Builds Rescuing a Basket Case '72 FJ40 (3 Viewers)

[diesellibrarian]

Why not just Holley sniper a 2f?

I have about $1,500 reasons why not, haha.

I'd love to have a chance to play with a Sniper, but when I have all this 3FE stuff laying around, it's hard to justify the cash outlay for the aftermarket FI.

 

[diesellibrarian]

We finally got some nice weather this past weekend, so I was able to fire up the truck and do some more tweaking to the carb, etc. The engine starts easily and idles nicely. I don't have a tach, but I played with the fast idle screw a little and dialed the idle down to maybe 650/700 rpm. I then hooked up my vacuum gauge and timing light, and played with the advance per @Pighead's suggestion. Advancing/retarding the timing didn't have a massive effect on vacuum, but nevertheless I played with it until I found what seemed to be the sweet spot, at what I would guess to be about 14* BTDC.

It's pulling just over 15" of steady vacuum, which at 3,100ft would be roughly 18" at sea level, according to the rule of thumb posted earlier. So I think I have this thing pretty close to dialed. Certainly it's in much better tune that it was even a month ago.

Anyway, with the engine idling so nicely, I couldn't resist taking it for a quick spin, during which I learned that I am not out of the woods yet. Even though the engine is idling nicely, it bogs and stumbles under throttle, almost like it's over-fueling. It also stalls quite easily when starting out in 1st gear/reverse. So I need to do some research on that now. Still, it was fun to drive the thing around for a bit. Even on my very short test drive around the block I had to stop and talk to two people about it, including a fellow with a '62 FJ40 who jumped out of his car for a chat. As I pulled the 40 into the garage, the engine died and would not re-start, which was mystifying and frustrating -- until I popped the hood and saw that the fuel filter was completely dry. Ran out of gas at just the right moment, haha!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Fuel level setpoint is key (shank of a 5/6” drill bit). Too low or too high you will not get emulsification. I would check your accelerator pump circut, idle circuit and power piston operation.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Fuel level setpoint is key (shank of a 5/6” drill bit). Too low or too high you will not get emulsification. I would check your accelerator pump circut, idle circuit and power piston operation.

Does "fuel level setpoint" refer to the fuel level in the bowl, as set by float and needle/seat?

Accelerator pump is a new until from City Racer, and throw has been set according to the manual. Will look into the power piston. I didn't see a test for that in the manual, so all I've done with it is make sure that the plungers etc. move freely.

 

[pb4ugo]

We finally got some nice weather this past weekend, so I was able to fire up the truck and do some more tweaking to the carb, etc. The engine starts easily and idles nicely. I don't have a tach, but I played with the fast idle screw a little and dialed the idle down to maybe 650/700 rpm. I then hooked up my vacuum gauge and timing light, and played with the advance per @Pighead's suggestion. Advancing/retarding the timing didn't have a massive effect on vacuum, but nevertheless I played with it until I found what seemed to be the sweet spot, at what I would guess to be about 14* BTDC.

View attachment 3894623

It's pulling just over 15" of steady vacuum, which at 3,100ft would be roughly 18" at sea level, according to the rule of thumb posted earlier. So I think I have this thing pretty close to dialed. Certainly it's in much better tune that it was even a month ago.

Anyway, with the engine idling so nicely, I couldn't resist taking it for a quick spin, during which I learned that I am not out of the woods yet. Even though the engine is idling nicely, it bogs and stumbles under throttle, almost like it's over-fueling. It also stalls quite easily when starting out in 1st gear/reverse. So I need to do some research on that now. Still, it was fun to drive the thing around for a bit. Even on my very short test drive around the block I had to stop and talk to two people about it, including a fellow with a '62 FJ40 who jumped out of his car for a chat. As I pulled the 40 into the garage, the engine died and would not re-start, which was mystifying and frustrating -- until I popped the hood and saw that the fuel filter was completely dry. Ran out of gas at just the right moment, haha!

Could it have been stumbling because of inconsistent fuel supply, because of low fuel supply in the gas tank?

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Power piston is operated by vacuum. If it sticks, you will feel bogged down. It helps with transition from primary only to secondary jet addition. Fact that accelerator pump moves freely it does not mean it is working. There is a small ball bearing that acts as a check valve. If dirty it does not allow fuel into the plunger cavity even if accelerator arm moves ip and down. Does it squirt fuel into the primary jet when you cycle the accelerator pump lever manually? What carb do you have? Pic?

 

[diesellibrarian]

Power piston is operated by vacuum. If it sticks, you will feel bogged down. It helps with transition from primary only to secondary jet addition. Fact that accelerator pump moves freely it does not mean it is working. There is a small ball bearing that acts as a check valve. If dirty it does not allow fuel into the plunger cavity even if accelerator arm moves ip and down. Does it squirt fuel into the primary jet when you cycle the accelerator pump lever manually? What carb do you have? Pic?

Thanks! I'll check those things out.

It's an Aisin two-barrel carb that I believe is the correct carb for a '72.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Could it have been stumbling because of inconsistent fuel supply, because of low fuel supply in the gas tank?

Entirely possible. Good thought.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

This helped me a ton. It might be of help if you need to go down the rabbit hole

 

[diesellibrarian]

Still haven't had a chance to dump some more fuel in the 40, so I've been picking away at other small items that will need to be done anyway before the truck can pass safety. One of those things is the speedometer, which had a broken needle.

This was my first time taking apart the instrument cluster, and all in all it went quite well. The trickiest part was removing the speedo cable, but once I contorted myself in the the right position, even that wasn't too bad - and no thanks to the Haynes manual which glosses over the fact that the eariler 40s have a thread-on cable instead of the clip-on type. Took me a while to figure that one out.

Anyway, once the bezel was out, I gave it a quick once-over, and there was no indication that it ever been open before, which gave me hope that the broken-off needle would be inside the thing somewhere, which was in fact the case:

I removed the speedo assembly from the bezel and set about trying to figure out the best way to re-attach the needle. I tried 5-minute epoxy, but for some reason it wouldn't hold, so instead I used some Norton badge and emblem adhesive, which is kind of like contact cement on steroids. That worked much better.

While I was working on this, I got to wondering why the needle had broken off in the first place. A search of Mud suggested that it happens sometimes that the speedo mechanism malfunctions, pushing the needle all the way to the far right, where it breaks off when it hits the bezel. I'm hoping that's not the case with this one. To test it, I put a small screwdriver blade in a the drive hole and spun it over with a drill. Everything seems to be working normally (including the odometer), so I decided to just go ahead and re-install.

You can tell that the needle has been broken for some time, as all of the other gauge needles are faded, while the speedo needle is still bright orange.

All in all, a fun and (so far) successful little project! Every task like this adds to my knowledge of these trucks, how they're put together, and how to repair them. For me, that's really what this hobby is all about.

 

[FloridaLife]

Still haven't had a chance to dump some more fuel in the 40, so I've been picking away at other small items that will need to be done anyway before the truck can pass safety. One of those things is the speedometer, which had a broken needle.

This was my first time taking apart the instrument cluster, and all in all it went quite well. The trickiest part was removing the speedo cable, but once I contorted myself in the the right position, even that wasn't too bad - and no thanks to the Haynes manual which glosses over the fact that the eariler 40s have a thread-on cable instead of the clip-on type. Took me a while to figure that one out.

Anyway, once the bezel was out, I gave it a quick once-over, and there was no indication that it ever been open before, which gave me hope that the broken-off needle would be inside the thing somewhere, which was in fact the case:

View attachment 3899519

I removed the speedo assembly from the bezel and set about trying to figure out the best way to re-attach the needle. I tried 5-minute epoxy, but for some reason it wouldn't hold, so instead I used some Norton badge and emblem adhesive, which is kind of like contact cement on steroids. That worked much better.

View attachment 3899520

While I was working on this, I got to wondering why the needle had broken off in the first place. A search of Mud suggested that it happens sometimes that the speedo mechanism malfunctions, pushing the needle all the way to the far right, where it breaks off when it hits the bezel. I'm hoping that's not the case with this one. To test it, I put a small screwdriver blade in a the drive hole and spun it over with a drill. Everything seems to be working normally (including the odometer), so I decided to just go ahead and re-install.

View attachment 3899523

You can tell that the needle has been broken for some time, as all of the other gauge needles are faded, while the speedo needle is still bright orange.

All in all, a fun and (so far) successful little project! Every task like this adds to my knowledge of these trucks, how they're put together, and how to repair them. For me, that's really what this hobby is all about.

Great job! It looks really good, and now that it is in there nobody would ever notice if you didn't tell them. Did you by any chance check to see if all the little light bulbs in the back of the instrument cluster work? If any do not work, that's a good time to replace them.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Great job! It looks really good, and now that it is in there nobody would ever notice if you didn't tell them. Did you by any chance check to see if all the little light bulbs in the back of the instrument cluster work? If any do not work, that's a good time to replace them.

Yep, all the lights work!

 

[diesellibrarian]

This helped me a ton. It might be of help if you need to go down the rabbit hole

@ceylonfj40nut I finally had a chance to watch this video. What a delight! Should be mandatory viewing for everyone who owns an old school Land Cruiser. Thanks for the recommendation.

 

[diesellibrarian]

One of the items on my to-do list is to make a catch for the spare tire carrier, so that's what I worked on last night. I'm aware that these are commercially available in the aftermarket, but I decided it would be more fun to make my own.

I started with a piece of 4" x 4" ID square tubing with a 1/4" wall. I picked up a 4' length of this tubing for $20 at the local scrap yard where they sell steel by the pound. I had originally bought it to make a front bumper, but I realized that it would also be perfect for making the spare tire catch. Anyway, I started with some measuring, and then laid out the pattern on the steel.

After cutting it out with a thin cut-off wheel and then grinding off the rust and mill scale, this is what I was left with:

I then drilled a couple of mounting holes in it and temporarily installed it on the truck, where I measured and marked the location of the notch that will actually hold the latch on the spare tire carrier.

Here's the catch in its final location. It works great! Just a bit more sanding/finishing work to do, and then I'll paint it and complete the final installation.

The next task will be to make myself a front bumper!

 

[FloridaLife]

One of the items on my to-do list is to make a catch for the spare tire carrier, so that's what I worked on last night. I'm aware that these are commercially available in the aftermarket, but I decided it would be more fun to make my own.

I started with a piece of 4" x 4" ID square tubing with a 1/4" wall. I picked up a 4' length of this tubing for $20 at the local scrap yard where they sell steel by the pound. I had originally bought it to make a front bumper, but I realized that it would also be perfect for making the spare tire catch. Anyway, I started with some measuring, and then laid out the pattern on the steel.

View attachment 3901657

After cutting it out with a thin cut-off wheel and then grinding off the rust and mill scale, this is what I was left with:

View attachment 3901658

I then drilled a couple of mounting holes in it and temporarily installed it on the truck, where I measured and marked the location of the notch that will actually hold the latch on the spare tire carrier.

Here's the catch in its final location. It works great! Just a bit more sanding/finishing work to do, and then I'll paint it and complete the final installation.

View attachment 3901659

The next task will be to make myself a front bumper!

I don't know what you do for a living, but whatever it is, you have missed your calling. You should do like cruisermatt and open your own business working on Land Cruisers. Great job, phenomenal skill sets.

 

[diesellibrarian]

I don't know what you do for a living, but whatever it is, you have missed your calling. You should do like cruisermatt and open your own business working on Land Cruisers. Great job, phenomenal skill sets.

I am a librarian by profession: hence my handle on Mud. The "diesel" part is because my first Cruiser was a diesel (a JDM LJ78).

Anyway, thanks for your kind words. I'm ready for a career shift, but Land Cruiser stuff will probably remain a side hustle at best, as I'm still a rank amateur and definitely no CruiserMatt. If anything, I'll just keep buying rust buckets and fixing them up. I'll have to start selling them at some point - I'm out of room!

 

[FloridaLife]

I am a librarian by profession: hence my handle on Mud. The "diesel" part is because my first Cruiser was a diesel (a JDM LJ78).

Anyway, thanks for your kind words. I'm ready for a career shift, but Land Cruiser stuff will probably remain a side hustle at best, as I'm still a rank amateur and definitely no CruiserMatt. If anything, I'll just keep buying rust buckets and fixing them up. I'll have to start selling them at some point - I'm out of room!

A librarian! That's a waste of great metal, welding, fabricating, and problem solving skills! LOL! But, maybe you had plenty of time to read books on how to do all that stuff. My wife LOVES books and reading (and my kids too), and we have run out of room for all the books. She keeps saying she needs more bookshelves, or needs to get rid of some, but that ain't gonna happen! She has a Bachelor in Biology and a Masters in English and Writing but she wishes she had pursued being a Librarian. She also loves peace and quiet, but now she has me and 2 young boys and there is almost never quiet. She also, when she was young and single, also had to have everything neat and tidy, just right. But then both boys were born with reflux and were always throwing up on her, and making messes. LOL! She saw a librarian position posted not too long ago, but I think by the time she went to apply it was no longer posted.

Here you go... build an FJ40 and in the back where the jump seats would go, build some bookshelves, stock it with books, and have a mini mobile library. The best of both worlds!

 

[PapaGiamati]

Still haven't had a chance to dump some more fuel in the 40, so I've been picking away at other small items that will need to be done anyway before the truck can pass safety. One of those things is the speedometer, which had a broken needle.

This was my first time taking apart the instrument cluster, and all in all it went quite well. The trickiest part was removing the speedo cable, but once I contorted myself in the the right position, even that wasn't too bad - and no thanks to the Haynes manual which glosses over the fact that the eariler 40s have a thread-on cable instead of the clip-on type. Took me a while to figure that one out.

Anyway, once the bezel was out, I gave it a quick once-over, and there was no indication that it ever been open before, which gave me hope that the broken-off needle would be inside the thing somewhere, which was in fact the case:

View attachment 3899519

I removed the speedo assembly from the bezel and set about trying to figure out the best way to re-attach the needle. I tried 5-minute epoxy, but for some reason it wouldn't hold, so instead I used some Norton badge and emblem adhesive, which is kind of like contact cement on steroids. That worked much better.

View attachment 3899520

While I was working on this, I got to wondering why the needle had broken off in the first place. A search of Mud suggested that it happens sometimes that the speedo mechanism malfunctions, pushing the needle all the way to the far right, where it breaks off when it hits the bezel. I'm hoping that's not the case with this one. To test it, I put a small screwdriver blade in a the drive hole and spun it over with a drill. Everything seems to be working normally (including the odometer), so I decided to just go ahead and re-install.

View attachment 3899523

You can tell that the needle has been broken for some time, as all of the other gauge needles are faded, while the speedo needle is still bright orange.

All in all, a fun and (so far) successful little project! Every task like this adds to my knowledge of these trucks, how they're put together, and how to repair them. For me, that's really what this hobby is all about.

maybe not your style, but I was itching to see those faded needles painted or restored to their bright orange as your gauge face plates are in great nic!

 

[diesellibrarian]

maybe not your style, but I was itching to see those faded needles painted or restored to their bright orange as your gauge face plates are in great nic!

I’m not opposed to the idea, but since this rig going to be pretty rough around the edges, the faded needles will fit right in. If I was doing a full resto, I’d definitely touch up the needles!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Have been slowly working away at this front bumper. It’s going to be a real basic design, nothing to write home about. But it should be plenty beefy, and so far my sunk costs are $20 and 5 thin cut-off wheels.

The bumper is based on 5x5 1/4” wall square tubing, which has an internal size of 4 1/2”. Just about right for a 40 series bumper mounts. Here’s another pic of the bumper mocked up with the old Warn 5687 winch I’ll be running.

Last night I was able to get the mounting holes drilled (all 12 of them!) I marked the holes using a tape template, which worked really well, as it allowed me to mark the hole locations on the top of the bumper, rather than inside.

I also set about fixing up the fairlead that came with the winch. Someone had welded some tabs on it to stand it off from the bumper for some reason. I cut them off and grinded the welds flat so that i could mount the fairlead directly to the bumper.

I also greased up the rollers and cleaned it up a bit. Still need to cut a hole in the bumper for the cable to pass through, and then build a mounting plate, and we’ll be good to go for the front end stuff! I have the cable controls for this winch that I will install eventually as well.