ROTW ROTW: 73 FJ40 (color of money)

[orangefj45]

thanks for the compliments ross, i do appreciate it.

working on cruisers like this is what makes my job enjoyable. the rig is well proportioned and all the components work well together. nice to see somebody having a good idea of what they want/need the 40 to do and then build it accordingly.


fwiw, i had the C4 built and installed it. we used a mild shift kit and an HD torque converter along with borg warner frictions and all the other parts that go along with a complete rebuild. the t-case was mated to the trans with an AA adapter that i supplied as well. we did install a cast aluminum deep transmission pan for an added 2 quarts of fluid along with a remote cooler with an electric fan to keep it cool. there's an autometer trans fluid temp gauge in the cruiser as well; the sender is mounted on the side of the trans pan.
we also used a lokar shifter, tv linkage and transmission dip-stick.
we're having some slight transmission leakage problems but after talking to a few industry insiders i'm pretty sure that i've finally figured out why we keep getting fluid out of the vent, eventhough the transmission is not over-filled. so i installed "the fix" today and will be driving it quite a bit for the rest of the week to ensure that it's taken care of.
don aka fc187 built the custom skid plate/trans mount/x-member/track bar mount as well as the track bar itself. i'll see if i have some pics and will post them.

again, thanks for bringing the cruise to us to have the work done!

georg @ valley hybrids



now back to those bikini models.........

 

[Splash]

302 and C4 is a great setup for this kind of rig, isn't it?

They sure work for me. Stock 302 has plenty of power and very durable so far. The C4 auto rocks. I will never again have a stick.

Looking back, I guess there were some Landcruiser pics hiding there !! You can post ANY old time. Seriously, that's a well built rig you have, looks great. How many times have you had to replace the mufflers being in that location?

As a matter of fact Georg (see below) is currently moving the exhaust inside the frame and Don (see below) is installing sliders. Their work is amazing and most importantly I trust them completely.

Nice truck. Have I seen you/it up near lake tahoe? I was snowshoeing up near North Lake Tahoe in Janurary and I swear I saw one just yours...

I am in Tahoe most weekends during the winter so it was probably the Color of Money (named by a very understanding wife) you saw.

Nicely done. And the 40 looks good also. curious, how did you set up the C4 tranny in this rig?

Thanks,

Georg installed it with no cuts to the tub which made me very happy. See his details below.

That not a color you see on 40's to often looks good nothing better than a good lookin rig running trails

Thanks. It is nebula green and I believe it was only original for a year or two in the early 70s. Someone might be able to provide more details.

thanks for the compliments ross, i do appreciate it.

working on cruisers like this is what makes my job enjoyable. the rig is well proportioned and all the components work well together. nice to see somebody having a good idea of what they want/need the 40 to do and then build it accordingly.


fwiw, i had the C4 built and installed it. we used a mild shift kit and an HD torque converter along with borg warner frictions and all the other parts that go along with a complete rebuild. the t-case was mated to the trans with an AA adapter that i supplied as well. we did install a cast aluminum deep transmission pan for an added 2 quarts of fluid along with a remote cooler with an electric fan to keep it cool. there's an autometer trans fluid temp gauge in the cruiser as well; the sender is mounted on the side of the trans pan.
we also used a lokar shifter, tv linkage and transmission dip-stick.
we're having some slight transmission leakage problems but after talking to a few industry insiders i'm pretty sure that i've finally figured out why we keep getting fluid out of the vent, eventhough the transmission is not over-filled. so i installed "the fix" today and will be driving it quite a bit for the rest of the week to ensure that it's taken care of.
don aka fc187 built the custom skid plate/trans mount/x-member/track bar mount as well as the track bar itself. i'll see if i have some pics and will post them.

again, thanks for bringing the cruise to us to have the work done!

georg @ valley hybrids



now back to those bikini models.........

Yep - back to those bikini models....

 

[orangefj45]

bawahahahaha, when i saw the first post i though "damn, ross has a hot wife"!

 

[SLOonTheGo]

Haha.

I thought that rig looked familiar when I was at Georg and Don's shop today.

First class work, big thanks go out to both of them for saving my butt more than once over the last two weeks.


And sweet rig, looks like it is perfectly built for your needs.

 

[Silicon 70]

You have an eye for uh.. shapes

This is the greatest ROTW ever. If anyone says otherwise, tell em to look at the pics again

 

[Twisty]

Best ROTW thread ever Awesome 40 too!

 

[green73]

Best ROTW thread ever Awesome 40 too!

Ditto!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Very creative way of displaying your rig. I think there is a pic of it on this thread somewhere.

 

[KY Longhunter]

You must be in Sales !

 

[kellyo]

This is the best ROTW yet. The pics are awesome. I like the rig too.

 

[sparkplug]

I have a 40 the EXACT same color...........mine just isn't as nice. Sweet ROTW.

 

[fuelgeddes]

Tops off to ya ! what a great ROTW ! Your rig is so nice I almost missed the girls.

 

[Renoron]

Ross,
I would love to see pictures of your engine bay and set-up. Do you have PS or did I miss that in your write-up?

I am currently planning on a 5.0 Explorer MAS intake and Mustang computer and harness for my 302. Found out also that a later cam is needed.

65swb45 is correct in that the engine sits lower in bay which requires an electric puller fan and shroud.

Thanks in advance.

Ron

 

[orangefj45]

the cruiser is currently at my shop for some more upgrades and a couple of small repairs. if ross does'nt have any engine bay pics then i'll be happy to ake some and post them if it's ok with him.

 

[FJ40_68_Nick]

Nice Rig, I saw it at Georg's Shop. The photos (of the 40) do it no justice!!! The Sliders are Fawkin' nice to boot!
What's w/all the -half- naked women? Is this a family site or something?

 

[Splash]

Ron: As Georg mentioned the rig is at his shop. I do not have any pictures of the engine bay so hopefully he can post some for you. Ross

 

[Renoron]

Thanks Ross! Great looking rig!

 

[orangefj45]

i'll take some pics on monday.

 

[orangefj45]

alright, got a progress report and some pics.

the orion was initially purchased thru and installed by another shop in northern CA but it's never been "right". lots of leaks as well as a noticeable gear whine that developed in the last couple of months. i had addressed most of the leaks when the case was out for the automatic swap but never tore it down completely. i replaced a few gaskets and one seal. now it's got a gear whine so we decided to take it out and completely tear it apart. the main sgaft was worn beyond my "acceptable" limits where the high speed gear/busing ride on it. the shaft in the orion was the earlier coarse spline model.
after tearing the case down, we discovered a severely worn high-low fork as well as a bad bushing in the high speed gear and the worn main shaft. AA was very helpful onece again, with tech info and supplying part to rebuild the case. i discussed the situation with their haed tech, randy, and after we came up with a game plan, AA sent out a bunch of new part, gasket kit and even a new shifter boot, all for free. i have been dealing withthem for 15 years or so and once again, their service and customer support has been top notch.

while i was waiting for the parts, i took a couple of engine pics so here ya go:

 

[orangefj45]

got most opf the t-case put together and updated with a better breather, fine spline shafts and my HD nose-cone saver. some of the parts in the pics are semi-assembled for mock-up only. i will post pics of the finished t-case which should be done by the middle of next week.

i had already built the original nose-cone only to find out that i could not get a new main shaft. so i had to coem up with a later model front output shaft for the fine spline coupling yet i needed the intermediate style in order to be able to run the same front flange. the front driveline is custom with 12" of slip and i was'nt about to chage the yoke on it, especially since i just got it back from the driveline shop on thursday.
i found what i needed to build the proper nose cone. luckily i have plenty of bearings and seals in stock so i left the early nose cone alone; put it on the shelf. then i just built up a later model nose cone with the proper front output shaft. got the shift pod rebuilt as well and bolted on for mock-up.

one thing to keep in mind is that the snap ring which retains the front output bearing ends up leaving about a 1/2" opening once installed. that opening is supposed to line up with the fluid drain "trench" in the nose cone so the oil and any possible contaminants can drain back into the main case. that way the magnet on the drain plug can retain any ferrous contaminats so they don't go thru the bearings or gears.
if the snap ring is not situated correctly, then the fluid has to return thru the front output bearing which can cause bearing damage if there are some metal shavings floating around in it.

hth

georg @ valley hybrids

 

[orangefj45]

whenever i build one of these t-cases, i like to remove the stock breather. for stock applications, the stock breather works just fine. but i figure if somebody is going to put an orion in their cruiser, they're gonna wheel it. and part of wheeling here in the sierras consists of having to cross a stream from time to time. the last thing i want to see happen is for some water to get into an orion and then the rig gets put back in the garage for a few weeks or months.
so i remove the stock breather and tap the existing hole with a 1/2" pipe tap. i then install a 1/2"npt 90deg 3/8" barbed fitting and run a hose up to the top of the firewall witha breather at the end.
you can cut off the top of the stock breather and drill and tap it for a 90 deg fitting but that's more work and they end up being taller so i prefer tapping the aluminum cover instead. i know the factory breather has an internal "snorkle" tube to prevent fluid being flung up into the breather, but with the length of hose going up to the top of the firewall, the fluid will not make it's way out if any of it even gets past the fitting.