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76 FJ40 Wheeler Build

Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I figure I may as well post up my current build on here, seeing as I'm hopefully going to be going on a lot of runs with you Rising Sun guys. This is probably going to be a pretty condensed version of the build thread I have over on 'Mud till I get caught up. If you want the full experience, check it out here : https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1976-fj40-crawler-build.1174820/

I guess I should start off with a bit of an introduction. I'm DJ, and I have a problem. I was introduced to Land Cruisers by my dad when I was young. He has had his White 78 longer than me, and I got introduced to it at a pretty young age. I'm currently 19 and started this project in December 2019, when I picked it up in Georgia.

Here is his 40: Currently running 4" lift, ARB's, SBC, NV4500, and 315's. It's a plow rig in the winter and does great.

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This build has been a really fun learning experience, and great at eating up the COVID lockdown time. The current build is this: 383 Stroker, NV4500, Marlin Crawler Toybox, 60 Splitcase, FJ80 axles, ARB's, 3-Link front, SOA rear. This ended up turning into a full frame-off restomod, which was not expected. Like I said, I have a problem.

I picked this 76 up in Georgia a few days after Christmas in 2019. It looked pretty good, but as we came to find, had a lot of PO work and cancer.

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I also found this 40 out in Utah, the tub was completely toast, but the rest of the panels are pretty much pristine. This frame is the basis of this project.

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I found some cheap 80 axles that were completely toast, and snached them up.

The front pinion bearing was gone, and the PO kept driving. The result, this 3rd. Glad I replaced the carrier with an ARB.

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Under the grease:

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Front axle rebuild. Nice and messy.

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This 99 GMC 4x4 NV4500 popped up on Facebook Marketplace for $100. As you can guess, I grabbed it as fast as I could.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
During breaks in College, I managed to get the 80 axles stripped of brackets. A plasma cutter makes easy work of them.

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Here is the frame I started with. It was powder coated a while ago, and it is in pristine condition.

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I got the rear of the frame boxed for some added stiffness.

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Fully Welded:

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Frame stripped of unneeded brackets.

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I then moved onto the tub. The PO decided to weld up some sh1tty underseat storage boxes, and that was the first on the list to get removed.

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With the help of a few friends, I got the tub placed on the frame. A backhoe helps, funny enough.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I started looking at rear axle placement.

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Rear bumper.



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Sorry, purists.

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Some good ole PO on the wells.

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Springs mounted.

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Rough wheelbase (100")

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NV4500 rebuilt. It needed a 3rd and 5th gear. Not bad for $100 trans. I slapped some paint on it and called it good.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I started welding up the front link mounts.

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Fixing pinholes in the floor pan.

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A few patches tossed in.

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More patches.

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Bondo hides all sins, right? I pulled about an inch off this quarter panel. Somebody also hit it with a shotgun at some point.

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Original well openings welded back in. I really wanted to keep a stockish look, and this really seemed to help.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I started cutting out the rear sill. Nice and cancerous.

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Wheel wells cleaned up.

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I started stripping body panels to look for hidden rust. Everything turned out to be really clean.

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And the hard top back on. It's starting to look like a 40 again.

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mmm. Tig.

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Rear sill replaced.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Replacing the rear crossmember. It was way too rusty to be structural, so it needed to be replaced.

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Rear recovery points.

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Tripple passed on the back for strength.

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Lipstick on a pig :)

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I started working on the MetalTech cage. It went together pretty easily.

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I don't like how much foot space the tube A pillars take up. Here is my solution:

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I know that some people will say that the strength is compromised, but being attached to the factory A-pillar, I'm not too worried. If that pillar gives, I think I will have other things to worry about besides that.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
A pillars tacked in.

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Upper Spreaders. You'll eventually see why I spaced them so wide.

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#383. Rebuilt by Geddes Race engines in Colorado Springs. Angelo is really knowledgeable and a good guy.

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Everything mated. The toybox/splitcase combo was found later, so everything ends up changing.

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Drivetrain stuffed in.

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Working on links.

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Lower links in.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Slinky time. Well over 16" of travel, but my driveshaft is the limiting factor here.

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Current link geometry.

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I started on my Saginaw conversion. I'm using the 4x4 labs kit. I'm using a Redhead Steering rebuilt Heep J20 4.25 turn box.

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Welded up.

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Painted.

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Parts going off to the blaster! Exciting!


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While stuff was getting blasted, I started working on my rear jump seats. I'm using some Discovery 2 jumpseats.

Here they are folded up.

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The under seat storage/mount that the sits will rest on when unfolded.

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Box Skinned.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Seats folded down.

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I started working on my front bumper.

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Tub off to get blasted.

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Back to a bare frame.

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Parts back from the blaster.

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Primed.

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Re-replacing the floor pan. It wasn't as flat as I would like it, and redoing that solved my problem.

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Hump mount welded back in.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Ouch. Wear your gloves.

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Replacing the PO'd mid sill.


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And the Rocker panel.

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Lizard skin.


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While waiting for lizard skin to dry, I started on my antiwrap bar.

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And worked on mounting the front bumper mounts to the frame.

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Tub back on the frame. It looks funny...

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Seat mounts.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Some Dakoda Digital RTX goodies showed up.

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Seats mounts finished.

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I had my friend powder coat everything.... It looks great.

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I welded in the fuel filler that my PO helpfully removed.

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Cleaned up.

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Paint time! I'm shooting PPG Deltron. The color is Audi Nardo Gray.

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I guess I should point out, I absolutely hate any sort of body filler. I avoid it as much as possible. This rig will be getting the bare minimum in terms of filler; just enough to make it presentable on the outside.

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Look what I found. Thanks Georg!

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SM465, Toybox, Split case. SM is for sale. ;)

Looking at modifying my current AA tail housing on the NV4500.




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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
She be a long combo....

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The engine went to the shop to get dynoed at this point.


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Engine go brrrrrrr.



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Engine back in the frame.

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Stuffing on some body panels.

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Hood.

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Tailhousing back from the machinist. I had the SM bolt pattern tapped onto it, so the plates mate. I'm using the AA Landcruiser 10 spline output shaft (which exactly matches the SM 10 spline) to mate the two cases.


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All bolted up.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
Mated up.

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Stuffed in. It's a short driveshaft at 17 3/4". It will probably end up being a DC.

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Crossmemember made and bolted up.

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Twin stick installed.

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Hump and toybox shifter installed.

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Patching up the hump.

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Windshield installed with some Stainless CCOT hardware and plenty of antisieze.

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I then started working on my overhead console. Remeber when I said I would explain why I put the Upper spreaders so far apart on the cage? Here you go.

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The plan for this is to house my CB, Radio, a bunch of switches, domelights, winch controls, and Holley Sniper Screen.

Sitting in palce:

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New 140 AMP Alternator. If this ends up not being enough, I'll get a 260 AMP. Later, though. I've spent wayyy to much on this build already.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
New starter and dust shield installed.

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Hump, shifters, and boots installed for the last time.

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Dakoda Digital main computer and BIMs installed.

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Spaghetti in. If any wiring Gurus want to help get this thing wired up, I wont say no. I hate electrial.

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Buffed out my clamshell with some 3M perfect-it.

I think they turned out great.

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Steering wheel in.

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Back to the console. Electronics in and console installed.

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I have both white and red dome lights, just cause, and plenty of circuit breakers. The visibility is not reduced, as the console fits within the space taken by the cage.

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Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
And how it is currently sitting today.

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If you want any more details, loot at the full build thread on Mud or ask. I figured I may as well do this since I finally got around to joining Rising Sun, and I hope to have this thing running this spring so I can start bombing trails with you guys.

I'll try to keep this thread updated as much as possible. I usually have daily, and at a minimum, weekly updates on Mud.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading about a year's worth of progress so far.

-Noodle out.
 

Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I just got an email from Filthy Motorsports. My coilovers are still waiting on back-ordered springs. Thanks to covid delays, it's been 5 months and counting for these. Nice. I'm still waiting for my Hellfire knuckles as well. Then this thing will finally be able to sit on its own weight.
 

Notyourmomslx450

Cruise Moab Committee
Cruise Moab Committee
Joined
Aug 4, 2014
Messages
3,202
Location
Westminster
DAMN!! What an awesome build! Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see this done!
 

Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
DAMN!! What an awesome build! Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see this done!

Thanks! I'm hoping to at least get this running for Cruise Moab if I get a slot, but I still have a ton to do, and waiting on parts is not helping.
 

Danger Noodle

Trail Ready
Joined
Oct 5, 2020
Messages
436
Location
Divide, Colorado
I started working on reattaching the traction bar today.

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I got it basically dead level for the upper bar to maintain the geometry, and roatated the axle housing to get the pinion pointing at the tcase output.

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I tacked on my diff armor.

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And then started working on the frameside mount for the traction bar.

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And fully gusseted. I'm missing my top one, cause I cant shove my hand up there and easily weld it. I'll do that when I get the crossmember out to paint.

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It's ugly, but I'll eventually clean everything up one the crossmember comes out.

Finally, I started working on the trans/toybox skid plate. It's 3/16 plate, reinforced with an 11 GA square tube frame. Should be plenty strong unless I'm jumping this thing onto rocks.

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The forward most passenger side mounting point is going to be a pain, as it currently wants to share the same space as the driveshaft.
 
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