Where to begin - Inherited my Aunt's 77 FJ40

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It needs to come all the to the back side of the front of the windshield frame.
DSC_0388.JPG
front metal lip that slides over the
 
Ok I think I see. Hopefully when I pop the top it all becomes clear!

Any tricks to removing the fiberglass top?

Thanks again!
 
They are kind of a pain to take off. Its easier to just take the whole top off. I recommend 3 people to help you lift it. Taking just the fiberglass off I had to use lots of kroil on the bolts so as not to break them. Even just taking the whole top off may be a chore since it likely hasn't come off for a very long time.
 
You can disable the most obnoxious emission components and leave all the equipment in place. If you block off the EGR (or put a BB in the vacuum line, if the system is tight otherwise) and remove any vacuum retard lines to the distributor, you've just about got it. You can leave or remove the air pump - not a big performance hit. If you study the system (get the factory emission manual for starters), and study what really affects engine power, you don't need to gut all the smog stuff - you just need to disable what you don't like (or feel impacts you) and then perhaps retime the engine. It would look cleaner without all the smog gear, but it won't run differently if you carefully work over the smog stuff in place.
 
All, I have been doing a little work and thought I would provide and update and ask a few questions! First of all, I went ahead and ordered new tires for Nellie. 33-10.5 BFG all terrains. Before installation I went ahead and had the wheels blasted and powdercoated. I was happy with both the price and result. The color may be a touch darker than the original but I think it turned out pretty close! Below are a few pictures of the before and after.







Now that I've got the new tires I went ahead and ordered a 2.5 inch lift OME suspension. I'm looking forward to receiving the kit and getting it installed. I'm thinking of trying my hand at it, we'll see i guess. If I do I'm sure I'll be turning to old posts, and maybe this thread, for any help that I could get.

In the meantime I thought it best to get to work on the new headliner I've got. I got the top off with the assistance of my brother (no broken bolts!) and am now working on getting it prepped for the headliner. While I'm doing this I think I'll go ahead and replace gaskets. The one time I drove the vehicle in the rain I was getting a pretty significant leak above the windshield. Does the picture above provide any indication of what gasket may be leaking?



Finally, How do I get these "rails" off the headliner so that I can replace the entire fiberglass top gasket?

 
the "rails" are a two piece affair. just snap the lower/outter piece off. it's pinched up the upper edge so it kinda rolls out from the lower edge first.
or maybe it slides to teh rear, i can't remember now.
 
Have look at this:
DSC00605.JPG

It kind of "folds out"

Rudi
 
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Wow what a great thread! My condolences to your aunt. She was a cool aunt to own a cruiser. love to read stories like this of trucks being passed down. Enjoy it like your aunt did! and you will be smiling like her as you drive it. Good job on getting it baselined.
 
As you can see in the photo above. There are three screws that you will have to remove to get that rail piece to pop off then the bolts that hold the remaining rail to the top will be revealed. If you do this while the top is on you can leave these rails above the doors on the Cruiser.

G.
 
Thanks for the help everyone. I'll look to pop that piece off so that the gasket can be replaced.

I thought I didn't have to take that piece off, but that was how we managed to take it off so I'll do it now.

89landcruiser thanks for your kind words.
 
A long overdue update. I purchased a ome 2.5 inch loft but not yes got it insfalled.

Just this week the vehicle was dropped off at a local shop to undergo major work in preperatiin for new paint. I like the patina but the rust needs to be addressed. The body will be coming off and im thinking alot of metal will be replaced with new panels likely to be sourced from real steel.

It'll be a long process but im excited for the outcome!
 
A long overdue update. I purchased a ome 2.5 inch loft but not yes got it insfalled.

Just this week the vehicle was dropped off at a local shop to undergo major work in preperatiin for new paint. I like the patina but the rust needs to be addressed. The body will be coming off and im thinking alot of metal will be replaced with new panels likely to be sourced from real steel.

It'll be a long process but im excited for the outcome!

Cool, sounds like a good update.
I bought outside rocker panels from real steel they are nice.
Everyone says they have good stuff and I found that to be true from what I bought from them.
 
Another long overdue update. The body is now off the frame and getting ready to be sandblasted. I have the frame back at my place and will be trying to clean the frame up and get it coated.

With the body off the frame ill also attempt to install the ome lift.

When looking at the frame i noticed that the rear end doesnt sit level. Is this the "source" of cruiser lean? If so, ill attempt to correct the lean using the ccot block when instaling the ome lift.
 
Regarding the cruiser lean- measure from level ground up to your frame on both sides and to the spring frame mounts. Then measure from the top of the rear axle to the frame. You will probably find that distances from the rear axle to the frame are different- which is a result of leaf spring sag and worn bushings. I would wait on the correction block or trim packer(another name for it) since you will be changing all the springs/bushings with the new OME suspension.
HTH,
Will
 
When looking at the frame i noticed that the rear end doesnt sit level. Is this the "source" of cruiser lean? If so, ill attempt to correct the lean using the ccot block when instaling the ome lift.

Yup.

You could try to twist it back to square, or a little past. If you have a trailer you could have it done at a shop with a frame rack.
 
I would adjust the lean with springs or shims, not a frame tweak. There are many ways to work with leaf springs and add-a-leafs to get what you need. On one FJ40 I had, I used an AAL on one side (removing the shortest leaf, too) and not the other, and the result was a dead-level truck.
 
Toyota had a prescribed solution for "Cruiser Lean". It's a short piece of steel that goes on top of the spring pack on the high side and flattens it just enough to eliminate the lean. Pretty sure CCOT or SOR sells this however the OME suspension seems to solve the issue as well.
 
Thank you all for the thoughts/help! Ill try to post a few photos tonight.

White stripe, unfortunately, no i dont plan to have it galvanized. Id like to but currently dont plan to tear it down to a bare frame. I understand that this is a one shot deal while the body is off, but i just dont think its an option for me.
 
Overton thanks for the insight on the lean. Good to hear that my ome suspension should correct the issue.

Ive been working away with a needle scaler on the frame trying to get it cleaned up. Im going to have to get a bit imaginative to remove the surface rust in areas of the frame where the scaler cant get to.

I did notice that my manual steering box has a leak. While disassembled i figure this is something i should plan to address. Im planning on using the manual steering gearbox seal kit from cruiserparts. As im certainly no auto mechanic, and specific issues i need to be aware of when installing the gasket/seals?

Thank you
 

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