New FJ40 Owner - Hello! (1 Viewer)

[DesertDonkey]

Hello! I'm a longtime Toyota fanboy who recently acquired a '76 FJ40. It's been on my wish list for about a decade and I recently won my rig at auction. I'm excited to dive in and start playing with it. I have many, many questions but I’m trying to dig in and read stickies, posts and service manuals before peppering the forum. Any reading or video recommendations are appreciated.

Happy to be here!

-Jeremy

 

[EStein]

Welcome! Photos please!

 

[DesertDonkey]

Welcome! Photos please!

Of course!

 

[EStein]

Excellent! Congratulations. Looks like it’s in great shape. Looking forward to seeing more. What are the main issues if any? when I got mine I bought a Haynes manual and a couple factory service manuals. They are good but to be honest most of my information comes from this website or YouTube. A lot of good stuff out there.

40channel and Otramm on YouTube have put out some good FJ40 how to vids.

 

[DesertDonkey]

Thanks! Currently, it seems the distributor retaining bolt isn’t holding it in place and the timing is a bit off since it moves around a bit. I was able to drive it home, but I’d like to get that dialed in before taking it out too far. It’s been a few years since I messed with an older style ignition - I had to order a timing light

I’m hoping to dig into it this weekend.

 

[Pura Vida]

Ask away. As long as you don’t make an individual thread for every question that is in the FAQ, you can ask anything in this thread, and you will probably get an answer. Mud is the #1 resource for Land Cruiser help and information.

Out of curiosity, what do you plan on using it for? Weekend drives, daily driven, offroad rig, or something else?

 

[firefighterjed]

Welcome!!! FJ40 ownership is a grand adventure.

In addition to a typical set of tool, I strongly recommend ordering a set of JIS screwdrivers. The Phillips style screws on an FJ40 are actually JIS cross head. A typical Phillips driver will cam out and deform the bolt head. JIS cross head locks in tight.

As you purchase replacement parts always consider OEM from Toyota if available. Aftermarket remakes and ebay products are usually deficient in quality to a degree greater than the money you saved by buying it.

Have fun getting to know your rig and learning the type of work your PO did on your rig (Previous Owner). We’ve all got on, and most of them weren’t awesom. .

Again. Welcome!

 

[Pura Vida]

Welcome!!! FJ40 ownership is a grand adventure.

In addition to a typical set of tool, I strongly recommend ordering a set of JIS screwdrivers. The Phillips style screws on an FJ40 are actually JIS cross head. A typical Phillips driver will cam out and deform the bolt head. JIS cross head locks in tight.

As you purchase replacement parts always consider OEM from Toyota if available. Aftermarket remakes and ebay products are usually deficient in quality to a degree greater than the money you saved by buying it.

Have fun getting to know your rig and learning the type of work your PO did on your rig (Previous Owner). We’ve all got on, and most of them weren’t awesom. .

Again. Welcome!

Going along with tools, I recently bought a ton of tools that will tackle most of everything on the cruiser, here is the list I made:

 

[DesertDonkey]

Ask away. As long as you don’t make an individual thread for every question that is in the FAQ, you can ask anything in this thread, and you will probably get an answer. Mud is the #1 resource for Land Cruiser help and information.

Out of curiosity, what do you plan on using it for? Weekend drives, daily driven, offroad rig, or something else?

Thanks! Mostly mountain roads, fire roads, light off roading - just a fun rig to drive around town. Weekend stuff.

 

[DesertDonkey]

Going along with tools, I recently bought a ton of tools that will tackle most of everything on the cruiser, here is the list I made:

View attachment 3235802

Awesome info - thank you both! I had honestly never heard of JIS screwdrivers until now. Kind of blew my mind. It explains so much about stubborn Honda MC carbs!

 

[EStein]

Thanks! Currently, it seems the distributor retaining bolt isn’t holding it in place and the timing is a bit off since it moves around a bit. I was able to drive it home, but I’d like to get that dialed in before taking it out too far. It’s been a few years since I messed with an older style ignition - I had to order a timing light

I’m hoping to dig into it this weekend.

Sounds like fun!

 

[Green Bean]

You will also note that the bolts and nuts should all be JIS (Japanese Industrial Standard) which is a unique form of metric. M8 will have a 12mm head. There should not be any 13 mm bolts or nuts. Your trained eye will learn to spot a 13 mm from 50 feet.

 

[Shark56]

And on the distributor, Make sure it is fully seated when you start adjusting/fixing it. It drives the oil pump.

 

[65swb45]

Bouncing timing is usually NOT the distributor clamp; it’s usually worn main shaft bushings. 47year old distributor? Might want to consider buying a new one. I, along with a few other vendors on this forum sell genuine Nippondenso replacements. Contact info in avatar and sig line.

If you find this information useful, feel free to hit the like button.

 

[bhsdriller]

Nice, welcome to the madness

1976 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ40 - Barrett-Jackson Auction Company - World's Greatest Collector Car Auctions

Sold* at Scottsdale 2023 - Lot #1626 1976 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER FJ40

www.barrett-jackson.com

 

[suzuguru]

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on your auction success! You look like a happy camper in that picture.

 

[FJ40 MNTCRZR]

Welcome and nice 40.

Sorry u didn’t get the proper welcome. —->

 

[Tancruiser]

That's one happy looking camper congrats.

 

[Casey E]

Welcome to Mud, here is a list of cruiser shops/ parts dealers I would recommend after almost 3 decades playing with these Toys. The list below will save you money and headaches, Georg and Curt are a wealth of knowledge and Roger has those hard to find odd parts.

Georg - ValleyHybrids out in California for any of your parts needs. ValleyHybrids – Built to get you Home - https://valleyhybrids.com/

Curt - Cruiser outfitters in Utah. Cruiser Teq | Land Cruiser Specialists Powered by Cruiser Outfitters - https://cruiserteq.com

Roger - CityRacer out in CA, great place for online parts. City Racer LLC - https://www.cityracerllc.com/