New FJ40 owner with questions

[Cornell89]

Yesterday I bought a 1973 FJ40. The chassis number is FJ40-137491, and when I did a Google search of the # I found this 2006 post from bmac32:

2F serial number info...

FJ40 Vin # 220802 March 1976 Engine Serial # 2F080401

forum.ih8mud.com

In the post, bmac32 asked about a mismatch between his FJ's chassis number and the truck's 2F engine block number.
bmac32 -- if you are still active on the forum, I'd love to hear from you. (Yes, I've sent him a PM as well.)

I'm sure I'll be posting more questions as I dig into the truck, but for now I'm just wondering if folks had any strong opinions on parts vendors? A quick Google search showed me there are a bunch of FJ "specialists" on the web -- Are any of them particularly good (i.e., reasonable prices & good service)? Any ones to avoid?

FYI - while I'm a complete novice with FJs, I'm not new to the world of old (aka "classic") cars. I've owned a couple of '80s-era VW Westfalias, several Mercedes from the '70s and '80s, and even (god help me) a 1970 Citroen DS21.

 

[Skreddy]

The frame number and body VIN should match but the engine number will not.

As for vendors, depends what you need and a fair amount is still available from Toyota. There’s lots of vendors that support this forum and I’d suggest using one or more of them (without naming as I don’t want to come across as supporting or preferring one over another).

But we need pics!

 

[JohnnyC]

you have a 10/72 built fj40 with a motor replaced with a 2F from an 87 fj60

bmac32 has not logged into mud since 09’ … don’t think you will hear from him

 

[Roastchestnuts]

The land cruiser community is a good community! welcome to the club and congrats on your purchase!

 

[Cornell89]

The frame number and body VIN should match but the engine number will not.

As for vendors, depends what you need and a fair amount is still available from Toyota. There’s lots of vendors that support this forum and I’d suggest using one or more of them (without naming as I don’t want to come across as supporting or preferring one over another).

But we need pics!

Here's the eBay listing with will be "before" photos - it's all there, but it's definitely a project.

The seller had it listed on eBay, but because of an earlier failed auction (deadbeat bidder) he was eager to negotiate face-to-face. I had to drive 75 miles one way, but in the end it was worth it. I had it transported to my home garage last night, but won't have a chance to start work on it until Friday at the earliest.

BTW, if you want really cheap auto transport, get a AAA Premier membership:

• Up to 200 miles of towing on one service call per year
• Up to 100 miles of towing on 3 other calls

I've already used 2 tows this year

 

[brooklyn]

Welcome to the forum -- looks like a nice starting place to begin whatever updates you plan. As said earlier, we have great vendors who support this forum. I would also suggest the classified section for parts -- it's truly amazing what this crew has stored away in their basements and garages.

If you unsure of where to buy something - post what you are doing and you will get lots of expert opinions.

Best of luck with truck and thanks for the AAA Premier info.

 

[MDH33]

I don't see the ebay listing. Hope you got a good price for it! Looks pretty good from the 1 pic, but I notice cut fenders, bestop, aftermarket bumpers, rollbar and wheels. Post more pics! Hope you can get it running and driving before you tear into it much. Ask away with questions and search, lots of good info is shared on MUD.

 

[JohnnyC]

Here’s a bit more history on your new cruiser:

73' FJ Beach Cruiser

Here is my 73' I bought off of Ebay about 6 months ago. Been buying small crap off Ebay for a couple of years biggest thing before this was a bike. Looking at CJ-7's :grinpimp: one weekend and I happened on this Cruiser. Something came over me and next thing I knew, it was Sunday and I was the...

forum.ih8mud.com

And welcome to mud

 

[FJ40Savvy]

Welcome to the '73 club. Use the forum as much as you can. There is a ton of information available by using the search and by asking questions. I have nothing but positive things to say about my interactions on this forum. It is a great community, no wait more like a support group for the addiction you have now. Little fixes turn into rabbit holes very quickly. Ask me how I know.

 

[Cornell89]

I don't see the ebay listing. Hope you got a good price for it! Looks pretty good from the 1 pic, but I notice cut fenders, bestop, aftermarket bumpers, rollbar and wheels. Post more pics! Hope you can get it running and driving before you tear into it much. Ask away with questions and search, lots of good info is shared on MUD.

The wife started talking to me while I was typing & I forgot to paste in the eBay link:

1973 Toyota Land Cruiser | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I actually paid less than the final bid. I traded messages with the seller for several days, trying to set up a meeting. He was out-of-town, so we didn't get to meet until the 7th (auction end date). I arrived about an hour before the auction end time, and after a quick inspection and test drive I made an offer of 7500. At that point, the high bid was 6700 with less than 30 minutes left, so I half expect the seller to say, "OK, enter your bid". But, since he had been burned in a previous auction by a non-paying bidder he was happy to take the bird-in-hand, so we closed the deal off eBay. The seller left a few bucks on the table (auction closing price was 8300), but I think he can afford it - he had a Defender 90 and a couple other classic off-roaders in the driveway of a nice suburban DC home. I guess the guy who "won" the eBay auction is a little pissed ... c'est la guerre.

I think I got a good deal, but the truck needs a fair amount of body work. The worst part is the rusty floor pan covered with spray-on bedliner - half of the bedliner is flaking off, but the half that isn't will be a PITA to remove. Steering is very loose, +30 degrees of free-play in the steering wheel. Time to re-build/replace the steering box?

 

[Cornell89]

Here’s a bit more history on your new cruiser:

73' FJ Beach Cruiser

Here is my 73' I bought off of Ebay about 6 months ago. Been buying small crap off Ebay for a couple of years biggest thing before this was a bike. Looking at CJ-7's :grinpimp: one weekend and I happened on this Cruiser. Something came over me and next thing I knew, it was Sunday and I was the...

forum.ih8mud.com

And welcome to mud

Thanks - reviewing bmac32's old posts should give me some idea of what work has (or hasn't) been done in the past.

 

[rex in bama]

The wife started talking to me while I was typing & I forgot to paste in the eBay link:

1973 Toyota Land Cruiser | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

I actually paid less than the final bid. I traded messages with the seller for several days, trying to set up a meeting. He was out-of-town, so we didn't get to meet until the 7th (auction end date). I arrived about an hour before the auction end time, and after a quick inspection and test drive I made an offer of 7500. At that point, the high bid was 6700 with less than 30 minutes left, so I half expect the seller to say, "OK, enter your bid". But, since he had been burned in a previous auction by a non-paying bidder he was happy to take the bird-in-hand, so we closed the deal off eBay. The seller left a few bucks on the table (auction closing price was 8300), but I think he can afford it - he had a Defender 90 and a couple other classic off-roaders in the driveway of a nice suburban DC home. I guess the guy who "won" the eBay auction is a little pissed ... c'est la guerre.

I think I got a good deal, but the truck needs a fair amount of body work. The worst part is the rusty floor pan covered with spray-on bedliner - half of the bedliner is flaking off, but the half that isn't will be a PITA to remove. Steering is very loose, +30 degrees of free-play in the steering wheel. Time to re-build/replace the steering box?

Re the steering, look at the rag joint and tie rod ends as an early culprits, but to dial in my play involved a new rag joint, tie rod ends, center arm rebuild, then steering box rebuild. Knuckles were also rebuilt. The steering box has an adjustment mechanism, but mine needed rebuilding.

 

[roadstr6]

Before you condemn the steering box itself, there are several other components that need to be checked and possibly renewed. Check for play in all the rod ends and the junction where the steering box connects to the first relay rod that connects the box to the center arm. That junction has a cotter pin and a plug that unscrews with a flat head screwdriver. Remove pin, tighten plug up snug and then back off a quarter turn and install new cotter pin. If the joint is still loose after this, remove the plug, drop two pennies in and then tighten snug and back off a quarter turn. This is known as the two penny trick. It'll get you by until you can get a new joint. There is probably another one of these joints where the front relay rod attaches to the tie rod. It can be done the same way. The last thing to look at is the center arm on the front of the frame. Have someone turn the wheels left and right while you look carefully at that center arm. The pitman arm underneath should pivot on a consistent axis and there should be no front-back or side-side movement of the sector shaft there. If there is slop there, the center arm will need to be rebuilt. It's an easy job to DIY. Steering box adjustment should be your last ditch effort to reduce play. If you overadjust it, you'll wear it out fast. Don't mess with it until you've done everything else.

 

[sterling]

Congrats on the new truck looks like a great project!
In regards to steering slop, is the truck lifted?
@roadstr6 mentioned all the main culprits.
Rebuilding the center arm is an easy and fun project to get to know the truck.

When removing stubbord tie rod ends I found a pipe wrench to be very helpful.

 

[Cornell89]

you have a 10/72 built fj40 with a motor replaced with a 2F from an 87 fj60

bmac32 has not logged into mud since 09’ … don’t think you will hear from him

Actually, he was nice enough to reply to PM - I guess he still get the email alerts.

 

[FJ404345]

Yesterday I bought a 1973 FJ40. The chassis number is FJ40-137491, and when I did a Google search of the # I found this 2006 post from bmac32:

2F serial number info...

FJ40 Vin # 220802 March 1976 Engine Serial # 2F080401

forum.ih8mud.com

In the post, bmac32 asked about a mismatch between his FJ's chassis number and the truck's 2F engine block number.
bmac32 -- if you are still active on the forum, I'd love to hear from you. (Yes, I've sent him a PM as well.)

I'm sure I'll be posting more questions as I dig into the truck, but for now I'm just wondering if folks had any strong opinions on parts vendors? A quick Google search showed me there are a bunch of FJ "specialists" on the web -- Are any of them particularly good (i.e., reasonable prices & good service)? Any ones to avoid?

FYI - while I'm a complete novice with FJs, I'm not new to the world of old (aka "classic") cars. I've owned a couple of '80s-era VW Westfalias, several Mercedes from the '70s and '80s, and even (god help me) a 1970 Citroen DS21.

Welcome to the madness !!

btw you still have the DS?

 

[Cornell89]

Welcome to the madness !!

btw you still have the DS?

Thanks for the welcome message.
I only owned the DS for a year or so. I saw it on Craigslist and thought, this is my only chance to own one. Definitely an impulse purchase. It was fascinating from both a design and engineering perspective, but I get easily bored and start looking for another neat old car -- in that case, it was a '91 Mercedes 500SL. Like most of my project cars, I did a bit of work on the DS then sold it for a very modest profit. This helps me justify my car hobby to my lovely and understanding wife.

 

[jmylie]

Welcome, I hope you know it is difficult to just have only 1 Land Cruiser.

You may want to check the clubhouse section:

PA- Keystone Cruisers

forum.ih8mud.com

Local help, as well as members selling parts.

Hope to see you on the trail.

 

[bmac32]

no posts since 09' yikes! Thanks for pulling me back in! Here's some pics of when I owned her. Very strong 2F replacement motor, the rust issues at least when I had her were the rear quarters and the door sills. Common weak points. I repaired to the best of my limited abilities and install aluminum running boards. The floor of the tub back then I never had issue with. Loved the tailgate, I think that is rare? Converted the rear bench back to troop seats. Put in proper shoulder belts up front. I bought it out of North Carolina. I had to sell b./c I couldn't afford to take the next steps of a 4 speed tranny, discs all around, and maybe PS. Here's some photos from my time. more to come

 

[brooklyn]

Welcome back — it’s always great when you find the PO and get some history on your truck. I was lucky on both the FJ40s I owned to chat with the previous owners.

It’s amazing how these trucks bounce around the country from one buyer to the next.