Hello all, I am new to the board and need some advice...actually lots! Here is the story, dad is giving his 75 FJ40 to his favorite son...trick is it needs some love. Has stock drum brakes and manual steering (and V8), 2 things he recommended and wanted to do but didn't have the $$. I wanted to get folks advice on converting both. I would like to do it easy but with quality and budget friendly. I don't plan on heavy wheeling but will off-road every now and then. Also, any other mods to keep in mind? Appreciate the help!
New and need advice
- Thread starter CalTucky
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
pssst - he doesn't have a 2F
yes, disk brakes are a good thing to have
yes, disk brakes are a good thing to have
Oops---
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
The best mod I have ever made was 4 wheel disc... The second best would be power steering 
BTW welcome to Mud
BTW welcome to Mud
If I had to make a choice of one right away, I'd say disc brakes ... I'd keep the 6 over a V8 ...
Disk brake conversion for safety is an excellent upgrade. Search the forum and you will find a lot of great info. Power steering is comfort. Strongly depends on tire size of the urgency of the upgrade though. By far an awesome upgrade. The Saginaw upgrade is most popular.
...via IH8MUD app
...via IH8MUD app
Front disk brakes is an easy and worthwhile upgrade.
I use my rig 80% off road and don't have power steering. It would be nice, especially for slow climbs over rocks, but you can get by without it. Just be careful you don'tl break your arm or dislocate your shoulder fighting the wheel.
I use my rig 80% off road and don't have power steering. It would be nice, especially for slow climbs over rocks, but you can get by without it. Just be careful you don'tl break your arm or dislocate your shoulder fighting the wheel.
I was OK keeping my drum brakes on my 1962, you just have to adjust them occasionally and drive with the brakes slightly applied to dry them out of you go through deep water, something everyone use to know to do. But when I decided I needed to replace the axles because of a leak I was very happy to find some 1977 disc axles to swap in and convert to a dual master system. Drums are safe if you know and remember you have them, but disc is clearly a safer choice.
If you decide on PS, I recommend the Saginaw. I have factory PS and it isn't all that great. I might be upgrading to Saginaw in the future. If I had no PS I would definitely choose Saginaw over anything else. Far superior design and function. Also a LC factory PS box is $$$$.
The best mod I have ever made was 4 wheel disc... The second best would be power steering
BTW welcome to Mud
I would rank lockers second best - I got to many places with manual steering where I could not have gone without lockers
