Original craiglist ad description I saw - with original ad pictures.
"1975 Toyota FJ 55 in great running condition. Ready for the mountains. 4x4 works great. It has a Chevy 250 inline 6 which is the essentially same engine that it came with since Toyota used the design from Chevy. Transmission is original. Has a ford power steering and alternator but nothing has been permanently modified so original parts can be replaced easily. Brakes are swapped to disc. All electrical works. Manual on off for fuel pump for better flow and priming. The frame and pans are dry just surface rust. The rust has been cut from the fenders so they look modified. Doors are rust free and no bondo. Have replacement rear glass and very clean replacement back hatch. Drive as is or great for a restore since it is very dry. "
"1975 Toyota FJ 55 in great running condition. Ready for the mountains. 4x4 works great. It has a Chevy 250 inline 6 which is the essentially same engine that it came with since Toyota used the design from Chevy. Transmission is original. Has a ford power steering and alternator but nothing has been permanently modified so original parts can be replaced easily. Brakes are swapped to disc. All electrical works. Manual on off for fuel pump for better flow and priming. The frame and pans are dry just surface rust. The rust has been cut from the fenders so they look modified. Doors are rust free and no bondo. Have replacement rear glass and very clean replacement back hatch. Drive as is or great for a restore since it is very dry. "
First thing I did was throw a little Sea Foam in the crankcase before driving around some - and then changed the oil. I didn't put much (Sea Foam) - I was afraid it would free up a ton of gunk and ruin the engine. I figured a little bit before each oil change for the first few oil changes would work best. I guessed at what the right amount of oil would be and put in 5.5 quarts. It filled things up to the "g" on the word "Engine" on the stick. I left it at that. Surprisingly - I haven't had to add any since. That was about a year ago - getting ready to do it again (I haven't driven it much - it basically sat from last November until this August - half that time at the transmission shop).
I also tore out the old seat covers right away and put in new black ones. The rear cargo area was in surprisingly good shape. The wife and I just cleaned it, laid down a little spray paint (not well unfortunately), and put in some cargo carpet mat.
Next I wire brushed, sanded, and wiped down the front and back bumper with rubbing alcohol I think (was what I had). Then I sprayed both bumpers with bed-liner. I wish I could remember which bed-liner I used, because I was pretty happy with it. Holding up good still today - still looks nice. I just remember I got it at Napa - in a spray can.
Now that I finally have it back from the transmission shop - I'm getting ready to lay down some Eastwood rust encapsulator in the interior, wheel wells, and underside. Also got some x-mat insulation to lay down over that in the interior - and some marine carpet to finish it up. Had laid marine carpet in my Bronco - just glued it right over the old nasty carpet on that one - worked great. Not sure what I'm going to do with the exterior yet - coat/seal it with Everbrite or scuff it up - apply some rust encapsulator and bed-line it. I don't need a fancy paint job - just something to prevent/stop any decay.
I also tore out the old seat covers right away and put in new black ones. The rear cargo area was in surprisingly good shape. The wife and I just cleaned it, laid down a little spray paint (not well unfortunately), and put in some cargo carpet mat.
Next I wire brushed, sanded, and wiped down the front and back bumper with rubbing alcohol I think (was what I had). Then I sprayed both bumpers with bed-liner. I wish I could remember which bed-liner I used, because I was pretty happy with it. Holding up good still today - still looks nice. I just remember I got it at Napa - in a spray can.
Now that I finally have it back from the transmission shop - I'm getting ready to lay down some Eastwood rust encapsulator in the interior, wheel wells, and underside. Also got some x-mat insulation to lay down over that in the interior - and some marine carpet to finish it up. Had laid marine carpet in my Bronco - just glued it right over the old nasty carpet on that one - worked great. Not sure what I'm going to do with the exterior yet - coat/seal it with Everbrite or scuff it up - apply some rust encapsulator and bed-line it. I don't need a fancy paint job - just something to prevent/stop any decay.
Quick easy project - fan shroud (9/2020). Frankie hasn't overheated on me - but does tend to run a little hot. Gets to about 190 while staying in motion and has creeped up to as much as 220 while stopped at lights in town. So - I decided to install a fan shroud.
I took a knowingly risky approach though - and just bought a cheap Spectre universal fan shroud - which doesn't cover or enclose the whole fan. It's basically a piece of arched metal that shields the top of the fan - but is open on the bottom. Their ad claimed that it would help the radiator work more efficiently - and reviewers said it was helping cool things down. Some similar products were advertised as purely decorative though - and reviews for some of those products said it did nothing to cool anything down. I was hoping it would work for me - but - took Frankie on a test drive after finishing up - and doesn't seem to help. It looks nice - but doesn't seem to be functional for me. I'll probably have to come up with a better solution some time. Need to work on some rust mitigation first though.
My daughter helped me on the project - and it was a fun, quick project for us. We used zip ties instead of the nylon (or plastic) bolts that came with the shroud. I didn't want to bend the radiator fins to accommodate the bolts that are supposed to be able to slip between. The zip ties slipped through with no issues. I'll have to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't damage anything - so far - so good.
I took a knowingly risky approach though - and just bought a cheap Spectre universal fan shroud - which doesn't cover or enclose the whole fan. It's basically a piece of arched metal that shields the top of the fan - but is open on the bottom. Their ad claimed that it would help the radiator work more efficiently - and reviewers said it was helping cool things down. Some similar products were advertised as purely decorative though - and reviews for some of those products said it did nothing to cool anything down. I was hoping it would work for me - but - took Frankie on a test drive after finishing up - and doesn't seem to help. It looks nice - but doesn't seem to be functional for me. I'll probably have to come up with a better solution some time. Need to work on some rust mitigation first though.
My daughter helped me on the project - and it was a fun, quick project for us. We used zip ties instead of the nylon (or plastic) bolts that came with the shroud. I didn't want to bend the radiator fins to accommodate the bolts that are supposed to be able to slip between. The zip ties slipped through with no issues. I'll have to keep an eye on them and make sure they don't damage anything - so far - so good.
9/2020 - Got started on the interior floor. Also sprayed a little internal frame rust protection in places I could get it. Thought I would finish it all in one weekend - but we have some pretty poor air quality here from a forest fire not too far from us - and the wife is limiting my outside play time - ha. My daughter is helping again. We got the front seats out, painted, and laid down some insulation. Need to lay down the carpet and get the seats back in now. Will write a little more on that and add pictures next weekend when we finish.
9/2020 - Finished up the interior floor work I wanted to get done. My daughter and I took the front seats out, wire brushed, sanded, vacuumed, and cleaned the interior floor with degreaser. Then we sprayed a couple coats of Rust Encapsulator and laid down some insulation. You're supposed to be able to spray the encapsulator over anything - including rust - and it's supposed to stop any further decay in its tracks. We'll see. I have a buddy who used it and he swears by it. The insulation we laid is supposed to help with both noise and heat. I did spray a little internal frame rust prevention as well - but still have to hit some areas. I plan to do the whole underside as well soon here. All this work was done last weekend before my wife killed all the fun and made us go inside early both days - to stop us from breathing in any more ash from the fires (it did literally coat everything outside - probably wasn't a good idea being outside as long as we were).
Finished up today by laying down some marine/outdoor carpet that I got at Home Depot. Did that one my own since my daughter worked today. Used some Loctite spray glue on the edges to hold it down. Then I put the front seats back in and my wife helped me tighten the bolts - which have to be held/tightened on the inside and outside. I carpeted the transmission hump/cover as a separate piece on purpose - just in case the shop ever needs to get in there again - will make it much easier to access and they won't have to tear up any carpet.
I was having some doubts as to whether or not this was the original floor pan - since the circle that I presume is supposed to be the mounting place for the floor heater is not centered. I googled it and found a floor pic for another FJ55 though and that heater mount is in the same place - so that made me happy. The original seat was a bench seat - so the heater didn't have to be centered - guess they were catering a bit to the driver.
Oh - also got some new pads for the pedals - so they're not bare metal any more. That was a big improvement as far as appearance goes as well.
I'm no car restore guru - I sit on my ass in front of a computer for a living - and mostly do basic maintenance on cars - but I was pretty happy with the results from this floor project. The floor is definitely a big improvement over what it started as.
Not sure what I'll do next - probably the undercarriage and the rain gutters - the rain gutters need some attention. I also plan on removing the door panels and applying some rust encapsulator and insulation there as well some time soon. I may go all out and do the exterior sooner than later too - just to stop any further rust.
9/2020 - Last project of September - maybe for a bit depending on the weather (hopefully not - would like to paint some more - but my "workshop" is outside curbside and we're probably in for some temp drops).
Sprayed the passenger side wheel wells with rubberized rust inhibitor last weekend - and did the driver side this weekend. Also hit a little bit of the undercarriage on both sides - need to finish up the rear and middle sections under the vehicle some time. Looks pretty good underneath as is - looks like the previous owner had treated it with some other product that's flaking and peeling off in places. Pan looks really clean where it's flaked off. Some areas are caked with oil/grease too though = those will be the tough spots.
As normal - wire brushed, sanded, and sprayed down with degreaser and wiped down before spraying. Also got some brush/roll on rust inhibitor for the hard to reach areas and to roll on underneath - and sprayed all types of internal frame rust inhibitor everywhere I could. Not a frame off restoration - but by the time it's all done - should be well protected from rust.
I'm starting to think Rustoleum for an overall paint job. Saw a cool article where some guy rolled Rustoleum on his 79 Blazer and it looked nice - would definitely be an improvement for Frankie - and cost effective:
https://www.cartalk.com/blogs/craig-fitzgerald/how-paint-car-bucket-rust-oleum-and-roller
...but - also - probably need to get it painted sooner than later to stop any further rust - so might have to send it to a shop to get painted - if I don't get to it before the temp drops too much (wish I would have got it back from the transmission guys sooner). Or maybe I'll just coat it with some type of protectant to get it through the winter until I can paint - we'll see. One thing that worries me about rolling on Rustoleum - is the roller. I tried a couple different rollers with the rust inhibitor - including high density foam - and got roller material/fiber peeling off the roller and sticking to the paint if it wasn't completely saturated. Might have been part due to the goopiness of the rust inhibitor though - guessing Rustoleum paint would roll on cleaner.
Anyway - I obviously have some work to do around the rear wheel wells/fenders still - but was pretty happy with the outcome of applying rust inhibitor. (Forgot to take before pictures of the drivers side.)
Sprayed the passenger side wheel wells with rubberized rust inhibitor last weekend - and did the driver side this weekend. Also hit a little bit of the undercarriage on both sides - need to finish up the rear and middle sections under the vehicle some time. Looks pretty good underneath as is - looks like the previous owner had treated it with some other product that's flaking and peeling off in places. Pan looks really clean where it's flaked off. Some areas are caked with oil/grease too though = those will be the tough spots.
As normal - wire brushed, sanded, and sprayed down with degreaser and wiped down before spraying. Also got some brush/roll on rust inhibitor for the hard to reach areas and to roll on underneath - and sprayed all types of internal frame rust inhibitor everywhere I could. Not a frame off restoration - but by the time it's all done - should be well protected from rust.
I'm starting to think Rustoleum for an overall paint job. Saw a cool article where some guy rolled Rustoleum on his 79 Blazer and it looked nice - would definitely be an improvement for Frankie - and cost effective:
https://www.cartalk.com/blogs/craig-fitzgerald/how-paint-car-bucket-rust-oleum-and-roller
...but - also - probably need to get it painted sooner than later to stop any further rust - so might have to send it to a shop to get painted - if I don't get to it before the temp drops too much (wish I would have got it back from the transmission guys sooner). Or maybe I'll just coat it with some type of protectant to get it through the winter until I can paint - we'll see. One thing that worries me about rolling on Rustoleum - is the roller. I tried a couple different rollers with the rust inhibitor - including high density foam - and got roller material/fiber peeling off the roller and sticking to the paint if it wasn't completely saturated. Might have been part due to the goopiness of the rust inhibitor though - guessing Rustoleum paint would roll on cleaner.
Anyway - I obviously have some work to do around the rear wheel wells/fenders still - but was pretty happy with the outcome of applying rust inhibitor. (Forgot to take before pictures of the drivers side.)