Builds Old Landy: An HJ45 Story/Build Thread (3 Viewers)

[Cowboy45]

Had to take a break from the axle for a little bit so I turned some attention to the engine. (Ran out of jack stands in the barn ) To deal with the bad ground I ended up just using a jumper cable from the mounting bolt on the starter, straight to the ground on the battery. That seemed to take care of the issue for the most part. Also got a new priming pump in and removed all the air from the lines. But even after all that the engine doesn’t want to start up. I think I’m still loosing some juice somewhere but at least that starter is turning now. Some terminal kits should be coming in tomorrow so hopefully that will do it.

 

[Michael B]

Do you know that you are getting fuel through the lines to the injectors?

 

[Cowboy45]

Do you know that you are getting fuel through the lines to the injectors?

I mean I would assume so since I’m getting fuel through the fuel filter but I guess that doesn’t mean much. It would probably be smart to test that . It’s actually kind of funny because yesterday I was helping my mom with some yard work and I ran into a similar issue with the tractor. Cracked the lines to see if I was getting fuel. I guess it didn’t cross my mind to try it on Landy lol. Thanks Michael!

 

[Michael B]

Also Keaton how long are you glowing it before you attempt to start it?

 

[Cowboy45]

Also Keaton how long are you glowing it before you attempt to start it?

Well for the most part I was just trying to get the starter to engage consistently and if it ended up firing up I was just going to call it luck. It was a pretty redneck way of going about it haha. But I was checking out the wiring and the PO has either wired it straight to the key, which doesn’t really make sense, or there is some kind of Wilson switch somewhere that I’m missing. (The wiring is a bit of a mess.) The connector from the relay to the glow pug rail is also a little interesting and if my starter isn’t getting enough juice I’m not convinced the glow plugs will even kick in. We bought some wiring stuff to redo it all.

 

[Michael B]

If your truck is an original HJ, and I think I remember that it is, then the glow system should be wired to your ignition switch. If I remember correctly you roll the key backwards from the off position which should cause the glow indicator in the dash to illuminate. Indicating the plugs are glowing. You should glow it for about 30 seconds before rolling the key to the start position. Even in a hot Texas summer I would glow a 2H on the first start of the day. Also ensure you have a real good high amperage battery that is fully charged. You gonna need it!!

 

[cruisermatt]

 

[Dagha Boy]

Hey-Ho! As Michael B says, those old H's start easy after the first glow for the 1st start of the day. When you roll the key back to glow you should hear a loud klick as the glow plug solenoid switch kicks in. If you have the original you WILL hear it.

Some advice, check or replace the plastic switch inside the ignition switch. They go bad and then you can end up with a glow plug circuit that remains on. They are relatively cheap. Good progress.

 

[redfj45can]

When I bought my BJ43 new in 1980 (these B engines smoke like hell when you start them).
I had an extra switch installed for glowing, cost about 10 euros.
To start the engine I pulled the switch for about 10 seconds and let it glow.
Then I turned the starter key and started the engine --- less, less smoke.... let it glow further and drove off.
After another 10 seconds I turned the extra switch off.... perfect solution.
In this picture the switch is hidden on the left behind the steering wheel, unfortunately you can't see it.
Pic is from 2014

 

[CaptClose]

Great work kid!

 

[Cowboy45]

Also have been working in the inspection cover for a while. I was not convinced that me and my fathers metal working skills would be good enough to do it, but I was pretty surprised with how it turned out. Started off by cutting a straight line along the bottom of the inspection cover and bending the piece to sit flush with the tunnel. This way we have something to go off of when it comes to doing the new metal work.

 

[Cowboy45]

But now we still have a large section of the cover that hangs over the tunnel. So I marked the last spot where the inspection cover touches the tunnel and cut the sliver that hung over off. I didn’t go to far to where I would be recreating the bend in the cover.

 

[Cowboy45]

After that we ground down the top till it matched perfectly with the shape of the tunnel. Then, by grinding a same gauge peace of steel we matched the hole and tack welded it in place. (Used the tunnel as a guide.)

 

[Cowboy45]

Now the end piece was a little tricky. There is a slight bend down and towards the tunnel. I was afraid we would bend the really good piece we had already shaped for the main portion so I decided to do this separately. I cut out a small piece of metal then ground it down till it was about the right size then bent it using vice grips and a vice to match the cover. I also had to recreate the little lip that borders the cover as well (put a piece of steel on a railroad tie that was about the height of the factory lip then hammered and dollied it till it matched). Lastly, just welded in the final pieces and got to grinding.

 

[Cowboy45]

After grinding down the welds I found some tiny tiny holes where the welds didn’t cover fully. So I just started adding more material and grinding down till I got all of them. The problem I’m now running into is there is sort of a low spot where the two plates merge at the bottom, from grinding. And because of the amount of welds I did to cover holes I now can’t really knock all of them completely smooth. So I think what I’m left with is just putting some fiberglass before paint to cover them a little bit. I don’t like doing it but I feel like I’m wearing the metal a little too thin. So this is how it sits now... (I am still working on the end pieces so don’t mind how bad that looks right now.)

 

[Cowboy45]

Great work kid!

It’s going slow but I guess you just gotta get something done every day. How’s your 45 coming

 

[redfj45can]

It’s going slow but I ........

.⭔.↺**↺.⭔.

.⭔.↺**↺.⭔.

 

[Krondor]

I can't fully tell if you are using a flap disc or a grinding wheel. But I pretty much threw all of my grinding wheels away when it comes to sheet metal work and solely grind with flap discs. They take a lot less material away. Great work though. Once you fully grasp she art of sheet metal, The possibilities are endless!

 

[samc2447]

I use these to knock the welds down then clean up with 120 grit on my air sander. Much better than a grinding wheel and they last a long time
Walter Flexcut
You can get them on Amazon and a bunch of places online or at your local welding store

 

[Cowboy45]

I can't fully tell if you are using a flap disc or a grinding wheel. But I pretty much threw all of my grinding wheels away when it comes to sheet metal work and solely grind with flap discs. They take a lot less material away. Great work though. Once you fully grasp she art of sheet metal, The possibilities are endless!

Yeah I’m using a grinding wheel. I was a little scared the flap disc might be a little too rough for it, but I guess it’s worth a try! Metal work is definitely an art