Builds Project 2027: 1977 FJ40 Rebuild
- Thread starter Jetlander
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- Thread starter
- #242
Seats are mocked in. Took delivery of a Besttop rear bench seat and am super stoked on the quality and ease of installation. I also like the fact that it folds up tight against the backs of the front seats, which opens up almost the entire bed of the 40. My wife and kids like it a lot more than the side seats as well. Win win.
All the seats will be recovered in leather before it's all done. I'm working to source some leather used to cover seats in corporate jets, for the massive price of FREE! Hopefully my side hustle works because that would save me a huge amount of money on the reupholstering cost.
I also couldn't help myself and got a rattle can of paint very similar to the Toyota Cement color I'm going to have it painted. Like a kid in a candy shop...
I just needed to see for myself what it might look like. Took the picture in terrible lighting but in natural daylight, I love it. Can't wait.
All the seats will be recovered in leather before it's all done. I'm working to source some leather used to cover seats in corporate jets, for the massive price of FREE! Hopefully my side hustle works because that would save me a huge amount of money on the reupholstering cost.
I also couldn't help myself and got a rattle can of paint very similar to the Toyota Cement color I'm going to have it painted. Like a kid in a candy shop...
I just needed to see for myself what it might look like. Took the picture in terrible lighting but in natural daylight, I love it. Can't wait.
- Thread starter
- #243
And that brings me to this week. I ordered a Vintage Air air-conditioning system because Texas... From what I had read it take 35-40 hours to install. Because I'm doing mockup before paint I've been working on getting it partially installed so I can avoid drilling holes after the fact. All the inside the cabin work is completed. The engine bay is still on going.
What I've found so far:
1. The compressor and alternator bracket comes in bare steel, which I found completely odd because everything else is powder coated black. Kinda dumb really as it just adds another complication to the already labor intensive install.
2. Depending on the radiator fan shroud you have, you may have to cut a significant chunk out of it. So far so good for me on this front, I have up to this point dodged that bullet but that may change...
3. I'm going to have to move the whole radiator core back about 3/4"-1" for the front bib to fit. The condenser bolts to the front of the radiator and due to that things are getting tight. I'm hoping that moving the radiator back will not interfere with the compressor pulley and belt. The instructions did say it may. Fingers crossed on this one.
What I've found so far:
1. The compressor and alternator bracket comes in bare steel, which I found completely odd because everything else is powder coated black. Kinda dumb really as it just adds another complication to the already labor intensive install.
2. Depending on the radiator fan shroud you have, you may have to cut a significant chunk out of it. So far so good for me on this front, I have up to this point dodged that bullet but that may change...
3. I'm going to have to move the whole radiator core back about 3/4"-1" for the front bib to fit. The condenser bolts to the front of the radiator and due to that things are getting tight. I'm hoping that moving the radiator back will not interfere with the compressor pulley and belt. The instructions did say it may. Fingers crossed on this one.
If you are doing a panamerican trip then that would significantly affect the change of how I were to build a 40. I would do a long range fuel tank so you don't have to fuel up in sketchy areas. I probably would use the factory trans tunnel so that if something funky happens with the clutch or transfercase its much easier to work on in a 3rd world country. I would use removable sound and heat insulation so if it gets wet you can pull it to dry it out. Heavy duty bumpers that will hold lots of gear, good skid plates and sliders. I would also consider window gates similar to what some the of defender 90 guys have on their vehicles. Thats my 2 cents. Progress looks awesome. What do you do for work? Im in the wrong business it looks like lol. Have you considered a aqualu windshield frame? Also stock 40 seats for me wouldn't be comfortable enough for a huge trip like that. Ive been through a couple different kinds of front seats, my current setup is extremely comfortable and make driving the 40 much more enjoyable, as does the air conditioning.
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- #246
All great points White Stripes. I thought about transmission issue a bit before I made the decision. Granted taking it out from the top is much easier if the top is off, I don’t know if it’s that much easier if the top is on, which it would be. I figured most transmissions have to be dropped if there are issues anyways. With the aluminum tunnel there is still enough access to loosen all the necessary bolts and help in the drop.
Bumpers are already selected. I’m running a 4+ front bumper by @lcwizard now and love the quality and stoutness so I will definitely be adding a 4+ rear bumper towards the end of the build. That‘ll give some extra fuel storage plus a handy spot for the hi-lift Jack/lights etc. I may ask him to do some additional magic for more utility for the 19,000 mile trek.
I will also be building and pulling a small trailer that’ll be my main source of storage and location of an RTT, additional spare tires etc. Fuel is always a concern on a long journey when a 40 is involved so I will be adding a long range tank. I haven’t decided if I’ll go with a currently available solution or come up with something custom. I’d like to have enough fuel between a LR tank and gas cans to go at least 400-500 miles.
The window cages are an interesting idea that I had not considered before. Definitely would help with potential break ins once south of the border.
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- Thread starter
- #247
Thanks. The color choice was by far the hardest part of the rebuild.
Any plans for 3 point seat belts in the rear?
My concern was more clearance with the smaller cut in the floor compared to the original floor cutout for the original tunnel. Not so much bolt access. Keep in mind that to pull the transfercase it needs to slide straight back around 8" to come off of the transmission output shaft. So as long as you have about 8" between the rear of the tunnel cut out in the floor and the rear of the transfercase you should be good. Otherwise you will have to pull the engine, trans, and tcase out all together then remove the Trans and or tcase.
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- #250
Yes sir. I already have new belts with shoulder harnesses for each seat.
Looking forward to some pics of how your mounting those i really need to get something set up un my 42 before summer.
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- #252
I’ll have to look at that closer. It’s a good point to take into consideration. Surely people with Aqualu tubs aren’t having to pull the entire driveline to work on the tranny?! Are they?
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- #253
Most likely going to install a Metaltech cage. They offer seatbelt mounting tabs to weld straight to the cage.
Good question. A lot of people with restored 40s dont use them much. Many others dont work on their own 40s. I suppose you could tilt the engine like crazy by removing the motor mount bolts. But u get only so much flex before the fan hits the shroud or wires and hoses get too stretched.
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- #255
After a couple days out of town I finally got back to the 40 today. Didn’t have a lot of time to start any big projects, except for pulling the pulley off of the power steering pump. Initially, about a year ago, when I mounted the pump the pulley was closest to the pump to line up with the rear crank pulley. However, now that I have the A/C mocked up I realize the power steering pulley will have to run off of the forward belt groove. Getting that pulley pulled was a beast, taking almost 2 hours so I didn’t wreck the pump. I initially started with a puller but the damn thing just bent the pulley. I forgot how tight those things are so I cut as best I could with a dremel disk and then tried prying and pulling. After a long battle I would not be denied and I prevailed.
May that pulley rot in hell...
Also started bolting on the left front fender and apron so I could figure out alignment for the bib and how far back I could get the radiator. Of course I ran into another issue.
One forward, two back seems to be the MO as of late.
The alignment of the cowl, fender, and apron would not work no matter what I did. It seemed like the cowl was too low and it was causing a pinch between the cowl and fender. I tracked it down to the cowl body mount I was using, which seems too thin by about half. Anyone have any idea how thick the pad should be? The one I’ve got in there is perhaps 5/8”- 3/4” thick. When I loosened up the mount bolt it seemed the cowl sat most natural and everything lined up perfectly with about 1” gap where the body mount is. So I’m thinking I have the wrong mount.
Any insight would be awesome.
May that pulley rot in hell...
Also started bolting on the left front fender and apron so I could figure out alignment for the bib and how far back I could get the radiator. Of course I ran into another issue.
One forward, two back seems to be the MO as of late.
The alignment of the cowl, fender, and apron would not work no matter what I did. It seemed like the cowl was too low and it was causing a pinch between the cowl and fender. I tracked it down to the cowl body mount I was using, which seems too thin by about half. Anyone have any idea how thick the pad should be? The one I’ve got in there is perhaps 5/8”- 3/4” thick. When I loosened up the mount bolt it seemed the cowl sat most natural and everything lined up perfectly with about 1” gap where the body mount is. So I’m thinking I have the wrong mount.
Any insight would be awesome.
- Thread starter
- #256
Oh, and this because I’m a child at heart and am still pretty jazzed about the color selection. This is just more rattle can of the final color so I have a better idea of the overall look. Honestly I’ve only seen 40’s in this color in pics so seeing it in person, even if it’s just a crap impromptu spray, makes me really happy with the selection.
No more spraying moving forward though because I don’t want the extra work stripping it off.
Let me know what you think of the color selection.
No more spraying moving forward though because I don’t want the extra work stripping it off.
Let me know what you think of the color selection.
Love the color!!
I have a Tundra that color and love it. I was thinking of painting my 40 the same, so hurry up and finish so I can see what it will look like
What cage do you plan on going with? A full or jackson? i was leaning towards jackson and welding the shoulder tab on the rear corner for the whole 3 point belt set up for rear.
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- #260
I definitely prefer the Jackson for a few of reasons. First, it looks much closer to the stock cage, which has a little bit of importance to me. The second is I like that the Jackson doesn’t have the crossmember going diagonally across the back window. The truth is, my 40 will never be wheeled hard enough to really justify all the additional reinforcement. And the final reason is I like the double parallel pipes that run along the top, front to back. I’m planning on mounting a few things between those pipes like a CB and HAM radio, and a MOLLE web mount for various gear.
That’s the same place I plan on welding the seatbelt tab.
