Builds Project Old Blue - 1973 (1 Viewer)

[ToyotaMatt]

Very Sweet 73

You have all the Super Rare Standard options that made a 1973 FJ40

one of the most Unique stand alone years in my opinion .........


- SKI Goggles style single back up light on drivers side

- seperate FAN FRONT and FAN REAR Switches and very very rare matching text font logo knobs !

- 1st generation Back Lit Knob headlight switch , how ever a 1 model year only
fixed knob type , NO rheostat Dimmer feature .

even more fascinating , is instead of the Bulb simply being fixed in a socket
in the rear of the switch in a solid fixed position at all times .....

a 73 headlight switch , the Bulb socket is attached further inside the swicth , to the back side of the Contacts main housing BLOCK .........

this may seam confusing TECH , but as u pull out the Knob on a 74-84 Lighted
knob headlight switch , the further away the knob face becomes from the fixed mount bulb LUMEN's , hence the TEXT FONT word LIGHTS gets dimmer or lower visible usable LUMEN's

but on a 73 only the Bulb travels along with the contacts box fixed to it and gets sucked further inside as u pull the lights knob out for park , then full headlights 2nd step ......

hence steady Bright even LUMEN's at all times ...........at all 3 knob positions

why TOYOTA ended this design feature on the 74-84 switches and opted for
a flawed minor yet significant impact change still baffles me to this day ?

why ruin a good thing and replace with a semi flawed approach ?



Again Nice score John

 

[FJBen]

Looks great! That is in great shape!

 

[KingAir Driver]

Finished up the front seats tonight. Still missing one of the adjustment engagement pins for the drivers seat frame.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Finished up the transmission tunnel. Definitely not a world-class restoration, but 100x better than what I started with. Prior to install, I want to clean up the transfer case and replace the speedo cable and find where leaks are coming from.

Ordered the SOR pre-cut trans tunnel gasket and it looks like a great product. Plus it came with all new bolts.

Before, Swiss Cheese...

After...

 

[EStein]

I might have missed it but how did you fill those rust holes on the tunnel? Looks great.

 

[KingAir Driver]

I might have missed it but how did you fill those rust holes on the tunnel? Looks great.

I used rust converter then metal body filler to seal the holes and then built back up the missing pieces. Lots of sanding and primer. Definitely not a body-man, but it looks better.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Decided to tackle the gauge cluster since it was out. Sanded and primed the face, just waiting on CruiserCorps pewter paint to arrive. Painted all the gauge needles with Testers Fluorescent Orange model paint, and will be adding LED backlight bulbs to finish it off.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Finished up the gauge cluster re-fresh. Cruiser Corps pewter paint, painted needles, LED bulbs, and some heat shrink tubing around the two bottom flat studs.

 

[EStein]

Finished up the gauge cluster re-fresh. Cruiser Corps pewter paint, painted needles, LED bulbs, and some heat shrink tubing around the two bottom flat studs.

View attachment 2277311

Dang! Nice job. You do good work!

 

[KingAir Driver]

Busy day... Cluster installed with new speedo cable, transmission tunnel installed along with shifter, gas tank set into place and fuel line connected. The good, my lights now work.

The bad, no signals or hazards. The front fan and wiper do nothing. The gas tank straps don’t fit over the CCOT metal tank, over an inch difference. Wondering if 73 was once again the odd year. Looks like more wire tracing and grounds.

Next up is to finish the clutch slave and line to the master and bleed. Change oil, trans, and transfer fluids. There’s a nice leak coming out of the parking brake area, re-seal most likely. Definitely needs a power wash downstairs. Took off all the knobs to restore as well.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Got the hazards and turn signals all working! The flasher unit was busted, good thing I had a NOS spare in the garage. Removed the battery tray and frame support to clean up the splash shields. Test fit the seat brackets.

Going to get creative with the fuel tank straps

 

[Dizzy]

That tank looks like a '74 and later model-year, according to SOR illustrations - based on the three-compartment vents. Between the two companies, their website lacks consensus, IIAC.

 

[KingAir Driver]

@Dizzy , these are the straps that came out of the 40 with an original gas tank of the same design. I’m thinking another case of the ‘73 strikes again. I’ll make it work.

 

[KingAir Driver]

When in doubt, stop by Ace Hardware for some misc items. May not be pretty, but it works for now. I might try and find rubber instead of hard plastic.

Making progress.

 

[KingAir Driver]

The wonders of CLR and some fine Steel Wool. I’ve got my work cut out for me!

 

[KingAir Driver]

Re-installed the battery support after painting it, new fuel filter, battery tray and hold down. Also installed @Fourrunner battery cables and @Coolerman fusible link kit.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Passenger side seat installed... Got the front blower motor running, prepping to work on the back floor and remove the dried adhesive. Plus, finish up the clutch slave and hose. Always something...

 

[EStein]

You’re making some good progress!

 

[KingAir Driver]

Finished installing the rest of the clutch hydro system. New master, slave, hard line and soft line. Just need to get some fluid and do some gravity bleeding. After that I started scrapping 40 years of goo off the bottom of the trans and transfer case.

 

[KingAir Driver]

Got a couple things accomplished, first compression check on the motor. I was worried, but everything turned out good. The plugs were black, so I got new ones, then replaced the valve cover with a 2F. Oil change up next.

Compression #’s

145/145/135/150/140/145