Build The Monkey is Back

[Living in the Past]

I know this is an older post so you've probably 've probably resolved this already, but couldn't you just heat it up good and red hot with a torch and then bend it exactly to where you want it?

The 40 series H55F shift canes are hard to find. The 60 and 70 series H55F shift canes are two pieces. Where they join is runner to help with vibrations from transmission. This joint is close to where need to bend the shifter. You do not want to use heat and destroy the bond. Can see how the section that fits in the transmission is different between the four speeds on top and H55F on the bottom.

A picture of the two piece H55F transmission shift cane. It also shows the two piece transfer case two piece shifter that is one of the parts that allows the transfer shifter to match the transfer case four speed shifter opening.

 

[cruisermatt]

We've heated and bent them a few times, it does melt the bond but we have re-epoxied them with great success. The bond on the handle on this truck has let go anyways and needs to be glued back. @Chamba we can leave the shifter handle loose and when you come to retrieve we can heat-bend it tailor-made for you pretty quickly

 

[Living in the Past]

We've heated and bent them a few times, it does melt the bond but we have re-epoxied them with great success.

Would.you suggest doing this with a fan blowing the opposite way while heating. To avoid the smoke and smell?

 

[Chamba]

We've heated and bent them a few times, it does melt the bond but we have re-epoxied them with great success. The bond on the handle on this truck has let go anyways and needs to be glued back. @Chamba we can leave the shifter handle loose and when you come to retrieve we can heat-bend it tailor-made for you pretty quickly

@cruisermatt I already bent it to where it's as comfy as it's going to get without a 40 series top loader. I didn't glue it back on yet so it would be easier to work with. I'll just epoxy it back together once it's back.

 

[cruisermatt]

Old Vs new

 

[FloridaLife]

Whoa…that’s gotta suck….especially that you’ve planned the time. Insurance likely will cover it but an expeditious exchange will take the sting out of it. So will 2nd day air.

Not a common event as much today unless the driver has a friend with a Land Cruiser ….hoping you get a call that they found it and will deliver today?

I know…but I am an optimist

That's terrible! I'm reminded of when I ordered my 58 lb winch bumper from Texas and for some reason instead of coming straight over to Florida it shipped to California. Then from California all the way to the east coast, then all the way back to the West Coast and then as it came back across the country got lost somewhere. Because of the weight of the bumper and the d-ring mounts when it arrived, finally, the package was beat to pieces and the d-ring mounts were sticking out through the packing material and the cardboard and the powder coating was rubbed off of the d-ring mounts. So I contacted the vendor and we had to start all over again. Second one showed up with one d-ring Mount sticking through the packaging and a little bit of the powder coat worn off of it, but I just worked out at a discount with the vendor and we'll fix it myself.

 

[FloridaLife]

Second home no Amazon direct deliveries. Mail box with lockers over a mile away. Items that do not fit the box or boxes are full from people.leaving packages for days end up at post office at least seventy five miles away. Better luck with eBay. Most items fit the locker no problem. Had Amazon packs boxes no large something that should have fit the locker doesn't. Last year USPS didn't renew the contract for small contract post office in the area. Stopped using Amazon for anything that might be questionable how it will be packed and buy from someone who uses FedEX or UPS.
I am curious how a refund is handle. USPS will generally only cover up to $50. Sold a 2H bellhousing and matching 40 series crossmember. Buyer was happy because I insisted including insurance to cover the item if lost. It wasn't but if it was sure the buyer would want a refund which I would have expected.

Anyone else notice tracking USPS package going strange paths to get to where they are going? Had a package in the Northwest going to a few cities in the Mid west before heading to AZ. Another starting in NV going to LA them to a few distribution centers Dallas area, then onto Albuquerque before making multiple stops in the Phoenix area.

That's because even if they are closer to you, the package or envelope with a letter. Whatever it is gets routed to a large bulk male Center or BMC, sorted, then routed out to trucks and then sent out. Sometimes it'll go to one bulk male Center, and then depending on location of delivery gets sent to another bulk mail center closer to the destination and then gets sorted and put on trucks. I remember several years ago a congressman did an experiment just to prove a point and sent one letter in the mail and gave one to a pony Express writer like in the old days and guess which one showed up first..?

 

[knuckle47]

When I ship anything that has weight or bulk I have to use a thick….thick cardboard box and 2” wide fiberglass tape. The box may hold but eleven if the box get rumpled heavily, that tape insures noting “escapes” the package

 

[FloridaLife]

One thing I would like to get if anyone has any sources is a variety of high altitude jets for the factory carb. I'll be retiring back out west, and if I don't swap over to fuel injection by then I'll need some. Plus hopefully the summer of '26 we'll be taking it to New Mexico and Utah.

@knuckle47 bought his first FJ40 new from the dealer in '74 and has owned FJ's all his life. He said that changing to fuel injection (he went with the Holley Sniper) and disc brakes made all the difference in the world!!! Most enjoyable he's had. I gave him my old OEM carb in case he ever needs a spare for his FJ45 since I won't be needed it.

 

[FloridaLife]

When I ship anything that has weight or bulk I have to use a thick….thick cardboard box and 2” wide fiberglass tape. The box may hold but eleven if the box get rumpled heavily, that tape insures noting “escapes” the package

I can confirm! I bought my '76 FJ40 front disc brake parts from @knuckle47 and the boxes were not square anymore by the time they arrived, but by golly that fiberglass tape held and everything was inside and undamaged!

 

[FloridaLife]

She's all buttoned up in time for my 6 day trip. Coolant is in, no obvious leaks. Clutch fan fits nicely with the new water pump and the pulley from Matt.

Some interesting Third World alterations: the radiator support rods which tie the oxbox to the frame were altered to accommodate the lowered oxbow. They did it by simply bending a zig-zag in the longer one. I was able to straighten it back to is original shape. Unfortunately they cut the shorter one, so I'll have to weld in an inch of stock to return it to the length it needs to be.

Engine is MUCH quieter now with the clutch fan, but of course I'll need a shroud. Matt may be able to make one out of stainless using his fancy CAD machine. If not, I'll keep looking for a factory one.

I installed the power steering cooler. Should work fine with the air con radiator, but if it needs to be moved then so be it. I'd love a factory p/s cooler line, but this will work until/if I find one.

In my parts stash I had the splash guard which goes below the radiator. I believe it was from my 84 Hj47 from when I put the Vortec in it in 2000. I doubt there are many third world 'restos' with this in place....

I also took care of one of my pet-peeves: I glued rubber weather stripping around the edge of the grille mesh. I cannot stand it when that mesh rattles when you whack the grille, so this stops that and prevents it wearing away the paint where it's vibrating.



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I know this thread is a little older, and I just discovered it and I'm trying to read and get caught up so this may now be resolved and irrelevant. Irrelevant. But, if you need it, I have a radiator fan shroud that I bought from cruisermatt and then had blasted and powder coated black. I posted pics of it here on mud and a couple of the guys said that it's the correct shroud for if you are going to run A/C. With the swap I ended up doing I'm not going to need it. So if you or anyone else could use it and let me know.

And, if the LS sits too low for it or the exhaust is in the way, I will also have available a skid plate that I bought from cruisermatt and had it blasted and powder coated black as well.

 

[FloridaLife]

Adaptive headlights?

@Jdc1 - LOL on the Adaptive headlights! I actually installed one on my antique Super Chief and it was AMAZING! if you leaned to go around a curve or if you turned it would light up additional LED's to fill in the dark area ahead of you. Here is a short 15 second video of me holding it in my hands and tilting it to demonstrate:

New video · Sunday, Oct 9, 2022 - https://photos.app.goo.gl/RcYJPpd6sykMeepVA

"Jolene" also had matching Full quail ostrich leather saddlebags but I did not have them on her in this short 20 second clip:

New video · Friday, Jun 7, 2024 - https://photos.app.goo.gl/N6pgwRLkveoQpT3x5

 

[FloridaLife]

Back from my trip, finally got a chance to run the 43 and test out the new cooling system upgrades: new radiator, pump, thermostat, hoses, etc.

I discovered that the reason for the incessant leaking was not the crappy generic hoses and poor Paki workmanship but rather the problem is a blown head gasket presurising the system combined with a radiator cap which was manufactured when Reagan was president. Wet spark plugs also back this up. I've now put exactly 11 miles on it and realise that the odometer reading when I got it was indeed indicative of what I was in for.

The only positive today is that the blown head gasket is presurising the hell out of the new system and it's not leaking..... just blowing all the coolant out of the overflow tank before it even heats up.

So: decision time:
*Cut my losses and part it out (smartest move, most likely),
*Compound my losses and rebuild the 'rebuilt' 2F,
*Find a used 2F (good luck in Florida),
*swap in a Vortec/LS1, which I'm not terribly keen on having had a V8 swapped 47 and being rather fond of the 2F,
*REALLY compound my losses and swap in a diesel (R2.8 or used 12HT); or
*Hope for the best, put in a new head gasket, maybe rebuild the head and hope this bottom end isn't as bad a rest of the truck...... I haven't really got time for any of these scenarios, which means more work for @cruisermatt, but likely putting the Terrain Tamer springs on the back burner for a bit.

Feeling rather forlorn at the moment.

Still playing catch up on reading this, I'm sure you have resolved it by now, but I would probably try the head gasket replacement first. I wish I had seen this at the time, because I had a good condition 2F drivetrain on a pallet and wrapped not far from you here in Central Florida. I sold the 2F with the 4-speed transmission, and rebuilt transfer case, and rare mechanical overdrive unit all for only $2,800 and shipped it. Brian here on mud, bought it and dropped it in one of his rigs and it's running like a champ.

 

[cruisermatt]

Defrost off a factory pull-switch looking like it’s going to work! Justin fabbing this on the fly.

 

[Chamba]

@cruisermatt Justin is a smart lad: very impressed with his ingenuity. Tell him that's impressive.

How's the exhaust looking?

That green light hanging down is the light for the vacuum guage, in case it's a mystery.

 

[cruisermatt]

Bandsaw is down for a bit so trying to wrap up absolutely everything else!

FZJ73 parking brake cable was a perfect fit after a little mod to axle housing.

 

[Chamba]

Getting close!! Damned band saw.

Any details on the charcoal canister?

 

[cruisermatt]

Getting close!! Damned band saw.

Any details on the charcoal canister?

This is what I chose.. from a 90’s Corolla.
Bracket is cooking up in the 3D printer now.

lots of small loose ends tied up today.. closed tomorrow and back to full bore project finish mode Monday.

 

[FloridaLife]

As for those stainless strips on the hood, my ‘79 FJ45 had them

To answer the oft-asked "why are Toyota parts so much more expensive than Chinese knockoffs when they 'look the same'?"

Here is the light my 43 was 'restored' with -100% pure Chinesium- next to my new Toyota light (I'll leave it to y'all to distinguish). There's little wonder why Great Wall Motors trucks don't hold up like the Hilux.....

Unfortunately, the Chinesium bases are larger than the Toyota bases. Even after wet sanding the indent and buffing it out, you can still see the damage done by the poor choice in lights after it was painted.

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I dig that front license plate. My mum has lived in Queensland Australia for about 41 years now.

 

[FloridaLife]

I’ve got a full shopping cart on a few websites. Looks like I will be trying the headliner from SOR

I bought some parts from ccot that came wrapped pieces of the headliner material that they sell. I was surprised. To me at least, and I'm a newbie to the fj40 world, but it seemed pretty good quality. It looked nice, kind of perforated, and it had a nice thick foam backing on it. Pretty durable too as I did a good job of protecting what was shipped.