1966 FJ45LV Resurrection

[FJinTegaCay]

So what's next? You did a fine job of meeting your goal to have it ready for the Meet and Greet. Have you slowed your roll?
Now that the 45 is running, what does the future hold for your 40?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Since the Meet and Greet, I have not touched the LV due to work and family commitments. I need to sit down and prioritize a new to-do list in hopes of driving the LV on the Hurricane Creek trip this coming July.

At the top of the list for the LV is adding a distributor vacuum line which was removed by a PO when a Kar Kit Emissions Control System was installed back in the 1970's to meet California emissions requirements. Without it, the timing was noticeably off at certain RPMs and the LV was terribly underpowered. I am trying to source the fittings I need and hope to have them in the next couple of weeks. Also on the list will be having the hinge area of the tailgate repaired so I can faux-tina it, the hood and aprons. I'd also like to have the three-speed shifter re-positioned to factory specs on the steering column (it shifted from the 3 & 4 o'clock position to Noon and 1 o'clock when power steering was added).

The 40 has some leaks and bodywork that need to be addressed but it continues to run flawlessly despite having been neglected.

At some point, I suspect my wife will hold me to our arrangement and I will have to sell one of my Land Cruisers. I hope that she will wait until I have more seat time in the LV before I have to make a decision.

 

[elkaholic]

Given a couple of reasonably decent financial minds, I am sure a sale / lease back transaction could be arranged

 

[FJinTegaCay]

A couple weeks ago I finally took the time to have the rear drums turned. After checking a few places, I opted for the Goodyear by my house which charged $15 drum - a reasonable price in my opinion and very convenient. I can't say I can tell a difference in braking but I do have added peace of mind about my stopping power.

After a fruitless search in the "Parting Out" section and no PMs from my Wanted To Buy post, I broke down and purchased from Classic Cruisers a distributor vacuum line with fittings and all the parts that go beneath the horn button. I jokingly told my dad that I might have to start selling my plasma to help pay for parts.

I installed the parts from Classic Cruisers this past week and @forrest5000 came over yesterday to assist with wiring up one of the horns. I think the cruiser already drives better with the vacuum line installed and I am hopeful that resetting the timing and adding the electronic ignition from Mark's Offroad will only improve it further.

Finally, I spent a couple hours at the locksmith on Saturday and was able to get new keys cut to fit the door, tailgate and gas cap locks. Until now, I have been hesitant to drive and leave the LV out of eyesight for any length of time fear of someone being tempted to walk away with the tools I carry. I plan to drive it to work later this week as forecasted temps are in the 70's and the chance of rain is 20% or less.

 

[onemanarmy]

was the locksmith reasonable? I need to do the same thing on a 60 in the near future.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

was the locksmith reasonable? I need to do the same thing on a 60 in the near future.

They were able to use the four digit code on the locks for the tailgate and fuel door (matching #s). Unfortunately for me, they had to do an impression for the driver side door as the code was only three digits and wasn't in any of the books or on the websites. Probably another LV nuance. The impression added $30 to the bill bringing the total for two sets of keys to just under $70. I didn't have to worry about an ignition key as I had purchased a new ignition, with keys, from Toyota to replace what the PO had installed. If I had not been able to bring the vehicle to them, a service call would have added $85 to the bill.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

Time for an update. It seems air is somehow getting into the clutch master, slave or the line connecting the two. The clutch pedal is soft but thankfully I've still been able to drive it. A couple club members were kind enough to come over and we looked the clutch over but could not find where the air could be getting in. Thanks again @roadstr6 and @Roxx for swinging by. I called JT Outfitters, from where I procured the kit, and they are sending a new line. Fingers crossed this will remedy the problem.

Despite the clutch issues, I couldn't pass up taking the old girl to the local Cars & Coffee event last weekend with one of my neighbors and the Cobra replica he built. The truck did really well around town and on the highways and the weather was perfect! Once we arrived, I didn't stay with her much of the time as there were so many cars to see. When she was within sight, more often than not, I saw people looking her over, peeking in the windows and even some taking pictures. When I was with the truck I met one of the co-owners of Tarheel 4WD, which I believe is one of the oldest off-road shop in the area. I had a good time talking with him and he ended up giving me the contact info for bodyshop guy who has the reputation of doing good work for a fair price.

Late yesterday @elkaholic came over to help me with the LV. Using his compression test kit we got the following numbers: 150 - 145 - 145 - 155 - 140 - 150. I believe new is 150 so I am obviously very pleased. Following instructions found on @Coolerman 's website, Sam then installed the fusible link I'd purchased from Coolerman months ago. Next, using Sam's timing light and dwell meter, we made slight adjustments to the idle and timing. Before calling it a night, we took her out on the open road and she performed flawlessly, despite the soft clutch pedal. I feel more confident about the old girl's health, that she'll be ready for an adventure later this summer and can sleep a little easier not worrring that I'll fry the wiring harness now that the fusible link is installed. Thanks @elkaholic!

 

[roadstr6]

David, I would suspect the master is what is sucking air and not the line. I've read some posts about a seal in the master rolling out of its groove and causing problems. I hope I am wrong! Congrats on the compression numbers! Very nice!

 

[FJinTegaCay]

David, I would suspect the master is what is sucking air and not the line. I've read some posts about a seal in the master rolling out of its groove and causing problems. I hope I am wrong! Congrats on the compression numbers! Very nice!

You are not alone in your suspicion. It is a process of elimination at this point and we're going to start with the lowest quality part and go from there. I'm hopeful the Aisin parts have a 1-year warranty and that JT Outfitters will help me get a replacement.

Based on the bolts in the coffee can that came with the LV and a few other tale-tale signs, I suspect someone has gone into the motor since it came from the factory. Based on those numbers, it seems they did a very good job and we didn't screw it up when we got it started up again. Considering how long it sat (a decade based on threads on the truck I found going back to 2008), and although it has a long way to go, I think it has come a long way from these pics which I found on mud (going back to 2011).

 

[FJinTegaCay]

Time for another update...

John at JT Outfitters was very helpful. As changing out the line between the clutch master and slave cylinders made no difference, John sent a new slave cylinder via USPS Priority Mail. I re-used the rod that was on the LV when I bought her and problem solved! As best as I can tell, the clutch engages and disengages at the same spot in the pedal travel as when I had first intsalled the new master and slave kit.

We had great wrenching weather this Memorial Day Weekend. I spent Saturday cleaning up the exterior of the gauge cluster thinking that a bad connection or ground could be the cause of the inaccurate oil pressure, temperature and fuel level gauge readings. No such luck. Hopefully when I get her to Marshall he'll be able to quickly diagnose the problem. I adjusted the parking brake to 7 clicks on the handle but had to adjust it back out after it failed to disengage properly. The one thing I did accomplish was mounting the fire extinguisher between the bench and driver side door.

I was lucky enough to spend yesterday afternoon with Dave (@roadstr6) in his garage. I was very ADD and we jumped from one thing to the next. I think we came up with a plan to modify and re-use the fan shroud to work with the radiator's current location (it was shifted to accommodate the power steering up-grade). We re-checked the fuel sending unit and found that it doesn't quite register full but it does seem to register empty leading me to believe I am either getting awful gas mileage (quite possible) or I've not filled up the tank recently like I'd thought. I think I'll remove the sender the next time I fill up and take a peek to see just how full the tank is.

Taking advantage of Dave's 3-ton floor jack and tall jack stands, we got all four wheels in the air and checked the 4WD. While the front driveshaft turned when the FD knob was pulled, the front wheels did not spin. Before anyone asks, yes, I did think to lock the hubs. We opened the fill port and, with help of a flashlight, looked inside and saw all the gears were turning like they should. We are both perplexed as to why the front wheels weren't spinning. Our best guess is that it is somehow related to the disc brake conversion and possibly the wrong hubs having been installed. I've spent a lot of time searching mud today and am no closer to solving this mystery.

As Dave had some bushings he didn't need for his 40 laying around and the LV was already up in the air, we jacked up the frame in the front and swapped out the shackle bushings. The pins looked to be in good condition and if not for one bushing getting partially pushed out during the pin reinstall, we might have broken the record time for swapping them out. These new shackle bushings made for a much more pleasurable drive home on the curvy country roads by Dave's house. Replacing the spring hangar side bushings will have to wait for another day. Before I left, Dave and I confirmed that parking brake isn't working properly and a rebuild kit is in my future.

Thanks again to Dave for his hospitality and assistance!

 

[JackA]

It is kind of a trick to get the tank full. I usually fill it till I see gas up in the filler neck, then shake the wagon side to side, then add gas till it stays up in the neck in while shaking. Hope that makes sense. Sounds funny but works. My fuel gauge does not work either. It's an 18 gallon tank and I go by 10 mpg and so I start looking for gas at about 150 miles to be safe.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

I've been keeping busy the last several weeks, knocking things off my to-do list. Things have not always gone smoothly, but I'm making some headway.

I finally got around to connecting the hard fuel line to the carb using the ferrule and part from JimC and mounting the fire extinguiser. (Safety first, right @roadstr6?)

I probably should have addressed some other issues beforehand but I simply couldn't stand looking out over the rusty hood any longer. I removed the hood, aprons and fenders (which a PO had sadly sanded the paint off of) and had them soda and/or sand blasted and primed. Here is a pic of how she sat for a couple of weeks. Plans are to eventually fauxtina them to go with the exisitng patina. Long-term plans are to get a decent paint job but that is down the line.

The front drive not engaging was combination of two issues: 1) The driverside Aisin hub was not working properly, having gotten gummed up from lack of use and water intrusion; and 2) The wiring for the front drive indicator switch needed repair and the plunger was frozen in place. I ordered parts for the Aisin hub from the local dealership that sponsors the club and rebuilt the hub, following a great thread I found on mud. @forrest5000 was kind enough to clean the indicator switch and repair the damaged wiring. After the somewhat liberal use of some PB blaster and some persuasion, the plunger on the switch regained movement and this happened when the FD knob was pulled.

@forrest5000 gets another shout out in this post. While I had the parts out for blasting and primer, he wired the marker lights to light up when the headlights are on. Rather than buying amber lenses, I kept the orginal ones and used some orange bulbs. Now it looks like this.

I purchased a SunPro Mini Tach and and, over the past weekend, I temporarily wired it up. Pics to come once it is "permanent".

Unfortunately, the parking brake is giving me a lot of trouble. Both @lowtops and @roadstr6 were kind enough to help me with the rebuild but it has not gone smootly. I won't bore you with the details but I think I'm close and with Dave's help, I hope to have a working parking brake before the weekend. More to come.

Finally, can someone with an unmolested LV send me a pm with pictures showing a column shifter, the steering column and gauge cluster. @Cirbo is helping me to determine if there is a way to adjust the three-on-the-three shift points to something resembling stock locations. Apparently, the location is different from how his 1965 FJ45 LWB looked upon arrival.

 

[lowtops]

Whats the plan for the hood, fenders, and aprons? Leave in primer and run it like that for awhile?

 

[FJinTegaCay]

Whats the plan for the hood, fenders, and aprons? Leave in primer and run it like that for awhile?

While that wasn't really my plan, it is reality for now. I spent more $ than I had planned on just getting them to primer. It seems there was some miscommunication between me and the guys I had do the work. I've done a little homework on fauxtina and suspect it will be some time before I have the $ and time to attempt to fauxtina them.

 

[lowtops]

Nothing wrong with that. While I don't know anything about fauxtina, I bet you would want to have the parts installed at least initially to help you create an authentic illusion.

I know the hot rod/rat rod/old chevy truck community is into fauxtina. I would check some of their discussion boards.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

I took the LV (and my 10-year-old daughter) on a trip to the mountains of NC and TN this past weekend which meant hours of interstate driving so as to reach miles of forestry roads and trails. While it didn't climb Black Mountain on I-40 as well as my FJ40, overall it performed well. I made good use of 4WD high and low and the powersteering was a huge improvement over the FJ40 on the trails. Thankfully, I didn't need the PTO.

Below are a couple pictures from the trip. I am grateful to my ONSC friends whose help made my dream of taking the LV on this trip a reality.

 

[elkaholic]

That first picture better be your wallpaper on your PC ....

 

[JackA]

Good to hear you had a cool trip. I like the painted hood instead of the rust. I bet you had people giving you the thumbs up or taking pictures as you cruised down the highway. I always do. Good stuff

 

[FJinTegaCay]

That first picture better be your wallpaper on your PC ....

Actually, the second picture is my wallpaper. I made some great memories with my daughter at a key time (middle school starts next month).

Good to hear you had a cool trip. I like the painted hood instead of the rust. I bet you had people giving you the thumbs up or taking pictures as you cruised down the highway. I always do. Good stuff

If I lived where you did I would have likely stuck with the rust. It's just primer for now but I like that it doesn't contrast with the overall patina. I did get several waves and was approached by strangers at the gas pumps (which I visited frequently not being overly confident in my mpg or fuel gauge).

 

[HENDOG]

I think this was the better truck for you after all! I'm following your progress, and its a great story, full of memories for you and your family!!!

 

[elkaholic]

Actually, the second picture is my wallpaper. I made some great memories with my daughter at a key time (middle school starts next month).

Fair enough!