Looking for a solid FJ 40 Mechanic in Maine

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Rick. sent you a PM with my number if you can give me a call? Thanks.
 
Wally told me he really thinks it is based on what I described. I am pretty much screwed at this point and not sure what to do now. I need someone that has a clue and I can't find anyone reliable. The person I had helping me obviously did not know what they were doing. If you have any suggestions please let me know. I am pretty upset, pissed, frustrated, angry ......... at this point.
My suggestion is to relax. Go for a run or a long walk or something to clear your head. If the engine is junk, it can be rebuilt. The parts are around, between Wally, Kina and Rick and everyone else who has rebuilt an engine I think you'll get through this. I saw a free 2F on craigslist a few weeks back and if Eyerish didn't grab it, it may still be available. Otherwise, keep an eye out for a rusted out 40 or 60 and buy it, pull the engine and then part the rest. You'll make your money back and then some. I'll keep an eye out for one too and let you know if I see one.
 
Thanks all for the advice. Will try to regroup and see what my next steps are. Spoke to another Mud member who told me to pull the plugs to make sure I did not blow a head gasket and Hydro Lock the engine. Will try that and post up what I find. Just a bit overwhelmed at this point. Again, the support and advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Ok, so I have been rethinking my plan and at this point I am pretty sure the engine is done. I found another person to come take a look at it with me this weekend but there is metal in the oil so I think it is over. Quite a few folks are saying to try and get a 2f to replace the original. What are folks thoughts? For the short time I drove it I can see that Power Steering is going to be a must. Most folks are saying to try and get an FJ-60 unit and move the front shock towers. If there is anyone who has done this before I would appreciate your input. I have searched MUD and seen some photos but having someone local who has done this is a plus. Any suggestions welcome at this point as I am all ears. Looks like it will be another summer now before I get the rig on the road. :(

Blown Engine (1).webp


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Blown Engine (8).webp
 
If you are only going 33s mini truck would be fine and less fabrication. You can buy the pump and box brackets from Georg aka OrangeFJ45. 35 and up go fj60.

2F would be good and easier to find. I would go that route.
 
I have a low mileage 2F I'd be willing to sell if you go that route. Power steering stuff too.
 
Ok updates, sorry no pics. I pulled the valve cover and the cover over the rods. No bent rods or any metal shavings in either reservoir, in fact the oil looked clear and clean. Pulled the screen off of the oil pump and there were small flakes of metal in there which honestly I was surprised was not more. The oil was black and gooey. Checked the distributor and it really looked like it was seated properly, again I am not a mechanic so keep that in mind. When I examined the crank it appeared to have been really hot towards the back of the engine as there was no oil or any oil coating on it. It was dry and almost had a cloudy appearance. Upon closer inspection cylinder #4 seemed to have some minor scoring on it. My guess, and the guy who was helping me, was that the bearing was cooked and caused the piston to not ride smoothly in the cylinder thus causing it to seize. Does that make sense. There was oil under the valve cover and under the cover for the rods with no visible damage, bending etc... I welcome insight. I still feel the engine is cooked but I honestly was expecting to see visible damage under the covers when I pulled them. The distributor end was also still in perfect shape with NO damage. Again, is this logical that a crank bearing went and caused a piston to seize? Thanks again for the help. Still interested in the 2f and power steering parts yodafrick. Thanks.
 
the engine obviously doesn't run. So it is broken and would need to be fixed to run again. How are you using the terms blown and cooked to describe the state of the engine? Would that be not working or unable to be fix?
 
Sorry folks, blown engine is a term of frustration. The engine will not turn. Pulled the valve cover, pulled the side cover where the rods are and there is no metal and no visible damage. Oil residue is clear and clean which I thought was odd. The oil pan is off and the there is visible metal flaking stuck to the side of the engine compartment and the oil is black, as was the oil I drained. The distributor did seem to be seated properly and I had another person with some solid mechanical skills look at it and he too said it looked to be seated properly. Tried rocking the rig back in forth and popping the clutch in 4th to get it to FREE. NO GO! Looked up into the engine and #4 cylinder seems to have some minor scoring. The others are harder to see and or the pistons are in the down position. I have not pulled the head at this point as I was of the impression that getting parts and fixing this is much more time consuming and expensive than finding a donor engine. We did note that one of the areas where the crank bearing is was bone dry with no oil residue and had a cloudy appearance. Our thoughts are the bearing seized. I am looking for a 2f and am hopeful I can find one. I think I have an F located if push comes to shove. Any additional suggestions or insight is welcome. Sorry for the generic terms. As I said that was a term used out of frustration. I am now just putting it behind me and moving on once again to try and get it running. Thanks.
 
well if you are seeing scoring on the walls and with the bearing material in the oil it's likely going to need the block bored and the crank turned and be more expensive to repair the engine than swapping in another. I would get a used engine, tear it down and refresh it prior to installing it in the truck. But that's me and I have the room and resources for that kind of thing.

I worked with a friend in the club on a 2F that he bought and it was in such good shape that in my opinion nothing more than a set of gaskets was needed to put that engine into service for another 100k. It could have probably been installed with zero work and ran for years trouble free as it was before all the work.

Hopefully you find a good candidate for the truck.
 
As of now I have located a good 2f from a solid Yankee Toy member with a little over 100k on it and will be purchasing that and getting it installed. Most likely will look at gaskets at a minimum as I do not have the skill or the tools to do more than that. Also, Since I have to tear the trucks front end apart again I am also going to put in PS from a 60 as well knuckles for disk brakes. The season is a bust for me at this point so will make the most of it by completing things I was planning on doing down the road anyway. I got a good deal on all the parts, now I just need to find someone to help me with the finer steps of getting things done right. I will be searching threads for help as well. Stay tuned it is going to be fun as usual.
 
while the 2F is a really simple engine by today's standards there is one area that you need to pay close attention to if you take it apart. That is the timing gear cover. It has several different length screws and they have to go back in in the exact place they came out of or you will likely get a leak.
 
Do all of the external items bolt onto a 2f from an F? Alternator, Distributor, Fuel Pump, Water Pump, Thermostat, Manifold, Header etc.... I have lots of new parts on my F and would hate to have to dump them. Are there other items that I will need to change to make this happen? Currently I have 4 speed from a 1979 with the transfer gears from a 3 speed in a 4 speed case so I can run a stronger case with a lower granny gear. Will Exhaust etc.... mount up? I am trying to get a good handle on what other expenses may be coming my way. Also, do folks recommend pulling the head and changing that gasket? This is a bit out of my league so am contemplating that. Again, additional advice is welcome.
 
Do not reuse the F parts on the 2F if you are adding power steering. The F motor has a single groove crank pulley, you need a double groove. The F water pump length is different and you will find it very frustrating when you try lining up your alternator pulley, fan pulley and crank pulley and nothing lines up. I went through it. The only F parts I have on my 2F are the manifolds and thermostat housing.

On another note, 60 series power steering isn't that easy to install. I think you should think about doing a mini truck set up instead.
 
Well, I have committed to the parts with another Mud Member at this point so will have to see where that takes me. Hopefully we can connect tomorrow night. Thanks all for the help. At this point I am kind of stalled/burnt out and need to gear up for the major overhaul, not what I was hoping for, but, if I have to rip the front end off again, I might as well finish all the other stuff I was thinking of up front since the season is gone. I am sure I will have a million more questions very shortly. Thanks again.
 

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