Parts for FJ40... How difficult?

Sold my old '76 CJ5 last summer and now am searching for an FJ40. Mechanic I use to work on my Tacoma says steer away because of difficulty in finding parts. I used a company called Quadratec to purchase stuff for the Jeep. What do you guys use for your rigs? Is it really that difficult?

Thanks ahead for any help!

 

[Hugh Heifer]

Not at all.
Two excellent sources here in Georgia "Beno" in Covington and "SamStewart" in Marietta. Due to the number of 40s built and delivered around the globe, most parts remain plentiful.
Lots of aftermarket sources too if you are willing to accept lessor quality parts.

And let me welcome you to Mud before this thread gets moved.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

And I'm in the wrong place to ask this huh? Thanks though!

 

[longtrail]

I cannot compare parts availability to your jeep, but most parts are available. A lot of parts are still available from toyota, sometimes at a premium though. These forums are a wealth of info and the classifieds are great. You can also check out spector offroad (great catalog), cruiser corps, and ccot for both oem and aftermarket parts. Marks offroad has been a valuable source to me as well.There are more, I'm sure others will chime in. also, check out the vendor section in the forums. As with any discontinued vehicle there is the occasional part that is unobtanium, but even those items pop up in the classifieds if you are patient.
Good luck!

 

[mtrdud]

I have owned several Jeeps as 40's so I can give you my opinion. I also bought a lot of stuff from Quadratec for my Jeep Scrambler. I can tell you that 40's are more expensive than Jeeps. You can find several sources for most ANY Jeep part however 40's aren't that way. I have found that most Jeep stuff is cheaper. I can say that I have enjoyed my Jeeps but I'm a Toyota guy. You may spend more but you cannot beat Toyota quality. Just my 2 cents worth.





This is my last Jeep. A 1984 Jeep Scrambler.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Thanks for the info! Won't be looking for a 'pavement princess' so the more parts sources I can gather the better...

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Awesome Scrambler btw!

 

[Dedtruk]

In addition to Man-A-Fre, Mark's, Spector, CCOT, Cruiser Corps, FJ40Jim (Mud username), and lots of other fine vendors here on Mud, keep your eyes on Craig's List too. Some parts cross over from the SA minitrucks (disc brake and power steering conversion parts) and from the FJ6x line to FJ40 (diffs, springs, 2F motor, power steering conversion ...). The one Jeep part I prefer over the 40 stuff is the exterior rear view mirrors. Surf the Jeep stuff for universal parts like winch, tires, etc. Bottom line: Plenty of parts, you just pay more for 'em. GL!

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Seen a lot about 'mini truck' conversions to FJs... This a good way to go?

Thanks a lot...

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Seen a lot about 'mini truck' conversions to FJs... This a good way to go?

Thanks a lot...

It is a good way to go, but finding the parts (especially on the east coast) can be a challenge. If you want to do a power steering conversion I'd go with a saginaw setup. You can get these boxes just about anywhere. You can also use a Saginaw pump which is also readily available. The conversion may be a bit more involved, but it's a superior setup compared to using mini truck parts.

Pair that with the fact that guys currently want a premium for mini truck power steering boxes makes it worth the little extra effort for a superior setup IMO. I remember the days where the IFS boxes were worth their weight in gold once cross over steering became the rage. The 79-85 mini toy 4x4's are becoming unicorns especially around here in the rust belt probably causing the spike in value.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Thanks a lot for the info... Now I just gotta find my 1st FJ!

 

[Henry James the 47th]

I don't agree with the above assessments about there being 'plenty of parts'. It is the case that there are several parts suppliers out there. It is the case that there are some aftermarket parts available. It is the case that Toyota will have most of the parts to keep a rig running, like bearing, seals, u-joints, gaskets and the like.

But if you are looking to restore a rig, you will find, after a while, that there are a lot of OEM parts which are NLA (no longer available) from Toyota or anywhere else. Parts like body panels - only the hood is still available as far as I know, and those are on a short list now. Interior parts, like steering wheel, heater, console dash pads, instrument clusters, cable controls, headliner, seats, door panels, door limiters, floor mats - forget it. The best chance you are generally going to have are those Toyota parts which were shared across several vehicles. As an example, I obtained sway bar bushings from my local Toyota dealer last week, and those bushings were in three different Toyota models besides Landcruiser. Need new pistons for your 2F? NLA. Need glow plugs for your 2H? NLA. Need a glow plug relay for your BJ42? NLA. I find the answer to my question at the Toyota dealer is 'NLA' or 'de-listed', or 'obsolete' about 90% of the time. Then sometimes they will have a part you didn't expect them to have and it is like a surprise Christmas present.

In some cases there are good aftermarket options for some parts - Joint Fuji tie rod ends, u-joints, and parking brake drums, for example, which are OEM quality. Other aftermarket parts can be cheesy, like Taiwanese indicator lamps.

Once you get really familiar with these vehicles, you can get kind of like 'mammoth hunter' in your mentality when a rare OEM, NLA part shows up on Ebay. The last time I saw a late model steering wheel come up on auction, it went for over $400.

YMMV. good luck!

 

[Dedtruk]

I don't agree with the above assessments about there being 'plenty of parts'.

Good points, but he didn't say anything about restoring a rig to OEM specs and he didn't say anything about OEM diesel either. You are right that in those contexts, sourcing parts is a challenge. But a gasser trail rig can be built with parts that are still reasonably available (as Toyzz suggests, Saginaw P/S).

Toyzz, are you nutz? Saginaw sux! Just bustin' your chops. I used Saginaw once and it's tough and cheap, but it can be twitchy in a short wheelbase rig. I got used to it. I think since you're looking at fab work either way, if I was starting from scratch, I'd go JF60. $0.02 ...

 

[Henry James the 47th]

I was responding to the comment the OP made that,

"Mechanic I use to work on my Tacoma says steer away because of difficulty in finding parts."

I took that to mean OEM parts for the most part, and realize I may have misunderstood.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

I sure didn't intent to stir the pot on this! My guy is a certified Lexus/Toyota mechanic with his own shop and probably did mean OEM with his parts comment. I'd asked him if he'd rebuild an engine for me if I needed so that's where that came from...

I'm still hunting though!

 

[Dedtruk]

imyahucklbrry, Henry definitely has a point about OEM stuff being a pain to source (and sorry if I sounded like a tool). I recall reading that pistons are unobtainium ... guess you could always have them custom made, but geez, just find another engine. My point: Hate to see you avoid FJ4x just because parts aren't as plentiful and cheap as they are for Jeeps. But you are the best judge of what challenges are reasonable in your universe and which are best left to others. GL!

 

[ken_79-fj40]

I can see where his mechanic is coming from. You can't walk into the local napa and expect them to have anything specific in stock. And when I rebuilt the 2F in my 79 (with domed pistons no less) finding pistons was nearly impossible. I actually thought it was impossible but SOR had 7 left. I wouldn't think twice about buying a basket case jeep and restoring it but doing the same with a cruiser will make you broke and perhaps insane sourcing parts. But if you're building a truck to use and plan on things like disc brakes, power steering, maybe a V8, there's no problem. I actually sold my 79 last summer after owning it for 12 years and rebuilding it from the frame up. I didn't have trouble finding parts but I wasn't doing a true "restoration" either. I miss it dearly and a Jeep won't fill the void. I'm broke now but once I get things in order again another FJ40 will be in my shop.

 

[Henry James the 47th]

The thing with the OEM parts supply is that it just gets worse and worse, and you have to scavenge harder and harder as time goes on. When I rebuilt my truck you could still buy OEM fenders and bib and even doors. Those are all gone now I think. It was always really hard to get 47-specific parts, but now even the more generic FJ40 OEM stuff is getting a bit thin on the ground. I'm now in a mode of 'get it while you can' (and as I can afford it)

You're fine with bolts, bearings, most seals, gaskets, wiper blades, most bulbs and lenses, u-joints, that kind of thing. If keeping it running is the main thing, and you don't have any issues with putting a Chevy motor in there, or doing other mods with non-Toyota parts, then there are more options for sure. It's when you want to restore the rig to any semblance of originality you run into difficulties. It's no longer possible to do a full OEM restoration with new parts.

I would love it if factory patch panels were available!!!!