- Year
- 1977
- Vehicle Model
- 40 Series
- Mileage
- 71000
- Color
- Yellow
All - it's time to let Luigi go to a new owner. I've been jonesing for a 62 all winter, and while this has been a joy to work on, I need to make room for a new potential project. I've posted this on CL locally in case someone isn't on Mud. I'm good to have a conversation with fellow Mudders if you're interested.
I purchased this from a gentleman who had this as a stalled father-son project. He had purchased it from his cousin, who evidently had driven it sparingly. Always a southern California truck. Body is in great condition, and aside from the annoyingly trimmed fenders the body is in as good a shape as you will find on these rigs. Fortunately, all parts were there and in good working order.
First item on the list was to get the 2F engine ready to pass California smog. This included a carburetor rebuild by Mark’s Off Road in Burbank and sourcing and replacement of a couple of small smog components from vendors on Mud. The good condition gas tank was pulled, hot tanked, cleaned, and lined with Red Kote at Burbank Radiator. I also completed a baselining of the cooling system including a new Aisin water pump, all new OEM hoses, new OEM heater valve, and all new OEM vacuum lines. It passed smog with flying colors (see photo) and registered in CA. BFG All-Terrains (including the spare), a new Interstate battery, and minitruck wheels completed the baselining in April 2022.
The truck ran great until last August, after one of the hoses slipped off the water pump while driving on the freeway. Fortunately, I caught it quickly and shut down, had it hauled back to the house and set about pulling the head and replacing the head gasket. The head was sent for a complete overhaul at Martin Davidson machine shop in Van Nuys, including new valves and HD springs, decked and checked for any cracks, and was given a clean bill of health. I replaced the head gasket, all head bolts, and exhaust / intake gasket with new OEM. Removing the head also revealed significant cracks in the CA-spec intake and exhaust manifold, so I bought a 1977 Federal-spec manifold from Mark’s Off Road, provided that to Martin Davidson for an overhaul, and that was returned at the same time I received the head. I kept the CA manifold for the next owner, if wanted. A new OEM-style exhaust was installed from the manifold back at Morse Muffler in Burbank.
While the engine was apart, I also pulled the transfer case and transmission to fix a leak at the rear main seal / oil pan arch. The transmission and transfer case were pulled apart, resealed, cleaned, and reinstalled. The clutch and flywheel were removed, the flywheel was resurfaced by Martin Davidson, and reinstalled with a new Aisin pressure plate and OEM throwout bearing. The rear main seal was replaced along with the oil pan seal, which cleared up the oil leak.
On the interior, the previous owners had kept the rear jump seats but one was broken at the bottom hinge weld. Another was purchased from a fellow Mud member and I reused the good condition seat covers to match the overall interior, along with replacement jump seat straps. When I purchased the truck, it had an added roll cage for the front passengers, which I removed from the original roll bar. I ground down the welds and repainted the original bar with good quality epoxy paint to return it to stock condition. I’ve also installed an FM radio and new OEM antenna. In addition, all of the door gaskets have been replaced with new OEM, which cleaned up a fair number of the rattles and squeaks that all of these trucks have.
As for the paint, it has been repainted at some point in its life, and the rear panels are a half shade off OEM. Underneath appears to be good condition original paint, however it may be worthwhile to have just the rear panels resprayed. The headliner is missing, and the front passenger seat bottom cover should be replaced. The top dash pad was removed by the previous owner to make room for the roll bar, but fortunately can be purchased new, OEM and aftermarket. I have a stack of records for all work that I’ve completed on it, boxes of spares for the smog system, parts for a knuckle rebuild and bearing replacement, and three manuals including the 1977-specific emissions guide. The truck will pass CA smog before sale to a CA buyer. EDIT - passed smog 4/24/23, ready for sale.
This is a great truck and care has been taken to ensure it will continue to serve for years to come. I’ve taken pains to return this truck to good working order and in stock condition. I am only selling to move along to the next caretaker, so I can get started on a long awaited FJ62 project.
If you are interested in the whole story going back to the beginning, please check out the build thread: Luigi. More photos are available on the CL ad.
$26,500 or a conversation with serious Mudders only.
Google drive link with 250+ photos: Google Drive
I purchased this from a gentleman who had this as a stalled father-son project. He had purchased it from his cousin, who evidently had driven it sparingly. Always a southern California truck. Body is in great condition, and aside from the annoyingly trimmed fenders the body is in as good a shape as you will find on these rigs. Fortunately, all parts were there and in good working order.
First item on the list was to get the 2F engine ready to pass California smog. This included a carburetor rebuild by Mark’s Off Road in Burbank and sourcing and replacement of a couple of small smog components from vendors on Mud. The good condition gas tank was pulled, hot tanked, cleaned, and lined with Red Kote at Burbank Radiator. I also completed a baselining of the cooling system including a new Aisin water pump, all new OEM hoses, new OEM heater valve, and all new OEM vacuum lines. It passed smog with flying colors (see photo) and registered in CA. BFG All-Terrains (including the spare), a new Interstate battery, and minitruck wheels completed the baselining in April 2022.
The truck ran great until last August, after one of the hoses slipped off the water pump while driving on the freeway. Fortunately, I caught it quickly and shut down, had it hauled back to the house and set about pulling the head and replacing the head gasket. The head was sent for a complete overhaul at Martin Davidson machine shop in Van Nuys, including new valves and HD springs, decked and checked for any cracks, and was given a clean bill of health. I replaced the head gasket, all head bolts, and exhaust / intake gasket with new OEM. Removing the head also revealed significant cracks in the CA-spec intake and exhaust manifold, so I bought a 1977 Federal-spec manifold from Mark’s Off Road, provided that to Martin Davidson for an overhaul, and that was returned at the same time I received the head. I kept the CA manifold for the next owner, if wanted. A new OEM-style exhaust was installed from the manifold back at Morse Muffler in Burbank.
While the engine was apart, I also pulled the transfer case and transmission to fix a leak at the rear main seal / oil pan arch. The transmission and transfer case were pulled apart, resealed, cleaned, and reinstalled. The clutch and flywheel were removed, the flywheel was resurfaced by Martin Davidson, and reinstalled with a new Aisin pressure plate and OEM throwout bearing. The rear main seal was replaced along with the oil pan seal, which cleared up the oil leak.
On the interior, the previous owners had kept the rear jump seats but one was broken at the bottom hinge weld. Another was purchased from a fellow Mud member and I reused the good condition seat covers to match the overall interior, along with replacement jump seat straps. When I purchased the truck, it had an added roll cage for the front passengers, which I removed from the original roll bar. I ground down the welds and repainted the original bar with good quality epoxy paint to return it to stock condition. I’ve also installed an FM radio and new OEM antenna. In addition, all of the door gaskets have been replaced with new OEM, which cleaned up a fair number of the rattles and squeaks that all of these trucks have.
As for the paint, it has been repainted at some point in its life, and the rear panels are a half shade off OEM. Underneath appears to be good condition original paint, however it may be worthwhile to have just the rear panels resprayed. The headliner is missing, and the front passenger seat bottom cover should be replaced. The top dash pad was removed by the previous owner to make room for the roll bar, but fortunately can be purchased new, OEM and aftermarket. I have a stack of records for all work that I’ve completed on it, boxes of spares for the smog system, parts for a knuckle rebuild and bearing replacement, and three manuals including the 1977-specific emissions guide. The truck will pass CA smog before sale to a CA buyer. EDIT - passed smog 4/24/23, ready for sale.
This is a great truck and care has been taken to ensure it will continue to serve for years to come. I’ve taken pains to return this truck to good working order and in stock condition. I am only selling to move along to the next caretaker, so I can get started on a long awaited FJ62 project.
If you are interested in the whole story going back to the beginning, please check out the build thread: Luigi. More photos are available on the CL ad.
$26,500 or a conversation with serious Mudders only.
Google drive link with 250+ photos: Google Drive
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