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LincolnCA

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Mar 15, 2007
Threads
1
Messages
8
Let me start by saying you guys are a group of cool folks. I came across this site and I'm hooked. I have a '70 FJ55 sitting in my garage for over a year. I have not had the chance to begin work on it. After reading some of your threads, I can see that I'm in over my head. I am far from being a mechanic. All I have is motivation and the love for this "pig". I don't even know where to start and was hoping for some guidance. I don't know whether it's better to restore the engine or put in a brand new fuel inject V8 but at the same time maintain the integrity of the vehicle. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Welcome :flipoff2: <---official MUD welcome salute

Don't worry. I have no idea what the heck I am doing either. I just bought a 1973 FJ55, parked it in the carport, and started taking it apart. I figure with all the knowlege around here, I'll figure it out!

Best of luck...post more pics when you can!
 
That is a great looking pig.

Welcome to the addiction. Best of Luck with the Pig. This is the best place around for information.

You don't have to, but i would buy a star so you could post up a ton of pics. Well worth the money for all the benefits.

:beer: Bucket
 
Wow that's a clean piggie.

Dont worry about the work. The best way to learn is to get your hands dirty and ask a ton of questions. And dont ever feel dumb asking one, no matter how basic it may seem. Someone will always help out.

Now as for what to do to the engine. That is all up to you. Some people here are purists and other (such as my self) are not. I am planning on doing somthing very similar to what Gumby is doing to his. I want to stretch it, widen it. Throw it on a 1 ton frame and put a Cummins 6BT in for the power plant. Essentally it wont even be a Toyota any more. More Dodge drive train and chevy interior. But will it be cool? hell yeah. At least to me. And that's all that really matters.

What you truly want to use it for and do with it. Dont rely on us to tell you what to do with your Cruiser. Well just help you get to where you want to go.
 
Thanks everyone. Makes me really want to dive right in, blind and all, but with a support group like you guys, I ready to go to work. The wife might not like me taking ove the garage for a while. I have connection for a Dodge engine and everything that needs to go with it. Does anyone have recommendation for what I should put in it and a maybe a list of items to go with the new engine. Should I work on the body first or the engine, considering I want to repaint it inside and out. Hope all this makes sense. I'm new to this and I'll see about buying stars to post pix.
 
I would concentrate on getting all the systems working first, headlight, turn signals brake lights, all the switches and motors that run stuff. Evaluate and learnn as you go. If the motor doesn't run get it running and drive it around evaluate more. Fix more and decide how far and what you plan on doing with it. Start simple and work up as you become familiar with your pig. You'll probably need a battery to get the lights working first and to start the engine.
 
Nice Piggy
I Have to add though,
Why get rid of a good Toyota motor if there is nothing fundamently wrong with it..?? If there is nothing wrong with it of course...
Then again im in the purist camp, so I can really only say "go with your gut".. What ever the motor, its still another pig on our (or Your) roads..

Dave
 
If it runs good, don't mess with it. I'm no mechanic either, but I've sort of become one, out of necessity...

JUst (you or your trusted mechanic) start going through everything, slowly and carefully, I'd start with the brakes and steering.

Welcome, and enjoy!
 
Thanks. The engine run, but the PO said I shouldn’t run at high speed for long time because it will over heat. I can drive it around town, but it needs work for sure. The break system needs work. It sinks during driving. I would like to restore the engine myself and learn as I go and save the money to fix up the body and interior. The speedometer is the only thing that works on the panel.

What does it take if I a novice like me wants to restore this engine and what can I do to maximize its performance with modern technology. I’d love to add power steering. Is there a thread I can reference? I do have a manual. I’d love to know where to start.

Also. Is welding something I can learn to fix some of the rust areas or should I leave that to the expert?
 
I would leave rebuilding the engine to an expert... it is money well spent. You can, however, learn to weld from a book or video for relatively cheap and it will pay dividends in many areas of owning a cruiser.... sheetmetal replacement is one.... the bueaty of old cruisers are simplicity so gaining some basic mechanical knowledge through experience on your cruiser is a real possibility. Additionally, if you do the work yourself, you can easily trouble shoot future problems as they arise because you did it yourself. Nothing is worse than trying to figure out what someone else did on your cruiser in the middle of nowhere.....
 
Thanks. Talked to a guy at a reputable machine shop and he gave me a ball park price of 6k for rebuild plus performance modification to give it a little more horse power. Does this sound about right? Or should I try to find a shop specializing in Cruisers?
 
Looking for local FJ55 owners

I live in Lincoln, about 20 mins from Sacramento. I'm hoping to find some folks with cruisers to share some knowledge of their builds.

I hope to meet and see thwm in person get some advice for my build and where to go for reliable service.

I'm reading as many threads as I can in the last few days to get as much info as possible, but it's nothing compare the personal experience.

Much appreciated!
 
LincolnCA said:
Thanks. The engine run, but the PO said I shouldn’t run at high speed for long time because it will over heat. I can drive it around town, but it needs work for sure. The break system needs work. It sinks during driving. I would like to restore the engine myself and learn as I go and save the money to fix up the body and interior. The speedometer is the only thing that works on the panel.

What does it take if I a novice like me wants to restore this engine and what can I do to maximize its performance with modern technology. I’d love to add power steering. Is there a thread I can reference? I do have a manual. I’d love to know where to start.

Also. Is welding something I can learn to fix some of the rust areas or should I leave that to the expert?
Click to expand...

Lets not get carried away right out of the gate here. Motor runs but PO (who could have been a dip s***) says it will over heat if run at high speed for a long time. Now call me crazy, but I'd look into the cooling system and take a general looksee at the engine's health before I would pull a motor and rebuilt it..if it is overheating when run at high speed for a long time. Two very simple things you can do to get a general idea what's what with your engine. After your next short trip around the burbs, park it in the garage and remove all the spark plugs and observe their condition...post back up pic and description of what you see. Next, while the motor is still warm grab a buddy with a compression tester and do a compression test. Do a search on the how to do said test it's pretty simple. Post the numbers back up here. Chances are your general motor health will be fine and your cooling issue will be due to a stuck or lack of a thermostat, or clogged radiator or maybe the shroud was removed somewhere along the line.

Bottom line spend time and learn to troubleshoot versus plucking a motor and throwing money at it. Welcome to the board and the support network for those infected with the swine flu :cheers:
 
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