Recent content by 4xphoenix

I opted for the gorilla solution, since I had no clear evidence of OEM hangers for the exhaust. A local shop with only the proprietor doing everything hooked me up with a used Magnaflow muffler for a lot less than the SOR muffler and tailpipe. A slight whistle reappeared until I retightened...

The used header leaked less but still significantly at cylinders 2&3, and 4&5 where it shares attachment bolts with the aluminum intake. I got a better idle but now it whistled at idle, really loud like a cat whistle, and it changed pitch as well. I have these options wrt the intake/exhaust...

I built a winch/receiver support from steel plate. The lower plate bolts to the original tie-downs and overlaps the aftermarket front skid plate. I didn't replace the washer reservoir and so far it has survived fine; if it gets damaged I will replace or relocate it as needed. The hand-fabricated...

This is one of the last posts because I have completed the driveline upgrades by now. I will be succinct here because it is a curved course from a running engine to a final reliable vehicle. The OEM manifold gasket leaked intake and exhaust, so I installed a compressible gasket from SOR, which...

My retro FJ came out okay... 4xPhoenix and the Retro FJ Cruiser - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum and I don't have issues with anything, once I cut my OEM bumper down after bending it...LOL

I failed to take photos of the rear pull-out before installation thanks to the poor weather...nevertheless, the fit was tighter on the rear and it was convenient to have the inspection cover to check out the copper tubing for the ARB after installation of the pull-out. I installed everything...

It turned out that the starter also failed on that fateful day ~1 year ago...the replacement arrived and will be installed as soon as I finish the rear diff...here we go again with shims and pinions...but, this time it worked out differently. This solid spacer included the correct shims and it...

After finishing the transmission installation, it was time to deal with the home-made seat frame and fuel system. The fill-vent was blocked by the seat support frame and was hand-slip-on tight, so I used a screw clamp but that required making it easier to remove the seats ...so I had to trim...

This is an addendum to the last post...the transmission/t-case just BARELY goes in at an angle and the clutch throw-out bearing has to be installed on the transmission input shaft prior to attempting to install the assembly...so, those retainer clips seem redundant since I couldn't install them...

Ed Nettles drove from near Hammond to help and I could not have done this without him...period! We weren't able to get the pilot bearing to slide in because we didn't have enough long alignment bolts...the next day I bought some more of the 12-1.25x45mm bolts from Lowes and suspended the...

I had some time so I positioned the transmission/t-case for installation tomorrow... I removed it so I knew it would work again (ha!) but it wasn't too bad...I had both of the 6-ton jack stands in contact with the axle during this parade and it is now ready...

I finally installed the Weber carb...more trouble...all four of the 8-1.25mm mount bolt taps were stripped! I ran a tap thru them and they held at 5 lb-ft (should be 8 lb-ft); I didn't want to push my luck (again) on the aluminum intake. The rest of the carb installation was simple but the...

I had power assist steering added last year and it worked great but there were some issues transplanting it to the 2F. The original (Toyota installed) bracket had two issues: (1) the attachment was by the front two head bolts, which were not both parallel to the engine centerline and the pump...

I finally patched up all of the holes in the firewall with high-temp duct tape...we will see... I also dealt with the exhaust because of the header reducer, which was 2.5" diameter. Nothing fit and it was a lot of effort with many U-bolts to assemble this Rube Goldberg device...it will...

This is an update on special issues that have come up during the reassembly of the engine compartment. The proper bolts came and they all slid in without any substantial work...no trimming of the intake manifold was necessary...this is remarkable considering I went from 10 mm studs to 12 mm...