Build MAR's '76 Forty Refresh

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Tommy Shumpert said:
Looks awesome. I love that color! I tossed that color around when I started mine, but went Rustic green.
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Thanks. Really digging your 75 resto. Really like the houndstooth idea! I kicked around some aztec/ pendelton like accents for interior but settled on just all black leather. Partly cause I couldn't make up my mind entirely on paterns and partly because of cost. At some point I had to somewhat be mindful of how much I put into my own money pit! Albeit I imagine it will continue to evolve over the coming years. I can't see that I will ever be "done".
 
Wiring the Dakota RTX today. Unfortunately there is an issue with the sniper BIM Y/ splice cable (I think it's the cable) that come with the BIM unit. When I plug it in, I lose the screen on the sniper handheld. Fortunately purchased from Summitt so just a 45 min drive to swap the BIM out for another unit. Don't have to wait on shipping. Hopefully they won't give me any runaround. Don't make fun of my Dakota switch placement under column, just testing out a spot. Likely will go back with a different way to secure it, I just used what I had on hand. :) Same goes for the epower steering adjuster. Ha

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Swap for the replacement BIM unit and cable was easy peasy at Summit. Came home, finished up wiring and it's working perfectly. I guess I'll play around with the color schemes for the daytime- maybe go with none. For now I have it set to white during the day and green at night. I had replaced the bulb for the dash with an LED and it's still the OG green so I figured I'd roll with the greeness at night. I like it!

Day:
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Night:
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I picked up some woven fabric loom wrap while at Summit. This stuff is fantastic. Easy to wrap and is great for inside the cab wiring.

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Also installed the GPS unit. Going to roll with that vs cable sending unit. Still need to calibrate the speedometer - that's on the list for tomorrow. Setting up the Dakota was surprisingly easier that I thought it would be. Most tedious part is just identifying the source wires and the actual wiring. Everything else is about a half a 🍌.

Will get back on vintage AC tomorrow as well. Getting closer and closer to done (for now) 😁

Oh and I really need to clean up the OEM mats! They have a few tears here and there that I plan to try and fix. I just put it in there once I started driving just to have some floor protection and maybe a minutia of sound help.
 
Took the forty to a shop and they performed leak test and filled with R134a. No cold air. They said there must be a blockage somewhere. Pulled it back out so I can troubleshoot. Fun fun. Will pick back up on the at a later date. Only really need heat for the next 4 months or so. Bummer. Anything in engine bay will be easy to disconnect and check fittings, etc. But in cab will be much more of a pain to disassemble to troubleshoot. Oh well part of the fun I guess. :bang::)
 
Made the 8.5 hr drive to TN yesterday pulling the 40 without any trouble. Pulled up, unloaded and got my dad, Mar behind the wheel. My Dad is a man of very few words so I wasn't expecting for him to jump up and down like I did as a kid when he brought it home about 49 years ago :) I can tell ya seeing him enjoying the forty again was really special for me. It fits him like a glove.

I hope you all have a great and Happy Thanksgiving with your loved ones!



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Semper Gumby said:
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MIC drop time .... BRAVO ZULU
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Thanks @Semper Gumby . Bravo Zulu is very fitting term for my hero, Mar. He served our great country from '63-'67 in the Navy. Spent most of it stationed @ the NAS in Meridian MS. Worked on radio systems on the T2A trainer jets. I've never met a better man in my 54 years on this planet. He's a gem.
 
Took the 40 out to the family farm. I spent many, many days running all over this land in the 40 growing up. My dad always had a chainsaw, tools, chains, etc in the back. Today was no different. Got my son Stone behind the wheel. He's never driven a stick so no better place to learn than in the middle of the hayfield :) . He did great! I managed to avoid all the muddy spots cause ih8mud on the restored rig with less than 300 miles on it haha, but Stoney broke the seal on that for me. This rig has a new lease on life and will be used by me and my boys just as it was with my dad and me. No garage queen here. :cool: I will be cleaning it with a toothbrush when we return to TX though. Ha.



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I added a few accessories and thought I'd update the thread...

First mod was adding the Wolfbox tripro rear view camera setup. It's been great having improved visibility. The setup has 3 cameras one forward facing bedhind the mirror, one mounted in the rear and one on the front that will give more visibility to obstacles. I was able to hide most all of the wires with various molding, sleeves, etc. The rear view mirror is strapped to the OEM mirror and doesn't look too much like an afterthought. Happy with how it turned out. It also has continuous time lapse recording if the vhecile senses a g force while parked so a bit of added security. Also continuous recording while driving which is a plus.

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Second mod was adding a 20" light bar to the front bumper. The Holley LED retrobright headlights do a good job, but the added light bar gives much more down field and flood visibility while off-road at night. The mounting bracket wasn't a perfect fit so I had to flip one of the brackets to make it work with the predrilled holes for the support plate in the four plus bumper. Was able to secure the plate and have the bracket in place. Not perfect, but functional, so I'm happy with it.

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Still need to work on getting coolant flow over to the heater control valve. Thanks to some mudders, I have a few things to try with the fitting to get it flowing.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!
 
This makes gadget guys crazy…. I need that!
 
knuckle47 said:
This makes gadget guys crazy…. I need that!
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With the spare tire covering half of one of the barn door windows, (which are already relatively small to begin with) it greatly improves seeing what is behind you. It is also tied into the reverse light so when in reverse it zooms in closer and shifts down in the rear view camera and gives the backup "lines" like most modern vehicles. The lines are an option that can be disabled too. It's a pretty slick camera system that doesn't break the bank IMO.
 
My Silverado and Suburban do this but, for a hell of a lot more money. Comes in handy at times with the 4-door pickup for that extra 3-4 inches of parking space. But I gotta have this in the 40 😉…especially that I could make a u-turn in a parking space
 
knuckle47 said:
My Silverado and Suburban do this but, for a hell of a lot more money. Comes in handy at times with the 4-door pickup for that extra 3-4 inches of parking space. But I gotta have this in the 40 😉…especially that I could make a u-turn in a parking space
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There are a few products I found that worked very well concealing the wires.

This Amazon.com: 1 PC Car Cable Wire Hider 6.56 Ft Car Windshield Wire Hider Concealed Wire Cover for Car Wires Hide Roof Rack Light Bar - Universal : Electronics - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8BFRZBF?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title for running the two wires (one for hardwiring into the fuse box and one for the front camera) that go to drivers side.
I added this 3M Double Sided VHB tape for extra holding power on the wire hider strips https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CHDVNS5T?tag=ihco-20
On the rear exterior I used this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DM1X3ZVZ?tag=ihco-20 since it is a single wire for the camera. The wire runs along the back of the 4plus bumper.

Let me know if you want any pics on how I ran the wires if you wind up pulling the trigger on the purchase. It's not perfect and there are many ways to run them, but I can share what I did...
 
I will need to pick your brain on the concealment process you’ve used after the new year. Stay tuned!
 
MAR FJ40 said:
Kinda decided last night I'd take Stoney and the 40 to Cars and Coffee of Texas at the Shop Club in Dallas this morning. Was a good time. Lots of exotic super cars, but only one FJ40 😉

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Instagram post from the event coordinators.....
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Is this a camera?
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Maybe. Back in the early 90's I had mounted a deer whistle in that location. I was coming home at o dark thirty doing about 25mph on slick mud from the fresh mag chloride dust suppression treatment, being wet in the drizzle. I heard a bang and thought I saw something in the head lights. Stopped and got out with flash light. Big dead owl with a broken neck lay on the side of the road. I'm sure it thought the squeaking deer whistle was the largest mouse ever. There were talon marks in the hood paint right above the whistle.
 
Sniper!
 
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