Builds My Build, So far......

[bbalbano]

congrats on the little one!

How hard is removing all the controls and stuff from the cowl to remove the body?

how did you lift it off? I don't have a cherry picker but want to pull mine off--i might rent one
nice color, what kind of paint did you use? I assume you sprayed it?

Nice load of pics good job

or job, just take your time, double and tripple check to make sure all of your wiring, e-brake, clutch, brake lines etc are disconnected. I had 3 guys come over and help lift it. When I restored an old cj-7 I rented a cherry picker, I dont recommend it, having the guys over made my life alot easier. I went with the factory toyota beige, single stage PPG. I was really worried about how the paint was going to turn out, I would definitly recommend giving it a try its a skill that I will take with me for all future restorations.

Thanks
Brian

 

[Magnum44]

Hey bbalbano, nice tractor. I have one also. It's a 4x4 S-370D Beaver. I tore the engine apart to find the #1 piston cracked. From what I've been told it's a common problem. I was quoted about $1,000 just for bearings, rings and pistons + gasket set. I put the tractor back together because a good friend of mine wants it so I may just sell it to him and get something more common. I do have a few other tractors as well but older and American that I will put my efforts into. It's a nice little tractor though. the Landcruiser comes first though, before the tractors. BTW, the Landcruiser is looking good too.

 

[bbalbano]

Been a long time

My fj40 has been lonely for a while now. I had to relocate my family to Orlando, FL. I just got through with the fire academy, and I finally turned a wrench on her yesterday after months of sitting.

Here are some of the updated pics of my progress. Alot of small parts ordered and installed. I decided to deviate from stock with my roll bar, turn signals and a few other parts.

 

[bbalbano]

Alot of small parts ordered..

Ive got more pics but it would take forever to pos them all, real happy with the galvenized gas tank from ccot. Most of the parts were toyota parts. Until I get on with a local fire department and start getting paychecks the project is going to be going slow. She is running now and doesnt need much to be driveable.

Thanks for looking.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Welcome back it seems its the little things that add up $ I tell everyone it costs me 100 bucks every time I look at my cruiser. Looks to good to rush a finish now good luck in the job hunt

 

[cleanpool2]

glad you are back doing what you enjoy
She is looking real nice, Brian.
Debbie

 

[bbalbano]

I keep buying all these stainless/8/10 grade bolts at .50 to 1.25 a pop and its killing me. Im waiting and doing it slow so I dont rush the rebuild and regret it later, although I did take her for a spin around the block today for the 1st time in over a year. Man did that feel good.

Welcome back it seems its the little things that add up $ I tell everyone it costs me 100 bucks every time I look at my cruiser. Looks to good to rush a finish now good luck in the job hunt

I sure miss the mountains of Boone but im glad I moved the family back to FL so they would see their grandparents more often. Im going to post a video of me cruising around the block sometime this week. I have to buy new guages so I hate driving it without a temp and oil pressure guage. I figure once around the block couldnt hurt.

glad you are back doing what you enjoy
She is looking real nice, Brian.
Debbie

 

[bbalbano]

Wiring sucks

After reading a bunch of threads Ive decided to go through the entire harness once more to make sure things are done right. The worst part is that I cant find an exact wiring diagram, most of the wires match the diagrams pretty close, but there are definitly some differences. I also cleaned up the dash switches and had my wife paint them.

(The links went bad and I dont know how to fix them, so no pics)

 

[marks69cruiser]

looks good man! About the wiring why dont you get a new painless harness? I am stoked with mine. Even with the new harness wiring still sucks! good luck! Mark

 

[alkarich]

Looking good! Your wife did a great job with the switches! What did she use? I've heard some guys use a crayon to get the white back. But yours look excellent and would like to do the same with my mine. Thanks and keep up the good work. Also if it is not too late congrats on the little one. Alan

 

[SBFJ60FIG]

Brian...sorry to hear about your motor issue. If things work out I hope the 3FE finds a good home under your truck's hood! Keep the faith man...she'll be burning fuel again soon!

 

[bbalbano]

Update

I will try to sum all this up in a few posts.

I was on my maiden voyage after getting the 40 in good driving condition. I didnt realize I was driving way to fast for the 40 to handle and ended up with a spun bearing.



And this is how the 40 looked when it happened:

 

[bbalbano]

The good news is that I found a completely rebuilt motor locally. I will be installing it this motor over this week.

 

[bbalbano]

I also got a new powdercoating system, and a sandblasting cabinet. So Ive been doing alot of dressing up. Pretty much all of the small parts under the hood have been sandblasted and powdercoated, and I decided to add a little contrast with some black wrinkle on a few exterior parts. You can also see the gear reduction starter I added, man what a difference, I would recommend the upgrade. The motor install went great, it feels great to finally get her on the road again.