Revival of the African Queen

[SteveH]

I mentioned a project truck in another thread (Engine choice for '72 project? - help me decide - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/engine-choice-for-72-project-help-me-decide.1383314/)

This post will be for the progress I'm making on re-vamping this turbo/EFI truck to being a lot closer to 'Toyota' and 'field fixable' (which are my goals). The African Queen moniker just comes from the movie, of course, and the fact that this is a beige FST, so it would look at home in an episode of the original Wild Kingdom, with Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler, clattering around Africa nearly getting gored by elephants.

Gotta start with some 'as towed home' pix from last last year. I have dawdled, but am now retired and got 87 other Toyota projects out of the way. Time to get cracking.

As it sits:

• Started in 1988 (in Virginia) by a buddy, and worked on through the years. Ran briefly in 2017. Not driven since then.
• 1972 frame and title - pre-emission = good
• 1975 body (mostly)
• FST setup with Eshan OEM style top
• All hardtop parts included - a barn-full of extras

The good:

• OME 2.5" suspension, shocks, stabilizer
• Widened OEM rims and hubcaps
• 33x10.5x15s - new condition, but old
• Well-done FJ60 PS conversion with Ford shock tower on driver's side
• 4 speed trans and 1 piece xfer case from mid-70s, floor shifters
• No rust of significance, but inner rear wheel wells are made of diamond plate
• Two old Warn 8000 winches (pre-8274) included
• Four-wheel disk brakes with 80 series MC. No parking brake installed, but can use x-fer mounted one still in place.

What I will re-work:

• The turbo/EFI 2F setup is very complex and has fitment/clearance issues
  • Not against the concept, but it's very custom and would be difficult to troubleshoot - custom ignition (Ford) and Megasquirt EFI
• The dashboard was reworked to be modern and computerized, so to speak
• Massive fuel tank, custom seat frame, and racing seats - gotta go
• Roll cage - debating its future - may go w/factory roll bar
• All wiring is custom - will have to decide whether to work with it, or buy a harness and start over

 

[MDH33]

Looks like a great project Steve!

 

[Rocky_LC]

Hopefully you can add a Ford shock tower on the passenger side so you can run a pair of the same size shocks!

Looks like a sweet rig!

 

[Rocky_LC]

PS. Did it come with one of those long poles with the rope loops for lassoing running rhinos and giraffes while driving at full speed across the veldt?

 

[Pighead]

PS. Did it come with one of those long poles with the rope loops for lassoing running rhinos and giraffes while driving at full speed across the veldt?

That's a myth. Even at full speed an FJ40 can't catch up to a running rhino, much less so to a giraffe...

 

[3_puppies]

that is a very interesting looking engine bay
there is alot of stuff going on in there

 

[PabloCruise]

I mentioned a project truck in another thread (Engine choice for '72 project? - help me decide - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/engine-choice-for-72-project-help-me-decide.1383314/)

This post will be for the progress I'm making on re-vamping this turbo/EFI truck to being a lot closer to 'Toyota' and 'field fixable' (which are my goals). The African Queen moniker just comes from the movie, of course, and the fact that this is a beige FST, so it would look at home in an episode of the original Wild Kingdom, with Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler, clattering around Africa nearly getting gored by elephants.

Gotta start with some 'as towed home' pix from last last year. I have dawdled, but am now retired and got 87 other Toyota projects out of the way. Time to get cracking.

As it sits:

• Started in 1988 (in Virginia) by a buddy, and worked on through the years. Ran briefly in 2017. Not driven since then.
• 1972 frame and title - pre-emission = good
• 1975 body (mostly)
• FST setup with Eshan top
• All hardtop parts included - a barn-full of extras

The good:

• OME 2.5" suspension, shocks, stabilizer
• Widened OEM rims and hubcaps
• 33x10.5x15s - new condition, but old
• Well-done FJ60 PS conversion with Ford shock tower on driver's side
• 4 speed trans and 1 piece xfer case from mid-70s, floor shifters
• No rust of significance, but inner rear wheelwells are made of diamond plate
• Two old Warn 8000 winches (pre-8274) included
• Four-wheel disk brakes with 80 series MC. No parking brake installed, but can use x-fer mounted one still in place.

What I will re-work:

• The turbo/EFI 2F setup is very complex and has fitment/clearance issues
  • Not against the concept, but it's very custom and would be difficult to troubleshoot - custom ignition (Ford) and Megasquirt EFI
• The dashboard was reworked to be modern and computerized, so to speak
• Massive fuel tank, custom seat frame, and racing seats - gotta go
• Roll cage - debating its future - may go w/factory roll bar
• All wiring is custom - will have to decide whether to work with it, or buy a harness and start over

View attachment 4195160

View attachment 4195161

View attachment 4195162

View attachment 4195163

View attachment 4195164

Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds!

 

[gr8ful]

Those bows & top are from me, not Eshan.

 

[RevISK]

Those bows & top are from me, not Eshan.

As in you made them?

 

[Pighead]

As in you made them?

(his sig line explains a lot)

 

[RevISK]

(his sig line explains a lot)

That would necessitate me turning my phone 90* to see it.

 

[RevISK]

(his sig line explains a lot)

Also, I was under the impression he hadn’t done these in a long time. The last post in the link in his signature line was quite awhile ago.

I stand by my question.

 

[gr8ful]

As in you made them?

Also, I was under the impression he hadn’t done these in a long time. The last post in the link in his signature line was quite awhile ago.

I stand by my question.

I actually forgot that was a link in my signature line! Shows how long it has been since I updated it.

A friend of mine owns a land cruiser resto shop in Pakistan. The bows are OEM late model 40 series bows. The are reclaimed from decommissioned ex Pakistani military 40's. But that also means that they are RHD, so the opening for the light is on the passenger side when mounted on a US truck.

The biggest issue (my opinion only) with Eshan's tops were that the materials were garbage mostly. The Pakistani people have the know-how to build a good top, but didn't have access to high end raw materials. So my solution was sourcing basically everything here & having him get tops sewn for me over there & then import them back (with a few exceptions on the materials).

YKK Marine Mate zippers, welded & powder coated high nickel D-Rings, high end outdoor webbing & thread, canvas, etc...
The exceptions where some colors of canvas that they could produce over there that I liked, and depending on which production run, the window vinyl. I used what they could get locally at first but eventually sourced that here too.

This was for my true canvas tops (more budget friendly). My premium tops were built here in Colorado.

Basically the goal was to use their expertise & craftsmanship, while augmenting the finished tops by using better materials to build a longer lasting, higher quality top, still at a price point. The top in the pics is 14 or 15 years old at this point, and I sold it to him over 12 years ago.

I've actually got 6-8 sets of the above mentioned OEM bows in hand right now. I've also been trying to find the time & motivation to get new top production going. Both the budget & the premium tops. I don't like the whole, "get a deposit" & try to make it then sell it model, as it leaves a lot of risk if you fail, and also just generally can cause huge lag times between a buyer committing money & getting a top. So my model was to always source a stack of them up front & then sell what I have inventory in, without any special orders, colors, etc... It worked well enough, but requires committing a 10-20k to the project up front & then waiting for years while getting your reward, all the while clogging your house with cartons full of soft tops.

It has also been harder to get motivated to do knowing that there are ultimately several options for tops out there these days. It makes the lag between investing & recouping even tougher since the demand is spliced down even further. I hope I get it going again soon, as I do enjoy it. But it isn't exactly a huge windfall for the work!
Best,
Abe

 

[RevISK]

I actually forgot that was a link in my signature line! Shows how long it has been since I updated it.

A friend of mine owns a land cruiser resto shop in Pakistan. The bows are OEM late model 40 series bows. The are reclaimed from decommissioned ex Pakistani military 40's. But that also means that they are RHD, so the opening for the light is on the passenger side when mounted on a US truck.

The biggest issue (my opinion only) with Eshan's tops were that the materials were garbage mostly. The Pakistani people have the know-how to build a good top, but didn't have access to high end raw materials. So my solution was sourcing basically everything here & having him get tops sewn for me over there & then import them back (with a few exceptions on the materials).

YKK Marine Mate zippers, welded & powder coated high nickel D-Rings, high end outdoor webbing & thread, canvas, etc...
The exceptions where some colors of canvas that they could produce over there that I liked, and depending on which production run, the window vinyl. I used what they could get locally at first but eventually sourced that here too.

This was for my true canvas tops (more budget friendly). My premium tops were built here in Colorado.

Basically the goal was to use their expertise & craftsmanship, while augmenting the finished tops by using better materials to build a longer lasting, higher quality top, still at a price point. The top in the pics is 14 or 15 years old at this point, and I sold it to him over 12 years ago.

I've actually got 6-8 sets of the above mentioned OEM bows in hand right now. I've also been trying to find the time & motivation to get new top production going. Both the budget & the premium tops. I don't like the whole, "get a deposit" & try to make it then sell it model, as it leaves a lot of risk if you fail, and also just generally can cause huge lag times between a buyer committing money & getting a top. So my model was to always source a stack of them up front & then sell what I have inventory in, without any special orders, colors, etc... It worked well enough, but requires committing a 10-20k to the project up front & then waiting for years while getting your reward, all the while clogging your house with cartons full of soft tops.

It has also been harder to get motivated to do knowing that there are ultimately several options for tops out there these days. It makes the lag between investing & recouping even tougher since the demand is spliced down even further. I hope I get it going again soon, as I do enjoy it. But it isn't exactly a huge windfall for the work!
Best,
Abe

Thank you for the detailed reply, I am glad I asked. I am a small distributor for TROA mostly because there is no real real support for the tops, so I provide that as much as I can. Though, I would love to point folks in the direction of a US made top.

Since Dirt Road went away, these Colombian tops are the only new ones being produced that I know of. I have a TROA and I am pleased with it overall, while I would much prefer a US made or OE soft top, I can almost guarantee I wouldn't have shelled out more than what I paid for this top. I am a cheap bastard and this top is meant to be a stop gap until I finish fixing up my hard top.

One thing I am noticing is that with all the "stuff" happening, prices have gone up quite a bit. Sales have dropped significantly since the tariffs as well as with shipping prices (related costs rising) increasing. I am getting more tire kickers than ever.

I wish you the best of luck and I offer you any assistance I could provide in aid of a US based top (photography for example).

Cheers,
Ian

 

[SteveH]

Off with the bumper and winch, out with the giant custom gas tank, racing seats, and seat frame. Still in teardown mode.

 

[SteveH]

No real progress, but some parts queued up. I got a set of '78 seat brackets from a fellow MUDder, and a set of freebie minitruck seats that were modified to fit his '77 FJ40. These seats will be a nice placeholder until I can get a set of OEM seats. The seats have cheapie covers, but are in excellent condition under the covers.

Next step, sandblast the seat brackets and paint/install along with the seats. Then I can see of the roll cage in the truck is OK, or still too close to my head (which had been a problem with the race seats seen above).

 

[SteveH]

Added a pair of engine hooks so I had something to which I could attach chains, dropped the driveshafts and other stuff, and yanked the whole thing. I saw several oil leaks around the trans/xfer, so when I separate those from this engine, I may replace a few gaskets before I mate those back up to my other engine. All good, so far.