Builds Salted Pork fj55 family wagon build (12 Viewers)

[Roastchestnuts]

Alright yesterday I asked my wife to turn the steering wheel back and fourth so I can inspect the steering components. Looks Like I have some play in the center arm. It certainly needs rebuilt. I deem it not safe over 45mph with the way it is.
I have a spare one that seems to be in much better shape possibly has been rebuilt. but there is a catch. I think the one I have is from an fj40. I never used it because it was for a later fj40 than I had. I think a 1972. The center part of the component looks the same. The arm might be different? (Ill post some pictures after work.) Are they the same or can I not use it?

There are a few other components I am going to replace too.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Finally we had some sunshine here! My wife and I went to the beach afterwork yesterday and I brought the family wagon! I am surprised how well it does out there with very basic bias ply tires that are aired up! anyways It was awesome to use it for a test run for a beach day! this thing is going to be perfect for us!

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I have a fj55 specific question. My fj55 came with a header. its the header you see for the 2f engines everywhere very basic. Looks like this one - Pardon Our Interruption... - https://www.ebay.com/itm/123914455627 My question is are there fit issues with fj55s and headers? I have thought off and on about installing the header especially since I already own it but it might be more trouble than its worth. I just know my exhaust manifold is not in tip top shape and I do have a header...

 

[charliemeyer007]

The cast iron manifold on my 72 FJ40 cracked in half. I couldn't find another one (cheap), then someone gave me a used header for free. My PO told me to run 2 man-a-fre header gaskets. My dad and I planned the manifolds on a big sheet of glass with sandpaper. I made custom step washers for the bolts to fix the flange thickness difference (1/4"). Made longer studs and used stainless steel nuts. I soaked the gaskets in warm water for 1/2 an hour. I torqued in sequence by 1/3. After I ran it for like 15 min I let it cool down and torqued again at 100%. I have ran those manifolds on at least 2 engines and have been on/off at least 3 times. I'm on the second set of manny gaskets. They have never failed in use and it was my daily driver for many years. It did sit for like 10 years when I got sick, and the clutch was out, brakes were bad. It my car now and I don't drive daily. Clutch and brakes are fixed, so is the dizzy.

Oh and later I built a fluid heat riser to prevent carburetor ice forming on the climb to Hilltop - works great - copied the manny unit.

 

[Pighead]

My question is are there fit issues with fj55s and headers?

I have heard of fitment issues but never run into one that prevented it's use.
My stock exhaust manifold cracked and broke in 1990 or so. I've had a few headers over the years, never one like you picture. I got the good Downey/Mark A. header, I forget exactly when or whom from, but it's been a while. I ran it with the stock steering box for a time, no problem.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Updates: I installed some shifter boots! I love the vintage SOR logo on the Tcase boot. It was fairly simple to take apart and put back together. a little tricky cutting the extra material. The SOR instructions say to use contact cement to glue the fabric to the metal retainer. I used super glue because I dont have small enough clamps to hold the retainer on. seemed to work fine. Then you just rivit it all together with the supplied rivets. then screw it down to the trans tunnel

I got a transmission shift boot on there but its just loosely in there. I am still waiting on the retaining ring.

Waiting on turn signals from city racer to come in. I think I got the last set they had.

Tires update: I think I found a good solution that will save me some money for other repairs like the headliner and windsheild and gasket. @Shyrock is selling his rims and tires off his saudi spec 55. He put a nice lift and 255 85 r16 tires on his. they are split rims but its a radial tire. 750 r16 size. they look new. save me time cleaning up the split rims I have too. We just gotta get a time to meet up so I can get them. I think he had them posted on mud. but here is a screen shot on them

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Side quest time! So my isuzu pup has been down since june.... long story short a head gasket turned into pulling the whole drive train! but finally yesterday I started to put things back instead of taking it apart! I finally installed the engine and transmission yesterday with the help from my Dad. Just could not do it myself this time. Now I have to start bolting up intake and exhaust stuff , wiring things back together, adjusting the valve lash and setting timing on the dizzy. Ohh and get a new fuel pump. I destroyed the pump with the hoist. (it was a nightmare trying to attach the hoist. Nothing to hook the chains too!)

My other two waiting for the pup to be revived!!!

 

[onemanarmy]

Finally we had some sunshine here! My wife and I went to the beach afterwork yesterday and I brought the family wagon! I am surprised how well it does out there with very basic bias ply tires that are aired up! anyways It was awesome to use it for a test run for a beach day! this thing is going to be perfect for us!

View attachment 3994572View attachment 3994571View attachment 3994574

so dreamy!

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Some updates: One of these days Ill slap a oem style carb on there. The weber seems to vary with its idle speed. I have adjusted timing and idle speed a few times. the 2f seems to like about 12 degrees @ 780rpm. But it the idle seems to change. It tends to have a slow idle to the point when it dies after driving it for a few minutes. I am adjusting the timing and idle with it warmed up. I think I just need to dial it in more. and I am going to adjust the throttle cable some too. I need to buy jets and a few parts for my holley and just use that. I bought the power valve and jets and nozzle for the holley. Its a almost new carb, and it has the proper cfm for this motor. plus if I get the holley on there it will be ready if I want to Sniper swap it. I bought an adapter kit from downy for the holley although I would love to buy an offenhouser intake for it! that would be pretty cool. All this being said I do love webers. I just think like everyone has said it just does not have enough CFM for this application. It runs fine but I do think it would run better with a bigger carb. My samurai runs way way better and snappy with the weber 3236 instead of the hitachi oem carb!

I got my passenger side turn signal installed. I didn't realize the "mount base" was not attached and I could just swap it. I hate the overspray on it but hey now I have a brand new turn signal lamp. I will do the drivers side today after work. It does work!

took my boards to the beach with it yesterday and the day before. its really nice to easily fit boards in the back especially when the roof rack comes off... I lost one of the bar attaching points on my roof rack towers. I bought a new one and took the rack off till it comes in.

I really don't miss the fj40 on days like this!

 

[Roastchestnuts]

So I posted it as a general question too but maybe sombody following can answer if it does not get answered in the main 40/55 section.

I want to install my holley carb on my fj55 while I save up for a sniper kit. I am trying to figure out what to buy to attach the cable to the carburator. What did you sniper people use? my fj55 is already set up with a cable. I have the downy kit to install the carb and the cable bracket. but what do I need to buy to attach the cable to the throttle linkage.

DO NOT tell me I need to install a oem carb! I know I do but I dont have the cash for one right now. and I dont want to buy one if I am eventually going to holley sniper it. I do however own a holley 2300 thats almost new and I own the jets and everything to make it work with the 2f.

 

[onemanarmy]

Maybe some pics of the attachment points on the carb so we can see what we are working with?
I do know that some of the EFI/universal swap throttle cables come with a variety of adapters for common cable carbs and TBIs

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Maybe some pics of the attachment points on the carb so we can see what we are working with?
I do know that some of the EFI/universal swap throttle cables come with a variety of adapters for common cable carbs and TBIs

Yeah I can post pictures when I get home. I just need a connector stud for a bare existing cable or some sort of system that connects it to what I already have. seems to be so much stuff out there I have no idea what to look for. I saw somewhere that sombody just welded on a bell crank to the carb (attached below). that would work for me but then I m stuck with what I got.

FJ40 Holley Carburetor Questions for 1977 2F Successful Setup Needed - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fj40-holley-carburetor-questions-for-1977-2f-successful-setup-needed.1150863/

 

[Roastchestnuts]

somthing like this might work. Lokar S-1034 Carb End Assembly for Lokar Throttle Cables - https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Lokar-S-1034-Carb-End-Assembly-for-Lokar-Throttle-Cables-,96879.html?utm_medium=CSEGoogle&utm_source=CSE&utm_campaign=CSEGOOGLE&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23033173417&gbraid=0AAAAAD8-MckuXB5z_j6otPMxo9aLRM4RZ&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIx6vok4_0jwMVO0hHAR2DtxLpEAQYAiABEgJgVvD_BwE

 

[diesellibrarian]

Some updates: One of these days Ill slap a oem style carb on there. The weber seems to vary with its idle speed. I have adjusted timing and idle speed a few times. the 2f seems to like about 12 degrees @ 780rpm. But it the idle seems to change. It tends to have a slow idle to the point when it dies after driving it for a few minutes. I am adjusting the timing and idle with it warmed up. I think I just need to dial it in more. and I am going to adjust the throttle cable some too. I need to buy jets and a few parts for my holley and just use that. I bought the power valve and jets and nozzle for the holley. Its a almost new carb, and it has the proper cfm for this motor. plus if I get the holley on there it will be ready if I want to Sniper swap it. I bought an adapter kit from downy for the holley although I would love to buy an offenhouser intake for it! that would be pretty cool. All this being said I do love webers. I just think like everyone has said it just does not have enough CFM for this application. It runs fine but I do think it would run better with a bigger carb. My samurai runs way way better and snappy with the weber 3236 instead of the hitachi oem carb!

I got my passenger side turn signal installed. I didn't realize the "mount base" was not attached and I could just swap it. I hate the overspray on it but hey now I have a brand new turn signal lamp. I will do the drivers side today after work. It does work!

View attachment 3998571View attachment 3998572

took my boards to the beach with it yesterday and the day before. its really nice to easily fit boards in the back especially when the roof rack comes off... I lost one of the bar attaching points on my roof rack towers. I bought a new one and took the rack off till it comes in.

I really don't miss the fj40 on days like this!
View attachment 3998570

That is one photogenic Pig!

 

[Roastchestnuts]

That is one photogenic Pig!

Thanks! I am loving it. Its goofy and weird yet practical and fun. Biggest plus Is I am not having anyone say they love my jeep!

I did have somebody ask about my bronco though. I don't own a bronco or even a ford?

 

[diesellibrarian]

Thanks! I am loving it. Its goofy and weird yet practical and fun. Biggest plus Is I am not having anyone say they love my jeep!

I did have somebody ask about my bronco though. I don't own a bronco or even a ford?

I've come to realize that some people are "car blind," i.e. they are unable to tell the difference between any cars.

I am married to such a person. In fact just the other day she told me she'd seen a truck "exactly like yours" in an alley not far from my house. When I went to check it out, it was actually an International Scout. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I've come to realize that some people are "car blind," i.e. they are unable to tell the difference between any cars.

I am married to such a person. In fact just the other day she told me she'd seen a truck "exactly like yours" in an alley not far from my house. When I went to check it out, it was actually an International Scout. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

International scouts are cool at least! I almost bought a truck cab scout II once. wish I had gotten it.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Side Quest: Have you ever had a project that fights you every step of the way? Somthing that you get a step forward then you have to take 3 steps back? A True Money pit? Luckily I dont feel that way about the Fj55. However.... my isuzu Pup..... YARGGGGGG. Honestly if I had a bazooka today I would have blown it up. I had planned on getting it running this weekend. (I think some of this anger and frustration is coming from storm anxiety. We have another H word in the Atlantic and it has me on my toes. Wednesday is the day it will arrive I keep hearing.)

SO I have the engine in thats great I had planned on getting it running this weekend. But here is the step back... I had to cut the exhaust manifold studs off at the pipe union to replace the little donut gasket there. Fine I will drill and retap them. well I was successful with drilling out the studs. I have one size tapped and the other side I had probably 3 threads left and I hear a crack... Mind you I am working slow, going back and fourth. taking my time. The cracking noise was the hardened steel tap breaking off in the hole. of course its too deep to grab on it. tried a few tricks and now I am at a loss on how to get it. I took a break and posted here and Ill come back to it tomorrow.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

More 55 updates that make me happy! Land cruiser buddy @SC-Cruiser is in town here on Ocracoke and brought me some goodies! I now have a OME steering stabilizer that has the cooler old sticker on it, and some extra warn hubs and drum axle parts. I am stoked that he brought them and will certainly be installing them soon on the salted pork wagon!