Pinstriped 1977 FJ40 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Threads
10
Messages
64
Location
Ft. Lauderdale
I spent a lot of time in South America when I was a kid. Needless to say, they were a big part of my childhood and I had been itching for one for a while. At first I thought I wanted a BJ70 from Canada- but after PMing a couple of people here and learning a whole lot about California emissions regulations, I talked myself out of it. Then, I started looking at US spec FJ40s, thinking that my life would be easier (We’ll see). I bought this ‘77 FJ40 from a MUD member about a month ago and I’ve been nagging some of you via PM with questions and I figured I should just nag all of you. I am looking to learn as much as I can (And I don’t know much). I’m have an idea of what to prioritize, but suggestions on anything you see in the photos are welcome!

IMG_3886.jpg


Some things I’ve already noticed/been told about:
  1. Leak under steering box
  2. Oil is on the low side. There seems to be oil everywhere in the engine compartment so I guess that makes sense?
  3. Brake lights and horn don’t work
  4. Leak under rear axle (Pinion oil seal?)
  5. Shaking when idling
  6. It rained the other night while the truck was sitting out on the driveway, now there’s water on the driver side floor under the pedals. Where did it come from?
  7. Accelerator sticks, although I haven’t experienced it myself, yet
  8. Fumes in the cabin are. Weatherstripping ain‘t great all around, and rear sill has significant rust, not sure if that could be the cause
  9. There’s lots of posts I’ve seen referencing buying stuff from MUD users. Is there a good roundup of from who/where I should buy and what I should buy from who?
 
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Sounds to me you have the "normal" issues. These are machines that need attention and maintenance routinely. All the things you need are in this forum, just search and help is there.
 
It rained the other night while the truck was sitting out on the driveway, now there’s water on the driver side floor under the pedals. Where did it come from?


Check the screws on the hood hinges, on the body side. Make sure they have some type of sealer on them.
 
Leak under rear axle (Pinion oil seal?)


When you change it pay attention to the pinion flange, make sure it isn't grooved where the seal rides.
 
Easy problems. Hit up @cruiseroutfit for a engine gasket kit, a front knuckle rebuild kit, and a set of TRE's. Maybe even a tune-up kit.

These issues you are seeing (maybe others can join me) are fun problems. Its not like you have the tub upside down in your driveway with quarters exposed, you know?

Fix the leaks, tune it up, address the wiring gremlins one item at a time (78 diagrams attached for reference, very similar) and enjoy that thing!

Cheers and congrats on a very cool cruiser.

Haynes1978A.jpg
Haynes1978B.jpg
 
Beautiful original FJ40 you have there. Take it one step at a time.
I created a spread sheet with 3 columns on it. Not because I am uptight but quite the opposite, to control my ADD and to stop me from going a million different directions and never getting anything done. Believe me I would have about 1000 projects and nothing would be getting done. One column is for the things that need to be corrected, i.e. seals, lights, brakes, tires, etc. One column is if I had unlimited funds and money was not an option such as rear locker, winch, vintage A/C iForce 5.7 v8 conversion 5 speed transmission, stuff like that. The 3rd column is everything that I have completed. Then as I get something done from the first column I put it in the 3rd column. I like what you said though at one step at a time. When I first put my vision down of what I was going to do the first column seemed daunting and insurmountable. However slowly over the last 3 years I now have far more stuff on the finished column the the to-do column.
1602164781546.png
 
Very cool Cruiser congratulation!

Plenty of cool projects ahead, sounds like many members have you on the right track.

If it were mine (I am open to that opportunity haha) I would prioritize in this way:

First Change the oil and Diagnose the idling issue to get it running decently, may need a new or rebuilt carb or gas tank cleaning, this would likely address the stuck accelerator as well.

Second steam clean the heck out of the engine and undercarriage, this will make the rest of the work much cleaner.

Third Repair the wiring to make it drivable.

Fourth prioritize the leaks Both oil and water and start ordering parts, Cruiser Outfitters would be my first call.

OR if you want if you want just one turn key step connect with @FJ60Cam or @wngrog and set up shipping their way, both do quality work!
 
Good news for this truck is it seems to be as Toyota intended, making fixes, projects etc. more straightforward.

Fixing 40 years of someone’s re-engineering isn’t fun!
 
My two cents - decide if you want to drive it (enjoy it) while you remedy each issue or if you want to restore it. Of course you need to attend to basic maintenance issues first (like desmocruiser talks about in post #14) to make it road worthy.
Having everything looking & working like new is great but unless you have deep pockets and/or tons of free time a restoration can sometimes lead you down a worm hole that slowly kills your enthusiasm.
I recommend you have fun with it now. Keep it maintained. Take on one issue at a time.
 
Love it. Welcome!

Lots of things to do on that (and all) 40s. Make a list like @cbmontgo said and go from there.

While this list can be overwhelming, eat that elephant 1 bite at a time. A lot of "while you are in there"

carb rebuild/clean @65swb45 (marks off road carb) or @FJ40Jim do excellent carb rebuilds
Radiator - looks like it needs repaired at least
leaks - leaks just start tackling them
Pinion leak
Brakes
Hoses
Belts
wiring
fluid change
Steering box reseal
tie-rod ends
knuckle rebuild



I suggest this for when you really don't want to chase that wiring spaghetti disaster or fix many oil leaks...
Preserving Patina - How To Tips and Tricks
That rig and paint will POP and make you feel good and want to work on it more. It gets tough when you start down the repair rabbit hole. Spend the first weekend, power washing/cleaning and doing that stuff in the Patina thread and you will WANT to drive it and get everything fixed.
 

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