Builds Whitey Forty - Tilda Bogue Service Station (4 Viewers)

[wngrog]

This one just happened into my life last week.

I was about to start in on a 1976 FJ40 to build up and sell until my next scheduled project showed up.

The Whitey Forty has been around Jackson for about 12 years. The owner says it as restored to its current condition by Rocky Mountain Cruisers about 5-6 years before he bought it out of SLC.

He contacted me in reference of the guy I built Powda Blue for and just wanted me to tell me what I thought of the truck and what I would do to make it more reliable and fun to drive

1978….

 

[RevISK]

Giddy up

 

[wngrog]

Michael the owner drove it all of the way from his office here which is about 40 miles. It arrived seemingly fine and we gave it a look see and he took a tour of the shop. I don’t have a lot here to show off here right now but he got the idea he was in the right place.

Next day I take it for a drive.

After my evaluation I told him I thought this was a C+ runner. About where most 40s are. Steering is hard. Carburator is barely running. Wires all over. Hodgepodge of new and original rubber hoses. Stiff suspension. Fake bead locks with 20 year old BFGs.

My answer was it does not have to have anything but it really needs everything.

I got the green light.

 

[wngrog]

Yesterday afternoon I drove it up on the wash rack and started cleaning the underside and knocked off as much of the poorly-applied-to-everything (Tcase, springs, axles, etc) POR 15.

It came off in huge flakes. Took a while but I got most of it off. Thankfully this truck is in rust free Mississippi because the way this stuff was applied it would have destroyed a truck in salt areas.

 

[wngrog]

This thing ran best with the choke pulled and I knew it was somewhere in all this 46 year old smog crap.

 

[wngrog]

The motor is strong. I would guess it’s been rebuilt. Looks like the only leaks are the valve cover. It also has an oil cooler. I don’t think those came on 78s normally but I may be wrong. I’ll pull the block number and see if anyone knows.

I’m tearing this all down and ordering parts as I go.

 

[wngrog]

I spent the afternoon taking parts and putting them into

A) the garbage
B) California pile (for the poor saps that need this garbage on their 40)
C) powder coater pile

Example of garbage

Just before lunch progress

Just after lunch progress

Gotta undo some prior mods and all the current stereo wires. Audio Solutions will get him properly wired tunes once I’m done.

 

[wngrog]

Finally I dragged it out into the gravel and “cut its throat” and let it bleed green.

Once it bled out I blasted the grease off as best I could.

Now it’s back inside. I will put a couple more hours on it

The stripping continues

 

[G-Cat]

Fantastic!

 

[wngrog]

That’s as deep as I’m going today. Tomorrow I’ll get the rest of the block stripped so I can start cleaning and painting

 

[igotta40]

This thing ran best with the choke pulled and I knew it was somewhere in all this 46 year old smog crap.

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Jesus

 

[77mustard40]

My 77 has an oil cooler, when replacing the water pump a couple of years ago I struggled finding the right pump as most did not have the oil cooler line. Ended up buying a later model aisin. From what I know my truck originated in Canada so maybe some of the international market 2F’s had oil cooler?

 

[RevISK]

Mine has an oil cooler as well. As far as I know, it’s spent its life in Texas, being originally purchased (I surmise) in Houston.

I always assumed that the “cooler” part meant warmer climates but I’ve never given it much thought.

 

[1911]

Mine has an oil cooler as well. As far as I know, it’s spent its life in Texas, being originally purchased (I surmise) in Houston.

I always assumed that the “cooler” part meant warmer climates but I’ve never given it much thought.

The "cooler" is more of a temperature regulator, it can only cool the oil to temperature of the radiator/cooling system, i.e. about 190-200 degrees. It would also help warm the oil up more quickly in freezing weather. The surface contact area in the little cooler is pretty small; hard to imagine that there is a lot of heat transfer going on in there.

 

[RevISK]

Cool, thanks for warm response.

Always half ass wondered what its purpose was/is.

 

[wngrog]

The "cooler" is more of a temperature regulator, it can only cool the oil to temperature of the radiator/cooling system, i.e. about 190-200 degrees. It would also help warm the oil up more quickly in freezing weather. The surface contact area in the little cooler is pretty small; hard to imagine that there is a lot of heat transfer going on in there.

Hence why I usually s*** can them on my new engine builds. It’s some crazy over engineering with a lot of extra hoses that can break.

That said, this one had 2 or 3 original hoses still after all these years. You can always tell by the twist lock hose clamps.

Wait until you see the exhaust manifold on this thing. I’m removing it today.

 

[wngrog]

What in the Californi Fuc is that exhaust manifold?

Never seen such a thing

 

[RevISK]

What in the Californi Fuc is that exhaust manifold?

Never seen such a thing

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Looks like C-3PO’s colon.

 

[rex in bama]

Looks like C-3PO’s colon.

LOL!!! @wngrog letting her take her first real breath!

 

[Pigeaten]

What in the Californi Fuc is that exhaust manifold?

Never seen such a thing

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Yep, got one of those sitting on a pallet, probably never be able to even give away