New to me 1979 FJ40 - have several questions on drivability.

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Code54

Code54

Joined
May 25, 2026
Threads
2
Messages
23
Location
Hurricane WV
I recently boought a 1979 FJ40 and have started to exploer with it and had some questions I was hoping other owners can answer.

I noticed that in first and reverse, I get a quick "bark" when I go to pull away if I am on a hill or somewhere a little extra power is required. It seems the clutch is not slipping and shifts smoothly and feels strong. I also noticed it takes a good press of the pedal to get a shift. Nothing crazy, but a solid press for sure.

On the road it seems to wander, and takes a real effort to keep it in the lane especially if you are going above 35-40. It does have 33's, and has power steering. All the tie rods are new, everything feels tight, also the front knuckles were rebuilt recently. Tires are new and have been balanced (Firestone Destinations). Is this normal? I presume it is not, and am hoping there are some ideas of what I can do to make it better. I was thinking an alignment may help? Any other ideas?

Thank you
 
Congratulations on the purchase and glad you found Mud. We like pics. Is the 40 lifted? An improper caster angle will contribute to Wandering. Are the bushings in good order? Yes, you drop the trans and tcase. You'll need to remove the tranny hump. B4 ripping it open you might try adjusting the clutch per the FSM.
Pedal height, pedal freeplay, then the adjustment rod.
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I always pull and install the entire package engine/tranny/transfer. By myself I can pull the package in like 3hrs start to on the ground 4 to put it back.

Bleed the clutch, check the adjustment. I think mine engages about 2" from the floor.

Lots of steering pieces. How are spring bushing?

Maybe some free download manuals

Land Cruiser Factory Service Manuals (FSMs)

Factory service manuals (FSMs) for your Toyota Land Cruiser ! From the 1950s to the present!
www.cruisercult.com www.cruisercult.com

Coolerman's wiring diagrams and parts
 
I think we need more info on your rig
is it all stock
chirping of tires, maybe a v8?
locker?
what trans?
any lift?
shackle reversal?
etc

pics of rig would help
 
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Code54 said:
I recently boought a 1979 FJ40 and have started to exploer with it and had some questions I was hoping other owners can answer.

I noticed that in first and reverse, I get a quick "bark" when I go to pull away if I am on a hill or somewhere a little extra power is required. It seems the clutch is not slipping and shifts smoothly and feels strong. I also noticed it takes a good press of the pedal to get a shift. Nothing crazy, but a solid press for sure.

On the road it seems to wander, and takes a real effort to keep it in the lane especially if you are going above 35-40. It does have 33's, and has power steering. All the tie rods are new, everything feels tight, also the front knuckles were rebuilt recently. Tires are new and have been balanced (Firestone Destinations). Is this normal? I presume it is not, and am hoping there are some ideas of what I can do to make it better. I was thinking an alignment may help? Any other ideas?

Thank you
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Along with the advice above, check every steering joint for wear. Not just the tie rod ends, but center arm pivot, steering box, rag joint, etc.
 
Thank you.

To answer some questions - no lockers, stock motor and 4 speed trans. I believe there is a lift but unknown make and model. Shackles are not reversed but maybe extended?
The bark is not at the tires, it is def. in the drivetrain and sounds like the clutch.
Steering is power - I noticed it is a Toyota box - don't know the details since i am new to FJ's and it was already on the FJ when I bought it.
I did not check the spring bushing, but the steering box appears tight along with the cneter arm.
The previous owners mentioned they rebuilt the front knuckles - dont know if it was alined after that.

Thank you again for the help!

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Forgot to mention - the clutch takes a SOLID push to get it down, and it seems to enguage close to the top, perhaps a about ⅓ of the travel and it is disengaged. I am not a big guy, but I shift in my seat so I can get a firm push when I go to shift, in cars I have never even thought about the clutch and its stiffness.
 
Well go under it and start pushing and pulling on everything to see if anything feels loose. Jack up the front end push and pull on the wheels side to side and top to bottom any clunks? Do the rear axle next.
You should search out some of the build threads to read/watch on you tube so you can see what's going on. The good ones have the problem and then the fix.

Pull the inspection plate on the clutch bottom, see any oil, look at the disk and flywheel. Rear main seal leaks are common.
 
The clutch is a stiff push … my son’s subbie is much different … more like stepping on a wet sponge

During winter it’s a much firmer push as well

You have extended shackles … and they may be too tight as they seem to be bending in … should move free

I say you need to check the center link for slop… there is an adjustment on top of… loosen lock bolt the turn in top plate and retighten lock nut

Also check wheel bearing if there’s slop

And check drag link (directly off the arm on PS box) … may need the Marks Two penny trick

Even if it’s been rebuilt it could have not been set correctly … and things wear in and needs readjustment

U can use your camera and put at each component… record as you move the wheel … then check for movement
 
If the seller said “I rebuilt the shackles” he may have been chasing the same issue. With diligence and advice you will get it figured out. With those extended shackles it may very well be out of spec caster angle. Do everything looking for any looseness then throw a digital angle finder (there pretty cheap, do search there’s a couple ways to do it fairly simple) on the knuckles and get a rough idea where it is at. With a lift and extended shackles there is a good chance there is “not enough”, and simply adding a tapered shim between the spring and shackle will fix you right up! (Heck with some moderately loose components and decent caster it will drive much better)
 
rlong said:
If the seller said “I rebuilt the shackles” he may have been chasing the same issue. With diligence and advice you will get it figured out. With those extended shackles it may very well be out of spec caster angle. Do everything looking for any looseness then throw a digital angle finder (there pretty cheap, do search there’s a couple ways to do it fairly simple) on the knuckles and get a rough idea where it is at. With a lift and extended shackles there is a good chance there is “not enough”, and simply adding a tapered shim between the spring and shackle will fix you right up! (Heck with some moderately loose components and decent caster it will drive much better)
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^^^^^^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^^^^^

Nice FJ40 or 40. FJ is a vague description and can be confused with multiple diffetent models such as 25, 45, 55, 80, etc.

You can take it to an alignment shop. They will only be able to adjust the toe in and give you a read out on all the other angles, but they will not be able to correct them. Your lift springs and extended shackles likely altered the caster angle. The caster angle is what helps the most for handling. Negative caster contributes to wandering and gives a feeling of twitchyness, or a slight steering wheel adjustment seems like an over correction, maybe a white knuckle feeling. You feel the slight worn ruts it the pavement are pushing you around. Positive caster eliminates that and helps the wheel re-enter after a turn.
caster_diagram.webp

You can measure caster with a cheap angle finder as @rlong mentioned. Park on level/flat ground, equalize the tire pressures. In the pic below pretend the level is an angle finder and put it on the edge of the lower trunion bearing cap. Its where the knuckles pivot. Don't use the studs or nuts, but the edge on the flst surface. This will determine what your caster angle is and determine what size shims you need to get to positive caster.
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I agree on the caster angle causing the wandering. Shims wil fix it. With a lift it is not a hard job. Use steel shims. Two of mine needed 3⁰ shims in the front.
I would pull off the clutch master cylinder and check pedal movement. If all good there then it may be something in the Master or Slave. If the pedal is hard to move with the master off then it could be a simple as lubricating the bushing area up in the pedal bucket.
 
Had a few minutes after work today.

It seems everything is tight on the steering, except there is some play in the center arm center bracket.

I did check the bushing on the springs and found no play.

It does appear the shackles bow in.

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Got two photos under the clutch inspection plate - one with the clutch in, one with it out. I also checked the pivot point under the dash and it seemed to move smoothly but only with a lot of pressure. I lubercated it but did not notice a difference.
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(only allowed 5 files)
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I need to locate my angle finder to check that angle.
If it is off, where do I get the shims, are they a standard Toyota part or is there somewhere I am better off getting them from.

THANKS for the help!
 
Code54 said:
Forgot to mention - the clutch takes a SOLID push to get it down, and it seems to enguage close to the top, perhaps a about ⅓ of the travel and it is disengaged. I am not a big guy, but I shift in my seat so I can get a firm push when I go to shift, in cars I have never even thought about the clutch and its stiffness.
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Speaking of your seat, the picture in post #8 shows the driver seat and the seat bottom looks way too high at the leading edge. I was wondering how you manage to push the clutch pedal at all with the seat like that.
 
The throw out bearing looks like it might be riding on the pressure plate springs. Is there freeplay between the two when at rest? Is there a return spring on the clutch fork to pull it back? Did you check or adjust the pedal height and clutch per the fsm?

The bushing look a little iffy. Their shoulders are worn. The shackles shouldn't be squeezed in. Shorter shackles can help the caster too. I'd still want to check caster. You can try and tighten the center arm. You just dont want it so tight to affect steering resistance. There are rebuild kits available thru several of the vendors here. They sell steel shims in various degrees too.

The seat mount does looks high.
 
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