-
JULY 2025 CLUB MEETING
Hi Guest: The next RS meeting will be Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: The meeting will be held at Cruisers and Company. Click here for details and directions.
⦿ If you are eligible for club membership, please fill out an application in advance of the meeting and bring it with you.
OG2 (1967 FJ40 – Refurb’ Thread - Help Gladly Accepted)
- Thread starter LARGEONE
- Start date
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Today, I spent a couple of hours cutting out and painting a cover blank to cover the sad/awful hole in my dash. It‘s not perfect, but it’s better than the jagged hole and will at least get me through until Ican figure out how to get the fluted dash back.
I wanted to get something done here, so I can put the refurbished heater back in. Now, EVERY single knob and lever works as it should have from the factory in 1967, including the cowl vent pull (which needs a correct knob, red arrow). The heater valve that I added on the firewall is controlled by the aftermarket knob the the left of the “H” (heater blower) knob.
Just a little more cleaning up and I can put the new defrost hoses on, and put this bad boy back in...
I wanted to get something done here, so I can put the refurbished heater back in. Now, EVERY single knob and lever works as it should have from the factory in 1967, including the cowl vent pull (which needs a correct knob, red arrow). The heater valve that I added on the firewall is controlled by the aftermarket knob the the left of the “H” (heater blower) knob.
Just a little more cleaning up and I can put the new defrost hoses on, and put this bad boy back in...
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
So, I thought that yesterday (Sun, Dec 20) would be a day of re-installing my heater, painting the air intake, and getting OG2 back on the road. BUT.....
I remembered that I have a couple of holes that need to be repaired on my cowl, and with the holes still there, my cowl is not water tight. I really need to make sure I have as little moisture getting into the cab as possible with this new heater. It looks like a PO mounted some lights on the cowl, or maybe even a high lift or something at one point. It was heavy enough to raise a decent dimple where the holes are. Then, to get rid of them, he just piled a bunch of bondo on top! Nice!
There was also this nice big hole for an antenna or something that had this "cork" in it. At least it didn't leak!
And then....how can I repair these spots on the cowl and not repair these spots on the hood right next to them
And these dents on the hood where it flew up into the windshield at some point (happened to all of us 40 owners at some point)! Quick hammer and dolly work and it's out and ready for a skim coat. I think I might use a little bondo-glass on these since it sees a little bit of flex?
Anyway...rabbit hole continues and I got a little side-tracked. But needed to be done.
I remembered that I have a couple of holes that need to be repaired on my cowl, and with the holes still there, my cowl is not water tight. I really need to make sure I have as little moisture getting into the cab as possible with this new heater. It looks like a PO mounted some lights on the cowl, or maybe even a high lift or something at one point. It was heavy enough to raise a decent dimple where the holes are. Then, to get rid of them, he just piled a bunch of bondo on top! Nice!
There was also this nice big hole for an antenna or something that had this "cork" in it. At least it didn't leak!
And then....how can I repair these spots on the cowl and not repair these spots on the hood right next to them
And these dents on the hood where it flew up into the windshield at some point (happened to all of us 40 owners at some point)! Quick hammer and dolly work and it's out and ready for a skim coat. I think I might use a little bondo-glass on these since it sees a little bit of flex?
Anyway...rabbit hole continues and I got a little side-tracked. But needed to be done.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
great work, Paul! I mean, dang dude.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
I got a little time this afternoon to finish sanding the welded holes.
And now that the cowl is water tight, I put the heater and ductwork back in.
I guess the next thing I should tackle is the horn, and the windshield wipers. The horn wire was completely disconnected from the fuse attachment, and I assume this was for good reason! Like, the horn was working, but wouldn't stop working, if you know what I mean. I probably would have just removed the fuse, but someone intentionally disconnected it, so I assume something is not functioning right?! I connected it back up and pressed the horn button on the steering wheel and all I got was a click from the horn relay. When I test the actual elephant horns with 12v and ground, both the L and H horns function. So....I think I can figure it out. I'll probably take the center cap off and clean up all of the contacts first thing, then test the relay, and then move on from there.
The windshield wipers are a little tougher, as one works and the other doesn't. The wiper motors from these early beasts are pretty much unobtanium, and they show up on ebay for like $600. Not gonna happen! So, I'll probably try to disassemble the non-working motor and get it working hopefully.
Anyway...feels good to be done with the heater/cooling system upgrade. YIPPEE!!!
And now that the cowl is water tight, I put the heater and ductwork back in.
I guess the next thing I should tackle is the horn, and the windshield wipers. The horn wire was completely disconnected from the fuse attachment, and I assume this was for good reason! Like, the horn was working, but wouldn't stop working, if you know what I mean. I probably would have just removed the fuse, but someone intentionally disconnected it, so I assume something is not functioning right?! I connected it back up and pressed the horn button on the steering wheel and all I got was a click from the horn relay. When I test the actual elephant horns with 12v and ground, both the L and H horns function. So....I think I can figure it out. I'll probably take the center cap off and clean up all of the contacts first thing, then test the relay, and then move on from there.
The windshield wipers are a little tougher, as one works and the other doesn't. The wiper motors from these early beasts are pretty much unobtanium, and they show up on ebay for like $600. Not gonna happen! So, I'll probably try to disassemble the non-working motor and get it working hopefully.
Anyway...feels good to be done with the heater/cooling system upgrade. YIPPEE!!!
Last edited:
MDH33
Hard Core 4+
Good memories wheeling with Dan and that old 40. Nice work so far! May it hit the trails again soon!
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
What a great picture! Thank you Martin.
Hopefully this summer she will show up for a few more adventures!
Hopefully this summer she will show up for a few more adventures!
Last edited:
RicardoJM
Hard Core 4+
You are doing great work and it will be good to see it out on the trails again.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Took her for a spin this evening! No coolant leaks. Heater works great. And she ran way cooler than before.
The air intake from Dean looks so much better! Took a bit of work to get it cleaned up but I think it turned out really nice.
The air intake from Dean looks so much better! Took a bit of work to get it cleaned up but I think it turned out really nice.
simps80
Rising Sun Member
I vote this gets moved to the new build thread section 
That way I can find the pictures faster and easier more often
That way I can find the pictures faster and easier more often
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Fine with me. As long as a 20 year long "build" still counts as a buildI vote this gets moved to the new build thread section
That way I can find the pictures faster and easier more often
simps80
Rising Sun Member
I borrowed a sand blaster from OilHammer to try to get more of the rust off of the heater and defrost diverter.
The blaster was not working very well until I made this little device that helps it get more air and grab the sand particles. THANK YOU YOUTUBE.
This knob and shaft that controls the defrost cannot be sourced...at least I could not find anything anywhere.
So I used a little trick they use on old steering wheels...I cleaned out the cracks, drilled holes to help hold, and I filled all of the voids with epoxy putty.
Then I sanded the knob back to its original shape, sprayed it with adhesion promoter, and finally painted it using black bumper(plastic) paint.
In order to get the heater apart, I had to ruin several of the machine cap screws that hold it together...they were rusted threads. However, I was surprised to find out that these machine screws are the old JIS standard (prior to April 1997) and had an odd thread pitch no longer sold today. Well...except for these guys... BelMetric.com What a great company, and I had great customer service...parts arrived in just a couple of days. They also sell the metric sizes of fuel line and clamps, so I ordered some of that for my fuel system as well. Gonna buy some for the 80 series as well bc it's hard to find the metric size fuel line at the local parts stores.
Anyway....I am just waiting on the front sticker for the heater, and I'll post some more pictures when the heater is done. It's going to look a little weird in the old truck, since it looks too new. But, I certainly didn't feel like putting everything back together all rusty. This thing was such a pain in the arse to rebuild that I didn't want to do it twice!
What paint did you use for the heater core?
On the 69 I used some generic ace hardware gray but I like your choice..
I am right behind you in this rabbit hole
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Based on a recommendation from MUD I used this with a coat of gloss clear over it. You have to shake the can constantly to keep the flakes in suspension in order for it to go on right.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
I have been busy the last few weeks, but I found some time to keep making some progress on OG2.
So, after getting all of the knobs on the dash working, and the dash repaired, I started looking at the windshield wipers (or, at least where they should have been) and the non-functional horns. I pulled the non-functional wiper motors and disassembled them. After opening the first motor, it was quite obvious why they were struggling.
I took out all of the inside gears, cleaned everything up, and re-lubed using some fishing reel gear lube I had. Then, I cleaned the copper contacts on the motor. I also cleaned up the outside cover prior to reassembly. The motors now work like champs! Well, at least as well as they did in 1967!!! They still suck compared to newer windshield wipers.
Unfortunately, because the passenger side motor was replaced with a RHD motor (mounts the opposite direction), the wiper blade "parks" in the wrong direction as well. I will fix this parking issue a little later. I just have to lengthen the wires a little. Lastly, I bought new aftermarket wiper arms that look just like the original arms with a slightly better, more robust connection to the blade. The original design was horrible.
So, now I have working windshield wipers.
So, after getting all of the knobs on the dash working, and the dash repaired, I started looking at the windshield wipers (or, at least where they should have been
) and the non-functional horns. I pulled the non-functional wiper motors and disassembled them. After opening the first motor, it was quite obvious why they were struggling.I took out all of the inside gears, cleaned everything up, and re-lubed using some fishing reel gear lube I had. Then, I cleaned the copper contacts on the motor. I also cleaned up the outside cover prior to reassembly. The motors now work like champs! Well, at least as well as they did in 1967!!! They still suck compared to newer windshield wipers.
Unfortunately, because the passenger side motor was replaced with a RHD motor (mounts the opposite direction), the wiper blade "parks" in the wrong direction as well. I will fix this parking issue a little later. I just have to lengthen the wires a little. Lastly, I bought new aftermarket wiper arms that look just like the original arms with a slightly better, more robust connection to the blade. The original design was horrible.
So, now I have working windshield wipers.
Last edited:
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
With wipers working, the last non-functioning item on the truck (well, kind of...still lots of carburetor issues to fix!) were the HORNS! I think I stated before that a PO had completely disconnected the horns. Well, I found out why!!!! More on that later!
First, I tested each horn by putting power and ground to each of them separately. Both "elephant" horns work well! That's good news. But putting power to the the wires that go to each of the horns did not work. I removed both horns and the horn covers and cleaned them both up really good, focusing on the part that grounds to the body. I also removed the brackets that hold the horns and cleaned them up and painted them. Once reassembled, the horns worked with the wire leading to them.
But, still no function from the horn button....
So, I tested the horn relay, and...."nothing". Closing the contact did not sound the horn.
I removed the relay and cleaned all of the contacts, reinstalled, and retested. YES! Horns work with closing relay. I reconnected the horn circuit at the fuse box, and tested the horn button. SUCCESS! The horn worked...well kind of. I had to be really specific where I pressed the horn button, and the horn kind of worked . It was kind of hit or miss whether it worked when pressed or not. Either way, I had to take it for a test drive and blow the horn a few times!!!
On my test drive, I quickly found out why the wires for the horn were disconnected at the fuse box! Haha! Every time I went around a left hand turn, my horns blew throughout the entire turn!!! It was hilarious....AND EMBARRASSING!
First, I tested each horn by putting power and ground to each of them separately. Both "elephant" horns work well! That's good news. But putting power to the the wires that go to each of the horns did not work. I removed both horns and the horn covers and cleaned them both up really good, focusing on the part that grounds to the body. I also removed the brackets that hold the horns and cleaned them up and painted them. Once reassembled, the horns worked with the wire leading to them.
But, still no function from the horn button....
So, I tested the horn relay, and...."nothing". Closing the contact did not sound the horn.
I removed the relay and cleaned all of the contacts, reinstalled, and retested. YES! Horns work with closing relay. I reconnected the horn circuit at the fuse box, and tested the horn button. SUCCESS! The horn worked...well kind of. I had to be really specific where I pressed the horn button, and the horn kind of worked . It was kind of hit or miss whether it worked when pressed or not. Either way, I had to take it for a test drive and blow the horn a few times!!!On my test drive, I quickly found out why the wires for the horn were disconnected at the fuse box! Haha! Every time I went around a left hand turn, my horns blew throughout the entire turn!!! It was hilarious....AND EMBARRASSING!
Last edited:
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
When I got home, and my embarrassment subsided, I came up with a plan to fix the horn button. I rented a steering wheel puller from Advanced Auto Parts, and I removed the steering wheel and all of the horn components. I was able to make the horns sound easily by closing the contact manually. This told me that my problem was in the actual horn button/contact. Upon further inspection, it was pretty obvious what the problem was. Besides being really corroded and dirty, the horn contact ring was broken...split.
I brazed the horn contact and ground it flat where it needed to be flat. The horn cover (button) really only pconnects to it on the very outside, so really I just needed to make sure that the springy part of the contact would compress and make contact with the contact spring pin.
Reassembled, put the steering wheel back on and YES! WORKING HORN!
I brazed the horn contact and ground it flat where it needed to be flat. The horn cover (button) really only pconnects to it on the very outside, so really I just needed to make sure that the springy part of the contact would compress and make contact with the contact spring pin.
Reassembled, put the steering wheel back on and YES! WORKING HORN!
Last edited:
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Lastly, to complete the "elephant" horn saga, I wanted to try to fix the horn covers. You may recall from a previous post about my air intake that the '74 intake was crushing one of my covers. If not, here is a picture of both cracked and crushed covers:
I used Plastic JB Weld to glue the splits back together, and then I used plastic epoxy putty to fill in the crushed areas. Sanded everything smooth, used glazing compound, and primer/painted. They turned out really nice....likely too nice for how the rest of the engine bay looks
!!!
I used Plastic JB Weld to glue the splits back together, and then I used plastic epoxy putty to fill in the crushed areas. Sanded everything smooth, used glazing compound, and primer/painted. They turned out really nice....likely too nice for how the rest of the engine bay looks
!!!
Last edited:
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
Oh, I almost forgot...until I can buy a legit (and kind of overpriced, but I understand why) cowl vent gasket from CityRacer, I made my own. I decided to mount the gasket to the opening rather than the vent itself, simply because the gasket material profile did not lend itself to attaching to the moving vent. This should be enough to keep the snow and water off of my freshly renovated heater. So far, so good.
LARGEONE
Rising Sun Member
As you can see in this photo on Kingston Peak, my front license plate was just screwed into holes on the bumper. I kept bumping the plate and bending it (while also nearly cutting myself on the sharp edge of the plate). I have been looking for an old school front license plate holder, but have yet to come across one from 1967.
But, I did find this rusted out plate holder. I think it may have been in the box of goodies that I picked up from Dan? Either way, it was all rusted out and had holes all over it. So, I sand blasted it (exposing more holes), welded it, filled the holes with metal putty, sanded, primed, painted, and voila (sp?)....
I now have a front license plate holder! Yippee!
But, I did find this rusted out plate holder
. I think it may have been in the box of goodies that I picked up from Dan? Either way, it was all rusted out and had holes all over it. So, I sand blasted it (exposing more holes), welded it, filled the holes with metal putty, sanded, primed, painted, and voila (sp?)....I now have a front license plate holder! Yippee!