New body for the family 55 (1 Viewer)

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Well it's brake decision time. Talked to wilwood on the phone and they need the diameter of the caliper pistons and the rear wheel cylinders. The masters for their pedal assemblies are available in 6-1, 7-1 or 8-1 ratios. I have opted for the 3 masters in a row. Clutch, front, rear. There is a balance bar between the front and rear masters that is threaded and the rod is moved side to side to give infinite proportioning between them. Would somebody know what the brake part sizes are for a 1979 fj55? I would appreciate it thanks. Also, you can see the alternator there. Is it internally regulated? If it has a regulator it will still be attached to the cut up body somewhere like a fender well. I also got the steering hooked up and running it, the power steering is flawless as usual. Heres some pics. I am cleaning things up finally and have the champion aluminum radiator installed. This rad is made for flathead ford trucks that have had a small block chev adapted. The hoses are located very well for the 'Fordcruiser'. Oh and the last two are showing (on a junker wheel) how a period correct ford hubcap fits a stock LC wheel. I may go capless though....

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Well it has been really cold out there in my unheated shop so progress still really slow by my standards. Today I got the front brakes pretty well buttoned up with new rotors, calipers, pads, and seals. Also I have new lines and hoses. I have also recently done a bit of work with the 55s brake and clutch pedal assembly mounted in the ford cowl. Biggest issue really is the ford firewall is SO much narrower. Not much real estate for mounting all the toyota stuff, such as that huge vacuum boster coming straight at the 2f's carb. I'm going non boosted brakes with a ford mustang MC, which also had discs in front, drums in rear and all manual, no booster. I will need to lengthen brake and clutch pedals to attain a 6/1 pedal effoer instead of tnhe current 4/1 for power brakes. That's pretty easy.

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Well I got my second vaccine shot yesterday so I took two days off to recuperate. Actually two days off from my real work. My friend Ron showed up so we got a lot done. I had to narrow the bed with some tubs made from a boat trailer fender I split down the middle filled in with a couple of half moon pieces I cut out of an old gym locker door. I then fabbed up a ladder type affair as an adapt kit to mate the ford bed to my fj
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55 body mounts. (don't want to disrupt the 55 stuff, JIC. This was made from heavy wall rectangular 1x2 tubing on edge and cross pieces on the flat. Nothing about this is gonna keep it from being capable on the freeway or in the dirt. The rear fenders fit better than the original ford half ton with it's small tires. They are from an IHC 3/4 ton. Funny, the box and the fenders came from opposite corners of Washington state, but match quite well.

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Well, time marches on... The front clip has been pulled off now that I know it will work. The roadster looking body has been changed to a 6 1/2' ford pickup box. This will be a pickup with no cab. What old ford guys call a RPU, (roadster pickup) . Factory ford cowl setup still. The pickup bed made me abandon the factory fuel tank for an aluminum one mounted between the frame rails, ... If you need a good one, pm me. I will be using 2 early FJ 40 drivers seats mounted atop a 47 ford seat riser. I have thought and re-thought most of this vehicle for over 25 years. Adapting the parking brake from the 79 fj 55 to this early ford cowl assembly has been a challenge. The ford pickup box is mounted upon the factory toyota frame mounts on the toyota rubber donuts. Dang there is a lot of them. This week I will be fabbing up a bracket that holds a '30 model A ford parking brake lever to the 4 speed toyota tranny. This pawl type lever, all self contained will pull on the cable to set the drum parking brake. This brake assembly has been totally rebuilt and painted, new seal, all toyota parts. Every service brake part is new, not rebuilt. Rotors, calipers, pads, wheel cylinders, master cyl, shoes, hoses and lines, on and on. Once again this is a properly done, fully capable cruiser with 3.73 gears, 33" tires on mini truck wheels, 195,000 well maintained miles with a 47 ford truck body to replace the utterly rotten right up the pillars, floors, roof, fenders, doors etc. You know the rust scene. I have not yet reached 1500.00 on this project and come next weekend I plan to back it out of the shop so I can be working on it in the afternoon sun. I'm 68 next month, still working 40 or so hours a week and enjoying the s*** out of this project, and looking forward to driving interstate 5 at 65 mph,(what just passed us?) like I did for years in this same rig, and at the end of the day crawling up my steep 1/2 mile dirt road with ease.



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So I'm not some big checkbook 'my mechanic says this or that' only I only buy genuine toyota parts , 'flew in from Scottsdale to check the latest barnfind' guy. That's fine with me. I rode shotgun with my boss in his new 1966 Fj 45 LPB when I was 14. I have worked with my hands all my life. I have owned and FIXED 3) fj 45s, 3) fj 55s and 2) fj40s. Now I enjoy the living 'heck' outa my life building some damn well built and I will say, well engineered hillbilly s*** with what I have on hand. It suits me well, but I no longer have any interest in sharing my projects with a bunch of snobs that won't even acknowledge that I could easily sit in my wood heated house ( I also built with my own hands) and watch Jerry Springer after work instead of keeping the family 55 alive and running with the junk I have piled up around here. It seems to me the landcruiser world has 'evolved' from a bunch of blue collar types in the early days to a a group of guys that wear shorts and tennis shoes and turn up their noses at a guy in greasy coveralls. If you respond, I guess you were watching my build.
 
So I'm not some big checkbook 'my mechanic says this or that' only I only buy genuine toyota parts , 'flew in from Scottsdale to check the latest barnfind' guy. That's fine with me. I rode shotgun with my boss in his new 1966 Fj 45 LPB when I was 14. I have worked with my hands all my life. I have owned and FIXED 3) fj 45s, 3) fj 55s and 2) fj40s. Now I enjoy the living 'heck' outa my life building some damn well built and I will say, well engineered hillbilly s*** with what I have on hand. It suits me well, but I no longer have any interest in sharing my projects with a bunch of snobs that won't even acknowledge that I could easily sit in my wood heated house ( I also built with my own hands) and watch Jerry Springer after work instead of keeping the family 55 alive and running with the junk I have piled up around here. It seems to me the landcruiser world has 'evolved' from a bunch of blue collar types in the early days to a a group of guys that wear shorts and tennis shoes and turn up their noses at a guy in greasy coveralls. If you respond, I guess you were watching my build.
I have thoroughly been enjoying this build! Don’t take not a lot of responses as distain. I personally don’t have anything of value to add except I’m excited to see you build it!
 
I am following along as well to see how this turns out. I would like to see you finish it.

The first truck I bought at age 16 was 49 GMC long bed pick up. I have thought often it would be cool to put a Land Cruiser chassis under another one so I could relive that experience. I doubt I ever do it, so I hope to live vicariously through your build. Don’t assume we are all a bunch of snobs. I just don’t have anything to add so far and based of the builds you referenced you are more experienced than. Keep the project going.
 
It's a different world, Gary. You gotta do what makes you happy.
 
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I learned to use what I had available to make stuff work. My Gramps taught me years ago.

Love your build and following along.
 
I am digging this build. I think it is great making things work together that aren't supposed to work together. I am currently figuring out how to mount my flamethrower version 2.0 on my electric bike.
 
Your confidence in your methods and approach is inspiring. It's enjoyable to read, and had given us one more reason to make another visit to Orcas.
 
OK, I am just now looking at the response to my message the other night. I finished the parking brake install and I bet it would have taken me two days straight if I had the time. The '31 model A lever looks just right sticking up between the shifter and the transfer case lever. My wife and my customers are all wondering where I am most of the time. Kinda hard to hide my endeavors from my wife as my open shop is visible from the kitchen window. My woodshop customers will just have to figure it out. I will get a pic of parking brake stuff.
 
Been nice weather here in the Pacific NW. Can't keep away from this thing. I keep wanting to mount the front clip but I still need to do a valve adjustment, manifold gaskets and now it looks like a water pump. Sooo easy with the engine just sitting there in your face, no fenders.. So I work on the body stuff like the rails I dwer in my pencil sketch. I saved some steel stair railing sections from a church choir loft I renovated in Seattle a few years back. Worked out well and then played with some flat blue I mixed up to match the old front clip. Had to add a lot of baking powder to get it flat enough. Sometimes I use cornstarch or talcum powder.

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It’s coming along nicely. How about some pictures of the Woody Wagon hiding the garage?
 
Built that 3-4 years ago from a 47 ford half ton. Recognize those door latches? A woodie parts place wants 450.00 each for originals, but these are better. Vinyl roof material for woodies, 600.00. Epdm pond liner from Firestone instead, good for 50 years, 85.00. Woodie gutters, 525.00, aluminum J black anodized gutters from RV store, 32.00..... Low back VW bug seats in front school bus seat in back for grandkids. I rebuilt the flathead V8 and all mechanicals.

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Pal I don't know how I missed this thread but I'm sure glad I found it. You are living my dream. Your Woody build is a work of art and the Ford body on LC frame is a real treat to watch.
Guys like you aren't as common as they used to be so its great to see somebody still doing this kind of work. Keep it up. Thanks
-Al
 
I do sort of cringe when I see my mean spirited post on this page. Please accept my sincere apology, I can be too quick to judge. I now have the running boards on and we have been driving a bit locally. It is licensed as a collector vehicle as a 1979 toyota landcruiser , body style-truck, color-blue.... Bench seat is a 3rd row seat from my old '86 suburban.

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