Need some advice

[Romanski]

Hi Fellas,

I really need some of your expert advice. After a recent incident I've had a hard time deciding whether to keep or sell my 40. I bought my FJ40 from a friend eight months ago and totally love the truck. I fixed the body, painted, put new seats, POR-15'd everything I could get to, did basic tune up, rims and tires. Last week we went to the Rubicon and I snapped the rear pinion and needed the FJ40 to be towed out. One of the guys that towed the 40 was a really nice guy and a great mechanic so I had the truck towed to his place for repair. Before the trip I put 35x14.5x15 Super Swampers which were probably too much for what turned out to be stock, coarse spline 4.11 gears.
I got a call back from Zack(the mechanic that helped me out with getting the 40 out) yesterday and he gave me the bill for repairs and replacements of the parts. He spec'd out (per my request) the best and toughest gear for the 40 (Longfield birfields, axles, heavy duty 4.88 gears, bearing hubs). With a grand total for parts and labor of $4,200+tax . I'll also need the electrical cleaned up cause it's such a mess and so old ($600), a ladder bar $600 and new tires that are not so wide.
Anyhow I don't know what to do. I either wait and save my money to get everything done right all at once or in stages, sell the 40, or keep it and invest $6k(after buying it for $10k eight months ago). Like I said, I love the truck but that's a lot of $$$$. The drive-line and electrical clean up is all that's needed everything else has been upgraded (dual tanks, spring over, lockers front rear, power steering, rebuilt I6, paint, body).
So what would you do? What do you recommend? Is it worth the investment? Just need some advice.

Here is a list of repair/replacement parts. I don't remember the manufacturer's name of some of the gear mentioned.
Starter (old one dead)
Points and coil (old dead)
Ring and pinion (Longfield) 4.88s (from 4.11) f/r
Master overhaul kit f/r
ARB o-rings f/r
Fine spine flanges f/r
New axel seals and knuckle rebuilt f/r
Longfields Birfields f
Heavy duty front axles Longfields
Hub gears for oversized axels f/r
Grind out axle housing to fit bigger axles f

We plan on using the 40 not keeping it in the garage and waxing it once a week (been there done that with a car the 40 replaced).

 

[Fast Eddy]

Beautiful rig!

You could just replace the pinion with a fine-spline pinion and get it back on the road. With that and an anti-wrap bar, you'd be good enough for another shot at Rubicon to find the next weakest part. It's probably the transfer case housing though. Have you got a t-case saver on there?

All that other stuff would sure be nice. You could do it yourself and save a boat-load of $$. The longfield 30-spline super set is about $700 with the hub gears. The grinding is not that hard. The rebuild is messy, but not hard either. I'm not sure that I'd get 4:88s before I got an Orion t-case.

 

[missipboy]

wow, that's a sweet looking rig. i definitely wouldn't sell it after all that work you've done to it. there's no need to drop that kind of coin on it just because you boke something. you can get a set of later thirds, axles and hubs from the classifieds. i think mini-truck birfs are stronger and can be had for alot cheaper than you are talking spending.

keep it. lots of people run 35's with stock birfs and no problems.

 

[Colorado Boy-74-FJ40]

X2 on doing it yourself. That labor really adds up!. You can get a lot of help here on the forum and there is probably some Mudders close to you who would work for beer and steaks. Beautiful rig BTW

 

[Romanski]

Eddy - I don't know what a transfer case saver looks like. I wish I could but I just don't have the space, tools or experience to do this work myself.

Thanks missipboy.. really appreciate your input!

I had the family with me (5 year old and wife). Neither had been off road or camping or as far away as we were so having a broken truck in the middle of no where was a bit of a bummer (wife was very cool though eventhough I know she was worried). I just don't want to take that chance again of getting them stuck somewhere if I know I could have prevented it (you know what I mean?). Maybe next time there may not be any help around and knowing that I could have prevented the stuck by getting an expert put in the right parts correctly would kill me.

Ohh and when the pinion broke, something happened to the electrical so the truck was completely dead on Cadillac Hill.

 

[Romanski]

the cost of labor.

$750 front axle

$450 rear axle

$600 for wiring, I can do this

$600 for 4-point ladder bar

current bill is for $450 (new starter, new coil, new points 4.88 rear end and pinion)

Currently the truck is ready to roll. Just need to decide whether to make the 2 hour drive to pick it up and bring it back or leave it there to do all this work. What to do?!

Thank you very much Colorado... this has been a great forum and I got a lot of info and help here from many members!

 

[FJ40 MNTCRZR]

Put the $$ into it, do it right .. and if you can't pay the bill, i will buy it off you for 4k..


Nice ride, and worth keeping in my world ...

 

[Nomis]

- Keep it
- Do things in stages starting with the most critical items

 

[diggity]

KEEP IT! no way I would get rid of something that clean.

- start looking for used fine spline on here and elsewhere.
- do the work yourself and/or with friends.
- drive it
- start looking for the other parts
- get them used or otherwise
- do the labor yourself
- keep great looking 40
-

Just my .02

Brad

 

[nspctr1]

Not sure where your located but contact your local group and see if they have a wrench day where a bunch of members get together on a weekend and work on each others rigs. We do that here in San Antonio and it works great for everyone. You can always bribe with beer, steaks etc but either way, if you get the chance to get your hands on the rig you know what to look for and possibly how to repair it the next time. I would definitely not sell it. Do what it takes to make it roadworthy and get it back home and do the work in stages as mentioned. It's cheaper and you learn alot about your rig in the meantime..

 

[bsmith123]

swap

you could swap in used OEM parts and get them cheap and keep your beautiful ride and upgrade it as you can.

Or maybe really having sunk money into it already you are finding it hard to decide because you love it but keep sinking money into it and now it would be hard to get your money back out of it.

Or are secretly longing for a new project!


Hey wait a minute----you dont like Jeeps do you? ha ha!

Despite the work I think you could sell it for a decent price ---it's a nice ride!

 

[Romanski]

thank you fellas, I REALLY appreciate your input and advice (which I will follow). i love the FJ40, my family loves it, heck everyone loves it. i've only bonded with a couple of cars in my life and the 40 is one of them. i hope i didn't come off like I was whining, i just needed advice from people who've been around these trucks more than I have and know more about them.

We plan on doing Rubicon a few times next year, maybe a trip to MOAB, and just some camping trips along fire trails which are closer than the fore mentioned.

i was given an option to pay for the upgrades in stages so that's what I'll do. I'm sure I can take care of the electronics and traction/ladder bar with the all the info on Mud.


Thanks again,
Roman

 

[jimhendrixx]

Roman, you are right, this type of vehicle-man bond is a weird thing. Do the work yourself and enjoy your rig. Save a buck and use the extra $ for beer.

Peace out brother,

 

[bsmith123]

40 Blues

Yeah right on! You'd have a bad case of the 40 Blues if you sold your Blue 40---there's a country song there somewhere!


Just looking at it anyone can see the care and attention you put into it

When you get it fixed I'd love to see the whole story in ROTW

One reason I sold my Harley was I can get the whole family involved with the FJ-priceless

 

[Romanski]

and peace be with you brother Jim.

bsmith - i'll definitely do a story once it's done.

i work part-time with making vacuum molded plastic, carbon fiber, and kevlar (aerodynamic parts for race cars). So when the major stuff is taken care of I plan on making some cool stuff for the 40 that i have not seen on a 40 before. Ofcourse if anyone likes what I make, I'll do a full 'how to' write up; stay tuned...

How the breakage happened.

We started Rubicon on the Lake Tahoe side. The 40 was in front with my buddy at the wheel with my son Jr.(well I call him that he's actually David) and we're behind him in the FJ Cruiser full packed with everyones gear. The plan was to get the FJ Cruiser down Cadillac Hill and park it at the Dirty Dozen where our friends already came in the night before in my buddies 72 Bronco and then go play with the 40 and the Bronco. We were moving really well, go down Cadillac and just after the last hairpin turn the 40 (about 30 yards ahead) comes to a complete stop. We get within 10 yards behind the 40. I hear my buddy give a bit of gas(the 40 has an SM420 tranny and he's crawling in 4L), no tire spin, no drama, no nothing and SNAP! I see a piece of the pinion fall to the ground and the drive shaft drops. Turned out there was a small tree stump logged against the front of front axle(he thought there was rock or rut). It was a pretty dark, heavy wooded area and the stump was about 8" on the inside of the passenger front tire. If the 40 was that much to the left it would have climbed right over. After inspecting the damage we tried to drive it in front wheel drive but the rear was locked up. We managed to pull it up the hill with the FJ Cruiser(it would only go backwards) and get it off the trail so other rigs could get by. We spent most weekend working on the 40, removed the pinion and had it free spinning with just FWD. Then the electrical went out and then the Bronco broke down with the similar electrical problems. Otherwise it was a great weekend When we finally got to the staging area after the trip, wife said she will never go again and won't let me take Jr either. Next few days we remembered the trip and laughed and joked about it. She is willing to go again but she wanted me to promise that this breakage would not happen again. I said "can't do that, but I am willing to get the strongest &*^)# parts to make it less likely to happen(she's good with that)... There it is.

 

[schlaker]

Its too bad this happened on you're first trip out on the Rubicon with the wife and son, since first wheeling impressions can last a while. But without a ladder bar on a SOA rig, it was bound to happen sooner rather than later.

I'm not sure if I read it correctly, but did you already have the 4.88s installed? That is an expensive swap. You have a beautiful and very capable and well modified cruiser for the Rubicon and definitely should keep it. I would have found another used fine or course splined third, most likely from the classified section, and swapped it out. (direct bolt in, your son could do it!) Then I would install a trac/ladder bar and your truck is ready for another run at the Con.

Best advice I can give is do the work yourself! It is not hard, lets you know your truck, and gain experience that you will want if somthin happens on the trail again. Rely on this site for good info, and continue building up the truck gradually as you break stuff or decide you want to sink money into it. I've been telling myself its time to upgrade to fine spline 3rds and longfields for years, but with 37" x 13.5" Baja Claws, I've yet to break a birfield or a pinion in more than 20 Rubicon runs. (knock on wood). The nice part about keeping the 4.11 thirds is that they are plentiful and cheap and you already have low gears with the SM420.

Its always good to wheel with other cruisers both for the spare parts and the knowledge.
Sounds like you arn't too far away. I'm in the Bay Area, feel free to PM me with any specific questions. You might want to take a couple runs with some cruiserheads, build confidence in your truck, and learn its limitations. Then take out the wife and kids. No reason to dump to much into your truck all at once. Unless you are made of money!

 

[Romanski]

thanks for the advice schlaker, i may take you up on your offer. ofcourse i'll have beer and bbq ready the previous owner nor i knew what gears where in there. the PO had someone do $2600 worth of work which included the SOA, steering upgrade, and should have included all the fine spline and longfields in both axles. the guy who was a 'cruiserhead' didn't really do what he promised so at this point it's necessary to go into the drivetrain to see what has actually been upgraded and what hasn't.

i hear what everyone is saying about doing the work myself and saving $$$. I plan to do the electrical and the ladder bar. How difficult is it to do the front axle? I guess as long as the rear works and i screw up the front and it breaks, i can still move along with the rear end and locker

the gears that were in the 40 during the stuck were stock, coarse spline 4.11. Tires used SS TSLs 35x14.5x15 on alloy rims (they're heavy).

 

[schlaker]

You wont have any trouble doing the front axle its probably easier then the electrical work... just messy!

Just wondering why you feel you need to overhaul the front axle and upgrade all the running gear? The reason you broke a pinion is because you didn't have a ladder bar with a SOA. Just wondering if one badly timed, yet totally forseeable breakage is causing you to get a carried away and thow money at an otherwise pretty stout rig.

Don't be in too big a rush, learn more about your truck first. It's a land cruiser after all - no reason you cant run 35's on stock axles. Again, unless money is no issue. Then spend away!

.

 

[Romanski]

i hear Ya and no, i'm not made of money. Goal is to get it ready for next spring, so I'm not exactly in a rushing. i guess i need to get it back, look at what may be of concern and ask the experts on MUD. i think i've mellowed out after getting everyone's feelings on the thing.

 

[Romanski]

well I decided to live the American Dream... CREDIT!

The rear end is back together with 4.88 Yukon gears, while retaining the stock axles. The ARB rear locker was rebuilt with new parts.

For the front the parts are in but not installed (will need to save up for that work).

Parts: Longfield 4043 chromoly oversized fine spline axles and birfields, Yukon 4.88s, Assini hubs, bearings for oversized axles, new dust covers and misc. parts.

This will take care of the drive train. I drove the FJ with the 4.88 in the rear and it is amazing at how much better it drives. I will do the traction bar and electronics myself. Is it difficult to weld to the axle housing? Will a 110 Lincoln welder be able to do it or do I need to take the truck to a welder?