[72cruiser]

get it done stud, ha ha...

got a paper due at 4 tomorrow and after that i should be able to finally cut those buckets off. i'll mail em as soon as i get em done. what's y'all's zip code?


malphrus

[Spike Strip]

Jezzzus, I wanna see install pix!

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by 72cruiser

get it done stud, ha ha...

got a paper due at 4 tomorrow and after that i should be able to finally cut those buckets off. i'll mail em as soon as i get em done. what's y'all's zip code?


malphrus

29607

Originally Posted by Spike Strip

Jezzzus, I wanna see install pix!

i know, me too. Finals are next week, and after graduation I'll have all May to work on it. Hopefully, i'll have it back on the road by memorial day...

[BenMara]

cant wait......

[VTCruiser]

finally, here are the johnny joints....

[Trollhole]

That's big.

Guess you figured out I haven't come and gotten the welder.

Probably going to grab it tomorrow.

[VTCruiser]

I started putting things back on the cruiser just to clear some shop space. I put all the doors together minus the interior trim and the driver window regulator which I need to pull from the brown 60. I also put the hatch and tailgate back together.






As discovered on my old 60, the rear license plate trim tends to rust out from behind. The cali truck has a solid one, but even it was starting to get some rust, so I cleaned it up with sand paper and hit it with some primer and paint before putting it back on.
















no progress on the suspension yet, other than I found some the material I am going to use for the JJ brackets. 3" x 3/16" wall tube is a perfect fit for the 2-5/8" JJ's, but it's too narrow for the bushings.




Lastly, I swapped tires for when I am ready to start mocking up the suspension.






Unfortunately, the next couple weeks are going to be busy with family in town and graduation so I won't have a whole lot of time to work on it, but hopefully i'll be able to find an hour here and there to pick at it some more.

[GLTHFJ60]

Lookin' good with those doors on. I bet they make it feel like you're making good progress.

Can't wait to see how the suspension is going to turn out!

[VTCruiser]

i'm finally back in town, and got a little time in on the cruiser this afternoon. All I did was remove the rear springs to make room for the coils and take a bunch of measurements. Sorry, no pics because there's too exciting to see yet. Tomorrow I am going to pick up some more steel and hopefully start some suspension brackets.

[VTCruiser]

I have decided to swap the powertrain over first to make sure there is no interference with the suspension when I fab it up. I was going to go ahead with the rear suspension, but I'd like to have the t-case in place so I can mock up the rear drive shaft and build the suspension around it. So instead of starting on the suspension, today I disconnected/isolated the powertrain in the brown cruiser and disassembled the front end. It is now ready to be pulled with the hoist.

[GLTHFJ60]

I forgot you had a 1HZ. I got to drive one with the 1HD-T turbo and intake and I flipping loved it.

Still watching!!

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by GLTHFJ60

I forgot you had a 1HZ. I got to drive one with the 1HD-T turbo and intake and I flipping loved it.

Still watching!!

was that Kevin's rig? maybe I'll get a chance to to check it out when I make it home to VT this summer. I haven't decided which turbo to use on mine yet.

[GLTHFJ60]

Originally Posted by VTCruiser

was that Kevin's rig? maybe I'll get a chance to to check it out when I make it home to VT this summer. I haven't decided which turbo to use on mine yet.

Yup, that was Kevin's rig. If you could, you should stop up to see him! He's awesome and his truck has to be seen in person to really grasp the amount of hours that he has put into it. It's too bad that you just took apart your HJ though. It would have been cool to compare the 1HZ to the 1HZ-T side by side.

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by GLTHFJ60

Yup, that was Kevin's rig. If you could, you should stop up to see him! He's awesome and his truck has to be seen in person to really grasp the amount of hours that he has put into it. It's too bad that you just took apart your HJ though. It would have been cool to compare the 1HZ to the 1HZ-T side by side.

I'll have the 1HZ in the new body by the time I get home since that's what I plan on driving!

[GLTHFJ60]

Originally Posted by VTCruiser

I'll have the 1HZ in the new body by the time I get home since that's what I plan on driving!

Well shit, that means that I'm gonna have to bring up my shitty gasoline cruiser so that we can all make fun of it next to the two 1HZ's.

When do you plan to have your rig finished up? You've got a ton of work to finish up if you're planning on bringing it up to the northeast before the summer is over!

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by GLTHFJ60

Well shit, that means that I'm gonna have to bring up my shitty gasoline cruiser so that we can all make fun of it next to the two 1HZ's.

When do you plan to have your rig finished up? You've got a ton of work to finish up if you're planning on bringing it up to the northeast before the summer is over!

no joke, and I hope to be home in June!

[89s rule]

Well at least that means this thread will be really active!

[VTCruiser]

1HZ/H55F pulled....needs a cleaning...





I'm going to try to resuse the 3FE motor mount brackets, so I removed them carefully. I'll need to fabricate and relocate the four tranny x-member brackets though.

[VTCruiser]

I started on the tranny x-member brackets this afternoon. Here's a rough cut of the first one...



in case it's not clear what I'm trying to replicate, here a couple shots next to the existing ones...




and with the other three works in progress...


that's all for today...time for work

[GLTHFJ60]

I just figured it out! You just got out of school, hence why you have all this time. Excellent.

Looking good so far!!!

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by GLTHFJ60

I just figured it out! You just got out of school, hence why you have all this time. Excellent.

Looking good so far!!!

i never have enough time. your are correct though.

[72cruiser]

Originally Posted by VTCruiser

that's all for today...time for work

you parkin cars again? i can't remember what you said you were doin short-term...


lookin good
malphrus

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by 72cruiser

you parkin cars again? i can't remember what you said you were doin short-term...


lookin good
malphrus

yup...

[VTCruiser]

all the bracket rough cuts are finished...


first mock up...

[VTCruiser]

I ended up having to fabricate a left engine mount bracket because the 3FE one was too short. I was able to use the right side with some modifications. The 3FE mount angles are 25 degrees. The mounts on my 1HZ, which likely cam from a 70 series with a narrower frame, are 35 degrees.




welded in place...






All the new trans x-member mounts are also welded in, and the powertrain is now ready to get dropped in.

[Dirtgypsy]

sweet! the color really looks good!

clint

[VTCruiser]

I dropped the powertrain in yesterday morning. I am very please with how it turned out. The trans x-member brackets are in the same location as the factory FJ/HJ60 would be, only about 3/8" lower to give a little more firewall clearance, and allow me to get the engine up a little higher in the engine bay.










The shifter ended up nicely centered in the opening...


I also began taking a closer look at the suspension. The good news, is that there is plenty of room for the rear links under the truck, so I should be able to get the geometry I want. The difficult part is going to be making room for the coils, and trying to keep the lift of the springs consistent with the lift of the truck. I have all four upper spring mounts that were cut out of an 80 series with hopes I could modify them to fit on the 62 chassis. Unfortunately, they're bulky, so I may end up having to fabricate new ones. Here are some preliminary observations:

- Rear Suspension -
The plan is to inboard the coils in the rear for two reasons. There is no room on the axles out side the frame rails, and if they were mounted directly under the frame, stock 80 springs would probably provide 4-5 inches of lift, which is way too tall for a minimum height. Due to the design of the fuel tank, and the offset of the diff, the passenger side is a little tighter in space than the driver side, so i'll be focusing on that side.

The passenger side...


the driver side...


In an 80 series the OMEJ coils are about 16" tall installed, and I'll assume it will be about the same in a 60. On my HJ with is probably close to stock height, there is about 11.5 inches from the top of the axle housing, to the top of the frame rail, or a difference of 4.5". So Ideally, for 4" of lift I'll need to mount the springs so that the tops are 0.5" above the top of the frame and flush with the top of the axle housing.

That brings me to the lower spring mount on the axle side. The diff lock mechanism also creates a bit of a problem because it exactly where the the lower spring mount needs to be. I'll probably have to mount the coil higher than flush to make room. The good news is i will be able to incorporate a protective cover for the mechanism, but I'll probably end up with 5" of lift with the 4" coils. I'm trying to find some one local to trade me for a set of non-J or 2.5-3" coils.


The round x-member with shock mounts is strangely shaped and not symmetrical so it will probably be cut out and replaced by straight square tubing. This will make it easier to incorporate it with the upper spring mounts, and maybe move it forward slightly for a little more space. The stock bump stops indicate the axle's location and ideally where the coils will be centered. So you can see it will be a tight squeeze to get the coils where I want them centered directly over the axle and not interfere with the fuel tank. I did a couple very crude moment calculations to see how the links would be affected if I had to offset the coils forward of the center of the axle. Feel free to check my math...

- Assumptions -
Load on axle: 3000 lbs
Moment arm of upper links from center of axle: 8"
If the springs are offset 2" forward of center, the 3000 lbs load would be create 500 ft-lbs moment at the axle, or a compressive force of about 750 lbs at the upper links. a 1" offset generates a 250 ft-lbs moment or 375 lbs of force on the upper links. This means that the upper links would have to support 375-750lbs all the time, just to overcome the moment generated by the vertical loading, plus the additional forces due to axle wrap from the powertrain. This is not helpful in minimizing fatigue of the links and joints. I'll need the springs to be as close to centered as possible, which means I may need to lower the upper coil mounts to do so.

- Front Suspension -
Up front the coils will be outboard of the frame. Here there is plenty of vertical mounting space, but due to the engine sump and steering, the link geometry will be more difficult. Another issue is the steering gear which makes it difficult to mount the coil directly above the axle on the driver side. And since the front will be a 3-link, there will only be 1 upper link to resist the moment if the springs are offset. The good news is that there appear to be enough room that the steering action of the knuckle will not be affected.


So in summary, mounting the coils is going to be a challenge. I need to spend some more time looking at it and maybe make a couple cardboard templates before I actually start cutting to make sure I can do what I want. Unfortunately, time is not on my side right now either, and this is not something I will want to rush. I just graduated so I'll need to move soon and think about getting a job. Worst case scenario is I keep the leafs for now, get the truck back on the road, and do the suspension as a phase 2 build later when i have more time... we'll see.

[VTCruiser]

I have decided the coil/link suspension is going to take too long to do right now. I was looking over my to-do list, and all the little stuff that needs to be done just get the cruiser back on the road is starting to add up. Plus, I need to move out by the end of June and maybe start looking for a job. The new plan for the suspension is to have the springs from the HJ re-arched, and buy smaller shackles. I needed 4" over shackles with the flat HJ springs to clear my 33x12.5's. The target is 2"-3" of lift over stock with the re-arch and 1.5"-2.5" over shackles. The FJ springs, while in better shape, are not heavy enough for the diesel. The front end was struggling with the FJ springs and the powertrain in place.

Swapping springs...


FJ vs HJ


The HJ springs are 6-packs in the front and 7-packs in the rear. They also appear longer so I am hoping to get a couple inches over stock with the re-arch.


I dropped them off today, to be worked on. Meanwhile, I am degreasing the under-body and sealing it with Rust Bullet.

[72cruiser]

hey man,

let me know what the eye to eye measurements should be for your shackles and i'll see what i can do for you...


malphrus

[VTCruiser]

Originally Posted by 72cruiser

hey man,

let me know what the eye to eye measurements should be for your shackles and i'll see what i can do for you...


malphrus

thanks man, but I actually already ordered some from SOR. I considered making some myself, but again, it's that little stuff that's killing me right now...