Older than dirt - refreshing a ‘64 FJ40 FST

[oregon fj]

@middlecalf - Marked H, B, S. Horn, Battery, Switch. The middle terminal (B) gets the single wire that is 12v hot all the time. The other single wire is the lead from the horn button and goes to the S terminal, the 2 wire connector connects to H.

 

[oregon fj]

In the middle of what I expect will be the last oil/filter change before starting to drive the rig. Should be cleaned out inside by now.

But I don’t plan to change the filter again for a while, and the condition of the 2 flex hoses to the filter canister did not inspire confidence. So while I had the canister drained for the new filter, I pulled both hoses off and took them to the local hydraulic shop, and had new hoses crimped on to the original fittings. I like these a lot better now.

 

[oregon fj]

Got the hoses shown above installed, and finished the oil change. Then yesterday afternoon and later today I replaced most of the rear wiring harness on the rig, using proper colored wire and terminals I got from @Coolerman . While running the wires across the rear, I added a standard, US-style flat-4 trailer plug for possible future needs. I also ran wires for the original trailer socket (should I ever find one), but terminated them without connecting to anything. But they are ready if I need them later. I got wire and terminals to build a new harness to go across the bib as well, but might not do that one until I start pulling the body apart.

It’s forecast to be dry for the next few days, so I plan to take it to my painter early this coming week to discuss how to approach the body and paint. Will be ordering a new top and the bows I need before long, and also going through the front axle. Still have a ways to go, but things are progressing nicely.

 

[oregon fj]

Disassembled, cleaned and lubed the speedo/odometer today. Pretty normal stuff, mostly. The odometer wheels were stuck, and the speedo magnetic head was very stiff to spin. I suspect that is why the speedo cable is missing—it wouldn't be like the original owner of my rig to fix the speedo when it stopped working, but much easier to simply remove the cable.

Obviously, I have no clue how many miles are really on my rig, no idea when the cable was removed. It was showing ~57k when I took it apart.

While working on the odometer wheels, I found that the 5 and much of the 6 on one wheel were simply missing. So I swapped that wheel into the 10k spot, and set it at ~71k. This way, the bad spot on that wheel is almost 80k away. I somehow can't imagine putting 80k on this rig for a very long time.

Time to find a speedo cable now...

 

[oregon fj]

I know that not everyone is like me, but I actually enjoy electrical work. And it is especially good when you have all the right wires and terminals for the job, in this case courtesy of @Coolerman .

 

[65swb45]

That there is sexy, in a kind of way.

 

[HelloKitty65]

Since our last...
...
Last, just tonight I got a hood spar from @HelloKitty65 - he knew I needed one, and had a chance to snag it for me. It’s a pretty nice one, better plating than most I’ve seen, and only one broken stud. It’s a nice addition to the rig.

View attachment 1656567

AND that hood spear was on a rig owned by one of Roy Rogers' daughters in California. This history, via @rc6340 Can it possibly get _any_ cooler than that? Other than possibly being in a yoga commercial with Kate Hudson?

 

[oregon fj]

Pulled the winch and front bumper off this afternoon, so I could begin doing some frame cleaning. Also had to cut the bib hinge off the bib. No, not rusted bolts. Original owner had a problem getting the bib hinge lined up at some point. It's like the front fenders and bib are sitting 3/8" to maybe 1/2" too high. So the bolt holes didn't match. In his traditional fashion, he couldn't be bothered to fix the root cause and adjust the body, nor could he take the time to shim the hinge on the frame. His answer was to weld the hinge to the bib! Today I cut through the (typically crappy) welds. The bib itself can be saved, thankfully. The hinge is shot. Luckily hinges aren't hard to find.

 

[oregon fj]

Happy Easter!!

Spent some time starting on refreshing the heater. To recap, my early '64 does not have a factory heater, but was equipped with a period Hupp aftermarket unit, as was common back then. I removed it while going through the cooling system, don't plan to put it back until after the interior is painted.

But that doesn't mean I can't get it ready ahead of time. Today I disassembled it, flushed the core, and lubed the motor shaft bushings. Motor spins smoothly and quietly now, and the brushes have lots of life left.

So now I need to strip the paint (and surface rust) off the case, repaint and reassemble. Thanks in advance to @cppilot who gave me a pair of retro stickers for the face of it. (If I don't screw up the first attempt, I will pass the second sticker on to some other Mudder. Pay it forward.) Add that to the NOS fan switch I bought a while back, and the heater should turn out really nice.

I will need to find one vent flap (to replace one that is missing), and see if I can find something to cap off the 2 holes for defroster ducts (since my FST has no defrosters). But I don't think that will be too hard.

Before:

New switch and face stickers:

Today:

 

[oregon fj]

Started some of the other clean up jobs over the past few days. Pulled the front bumper and winch, cleaned the frame and (finally) got rid of the nasty silver paint the PO sprayed all over the frame and such. Have the bumper back on now, but not the winch. Still thinking about how much I want to clean it. I'm thinking that I will NOT straighten or paint the bumper, it certainly shows some wear, but in a somewhat good way. The winch is similar, silver painted with worn spots and some surface rust. Still debating this bit.

Changed the valve cover gasket again. Was never really happy with how the first one I got fit the cover, and I was right, it leaked badly. The FelPro I just put on today fits MUCH better, and will probably seal better as well. I'm not expecting perfectly dry, but would like to hold it to a minor seeping if possible.

Before and after of the winch/frame area.

Before:

After (no winch yet):

 

[whitey45]

Wonder why they notched the frame for the pto spud shaft?

 

[HelloKitty65]

Hey Arne, I got a pretty nice windshield vent. My old one is restorable if you want it. One bolt is short. Let me know, suspect it's less work than yours.

 

[oregon fj]

Wonder why they notched the frame for the pto spud shaft?

That's a very good question, for which I have no answer. Beyond the apparent fact that the original owner thought that everything goes better after being attacked with a torch, stick welder, and/or power drill. In the case of my rig, all three, repeatedly. I haven't cleaned up the notch yet, but plan to do so prior to reinstalling the winch.

Hey Arne, I got a pretty nice windshield vent. My old one is restorable if you want jt. One bolt is short. Let me know, suspect it's less work than yours.

Yeah, mine is going to take some work, that's for sure. We can chat about that next time you are down this way.

 

[HelloKitty65]

Think, from a picture of your dash, that you need the smallish simple round pull switch to turn on your Vader light. One is on EBay now for $25 + $3.95. Don't wait.

 

[oregon fj]

Will check it out. I either need to get a switch, or weld up the hole in the dash. Owner's Manual claims the Vader light in FSTs was unswitched, the switch only came in hardtop models. Now we all know that the manual wasn't always correct, but not having the switch is defensible if I weld up the hole.

 

[nuclearlemon]

My Vader light works with the headlight switch

 

[oregon fj]

My Vader light works with the headlight switch

Yeah, I suspect that's how mine was originally, and that's how I have it wired now. It had an aftermarket switch wired in when I bought the rig, so that the light could be turned off manually. That is apparently how the hardtops were wired. So it's a tossup whether I put a switch in or weld up the hole in the dash. Installing a switch is simpler than welding a hole, but....

 

[hdjtachtig]

That is apparently how the hardtops were wired.

1962 hardtop is also switched by the light switch. No extra switch here. I remember I have read pickups have a different setup?

 

[oregon fj]

Winch back on. Have a brand new front bumper in will-call, but I don't think I'll bolt it on until much farther along. Working on other clean-and-paint mini projects. Will begin going in to the front axle soon, maybe tomorrow. At minimum I will replace the wiper seals, beyond that it will depend on what I find when I get in there.

 

[HelloKitty65]

Will check it out. I either need to get a switch, or weld up the hole in the dash. Owner's Manual claims the Vader light in FSTs was unswitched, the switch only came in hardtop models. Now we all know that the manual wasn't always correct, but not having the switch is defensible if I weld up the hole.

So the question is, why does the hole exist? Something was there. Perhaps a

switch for optional fog lights?