Reverse Jerry-Rigging a 1973 FJ40 to operation (1 Viewer)

[40LandCruising]

So I’m off to Clemson today but we managed to make it to a good stopping point yesterday. We got the drivetrain completely assembled! My friends Dad pressed the throwout bearing together for me on his shopnoress and then it was just a matter of bolting things together. We cleaned the bellhousing, transmission, and t-case and they look way better.

Everything went great except the bolt lengths I found on mud to attach a 3-speed T-case to a 4-speed tranny were wrong. They were all too short and one bolt was so short it wouldn’t even reach the threads in the transmission. So when I get home from school I will just do what I should’ve done to start with and measure the hole depth in the transmission and add that to the thickness of the t-case.

 

[40LandCruising]

So I got some big updates, the engine is in! My buddy who is a welder came over when I was home for christmas break and helped get the motor mounts in and man they look good. We scabbed the frame for each of the four mounts, and his welds are great. And it worked out that both driveshafts fit almost perfectly. Also got 75% of the fab work done on the radiator mount. And got the starter, alternator, distributor, and carb installed. As well as the drivers side header.

 

[40LandCruising]

 

[40LandCruising]

Amazing how the engine bay swallowed the 350, and damn she looks good put together.

 

[40LandCruising]

Header clearance is really tight on the steering box, it was quite a pain to get it in. But there will be a lot of space when we do a power steering conversion.

 

[40LandCruising]

All that is left before she runs are:
-finishing the radiator mount
-find radiator hoses that work(this has proven to be tricky because both the lower outlet on the radiator and water pump are 1.75")
-Install correct length belt (I have)
-Time engine
-Tune carb
-Finish throttle linkage
-Wire starter and alternator
-Buy heat shields for plugs and wires
-Run gas lines
-Fabricate battery tray where heater blower used to be on firewall

Before she drives:
-Build seat mounts for the new to us junkyard seats
-Wire turn signals and headlights better
-Install clutch slave and new clutch line from master

 

[40LandCruising]

The new seats, they are out of s Mini Cooper and look a little goofy but it’s hard to find ‘leather’ manual adjustment seats, especially for $30 a pop from Pull-A-Part.