New 1974 FJ40 owner...probably will be asking lots of questions here!

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A

alhutchi

10 Year
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Threads
5
Messages
22
Location
Wilmington, NC
Picked up a 1974 FJ40 today - seems to be very little rust, some filler in a few places but overall solid. The rear sill, and rockers are all metal and look good, and the places I found filler in the rear quarter has solid metal underneath and no indication of welds so I wonder if someone just got overzealous when trying to prep for paint. Underneath all looks great, engine was rebuilt about 1000 miles ago and has a wilwood front disc brake conversion.

First things it needs are a steering rebuild - tie rod ends are shot and will likely need the center arm rebuilt, but engine runs good, clutch feels good (could use some adjustment though), it's definitely got some rattles and a bit of a whine but overall seems like a good buy. Frame looks great, VIN tag still on the drivers side and VIN clearly legible on the frame, but I'm either not seeing or its missing the passenger inner fender tag. Build date is Nov 1974 and looks to have F.5 engine.

Paint is a 10ft job and the body gaps could use some work, but I think it's a good start.

Got a bunch of looks and thumbs up towing it home today with it's younger sibling.

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These are fun rigs to own! I picked up my first FJ40 last year and have really enjoyed driving it AND working on it. I have limited experience as a mechanic, and have to come to realize that the community here on Mud is helping keep a lot these old trucks on the road (including mine!). This forum is full of great information and a lot of great people that love to help fellow enthusiasts!
 
'74 is one of my favourite years: the first real leap into modernity by Toyota but (in NAS form) still had the classic wipers on top of the screen, rear lift gate and nicer looking front turn signals. The lift gate and amber rear indicators make it the most unique NAS 40 out there.

Is yours the 3 or 4 speed? 4 speed was a big plus in '74, but many states still got the 3 speed in '74. California required it as part of CAFE standards, but many of the neighboring states got them as a matter of ease of distribution.

Great first 40. Congratulations.
 
Chamba said:
'74 is one of my favourite years: the first real leap into modernity by Toyota but (in NAS form) still had the classic wipers on top of the screen, rear lift gate and nicer looking front turn signals. The lift gate and amber rear indicators make it the most unique NAS 40 out there.

Is yours the 3 or 4 speed? 4 speed was a big plus in '74, but many states still got the 3 speed in '74. California required it as part of CAFE standards, but many of the neighboring states got them as a matter of ease of distribution.

Great first 40. Congratulations.
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I agree, I didn't necessarily start out looking for a '74 but after looking for a while I definitely favored that year. This one was build November '74 so very late for a 74 model year. This one has a 4-speed and I am pretty confident its a F.5 as it has the oil filter on the passenger side block. This one was sold new in Augusta, GA (far from the beach, and no snow so no salt) and lived there until Wednesday when I picked it up and brought it home. Probably used as a hunting truck in GA for most of its life and relatively rust free.
 
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