Reverse Jerry-Rigging a 1973 FJ40 to operation

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Today is gonna be the first 'roadtrip' in the landcruiser! Driving to shooting team practice from my house in the cruiser. A 20-25 min drive by normal car:rofl:
 
So last Saturday I was gearing up for opening night at Bowman Gray the local race track. Had to drive the Landcruiser. I was going to get gas and backed out of my driveway fine but I went to drive away and it started sputtering coughing and died. My friend and I got it out of the street and couldn't get it to start. We went to get some other stuff and came back to re diagnose the problem. Still wouldn't start. So we checked and it was getting spark, so it was essentially narrowed down to fuel. We checked the fuel filter and it was absolutely disgusting. So hoping for a quick fix we ran to to auto parts store and snagged a new fuel filter. When we popped the old one off gas didn't even come out of the top line, proof the filter was clogged. Once we put the new filter on a few secs of priming and the Landcruiser started right up.
 
The real kicker is the conditions. When we left for Bowman Gray it was overcast but you could see some blue and it wasn't raining. We obviously had neglected to check the forecast. We parked in one of the numerous city owned lots and headed to the stadium. We were there 30mins early but with it being opening day it was already packed. We found some good seats in turn two and met one of my other buddies and two of his friends. Well after only 10mins of racing Mother Nature decided to turn against us. Going from sprinkles to downpour in seconds the race was officially over. Knowing we didn't have a roof or doors we weren't looking forward to sitting in gridlock traffic in a downpour. We made our way back to the cruiser and hid out on a loading dock, all the while the Landcruiser was getting soaked to the bone. I decided we needed to find somewhere to get it and us under shelter and I decided to explore. I could see a gravel trail going to a building off the parking lot we were in. We piled up in the cruiser and off we went. I was expecting a small overhang to squeeze under, not expecting to even be fully covered. But around the corner we went and were we ever surprised. Before us was a huge three sided building wide open for us, only to share with some dirt and a front end loader.
 
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We sheltered here for a while, having a blast with music, a golf ball we found, and a bag of bugles. All the while it continued to pour. We talked to our other buddy parked in a different lot. He was parked in the largest grass lot that had turned into a mud pit. He kept us updated on traffic and we made some plans. Once traffic cleared we headed ok down to him. It was raining and freezing cold but that didn't stop us. We got to the mud field and didn't hold back. Even with bald A/Ts the 40 was a beast in the mud. Absolutely a blast. Everyone got rides and it was the most fun I've had in a long while.
 
I'm not sure why the winch isn't centered, the previous owner mounted it that way for some reason, I need to check it and verify how securely it is mounted. @JohnVee
 
I've been driving the 40 around a lot since we got new tires for it last Saturday and ive discovered a few things. It gets about 8mpg and jeepers can't seem to distinguish between a Landcruiser and a heep.
 
When I turn all the way one direction, I do get rub on the passenger tire. The tire hits the clamp on the leaf springs. I'm thinking I can flip the clamp over and grind off the sharp corner and I should be good. Any other suggestions? I also am considering 1" wheel spacers all around to help with the run and to make it safer with a wider track width.
 
I tried replacing that bolt with a carriage bolt so even if it did rub it wouldn't matter but I snapped the carriage bolt. I'll try again later.
 
Make sure you're using the proper grade and style of bolts everywhere. If that had broken in traffic and caused you to damage somebody else's stuff it could be traced back to you by even a half assed lawyer. That would be a very expensive mistake. Safety first.

There's a handy spreadsheet somewhere here that lists about all the nuts and bolts needed for a 40. It's a great reference to find.

Having Those tall/wide tires and unknown wheels, you're gonna have some issues to address to eliminate rubbing. Are you spring over? Lift? Both?
 
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