The Great White Hope lives!!

[iaintscared1969]

WOW so when are you going to put them on the truck??? Had a SNAFU with the main bearings. The engine that is in the truck is not the original engine. The 76-84 have a 2 piece main wih built in thrust washers. 86 should have a 3 piece. yours has a 2 piece. Main bearings are different. Got that all fixed up though with a quick call to Kenny @ Warehouse Parts here in Irving. They next day'd me a new set. Should be golden now.

[bergerob]

Hahaha
That is just like this truck to throw a curve ball.
Keep trudging forward.
This will be one bad a** truck when you are done.
Thanks,
BB

[CruisinFJ60]

ok well i have a very very long over due update on the truck....


ITS DONE! Drove it out of my garage just a few minutes ago.

To say this truck threw a few curve balls is an understatement like you have no possible idea... This truck was a Huge P.I.T.A. nothing seemed to match up the way it should i mean nothing!
Leme give you a breakdown....
First we get the bearings and supposedly they changed the design in late 84 (basicall 85+ like everything else) from a 2 peice main bearing (top half and bottom half) with thrust built into the bearing to a 6 peice (top, bottom of main, and top, bottom of the 2 thrust washers.) well this engine had the 2 peice bearings in it... ok... so get the new bearings get the crank back from machine shop, go to put it together and guess what... one of teh main bearings wont go all the way on and the crank is so tight you cant turn it even with a long pry bar... ok not good. drop the crank a couple of more times to finally realize the thrust on one of the main of the crank isnt wide enough for the bearing... (Randy said the crank is out of an FJ40 so i guess it varried some...) ok so crank goes back to machine shop to have the thrust matched to the bearing, Great it all goes into place now! but wait i still cant turn it.. pull it all apart a few more times just cannot figure it out crank back to machine shop, he says nothing is wrong with bearings and crank and to try and give a light file to main caps and bearing caps on the edges (he said it was possible a very small nick was holding it up... so went home did just that and sure enough 2 of the caps had some spots where they were pushing on the crank a very light file and it was perfect. i could finally turn the crank by hand!
The crank pulley keyway came up missing (if i even had it i dont even remember anymore) so ordered it from toyota (it was only all of 8 bux) get it all together finally today and filled it up with oil and hit the key... it fired right off with the shot of either i gave it. hit the key again and it came to life.
I am sorry there are no reassembly pictures I was having to do all of this when i get off of work each day (Im a mechanic on big diesels, and trailers) and my camera batteries were also dead. but it all went back the way it came apart only much much cleaner than before.

I will be towing the truck back to Randy's today as there was a crank pulley issue and the one that came over here with the truck has a nice big groove in it, then the new one was shipped to randy and not me so for the essence of time i will bring it there (plus i think randy said he had some small things to do as well)

I really hope you enjoy it Brian It should be good to go for some time now. It was ready to blow when i got it with all that crank movement it ruined the old crank that was in it (literally started chewing the sides out of it) and the bearings didnt look so hot either. but now i think you will be good.
Your oil pressure is at the 3/4 mark at idle and steady as a rock. I put Castrol 10w-40 in it and a good Wix oil filter. (I use castrol 10w30 in my Z28, 20w50 in my cruiser, and 10w40 in our 85 chevy) and a Wix oil filter on all of the same vehicles.
I would recomend changing your oil and filter after 200 miles just cause those bearings are gonna wear some from the initial break in of em and it will help flush any dirt or junk that was still in there that i wasnt able to get out.
Other than that you should be golden!

[iaintscared1969]

Thanks for all the help Trent! I am sure we can get her finished off tonight. Maybe tomorrow. You ready for some more!

[alex e]

You have an engine to pull.......