Tornado takes the top off 1964 SWB FJ-45

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Gas tank needed to be modified.. This is an older Con-Fer Aux tank utilizing the FZJ79 filler spout and an in tank EFI pump. I used a Tank INC in tank pump and sump, and took Gumby's idea of the universal fuel sending unit.. From the Tank to the frame we utilized Aeroquip push lock fittings to an AN Bulkhead hard mounted to the frame. Needed to finish mounting the tank fore/aft/side to side as well.
Rob welded the "ring" inside the tank (which had gas remains in it) while i purged it with the CO2 tank from the garage kegerator.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Clearance for the Tcase under the tub.. apparently when you go from a 3 on the tree to a later h42 (with spacer for fitting H55F) and split case it doesn't fit just perfect.. It goes in but needed a X member support fit and a bit of clearance for the top of the tcase which just touched the bottom of the cab. Rob cut the underside of the cab and flipped the piece around to make the clearance for the top of the tcase where it was rubbing.

Rob brought a nifty brake he build and used some 1/4 to fab up the pieces on the frame and used the older FJ60 xmember under the H42 which will fit my h55 later. So Tranny fits and fits correctly.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Kelly was working on the shortened bed. Few things needed to be finshed on it after cutting about 18" out so it fit.. So he was working in the back of the garage shrinking, stretching, and generally making a LOT of noise with a hammer and dolly.. He had to weld in a couple ends on the ribs in the floor, few pieces along the back of the top rail by the headache rack.. Then over the course of the weekend skim coated and finished the bed.. So now the bed is actually ready for paint.. I need to finish installing 8 nutserts where the spare tire holder goes.. then it goes into primer..

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Plumbing of the Hard lines on both axles, I had originally used front axle (backing plate delete) outer hoses 38881 (longer) but found i needed or 38878 (shorter).. I wasn't happy with the way the longer hose might have contacted the rotor or just got in the way. Chris and Colin started running all new plumbing.. Which includes new hard lines on both axles.. New Drop hoses, New tombstones etc.. I did find that any aftermarket tombstone won't work. I was already ordering from Summit so tossed some in my cart.. UH No.. I'll try the ones from Marlin next time.. THey'd probably work from a known toyota vendor. THe clips and tombstones from the aftermarket world are too thick and the holes need to be reamed. PITA..

ON the rear axle disk brake conversion hose we used BH38149, metric on one end and SAE banjo on the other. NOTE the stock normal GM banjo won't engage enough threads so had to dig out some longer ones. Sadly i only ordered one of these so Colin plumbed everything but could only finish one side in the back till i order a new second hose.

They did get to use the cool double flare tool .. sorry i didn't have a picture of mine .. I'll try to link to it.. Eastwood sells it but i purchasedmine at I believe Summit racing PN 70081.

Colin and Chris and ROb finished up the Hard lines to the new bulkheads for the fuel.. and hard mounted all the fuel and brake hard lines on the frame.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Rob tackled the drivers door striker.. Since i replaced the quarter panel on the drivers side the striker was the new style. While it could have worked it also looked funny and lost the hard top clamp mount. The older 45's had clips holding the hard top down on the B pillars and the back of the cab. I wanted to retain this but also wanted a new quarter panel. THe strikers over the years moved inside about half an inch. so i would not have been able to put the striker in the correct place for my period correct bugcatcher front doors. WHile this was going on Kelly decided to finish cutting out the back cover in the bed. I need to install some reinforcement in the bottom of the cab for seat belt mounts and seat mounts and just clean it up. Not sure exactly what's gonna happen in here yet but time will tell..

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Kelly started massaging more metal.. 49 years of abuse to the cab had taken their toll.. And these fenders came off my FJ40.. SO they've been to Cruise Moab, Black hills Cruiser classic, GSMTR, Razorback Ramble, Tornado Alley cruiser events, Kentucky, Katemcy Texas, Oklahoma, and ON and ON.. I think i've had these fenders for about 18 years or more so call me nostalgic but i thought it'd be neat to keep at least one thing going from all my years of wheeling. So kelly had to beat, and BEAT, and beat to get them whipped into shape. They were coined "Droopy Dog" at the beginning but he had em whipped into shape along with the sides of the cab by the end of saturday..
YOu can definately see the difference an hour of beating on the cab and fenders did for the front view.. Kelly is a MASTER with a hammer and dolly.. I figure it's like when you move to a new residence.. You figure out who your friends are when moving and needing body work done on a vehicle.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

The evening started winding down.. Course we were all whooped.. Rob traced and cut a new filler piece for the old cab firewall. I had swapped firewalls for one that fit the newer pedal assembly, booster and steering column. So the place where the gas pedal bellcrank went needed to be filled. We then test fit the FJ62 3fe gas pedal in it's place and ran the throttle cable.
Poor picture. but all i had at the moment..

All in all a GREAT weekend.. took me about 6 hours to clean the garage afterwards. Great friends, Thanks Colin for bringing 2 kegs.... Rob for the metal brakes, Kelly for hammering it out, Chris for slip sliding his way to KC and picking up the engine hoist and tranny jack from Colin's on the way in.

I will continue to make forward progress after this MASSIVE kick in the rear end..

 

[Zane]

very cool!!!

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Need some input from the peanut gallery. Im running an fzj79 bed. On the back it has crud catchers on the sides. Should I take the time to try and build and weld in a cover or leave as is?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using IH8MUD

 

[47coeman]

Pay now or pay later with rust...

 

[Gumby]

If it was below the bed I'd say you need to, but that high up? Leave it.

You gonna let it fill up with crud?

 

[2fpower]

Where else you gonna keep all the unpaid parking tickets?

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

been a while.. Not a ton to report but with the rear bed swap I had to adjust the rear channel length to clear the rear taillights and the rear mount point for the bed. So i had to redo something I wasn't happy with in the first place.. I cut out the angled crossmembers for the frame and built new ones out of 18" by 8" flat plate steel. Bent them up and was a much nicer product than the original weld in a new piece i had done. Borrowed the tool from a buddy / club member. Pretty much maxed out my baby press but it did work.. Now I'm not Mike and can't just custom build a whole bed floor but I think i did pretty darn good for an office jock.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Finished up the stuff above, test fit my rear hitch/rear bumper / receiver hitch.. Hollered at Dave Gore and got one of his Sweet attachment points for the back. I would have installed the pintle hitch in this location but i'm pretty sure i'd smash the rear bumper with my m416 so i'll use the receiver hitch and keep this as a tow point. Made sure i had all the correct bolts, set up my paintbooth and got to work..

Kinda nice to assemble clean painted parts... Even nicer when you test fit it all.. I did learn to actually wear my protective eye wear, not leave them on my hat.. Laquer thinner in your eye BURNS..

it will make a whole lot more sense what I just did when i actually put on the FZJ79 rear bumper. While i'm honest with myself.. I don't anticipate the stock 79 rear bumper to last all that long.. it's more of a glorified step.. but i'm going to give it a shot till it dies and then i'll build something better with my tubing bender..
I did sidetrack myself and hydro'd my tubing bender and modified an engine stand to hold it and the notcher.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Been a while. THe new mud change has kinda killed most of my uploading. Put in the flywheel, new clutch, swapped one 38mm splitcase to another on the extended h42. my h55 is still at a buddy's. I'll swap once i figure out the 4wd linkage. the FJ62 case doesn't fit with the vacuum pod and i wanted to keep it looking stockish. Either a pull cable or maybe a pneumatic cylinder.. I dunno yet.

PUt on some OME shackles i had lying around, greasable pins, finished the plumbing of the tank and sender. Put on some shocks i found from a razorback ramble raffle winning. cleaned the underside of the bed, epoxied under the bed and al's liner under the bed. Since the parabolics run fj60 sized bushings i had one pin machined down to fit the top of the fj45 front. Finished all the rear brake plumbing, added one of Dave's tow points on the back. pretty much done with the back half other than finishing wiring and sealer / color.

 

[2fpower]

6 month heckle

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

At least u brought it ttt. Not that good with the new mud app. Ill try to send some pics to an actual computer

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

alright.. long time no update.. H55 needed a new input shaft, new output shaft and a new 5th gear.. SOOO.. Buddy's shop that is way more versed in this sort of stuff here i come.. Also he so happens to be the caretaker of my old FJ40. I was the labor for the project.. he was the brains.. We did mess up and not clean up the new factory output shaft.. the tolerances are REALLY tight.. i found that problem once installing a 19 spline toybox in the 40 once.. need a little emerey cloth love for the split case input gear to go all the way on.. more on that later..

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Next was building headers to run outside the frame rails and under the drivers floorboard / runningboard. PTO shaft will occupy the space inside the framerails. DOM tubing from http://www.mandrel-bends.com/catalog/ in oregon. Slice and dice, added in O2 bungs and a 2 into one collector .. Was not nearly as easy as they show on tv.. took me WAY longer than a half hour.. not gonna tell ya how much longer but i re-made one down pipe twice as it came too close to the frame for my comfort the first try.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

after headers next logical spot is actual exhaust.. had 2 different flowmasters that have been won in different TLCA raffles over the years.. a bunch of mandrel bends, a flex coupler, resonator etc.. Exhaust has to run under drivers side then back under truck bed then exit in front of rear shackle on drivers side thru mudflap.