Project Duragoat: My 1974 FJ40 Build Thread

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Back to making some progress. Finally got my hands on the coveted 5th gear.




Split the case and cleaned everything up. Even had a little helper to degrease. Mom is still a little cranky about the stains on her shirt!


Didn't forget the 5th gear oiler.

 

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Twin Stick

Picked up a kit from George at Vally Hybrids. Went on really easily. love the feel of the shift and engagement. much smoother and positive feeling than the stock.





Weld is a little ugly, but not going any where.

 

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Flywheel/Bell housing/clutch

Used a RAM 1550 flywheel



Went with a centerforce clutch


advanced adapters bell housing. it came with the bronze pilot bushing.

 

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Dropping the 5.3L in

Finally the drive train is together.





it was a little squirley getting it all up and over the front cross member.
Used a 1 3/8 inch blocks to simulate the height of the motor mount bushings.
pushed the engine as close to the steering rod as possible. ~2mm of clearance.

 

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Cross Member Fabrication

First pic is of the bottom of the trans mount. originally i tried to use an FJ60 mount, and it didn't look like it would work out all that well.



starting to cut rectangle tube. 2.5" by 1" by .120 wall



roughly done. looks simple, but took all damn day

 

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Cross member Fabrication

Gusseted the 90's to add a little strength, driver side sits ontop of angle welded to scab plate on the frame. passenger side bolts to bottom of angle to allow the member to be removed. used 1/2 inch bolts. added gusset to the angle as well.

The V allows clearance for front drive shaft. there is plenty of room there. i'm sure it wold allow 4-6 inches of lift and still clear.





I was getting ready to be done by the time i added the gussets, again, welds not so pretty, but functional.

 

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ready to wire

Last shot of the cross member. i am pretty happy with it.



it's exciting to see the engine sitting on the frame!!



Time to start the wiring.

 

[djawahir]

Don't worry about the wiring. I'm sure you can sucker some fool into doing it for you!

 

[BJ41]

love these monster engine builds ..
Is there an size engine you guys wouldnt drop in an FJ

 

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Djawahir, stopped by today with the laptop and was able to read the ECU, starting to get somewhere! thanks Dylan.

 

[djawahir]

No problem. I'll get your wiring squared away and you'll never have to worry about it. Just get the starter, fuel pump and tank. Then we can crank the engine and really piss off your neighbors.

 

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Fuel System

Started working on the fuel system. The first pic is the 3/8 fuel in line (top) and the 5/16 return line. I converted both to 6AN




This pic shows a small custom bracket to manage the lines. Hopefully this will keep the lines from moving around too much, also I located the fuel filter in a handy spot. all std 6an fittings. The bracket was located on some existing firewall through holes with captured nuts.



This was my first time using the braided hose and fittings, it was easier than i thought it would be. i cut the line with a chop saw and metal abrasive blade, blew it out with compressed air. i will do a final flush on the system before firing the engine. These lines flow straight into the frame rail, pretty much protected all the way to the pump/tank.

 

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More work on the fuel lines

More work on the fuel system, bulkhead connections near the fuel tank and plumbed the fuel pump. I ended up welding in a small patch where the original fuel lines passed through the tub. added 6AN bulkheads to barb fittings.




underside


fuel pump in the passenger side frame rail.

 

[orangefj45]

Nice going Brian!

 

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Disk Brake Conversion

Making more progress. Got all the parts for the conversion from George at Valley Hybrids. The parts looked great. Thanks George!





A little scrub-a-dub and some fresh paint, looking good. Beck giving me a hand with the knuckle prep.

 

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Disk Brake conversion

This was the method i came up with to put the axle shaft back together. once it was held in place with the zip tie, held the edge of the clamp with another clamp and a couple pops with a dead blow, and slid right on.

 

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disk brake conversion

Some Final Pics of the disk conversion.

 

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Tackling the Wiring

No doubt, i was the most concerned about the wiring. the factory harness was a serious maze of wires. For the most part, i followed this guys Wiring Harness Information recommendations for removing the unneeded wires. Automatic trans controls, AC, Evap system, etc.

This is a picture of the current state of the harness. it will get bundled, taped, and covered once we get everything sorted out.




Here is a shot of my buddy Dylan who has been helping me get this mess sorted out. This guy is a wizard with a soldering iron!



Starting to make some of the primary power connections. Fabbed a small sheet metal plate while Dylan combined the lines for Ignition, Fuel Injectors, 02 sensors, etc. Used a small terminal block to connect all the relays power out.

 

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Tackling the Wiring

Added a small fuse block to run power to the key, odb2, and PCM.






Here is a quick video that shows some general locations of the relay blocks, ODB2 connector, and where i mounted the computer.

Video of the electrical.

 

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It Lives!!! The first fire!

For the past 6 months or so, have been waiting for this day to come. Flushed the fuel lines this morning and confirmed no leaks. Dylan hooked up the laptop to verify that everything that should be off was off, and we gave it a go.

I couldn't believe that it fired right up the very first time we tried. Nice work D!

Nothing like the sound of a V8 with open exhaust manifolds!


The First Fire!