Builds My 40 build (1 Viewer)

[Rusty 72]

I'm thinking you need to show the wife pics of really tricked out FJ40's that SHE would be proud to own- - -also show her what tricked-out FJ40's are selling for- - -get your PR skills going here dude.

My wifes idea of an automobile. It runs, heater and a/c works, gets her where she wants to go and back home. She is just as happy in a Yugo as a Ferrari. Very lucky that shes frugal and keeps me under control at times. I would have a huge shop and all the shinny tools that I could get if she was not in control of the money. Hate to admit it but that is probably the best decision I have ever made.

An economical way to get back on the road idea decent running F or 2 F. They can be had for around $500. Might not be the shiny new rebuild but you'd be on the road and not sleeping in the doghouse.

I did look at a an ad for a 2F in Texas. Was very tempting but I decided to get the F rebuilt instead.

 

[Rusty 72]

You can do it man, get it back on the road! Everything else is gravy.

Thanks for the encouraging words. I have lots to do and it should not cost too much money for a while.

 

[Rusty 72]

Changed the tube crossmember to the later 4 speed version. Now to get it blasted and put some paint on it.

 

[Rusty 72]

Firewall blasted and ready for paint. Trying Summit Racing paints. Using single stage Coastal Blue. If that color looks bad I will probably squirt some Dupont original green on it.

 

[Rusty 72]

Cam arrived from Delta Cams. Looks like new. Got the 859 kc grind. Finally have everything to start the engine rebuild. Block and head will be surfaced to increase compression. Head will have mild porting done. Bore is .020 over, crank is .010. Assembly will be balanced. New Trollhole Carb and dist. Using 3FE exhaust manifolds. I am glad my wife has no idea how much this engine is costing.

Got the coastal blue from Summit. Will need to mix either white or black with it. Not my color.

 

[Rusty 72]

Just ordered more paint from Summit. Pacific blue which is darker and black. Will mix up a batch and see how it looks.

 

[Rusty 72]

Primed the firewall. Waiting for my custom color. Will try mixing coastal blue, Pacific blue and black to get a color I like.

 

[igotta40]

Wow that's gotta be a record! I've had mine 36 years, three restoration/rebuilds. The shortest was 7 months, the longest was 10 years.

My advice.... Life is very short, get it done! A good friend of mine died before finishing his. He bought it in 1982, drove it once and took it apart. His son has it now, still in pieces. I offer to help, but apparently that apple didn't fall far from the tree...

 

[Rusty 72]

Mixed my paint this morning.............Thinking a bit of white mixed with it might be good.

 

[Rusty 72]

Got a package of bolts in the mail yesterday. It's amazing I have lost most of the bolts over the last few decades

 

[tweek99]

Here are a couple of the 40's I bought. View attachment 1413733



View attachment 1413732

View attachment 1413734

The "complete" one looks how mine started. I'm getting ready to shoot color on the tub today. Hopefully you are thoroughly motivated

 

[tweek99]

Have not had much time to do anything to the 40. Have been working 16 hours a day this week and maybe next week. Did call about getting the frame coated, they go by weight and it falls under the shop minimum of $258. Bad thing is it needs to be split apart to get to all surfaces. I really do not want to remove all the rivets. Looks like I will do maybe a sandblast and some chassis paint instead. Motor is at the rebuilders getting torn down. Bought a 4 speed conversion. Now to change the tube cross member for ebrake clearance. Will be removing the bottom leaf spring and maybe another one. Will be trying to get a little better ride with rancho springs if possible. Still need to get shocks. Probably will pick some rancho shocks up since they have a rebate. Probably not the best but it good enough for my piece of junk. Wanted to have it running by memorial weekend but that is not going to happen. I am now wanting to have it running and driving by July 4th. Will need to decide on what color I want to paint it. Hard to pick out a color. Bib, hood and windshield are white, doors are beige, top sides are rustic green, tub is light blue and fenders are NOS black, well those are the original colors. Will need to paint the firewall before I set the tub on the frame. Decisions, decisions, decisions............................

When I hot dipped mine I fixed all problems, thoroughly sandblasted it and took it in. They rinsed it in a caustic bath to remove oils, paints etc. Then it was dipped in an acid bath. After that it was rinsed. Then into the zinc tank. It's molten so it will get in most everything. If the space is too tight it will likely be sealed anyway. It cost me $107. They said it would have been cheaper but it didn't weigh enough.

 

[Rusty 72]

The "complete" one looks how mine started. I'm getting ready to shoot color on the tub today. Hopefully you are thoroughly motivated

The complete one came from Chicago and had a snow plow on it at some point in its life. Salt destroyed the frame and body. I bought it from a guy in the military and he was still driving it. The frame was so bad I was afraid to tie it down real tight on the trailer because I thought I might pull it into.

Good luck with the painting. Don't know how motivated I am anymore. Got to make some hard decisions soon, when and where to retire. Those decisions will determine if we keep the 40 or sell it.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

My wife is frugal... she is also an A to B type of car person.... she has a Prius V (and before that it was a Prius C) and ironically a 1988 Chevy Suburban... I have a 1993 Cruiser (before that a Lexus IS300 that she pretty much refused to drive).... if you take away the gas mileage numbers, she couldn't care less which vehicle we take.

Her mindset changes when we are in the 40.

It costs us money to fix/replace (I've been doing my own "restoration" on our rusty 1970 for 4+ years) but there's total leeway when money has to be spent on it.

Get it running and take her for a drive!

 

[Rusty 72]

My wife is frugal... she is also an A to B type of car person.... she has a Prius V (and before that it was a Prius C) and ironically a 1988 Chevy Suburban... I have a 1993 Cruiser (before that a Lexus IS300 that she pretty much refused to drive).... if you take away the gas mileage numbers, she couldn't care less which vehicle we take.

Her mindset changes when we are in the 40.

It costs us money to fix/replace (I've been doing my own "restoration" on our rusty 1970 for 4+ years) but there's total leeway when money has to be spent on it.

Get it running and take her for a drive!

Your wife is more car orientated than my wife. So far she could care less about what she drives. Now if I would make the 40 a flower bed she would be interested.

 

[Rusty 72]

Sprayed the firewall this morning. Using Summit paint. My very first time using it. Lots of orange peel. Used the mid-temp activator. I am not much for sanding so it will take a bit of practice to get it smooth. Might get some high-temp activator next and put the paint on a hotplate before spraying.

Color is ok. Price for the primer and paint is very good. I will use it for the 40 but if I was painting something that I wanted to be glass smooth I will be using Dupont or PPG products. it's actually darker than what my phone shows.

 

[Rusty 72]

I also painted my homemade 3pt pallet fork frame at the same time. This is closer to the actual color.

 

[Rusty 72]

Sprayed the frame with Magnet Paint chassis saver satin black paint. Looks ok. Now for assembly.

 

[Rusty 72]

My wife and I have been presented an opportunity to retire early in Europe. It's still a few years away but not that far away. Now for the 40. Will be a very slim chance I can take it. What do I do with it?????

1) sell as is. Will not get close to what I have in it even if it would sell.

2) part it out. Not really interested in trying to sell it one piece at a time. Still will lose a bunch of money.

3) fix it then sell. Probably will not get done.

4) would it be worth the hassle to take it with us? It would need to be finished. Not likely to happen.

5) easy way out, send it to scrap and lose a huge amount of money.

6) ?????

 

[fyton2v]

It took me a little over 12 years to get my 40 back on the road. That's nowhere near your timeline, but it feels pretty good to drive it around after so much time. I vote "fix it". You won't be left with the regret. I hear regret is worse in Europe.