Splangy's 1981 FJ40 Restoration Thread

[Splangy]

Soooooo close. I could really use a left hand battery tray right now! Oh, and a throttle cable, too. Those are the only two parts keeping me from driving it right now! Although, I still haven't fired her up yet. Should be able to tomorrow.

I picked up one of those cheap aluminum radiators and used a Dayco hose that another mud member discovered. I'm impressed with the radiator for the price. All the welds look fantastic and the fit was pretty good. The hose looks a little odd with all those bends, but fits well and will do the trick with the power steering.

Which reminds me; with the PS pump on the right side now, I'm going to have to get a friggin 9' hose made to reach the box. Anybody have a company they recommend? I'm not sure if the local hose place is still in business.

 

[tucker74]

Very nice man, came across this thread doing a search for my H55 swap That top plate is a rare-bird indeed, you might need to put a lock bolt on it for the cruiser events! Any progress on finishing this up? You know a small turbo (T3) pushing 10psi or so really wakes these 3Bs up



Tucker

 

[Splangy]

As a matter of fact, I was at the local dealership picking up a few parts as you were writing that:



Some parts are for the 1962 resto.

You're right about needing a turbo. The 3B is a bit of a slug at speed. It's a grunty little slug in the lower gears, but 5th gear is tough to use unless you're on flat ground for a while. A turbo is definitely on the wish-list. I wish it weren't so damn expensive to out one in. Even a DIY turbo will run a pretty penny.

 

[tucker74]

Just start looking for parts while you're enjoying it, the exhaust manifold will be the hardest part. Then it just becomes finding a T3 off a MB or Mitsubishi and rebuilding it, adding an oil return to your oil pan, and re-doing the exhaust

Tucker

 

[ERNRAM]

Whats the status of this project?

Thanks,
Ernie

 

[Splangy]

It was completed back in 2011 and then I did the diesel conversion in the winter of 2013. I've been driving it quite a bit since 2011. The hills around here are a bit much for a 3B on the highway so I installed a turbo setup from a 13B-T this past summer. Still not going to win any speed records, but it's now comfortable to drive on the highway.

 

[ERNRAM]

Nice...going to follow your path too.

 

[tstepp920]

Saw you reference this build in another thread. Thanks for sharing. Any chance you could post a photo on the transmission cover you used and the shifters in place. Lots of confusing posts on here about H55s. I think its because posters get the 40 series tops and the 60 series top threads mixed. Where is your hand brake located? Thanks

 

[Splangy]

I used an h55f from a 40 series so the shifter would be in the factory location and the sheet metal hump cover fit fine. Hand brake is in the factory location on the floor and isn’t affected by the transmission swap since it’s a 1981.

I don’t have any pics that would help and haven’t taken her out of storage yet this year. We have two seasons in New England and summer isn’t officially here yet.

 

[tstepp920]

I used an h55f from a 40 series so the shifter would be in the factory location and the sheet metal hump cover fit fine. Hand brake is in the factory location on the floor and isn’t affected by the transmission swap since it’s a 1981.

I don’t have any pics that would help and haven’t taken her out of storage yet this year. We have two seasons in New England and summer isn’t officially here yet.

Thank you. Your response answered the questions I had.

 

[Living in the Past]

I used an h55f from a 40 series so the shifter would be in the factory location and the sheet metal hump cover fit fine. Hand brake is in the factory location on the floor and isn’t affected by the transmission swap since it’s a 1981.

I don’t have any pics that would help and haven’t taken her out of storage yet this year. We have two seasons in New England and summer isn’t officially here yet.

Are you saying the transfer case shifter was in the same location as a four speed without any modifications? Did you lower the setup up any when you installed it? Any luck getting the PTO winch installed? Last question if you had to do it all over would you still switch the 2F for 3B? Find it interesting the five speed was a lot more common in the 83/84 BJ42 than the FJ40. The comment about not enough power for overdrive without a turbo seems common.