Builds Rescuing a Basket Case '72 FJ40

[diesellibrarian]

Spent the weekend hammering away (quite literally) on this panel. By squishing the sheet metal between a hammer and dolly, I've slowly been stretching the metal in the center section of the panel, to the point where it has relaxed enough to lay (almost) flat. That has allowed me to do my final test-fitting before folding the front edge of the panel to meet up with the angled section of the floor behind the front seats. I don't want to make that fold until I know the floor panel is in its final location.

If I ever have to do this again, I will invest in some real tools: an English wheel, a sheet metal brake, and a bead roller that doesn't suck. With those tools, making this panel would be relatively straightforward.

The fact that the floor panel is already all dented up from all the hammering will help it blend right in with the rest of the truck, haha! Gotta find the silver lining in times like these. (I will put a skim of glaze over much of the panel to fill some of the deeper dents).

The other thing I did this weekend was to make up the support panel that goes under the front of the cargo floor, bridging the two body mounts that are behind the front seats.

So yeah, almost ready to weld the floor in, though I have a few things on order from Toyota (rear axle oil seals, diff gaskets, axle locking clips, etc.) that will allow me to reassemble the rear axle. Having the cargo floor out of the way makes it so much easier to work on the rear diff! So I think I might not install the floor until the axle's back together.

Other parts on order from City Racer: a rad hose kit, engine gaskets, and a clutch master cylinder. It won't be long before this truck will be moving under its own power!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Rear axle is reassembled! Everything went back together pretty slick. The only issue I encountered was some worn splines on the short axle, so I think I'm going to have to start looking for one of those. Bit of a bummer, but now that I've taken this thing apart and put it back together, I'm no longer as intimidated by all this differential stuff and I think I could realistically swap in a new axle shaft in 20 minutes if need be.

As part of preventative maintenance, I installed new OE axle seals. I didn't change out the bearings as both the bearings and races looked ok.

Front diff was moved to the rear. New locking clips installed, since the old ones were worn - and in fact one of them was broken! With the spacer block installed, the thrust clearance was pretty tight, but still within spec per the FSM.

New Toyota diff carrier gasket installed, with a thin layer of FIPG for extra insurance:

Still waiting on new drain/fill plugs (the old ones were destroyed by some gorilla with a cold chisel), but otherwise the rear axle assembly is ready to go!

Also cleaned and reinstalled the rear brake drums, and greased up the u-joints on the rear propeller shaft. My new clutch master should arrive today, so once I've determined that the clutch is working ok, I'll reinstall the drive shaft. Have a few other parts on route from City Racer - hopefully everything I need to get this thing mobile!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Last night I installed a new Aisin clutch master cylinder to complement the brand new slave cyl and hose that I'd added a month or two ago. The original master and slave cylinders were completely seized, so I figured it was best just to replace the whole system. I ended up installing a later three-hole master, since it seemed to be more readily available and slightly cheaper than the earlier one. This meant that I had to bend up a new hard line, since the earlier master uses a banjo fitting to attach the hard line. Luckily the fitting that goes into the banjo fitting is the same as the one on the new master cyl, so I was able to repurpose it. New hard line bent, flared, and installed:

Keen observers will notice the non-stock brake booster. Since I'm going to be switching to disc brakes in the front, I opted to swap in a spare FJ62 brake master and booster. The booster is larger than stock and did interfere with the clutch install, but I was able to get around that by using a slightly shorter mounting bolt. I "bench" bled the new clutch master "in situ" after it was installed, and then gravity bled the system. Pedal position and free play were set to factory spec, but I wasn't able to check the throw at the clutch push rod. Will need to enlist a buddy's help for that since I can't be under the car and pushing the pedal at the same time.

Speaking of pedals, the brake and clutch pedals each got new pads.

No idea of the condition of the clutch and throw-out bearing on this rig. If they're anything like the rest of the truck, they're likely cooked. I pulled the clutch inspection plate, and everything *looks* ok, but I'm not really sure what kind of issues I might be able to diagnose just by looking at things. The throw-out bearing spins freely, and that's about all I can say for sure.

Anyway, one more system brought up to snuff, and one step closer to being mobile.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Back on the sheet metal work! My goal was to get the floor welded in this weekend, but that didn’t quite happen. It’s actually pretty complicated process with many factors to consider and address before digging out the welder.

The first order of business was to get the panel laying flat. There was still a bit of stress in the panel from when I added the beads. I did a lot of hammer stretching, but that wasn’t getting me where I needed to be, so I bought a very cheap English wheel and ran the panel through it using a flat lower anvil. Even though the machine is pretty small and very inexpensive, it worked quite well, and I was able to relieve a lot of the stress in a much more consistent way.

Here's my totally professional setup:

I was then able to move on to adjusting the panel for its final fit-up. Again my lack of proper equipment is working against me as it’s difficult to get a consistent 90 degree bend with a hammer. The other issue it that when you fold a flange with a hammer, it actually stretches the metal a bit, so the panel starts to change shape on you. It’s very frustrating. Anyway, working on the section that wraps around the rear sill, I decided to bolt the panel in place and use the sill itself as a dolly to get a more consistent break. With the panel bolted in place, it’s also much harder for the metal to wander. I tried to do this in a way that looks quasi stock, using JIS hardware etc.

I also got the support piece at the front of the floor located, and holes drilled for the body mounts. This piece will be plug welded to the floor eventually.

So that’s where we’re at. Hopefully next time you hear from me, I’ll have an installed floor to show you!

 

[diesellibrarian]

All right, the floor is IN!

It's not welded in place yet, but it's in its final resting place and will not be coming out again.

The first thing I did was to get the under-floor cross member all cleaned up and coated in red oxide. I set it on the frame rails in roughly the correct position while I manhandled the floor panel into place. Most of the areas that are inaccessible after installation received a coat of primer prior to the final installation.

I then bolted the panel in place along the back still, locking it in its final location. My next step was to locate and drill the holes for the body mount bolts that sit right behind the front seats. With bolts at both the front and rear of the panel, it was fully locked in place and sitting at the correct height, etc. I then moved the cross member into the correct spot, and drilled through from underneath to mark its location on the top side of the panel. I drill four holes total, into which I put 4 sheet metal screws, securing the cross member to the floor. I then marked the location of the cross member flange across the floor panel, and drilled several plug weld holes across the panel.

I also drilled plug weld holes at the sill and at the very front of the panel:

The order of operations from here will be as follows: plug weld the panel to the sill and cross members, then plug weld it to the inner fenders, and then finally butt weld it to the existing floor across the front of the panel, behind the front seats. Should have the floor fully welded in by the end of the weekend!

This has been quite the project, lemme tell ya. Reasonably happy with how it's turned out.

 

[middlecalf]

Maybe missed it but did you make the cross member(s)? Great work!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Maybe missed it but did you make the cross member(s)? Great work!

I made the one at the very front of the panel, where it angles down. It's barely a cross member, more like just a second layer of sheet metal.

The original main cross member behind the shock tube had surface rust, but was quite salvageable, so I'm putting it back in.

 

[diesellibrarian]

All right! Well, the cargo floor is finally welded in. It's been a long process, and in fact I'm still not quite out of the woods, but by and large we are done with the floor.

Here it is after plug welding and a first round of grinding:

At that point it was not yet welded to the inner fenders, but that is done as well. Once all of the plug welding was done, I went ahead and butt welded the front of the floor panel to the OG metal:

Working in this area, I noticed some pinholes and other crap that will need to be addressed. The worst section was at the front of the right inner fender, so I dug out the grinder and cut it away. This whole area will have to be rebuilt.

The whole area was pretty thin, so I cut back a little further to find solid metal.

Other progress to report:

Rear axle is fully buttoned up, and rear driveshaft greased and reinstalled. On Friday I'll be picking up a disc brake front axle assembly. I have a Terrain Tamer axle rebuild kit at the ready. I'm keeping my original front axle housing, but swapping over the knuckles and hubs from the later axle, along with the differential. My plan is to re-flange my 3-speed t-case and get my 4-speed front driveshaft shortened so that it works with the 3-speed gearbox. Also on order is a set of tie rod ends. So I'm pretty close to being able to get this thing back on the ground and ready to roll. Once that happens, the next big hurdle will be installing the seat. I'm hoping to run a bench seat in this rig. The one I took out is pretty rough and has no sliders, so I'm thinking of hitting the pick-n-pull to see what I can find. No matter what I end up with, there's going to be a fair bit of fab work involved.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Well I was finally able to source a new (to me) front axle. I've been aware of this fine spline disc brake axle for a little while - it was sitting in the dirt at a my local Toyota 4x4 boneyard/honey hole, and I finally scraped together the $$ to go pick it up. The seller was convinced that it had 3.70 gears, and I need 4.11s to match my rear diff, but I decided to buy it regardless, thinking that worst case I could swap over the 4.11 ring and pinion from my grenaded rear diff to this new differential.

Anyway, whoever had written "FJ40 4.10" on the axle housing was correct, because it's a 4.11, which came as very welcome news. I popped off the relay rods etc and moved the axle to a pair of jack stands to begin disassembly.

(Also, look how nicely the stock wheels tuck into the rear fender! Love it!)

Anyone who's done this job knows just how nasty its. When I pulled the knuckle, that all-too-familiar grey mixture of grease, gear oil, and water known as "birf soup" just came pouring out. Everything else was covered in caked-on grease and dirt. That's just the way it goes.

Messiness aside, I actually love the process of rebuilding Land Cruiser steering knuckles. It's such a satisfying transformation. I spent about 4 hours yesterday afternoon cleaning, degreasing, and re-packing bearings on the right-hand knuckle. It's now ready for reassembly, which I'll probably start on tonight. Obviously will be installing new seals, trunnion bearings, etc. Then I get to go through the whole ritual again on the driver's side. Then we can finally drop this thing on all fours and see how it looks!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Continuing the tear-down of the disc axle. The left knuckle was way less nasty than the right, as the axle seal seems to have held its own against the onslaught of gear oil. Even so, everything was caked with the typical layer of grease and dirt. It was like an archaeological dig unearthing all of the nuts and bolts on this thing, haha.

Whoever last rebuilt this knuckle ignored the part where you pack the knuckle cavity with grease, and as a result there is some evidence of moisture intrusion (i.e. rust). But I think everything will clean up okay, and I'll put it back together correctly. The axle and birfield look ok, but will be cleaned and re-packed of course.

I also got the right knuckle reinstalled, with new Koyo trunnion bearings (packed with moly grease) and a new set of wiper seals from Terrain Tamer. The felt seals on the TT kit are really nice - much thicker and more dense than kits I've used in the past. Would definitely recommend the Terrain Tamer knuckle service kit.

This is as far as I can go with this until I pull the diff carrier out of the disc brake axle and install it in my OG axle. That'll be the next step, along with installing the left knuckle. I'm also awaiting a new set of TREs. They should arrive in the next day or two. Another thing I noticed last night is that my tie rods are bent to crap. Maybe the disc brake ones will swap over? Not sure, but I kind of doubt it. Will do some measuring and take it from there.

Thanks for continuing to follow along!

 

[B y r o n]

Did you clearance the housing for the newer fine spline birfields? If not you may need to disassemble the one side that was assembled to avoid getting grinder debris into the bearings. This thread should explain.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Did you clearance the housing for the newer fine spline birfields? If not you may need to disassemble the one side that was assembled to avoid getting grinder debris into the bearings. This thread should explain.

Oh dang, I did not do that. Thanks a million for the heads up! Thankfully at this stage I won't need to do a ton of backtracking.

 

[pb4ugo]

Are the knuckles from a fj60 or a fj40?

 

[diesellibrarian]

Are the knuckles from a fj60 or a fj40?

FJ40, allegedly. The axle was just lying on the ground, but I was told it was from a 40.

 

[pb4ugo]

If they are long birfs they should fit. If you were ever to buy late model short birf you'll have to grind the ball opening a bit.
You might see if they fit 1st. You can go to FAQs and scroll down to frt ends and read the first 2 threads. You'll be able to ID what knuckles you have.

 

[diesellibrarian]

If they are long birfs they should fit. If you were ever to buy late model short birf you'll have to grind the ball opening a bit.
You might see if the fit 1st. You can go to FAQs and scroll down to frt ends and read the first 2 threads. You'll be able to ID what knuckles you have.

That's great info, thanks! I'll take me all of five seconds to see if they fit or not, so I'll try that first and take it from there.

 

[diesellibrarian]

If they are long birfs they should fit. If you were ever to buy late model short birf you'll have to grind the ball opening a bit.
You might see if they fit 1st. You can go to FAQs and scroll down to frt ends and read the first 2 threads. You'll be able to ID what knuckles you have.

Does "long" birf refer to the length of the stub axle? If so, I think they must be long ones because during disassembly I noticed that my 2 1/8" locknut socket was barely deep enough to reach the locknuts, because it was bottoming out against the end of the axle shaft. I thought it was odd because that's not a problem I've ever had on my 60 series Cruisers.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Spent the weekend hammering away (quite literally) on this panel. By squishing the sheet metal between a hammer and dolly, I've slowly been stretching the metal in the center section of the panel, to the point where it has relaxed enough to lay (almost) flat. That has allowed me to do my final test-fitting before folding the front edge of the panel to meet up with the angled section of the floor behind the front seats. I don't want to make that fold until I know the floor panel is in its final location.

View attachment 3760006

View attachment 3760007

If I ever have to do this again, I will invest in some real tools: an English wheel, a sheet metal brake, and a bead roller that doesn't suck. With those tools, making this panel would be relatively straightforward.

The fact that the floor panel is already all dented up from all the hammering will help it blend right in with the rest of the truck, haha! Gotta find the silver lining in times like these. (I will put a skim of glaze over much of the panel to fill some of the deeper dents).

The other thing I did this weekend was to make up the support panel that goes under the front of the cargo floor, bridging the two body mounts that are behind the front seats.

View attachment 3760013

So yeah, almost ready to weld the floor in, though I have a few things on order from Toyota (rear axle oil seals, diff gaskets, axle locking clips, etc.) that will allow me to reassemble the rear axle. Having the cargo floor out of the way makes it so much easier to work on the rear diff! So I think I might not install the floor until the axle's back together.

Other parts on order from City Racer: a rad hose kit, engine gaskets, and a clutch master cylinder. It won't be long before this truck will be moving under its own power!

Would a shrinking disc have helped with the potato chip effect?

 

[pb4ugo]

Does "long" birf refer to the length of the stub axle? If so, I think they must be long ones because during disassembly I noticed that my 2 1/8" locknut socket was barely deep enough to reach the locknuts, because it was bottoming out against the end of the axle shaft. I thought it was odd because that's not a problem I've ever had on my 60 series Cruisers.

Yes, long birfs have a longer stub shaft and have a slightly smaller bell. I dont think Toyota makes the long birf any more.
Replacement Toyota and alloy birfs are the short version which requires grinding the inside of the ball opening. You can probably find length measurements within this section.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Would a shrinking disc have helped with the potato chip effect?

That's a good question! I think it might have helped at the front of the panel, but might have caused some issues at the back of the panel, near where it folds around the sill. Shrinking that area might have introduced additional tension because the breaks in the metal would resist shrinking, possibly causing the edges to want to curl up. I really think that the middle of the panel needed stretching regardless, but a shrinking disc might have made the overall job easier, and probably also resulted in a flatter finished panel.

I plan to buy a shrinking disc eventually, but right now all my money is going into parts parts parts.