New to FJ40 Scene

[RevISK]

If you’re doing a front disc conversion AND KEEPING REAR DRUM BRAKES, I would replumb for the 1972 wheel cylinders.

The reason the 71 cylinders only existed for that one production year is that someone decided that eliminating the banjo fittings on a vehicle with a power brake booster would be a good idea. Booster came online in 7/70. Banjo wheel cylinders were replaced with direct-line in 9/71, fourteen months later. You do the math.

Solid tech sir.

 

[FloridaLife]

For the LS swap, I've got to switch the '07 5.3 LS I got from throttle by wire to throttle by cable. On Amazon and other places I see some 92 mm and some 102 mm. With a stock 5.3 LS would a 102 mm be better, or is this one of those cases where less is more and it would be better to go with the 92 mm?

 

[FloridaLife]

Anyone have any video or pics showing & demonstrating an FJ40 with the vacuum controls for the transfer case up on the dash rather than a manual control lever on the floor? I'm just curious to see how it shifts and works. My 1971 FJ40 (build date of December 1970) originally had a column shifter for the transmission, and a vacuum control / shifter either on the dash or mounted on the underside of the dash and I would love to see how it works. Like what movement puts it into 4wd, what movement puts it into 4wd Low, and what puts it into 4wd High? I searched YouTube but didn't see a video of it. With my LS swap we will be using a vacuum controlled split transfer case and using the original '71 dash controls for it, so I'm just curious. Thank you.

 

[FloridaLife]

Well... Got some Bad News, and some Good News.

Rust. Bad rust. Like had eaten the rear section of the frame away rust. Having been born and raised in Texas, I knew cars in Texas and usually Oklahoma and Newer Mexico are pretty solid, with little to no rust. So I bought this FL40 out of Oklahoma, and had a temporary lapse of reason, knowing better than to buy ANY vehicle online that you can't look it over and see everything. But I did, thanks to pain meds + rum & Diet Coke. A word of advice... DO NOT take pain meds + rum & Diet Coke and then buy something online. Had I known it had cancer when a bought it, I would not have bought it. And, by the time it was discovered I was too deep into it, and knew nobody would want to buy it in a thousand pieces.

Thankfully, here on Mud I met an expert welder & metal worker who has owned a dozen FJ40's and built a bunch for other people, so he is helping me out. He said that this 40 obviously lived somewhere like Colorado before arriving in Oklahoma.

Below are some pics of the cancer he has removed and replaced. Even the back of the frame was rotted away, so he had to remove and replace all of it.

 

[FloridaLife]

More pics of the work going on:

 

[FloridaLife]

Passenger side is done:

 

[knuckle47]

That’s a very pretty site …especially after all of the waiting game…lookin’ good

 

[FloridaLife]

That’s a very pretty site …especially after all of the waiting game…lookin’ good

Yep. I hate to think what would have happened if I had not met this guy and just had the drivetrain dropped in and started driving it. Or my son driving it. And it only had 2 or 3 body mounts connected. It would have been a dangerous disaster.

Also, a big Thank You to @knuckle47 who sourced the 1976 FJ40 front disc parts needed for me! No grinding or cutting, just clean them up and bolt them on. Again, Big Thank You!

 

[RevISK]

Well... Got some Bad News, and some Good News.

Cancer. Having been and raised in Texas,

Ok, first of all, WTF man? I don’t even know you and I started getting all sad you were dying!

Don’t do that to a stranger!

Otherwise, think of the Rum and Diet Coke decisions as opportunities to learn…

Damn dude… took me for a ride.

 

[John McVicker]

^^^
Yeah, me too. I had to read it a couple of times before I figured it out.

 

[FloridaLife]

Ok, first of all, WTF man? I don’t even know you and I started getting all sad you were dying!

Don’t do that to a stranger!

Otherwise, think of the Rum and Diet Coke decisions as opportunities to learn…

Damn dude… took me for a ride.

Sorry, 30 years ago when I was into Streetrods and Hotrods, if a vehicle had bad rust it was referred to as cancer. I will edit that post.

 

[RevISK]

Sorry, 30 years ago when I was into Streetrods and Hotrods, if a vehicle had bad rust it was referred to as cancer. I will edit that post.

I get the reference.
It’s just worded abruptly.

Glad you are alright.

 

[Skreddy]

Passenger side is done:

View attachment 4107654

View attachment 4107655

STOP!!!!!! Take that apart, clean it all up and redo it. Sorry man but birfields do not want red wheel bearing grease. You want gray EP molybdenum grease in there.

In full disclosure, standard street driving, no extreme turn angles, etc., that red grease is *probably* fine. But not what is specified. Your choice.

 

[cruisermatt]

The red grease will be fine. Chill

 

[knuckle47]

As you progress to the finish line…you’re going to have a really pretty cab. You should probably identify some ancillary parts in plain sight that will benefit from some paint… for example, the locking hubs. Even a shot of cleaner and black rattle can. I kinda know what your looking for… just a small detail…but

 

[FloridaLife]

As you progress to the finish line…you’re going to have a really pretty cab. You should probably identify some ancillary parts in plain sight that will benefit from some paint… for example, the locking hubs. Even a shot of cleaner and black rattle can. I kinda know what your looking for… just a small detail…but

Agreed. Thank you!

 

[FloridaLife]

Has anyone ever used this stuff? It looks too good to be true, but I thought I'd ask if anyone has used it. Says it was originally made for the ship building industry dealing with a lot of rusty metal. Here's a link to the short video about it:

Speaking of rust, with everything else that has been found, the rear brakes were no surprise, and the pads broke off on 2 of them:

 

[knuckle47]

Huge difference between old and new!!

 

[FloridaLife]

Huge difference between old and new!!

Yeah, for some reason, my wife (who used to be a Forensic Investigator for the GBI) feels like being able to stop is important. Especially when you have a V8. So I guess to keep her happy it might as well have good brakes.

 

[diesellibrarian]

So I bought this FL40 out of Oklahoma, and had a temporary lapse of reason, knowing better than to buy ANY vehicle online that you can't look it over and see everything.

This is exactly how I've bought every Land Cruiser I've ever owned, except one. Ironically enough, the one I looked at before buying is the only one I had to scrap due to frame rot. The mind sees what it wants to see.

Anyway, the repairs look great!