My dirty little secret...the Mustard Mistress. - '78 fj40 build

[MAK1]

Hey friends. I'm going to try and document
the progress of my frame off restoration. A little history first…I bought the old girl about 5 years ago. I put a new carb and gas tank on it, and drove it anytime i didn't mind smelling like exhaust fumes and possibly getting stranded. She had a saginaw conversion and front arb locker when I got her. She also had a lot of other secrets...more on that later.

The name. The mustard part is obvious. The second part is probably obvious to many of you. I've had a few classic cars restored over the years. The first was Eleanor: A GT500 Eleanor clone from the movie Gone in 60 Seconds. My wife unaffectionately called her the "other woman." I believe it was around 2005…newly married, baby on the way…ok, so maybe it wasn't the BEST time to tackle that project Sold that car at Barrett Jackson on the backside of the peak around 2008. That was a fun car. My right hand man was only 7. It was a road trip to remember. That kid is 6'3 now…


So, here we are - another mistress taking up my time and attention. And this one has a dark side…

 

[greenbeasty]

Looking forward to your build!

 

[Slapshot]

Welcome to the Land Cruiser addiction! Your Mustang looked amazing. What’s the plan for your 40?

 

[MAK1]

Thanks! The plan is to build a daily driver. The reason I sold my last mustang ('66 fastback) was because I never drove it. Now my job has a short, 10 mile commute each way which is perfect. I'm going slight restomod this time so that I'll drive it more often. LS 5.3, nv4500, 4 wheel discs, vintage air, dakota digital dash, hard top. I knew I wanted to go with nardo grey paint with black accents. In my search for ideas, I stumbled upon sheck44's build from a few years ago. Its almost exactly what I'm after. Very impressed with his work. Mine will not be that nice, but a hard top version of that is close to what I have in mind.

 

[MAK1]

Alright, so a little more about those dirty little secrets:

I think you might agree that the ol' girl looks fairly inviting. Good stance, the diamond plate gives her some attitude, and the black bedliner that covers the entire interior actually looks good. A few little spots here and there, but overall not too bad, right? At least until we remove some of that makeup...

Off with the diamond plate...ouch.

 

[MAK1]

Better see the story on the other side. Have to pull back some of that bed liner. Oh man. Evidently, masking tape and duct tape are all you need to fix rust spots. Just lay the bedliner to it.... It'll be fine.

 

[MAK1]

So basically, she has been around. Rode hard and put up wet. Rear sill is shot. Quarters and front floors need replacing. Wheel wells probably do as well to do it right. The bed is ok but will need work at the sill and a particularly bad area where it meets the mid bed. It rusted all the way through the bed support under it.

I've actually looked hard for a good tub knowing what kind of work is needed. Its doable, but I don't do body work. Finding a tub candidate would be less expensive in the long run. Haven't had any luck so far, so it might be time to start cuttin'.

 

[aging fleet]

I'm expecting the next installment to be about your search for a new tub.

 

[ginmtb]

Is the new company posting here a viable alternative for you? Not sure what your budget or desire to stay original is. And yours is a 78 vs. 79+, so that could impact this. They are doing 20% off for their grand opening sale, might be something to consider? Not sure how much shipping would be, probably offsets the 20% and then some... I don't even have a clue what a 1/2 tub goes for these days...

79-84 Rear 1/2 of Tub Assembly, for FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser

79-84 Rear 1/2 of Tub Assembly, for FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser

tpautoparts.com

 

[MAK1]

I hear you ginmtb. I've thought about it. I don't know. I guess I thought an original clean tub was a better alternative in terms of fitment and originality. I've purchased all the replacement metal, but I'm still on the fence. Maybe I should do a poll on ih8mud... option 1. Replace with real steelbody parts. 2. Find an original tub. 3. Give the new old company @topnault a try.

 

[wimberosa]

thats a ton of replacement work and you are saving the cowl only. I personally would have a hard time starting with that. I needed some structurally sound elements to start off with so I could build off of and get some level of fitment consistency. More experienced body folk can make anything. I'm not sure what your time and expertise allows here.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

Looking forward to your build!

Me too!!!!

This is the fun stuff!!

 

[MAK1]

Well, @aging fleet hit the nail on the head in his post. It's been all about the tub since that message. I have some options in front of me. What do you guys think?

I plan on this being a nice rig. It's not going to be original. I will daily drive it on nice days. If you were in the market for a nice restomod FJ40, what would you rather have as the starting point for the build?

OPTION 1 (Original tub): Source an original tub. Keeps the body all OEM, but it's still metal that could keep rusting...particularly considering the repairs needed on repair my doors, top, etc.

OPTION 2 (Aqualu): Definitely not original but brings the advantage of aluminum. Some of these rigs do sell well in the market.

OPTION 3 (Topnault): Get a complete pre-79 body which should be available april/may. Again, not OEM but closer to original. Big advantage being 100% new metal with no rust.

The costs of all three are fairly close in the end. Believe it or not, Topnault could actually be slightly less expensive with the sale of OEM parts that aren't used.

Thanks for your input!

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

OPTION 4 (If you are up for a challenge) Fix the tub you have. You obviousally would have to buy some new sheetmetal but there is still some good metal in that tub. This option is not for the faint at heart or those looking for an easy way.. but i'm just saying it IS an option

REAL STEEL CRUISER PARTS | eBay Stores

Real Steel Cruiser Parts manufactures replacement body parts for the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. These are not fiberglass or aluminum parts but real steel parts that replicate factory originals. They are die stamped and hand finished. These Landcruiser parts fit FJ40 Cruisers from 1958 to 1984.

www.ebay.com

 

[MAK1]

You are 100% right. That absolutely is an option. Real Steel has some good stuff, too. That would be my preferred route if I had more time to do the work myself. One day I would like to tackle something like that. I think it would be very rewarding.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

OPTION 4 (If you are up for a challenge) Fix the tub you have. You obviousally would have to buy some new sheetmetal but there is still some good metal in that tub. This option is not for the faint at heart or those looking for an easy way.. but i'm just saying it IS an option

You are 100% right. That absolutely is an option. Real Steel has some good stuff, too. That would be my preferred route if I had more time to do the work myself. One day I would like to tackle something like that. I think it would be very rewarding.

Yeah, I didn't want to say that at first, but I would totally want to tackle that. It is so satisfying to bring something that far gone back to life!!

Where in East Tenn are you. I'm in Atlanta right down the road. I'll be in your neck of the woods this summer at GSMTR

GSMTR 2023

stlca.org

 

[MAK1]

I'm about an hour east of knoxville. Not too far from where you'll be for that event.

 

[70fj40]

I like option 3

 

[sogncab]

I'm going slight restomod this time so that I'll drive it more often. LS 5.3, nv4500, 4 wheel discs, vintage air, dakota digital dash, hard top.

Just my opinion.

I have a diesel swap. I think if I were to do it again, I'd explore using 1FZ engine, and run the H55 and split case combo. The nv4500 is a better transmission in my opinion though. I don't know about transfer case options in a 40. The reader prop shaft is already obnoxiously short. Since your tub is likely toast at the rear, moving the wheel arches back will make it drive better, and give you a longer driveshaft.

Disc in the rear is a waste with the wheelbase so short. I did newer style drums with the intent of getting a parking brake back. (I still need cables)
It would've been more cost and time efficient had I just sourced a new complete full float axle housing from a 70 series

 

[wimberosa]

I think there is a different calculus depending on various human, time, money and material inputs. I almost wish it were outlined as
a graph. I'm just going to point out some of the theoretical graph intersections. 1) if you want it on a near term
timeline then I'd go with a pre-fab'd tub. 2) If you are on a mission to learn or refine a skill for long term use .... I'd go with patch
welding it yourself. 3) If you are starting with much hazard on the tub making (2) a very difficult process then I'd go with pre-fab'd tub.

One can only say what their personal calculus is/was. I personally did not understand my desired timeline beforehand....nor even my "perfection/good" outcome.
I also did not understand the quality of what I was starting with versus what I "could" be dealing with... So I bought a fab'd tub from teseven.
I subsequently realized....I wanted to learn welding because of a different need and I didn't want to throw an old tub away that I thought
I could salvage. Having now learned welding and been thru the sheet metal portion of the refurb....I can definitely say it was a PITA
for me....but I learned some stuff. My desired outcome became a more stock look that was good but not perfect... My mantra has been
"perfect is the enemy of good"

I look at your tub and think "...man thats a tough tub to start out with with MY desired outcome and starting skill level".. But again that is merely MY
calculus. I think all inputs here are valid but they are just dependent on opinions, experience, and desires. Your mileage will be
different. Probably getting us all in a room over beers and ruminating about these options for several hours would be best.