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aballas's Old rusty FJ40 build...Mustard?! More like MusTURD..

16K views 59 replies 13 participants last post by  aballas 
#1 · (Edited)
Ever since I can remember I've loved Land Cruisers.... I loved how they looked, I loved the reputation they had as unbeatable go-anywhere rigs, and I knew at some point I needed to have one.

When the FJ-Cruiser came out I was really excited and knew I would need to have one, and earlier this year when I finally had the means and opportunity to buy one I did.. I love my FJC, and IMO it's a perfect modern incarnation of the older LCs... (more so than the 200 series anyway...).

That said... It's no FJ40... and I feel bad about beating up on a rig I'm still making payments on...

So a few weeks ago when one popped up on Craigslist not too far away from me I knew I had to take a look......

These were the original pics from his ad:







So I sent the guy an email...

He actually had two of them.. One was a 1971 with a fiberglass tub waiting for a V8....:mecry: Not my style at all....but to each his own...

The other was a 1975 that he had purchased to use as a parts-rig for the 1971. As soon as I saw it I knew it was the one for me... All original, solid frame, low miles (was a farm rig in its previous life). The tub is in pretty rough shape.The rear sill is toast, but the floors are surprisingly intact, and as far as parts/ interior pieces it's complete. It also has a hard-top and soft-top (bestop).

At the time, he wanted to sell them together and wasn't interested in selling me just the '75 (plus he wanted an arm and a leg for them!). I had resigned myself to the idea that this nice FJ was going to be cannibalized for a dedicated off-roader...:mecry:

Well, a couple weeks later he calls me up and tells me he has someone interested in just the 1971, and wants to see if I'm still interested in the '75 because he just wanted them out of his garage...

So my father-in-law and I go up to look at it, and $1400 later this is mine...:clap:





These are the only pics I have for now. I realize the hard top and roll cage aren't on it... He's going to stick them back on for me in the next few days though...

This weekend or next I'll be able to haul it home and get to work on it. I'll have plenty of pictures while I go over this thing.

This is going to be a LOT of work...:boohoo: But it's a labor of love... I'm saving this cruiser from the scrap yard...

My plans for now are just to get it cleaned up, patch up some of the bigger problem areas, and get it running. Eventually it will get the attention it deserves with a frame-off resto (and a 4bt swap), but for now my wallet (and wife..lol) will only allow some basic fixes...

Stay tuned...
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Starting Out

Once my father-in-law and I hauled the FJ home we needed to find a good place to work on it...

Since I have no garage, and his garage is taken up by a 1952 Dodge Power Wagon that's his baby we needed to do some thinking on the matter...

The Power Wagon:


Luckily we had some resources at our disposal... namely the family's old carpet business warehouse. With a phone call to Grandma the keys were ours and we hauled the Colonel over. We had to move a little bit of carpet (about 2 tons worth...:lol:) to get access to the garage door, but once that was out of the way we gave the Colonel access to a nice HUGE & DRY warehouse for the duration of the build...

It will be a great place to work on this with all of the shelves to keep things organized and most importantly plenty of space!

Here's what i'm starting with:







 
#5 ·
Looks like a fun project and for what most spend on a decent suspension system- you can start to build a dedicated trail rig that can be towed by your FJ!

Cool

:cheers:
 
#6 ·
Thanks! :cheers:

I don't have anything too crazy planned for this... no big lift & no huge tires.. (It'll be sticking with old school tall & skinnies...)

I want to use it as an around-town driver and occasional wheeler..I'd like to keep it looking as stock/ original on the outside as possible. When I have more cash to throw at it I'd like to swap in a 4bt diesel, and run on WVO. When i have the means to tackle a job like that I'll also think about a replacement tub as well to pretty it up a bit.

Until then it'll look rough, but shouldn't it???
 
#7 ·
Im totally understanding the old school look but those white wall slicks goto go! :lol:

I think it will be great. Just read up on the weaknesses of those (thinking the Birfields) and carry spares. Otherwise- light and nimble doesnt require much to crawl.

I was actually looking at some older FJ's but that had already been built up. Crazy looking one with twin transfer cases and one with 39" Irocs! Then saw one that had been full frame off resto, that was so nice Id be afraid to get it dirty.

So when I look at the one you got its perfect for what you need, only I wouldnt place anything in the back when climbing rocks- may not be there when you get to the top :lol:

Looking forward to your build
 
#9 ·
Im totally understanding the old school look but those white wall slicks goto go! :lol:
Haha! I hear you man.. they're a little rough..

I'll probably try to get a set of 235/75 r15 A/Ts to begin with...

If I decide to do a slight lift (no more than 2" or so) I might try to find a set of 33x9.50s... I've always liked how those look on these

:cheers:

First order of business is just to get the damn thing running.... it's been sitting for 10 years or so...
 
#10 ·
My father in law and I finally hauled the cruiser home yesterday... in the middle of the first snowstorm of the year! ugh...

It's home now and has a name.... Colonel Rustard

Hauling to our warehouse later today to start tearing it apart...





old-new and new-old





 
#11 ·
Looks like a great project! Look forward to updates on your FJ40 build.
 
#12 ·
My adoration for the FJ began in the early 80s with childhood buddies dad's, and a five year quest for the perfect 40 netted me an FJC. The availability of road worthy, non-350, less than 25k 40s in the central US dictated.

It's threads like these that make me reconsider my choice.....not really, just reinvigorate the desire to build one in the same fashion.

Looking forward to your build.
 
#14 ·
One of daughter is 7 and she wants me to get one so we can fix it up by the time she gets a license. I told her it might take that long. We have to get another motorcycle first. Good luck

Sent from my AT100 using AutoGuide App
 
#18 ·
Cool project! Do yourself a favor and do not have the seller put the cage and top back on. You will end up pulling them anyway. I would also get under it and spray every fastener you see with liquid wrench, pb blaster etc. Have fun with it :)
 
#19 ·
Yeah after I wrote that I second guessed the decision and ended up calling him to say not to worry about the top and cage.

I'm heading over to the warehouse after work today Kroil in hand. The plan is to spray every thing I can find. I'll also be cleaning out the tub and pulling out the heaters.

I'm also planning on pulling the spark plugs and pouring a little diesel in to let the cylinders soak for a while... (if it won't hand crank).
 
#22 ·
Couple of small victories last night:

-Got the transfer case linkage unfrozen with some PB, and everything appears to function as it should.

-With the help of some more PB and a BFH I got the spare tire latch unfrozen

-Removed the TC/Trans Skid and completely inspected the inner frame channel. NO ROT!!!! :rocker:

-Grandma came over with a key for the storefront so I can get in to use the restroom! :clap:

Minor setbacks:

-None of the electrical outlets in the warehouse are functional.... I hope to address that over the weekend. I NEED POWER!!! At the very least just to run my shop-vac...

- WTF size are these sparkplugs???? ohhh 13/16".... looks like I need to buy another plug socket...

- Choke cable is VERY frozen, and the throttle cable (from the pedal) appears to only be slightly better... (and the 1975 OEM cable is discontinued :mecry:)


Tonight I might buy a battery and see what (if any) shape the electricals are in.
 
#23 ·
Sounds like you are well on your way. Both cables are easy to replace with off the shelf cables.
 
#25 ·
There are several companies that supply replacement parts like choke cable along with the knob. Try Cool Cruisers in TX
 
#26 ·
Got a few things done today:

-Unfroze throttle linkage/cable....now it's working well. I'm still working on the choke though.

-Removed PO installed hydraulic trailer brake controller (was hooked up to the master cylinder/ brake light relay...and poorly i might add...)

-Removed a bunch of crappy PO wiring...(winch controls to the tiny Sears winch, and CB/PA equipment)

-Ran an exstension cord from the storefront to power my shop vac, and sucked as much crap out of the tub and engine compartment as i could. It actually FILLED my shopvac once!!!

-Pulled spark plugs and sprayed some PB blaster through to the cylinders...will add more tomorrow

-Removed mouse nest from front heater... ugh...


At least it looks slightly cleaner now....
 
#27 ·
Looks like you have a heck of a project on your hands. Cruisers have always been a part of my family. When I drug my 73 FJ40 home 16 years ago my wife thought I was nuts. She had visions of the 69 FJ40 that I had before we got married, complete and running. The 73 had been sitting for 10 years and was very parted out. I am glad to see that you have pictures of it before you begin the project, wish I done that. I have plenty of pictures of it through the years but only memories of what it was when it was pushed into the shop in pieces. Just remember that now its a part of the family and you will never forget how much fun you have had creating memories in it.
 

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#28 · (Edited)
Finished tearing the interior apart last night... removed front and rear heaters... stupidly spilled anti-freeze F***ing everywhere! :flame:

Removed tranny-hump/cover... only broke 4 of the 10 bolts on the way out... :flame:

Put more MMO into spark plug holes... put it in 4th gear/4wd and tried rocking it a bit with a tow-strap attached to my FJC... It still hasn't busted loose.

I'm starting to worry about this engine. I keep reading threads on Mud about siezed engines from the dizzy not seating properly to the oil pump (leading to zero oil pressure and engine lock from bearings getting welded to the crank). Apparently that's a common problem with these engines when the mechanic doesn't pay attention.

I REALLY hope this isn't the case, but I at least know what to check for to rule it out. I suppose I'll be inspecting how the dizzy is seated to the block, and possibly pulling the oil pan tonight. :mecry:

Hopefully it checks out and it's really just seized from rusty rings, in which case the oil should penetrate it at some point...

If not I'll be swapping in a diesel sooner than I (or my wallet) had anticipated... :boohoo:

Any other thoughts/ideas on how to free up a stuck engine?
 
#29 ·
Put more MMO into spark plug holes... put it in 4th gear/4wd and tried rocking it a bit with a tow-strap attached to my FJC... It still hasn't busted loose.

I'm starting to worry about this engine. I keep reading threads on Mud about siezed engines from the dizzy not seating properly to the oil pump (leading to zero oil pressure and engine lock from bearings getting welded to the crank). Apparently that's a common problem with these engines when the mechanic doesn't pay attention.

I REALLY hope this isn't the case, but I at least know what to check for to rule it out. I suppose I'll be inspecting how the dizzy is seated to the block, and possibly pulling the oil pan tonight. :mecry:



Any other thoughts/ideas on how to free up a stuck engine?
Take your old sweet time letting the MMO soak in...we have had success with letting them soak for up to 6 weeks. The it should break free with hand turning.

Snap a ring and it is all over :)

Doc
 
#30 ·
^^Agreed

Concentrate on other aspects of the build and let the mystery oil do it's thing. The longer you wait the better the odds are of getting everything loose.
 
#31 ·
Yeah I'm trying to be patient in that regard, but i tend to worry about things.

I think I'm still going to pull the oil pan just to rule out bearings because I had planned to do that and replace the pan gasket anyway...

Anything else I should check/ do while I have the pan dropped?
 
#34 ·
Great news today! Pulled the pan and took a look at the oil that was sitting in it. Here's what I found:

- VERY few small metal shavings on the magnet... normal...

- Next to no gunk in the bottom of the oil pan

- Dizzy properly seated with oil=pump

- and most importantly THE BEARINGS LOOK GOOD!!!!!!! :clap:

also noticed that it appears the MMO is starting to work its way past the piston rings...with any luck we should have the engine unseized soon! :rock:





 
#35 ·
Nice work getting the old warehouse to work in. Currently rebuilding mine in a double bay shed and am sick of having crap everywhere with little room to move.
 
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