Builds My new '79 FJ40 build thread

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Rear heater pipes from @3_puppies
arrived in the mail today. Thanks!

I can finally hook up my late model center console heater.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

While waiting for parts to arrive and wheel paint to dry.

I dove into another project...

I'm tired of always hunching over while driving to see under the sun visors and rearview mirror so I got a rear camera mirror and flipped the visor around.

Made a bracket for it

Then modified and shortened the arm.
Nailed it to a block of wood then used an adjustable wrench for leverage to pop the arm off of the mount ball.

End result

I still need to paint the mount.
Maybe tomorrow.

I would have made the mirror mount higher up but there's a forward facing camera on it. Figured I might need that view in the event of an accident on something.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

In case anyone wants to make one of these mounting plates for a non-stock rearview.

I used a piece of 2 1/2" stock and a n auto parts store mirror puck.

The two windshield frame mounting holes were drilled out to 5mm along with the hole in the puck.

The puck was hit with a tapered bit until the screw head fit.

The hole in the mount that the puck screw threads into was drilled to 4.5mm and tapped with an M5 x .80

The screw is an M5 x .80 x 16mm

I left the bracket tall above the window frame to help retain the wires & the screw is longer to add a piece on tubing to act as an isolator like the stock mirror isolator

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Rims painted. Sanded and primed with Rusteoleum self etching primer, then filler primer.
The back sides were sprayed with Rusteoleum Satin Black then the fronts with Massey Ferguson Gray.

Fillable primer is quite a bit lighter than the self etching and close to the stock color as shown here

Waiting for paint to dry then wet sand and polish

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Back to the bent and cracked stock seat bracket issue...

Here is a fix that was done on a 1980 that @whitey45 has for sale in the classified section.

It looks like the bent/cracked formed stamped metal bracket was replaced with a vertical plate bolted to the seat base.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Wet sanded and resprayed the wheels as I didn't like how they looked after my first spray.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Got some new shoes today

Movin' up in the world...
33" KM3s mounted and balanced

&

my fog light harness from @Coolerman arrived.
It's a thing of beauty and allows the fogs to only come on with the low beams.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Scored some smittybilt contour seats for $100 over the weekend. They were sun faded and needed a good cleaning.

I sprayed them with some dupli-color medium gray vinyl dye. Here is the only shot I got mid spray.

I used 2 cans. 1 for each seat.


They turned out pretty good, good enough for a driver 40.

I'll try these out for awhile while I sort out repairing the stock seat brackets.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Got my seats mounted up to some powder coated seat sliders that I got from @Wadesters years ago.

Anyone wanting to bolt up flat bottom seats to the stock sliders... you need at least a 3/8" spacer to allow room for the seat slider lever arm contraption.
Use grade 8 bolts and hardware.

These seat have holes at the appropriate spacing for late model 40 sliders and 60 sliders but there are no captive nuts in the holes.

M8 x 1.25 x 25mm long grade 8 bolts & M8 washers from the Home Depot, M8 Torque Loc nuts from Autozone and 3/8" spacers from Ace Hardware required.

The seat color is actually pretty good in person, in this photo all the colors are a bit off

 

[Wadesters]

Glad the seat sliders are working for you. Of course now I need a set of sliders

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Glad the seat sliders are working for you. Of course now I need a set of sliders

I actually forgot that I had them. It was like Christmas opening the box....
Front axle bearings, seals, stock carb rebuild kits, 15600-41010 oil filters & powder coated sliders.

I have the sliders I pulled off if you need them. Plus two other passenger seat sliders. Unfortunately, the driver side was chopped and piece of angle iron was welded on by a PO

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

I searched on Mud but couldn't find the correct floor pan drain plug part.

Do any of you guys know?

 

[OlYellr]

I believe that is 90950-01038 or 90950-01133 depending location

Edit: adding image...

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Thanks @Ol Yeller
I think it 90950-01133 for the open hole in my floor pan

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

So I installed the Smittybilt seats with the stock sliders, with the lever lock attachment on the outboard sides by the doors... the way they were on my 40.

The inboard slider forward mounting hole is now 3/8" to 1/2" higher than the threaded seat boss on the tub.
I think the stock seat bottom pan had some variance to it. So I swapped seats and put the stock passenger seat in the driver position and the slider bolt holes align with the tub holes.

I repeated this by putting the replacement Smittybilt seat with the passenger rails mounted and it, in the driver side and it lines up too.

It's got me thinking maybe a PO but the rails on the opposite sides when they recovered the seats.

Can any of you with late model 40's share pics of you seat slider rails, specifically the release lever?

This is the driver seat with the lever on the outboard side by the door.

 

[OlYellr]

I have similar seats in mine - will go get some picts of my setup shortly

 

[Wadesters]

Don’t the smitty built seats have their own custom sliders?

 

[OlYellr]

Mine (1980 uses the original sliders).

Not really going to take seat ...out but lever is on outboard side…

Driver seat….

Lever…

 

[RevISK]

Mine is like Bryan’s . Thingy on the outside on both sides.

I adapted my oe sliders to my Procar90’s.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Awesome! Thanks guys.

I ended up adding 4 washers between the seat and slider with a longer bolt on the inboard sides. (30mm)

Actually 2 washers on top and bottom of the 3/8" spacer. Makes it 5/8" now on inboard rail and seat fits. Slider with the lever is on the outside rail.

Seems to have leveled it out too.