New To Me 78 FJ40

[Devilmans Hand]

You should fix it. keep another one living.

Love the Red. I still need to repaint mine back to original Freeborn.

 

[Von Hayek]

Looks sweet to me. What else are you going to do with that welder?

 

[John Smith]

The moss is a nice touch. It looks like a rebuild candidate based on those pictures.

 

[kulangot]

The moss is a nice touch. It looks like a rebuild candidate based on those pictures.

I am starting to think that as well. The more I look at it the better it looks. The exterior looks worse than the interior. I bought it with out really having a chance to look at it. My friend owned it and needed cash. I figured worse case scenario I could part it out. Maybe that is what me think it worse than what it was. I was just thinking that twenty six years ago I was fixing trucks like this and would never have parted it out and would have already started welding patches on it. Maybe living in California spoiled me!

 

[StaleAle]

... Maybe living in California spoiled me!

I'd say it did more than that...there's something fishy in the water out there.

 

[greytandy]

Big congrats John! Yes, rebuild. There are some people here that can help you.

 

[bkfj40]

It's a Cream Puff!!!!!

I'm betting it has a low mileage in it...

 

[kulangot]

I'm betting it has a low mileage in it...

I think it actually might be fairly low miles. Everything is tight, motor is clean and not gunked up inside. I need an ignition and key to get it running. Will do a compression test, leakdown and vacuum to see where it is. It ran very well about four years ago when I last saw it.

I've known about this truck for more than ten years sad to see it get so decrepit because it was really nice about ten years ago.

I also just bought a FJ60 from a friend of mine. Has old man emu, 32's, not very much rust.

 

[bkfj40]

Get a key and you can bring it down to Harrisonburg on the 6th....don't worry about tags, just put farm use on it

 

[mwalls54]

Get a key and you can bring it down to Harrisonburg on the 6th....don't worry about tags, just put farm use on it

You can go 150 miles away from home with farm use tag. Or at least you used to be able to

 

[matzell]

John,
Remember you can pull the covers off the column, removed the one phillips head screw and take a flat blade screw driver to turn the ign switch without a key... I know you have been out of it for a while Good luck

 

[kulangot]

John,
Remember you can pull the covers off the column, removed the one phillips head screw and take a flat blade screw driver to turn the ign switch without a key... I know you have been out of it for a while Good luck

Respect Rob. I did not know this could be done! Kinda scary that it would be that easy to steal! I still a key though! I think my friend Steve Malekzeda has one. I've owned something like 18 or more FJ40's but most of the ones that I spent a lot of time working on were 72 and older with the key in the dash as I like the pre-smog trucks. I had a 79 once that I did a lot of work on but most of it was body work.

Another like this is if you lock yourself out of a truck with the flip out rear smokers windows you can unscrew the round bushing nuts that the window is held on with and then reach in with a long stick to unlock the ambulance door! Most of the time those round parts are just beyond finger tight and with a good grip they come right off. This got me back into my truck out in the woods once when on a mountain bike ride. Would have a been a long ride home.

I've also found a few keys in cruisers when I parted them out - under gas tanks and in the dash pads. Maybe I'll find the key to this one when I tear it down.

I'll be in touch about parts, have a bunch of other stuff to worry about right now before I can get back to playing with Cruisers.

 

[bkfj40]

also, keep in mind lots of those cruisers use a similar key. You can often start someone else's cruiser with your own key...

 

[Thornton]

also, keep in mind lots of those cruisers use a similar key. You can often start someone else's cruiser with your own key...

I had a guy I used to work with would come and get my keys and use my 4-runner key for his minivan, to unlock it and start it.