What did I get myself into?

[DanS HJ-45]

I think CG is right on here. The front axle has some *fabricated* perches under it that are definitely not from the US. I'm sure wondering if they swapped axles in Honduras at some point. It might explain the interesting suspension they added in the rear (think of an air bag setup, but with hard rubber--or something--most of what's left is the plates welded to the axle).

For me, I guess the real question is what should I do with it? Seems like if I could find a 12V alternator with vacuum pump that I might as well keep the booster and discs. I don't mind drums (although I've not worked much with the Toyota drums), so they will definitely stay on the rear, but I'm not too sure about the front. The truck won't be on HUGE tires (I'm thinking 33s at the largest), it won't be routinely hauling massive loads, and it won't be doing crazy rock crawling. It'll end up with some low speed highway use, and the occasional trail. I don't tend to use my brakes much anyway, so I'm most concerned about basic driveability and reliability.

One way or the other it'll be rebuilt, and I understand the LC cylinders are mucho dinero.

Dan

[Grease Cruiser]

Wow!!!
You have been very busy since I last checked the board. I'm glad someone is taking the time to restore it. I saw this truck pretty much daily for the past 6 years. It was sad to see it just sit there. I tried talking the PO into working on it but he just did not have the time.
Now, I get to see the build. Very cool. Good luck with it.

[bigbrowndog]

It might pay to look at fitting a 2H 12V alternator. I don't think it would be a major job to modify the bracket if needed. cheers

[Mad Jack]

I know the 2h alternator will fit no problems. I just put one in mine. The problem may be getting it with the vacuum pump attached. The one I have didn't come with it. The electrical hook ups are also different so be prepared to do some wiring to get it to charge correctly, not a big thing, but its not a plug and play if you know what I mean. The brackets fit fine. The other thing you will need is the plumping for the vacuum pump for lubrication. Not easy to find that stuff, but it is buildable if you want to piece it together. I had no luck finding toyota or even after market lines. If you want to avoid doing that you could run an electric pump for vacuum and leave the alternator in there. I know in my "H" fsm it shows the early h's with no vacuum pump on the back. The electric pumps are pricey but could work for you if this current alternator charges the system fine. I found one at summit racing.

[bigbrowndog]

The 2H pumps often come up on Oz Ebay and are readily available fom the wreckers.I have bought a spare on ebay for $60.00 with the pump attached. The hose is available from Toyota for aproximately $60.00 ,I changed mine when I fitted my turbo. In Oz firms like Pirtek and evzed will make up these hoses cheaper.
http://www.pirtek.com.au/
http://www.tescorp.com.au/enzed.html
Picture for comparison, cheers

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Landcruiser-H...QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Landcruiser-H...QQcmdZViewItem

[cruiser_guy]

Originally Posted by Henry James the 47th

Now, I thought the main point of the brake booster was to lighten the physical effort needed at the pedal to brake the vehicle.

That is correct, but with drums the booster would be optional because of the way drum brakes work, with discs it's essential since there is NO WAY you can develop enough pressure on your own.

Originally Posted by DanS HJ-45

I think CG is right on here. The front axle has some *fabricated* perches under it that are definitely not from the US. I'm sure wondering if they swapped axles in Honduras at some point. It might explain the interesting suspension they added in the rear (think of an air bag setup, but with hard rubber--or something--most of what's left is the plates welded to the axle).

You'd be surprised what you might find! My FJ45LV had spring hangers from an FJ55 welded on at the pin end of the front spring. The problem is they were both either left or right hangers and they ended up about an inch out from each other, ie: one was an inch further to the front than the other! I removed those and found some FJ40 hangers at the wrecker (they are the same as the FJ45LV) and bolted them on in the original holes.
EVERY spring on the FJ45LV was different when I got it! Fortunately I was able to find a set of proper FJ45LV springs for it. They fit MUCH better since the old springs didn't put the axle in the right spot under the shock towers either.
They do a LOT of weird fabrication here in Central America!

[TJDIV]

This has to be one of the most interesting "purchased a cruiser" threads I've ever been in.


Congrats.

[DanS HJ-45]

I'm stuck on the road in training for nearly a month, but I did think quickly enough to pack a FSM for the body and chassis. Comparing what's in there to the pictures of my truck is not only all that is keeping me sane, but it's amazing at what was/wasn't changed.

The brake booster and the vacuum source for it is simply amazing to me. I can't imagine anyone thinking it would be an acceptable arrangement.

Are there ways to identify the axle as a 40 axle easily, or do I have to physically measure it? I'm almost curious if they swapped a 60 axle on there or something.

Now that I think about it, I haven't pulled the rear wheels off (or their hub covers) to double check that it is a full floater. I can't imagine that it wouldn't be, but you never know...

I'm sure when I take a wrench to it and start putting the parts in piles that I'll really get an education!

Dan

[Grease Cruiser]

Dan,
You do not have a full floater and you do not have a 60 front end. It must be a later model 40 front end that was installed either in Honduras or Boston. It was definitely not installed by Greg, the previous owner. Hope that helps.

[DanS HJ-45]

Appreciate it GC.

Greg said he hadn't done much of anything to it, let alone swap axles so I figured that whatever had been done had been done in Honduras. And the rust patterns on it just didn't support the idea that it was done in Colorado!

The full floater is the correct factory rear axle on the HJ-45, correct? Or were there diesels delievered without them?

The swapped axle(s) would explain the *interesting* brake line work though!

Dan

[Grease Cruiser]

In the Central American market, full floaters were either not available or offered as an option. I have seen a LOT of Cruisers in Central America and I don't recall ever seeing a 45 that had a full floater.

[DanS HJ-45]

So I'm doing some more thinking...

The mini truck brake booster bolted right into the FJ-40 right? So it would probably bolt right in to my HJ-45, yes? I've got a booster and MC from a Surf (diesel 4-runner) that sure looked like it would fit. I'll have to remove the aftermarket (?) booster that's on there now to see if they hacked in some holes or not, but, just something for me to ponder. The booster and MC I have look just about new from the Surf, and otherwise they'd probably end up going to the junkyard or something anyway.

Also, the wiring harness is uber-hacked on mine. So I could re-wire it from scratch (which I'm perfectly comfortable doing, but I'd have to source the connectors if I wanted to be able to plug it in like OEM). Or I could buy a painless harness (do they include the correct connectors for all the stuff that needs to be plugged in?). Or I could probably come up with a north american gas harness and modify it to work with the diesel engine. Anyone ever compared the gas harnesses to the diesels? It's just so hard to get as good of quality components as Toyota used that I'd love to keep it as close to OEM as possible.

Dan

[plabbe]

I hope that someone will be able to help me .I have a bunch of guys looking for a 1982 gmc truck part for 3 weeks now and no one can find the name of the part one automotive store ordered 3 things that are the rong one and they cant find the name either.
The part I need is bolted to the firewall and has 2 bolts one small one and one 1/4 inche its a plastic part that has 3 wires connected to it .One big wire comming from the ignition switch goes to that part???? then goes to the alteurnator and has 2 small wires connected o the little bolt on that part that I need.

A few names we where given.
Resistor
capasitor
ballast resistor.They are all rong if anyone can help it would be very appreciated . Thankyou

[D'Animal]

Originally Posted by plabbe

I hope that someone will be able to help me .I have a bunch of guys looking for a 1982 gmc truck part for 3 weeks now and no one can find the name of the part one automotive store ordered 3 things that are the rong one and they cant find the name either.
The part I need is bolted to the firewall and has 2 bolts one small one and one 1/4 inche its a plastic part that has 3 wires connected to it .One big wire comming from the ignition switch goes to that part???? then goes to the alteurnator and has 2 small wires connected o the little bolt on that part that I need.

A few names we where given.
Resistor
capasitor
ballast resistor.They are all rong if anyone can help it would be very appreciated . Thankyou

Plabbe

This needs posted in the Other Vehicle Technical Section.

[DanS HJ-45]

Seriously, why can't I find my camera?

Not that I've started with the HJ (pacing myself, another couple months before I should allow myself to start disassembling anything), but....

In the back of my faux-Hilux is a PTO winch! I'm so pumped that I'll probably have to set the winch on my HJ just to see it, and then pretend to make "winch noises" for a while.

Thanks Jeff! I am more and more amazed with how clean and straight this winch is.

Pictures to follow later today...

Dan

[DanS HJ-45]

Well, I lied. Pictures didn't come anywhere close to "today."

But I actually did something on my HJ today. No, I'm not really ready to rip into it yet (well, my hands say "yes," but my wallet says "no"), but....

So I bought a PTO winch a while back (thanks Jeff!). Today i got motivated enough to at least make sure it would mount correctly. There was a bracket that had been welded onto the bumper which got in the way, so today I decided I just *had* to cut that bracket off. To do that, I needed the plasma cutter. To get the plasma cutter to the truck, I needed the truck in the shop.

To get the truck in the shop, I needed the Power Wagon. Now, the HJ doesn't exactly roll too well, so the small incline that is in front of the shop wasn't even enough to get it rolling inside. So, since we had intended to get the plow on today, we just used the plow on the Dodge to give the HJ a nudge into the shop. So easy!

Then I had to cut the bracket off. Don't get excited, it was like 6 inches long and I had to cut all of 6 welds. It wasn't even worthy of a picture, that's how lame it was.

But once it was off, I laid the winch in there. Fairly good, but I think *something* is tweaked in there. All 4 bolt holes for the winch brackets don't quite line up, so I need to figure out what is bent if I care that much. Or I could just bolt the front down and enlarge the holes in the back (they'll be under pillow blocks anyway, so nobody will see them). Either way, I'm happy to see the winch on there. It looks good. I can't wait to mount it up for real.

[DanS HJ-45]

I said it didn't roll too well....

Which doesn't worry me because I picked up a set of axles for it. A full floater rear (thanks Steve, and Jim for the tip!), and a spare front axle. The front has got drum brakes, but it's nice to have sitting around.

Here's the rear (well, the parts of it )

[DanS HJ-45]

As to the front....

I want to keep the disc front end under there. But I also want to rebuilt it (obviously). So I think my plan at the moment will be to swap the drum front under the truck, so that I can remove the disc front axle and rebuild it sooner rather than later.

A couple of questions though....

1)The right side has an air scoop, while the left doesn't. Is this normal, or were parts only replaced on one side at some point?
2)The U bolts go around a small bracket on the disc axle, the drum axle has substantially larger brackets on the top of the axle, does this matter, or is it just a minor change?
3)The housings between the drum and disc axles are interchangeable, correct? The only *real* difference is the knuckle, right?
4)The seals in the Marlin kit are generally considered to be the best option here, yes?
5)Eventually I'll buy an OME kit for the whole suspension, but in the meantime I just want U-bolts for the front... Are these available on the cheap by themselves until I go for the whole OME setup?

Anything I'm missing? The pictures of the disc front axle might tip someone more knowledgeable than I onto something stupid I'm about to do...

Dan

[Henry James the 47th]

1)The right side has an air scoop, while the left doesn't. Is this normal, or were parts only replaced on one side at some point?

As far as I know, the dust shield with the air scoop is a 61 series (and later) part - I've never seen these as a stock 40 part. If you look back a few pages on my build thread, you can find the part number for the later style dust shield

2)The U bolts go around a small bracket on the disc axle, the drum axle has substantially larger brackets on the top of the axle, does this matter, or is it just a minor change?

I think that's a relatively minor change, though I would imagine the beefier, the better (which would argue for using the drum axle as a core and rebuild it with the disc knuckles)

3)The housings between the drum and disc axles are interchangeable, correct? The only *real* difference is the knuckle, right?

Yes, in terms of the mounting pattern at the hub flange, so long as you have the 8-bolt pattern on your full floater, which you do. I don't believe the axles are 'interchangeable' however -that would mean a fair bit of welding action :^)

4)The seals in the Marlin kit are generally considered to be the best option here, yes?

I'd agree with that, though if you have the centering tool, you will be fine with stock seals too. The Marlin shields are a better and heavier-duty design though, and they're not expensive, so why not? The only negative would be their relative newness on the market.

5)Eventually I'll buy an OME kit for the whole suspension, but in the meantime I just want U-bolts for the front... Are these available on the cheap by themselves until I go for the whole OME setup?

Sure, you can find them at a 4x4 supply for $8~11/piece. Since it's temporary, it wouldn't really matter if you used imperial u-bolts instead of metric (harder to find at the local shops, IME). The OME u-bolts will be metric.

Looking good Dan - have at it!

[ColoCruiserJeff]

Dan-

I'm glad your diving into the 45!!! I hope the PTO is going to work well for you. Last weekend while clearing out the garage, I came across 2- "pillow" spacers that go under the rear mounts of the winch(near the bib).

PM me your address, and I'll send 'em down to you.

Did you pickup the FF axles up here in Castle Rock? I know the guys at Solid Rock were talking about them.

Hope you're doing well.

How's the flyin going?

[DanS HJ-45]

I sure did pick up the axles in Castle Rock. Glad to find them within my normal driving grounds. I don't have any idea how expensive shipping on an axle or two would be, but it's a lot more than the extra fuel that my pickup used to cart them back to NM. Also, they gave me great traction on the ice.

PM sent Jeff.

I'm excited to start tinkering with it. The nice thing about the flying is that I have a good deal of time to order parts, so if I can order up some seals tomorrow perhaps they'll be here by the time I get back (with 3 days off). The bad part about the flying is that I have to spend a lot of time in hotel rooms without access to my cruiser.

Time to get ordering from Marlin then...

Dan

[ColoCruiserJeff]

Extra fuel for your hilux? Are you kidding me? LOL That didn't use up any more dinosaurs than it normally would!

You really impressed the guys from Solid Rock Off Road with your truck. I think he wants to get a front clip and do it too!

Sorry I haven't sent off the pillow cushions....hopefully I'll get them out tomorrow.

Talk to ya soon! Let me know when you're in town again!

[DanS HJ-45]

Update time!

If you were sharp, you noticed that I was painting some wheels for my Dad's FJ-40 (paint and body section).

But that's not all! Today i actually did something for my HJ!!!

I painted the FF axle housing. The tabs that hold the brake lines on were broken off, so I cut some new ones and welded them on, then I blasted the whole thing real well. At this point, the only imperfections you see are in the metal--from previous abuse or weld spatter from the factory (well, aside from some minor grinding marks from my welding of the tabs).

I just did the FF housing and the axle shafts today, I need to source some parts and stuff before I do the rest of the axle assembly. And I'll probably powder coat most of that stuff.

So I blasted. Then I painted with DP90LF. My local paint jobber thinks that this will be more than strong enough as a coating. I hope so. I'm going to leave it as is and see how it does. It looks pretty close to a chassis black, and it's supposed to be really, really durable.

*sigh* back to work tomorrow, but on the plus side I'll be in the Denver area in a bit more than a week for a couple of days. With the faux-Hilux to boot!

Dan