My grand father has givin me a 76' fj40 and I would like to restore it. First of all I'm on a budget so I'll be putting a lot of money in to it I just need to map it out. Second up is lift kit what can I do for a lift kit? I was thinking of making my own body mounts for a 2-3 inch lift. Third how big of tires can i put on the fj40 without a lift and how big with a lift? Fourth and last engine what engine would fit right in? I would like a 350 chev but I don't want to dump money into a conversion kit. I have heard a 70's chev 350 will fit right in?
Restoring my fj40 - lift, tires, and engine
- Thread starter Cameroncoat
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Any non fj40 engine will require a kit of some sort. No 350 will bolt right in that I know of. A body lift on these is not that easy or clear like a jeep. The front fenders bolt to the frame, the front bib bolts to the frame, the running boards to the frame. You can do it, but all those have to be handled and it starts to add up. How big of a tire will depend on what you are doing with it, you can run 33's on a stock fj40 but do not go over a speed bump of take it off road. Skinny tires work better because they will fit up into the rear wheel wells. I would not go over 31's with a stock in my opinion.
First of all welcome.
I've just restarted my 75 fj40, and I am going with a 2" lift kit from SOR. Does not mess with any front end issues with the body. As for the engine, there are plenty of past build threads to search, it would take a couple of months to read them all. Do yor research before you waste $
Duane P
Bodean
Hot Damn
Depends on what you plan to do with the truck. Is the engine good? Does it run? Why change it? If the motor runs fine then do a 4" spring lift (easy) and 35" tires. The rear fenders will need to be trimmed to run a 35x12.5" tire. If the rear hasn't been cut and yo have no desire to do that then do a 2.5" lift and 33x10.5 tire so it will tuck in the rear fender. We could talk for days on this topic and it has been covered many times on Mud. Do a search to see what others have done. Good luck with the build and have fun!
First of all welcome, this is a great site with tons of knowledge. It might be best if you would post some pics of what you have to start with, that often plays a big part it what direction you should take your new project.
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brian
SILVER Star
if you're putting a 350 in it, you're not "restoring".
wow, nice gift ... you haven't said what kind of shape its in ... to me that would be a big deciding factor in what direction to go ... I'm a bit of a traditionalist myself and am trying to keep as much Toyota in a Toyota as possible ... I do understand the attraction to 350s ... I'm about to do a 2.5" lift on my 78 and am going with OME i.e. springs, shocks, front dampener, etc, etc ... they have a great package, but so does CCOR and He11 Creek, etc ... I'm going the skinny tire route on OEM rims ... as mentioned already there is a ton of stuff here re lifts, tires, and engine swaps ... welcome to the addiction ...
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brian
SILVER Star
your going to want to look at fixing rust before worrying about body lifts. and body lift over about an inch are not generally recommended.
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The fj40 is a 4 speed and it needs ALOT of body work but I can do that in the shop so it's no problem.
I would drag it into the shop, go through it and get the fundamental mechanicals working first. I would hold off on bodylifts and V8 swap thoughts until I had a good driver (if the drivetrain is still in good shape, which I am betting it is).
I agree with Black Sunshine. I jumped right into mine with a lift, tires, upgrades, SBC, etc and I STILL cannot legally drive it because I can't figure out the stupid brake lights. Get yours road worthy first...I think you will find yourself dropping alot of cash there, and see whats left for upgrades.
Congrats! and welcome to FJ40 club 
Old thread but just want to share my 2cents
F2 is a great engine with it's pros n cons.(you might have F in it)
I'm having trouble with carb (my no.1 con) ,recently installed (with slight modification) a Toyota 3Y engine's new carb with electric choke and is now running smooth giving 7-8KM/Ltr avg.Though with 5F gears it will be around 9KM/ltr on highway.
You can install 31" AT tyres on stock suspension, just don't drive over 100 KM/hr
Installing Rancho RS55113 shocks and adding a leaf spring at back might get you fit the 33"s.
With lift kit and some modification you can put 37 and even 44 inch tyres on it though depends for which use you intend to use it mostly.
I'm not an expert in engine swapping but go for Toyota 1KD-FTV diesel if you know or have the means of figuring out it's electronics (old body new engine) ,as the stuck in snow pics show I'd go for more torque at low RPM than more HP at higher RPM.
Toyotas diesel engines like 1HZ,1HD-T ,1HD-FT ,1HD-FTE or 15B-FTE are better options in FJ40 IMHO.(not sure if these engines meet US emissions code)
In gasoline Toyota V6 5VZ ,V8 1UZ are popular swaps I have seen.
http://www.man-a-fre.com (you can find a lot of Fj40 stuff here) thhey used to make a lift kit not sure if they still do. Old man Emu also makes lift kits for FJ40.
Better to go for the essential mechanics first like front n rear disc brakes etc.
And yeah it needs a lot of body n paint job too
cheers!
MAK
Old thread but just want to share my 2cents
F2 is a great engine with it's pros n cons.(you might have F in it)
I'm having trouble with carb (my no.1 con)
,recently installed (with slight modification) a Toyota 3Y engine's new carb with electric choke and is now running smooth giving 7-8KM/Ltr avg.Though with 5F gears it will be around 9KM/ltr on highway.You can install 31" AT tyres on stock suspension, just don't drive over 100 KM/hr
Installing Rancho RS55113 shocks and adding a leaf spring at back might get you fit the 33"s.
With lift kit and some modification you can put 37 and even 44 inch tyres on it though depends for which use you intend to use it mostly.
I'm not an expert in engine swapping but go for Toyota 1KD-FTV diesel if you know or have the means of figuring out it's electronics (old body new engine) ,as the stuck in snow pics show I'd go for more torque at low RPM than more HP at higher RPM.
Toyotas diesel engines like 1HZ,1HD-T ,1HD-FT ,1HD-FTE or 15B-FTE are better options in FJ40 IMHO.(not sure if these engines meet US emissions code)
In gasoline Toyota V6 5VZ ,V8 1UZ are popular swaps I have seen.
http://www.man-a-fre.com (you can find a lot of Fj40 stuff here) thhey used to make a lift kit not sure if they still do. Old man Emu also makes lift kits for FJ40.
Better to go for the essential mechanics first like front n rear disc brakes etc.
And yeah it needs a lot of body n paint job too
cheers!
MAK
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