Offroad-Express

fairly new to NZ, and brand new to the site, need a bit of advice. Got carried away with my TradeMe account and am now the (proud) owner of 2(!!) FJ40 projects. Bought the first one, 1973 F engine, running, original low mileage, body not too bad and silly big 35" mud wheels - but deregistered. had grand ideas about getting it back on the road. then ended up swapping the wheels and tyres for a 1976 model, in pieces, body shagged by rust, chassis and running gear completely refurbished, chev 350 certified LPG (no tank); rego on hold. have been taking the '73 apart with a plan to getting the body tidied up and put on the '76 but am finding that while i have some mechanical aptitude, i don't have much experience, and limited space. any recommendations for garage / mechanic in auck area that might be able to help me get this sorted without spending every last cent? a mechanic i spoke to reckons i'd better off selling both and buying something that runs.... although a 350 V8 LPG is my ideal set-up. or - in a pinch, anyone know of a double garage / barn in north shore for reasonable rent, where i would have more space to work on them? ta.

welcome to the forum zebedee. I've got 2 FJ40 projects too, one a minter with a recon 2F which is almost done and the other a scruffy but solid '73 with a Windsor V8 that's a wee bit tired in it. Difficult to know what to do first, end up wasting time wandering from one to the other unable to decide what to do.
Anyway good luck finding a garage to help you out, plenty of good advice to be had here.

Cheers.

cheers mongoose - ideally would like to do as much as i can myself; that's how we learn, right? but being new in NZ, don't know many people, and less still i can call on to come give me a hand..! but don't want this to run on too long, hence the appeal for a garage or mechanic. ideally just want to get the body sorted - front end is pretty good, tub needs a tidy up, a bit of patching, and get the '76 back on the road. tidying up the rest can wait. the guy i bought the '76 from has promised to come and help me get the engne back in, but i think he's pretty busy as we haven't been able to firm up a date. want a fall back plan in case it doesn't happen..

hi..

you could try looking for one of those lock up garage facilities? dont know if they are very abundant up there, or what they cost, or even if they are the option you want to take, thought i'd put my 2c in though...

good luck with the 40... they rock!

if you really stuck.. i way on the other side of town but could help out for a while with a free barn for you to occupy..

you're a legend, i'll bear that in mind if i don't manage to sort something closer to home.

Hi ze

Just bought a 73 FJ40 myself so i am new to this to, i live north of Kaukapakapa so i know what your in for or up for, hope we might be able to help each other

watch this space, the guy i bought the V8 project off has taken them both in, and we've spent the last 5 days stripping one down (that was me, as the wrench-boy novice, crawling around in the wet and oil with rust and cr*p falling in my face, while he stayed in the garage in the dry doing welding and stuff) - end result that i should have something back on the road in a month or two. and an empty bank-account, probably, but better that than letting them sit and rust.

How's things comin along Zeb? I've had to consign my V8 to a longer term project as compression is so low on a few cylinders that I wonder whether there are actually any rings still in there and it really isn't keen to run well, not on any more than 2 cylinders anyway.

zebedee99 wrote:- end result that i should have something back on the road in a month or two. and an empty bank-account

They burn a hole in the pocket alright, mine cost me a small fortune to convert, new clutch plate, recond pressure plate, new release bearing, modified carrier, recond radiator, new hoses, new HEI, gasket set, power steer pump, power steer hoses, holly rebuild kit, block huggers, transporter to pit stop, new exhaust system, nuts, bolts, paint, drill bits, torque wrench, clips, tape, oil, filters, wire, v belts, new fan, certification, beer and food!

stop it, you're scaring me!!!

but seriously, the v8 was driven into the garage, and the guy who took it apart is putting it back together. albeit with a donor tub that he is patching up, various other donor body parts, putting in front disk brakes that he had lying around, and rear LSD. i'll be the grease-monkey at the weekends. don't know what a block hugger is yet, that's why i'm on the newbie forum, hahaha.

zebedee99 wrote:stop it, you're scaring me!!!

Ya can't turn back now
do everything that needs doing and do it properly and you'll never look back..... the bank account will recover!

[quote="zebedee99"] don't know what a block hugger is yet, /quote]

Block huggers are block hugging headers, In the 40's you can usually get the exhausts over the chassis rails with standard manifolds and exit down the sides of the truck, mines a 70 series and the chassis rails are a little bit higher below the manifold flanges and I had to go to the block huggers to get inside of the chassis rails, everything got too tight on the passengers side with the manifolds

christ, is it march 2007 already? did i really write in july last year 'back on the road in a month or two'? - hahahaha! it's still in pieces, and never mind me being the grease monkey, i'm working offshore for 6 months just to pay for the damn thing! 'might' be up and running by the time i get back in may - right now i just sign the cheques! in the meantime i'm driving around the foothills of the himalayas in a 1953 dodge M-37 1.5 tonner. the only thing that keeps me going is that where i am right now, an import license for a car costs 300% of the value of the car - so my 1990 crappy red corolla is a $25,000 vehicle here!! makes the '40 project look like a bargain!

just to clarify, the red 'rolla is in new plymouth, where it's worth about $1000. NZ!! US$25,000, in my dreams. all the taxis here have aircon, because none of the windows work, ha!