What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week? (18 Viewers)

[CHCP]

Had a planned trip to Montreal on July 5 to deliver a 18.5' Northwest Sea Kayak to a customer carried on my 78 FJ40LV-KCJA. Replaced distributor cap, rotor and put in new spark plugs, timed it real good. Greased all points, checked differential gear oil levels, found the top passengers side Bilstein shock nut missing from the tower pin....how long has that been floating around?? Put another castle nut on and cotter pinned it...won't come off now! It drove nice and tight on the way home from the shop.......as I backed it up into my driveway the clutch slave cylinder blew its seal.

 

[AutaviaFJ40]

Installed a new Fuable Link and LED Flasher relay from @Coolerman and a set of new HD Battery cables and Terminals from @Fourrunner today. Simple upgrade took minutes. I still need to replace a few terminals and cleanup some wires...but a big improvement.

Now on to rebuilding my Knuckle.

 

[gearinstalls.com]

I don’t know if I posted this before…

I was gonna put it off until I was ready to do my brake conversion to disks which I have already and have the transmission put in first I have, but I put the cart before the horse and purchased a sierra differential install kit . I wanted it without carrier bearings and here’s what I’m going to put in , View attachment 1729215 well… Not me but hopefully Ken Fransisco on or about June 30th I hope. It’s going to be awesome. I just have to get under the 40 wednesdsybto drop the center out for this locker

WOW loosechange. This is one massively long thread.....I'll have to browse thru all 890 pages of all these cool 40 mods. I will post a dozen pics of your diff rebuild maybe later this week?

ZUK

PS----I have a Landcruiser "FJ60 mod" to share

First thing I did was to cut out the juicy part of the passenger offset FJ60 REAR 3rd

 

[gearinstalls.com]

Then strip down the 2001 Tacoma factory elocker rearend.......

....and mount the 8" housing securely(and very much level) on the steel bench. The FJ60 housing is shown on the floor before the hole was cut out.

Measure twice and cut once.

 

[gearinstalls.com]

I'm committed now......

12" from the centerline of the hole.....cuts made on both tubes. Symmetry was maintained.

Studs were of course removed and surfaces filed smooth to allow the bubble to do its thing.

 

[gearinstalls.com]

9.5" Center was tack welded. FJ60 3rd dropped in place. The factory 30 spline Tacoma axle was then inserted.

Then I could eyeball how far in the axle was with the "openess" of the 2 pinion open diff. Perfect....the axle is fully engaged in the sidegear splines.

Then it is welded and braced up.....that is .188 DOM wall thickness brace material there. It started life as a DOM tube but with much cutting and a flapper wheel, it was turned into 4 nicely curved brace plates.

 

[gearinstalls.com]

mounted up and painted. I now have a fill plug. Love having a rear service cover with the stoutness of the 9.5" ring gear

One more addition to make before calling it good.....529 Nitro Gears and a Harrop elocker. Yellow Tail wine from Australia. The vineyards (Yenda,Australia) are only 350 miles north of Melbourne which is where the Harrops come from. Wine to be enjoyed AFTER the technical part of the gear install....not during.

No leaks....no pulling or crabbing....just rides nice and quiet now

 

[loosechange]

Wow after reading the stuff you’re doing to that rearend i am excited as hell to have you looking after my rearend as well to do the work. Omg was that’s awesome tech knowledge and applicable building skills all rolled into one. I cook that’s it.. I am a cook for a looong time. But I am a part time mechanic when I can but only if it like 30 years old.. lol

 

[74HogGuy]

Somedays I think I pick the hardest route possible. Really wanted to keep the bib lights but the 80 series power steering box was interfering with the back of the lamp.

So I decided to inboard the bib lights 1/4" to get the clearance I needed.

And of course you can't just do one side! Labor of love I keep telling myself...

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Somedays I think I pick the hardest route possible. Really wanted to keep the bib lights but the 80 series power steering box was interfering with the back of the lamp.

View attachment 1734816

So I decided to inboard the bib lights 1/4" to get the clearance I needed.

View attachment 1734812
View attachment 1734813
View attachment 1734814

And of course you can't just do one side! Labor of love I keep telling myself...

View attachment 1734815

Nice clean work though

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Lots of progress this weekend!

The Clustertruck has a floor again -the transmission hump is hilariously clean compared to its surroundings:

It also got new shift boots and Pro Car 90 seats. The seats are a HUGE improvement over the old, unknown bench seat that it came with. For the first time since I’ve owned it - no gaping holes in the floor and adjustable seats! I’m in heaven.

I also got all but one windshield hinge bolt loose. The last one stripped - but it was enough to get some telescoping side view mirrors installed.

 

[thecrazygreek]

Enjoyed Friday evening with friends at Willamette Valley Vineyards. Had to grab this pic... Really enjoying this old cruiser and its new lease on life. Puts a smile on my face everywhere I go...

 

[gearinstalls.com]

Good looking yellow FJ40......That's the way I would do it with the bikini and half doors

 

[fjgoober]

I've always wondered , Are half doors required in some states?

 

[thecrazygreek]

I've always wondered , Are half doors required in some states?

Not in Oregon. I don't know about other states...

 

[ryanwk628]

I've always wondered , Are half doors required in some states?

Some states have laws about things that came from the factory being equipped (Michigan if I recall from when I researched this,) but most are OK with no doors provided you have enough mirrors as stipulated by law. Now if you had no doors but all your mirrors, an officer could give you a ticket for unsafe driving if they felt compelled to bust your stones, but if that happened to me in CT I would fight it and expect it would get thrown out.

 

[fjgoober]

I was Just curious, see several half doors on here from time to time.

At one point I thought about building some, but then realized I would never use them. Like it open.

I talked to some younger guys at the auto parts store that were in there buying side mirrors because the police had ticketed them. I had been driving for years without a side mirror. Thought maybe it was because they were young and the officer could intimidate them???? The other thought could be they may not know if my rig came with side mirrors or not??? I went back to the shop and installed my driver's side mirror (bolts onto windshield hinge) that day. Always just run the driver's side when driving w/ top off, never have fabbed one up for the passenger side as it's worthless in my mind because of the unobstructed view without top.

BTW, the hates ridding in it because of no doors and the wind messes up her hair. (Read as.....been married 85 yrs.)

 

[AutaviaFJ40]

I talked to some younger guys at the auto parts store that were in there buying side mirrors because the police had ticketed them. I had been driving for years without a side mirror. Thought maybe it was because they were young and the officer could intimidate them???? The other thought could be they may not know if my rig came with side mirrors or not??? I went back to the shop and installed my driver's side mirror (bolts onto windshield hinge) that day. Always just run the driver's side when driving w/ top off, never have fabbed one up for the passenger side as it's worthless in my mind because of the unobstructed view without top.

In my state Mirrors are required on any vehicle manufactured after 1972:

After January 1, 1975, every motor vehicle manufactured or assembled after December 31, 1972, of a type subject to registration in this state shall be equipped with a mirror mounted on the left side of the vehicle and so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of the vehicle.

B. Every motor vehicle of a type subject to registration in this state, except a motorcycle or motor driven cycle, shall be equipped with an additional mirror mounted either inside the vehicle approximately in the center or outside the vehicle on the right side and so located as to reflect to the driver a view of the highway for a distance of at least two hundred feet to the rear of the vehicle. When the required view from the inside mirror is obstructed, an outside mirror on the right side of the vehicle shall be required.

 

[40Man]

Got my wheels back from powdercoating @ Les Schwab and the wildpeaks mounted. Turned out pretty good. Chose the almond color. Looks good with the red paint.

 

[nelsonjm624]

So I got these items in the booth, and my painter friend let me get in on the action.