[DanS HJ-45]

I have a similar problem, in that my crossmember mounting holes were too low also. The solution I came up with is basically to drill the holes that I wanted. I have since decided that I'll just weld the brackets to the frame. I don't see the brackets getting in the way of anything, but I might change my mind and use the top bolt holes and weld it to the frame. The bolts might be useful to transfer some load to the outside of the frame rail, and the welds are obviously really strong.

I love your project. It's coming along very nicely.

Dan

[Awl_TEQ]

Shamelessly stolen from Dan's build thread.



just at a glance the 79+ floor seems to have more of a rise than my 78. But you say you encountered the same issue with the crossmember. How low does your t-case hang below the frame Dan?

[clarkrw3]

Love the build!! One of these days I would love to build a 45...and love to see the progress you have made. That Al tank is a work of art and LOVE the rear bumper!

[HJ47]

Kevin (and Dan),

I posted this on your other thread Kevin, but then I thought I should put it here.

The 1981-1984 tranmission hump is about 1/2" taller than the 79-80 transmission hump (this is also when the transmission cradle was introduced, and when the 5 speed first appeared). This is why the removable panel on the 81-84 tunnel has that raised section in it. Thus, you would have about 1/2" less wiggle room with the 78, I would guess.

If you look at an H41 and an H55 side-by-side, you will see that the top loader is slightly higher. I've always understood this to be due to the external linkage which engages the overdrive 5th.

I agree with 45Kevin, just do what you have to to make it fit. Once you make skids for it, the fact that it is 1/2" lower than a factory BJ42 will be immaterial.

The other option would be to add about 1/2" of height to the tansmission tunnel. Dan, I'm sure I can get an 81-84 cover for you down here. I think there is also a slight raise in the tub itself where the cover bolts to the firewall, but the cover would make it much more factory-looking even if you had to trim the firewall slightly.

Cheers,

Josh

[Awl_TEQ]

Thanks again Josh (re: other thread)

I measured and compared all day and finally had to act. I cut an inch off of the left end of the cross member center section (cradle). This meant the captured nuts were lost so I welded new nuts at both ends.

This had the effect of straightening the drive train in the frame somewhat though it is still 1/2" too close to center in the rear. It also allowed me to jack the tranny up until the cradle brackets landed properly on the frame. This will let me use the existing bolt holes in the cradle ends.

The tower ends up close enough considering I will be cutting a relief in it anyway


The following posts will show more shots of the final position

[Awl_TEQ]

[Awl_TEQ]

The L-brackets are tack welded in place and will stay that way until the mock up of the entire engine bay, front clip and interior is complete. Then after tear down and cab removal I will drill and bolt, with captured nuts, all of the mounts.

[DanS HJ-45]

Kevin:

Here's how low the crossmember is in our 40.


Now, keep in mind that I pushed everything forward about 2" to make the shift levers all work out with the original holes, and to give enough room for the T-case parking brake. Basically I mounted the transmission as high as I could, leaving just a little room between the top cover of the H55f (which is a 60/70 series top cover) for movement. Here's a picture of that. The wire for the backup light will easily clear between the top cover and the tub.


I plan on either fabricating a skid plate, or seeing if the IPOR skid plate will clear this whole thing, but either way the T-case will get a little protection.

Dan

[HJ47]

Dan,

That is exactly how I plan to do mine in my FJ40 if I do put a D4-D in, although I would do it to get the extra drive shaft length. When I did the Vortec in my troopy, I swaped my 40 series top loader for a 60 series one, and moved everything forward like you did and it has worked really well. Do you see any issues with oil pan/differential clearance with the motor 2" forward? I think it also makes a lot more sense than putting it where Toyota did and making a 12" fan shroud. I wonder why they did that?

I still have the skid plate in the factory location, and it covers everything just as it did before. My gear box is not quite as low as yours, but I really don't think that matters; that's what skid plates are for.

Cheers,

Josh

[Awl_TEQ]

Thanks Dan,

It looks to me that I may have mine just a touch higher than yours so I'll be fine where I'm at (and so will you).

Josh - I will be moving my rad back 2.5-3" for an intercooler and condenser in front of it so the shroud will be more "normal". What model was your skid plate from again? It would be cool to use my original 2F/H41 plate though if I build my own it'll be stronger. I'll have to hold it up and see how close it is. At the very least it can serve as a template.

Kevin

[whitey45]

Kevin, do you know if putting the intercooler up front and requiring a lot longer intake track will effect when the boost will come in.I know the longer the tubing the more turbo lag..I have no experience with a 3b,I am going off of my porsche turbo experience.Just wondering if you have talked to the owner of the above set up.If this works ok I will do the same and install up front where it should be.I think an audi a4 intercooler might work!Great thread by the way..

[Awl_TEQ]

I'm not a turbo expert (yet) but when I drove the truck above this spring I did not notice any overt turbo lag. Push foot down/ listen for whine/ grab another gear. I did feel the extra oomf in the seat of the pants fore sure. One thing I did notice was after a 5 min drive the inlet side was fairly warm and the outlet was quite cold - so I guess it works .

Keep in mind I have a limited frame of reference.

[whitey45]

Great,I guess an intercooler goes on the list of mods!I wanted to ask if you have a website or company in canada where I can source parts.I need a water pump and that is even a challenge to find.Thanks

[Awl_TEQ]

4wheelauto in Edmonton has them on their website

4wheelauto - main page

Cooling system page

[DanS HJ-45]

It's all those reasons that I mounted it a couple inches forward of the "correct" spot.
--Fan shroud is a normal length (heck--I'm keeping the FJ-40 shroud)
--Shift towers in the right spots (no body work needed there)
--More room behind engine, before you get to the firewall
--T-case parking brake fits without modifying the crossmember

I think the oil pan clears the axle just fine, but frankly I don't know of a good way to check it. I've flexed it as much as I can with a bare frame/motor, and so far I'm good, and it looks like the bump stop will hit before the axle contacts the oil pan. I very well may add a crossmember (compression type) right under the oil pan between the motor mounts, since the ones I made to work with the 70 series motor brackets have a bit of a twisting moment on the frame....

But.... my 45 will have pretty much these exact same problems. It's got an H55f for it, and that will be in the "correct" position in my '76 body. Kevin's project here looks eerily similar to that.

As to the turbo lag: I kind of like a little lag for wheeling. The diesel has enough torque to crawl at idle, but if I were to mash the pedal down, then it will kind of lug and slowly add power instead of just bursting with quick power and spinning the tires. I like the turbo lag on my 2LT-E (stock intake, no intercooler), and the BJ-74 I've driven had maybe a little too quick turbo for my tastes. I kind of like a large diameter turbo that doesn't really do much at low RPM, but gives the real push at higher RPM (like on the highway).

Dan

[Awl_TEQ]

So I went and saw my pusher today...


Top to bottom:
OEM Diesel fenders (cuz they are different than gas)
Mini truck steering box
42 style washer reservoir and bracket
Aftermarket clutch slave
OEM 42 series brake master
OEM 13BT upper thermostat housing (for the turbo coolant lines)
Freshly rebuilt 12V starter - the original from my drive train
60 series top loader - cuz I need the 5th gear arm that the mine maintenance dept. torched off (I'm returning the rest)
OEM vac pump oil lines - these I borrowed to have copies made because one is discontinued and both together are over $220
Banjo bolts for above
And last but not least - my rusty shifter arm

[HJ47]

Originally Posted by Awl_TEQ

Thanks Dan,

It looks to me that I may have mine just a touch higher than yours so I'll be fine where I'm at (and so will you).

Josh - I will be moving my rad back 2.5-3" for an intercooler and condenser in front of it so the shroud will be more "normal". What model was your skid plate from again? It would be cool to use my original 2F/H41 plate though if I build my own it'll be stronger. I'll have to hold it up and see how close it is. At the very least it can serve as a template.

Kevin

Kevin,

I just used my factory skid plate. With my metal fabrication skills, something I've made will never be confused with something you've made.

I like the idea of moving the rad back to put an intercooler in front. How much was just the top loader for the H55? I'm guessing that they no longer offer the 40 series one?

Josh

[Awl_TEQ]

Josh,

I was given the 60 top loader in order to rob the 5th gear actuation rod out of it. It was part of my original purchase of the drive train. On my 5 speed the mine personnel took a torch and cut the end off of the bar to select 5th gear so that it could not be used. Perhaps similar to yours on Patches. After I remove the rod I will be giving him the rest back cuz it came from a good 5 spd.

I am fairly sure you cannot buy the 40 toploader any longer. Even my source has none. He does have a half dozen 60 series though. He was putting one into a BJ42 today and I saw two more under his bench, two more on the floor and one in a 60 outside. FYI the 42 had 844,000 Km on the clock!


Kevin

[HJ47]

Originally Posted by Awl_TEQ

Josh,

I was given the 60 top loader in order to rob the 5th gear actuation rod out of it. It was part of my original purchase of the drive train. On my 5 speed the mine personnel took a torch and cut the end off of the bar to select 5th gear so that it could not be used. Perhaps similar to yours on Patches. After I remove the rod I will be giving him the rest back cuz it came from a good 5 spd.

I am fairly sure you cannot buy the 40 toploader any longer. Even my source has none. He does have a half dozen 60 series though. He was putting one into a BJ42 today and I saw two more under his bench, two more on the floor and one in a 60 outside. FYI the 42 had 844,000 Km on the clock!


Kevin

Good thing you are re-building it

Yes, Patches' 5th looked brand new when I rebuilt the gear box, as it had never been used. They simply took the actuator lever off, though...luckily no-one got too close to it with a torch.

Now I have a brand new H55 in there from CDan, and the 5th in that had never been used either

Josh

[65-fj45]

any updates?

[fluffybunnysui]

Man... i was really hoping you were going to rebuild your stock master cylinder ... being that it's exactly like mine and i can't find any rebuild kits for it.



Excellent job on the rebuild !!

[Awl_TEQ]

Originally Posted by 65-fj45

any updates?

Yeah - nuthin to spectacular but I have been collecting bits and pieces of the puzzle.


The 90/91 Acura Integra and Honda Civic Si supplied the seats for my 81 mini Toy and I really liked the snug sport buckets off road. I couldn't find a good set at the wreckers but did find these.
The full story - I found a mid eighties 2WD toyota truck with really cool seats, not the ones I was looking for but really cool. As I checked them out I realized they were not original to the truck. They were a great seat but missing the headrests. So as I searched for the Integra/ Civic Si seats (not DX- silly single arm headrest) I found a 90 Prelude with those same really cool seats. These seats have the same snug fit side bolsters but with a bonus. The lumbar (lower back) is adjustable with a lever on the side - pull the lever to get more support. Also the side bolsters in the seat back are adjustable in width by a rotating knob. There is also a "memory" button so that when you flop the seat forward to grab something from behind the seat you don't have to search for the right angle when you get back in - it automatically goes to the last angle that you pushed the memory button at. And lastly there is a lever to fine tune the seat back angle between the "clicks". All of this is only on the drivers side. Passengers are SOL.

I will strip the covers off of these and wash them. Then I'll decide if I will get them re-upholstered. They are small enough for the cab and if I mount them right and high enough it should make the driver position more comfortable. I will be fabricating my own framework for them to sit on. The camera flash washes them out but they are black(ish).

The other item I was looking for had me searching for old Ford trucks (circa 1979) and Volvos (circa 1982).

York AC compressors for on board air!

[Awl_TEQ]

I found one in a Ford truck and the other in a Volvo

The one from the Volvo says its the higher flow rate 210 but I will need to take off the pulley to check. I only grabbed two cuz they don't make them anymore and thats all I could find.

I also grabbed this AC compressor from an 88 4WD Toyota pickup - four bolts held it to the bracket - 7 bolts held the bracket to the 22RE!! I actually removed the ENTIRE hvac system.

[Awl_TEQ]

The rest of the HVAC

Condenser

Evaporator/ blower/ heater core / dryer and all control cables, wiring harness, ductwork and pressure lines. I could go with Nostalgic Air or something like it but I found this system in a truck at the wreckers and for a hundred bucks I'll take a stab at fitting it under the dash. It didn't look this big when I decided to pull it and once I had it out I almost left it there. Once I got it home and into the cab I think it could work. Worst case I'll engineer my own housings and just use the components (evaporator and heater core).



As I continue planing and fabbing this build I find myself going farther and farther away from originality. While I am aware of this it does not bother me. There are certain mods that I want and others that are upgrades for safety and drivability. I find that once I decide to go in a certain direction that it presents an opportunity to do another mod. I believe this is what is meant when some say a build takes on a life of its own. I still have that "minds eye view" of what I want in the end. A daily driver needs comfort so AC and seats I like will help.

[Awl_TEQ]

As I mentioned somewhere above I am going to completely mock up the engine bay/ front clip as well as the cab interior before I tear down for final coatings etc. To that end I need to mount all the accessories

I've got an issue with the alternator pulley not lining up - this is with factory brackets so what's wrong?? Doesn't really matter as I still have a York and my AC compressor to fit in somewhere so I see a custom bracket in my future, I will likely have to move it anyway.

I can't seem to get the arm off of the manual box in order to use it with my mini truck PSbox. Is there a trick to it. I tried the BFG and some mild heat with a puller - any ideas out there? Or just more heat and a bigger puller?

[dr_claw]

looks good. Remove the box and use a press to get that arm?

Also, I thought of doing the same thing for the AC. I would have built my own housing etc.

After much thought, up here I would use the AC one month of the year.

I did however rebuild my heater

[whitey45]

Kevin,a dedicated pitman arm puller is alot more stout as these arms can be a bear to remove.Dont be afraid to get it hot,just be careful,because it will POP off when it goes.Some more heat should do the trick...Your build is motivating me to get going on mine,maybe we can make the 2010 45 run,,hurry up!!

[DanS HJ-45]

x2 what whitey said about the pitman arm.

Another trick is to heat it up and then touch a crayon to the shaft. The wax will actually draw into the splines and amazingly breaks a lot of rust loose somehow. It's like magic or something.

I also might spray some Kroil on there for a couple of days to let it soak and loosen some rust before you try too much.

That alternator pulley angle is wierd. It looks like the same setup we've got, but ours lines up. I'll compare those pics to ours when I'm up in the shop tomorrow. I like the York idea (a lot, I think I've got room to fit one in my 45--I've also got a 210 that is in beautiful shape). Between the PS, the York, and the A/C you're going to have a LOT of stuff going on at the front of your motor!

Dan

[Gusb]

Originally Posted by Awl_TEQ

I can't seem to get the arm off of the manual box in order to use it with my mini truck PSbox. Is there a trick to it. I tried the BFG and some mild heat with a puller - any ideas out there? Or just more heat and a bigger puller?

Snap-on CJ119B - if you were closer I'd loan you mine. I guess even the Snap-on puller can break sometimes. Put on some extra eye protection.

[Awl_TEQ]

Originally Posted by DanS HJ-45

Between the PS, the York, and the A/C you're going to have a LOT of stuff going on at the front of your motor!

Dan

Two battery brackets, turbo and intercooler also - we'll see if I can make it all fit under the hood I don't want to give up anything either. I will most likely make a custom bracket for the alternator/york/AC combo all together. There are lots of mounting points on that side of the motor to use. Probly stall the 3B on a hot night turning left blowing my air horns