump and the alternator. But hey, run what you brung.

I would also look into swapping out your single reservoir master cylinder to a dual unit. It just adds another factor of safety with breaking. If that master cylinder fails for any reason, you will not have any breaks to stop. With a dual unit, you still have half your breaking power if one part fails.
I like the idea of a double harmonic balance her to give to Polly belts. That seems like a sensible upgrade. As well as a double cylinder brake reservoir. Where would I pick those items up at?
 
It took a bit of searching to find the double harmonic balancer. I would post on the classifieds section to find one. You will need a press on double harmonic balancer. They are different than the later models which "press on" but use a nut to secure them to the crank shaft.

As for the double cylinder brake reservoir, you can purchase them on a lot of websites. I would recommend talking to curt @cruiseroutfit

There are a number of ways to go depending on if you have drum brakes/disc brakes. Check out the search bar to find what people have done. I am still deciding on which MC I am wanting to go with.
 
double cylinder brake reservoir
This upgrade involves changing the routing of your brake lines to split the front and rear circuits. The MC will likely be 10mm whereas your brake lines are likely 9mm. The best approach would be new brake lines in 10mm to match your MC. I think @Rainman can help you with that.
 
This upgrade involves changing the routing of your brake lines to split the front and rear circuits. The MC will likely be 10mm whereas your brake lines are likely 9mm. The best approach would be new brake lines in 10mm to match your MC. I think @Rainman can help you with that.
Ok
 
The original short running boards will speak volumes to her stock look. Your battery tray looks correct. The battery holddown frame is hard to fine, I found an original looking substitute. @RAGINGMATT has most if not all of the knobs and switches you'll need. @65swb45 is your man for a correct carburetor, a radiator, and much more. Welcome to Mud. Look forward to this rig's revival.
 
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The original short running boards will speak volumes to her stock look. Your battery tray looks correct. The battery holddown frame is hard to fine, I found an original looking substitute. @RAGINGMATT has most if not all of the knobs and switches you'll need. @65swb45 is your man for a correct carburetor, a radiator, a d much more. Welcome to Mud. Look forward to this rig's revival.
Thank you so much for the great references information. I really need to sit down with a pen and paper and out all the references you guys are pointing me to. I don’t think that we are going to go for an original correct vehicle overall. Moreover, we are interested in a safe reliable vehicle so I will likely do things such as dual master cylinders maybe putting disc brakes on and the heater fixed at a better wiring harness. I will try to keep her looking correct as much as possible but safety and reliability and comfort are my main priorities. As well as having a vehicle that will last a long time.
 
Also, does anybody have a good recommendation for a heater core box? The one I have is some little square looking box hanging from the passenger side that I know is aftermarket. I would like to find one made by Toyota or if someone knows of a better upgrade to put in there so that I can do that while I’m doing the new revised wiring harness. I’ll comment as usual very appreciated.
 

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