Builds My '78 FJ40 "44" (1 Viewer)

[greenbeasty]

Danny, my daughter saw your beautiful photos and wants to know if you are on Instagram?
She says you " better be, with photos like that!"
Frank

 

[Weber Sarge]

Teddy is growing - a lot it seems. Great pics, love checking out things in the distance...

Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Danny, my daughter saw your beautiful photos and wants to know if you are on Instagram?
She says you " better be, with photos like that!"
Frank

Thanks Frank... and thank your daughter!!

Sorry, no... I’m not on Instagram or any other platform.

This is a MUD exclusive... your daughter will need to be nice to you, if she wants to continue living vicariously through The Adventures of Chester and Teddy!!

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Teddy is growing - a lot it seems. Great pics, love checking out things in the distance...

Sarge

Thanks Sarge!!

Teddy has just about reached the 35 lbs that Dianna requested. He doesn’t know it, but he’s going under the knife next month...

He makes up for his medium size, with his speed, agility and Lindsey Vonn-like abandonment of all fear.

They flushed a big jack rabbit yesterday and this time, Teddy knew what was expected. He stayed with Chester, the entire race.

I let them run completely out of sight, then whistled once and watched them return at breakneck speed.

You have to zoom in the second picture, in my last “photo” post (above), to get the full effect of their breakneck return.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

If only dogs could talk

 

[Solace in Solitude]

If only dogs could talk

View attachment 1638936

Well played!

 

[Martyt]

Cool thread. I have a Llewellin English Setter pup-- going off very soon to obedience and gun dog training for about 4 months. I loaded crop dusters in my teens and got my pilot's license but when 2 of the dusters went down on the same day, life became short indeed. Went to law school instead but still love the the woods, hunting, my very special dog and, of course, my FJ 40--69'... a most excellent year. M

 

[Solace in Solitude]

@Maryt

Thanks for the kind words and for sharing!!

I see you’re in San Diego.

I was born in El Centro and ‘raised’ in Plaster City and then Seeley.

My crop dusting work was loading dust and liquid in homegrown Stearman Biwings, for a company named Visco Flying Service... not sure whether they still exist or not.

We probably ‘dusted’ or sprayed practically every acre, east of Dixieland, between the Mexican border and Coachella... and I spent a lot of time in canals... trying to keep my body temperature down, while loading in 115-120 degree heat.

They wanted to teach my to fly their dusters. I only had to pay for fuel.

But, Vietnam was raging, my number was coming up and working with Poison Eddie (constantly poisoning himself by being careless) and Screwy Louie (crashing a couple of planes each year, by taking chances flying between high line wires and fences or trees... finally crashed and burned, while dusting sulphur, and was burned severely) convinced me to beat the draft lottery and exercise what little control a 19 year old had over their future in those days.

I joined the Air Force and never went back to the Imperial Valley, except for very short visits, during ‘cool’ weather.

I loved San Diego though!!

 

[Martyt]

Good dove hunting in El Centro; I also shoot doves in Mexico at a club down there. I remember the Steerman dusters although most of the flyers used Agcats. I recall having to have my blood tested weekly--Phosdrin and other chemicals are pretty bad. So, if the airplane crash does not kill the pilot then he can look forward to a hundred gallons of deadly chemicals in the loader--ya, pretty dangerous job being a duster--playing hide and seek with power lines, stand pipes--glad I opted out of that profession. later. m

 

[Solace in Solitude]

@Maryt

Never even heard of a blood test in my days... I was really careful, things were much more lax then.

Yeah, I remember Phosdrin well... and something called Tep or Tepp or something like that.

We only sprayed Tep once... had to be NO wind, NO breeze... a single drop into your mouth, nose or eyes would kill you... even Screwy Louie refused to spray it a second time.

Others, like Malathion, are still used today.

The most miserable was sulphur dust in your eyes... the most enjoyable was cricket bait. Huge bags of sawdust that only weighed 25 lbs or so. Covered in something that smelled like bananas.

 

[Martyt]

Ha, I remember the sulphur dust--that was the worst. Most of the pilots were former veterans--nerves of steel. I worked for Wayne Handley in the Greenfield (Monterey County) area---he went on to do air shows--had a really bad crash, survived and is still alive and well. We had a ranch in that area but sold it in 1980--remember seeing the cropdusters dust our fields as a kid---and that is what got me interested in planes including scratch building scale balsa ones--too many hobbies and too little time. later. m

 

[Solace in Solitude]

This is Tepp Tetraethyl pyrophosphate | chemical compound

I noticed Parathion in the above article... that was another scary chemical I mixed and loaded.

Oh, the good old days... when a 13 year old could work unlimited hours, at $.50/hr, as long as they paid income tax and contributed to Socual Security... when a 17 year old could handle and mix hazardous chemicals, with no mention of blood tests... just wear gloves... no masks.

Looking back, I’m amazed to be alive... after handling those chemicals for as long as I did...

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I found a steering wheel from a ‘91 FJ80... paid $75 + shipping... I just installed it.

I had to drill and plant two 1/8” roll pins, to cancel the turn signals. I drilled 1/2” deep and inserted two 1” roll pins, leaving 1/2” protruding.

I also had to adjust the positive contact... The FJ80 wheel’s contact track is about 3/16” wider than the FJ40 track.

I’m very pleased!! It looks and feels great... the smaller diameter and larger grip is much more comfortable!!

Here’s a pic... it’s not crooked, I was... my tools are carried under the seat, but right now they’re in the footwell.

 

[handcannon]

Again, love those pics. We had several days with clear blue---at times. February usually has about a week of clear and cold weather here, but we got almost twice that this year. The coldest this year was in the mid to low 20's here, and we actually got some snow that stayed from very early in the morning to about mid morning. Just curious how cold, and how windy it was there. Here, if we had a day of clear blue sky the night time temperatures would drop drastically (for here) to in the low 20's, and after the second day of clear blue the temp's at night might hit the teen's, or rarely into the single digits. I enjoyed the colder weather we got. NO RAIN! (almost!)

Your boys sure look like they are having a lot of fun there. Maybe you did also. I sure would with that kind of weather, and 44 to drive.

Don

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Temps depend on where we are...

It’s 2500’ at home and the lows have been low to mid 30s at night. Highs mid to high 40s IIRC.

When it’s windy, it’s windy... 15-30mph, with gusts 40-60mph. The higher the elevation, the higher the winds... and obviously the colder the temps.

There are MANY elevations around here... we’ve most recently been doing day hikes at 4k’... but were at 5k’ a couple of week ago.

We’re going to look for snow today, so that will be up to 7k’... and significantly colder... whether we camp will be pend in how I feel later today, but certainly won’t be at 7k’.

We’ll have our tent and I’ll make a bed in 44 before we leave... like to have options. I have a 0* bag an air mattress and a wool blanket, for s mattress pad. Plenty of blankets for the boys... plus their beds.

It’s difficult to forecast the weather, but we’ll be in the mountains between Indian Springs and Alamo and the forecast for Indian Springs is mid 50s day and mid 20s night... Alamo is mid 40s day and low 20s night... the whole area has 50% chance of rain and/or snow for Tue... depending on the elevation. These are all areas that are within 30-90 minutes from home.

So... that’s the best I can tell you... there are other areas, within the sane 30-90 minutes, that go all the way to 13k’... make it a 3-5 hour drive and the diversity (weather and ecological) is astounding!!

 

[handcannon]

Thank you for that "forecast". It sounds like your weather in town was just a bit warmer than what we had here. Elsewhere it was close to here, or sometimes colder, depending on elevation. Right now it has warmed up to the mid to upper 40's during the day and is back to the rain. Not real heavy, but very steady. I'm setting here listening to the rain dripping off the trees and hitting the roof, kind of like an orchestra, varying slightly constantly. When the breeze shakes the trees the "orchestra" increases a bit and then slows down.

Grrr! The computer just decided on it's own to shut down! No power blink, lights didn't even flicker at all. I H8t it when that happens! It takes several minutes for the computer to fully power back up. I lose my train of thought then, especially since I hunt and peck to type.

Oh well, all in a days happenings. Have fun with the boys and 44 on your excursion today.

Don

 

[JohnnyC]

How’s the wheel look from the side? Does/is there gap between it and the column?

I had seen guys run 70 series wheels on their column ...

Yours looks great nice job

 

[Solace in Solitude]

How’s the wheel look from the side? Does/is there gap between it and the column?

I had seen guys run 70 series wheels on their column ...

Yours looks great nice job

Thanks Johnny!!

I think it looks great... not the best pics, but good enough.

Also, I installed a new spinner knob this morning, for today’s trip.

 

[Weber Sarge]

The 80 series wheel is probably the best "upgrade" I've done to mine - much easier on the hands and really not much of an increase in steering effort since the wheel is thicker, so better grip anyway. Had to do the same work with mine on the pins and contact - gap is identical and more than acceptable.

I do recommend using Aerospace 303 at least a few times a year on those wheels - they love to crack the grip on them and the stuff protects it quite well.

Sarge

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Well... We didn't do any camping this week... But, we went out three days in a row and did some pretty rugged hikes on two of the days... Not today. The boys are sleeping soundly at night, as am I.

We also drove much of the DNWR, looking for snow at various elvations and ecosystems... None to be found... At least, none to speak of... There's a scattering of snow on the ridges, above about 8k'.

In fact, our trip today was to Joe May and Black Gate Canyons... It's looked to be snowing up there, at 5k', but I'm no meteorologist it was just damned cold, with a stiff wind out of the NE.

Yesterday was a great day, but with the wind, the chill factor was pretty low... I was layered. But, the windchill kept me from removing layers... So, with the exertion, I sweated a lot and was pretty cold by the time we got back to 44.

Chester and Teddy chased four big jack rabbits yesterday and had great fun... But, Teddy came back with a cactus spine in his left from foot. I got it out and he was limping quite a bit. So, I poured some Hydrogen Peroxide in a paper bowl and stuck his foot in it. That was a trip!

He kept trying to drink it... and we all (probably) know that H2O2 is the first thing to do when you suspect your pet has been poisoned... Two tablespoons of H2O2, to make them vomit, while hurrying them to the vet.

So, Teddy is tenderfooted today... But, is not limping nearly as much as he was.

Pictures... First of all, Teddy had his curls trimmed... Now, he has a bit of a lamb-like look

Chester is still a handsome boy

You can see the poodle in Teddy, when he perches on top of a crag.. Or, anything