Older than dirt - refreshing a ‘64 FJ40 FST

[oregon fj]

@cppilot - That’s awesome, Mark! I accept!

I’ve been going through the Early box heaters thread this evening, and figured I’d have to go to storage (under the house) tomorrow to see if by chance the sticker was still on mine but just painted over. Of course, I still figured the the chances of removing the paint without damaging the sticker would be slim, if not impossible. Your sticker will greatly simplify the refresh of this box. Much appreciated. We can talk offline about this. No hurry.

 

[oregon fj]

The MUD community is great! Since posting the list of stuff on the last page I’ve received some PMs from MUD-members offering some of the needed parts. So far, I’ve got an ashtray and the battery hold down lined up.

 

[HelloKitty65]

Pretty sure I might have some short running boards, let me check the stash! Early 40’s did have a color refered by many as the color bandaid! Probably the worst color! Lily white is a very nice early color!

I have some of the white diamond vinyl material that's framed in the running boards you can have.

 

[oregon fj]

I have some of the white diamond vinyl material that's framed in the running boards you can have.

Nice! As soon as I find a pair of running boards I’ll be in touch. Thanks!

 

[HelloKitty65]

Ok. It's the stuff from New York, referenced in another thread. Close match to the original. Leftovers.

 

[oregon fj]

Thought of more items I’m going to need to find at some point.

Jack and tools - not terribly worried about the exact, correct jack for an early ‘64, nor am I going to try to source a complete original tool kit. But at minimum I need a jack that will fit in the tool box, a handle for whatever jack I end up with, and a lug wrench for the larger, oddball 23mm lug nuts. I’ve got nothing so far.

Hook and chain for winch - I will be replacing the wire cable with new. But the hook and chain were missing when I bought it. I suspect this need not be original, a few feet of decent chain connected to a good hook will probably be fine. But since it is visible, I’d prefer the original type parts.

 

[middlecalf]

A good hardware store can get you setup with the chain and hook. But they won’t have TEQ on them. And they’ll cost 1/10th as much and work just as well.

 

[oregon fj]

Next question, as I anticipate a first test drive in 4-6 weeks. I need new seatbelts, and want some clarification on the early setup.

My ‘64 came with a pair of gray lap belts, tags say they are Toyota belts for a ‘72 Land Cruiser. Both are close to 60” (150 cm) in length. The latches are solid rust, totally unusable.

My assumption is that despite the 3-across seating, it originally only came with 2 belts. This would seem to be confirmed by the fact that there are only 4 mounting points on the floor of the tub.

But the inboard mount for the passenger belt is clear across the center line of the truck. (See picture below.) So the original passenger belt must have been designed to restrain both front passengers with the single belt. (A big no-no these days, but acceptable back then.)

All of this being the case, I’m thinking I need one 60” belt for the driver, and maybe a 72” or so belt for the other side? Does this sound right to you early 40 owners?

 

[HelloKitty65]

A left seatbelt, a right seatbelt, and a get well card for the person in the middle. Safety is a relative thing in older vehicles.

 

[wscbill]

Thought of more items I’m going to need to find at some point.

Jack and tools - not terribly worried about the exact, correct jack for an early ‘64, nor am I going to try to source a complete original tool kit. But at minimum I need a jack that will fit in the tool box, a handle for whatever jack I end up with, and a lug wrench for the larger, oddball 23mm lug nuts. I’ve got nothing so far.

If you don't find a vintage version, a 23mm lug wrench is available from Toyota, part 09150-25010. The handle is too long to fit the original tool canvas. The shorter handle, from the 21mm 2-piece lug wrench can be used instead. More pictures and details in post #138 here.

 

[HelloKitty65]

If you don't find a vintage version, a 23mm lug wrench is available from Toyota, part 09150-25010. The handle is too long to fit the original tool canvas. The shorter handle, from the 21mm 2-piece lug wrench can be used instead. More pictures and details in post #138 here.

_But_ it does fit, and comes with the original clear Toyota carrying bag pictured!

 

[oregon fj]

Good info, thanks! Since I don’t have an original tool canvas anyway, the extra length of the handle isn’t an immediate issue, as long as it will fit in the toolbox under the seat.

 

[oregon fj]

Got quite a few parts on their way now, while waiting on them I’ve been picking at various odds and ends.

I retrieved the passenger bench seat from the under-house storage and fitted it to the rig for the first time in many years. The covers and padding are trash, of course, but the frame and springs appear to be pretty good. The far left leg (the one that doesn’t bolt down) was crudely torched off about 2” short for some reason, but I’m pretty certain I can do something about that.

I then relabeled the new fuse box cover. When you mount the newer 6-fuse box so that all the wiring connects correctly, the fuse cover labels are upside down. The fuse amp sizes are not all correct for early trucks either. So I decided I wanted to fix that. I removed the original labels by scrubbing with acetone. Had to scrub much harder than I would have guessed, but the labels came off clean and the acetone did not damage the cover. Using my Dymo label maker with black-on-clear tape, I made new labels with correct amp notation. I also renamed the SPARE fuse to HEAT for when I get the heater installed someday.

I stripped all the chalky paint off the glove box door, found the original pewter paint in much better shape than I expected. It has some scratches and such, but really looks pretty good with the new shift plate on it. Will need to decide if it is good enough to use as is, or whether to repaint later. How “new” do I want a 40 for driving to look?

Then about lunch time, the first of the parts arrived, the new-to-me driver’s seat from Mark’s Off Road ( @65swb45 ). Complete and at least as nice as my passenger bench. Again, the vinyl and padding are trash, but that’s fine for now. I freed up the seat sliders and stuck it in the rig, and am very happy. It may not look all that great, but having proper seats in it is pretty cool to me.

 

[oregon fj]

Parts are arriving, daily it seems like. First to get here was the one I won’t be ready to install for a long while - a replacement heater switch. The new one is an exact replacement. Well, other than the badly faded plastic and the fact that the old one was broken...

Then today I got a pair of new brake master cylinders, real Toyota parts. Why two, you ask? So I could convert one into a proper looking clutch master. (Details in this thread, post 254 - 25 Master Cylinders)

After converting one into a clutch master, and swapping the tin cups over to both, I’ve got nice, new Toyota cylinders that still look correct. Waiting for tomorrow’s part delivery for related parts, then I can start bleeding them out.

 

[oregon fj]

Another day, more parts arrived, so more progress.

Replaced the ignition switch (2 real Toyota keys, yay!), and installed the new clutch slave.

Clutch bled out nicely. I didn’t mess with the push rod adjustment, hoping it was still ok when the truck was parked. I did make sure the jam nut and ball weren’t rusted solid while I had it out, just in case. I’ve got pretty good throw, but maybe too much free pedal, will take a look at that tomorrow.

Also bench bled the new brake master, then hooked it up. Haven’t started bleeding the brakes yet, but the brake pedal already has some resistance, can be pumped up, and doesn’t drop under sustained pressure. So I don’t think any of the wheel cylinders are leaking, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t seized solid. Might get to that tomorrow as well.

Can’t get the cooling system back together yet, I still lack a couple of the hoses. So even if the brakes are usable, first test drive is still a bit farther out.

 

[oregon fj]

Today, the '64 moved under its own power!! First time in many years. Still lots to do, but another big milestone is past!

 

[oregon fj]

And while I was cleaning the garage floor prior to pulling it back in, more parts arrived. Another box of parts that won't be used until the end of the project.

 

[middlecalf]

Notice those are made in USA tires. Summit?

Acorns!

 

[oregon fj]

Notice those are made in USA tires. Summit?

Yes. Four old Summit tractions, and one REALLY old Monarch UMT. The Monarch was obviously the spare when the Summits were put on, but it is on the LR now as one of the Summits was flat on the spare carrier when I bought the rig. I'm planning on a set of 4 STA Traxions soon, and one of the Summits will become the spare.

Acorns!

Figured I'd better get them now while I can, they could be gone again before I get this thing done.

 

[oregon fj]

I could sure use one of those other Summits as a spare for my project. I presently have one acorn hubcap used for a less esthetic spare given the tire.

I’ll save one for you, will swap it for the running board material you offered. Might be a few weeks before I get to getting the new tires, though.