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

[ceylonfj40nut]

Well, I think I have figured out my driveshaft issue. After much googling and whatnot, I have determined that the culprit is a non-Toyota flange and u-joint that someone welded onto the Toyota driveshaft tube. Despite many searches, I haven't been able to determine the type/brand of the flange/u-joint. It's an outer lock type that has a capital "T" in a small circle that is cast into both the flange and u-joint bearing caps. Maybe it's a really old brand that doesn't exist anymore, but ultimately it doesn't matter because it's going to go bye-bye. So I guess I'll be heading back to the boneyard to see if they have a driveshaft for me. So glad I wasted $100 on this useless piece of junk. Caveat emptor, I guess. Some lessons are more expensive than others.

Anyway. Over the past couple of nights I've been working on building a fan shroud. Is it a masterpiece of engineering and welding? No. It is not. Is it made from scrap steel that I salvaged from my old furnace that I had to replace last year? Yes. Yes it is. So basically I have zero dollars into this thing, which helps make up for the $100 that I flushed down the toilet on the driveshaft fiasco.

View attachment 3817676

To build this, I made a simple template out of cardboard. I cut a piece of cardboard to roughly the size of the radiator (including mounting flange), and held it in place with tape while I marked the outer radius of the fan. I also pushed the cardboard against the rad mounting bolt heads to mark the location of the mounting holes. I cut the template to shape and transferred it to a sheet of pretty thin galvanized furnace steel (don't worry - I removed the galvanization before welding!). I then calculated the length of steel I'd need for the "tunnel" or whatever it's called. Grade 10 math came in handy here: 2πR to determine the circumference. The metal I had on hand wasn't quite long enough, but close. The gap at the bottom will be closed by a removable "bridge" that I will screw in place. I searched the shop for something roughly 18" in diameter to bend the tunnel around, finally settling on my buddy's drain pan. I bent the strip of steel around the pan, then tacked it in place before fully welding the entire circumference. I then drilled the mounting holes and cut into them from the edge with a grinder, so that I can remove and reinstall without completely removing the rad mounting bolts.

Here's the final test fit before painting. I did give it a coat of Rustoleum last night, so next time I'm in the shop I'll be installing it for reals.

View attachment 3817682

So yeah, it's not pretty, but I think it'll work fine.

I also brought over my winch, which I plan to install on the 40. I'm starting to think about bumper plans, and I want to incorporate a winch mount into my design. The winch is an old Warn 5687, which should be about period correct for an early 70s Land Cruiser. I've tested it, and it works well. Looks to be in pretty good shape, too. I have the cab controls and cables, too, that I'll be installing at some point.

View attachment 3817694

That's the update for this week! Stay warm out there!

You might be ok with the shroud as you have it. Seat time will tell. Typically having a flat sheet surface against the radiator limits air flow to the circular area only. The rest is blocked off. You want to have the shroud have at least a 1” min gap for the whole radiator surface area. Hence why shroud shrouds are not flat like yours. Also fan blade should be recessed such that about 1/2” of the back of blade sticks out passed the shroud. I plead the 5th on how I know this.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Refresh my memory... is this a 3 speed or a 4 speed? "IF" it is a 3 speed, then I'll see if I can find the phone number of the junk guy that picked up all my stuff and get one of those driveshafts and send it to you free if you cover shipping.

It’s a 3-speed, but with 4-speed era flanges. So a 3 speed shaft will be the correct length, but will have the wrong flange nut spacing. Thanks so much for your generous offer, though!! Very kind of you.

 

[diesellibrarian]

You might be ok with the shroud as you have it. Seat time will tell. Typically having a flat sheet surface against the radiator limits air flow to the circular area only. The rest is blocked off. You want to have the shroud have at least a 1” min gap for the whole radiator surface area. Hence why shroud shrouds are not flat like yours. Also fan blade should be recessed such that about 1/2” of the back of blade sticks out passed the shroud. I plead the 5th on how I know this.

Yeah I figured my janky shroud would be better than no shroud, but possibly still marginal. As you say, we’ll see how it performs in real world conditions, and adjust as necessary. I could easily add a 3/4” flange to the outer edge of the shroud and that would address both of the shortcomings you mentioned.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Well, I finally have a front driveshaft in this thing. Today I made a trip to my local Toyota boneyard and after digging through the few wrecked 40s he has in the yard, I found a driveshaft tube that was the right length and had the correct flange. It needed a some cleaning up and a bit of grease, but I was expecting to have to cut and weld a new tube yoke on, so I can certainly deal with a bit of scrubbing. New (to me) shaft on the right.

Not a great photo, but here it is bolted in place. So happy to have this sorted out! I had no idea a simple driveshaft could cause a guy so much angst.

Over the weekend I also finished the last of the rust repair on this truck. There was a section of very thin/perforated metal on the right inner fender.

The cargo floor in that area was also pretty rusty, so I welded two pieces together to form that patch:

Here’s the patch partially welded in. I did the floor first, and then the fender. The welds are super globby, I think in part because I went from 0.023” wire to 0.025”. I didn’t think two thousandths of an inch would make that big of difference, but it definitely took some adjusting to. Oh well, this is why god gave us grinders.

I also finished grinding the long seam where I welded in the new cargo floor panel, and then laid down some short strand fibreglass filler to smooth the join and make it look a little better under the paint. And speaking of paint, I think I can finally go ahead and paint the inner fenders and cargo floor!

Gratuitous glamour shot:

 

[diesellibrarian]

So, last night I decided to stop lollygagging and finally start work on the steering box. I've been putting it off because it seemed like a pretty big job full of unknowns. But now that I've done it, I can say that it's really not that scary. If you have a manual steering box with a lot of play, I suggest that this job is within reach of the average shade tree mechanic. You will need to beg/borrow/buy a pitman arm puller, but that's the only specialty tool I used.

Before pulling the box, there's a bit of work to do, as there's a ton of stuff in the way and the steering shaft is loooong. The FSM says to remove the carb and oil filter assembly, but I opted to remove the fender instead. This also gave me a chance to give the fender a good scrubbing.

With the fender removed, you have easy access to the box and steering shaft. I removed the steering wheel, disconnected the horn and signal light connectors and all other hardware holding the steering tube in place, and then pulled it out into the cab. It got set aside for a good cleaning as well. The steering shaft itself does not come out, but needs to be removed with the box. Removing the box is as simple as disconnecting the drag link and the four 14mm screws holding the box on its perch. This steering box had clearly been leaking for some time, as it was completely covered in dirt and oily residue. Cleaning the box was probably the worst part of this job.

The next step was to pull the pitman arm; thankfully it came off with relative ease. Didn't need any heat: just a steady pressure and some hammer taps on the arm. Before taking anything apart, I made some registration marks with a center punch to ensure that I would be able to put things back together in their original configuration.

With the pitman arm out of the way, I removed the sector shaft end plate. The inside of the box was actually pretty nasty. Whatever gear oil was left in it was rust-coloured, and there were globs of what looked like dirty grease hanging out in there as well. I wasn't planning on removing the steering shaft, so I cleaned out the inside of the box and the worm gear as best I could with brake cleaner. This photo of the sector shaft cover plate gives you a good sense of what the inside of the box looked like before cleaning:

The process for taking the play out of one of these boxes involves removing the sector shaft thrust shims. There were 6 shims of various thicknesses in this box. I removed two of the medium shims, and that seems to have completely removed the slop. Before reassembling, I took a close look at the sector shaft seal. It was absolutely toast: the spring had broken, and the rubber seal was worn and torn. My original plan was to pull the seal and take it down to a shop to see if I could find a replacement that would do the trick (working under the perhaps erroneous assumption that the seal is NLA from Toyota), but I looked through my small collection of random oil seals, and happened to find one that was a perfect fit! I think it might have been an axle oil seal. Has anyone ever encountered this? I wouldn't put it past Toyota to use the same seal for the steering box and axles: it just makes sense. Anyway here's the new seal in place:

And here's the box all cleaned up and ready for reassembly. The sector shaft cover plate gasket was in good shape, so I reused it, but added the extra insurance of a thin layer of FIPG on both mating surfaces.

And finally! The steering box and shaft reinstalled and looking fresh. Fresh gear oil added per the FSM guidelines.

For reference, I started this job at about 5:00pm, and had it all back together by 11:00pm. This was my first time removing an FJ40 fender and steering tube, so that added some time since there was a bit of a learning curve. All in all, though, this is easily a one-day, two banana job if you take your time and follow the FSM.

 

[diesellibrarian]

It’s hard to believe, but this truck is nearing completion. This time last year I was saying to myself that it would be done by spring. This year, that might actually happen!

With that in mind, I’m working on things I’ll need to pass a safety inspection, starting with the horn. Horn has been non-op since I got the rig, even though I did a bunch of work cleaning up PO crappy wiring in the engine bay. Clearly the problem lay elsewhere. I started by confirming 12v at the connector near the base of the column. Then I tested for continuity between the column side of that connector and collar that the horn pin rides on: all good. Then I took a close look at the contact surfaces, and of course everything was rusted to crap. Here’s the horn ring after some pretty vigorous sanding:

I also sanded the spring disc, as it was super rusty too. Still no horn. So I flipped the wheel over and saw that the horn pin was very worn. I stretched the spring enough that the pin once again made contact with the collar, and boom! Horn repaired.

I also got the wipers working. That was as simple as monkeying with the switch a little. The switch could certainly benefit from a good cleaning, but for now I know the system works.

The other big step was a first go at mocking up the seat. This is the seat that came with the rig. It’s not in great shape. It was welded to the floor and fender with a bunch of 2x2 square tubing, which I have long since cut away. There are no sliders, but I have a design for a system that will give me some fore/aft movement. I will repair and re-cover the seat at some point.

First time sitting behind the wheel of my truck. In fact, this is my first time sitting behind the wheel of ANY FJ40. Feels just right.

It’s been so cold here lately that I can’t have the garage door open at all. But it looks like a warming trend is coming later this week, in which case I’m going to flush the cooling system, check valve lash and timing, and maybe - just maybe - take it for a drive.

 

[FloridaLife]

It’s hard to believe, but this truck is nearing completion. This time last year I was saying to myself that it would be done by spring. This year, that might actually happen!

With that in mind, I’m working on things I’ll need to pass a safety inspection, starting with the horn. Horn has been non-op since I got the rig, even though I did a bunch of work cleaning up PO crappy wiring in the engine bay. Clearly the problem lay elsewhere. I started by confirming 12v at the connector near the base of the column. Then I tested for continuity between the column side of that connector and collar that the horn pin rides on: all good. Then I took a close look at the contact surfaces, and of course everything was rusted to crap. Here’s the horn ring after some pretty vigorous sanding:

View attachment 3841243

I also sanded the spring disc, as it was super rusty too. Still no horn. So I flipped the wheel over and saw that the horn pin was very worn. I stretched the spring enough that the pin once again made contact with the collar, and boom! Horn repaired.
View attachment 3841253

I also got the wipers working. That was as simple as monkeying with the switch a little. The switch could certainly benefit from a good cleaning, but for now I know the system works.

The other big step was a first go at mocking up the seat. This is the seat that came with the rig. It’s not in great shape. It was welded to the floor and fender with a bunch of 2x2 square tubing, which I have long since cut away. There are no sliders, but I have a design for a system that will give me some fore/aft movement. I will repair and re-cover the seat at some point.
View attachment 3841258
First time sitting behind the wheel of my truck. In fact, this is my first time sitting behind the wheel of ANY FJ40. Feels just right.
View attachment 3841260

It’s been so cold here lately that I can’t have the garage door open at all. But it looks like a warming trend is coming later this week, in which case I’m going to flush the cooling system, check valve lash and timing, and maybe - just maybe - take it for a drive.

You are doing a great job! I too have never driven an FJ40, so I'm anxious to get mine done. I took my steering wheel off when doing the electric power steering conversion a few weeks ago. I noticed that when I push on the horn button it does not move. I don't feel it do anything. I took it apart and nothing was rusted. I pulled and stretched the pin some, but I still don't think it is right, but I don't want to mess anything up so I put it back together and am leaving it alone for now. I figured later I would search the forums for threads on horn repair.

 

[Augustiron]

Just read the thread, great work DIY patching everything!

 

[diesellibrarian]

This weekend I did a little more work on the seat. I’m still not sure that this is the truck’s “forever” seat, but I’m hoping to install it in a way that is easy to reverse if I end up going a different direction at some point. In terms of what I wanted out of a seat mounting system, my main focus was to come up with something clean, simple, and stock-adjacent. I also wanted to be able to slide the seat back and forth if possible. I think my design meets all of these criteria.

The design consists of 1” square tubing that is bolted to the bottom of the seat using the stock mounting holes. That tube will slide in a “U” channel that mounts to the truck using a combination of stock and fabricated brackets. The square tubing is held in the U channel by bolts (or possibly some clevis pins). With some strategic drilling of the 1” tube, I should be able to remove the pins, slide the seat ahead or back, and re-insert the pins at the desired location.

The seat is not fully installed, but we’re getting there! Here’s the 1” square tubing bolted to the seat. I tapped the mounting holes M8 x 1.25 so that I could use Toyota hardware.

The ends are angled so that I can get a socket on the bolt.

To make the “U” channel, I cut some 1 1/2 x 3 x 1/8 wall tubing lengthwise, making a channel about 1” deep. I cut one end back so that there was a “tongue” the same size as the mounting surface of the stock seat bracket. In this pic you can see the square tubing nesting inside the channel, and the mounting bracket attached. I also drilled through both pieces, then put a bolt through. Each “slider” will have two bolts or pins, and these are what attaches the seat to the supports.

At this point I was able to start mocking up the seat position. This allowed me to determine the height of the rear seat support.

I made this support from the same 1 1/2 x 3” tubing and some 1/8” flat bar.

And here it is welded up for test fitting. Pretty pleased with the clean look and I think it’ll be plenty strong.

And here’s the seat in its more or less final position:

The passenger side wil be a little trickier due to the gas tank being in the way. That’ll be a challenge for another day.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Oh, I should also mention that the truck moved under its own power for the first time! It was just back and forth 10 feet and I never left the garage - but now I know that it has a clutch that probably works! So that was an exciting step.

I also put some coolant flush stuff in the rad and brought the engine up to temp. It idled pretty happily for about 20 minutes. I let it cool and then drained the system. The water that came out was a little dirty but not terrible. However, when I pulled the block drain, it was completely dry. Not even a drip. So I’ve been doing some reading on what to do with a clogged water jacket.

Anyway, once the seat is bolted down and the cooling system is sorted, we are ready for our first trip around the block!

 

[MatthewMcD]

Oh, I should also mention that the truck moved under its own power for the first time! It was just back and forth 10 feet and I never left the garage - but now I know that it has a clutch that probably works! So that was an exciting step.

I also put some coolant flush stuff in the rad and brought the engine up to temp. It idled pretty happily for about 20 minutes. I let it cool and then drained the system. The water that came out was a little dirty but not terrible. However, when I pulled the block drain, it was completely dry. Not even a drip. So I’ve been doing some reading on what to do with a clogged water jacket.

Anyway, once the seat is bolted down and the cooling system is sorted, we are ready for our first trip around the block!

Mine had a massive block plug of rust. I tried several makeshift tools but the one that made the most progress was created by taking the wire from a surveyor's flag folded in half and chucked into an electric drill. The wire was stiff enough to scratch away at the rust without damaging the block. It's not a fun job, a bit like Escape from Alcatraz, scraping away at concrete with a soup spoon. But by focusing "up and back" it eventually broke through and drained the block. I ran without a thermostat for about a week with distilled water. When I drained it again some big chunks came out.

If I had to do it again, I'd probably remove the fender and manifold just to get access.

Edit: Oh, I also began with a short piece of copper tube to protect the threads. As I got deeper it wasn't necessary.

 

[Grayscale]

I found an escape route on my other rig's plugged water jacket on a Nissan Z24. It was dry to the touch. With help from some wire, coolant from the block drains again.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Distilled water will help leach out some of the mineral deposits. Some vinegar in the DW will help too and isn't toxic. I wouldn't leave it in too long. I'm sure after a few hours it has done all it can for that treatment. When you drain the system and it runs fairly clear you are done.

 

[RevISK]

Distilled water will help leach out some of the mineral deposits. Some vinegar in the DW will help too and isn't toxic. I wouldn't leave it in too long. I'm sure after a few hours it has done all it can for that treatment. When you drain the system and it runs fairly clear you are done.

I am a big fan of using vinegar for cleaning but do make sure to neutralize your system with a baking soda flush or similar.

 

[diesellibrarian]

I got the drain cleared. Once again Mud comes to the rescue with some great solutions to tricky problems. I tried various picks and other tools, but this ended being the setup that broke through the wall of black crud:

Basically it’s just a length of stiff wire folded back on itself and chucked up in a drill, per the suggestions above. Worked a treat! Thanks all!

With the block finally draining properly, I refilled the rad with water and brought it up to temperature again. It was then that I realized there was nothing stopping me from taking the 40 for a little rip! So that’s what I did.

Still a ton of work to do, obviously, but it runs and drives! And (kind of) stops. Pretty wild, considering how rough this rig was when I bought it.

 

[MatthewMcD]

I got the drain cleared. Once again Mud comes to the rescue with some great solutions to tricky problems. I tried various picks and other tools, but this ended being the setup that broke through the wall of black crud:

View attachment 3846848
Basically it’s just a length of stiff wire folded back on itself and chucked up in a drill, per the suggestions above. Worked a treat! Thanks all!

With the block finally draining properly, I refilled the rad with water and brought it up to temperature again. It was then that I realized there was nothing stopping me from taking the 40 for a little rip! So that’s what I did.

View attachment 3846849
View attachment 3846850
View attachment 3846851
Still a ton of work to do, obviously, but it runs and drives! And (kind of) stops. Pretty wild, considering how rough this rig was when I bought it.

Outstanding!

 

[MatthewMcD]

Funny, when I cleared mine I posted this:

Coolant System Questions

This was the weekend to flush and pull the radiator. Then attend to any and all rust that I found. Replacing all the coolant hoses too. Fresh coat of paint on the Fan, Shroud, and Radiator Frame. Still deciding if I am going to venture further into the plugged engine block drain hole or if I...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[diesellibrarian]

Funny, when I cleared mine I posted this:
View attachment 3847048

Coolant System Questions

This was the weekend to flush and pull the radiator. Then attend to any and all rust that I found. Replacing all the coolant hoses too. Fresh coat of paint on the Fan, Shroud, and Radiator Frame. Still deciding if I am going to venture further into the plugged engine block drain hole or if I...

forum.ih8mud.com

Interesting! I tried it that way at first (with the cut ends of the wire facing out), but it just turned into a twisted mess. It was when I flipped it around so that the cut ends were in the chuck that I finally made some progress.

Either way - it was a great tip, so thanks for taking the time to share!

 

[MatthewMcD]

Interesting! I tried it that way at first (with the cut ends of the wire facing out), but it just turned into a twisted mess. It was when I flipped it around so that the cut ends were in the chuck that I finally made some progress.

Either way - it was a great tip, so thanks for taking the time to share!

Happy it worked!

 

[CruiserTrash]

@diesellibrarian Glad it worked. I did a similar thing on my 2F 60 and it did not work out so well. The pipe where the EGR feeds into the intake manifold was completely plugged with carbon. I chucked some wire up in a drill and went after it. Got the initial part of the pipe clean and started working around a bend. Once the wire was curving around the bend it snapped off. I tried several methods over the course of a week to get it out, but nothing worked - it was permanently stuck. Short of cutting the tube open, extracting the wire and cleaning the carbon, then brazing it back together there wasn't a solution. I threw it in the trash and sourced another one sadly.

So, word to the wise: make sure the wire you're using is stout enough for the job.