Tire carrier needs a stud drilled for a lock - helps keep the spare safe from thief's.
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Build The John Denver FJ40
- Thread starter sadovnik
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Remember when Country Boy bought and installed like 250,000 gallons of gas and diesel storage tanks at the ranch. Sadly didn't help when he switched to an empty tank in his BD plane. Also should have fixed the handle on the tank selector valve before flight.
Thanks. Yes I know you didn't. Just thought, given the potential interest in something associated with him, that some paperwork might have been passed along through all the previous owners.
Happy with the safety restore result? I’m thinking of pulling that trigger soon
sadovnik
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- #26
I replaced the cracked dash pad with a brand new one. I know some people have reported that it's not necessary to drop the windshield in order to replace the pad. That may be true, but I needed to do it anyway for a number of reasons... When the painters reassembled the truck, there were a few things they missed… First and most importantly, they lost the brackets and spacers that go on the bottom of the windshield frame (the ones where the big knobs attach). I had to source some replacements from a Mud member and attached them with proper OEM bolts. They also forgot to run the wire that goes up the windshield frame to the dome light on the B pillar. Aaaand they didn't put the defrost vents back on the windshield frame. So I took care of all that and while I was there I installed the City Racer grommet for the windshield wiper motor.
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sadovnik
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- #27
Worked on the interior a bit more. Retired the old windshield wiper/washer switch and replaced it with a brand new one. Now the wipers move at normal speeds and the washer actually works.
While I was in the general vicinity, I replaced the steering column cover with a new shiny one. Of course now that I have a new cover, it got me thinking I should really send my steering wheel to @Birdhead for a full refurbishment.
Also replaced the original steering center pad with one from a later year 40/55 that I picked up from a local Cruiserhead. I know it's not the correct one for the year since the blue ones came on the following year FJ40s but I just really love that blue center pad. I'm keeping the old one in case I ever change my mind.
While I was in the general vicinity, I replaced the steering column cover with a new shiny one. Of course now that I have a new cover, it got me thinking I should really send my steering wheel to @Birdhead for a full refurbishment.
Also replaced the original steering center pad with one from a later year 40/55 that I picked up from a local Cruiserhead. I know it's not the correct one for the year since the blue ones came on the following year FJ40s but I just really love that blue center pad. I'm keeping the old one in case I ever change my mind.
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sadovnik
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- #28
The "Simple" Headrest Upgrade that took a Month
Finally got some headrests installed, but man, the effort-to-reward ratio on these old trucks is wild. Sourcing the headrests was the first hurdle—they aren't cheap or easy to come by these days. Then came the search for the plastic grommets. Since the originals are long out of production and usually brittle, they’ve become "unobtanium." Huge shoutout to the community here for pointing me toward Resurrection Land Cruisers; their 3D-printed escutcheons are a perfect fit.
To wrap it up, I grabbed covers from Cruiser Corps. Unfortunately, the fitment is disappointing—it looks like they were rushed out the door on a Friday afternoon (in terms of design and build quality). They’ll stay on for now, but a professional upholstery shop is definitely in my future.
This sub-project is a perfect example of the classic Cruiser life: a "simple" addition that took a month of hunting and a few hundred bucks to pull off.
Finally got some headrests installed, but man, the effort-to-reward ratio on these old trucks is wild. Sourcing the headrests was the first hurdle—they aren't cheap or easy to come by these days. Then came the search for the plastic grommets. Since the originals are long out of production and usually brittle, they’ve become "unobtanium." Huge shoutout to the community here for pointing me toward Resurrection Land Cruisers; their 3D-printed escutcheons are a perfect fit.
To wrap it up, I grabbed covers from Cruiser Corps. Unfortunately, the fitment is disappointing—it looks like they were rushed out the door on a Friday afternoon (in terms of design and build quality). They’ll stay on for now, but a professional upholstery shop is definitely in my future.
This sub-project is a perfect example of the classic Cruiser life: a "simple" addition that took a month of hunting and a few hundred bucks to pull off.
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Did you keep some fingerprints and DNA?
Maybe a can of Coors Banquet from under the seat?
@sadovnik, I have a 531 '75 also and always wondered what coral seat covers would look like. They look nice.
sadovnik
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- #31
I think the SOR covers are a bit darker than these from Cruiser Corps. Those might look a bit nicer due to the contrast, but this is what I got from the PO and I'm OK with it. I just bought some replacement door cards and I'm in the process of painting them to match the seats- "tying the room together" in decorator lingo. LOL
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I really like those door hinge pins.Do you have a link to those?
sadovnik
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- #33
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Wheels
sadovnik
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- #35
New OEM tail lights to replace the cheap junk that was on there... and while I'm there, I replaced the wiring harness with one @Coolerman custom made for me. All lights work now, at least in the back- even the license plate lights!
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My '75s tag on the door post DOES NOT have a color code. Is there another location on the '40 which has such information?
Thank You Kindly, Sir!
I look all over under the hood yesterday. You are correct, couldn't see under there!
You're a man after my own heart. Beautiful work. JD would be proud.
sadovnik
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- #40
Began working on desmogging the JD Cruiser. While it’s getting its spaghetti guts ripped out, I sent a bunch of parts off to get powder coated. The pile on the left will be black, and the multicolor mess on the right will be pewter.
I compared three Prismatic samples against two brand new OEM mirrors. As you can see, there's quite a difference even between the two mirrors. The sample in the middle is Steel Silver (PMB-5208) and the bottom sample is Shimmer Gold (UMB-2062). Shimmer Gold is an almost perfect match to the champagne color of the left mirror, but I went with Steel Silver because well I just like it better and it seems like a good balance- not too much silver, not too much gold. I never even considered Vegas Gold since it is what came on the OP bumper (pictured above), and it just seemed way off- too much gold for my taste.
I compared three Prismatic samples against two brand new OEM mirrors. As you can see, there's quite a difference even between the two mirrors. The sample in the middle is Steel Silver (PMB-5208) and the bottom sample is Shimmer Gold (UMB-2062). Shimmer Gold is an almost perfect match to the champagne color of the left mirror, but I went with Steel Silver because well I just like it better and it seems like a good balance- not too much silver, not too much gold. I never even considered Vegas Gold since it is what came on the OP bumper (pictured above), and it just seemed way off- too much gold for my taste.
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