New to me 63 fj45

[sofj45]

@Lifelong40Fan i have what my wife calls a problem. I have the 2 early 45s, a 1963 fj40, a 1971 fj55, a 1991 fzj80 and just purchased a1990 4 door banderite that I should have in my possession in about a month. Its a expensive headache but you only live once

 

[locklaw]

Got the new pewter blinkers on, replaced new orange lens with original clear lens and orange bulbs. Got factory horns on and hooked up, replaced leaky master cylinder with a new oem master. Still waiting on the new acorn hubcaps, stock front bumper, then re upholster seats. Then on to the few body and paint items of replacing the front windshield vent, painting the tunnel cover back to red and strip interior out and repaint firewall and floor to fix leaky master cylinder. If anyone else finds incorrect things on this truck don't hesitate to point it out you will not hurt my feelings. Theres more to do but thats the list as of nowView attachment 3132908

View attachment 3132918

View attachment 3132919

Looks great and from my side the obvious lacking items are tin cup master cylinders, your clutch cylinder is also the later style instead of the earlier with the large nut like your brake master.

 

[sofj45]

Took it out today for a quick trip to get some sun and in the water

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Wow, very nice. The local boys must flock your trucks when you park somewhere.

 

[JR66]

It was in oregon went mecum auction in 2015 and 2016 believe sold for 57, not sure where it ended up living. Then went to barret 2019 and 2020 sold to BMW dealership in California for 39688 I bought from them for 39888. It was a very painful transaction dealing with crappy cars salesman and even worse manager that had no clue anything about the truck or really selling a used vehicle. They don't care about customers or vehicles its just the sale of money but with that said I'm also glad because there's is alot going for the truck and I know alot of people veered away from it because of the dealership. All and all super excited with the purchase.

The fix it list as of having it in front of me for a few hours priority waterpump is noisy. I drove it home 38 miles with zero problems other than running out of fuel.

Brake master is leaking and has ruined the inside firewall paint so that will be a strip interior clean sand it all down and repaint interior firewall and floors. Re paint tunnel cover to red.

Fix electrical as they have headlight switch wired incorrect

Fix pto winch which is a disaster new cable time

New stock front bumper

Replace step material with correct white diamond pattern material

Replace front windshield vent with a better one and new weatherstripping.

Replace interior upholstery

Replace with factory horns

Rearview mirror back to a oem

Then drive the hell out of it and have fun with them. The red will be the wife's mine is the spring green. Maybe sell if someone offers enough but otherwise we are going to have a blast having 2 of the earliest cruiser pickups around. I'm sure there will be some more things pop up as I start working on it but its a fairly short list compared to most cruisers alot of work has been done and it drives very nice. I've owned 17 cruisers and this is by far the smoothest driving. Nice a straight brakes work no pull and just cruises down the road

Hi, I'm wondering if you have a photo you can post for me that would help tremendously. My headlights/taillights stopped working. I have an OEM replacement switch that I'm attempting to put on a 1966 FJ40. I'm trying to replace the old SPDT toggle switch. I'm seeking a diagram of which wires to connect to the switch, whomever rigged all the wires to work the toggle really did a doozie. For instance 3 wires spliced into one and a couple other weird things. If I could see a good wiring of the switch maybe I can figure something out. My service manual does not help me with this. Thank you much appreciated and digging your posts and photos. Joe

 

[locklaw]

Hi, I'm wondering if you have a photo you can post for me that would help tremendously. My headlights/taillights stopped working. I have an OEM replacement switch that I'm attempting to put on a 1966 FJ40. I'm trying to replace the old SPDT toggle switch. I'm seeking a diagram of which wires to connect to the switch, whomever rigged all the wires to work the toggle really did a doozie. For instance 3 wires spliced into one and a couple other weird things. If I could see a good wiring of the switch maybe I can figure something out. My service manual does not help me with this. Thank you much appreciated and digging your posts and photos. Joe

Is this what you are after?

 

[sofj45]

@JR66 66 is the old style? Twist knob not a pull correct? I can get photos tomorrow of the wiring on both my early trucks and believe I have a spare switch laying around also I'll take a look at

 

[sofj45]

Haven't posted many updates lately, got the seats taken care of. Out with the fabric seat covers. Bought cruiser corps seat covers and then had my wife cut them up and resew to make them fit after all is done happy with how they turned out for the final product wouldn't do it again. Also got the acorn hubcaps for it and on. Will try and post that picture. Factory front bumper showed up so now waiting on getting the factory pto cleaned up and do the swap all at one time. Getting closer found some tin cup masters so will be rebuilding the new masters with the tin cups here soon.

 

[sofj45]

 

[sofj45]

 

[middlecalf]

Looked back to your engine bay pics and that upper thermostat housing caught my eye. I haven’t seen one like that on a 40 series with that upper boss, looks like it’s manufactured that way (?). Wonder what it’s from? I don’t see the usual recirculating hose though that goes from the base of the upper thermo housing to the top of the water pump housing, it allows coolant to circulate before the thermostat opens. You have heater hoses connected to those ports instead.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

The seats look great. Tin cup masters?

 

[sofj45]

@middlecalf I'll take some photos later, at whatever point previously the original lower radiator hose was removed along with the elbow with the T for the heater hose. I do have one around somewhere not sure where yet but somewhere in a box or still on a pulled engine there's one around. Then the upper housing has 2 inlets. The lower inlet which would typically be the recirc from water pump and then the upper inlet which you can see had the plug in it in that earlier photo. Should be a simple enough swap when I go to change the water pump do it all at one time. Also not sure as to the actual upper housing as the factory early style long neck only had the lower inlet.

@Devils Paw 80 the early cruisers had tin cup master cylinders. Instead of the plastic fluids cup on the brake and clutch masters they were a tin cup with screw in lid. So I'll take the new replacement master cylinders and replace the cups with the early style tin cups.

 

[Tank5]

Is the motor in your 45 original to the truck or is it a transplant from another early 45? It looks very familiar to me. Like it might have been the original motor out of @jomelo’s 45.

 

[sofj45]

@Tank5 Yeah it's a transplant. All the paperwork when I bought it said matching numbers, even went thru both Barrett and mecums as a matching number truck over the last 8 years but it is not. The motor will be pulled and repainted I personally can't stand the tealish color it's painted have all the new decals for it when the time comes.

 

[Tank5]

@Tank5 Yeah it's a transplant. All the paperwork when I bought it said matching numbers, even went thru both Barrett and mecums as a matching number truck over the last 8 years but it is not. The motor will be pulled and repainted I personally can't stand the tealish color it's painted have all the new decals for it when the time comes.

Yeah, the early trucks had the engine number included on the vin which I thought was cool but that stopped eventually. I can’t imagine there are very many teal painted early engines like that out there. Should it be the same motor at least it did come out of another early fixed top 45, it is period correct.

No matter, you still have a very nice 45.

 

[sofj45]

@JR66 hope this is what your looking for and can help you. Not saying it's correct but this is how mine are hooked up.
BAT- positive supply always hot (solid red)
L- instrument gauge lights. (Small red/black stripe)
P- front marker lights in bib, Markers turn off when headlights are turned on also have my interior Vader hood light on this stud. (Green/black stripe)
M- Taillights (green)
H- Headlights (larger red/white stripe)

 

[Devils Paw 80]

@Devils Paw 80 the early cruisers had tin cup master cylinders. Instead of the plastic fluids cup on the brake and clutch masters they were a tin cup with screw in lid. So I'll take the new replacement master cylinders and replace the cups with the early style tin cups.

Gotcha, thanks. Love the lush jungle around your carport. What's the elevation there, if you know?

 

[sofj45]

@Tank5 I found the thread on jomelo's 45 not the same engine. This truck was restored about 6 years before he owned that truck if the dates are correct on his postings so not same engine and I pulled his number off the VIN plate. So someone else thought it was a good idea at some point to go teal. Anyways thanks it's a nice 45 I love it only bought it cause it was 2 numbers off my other 45 that's been in the family 50 years. It drives great and is very well put together and fun to cruiser around. Just sucks spending the money and not getting what you think or what your told it is. But all and all happy with truck and if in the future it goes up forsale atleast I can be honest with anyone interested.

@Devils Paw 80 about 20 feet depending if it's high or low tide

 

[middlecalf]

Are you going to put the factory PTO floor lever in (cut the tunnel) or try and use the pull lever below the steering column? Good stuff!