Dad's 1978 FJ40

[Crash]

Do you have a thread on your build?

Nope, I’m an old fart and conserved my energies on the task at hand. Mechanicals, my “strength”, were mostly good with the project and body work, my “weakness”, was the big part of the needed attention. Between BlastTech and Gonzalo, paint/body man extraordinaire, the finished product turned out pretty damn nice. Gonzalo is no longer accepting any work and is heading towards a happy retirement.
Looks like you have a great space to work in and the energy and motivation to complete the project. Good on ya!

 

[Cruisertrash]

With the engine out, I fought for several hours trying to get it onto the HF engine stand. The bolt patterns do exactly line up from what I could see. Once it was on the stand I was able to get the tear down started. This was in January of 2023.

I have a HF stand and it was a pain - and lots of head scratching - to get my spare 2F mounted up on that thing. Lots of trips to the hardware store for spacers and washer.

 

[Nate]

I have a HF stand and it was a pain - and lots of head scratching - to get my spare 2F mounted up on that thing. Lots of trips to the hardware store for spacers and washer.

Yeah, there was probably close to 10 washers by the time it was all said and done. But this is an FJ, so I'm not expecting anything to be easy and when it is, that's a little party.

 

[Cruisertrash]

Sorry to be pedantic, but I think most people refer to this as an FJ:

Yours would be called a "40" since they came in variations like FJ40, BJ40, HJ45, etc! Anyway, I'm following along as I'm kind of on the hunt for my own 40 project. Nice to see a bit of a blueprint for the work I might have ahead of me at some point.

 

[Nate]

Sorry to be pedantic, but I think most people refer to this as an FJ:

Yours would be called a "40" since they came in variations like FJ40, BJ40, HJ45, etc! Anyway, I'm following along as I'm kind of on the hunt for my own 40 project. Nice to see a bit of a blueprint for the work I might have ahead of me at some point.

Yeah for sure. The FJ cruiser is a thing. My 7yo daughter started calling the 40 the FJ and it stuck here at the house. Forgive the interchange

 

[Cruisertrash]

If the 7 year old is into Cruiser your whole family gets a pass! Whatever it takes!

 

[Nate]

My welding skills were not good enough to feel confident in tackling this repair so I worked with a mobile welder who came in and put some beads at the seam of the inner and outer frame rails and just behind the rivets on the inner frame rail

 

[Nate]

I unbolted everything from the frame, loaded it into a Uhaul trailer, and returned to BlastTech for another quality bead blasting job. They work with Blue Flame Powdercoating, who picked the frame up from BlastTech and did a bang-up job with the flat black powder coating.

Somewhere in here, I fitted new BFG 33 x10.50s too.

 

[Nate]

Remember I mentioned I would come back to the transfer case? Well, while the frame was getting all gussied up, I ordered a full transfer rebuild kit and started on that. Lots of phone calls later with FJ Parts and Advanced Adapters and some micrometer work I was able to figure out someone, before Dad, had rebuilt the transfer.

When they rebuilt it, they somehow honed the aluminum on the case and custom-made a new gear shaft that is significantly wider than OEM. The one I pulled out is over 34mm while the OEM is just over 25mm.

Basically, the transfer case is useless at this point.

This is still not resolved, but I will likely end up with a whole new AA transfer case.

 

[Nate]

With the transfer case set aside, it was finally time to get this monster back on its feet. The OME suspension came in while it was at Blue Flame. The FedEx dudes must have been pissed because the leafs were pretty beat up...they're heavy.

I did not mention it above, but I had not really worked on any vehicle beyond normal maintenance since my '72 FJ40 in the late 90s, so I was a little rusty. Nothing that a couple of FSMs, a Haynes, YouTube, and this club haven't been able to help with.

Oh, the arrows on the leafs point to the fixed mounting point on the frame. That little tip will save you from installing a leaf pack backward. Ask me how I know.

 

[Nate]

Hindsight being 20/20, I would have redone the differentials, bearings, and seals when the axles were loose and the frame was at the spa. But, it was not terrible doing that work with them mounted back to the frame. Up to this point in the build, the diff was probably the most nerve-wracking part. Lots of YouTube videos leading up to this one. I took my time, did more than once, and ultimately got a nice pattern on the ring gear.

 

[Nate]

With the rear axle all fresh and rolling nicely, I took a break and decided to rebuild the upper steering gearbox. The Haynes manual says don't do it, but to quote the President, "C'mon man." The FSM gives a decent description and the rebuild kit is fairly simple. Again though, YouTube was helpful because screwing up steering is not something I wanted. The bloke (Jason?) from Australia on Youtube, I think it is called The 40 Channel is very thorough and I've relied on him a lot.

 

[Nate]

Where I can I am resuing every part possible. The Jegs part washer with Simple Green purple solution and a brass wire wheel on the bench grinder are well worth the investment.

 

[Nate]

With the steering box mounted, it was time to tackle the front axle. Removing them was not too bad. I got an old paper cup and some gloves and started scooping out grease until I could see the nuts, circlips, etc., and then began disassembly. Again the Toyota FSM and the The 40 Channel were helpful here. Also, Cruiser Outfitters send a nice set of instructions.

Getting the axles back into the front housing was an event where I was thankful my daughter was not around. Lots of choice words trying to get them to line up and not trash the new seals. I do not have a good tip for that other than to keep trying and do some deep breathing. If you throw something, make sure to use a nerf ball or something.

The new discs came from the local auto parts store, but the seals and bearings of course came from an online store.

 

[60wag]

Nice looking rebuild. The frame is beautiful!

For the transfer case, I think the earlier ones were the 25mm idler shaft and the later ones were 34mm. Its not a custom mod, just a later rev.

 

[Nate]

Nice looking rebuild. The frame is beautiful!

For the transfer case, I think the earlier ones were the 25mm idler shaft and the later ones were 34mm. Its not a custom mod, just a later rev.

So you just saved me a ton of money if I can find a kit for the larger idler shaft and seals. I'm surprised that was not the first answer from the guys at Advanced Adapters. And also F minus foru internet sleuthing that week.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

So you just saved me a ton of money if I can find a kit for the larger idler shaft and seals. I'm surprised that was not the first answer from the guys at Advanced Adapters. And also F minus foru internet sleuthing that week.

Call Cruiser Outfitters. I'm sure Kurt and crew can get it sorted out. Great build thread!

 

[SteveH]

Some good threads:

Land Cruiser Transfer Split-Case Transfer Case Information

"Split-Case" Transfer Cases came factory in 8/80' - 1/90' FJ40, FJ60 and FJ62 Land Cruisers. They derived the "split" name as they require being "split" to remove or install them on the vehicle unlike the earlier 1 piece cases. These cases came in at least 5 different configurations, most...

cruiserteq.com

and

FJ40 Transfer Case

Hey All Just wondering about the year model of this transfer case

forum.ih8mud.com

and

Toyota Land Cruiser Transfer Case Identification - Land Cruiser Tech from IH8MUD.com

Toyota Land Cruiser Transfer Case Identification - Land Cruiser Tech from IH8MUD.com

www.ih8mud.com

 

[Cruisertrash]

I'm not a 40 guy but I know early 60s (through 1984?) had 34mm, and later 60s had 38mm. I'm currently rebuilding my early 60 t-case with the 34mm idler shaft with a kit that Cruiser Outfitters had ready to go. Valley Hybrids/Cruiser Brothers was out of stock at the time, but they're another option, they do a ton of t-case rebuilds.

Out of curiosity I did a quick google and found this Mud thread that says "25mm idler shaft was popular in replacement kits" for 40s and that this person's t-case had a collar on either end of a 25mm idler so the smaller idler would fit in a larger (stock sized) hole,. This implies that 40s had a larger idler (34mm?) but folks were doing what they could to make a 25mm idler work because that's what was being supplied in rebuild kits at some juncture. I could be all wrong on that but it was an interesting read.

 

[Nate]

I'm not a 40 guy but I know early 60s (through 1984?) had 34mm, and later 60s had 38mm. I'm currently rebuilding my early 60 t-case with the 34mm idler shaft with a kit that Cruiser Outfitters had ready to go. Valley Hybrids/Cruiser Brothers was out of stock at the time, but they're another option, they do a ton of t-case rebuilds.

Out of curiosity I did a quick google and found this Mud thread that says "25mm idler shaft was popular in replacement kits" for 40s and that this person's t-case had a collar on either end of a 25mm idler so the smaller idler would fit in a larger (stock sized) hole,. This implies that 40s had a larger idler (34mm?) but folks were doing what they could to make a 25mm idler work because that's what was being supplied in rebuild kits at some juncture. I could be all wrong on that but it was an interesting read.

Yeah. I got some schooling today and frankly embarrassed that I missed this. The kit I ordered came from Sonny at FJ Parts and I spent a lot of time with him on the phone working through this. We both missed it. Just checked out Cruiser Outfitters and, sure enough they have the kit that changed starting in '75. So I have a T Case kit for the earlier models if anyone needs one. Thanks for all the tips! Huge relief.