1978 FJ40 "Rolling Restoration"

In 2008, I purchased a 1978 Toyota Landcruiser in the town of Sonoma, one of Northern California's Wine Country towns. Kind of a "barn find", the Cruiser had been stored for a while and was in pretty rough shape. It was a hot June day on my wife's birthday and she was not very excited to be along for the ride. After an agreement on the price, the cash was handed over, and we enjoyed a shared tuna salad sandwich in the back of a local market. The birthday girl followed as I stumbled off toward home in the rough-running old truck, sweating, watching the temp gauge intently (the PO had said it would overheat), the brake booster hissing air whenever I tried to slow down. I still remember the beautiful  wild flowers sprouting from a nice stone wall that lined the road heading west to the 101.

Much later the same day the FJ40 arrived at it's new home south of San Francisco on the back of a big flat bed compliments of AAA (plus a substantial additional distance charge). That of course was just the beginning of many investments in parts, tools and garage time.

 

thumb 2 Magazine Ads

Magazine ads from 1978 and 1980 added to the HIstory page.

kinder Reworked Vaughn cross pein

Reworked Vaughn 2.5 blacksmith cross pein. More on Blacksmith Hammers page.

belts Visit to the Starrett Factory

Starrett, a leader who has set the standard for fine precision tools in industry for over 130 years, has rightfully earned the title, "World's Greatest Toolmakers". View the Starrett page here.

engine plate Timing gear cover mystery.

Timing gear cover mystery. When I first bought the 40 and replaced all the cooling system stuff, I had noticed a lot of PO red RTV stuff around the timing gear cover. Later I sort of traced a lot of the oil on the garage floor coming from that area when the engine was hot. Read more on the Timing Gear Cover project page.