Elsie went WeWeWe all the way home

[77mustard40]

I hope you will allow my entry into your rare space, I'm the owner of a 40 but have always had an attraction to the FJ55's so imagine my reaction when a neighbor down the street told me that he had a Land Cruiser older than mine but it was a wagon. That conversation occurred a couple of years ago and my attempts to have him show me the truck went nowhere. Then a few weeks ago I had a knock on the door and there was George telling me he wanted to show me Elsie. So on a cold rainy day, in minutes I was on my way to a storage yard to see a 72 one owner pig that had been parked for close to 10 years dying a slow death.



Here she was, a remarkably straight blue and white beast sitting in the weeds, an aftermarket AC bolted to the roof and dripping water into he cab, tires flat as pancakes.



Under the hood was the unmolested F155 with less that 50,000 miles waiting to be brought back to life.

 

[77mustard40]

Weeks passed, Geaorge was willing to sell at one number and me wanting to buy but knowing that I didn't have space in the garage for a project like this. We finally agreed to we would return her to the roost and that I would help him get her road worthy with help from some of the WALCS members. Today was the day to get her home. We pulled the wheels off my 40, grabbed a bottle of brake fluid and rolled up to make the rescue. I will let the pics do the talking.



After bleeding the fronts and confirming we could stop this beast she rolled right home without too much trouble. Now to start through all the systems to get her ready to start. This will be a slow mover because I'm going to have to fit this into my wrench time on the 40 but at least we it's no longer rotting in the open. Hoping to grab a day and some volunteers to attack several things at once to see if we can get her to roll.

 

[Tom FJ55]

Very Nice! I remember you posting the first pic of it parked in the storage area in my thread - go '72s !!!!!

Looks like it's in great shape - at least from the pics. . . nice starting point.

 

[77mustard40]

Thanks Tom, I can only hope that Elsie turns out half as nice as yours. I'm subscribed to your thread and am really enjoying watching your progress.

 

[PabloCruise]

So George is going to keep Elsie, but you will help him get her running?

Sounds cool!

What made him park her 10 years ago?

That AC unit is a kick! I bet Elsie get cold inside with that!

 

[chevurai]

That AC unit is something else. It looks like a 5 ton house system that was adapted to a cruiser. Your gonna have a lot of fun with that project. It's a lot of work but worth it.

 

[77mustard40]

So George is going to keep Elsie, but you will help him get her running?

Sounds cool!

What made him park her 10 years ago?

That AC unit is a kick! I bet Elsie get cold inside with that!

Yup George is an old geologist that bought Elsie for access to the oil wells he was chasing. He told me she was always second fiddle on he road but first fiddle off the beaten path, thus she never really incurred the mileage. She went to the field so to speak after he discovered he could have a suburban that was pretty comfortable on all surfaces. You should see the 240Z that needs similar attention; George never gets rid of anything so he says. So when I told him I'd love to have her but I don't have a shop to tear her down properly we developed this compromise where he buys parts and premium beer and I supply labor to include some of the esteemed Cruiser heads in Austin who are interested in a wrench day or two. The goal is to get her running, if for no other reason than to drive down the street to Billy's on Burnet for a 512 IPA.

 

[Tom FJ55]

Thanks Tom, I can only hope that Elsie turns out half as nice as yours. I'm subscribed to your thread and am really enjoying watching your progress.

That's far too kind. . . My pig is just a slightly polished turd! "Nice as mine" won't be hard! I dig that yours is a '72 too!

 

[77mustard40]

Here are some of the challenges



Couple of dents in the roof but the biggie is this DS rear corner, this is the only place where the skin has opened to the elements. Thinking of cutting my teeth with the MIG but may grab Riley from Colvin's around the corner for this since he did a great job on my 40 sill last summer. The holes from the AC will need to get filled as well.



Head liner is self explanatory, water logged from leaking I'm afraid of what lies beneath. Pulling up the mats the floors look pretty solid but we need to strip the interior to have a real good look.



Most everything under the hood looks doable but I haven't tried to see if the motor will turn yet, maybe this weekend.

 

[PabloCruise]

Good luck!

Maybe you can get joint custody of Elsie?

 

[77mustard40]

Good luck!

Maybe you can get joint custody of Elsie?

A long term title transfer would be great, I'd love to have her in my stable.

 

[Gonzo55]

That thing would make a great ice cream truck and I'm sure the lady's would give a great weather report as well ))

 

[hairy_apple]

That A/C is awesome. My 40's name is Elsie.

 

[77mustard40]

Minor wrenching this afternoon, pulled the plugs and gave each cylinder a shot of mystery oil. The plugs didn't look too bad, dark but I dont think they were fouled. I also poured some mystery oil into the crankcase vent on the head cover. Tomorrow I may grab the crank under the back seat and see if I can move the motor

 

[driver5155]

subscribed

 

[77mustard40]

Was out front this afternoon and heard George with the shop vac, very unusual sound from that end of the street. Walked down to see what the trouble was and



Found him under the hood cleaning years worth of bs. This of course turned into a minor wrench session on the spot. Still curious about the state of the motor so I pulled the crank from the rear seat and turned her over with effortless ease, smooth as silk. Knowing that a carb kit is days away I pulled the carb and started tearing it down for a bath.



I have never been into a 72 (Jan 11, 1972 to be exact) so I will be looking for help. First up how can you tell the difference between the Venturi? On my 76 it was easy but when I pulled these off the two sides looked identical so I marked the primary with a sharpie for now



Second, I could not separate the insulator from the base of the carb. I did not go at it too hard because I didn't want to bugger up the insulator, suggestions? Need to get it off the get to the third screw holding the base to the bowl ( assuming there is one accessed from the bottom like the later years)

 

[77mustard40]

Carb is pretty much a mess, here is he issue list so far:




About 1/8 inch of grit in the bowl, fuel tank will need work




Weight in the pump exit circuit is stuck




Missing PV jet




Permatex everywhere

And finally no retainer clip holding pump inlet check-ball in place, going to have to see if I can find one of these or make one.

 

[PabloCruise]

Wish I knew my way around a carb like you seem to...

 

[tucker74]

So what's the plan for the Sat the 14th, I'm thinking we commence to wrenching after C&C? You put together a list of goodies for him to order? Looking at the motor I'm thinking:

• Cap/Rotor/Points/Wires/Plugs ... possibly igniter?
• Belts/Hoses/Thermostat/Rad flush and new coolant.
• Carb rebuild/Fuel filter/soft fuel lines/air filter
• Battery/cables?

That should get her running anyway, not sure on what needs to be done on the brakes/clutch master/slave side?

Tucker

 

[subzali]

Wish I knew my way around a carb like you seem to...

Hey TJ, it's really not too hard once you've been in there a couple times (assuming it isn't royally screwed). You should pull your air horn sometime and check it out. That'll give you a good introduction.

From the crosspost in the 40 section, there's a couple links with lots of pictures...
https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/580647-charity-carb-work.html