Project Elsie - 1978 FJ40

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I decided to do the rear mounts in the frame, which worked out pretty well for the driver's side, but the passenger side was a little more. It all worked out really well though. I ended up measuring, and marking the rear again. Finished the driver's side, unbolted the transfer case and swung it out of the way, finished the Passenger side and it was hanging in the frame with no hydraulic help what so ever! This is coming together nicely.
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Now I can work on the rest of it... Since I went with the ram-horn manifolds I went with the Walker crossover pipe (P/N 42087) I had an exhaust system form a Tundra that the dealership was going to pitch, so I used the resonator on the Walker crossover pipe that I picked up. This setup sounds nice without an exhaust, but I will get to the exhaust shop with it ASAP. I had the opportunity to install the O-2 sensor as well...
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I've done the oil change, installed the radiator and hoses, and filled it with fluids. I connected up some battery cables just to see what would happen. I cranked it and it fired right up. Thank god! I was not looking forward to troubleshooting the EFI system right away. I'll get some better photos of it tonight and post them up asap! This is a lot of fun Thanks for the support and interest.
 
Nice write-up!

I think the 305 that's coming out of mine was a '91....I don't remember.
Since I have the whole donor vehicle, I think swapping the whole computer assy wiring etc etc will make it the smoothest.
I want to do the steering column and maybe the brakes too.....not sure yet.
I also have to figure out the belt to serpentine conversion for the York O/B air I have ... humm...

You're sure doing a great job there MikeyMouse!
 
DaveA said:
Nice write-up!

I think the 305 that's coming out of mine was a '91....I don't remember.
Since I have the whole donor vehicle, I think swapping the whole computer assy wiring etc etc will make it the smoothest.
I want to do the steering column and maybe the brakes too.....not sure yet.
I also have to figure out the belt to serpentine conversion for the York O/B air I have ... humm...

You're sure doing a great job there MikeyMouse!
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I thought about all of those options as well. I'm more interested in keeping the FJ40 look with the steering column option. I don't use the tilt wheel on my FJC, so that's no big whoop, I'm not going to push for cruise control just yet. CC on an FJ40 just seems weird. :hhmm: I did the Saginaw conversion (and rear disk brake) already. I would like to get the collapsible DD steering shaft though, just for safety and a little modernization. I really want to preserve the original spirit of the vehicle as much as possible.

I would try checking the ECM part number and connectors... if they plug in, just double check the pinouts then swap the ECM before swapping the engine and see if it fires. It would run rich and maybe set codes, but if you don't have to rewire it, that would help IMHO. Even better if you can just swap the chip from your donor ECM to the existing ECM that would be even more smooth. If there are problems with the previous engine swap then I would consider redoing it from the ground up. It sounds like you have a lot of options though. It sure is nice having a whole donor vehicle. It really makes things easier to have a complete system to work with.

Thank you. I try to just not do stuff until I can afford to do it right. I've been waiting a LONG time to actually do the conversion. Most people say that these things end up costing a lot more than they originally thought, I have had the opposite experience. It's costed me about $1,500 without the cost of the engine since my donor vehicle ended up being free. I really lucked out, but waiting for the right opportunity really paid off. The costs were in the pump, filter (overkill), VSS, conversion kit, exhaust, and odds-ends (paint, gaskets, hoses, tubing, air filter, fan belt, rotor, cap, plugs, etc.). Maybe I just accounted for these items in my figuring, but it's been right on, or less than I had expected. In a few years I would be ok putting in a fresh long block and an H55 trans. :clap:
 
MM....This was at the end of the day yesterday.....got the motor out.

I have a lot to learn about the ECM, pin-readout, sensor stuff with the TBI.....never been a "strong suit" of mine.....but necessity will make it so! I'm more of a "cut-n-grind-n-weld" guy.

Dave
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Looks awesome! That must have been fun with that bumper/winch all up in your way! :)

The electronic stuff can be intimidating, but it really is basic if you look past the voodoo of it. The computer is just calculating the amount of fuel based on the observed conditions, and adjusting spark timing to get the most complete burn possible. There are 2 types of devices - inputs (sensors) and outputs (solenoids). The computer is able to be way more accurate than a carb since it can take into account air temp and barometric pressure (oxygen density). Essentially TBI is a sophisticated (more dynamic) electronic carburetor. MPFI/TPI is just a little more sophisticated (more solenoids/injectors) than that, since it eliminates the variables inherent with the air fuel mixture traveling down a traditional intake runner. Direct injection and VVTi is a whole separate beast that FJ40s likely won't encounter. :)

If you have any questions along the way feel free to ask. I'm an IT guy and I used to be a Toyota and Nissan technician, so it's all pretty clear to me. I haven't gotten into reprogramming chips or anything like that, but I may somewhere along the way, it's very intriguing.
 
It was quite a lift to get the motor to clear - but not too bad - having removed the fenders/aprons because I'm doing a tube fender kit install at the same time. I got the tube fender kit about 2 years ago...finally getting ready to put it together. It's still in the box....wonder what surprise awaits me in there!

The TBI electronics ... humm ... first thing I need to do is make a reader or do something like what you've wrote about - the cable that will plug into my laptop (netbook). Any ideas/suggestions on that one? (I'd trade ya something for one - need anything? I have some FJ stuff here).

Gotta work tomorrow....off to pack and get to bed early!
 
DaveA said:
It was quite a lift to get the motor to clear - but not too bad - having removed the fenders/aprons because I'm doing a tube fender kit install at the same time. I got the tube fender kit about 2 years ago...finally getting ready to put it together. It's still in the box....wonder what surprise awaits me in there!

The TBI electronics ... humm ... first thing I need to do is make a reader or do something like what you've wrote about - the cable that will plug into my laptop (netbook). Any ideas/suggestions on that one? (I'd trade ya something for one - need anything? I have some FJ stuff here).

Gotta work tomorrow....off to pack and get to bed early!
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I was actually thinking about getting a hood side panel to drill a hole in for a snorkel. If you have a spare, either side, I'd trade & shoot you a couple bucks for that. You'll probably need a USB version for your netbook. It probably doesn't have a serial port on it. What's the model of netbook?
 
Hey MM....here's a passengers side hood skirt I have. the hood spring mount needs some attention, and there's a snapped off bolt in one of the fender mount nut plates, but overall, it's in decent shape. Whatchya think?
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Last couple pictures.
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mikeymouse said:
I could make that work! Let me know what you'd like in addition to the cable and we'll make it happen!
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Two things:

Your shipping address :)

Unlimited technical assistance when it comes time to do the TBI tuning/electronic stuff :)) (pictures work GREAT!)

I looked under some other stuff I have and found another hood skirt....better shape....I'll send it if you're interested. It looks like to me that you can make either work though.....you've got the fabrication/mod skills.

Dave
 
DaveA said:
Two things:

Your shipping address :)

Unlimited technical assistance when it comes time to do the TBI tuning/electronic stuff :)) (pictures work GREAT!)

I looked under some other stuff I have and found another hood skirt....better shape....I'll send it if you're interested. It looks like to me that you can make either work though.....you've got the fabrication/mod skills.

Dave
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We can do that. I'll send you a p.m. Reply with your shipping address and I'll send you the cable. I'm going to try to make one with a molded plug instead of loose pins that you have to poke into the connector. I'll also get you a usb-serial adapter that should work just fine.

If the other one that you found has the little flare for the hood clip I'll take it, if not... I'll take it anyway! :) I can make one of those if need be.

Thank you sir!
 
Hi Mike.....thanks for the address.....I got the other skirt from the basement - it's in a lot better shape....some surface rust on the inner surface, but the hood tie-down is there and there's even a marker light in the cut-out! I don't have the emblem, but I see you don't have 'em on your 40 anyway :)

It's on it's way to your address today! Thank you for the cable and help.....I really appreciate it Sir!
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I really appreciate the asist on the hood side! That'll work perfectly! I'll adorn it with some diamond tread and squirt it with a little paint! It'll be just right. :) Now I have to concoct some sort of snorkel! I have some stick-on emblems that'll eventually make it on there. I'll figure it out.

I will make your cable tonight and get it tested and off to you as soon as I get the molded connector if I can source them. if not it's only 3 wires to stick in the DLC, so it's not a big deal without the molded connector.
 
I stopped in at the post office, and there was one person helping a line of about 10 people.....and nothing remotely looking like assistance for getting a box for the skirt....so.....I went over to the UPS Store, and they measured and calculated and came up with about $40 to send it UPS...

So....

I'm making a box for the skirt tonight, and sending it out tomorrow!

I'll insure it for $150, so if it's bent up when you get it....presto-whammo, new one is paid for!

With the cable, is there a program or something I should look for to download to use it with my motor?

Dave
 
DaveA said:
I stopped in at the post office, and there was one person helping a line of about 10 people.....and nothing remotely looking like assistance for getting a box for the skirt....so.....I went over to the UPS Store, and they measured and calculated and came up with about $40 to send it UPS...

So....

I'm making a box for the skirt tonight, and sending it out tomorrow!

I'll insure it for $150, so if it's bent up when you get it....presto-whammo, new one is paid for!

With the cable, is there a program or something I should look for to download to use it with my motor?

Dave
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Good christ! They don't lube it up at all at the UPS store! That's ridiculous! There is, I'll include a cd with the WinALDL program on it. it's a free program so no worries. You can actually download it from here...

WinALDL

If your laptop is Windows XP, you should have no problems. I'll look at the program and see if it runs on Win7 tomorrow at work. I'll let you know.
 
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