Just picked up a 1976 FJ40 to bring back from the dead

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accidentaltexan

accidentaltexan

Joined
Nov 20, 2024
Threads
3
Messages
11
Location
West Texas
Hello, all. I've been browsing for years, and finally have reason to post. The picture attached is of my brother and me hauling my find back to West Texas from Southern California.

This isn't my first FJ40 - in the late 90's, I bought a 1961 factory soft top that someone had crammed a corvette engine into. That was my first experience with a restomod, and they're just not for me (no judgement here; if you love 'em, great!).

I bought my second in 2008, a 1975 that was complete, ran well, was rusted in all the usual places, and I never should have sold it. But my wife and I had a baby, and sometimes choices must be made.

So now I'm finally back in the Land Cruiser world, and I couldn't be happier. I *do* have a lot of work ahead of me, though. I think someone used this as a donor for some other project, so I'm piecing things back together and trying to wrap my arms around what's missing. Not sure of my approach, yet. Right now I'm gonna make it run, stop, and steer, and then I guess'll figure out what's next.

IMG_1177.jpeg
 
accidentaltexan said:
Hello, all. I've been browsing for years, and finally have reason to post. The picture attached is of my brother and me hauling my find back to West Texas from Southern California.

This isn't my first FJ40 - in the late 90's, I bought a 1961 factory soft top that someone had crammed a corvette engine into. That was my first experience with a restomod, and they're just not for me (no judgement here; if you love 'em, great!).

I bought my second in 2008, a 1975 that was complete, ran well, was rusted in all the usual places, and I never should have sold it. But my wife and I had a baby, and sometimes choices must be made.

So now I'm finally back in the Land Cruiser world, and I couldn't be happier. I *do* have a lot of work ahead of me, though. I think someone used this as a donor for some other project, so I'm piecing things back together and trying to wrap my arms around what's missing. Not sure of my approach, yet. Right now I'm gonna make it run, stop, and steer, and then I guess'll figure out what's next.

View attachment 3786279
Click to expand...
Welcome back and congratulations! I would ditch that roll bar and go back to the original one. @hyp
accidentaltexan said:
Hello, all. I've been browsing for years, and finally have reason to post. The picture attached is of my brother and me hauling my find back to West Texas from Southern California.

This isn't my first FJ40 - in the late 90's, I bought a 1961 factory soft top that someone had crammed a corvette engine into. That was my first experience with a restomod, and they're just not for me (no judgement here; if you love 'em, great!).

I bought my second in 2008, a 1975 that was complete, ran well, was rusted in all the usual places, and I never should have sold it. But my wife and I had a baby, and sometimes choices must be made.

So now I'm finally back in the Land Cruiser world, and I couldn't be happier. I *do* have a lot of work ahead of me, though. I think someone used this as a donor for some other project, so I'm piecing things back together and trying to wrap my arms around what's missing. Not sure of my approach, yet. Right now I'm gonna make it run, stop, and steer, and then I guess'll figure out what's next.

View attachment 3786279
Click to expand...
Welcome back and congratulations! I would ditch that roll bar and go back to the factory one. @hyhpe has one for sale and is in Texas as well.
 
@accidentaltexan cool! Looking forward to following along. My ‘75 will be a life long fixture …I hope
 
I don’t know what your used to … that’s not even close to being dead … looks more like it’s been in coma

Coma does not = dead

My DD 40 is FAR worse than that :meh:
 
I have no idea how many hands my 40 has passed through. The guy I bought it from said he'd planned to rebuild it, but ran out of time and cash. So after he bought it, it sat untouched (he says) for a few years. Parts are missing, but the body and frame are in better shape than I'd expected.

One of the first mysteries I'm tackling is a matter of practicality. The transmission is partially removed. It's weird, though - the transmission is unbolted and pulled back from the bell housing, but held in place by the propeller shafts and the e-brake cable (!). I can't figure out why anyone would pull the unit partway without first removing the propeller shafts and the e-brake. Makes no sense. My best guess is that someone started a clutch job and gave up.

I've decided to go ahead and replace the clutch and rear main seal out of an abundance of caution. But first I have to get the tranny out. It's caked with greasedirt and needs a good cleanup anyway.

So, after supporting the tranny with a jack, my next step is removing the shifter so I can drop the whole unit (after disconnecting the propeller shafts and the removing the e-brake, of course).

I went hunting here on IH8mud to see what I could learn about the job, and quickly learned that the SST for removing the shifter shown in the FSM is no longer available. I tried the box-end wrench with rubber jar opener from another thread, and was unsuccessful. After looking at the Haynes manual description of a homemade tool, I decided against and went about trying to make my own version of the SST.

I used an old 3/4 drive socket - not sure what size because it was unmarked - I’m not even sure where I got it. It was cheap, not part of any of my sets, and looked like it might be just the right size.

To make the socket slip over the shifter, I tried drilling out the squared ratchet receptacle with a stepped bit and was partially successful. I was, however, 100% successful in destroying two stepped bits.

I then used a dremel to grind the rest of the opening wide enough to slip over the shifter. A test fit and…success! Slides right down to the top of the collar where the shifter enters the transmission.

This is when I discovered that the crappy socket I chose was just a tiny bit bigger than I needed it to be. It was resting, just barely, on the collar around the shifter, instead of on the silver part that I need to compress.

So I rigged a threaded rod with some washers and nuts to hold the socket, bolted the socket on, put the threaded rod in a drill, and spun the cylinder agains my grinding wheel to be just a smidge narrower. Maybe a 16th of an inch, all the way around.

Another test fit. Better.

Tomorrow I'll weld some angle iron on as a handle to mimic the SST. I'll post a photo of the finished "tool" and report my success...or failure.

Lessons learned so far:
  1. In retrospect, I’d’ve had an easier time by using a 1-inch drive socket, but those are pricey, and I didn’t have any around that I felt good about sacrificing.
  2. I should have measured the diameter of the inside of the collar and compared to my socket instead of eyeballing it. Would have saved me some extra grinding.
  3. It just hit me that I could have ground a slot out of the SIDE of the socket wide enough to permit the shift lever to pass. Wish I’d thought of that two stepped drill bits ago.
 
I grabbed the shifter bushing with a pair of Channelock pliers and rotated them while pressing down to clear the two retaining pins. I’ve done it that way lots of times. It helps if the pliers’ teeth aren’t worn out.
 
accidentaltexan said:
Lessons learned so far:
  1. In retrospect, I’d’ve had an easier time by using a 1-inch drive socket, but those are pricey, and I didn’t have any around that I felt good about sacrificing.
  2. I should have measured the diameter of the inside of the collar and compared to my socket instead of eyeballing it. Would have saved me some extra grinding.
  3. It just hit me that I could have ground a slot out of the SIDE of the socket wide enough to permit the shift lever to pass. Wish I’d thought of that two stepped drill bits ago.
Click to expand...

igotta40 said:
I grabbed the shifter bushing with a pair of Channelock pliers and rotated them while pressing down to clear the two retaining pins. I’ve done it that way lots of times. It helps if the pliers’ teeth aren’t worn out.
Click to expand...

A short piece of PVC pipe can be made to work pretty easily too.
 
Success!
After dancing a victory dance like the shaved ape that I am, I'm here to report back.

IMG_1245.jpeg


Two things that helped:
This post, with the rubber jar opener trick: Remove Gear Shifter - How To Easily - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/remove-gear-shifter-how-to-easily.816215/
and
This video:
The combination of the two gave me enough info to get the shifter out. And then I discovered that City Racer sells an SST.
www.cityracerllc.com

OEM Gear Shift Lever Removal Tool for Any Toyota

Toyota SST for removing the transmission shift lever. Please reference the factory service manual to determine if this tool is used for your vehicle.
www.cityracerllc.com
Too late, since I already removed it, but I ordered the tool anyway, to keep in my armory of problem-solvers. And to support City Racer. I have to say that I'm delighted to give up on my homebrew tool attempt.

Thanks to everyone for the advice. Is this the right thread to continue reporting on my progress, or should I start a new thread dedicated to this project?
 
Next question. What is this? I can't find any markings. It's floating loose, but it looks to me like the bracket should bolt in close to where the coil should be (will be, when it finally gets here...)
IMG_1246.jpeg
IMG_1247.jpeg
 
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