Builds Marion Rising: 1974 FJ40 FST

[65swb45]

TREs are two pieces, a ball and socket essentially. Have someone rock the steering wheel left and right, just to the point of the wheels turning then back to the other side. This will load up the TRE in two different directions. Then you watch the steering linkage. if you see play, it will be the ball and socket separating from each other.

The boots keep the grease in and the dirt out.

Hopefully that helps!

What he said. The easiest one to check is the lower relay. Simply grab both the steering rods just above where they meet at the end. When the wheel is rocked, you can feel the rods moving past one another, as well as pulling away from one another.

If you think they are original, then I guarantee you they are worn out. New kits are good in stock @marksoffroad.

 

[yotadude520]

Just a rule of thumb that I use when I'm working on my old junkers, is if the tie rods are original and have no boots just replace them. It's easy, inexpensive and one of the many things that give instant gratification once they're on. You'll notice the steering tighten up and it won't wander as much.

Also the boots main purpose is to keep the grease inside the tie rod so that the ball can move easily/freely.

 

[MadMace]

Spent this weekend working on the steering linkage. Got the front wheels pulled off and it clearly looks like Marion's tie rod took a blow from a rock or the-like at some point. You can see that it is clearly bent. Relay rod also looks a little bent as well.

I know that with the bend, there is going to be too much toe-in, so it needs to be corrected. That brings me to two questions:

1. Should I bend them back straight as possible or buy new ones?

2. If buying new ones, are OEM better than aftermarket? I think that the aftermarket ones I found are 555.

 

[65swb45]

Dean, The only time you should consider straightening and reusing a bent rod is when you are on the trail and have no other choice.

Unless you are going to do hardcore wheeling or have large tires, stock rods will be fine. I stock new OE rods as well.

It’s amazing to me how many people don’t even notice them. The remote control build I just started doing? I took new rods with me to the customer’s ranch to install. The customer tells me he had his old rods cleaned and powder coated. He proceeded to get them and start unwrapping them . As I’m watching him unroll the plastic off them on the ground I can visibly see the runout. Then he hands me his shiny bent rod.

I told him I would not install it.

 

[MadMace]

Thought I would post some pictures today following my tie rod, relay rod, and steering damper removal. This portion of the job was quite fun.

I read about different tools that people had used to remove them and thought I'd give my account as there are different options.

The tool set I used is made by OTC. Seem to be strong, sturdy, heavy tools. I used the 3 tools with the arrows. My favorite of the group is the one with the red arrow. The one with the green arrow was very helpful to reach into the tighter spaces--especially to undo the relay rod attachment at the center arm. The tool with the blue arrow was my least favorite. It was hard to center over the stud to get it pushing directly down--you can see what I mean in one of the pictures.

Also, for me, I do not like banging directly on the steering arms, etc with a BFH to try and release the TREs. What I did that worked great was apply a significant amount of pressure to the stud of the TRE with the OTC tool of choice. Then held a 4 pound sledge directly against the female part of the connection. With a large framing hammer I then struck the other side of the sledge as hard as I could. The TRE would pop right out. Doing it this way allowed me to swing aggressively without worrying that I'd miss and hit something I didn't intend to.

I had inverted the castle nuts to create a larger area for the tool to apply pressure to and also so the rod would not slam to the ground when it suddenly popped loose.

Hope this helps others.

 

[MadMace]

Steering center arm, shaft, and housing were on todays list. Had to initially use a tie rod puller to get the center arm down a little so I could then get the heavier duty pitman arm puller on. Probably could have use a BFH to force the pitman puller on, but I like to pound on things as little as possible. I guess I'm more of a gentle persuasion kind of person.

OTC Tie Rod Puller

OTC Pitman Arm Puller

Just love this little guy. Always looking to help.

 

[MadMace]

Saw something interesting when I opened the housing for the center arm shaft today. The bushing tab is supposed to be bent into the Zerk fitting opening on the inside of the housing. The bushing tab was not bent and was 180 degrees from where it should have been. I guess the consequence of this is the bushing is free to spin in the housing and also blocked some of the grease from getting between the bushing and the shaft. Does it look like an OEM bushing? Any way it came like this from the factory?

Probably not that big of a deal overall, but something I will correct when it goes back together.

 

[middlecalf]

Ed’s Red is the stuff. It’s freed up a lot of stuck stuff for me. I’m not careful on the mixture that much, I’ve added a random glug of acetone or white gas as I’ve used it, and then reused it. Never thought about using it as a degreaser/cleaner, good idea. Your block water jackets look amazing.

Better for the shaft to spin in the bushing than the bushing to spin in the seat, but always a challenge on some of these fittings.

 

[65swb45]

VMed you twice Dean.

 

[MadMace]

Ed’s Red is the stuff. It’s freed up a lot of stuck stuff for me. I’m not careful on the mixture that much, I’ve added a random glug of acetone or white gas as I’ve used it, and then reused it. Never thought about using it as a degreaser/cleaner, good idea. Your block water jackets look amazing.

Better for the shaft to spin in the bushing than the bushing to spin in the seat, but always a challenge on some of these fittings.

I love Ed's Red. As a degreaser, it has worked great. It has also done well on frozen threads. I have read that a better penetrating oil is 1:1 ATF and acetone--haven't made any yet. The Kroil can has been gathering dust on my shelf since I found Ed's Red.

 

[MadMace]

VMed you twice Dean.

Hi Mark. Thank you for the call. Sorry, I meant to give you a buzz back today, lost track of time. Thank you for checking for those parts. I was able to track down that gasket as well as set of steering rods with TRE's.

I do need a steering damper. The one that came off is part #45700-60011. Do you have any of those in good working order? I know I can use an OME but I prefer to stay with OEM if I can.

 

[MadMace]

Despite the frustrations that can come with owning an FJ40, I have found some days to be very rewarding and honestly, extremely memorable. Even though Marion is not running at this time, today was one of those days. Marion is an FST--fortunately, she still has her original doors and now has an awesome soft-top from Trollhole. Despite her being born an FST, I do want her to have a hard top and regular doors. I have kept my eyes open in all the regular places. I want everything to be appropriate to the 1974 model year that she is, so it has been slow going. Several months ago, I was able to track down a rustic green hard top located in New Mexico--1974 and in great shape. Couldn't ask for more. Fortunately, the seller frequently swapped parts with a fellow mudder in Dallas and I was able to make a quick trip to Dallas from San Antonio, meet a very nice guy, and pick up the hardtop.

The search has been ongoing for doors. Several weeks ago, a 1974 popped up on Craigslist. Really rough shape, but the doors looked to be in pretty good condition. Days, then weeks went by, I kept checking the listing. I thought about going out to look at it but it didn't feel right to me to buy the rig just for the doors. Then one day, it was gone.

Shortly after, there she was again, named Lucille. In the Craigslist posting she looked just like she does in the second photo posted in the thread--sans the overgrown field and dirt she was buried in. In no time, Lucille was running again--incredible work given her state. I made a comment on the thread that I was glad he got her as I was tempted to buy it just for the door. She likely would not have run again if I had bought her. Turns out, after getting Lucille, her new owner had decided to sell her doors. Lucky me.

So that brings me to what made today so fun for me. @Lucille and I worked out a meeting time for early today. He lives about 2 1/2 hours east of me on the I-10. If you've driven through Texas, you know there are a lot of wide open spaces. In many of these spaces are charming, small towns and beautiful landscapes. There is nothing like driving in Texas and seeing the sunrise, especially to pick up some parts for your FJ40.

How do days get any better than meeting a fellow mudder, picking up needed parts for your FJ40 that you have been patiently searching out, driving through a beautiful state while the sun is rising, getting to eat fresh donuts from a mom-and-pop donut shop in a small town, and coming home to work on said FJ40 with your son. I'm one lucky man. Oh, and on the way home I got to see a large sign on the side of the freeway with my FJ40's name on it. Seemed almost too perfect. I had to stop and take a picture--it is now my profile picture.

Thank you @Lucille for saving Lucille and making the doors available to me. Those doors will tie me to memories of today for years to come. I think this is why we all love these steel beauties so much.

 

[MadMace]

Here are some pictures of the doors, great shape, especially considering their age AND that they have been sitting out in the elements. Mirror arms are a little crusty, but I'm going to do my best to keep as many of the original parts on her as possible. Both windows had been in the down position since it was left in the field 10+ years ago. One window would roll 1/2 way up, the second not at all but would emit an ear-piercing screech when the crank was turned.

 

[MadMace]

First task after getting them home was to start cleaning them up and getting some Ed's Red in all those nooks and crannies that have seen nothing but water and neglect over the last decade (or longer). It very quickly became evident that getting the rock hard, 45 year old felt out of the window runs was the first thing we needed to do. I wanted to get it out before removing the window frame because, from my understanding, the window runs can bend easily once they are removed from the lower portion of the door. Getting those hardened felts out was not as easy as we thought it was going to be. Some time, elbow grease, and teamwork got it done.

Once the felts were out the window that originally went 1/2 way up went all the way up. The second didn't--we found it to be off it's actuating arm. It was the end of the arm moving against the glass that made that high-pichted screeching sound. The window was bound the window-run by bunched up, hardened felt. I suspect at one point it got stuck in the down position and somebody tried to force it up and knocked the actuating arm off.

With the chassis and body manual we were able to ALMOST get the window frame and runs off the lower portion of the door, but something seemed stuck. Thanks to the post by @MoCoNative in this thread, we were able to figure it out. The step involving the wing window was not listed in the FSM, I guess because it assumes that it is not installed. I included some pictures below as to what MoCoNative was referring to with the wing window. Once in the full open position, the window frame came right out.

 

[tlc762]

Great find on the doors... Luckily they still have the inside door pull handles. Those were only on '74 models. One of mine was torn out at the hole so I replaced them with the '75 and later style handles and saved the originals. The correct door weatherstrip for the doors is being reproduced by @Racer65 and should be available soon... I'm waiting for them to replace my originals.

 

[MoCoNative]

Glad I could help, first FJ40 door I took apart was 23 years ago. I was just a teenager, doing the same things you are. Talk about a frustrating time trying to get the top of the door off till I figured out that limiter on the wing window. Hence my writeup you referenced, there are several little tricks to sliding the older style doors apart.

Good luck on the chrome plate that the wing window latch slides on. I have taken a couple of those off, and never could get them crimped back on like the factory did. They stay okay, but you end up scratching or deforming them trying to crimp them back on.

 

[MadMace]

Today started like most of my Saturday mornings of recent. Up early, before the sun has come up, working on Marion.

The knuckle housing, steering arms, and brake backing plate were all coated in grease so I have been spraying degreaser, scraping, chiseling, and steam cleaning 40 years of grime off before I put the steering linkage back on.

As I had done many times before, I started the "While I'm here, I'll check (fill in the blank)". In this instance, it was taking the drum off and checking the cylinders, shoes, etc. Unfortunately, I found that the return springs were both installed on the outer side of the shoes--bummer!! Additionally, there are no markings on the cylinders to know whether or not they are installed correctly. Being that I am having to take the shoes and springs off, I am likely going to pull the cylinders off to make sure they are installed correctly.

Question: Do these wheel cylinders look like any specific maker/brand or are they generic aftermarket cylinders?

 

[thebigredrocker]

As you probably know, OEM cylinders are embossed with a raised teq logo.

 

[MadMace]

Aaaaaand sure enough, the cylinders are installed incorrectly, at least from what my understanding is. My understanding is that moving the handle of the tool away from the axle while adjusting through the opening in the backside of the backing plate should move the shoes away from the axle, towards the drum. These cylinders are installed so that the opposite happens.

 

[MadMace]

As you probably know, OEM cylinders are embossed with a raised teq logo.

Yes, I have seen photos of the OEM cylinders. I was hoping I would see them when I took the drum off but no.

There seems to be 180 degree opinions on buying new vs rebuild. I would love to have OEM cylinders that I could rebuild. If anybody has a set of OEM cylinders in rebuildable condition that would work on my 1974 40, please let me know.