Off-Road Ranger I
Well, it finally happened, I found an FJ40 in decent overall condition that I could actually afford! It's a 1970 in Capri Blue, and she needs a decent amount of work. It hasn't even been registered since April of 1995, so that gives you a decent idea of what we're working with here. The hard top has some serious rust issues, which are (for the time being) outside of my ability to fix. What I'm thinking I'll do for now is get a soft top, apply rust treatment and inhibitor to the hard top (so it doesn't get worse), and then repair it as I get my metal work skills improved appropriately. The rest of the Land Cruiser has some surface rust, with a few holes, but over all it's in good shape. The frame has some rust as well, but it's potentially repairable. My first order of business, however, will be to get the stock drivetrain running and driving. Honestly, if I could get it all working, stock, it'd be a cool set up, at least for a while. It's a 3 on the tree with the dash mounted transfer case controls, neither of which are very common in vehicles nowadays. I also have a bit of a soft spot for 3 on the tree. Any tips or tricks on what I should do to try starting it in as kind a manner (to the engine) as possible? Basically what preparation should I do so I don't damage the engine before I try starting it for real?
