1970 in CT (1 Viewer)

[ryanwk628]

I did manage to get a few things done. Wire brushing and painting on the front part of the frame. Reinstalling some of the parts Ive removed and cleaned up. I need to replace my heater hoses, but I also should repair my trans cover rot on the driver's side. Both of which need to be done before I put the seats and seat frame in. That is holding me up and its cold in my garage haha.

Worth noting though, I did not like how I could not get to the petcock on the Champion radiator so I put together a brass extension and a plug. Its not as nice as a petcock but I figure it is no different than the drain on the block.

I hope it wont leak (knock on wood).

I also installed a coolant overflow bottle. No, its not Toyota, but it was cheaper and SS. The overflow tube extends up inside just below the cap. This should prevent the puddles from the old system that drained onto the floor.

 

[ryanwk628]

One comment: while I have the bib off and am doing new terminal strips, I have been looking into LED headlight options and switching to H4 connectors. I like the complete units for a lot of reasons but want to keep the old look with LED internals. I found someone people who had good results with these and I ordered some. However I also need a housing vs the sealed ones I have in there now.

I did a lot of searching on 7" housings and had a major take away: lots of people on this forum us "hella" as an adjective!

 

[ryanwk628]

I did discover Sack Wear here on Mud by browsing the vendor forums. They have some cool gear and I was most excited to see land cruiser stickers that match my rig!

Its the little things

 

[ryanwk628]

Saturday was opening day in CT so I was out fishing. Yesterday I took advantage of the nice weather to some house stuff and finish up what I needed to get this running. I did the heater hoses with new Gates hose and @Racer65 SS clamps. Filled it up with coolant. Checked for leaks. T stat upper to lower housing leaked. Had to move my fuel line I made to get at the blind tapped bolt next to the engine. Then I snapped off that bolt trying to tighten it down. Got it out with my extractor. Threw on a new gasket (glad I got 2!) with some RTV. Problem solved. All the Toyota hoses for the radiator fit and look great.

I started it up to burp it. It started really easy! Fuel line leaked, probably from all that moving around I did to get at the T stat bolt. Solved that by straightening it out and tightening down a 1/4 turn while pushing the tube in the fitting. Found another leak in the lower radiator hose going over the T and that was easily fixed by snugging down the clamp to the level I probably should have from the start.


I am happy with it. Beats the heck off how it was before, running on one barrel, over heating, backfiring through the carb apparently. The new @Trollhole carb seems great! I took it up and down the road. No issues overheating, there should be plenty of flow now vs before with all the sediment caked in there. The SS Flex fan moves a lot of air. It warmed up and stayed right where it should.

Now I can move onto other things like redoing some wiring on the front of the engine bay, putting the bib back together, installing the seats and driving this thing!

Then in the next couple months I will be addressing my suspension. It has the 4" rough country with very short stiff springs and bad shackle angles. I dont trust any of the components in the RC lift, especially after reading about cheapo ebay greasable shackle bolts breaking... this whole lift is a cheapo ebay kit from the PO. Im leaning towards either Bilsteins and Hells Creek, staying at 4" or coming down to 2.5" and doing an OME kit. Cost looks like it will be the same. The fist route would allow me to piecemeal the components, and possibly do the rear springs (much worse) first and see if I can live with the fronts. OME would lower it a bit which has its pros and cons. I keep wavering on which way I want to go.

 

[White Stripe]

Another option is some alcan springs and have them use fj60 size bushing ends rather than fj40 size.

 

[ryanwk628]

Another option is some alcan springs and have them use fj60 size bushing ends rather than fj40 size.

Thats what.... 18mm shafts? Would those spring ends clear? Id have to open up some holes Im assuming

So I saw this build and what they did with CCOT shackles. Well it looks like CCOT uses 5/8" gun drilled pins and not 15mm. If the .030" is not an issue I was considering using either CCOT greasable pins or just Gr8 5/8" bolts and spending the money on some good poly bushings. McMaster sells Gr8 bolts for in packs of 5 for $12. My thought is Id rather plan on replacing bushings in 5 years than replace a pin at some unforeseen time.

I may make my own shackles. I was thinking of cutting 8 anti inversion style plates out on our water jet out of 1/4" steel. Then since I want the bushing rotating on the pin and not the pin rotating in the shackle plate, doing some kind of fastener locking device that could be as simple as a little stop welded on. Maybe Im over thinking the rotation part but Ive seen a lot of shackles that have knurled and pressed bolts to keep them from spinning, and others that dont.

 

[White Stripe]

Thats what.... 18mm shafts? Would those spring ends clear? Id have to open up some holes Im assuming

So I saw this build and what they did with CCOT shackles. Well it looks like CCOT uses 5/8" gun drilled pins and not 15mm. If the .030" is not an issue I was considering using either CCOT greasable pins or just Gr8 5/8" bolts and spending the money on some good poly bushings. McMaster sells Gr8 bolts for in packs of 5 for $12. My thought is Id rather plan on replacing bushings in 5 years than replace a pin at some unforeseen time.

I may make my own shackles. I was thinking of cutting 8 anti inversion style plates out on our water jet out of 1/4" steel. Then since I want the bushing rotating on the pin and not the pin rotating in the shackle plate, doing some kind of fastener locking device that could be as simple as a little stop welded on. Maybe Im over thinking the rotation part but Ive seen a lot of shackles that have knurled and pressed bolts to keep them from spinning, and others that dont.

Old man emu makes a bushing kit that has the big fj60 bushings but inner holes for 15mm pins. You just would have to have them made with the military wrap side on the shackle side. Not really a huge advantage but just a idea. I can lookup the part number if u want for the bushings. Or you could have them just made with the regular fj40 bushing ends. You could also have the springs made to custom lengths and arch for more travel and better ride, and get whatever height you want.OME are nice springs too, just throwing out additional ideas.

 

[ryanwk628]

Old man emu makes a bushing kit that has the big fj60 bushings but inner holes for 15mm pins. You just would have to have them made with the military wrap side on the shackle side. Not really a huge advantage but just a idea. I can lookup the part number if u want for the bushings. Or you could have them just made with the regular fj40 bushing ends. You could also have the springs made to custom lengths and arch for more travel and better ride, and get whatever height you want.OME are nice springs too, just throwing out additional ideas.

I appreciate the ideas. It is definitely something I did not consider. I had not really looked into Alcans because when people say "custom" I hear "expensive" and "slightly more" is relative on a thread like this, but I should have them quote me a new set. I was inclined towards HFS because of the good reviews and responsive owners vs some other brands I saw. 60 series bushings isnt something I had even thought of but its a good idea if I go that route. I am trying to stay on some sort of a budget as I need to save up for a 3/4 tub

 

[White Stripe]

I appreciate the ideas. It is definitely something I did not consider. I had not really looked into Alcans because when people say "custom" I hear "expensive" and "slightly more" is relative on a thread like this, but I should have them quote me a new set. I was inclined towards HFS because of the good reviews and responsive owners vs some other brands I saw. 60 series bushings isnt something I had even thought of but its a good idea if I go that route. I am trying to stay on some sort of a budget as I need to save up for a 3/4 tub

I know very little about the hfs suspension. It's too bad the rough country springs are so terrible. Are u still thinking aqualu or something else for a 3/4 tub?

 

[ryanwk628]

I know very little about the hfs suspension. It's too bad the rough country springs are so terrible. Are u still thinking aqualu or something else for a 3/4 tub?

I am still thinking Aqualu. It just makes sense for me given this is more of a resto-mod. Id rather do it once in Alum and be done with it. Save the time on the body work and spend those hours enjoying it... That is, unless someone finds a way to get Teseven tubs at a price point I can afford haha

 

[White Stripe]

The aqualu costs 3500 us minus shipping. A complete tseven is 4500 for complete tub made of steel minus shipping. 5500 for a stainless tub. I wonder what tseven would charge for shipping though. Aqualu was 500 to ship to colorado.

 

[ryanwk628]

The aqualu costs 3500 us minus shipping. A complete tseven is 4500 for complete tub made of steel minus shipping. 5500 for a stainless tub. I wonder what tseven would charge for shipping though. Aqualu was 500 to ship to colorado.

Regarding the idea of a Teseven, I would absolutely go SS. It would be worth it, especially on the back end. My mother's company imports from Germany for the printing and box making industry so a sea freight is not something I am unfamiliar with. Being close to NYC and the port is a help for me, especially if I can pick up rather than having it shipped here. Duty is very low (like 2% I think.) Not sure what shipping would be on their end, getting it to the boat, but I have not gotten much information on it. The thought of a full SS tub is nice, but it is still at least 6 months off on my to do list - thats if it does not get pushed to next winter.

 

[White Stripe]

Stainless would be awesome. Almost would hate to paint it. The only concern I would have( I did think about a Teseven tub myself) is if their is a issue with the tub. You would be dealing with another language and country that's pretty far away. Although looking at their quality, I can't see much going wrong. But their is always a possibility. Also, my cowl is pretty rust free, and I am in a fairly rust free area of the country, so I just did the aqualu. If you have help with shipping that's a big plus in addition being close to the coast.

 

[ryanwk628]

New tub is still a ways off. We need to finish the garage my father is building and get a lift installed. He recently retired and is doing most of the work himself. Its poured, framed and has a membrane on the roof. That should be done by fall.... should. That is where I would be swapping on a new tub. I just dont have the space in my little one car.

In the meantime I am getting this back together so I can enjoy it. I was super excited to see that @Racer65 sells these head light adjustment screws and grommets because mine fell apart when taking apart my bib. Since I was ordering these anyway, it only made sense to add new mirrors to the order right?

I got the package from City Racer earlier than expected and couldn't wait to try on the new Toyota mirrors. It came with only a driver's side mirror, a cheap looking tiny round mirror. I like the look of the rectangular ones and went with the convex lenses. I must have got the last ones because his site now says sold out.

The old one

New

Toyota, 13mm.... seriously?

I need to weld nuts to the bolts on the other side to try to get them out, that will be on the list for this weekend while I have the welder out.

 

[ryanwk628]

Besides that, I have been cleaning up the engine bay, wire brushing and painting rust and replaced my passenger door vent window. My vent window came with a clearly warped frame and a piece of plexi glass in there that had clouded up so bad I couldnt see through it. I ordered a used vent window assembly from Cruiserparts.net which was exactly what I needed. The new vent window was off a blue truck so I masked it and repainted the frame. Removing the old frame was not very difficult once I soaked it in penetrating oil, the hardest part was keeping nuts and washers from falling down into the door.

The old frame, where it bows out is where it is bent

The cruiser parts window came with hardware. I picked the best stuff between the two. Also put the jam nut in the correct place. The funny shaped stop plate goes over top of a piece of sheet metal inside the door and the washers and springs were under it.

Painting the frame on the new window

Since my FJ40 is sun faded, has rust poking through and a few spots someone tried to color match with a rattle can, I wanted to touch up some areas just until I can get to doing proper body work. I got this paint from automotivetouchup.com. I did the vehicle look up and am really happy with it! It dries fast and matches better than I could have hoped for. Ive used it for small things like the hinge when I replaced the mirror or to cover areas like between the bib and fenders where it was a lot of exposed rust when I pulled the panels apart.

I sprayed over some brown poking through on the front edge of the fender and never removed the light so part of what you see here is old paint, part is rattle can touch up. It is hard to tell where one starts and the other ends (besides my bit of over spray I am just noticing that I will clean up this weekend haha).

Hopefully I will have a productive weekend and have more to report Monday!

 

[tlc762]

What color paint did you use on your touch up? i was unable to find dune beige on their site last time I looked.

 

[ryanwk628]

What color paint did you use on your touch up? i was unable to find dune beige on their site last time I looked.

They called it Pluto Beige which matched the PPG Toyota color book I saw while searching. PPG didnt have Dune Beige on there. I wonder is there a difference or did they just call it a different color depending on if it went on a car or a Land Cruiser? Ive also seen Coronado Beige. Either way, it matches well for me.

From my receipt "1970 Toyota All Models: Pluto Beige 1352"

Color Chip Selection

On this chart Dune Beige doesn't show up until 72.

 

[tlc762]

Ok, that explains it better. From the pictures I figured yours had to be 416 dune beige. When I had mine painted back in 1987 I used 1975 paint code for dune beige since it wasn't listed under 1974 in the shop's paint book. Interesting that 401 pluto beige isn't listed in the other color chart at all.

 

[ryanwk628]

Ok, that explains it better. From the pictures I figured yours had to be 416 dune beige. When I had mine painted back in 1987 I used 1975 paint code for dune beige since it wasn't listed under 1974 in the shop's paint book. Interesting that 401 pluto beige isn't listed in the other color chart at all.

Well now I'm wondering if my 40 didn't get painted 401 instead of 451 (or 416) which I could see happening as I can't seem to find 451 listed in the PPG book and even this company I ordered touch up cans from considers 401 "all toyotas." My test piece did match very well before I went forward so I think I have the right color, as opposed to what the PO used in a few places which I am guessing is off the shelf "tan." If you are trying to match dune beige I bet they can mix it for you if you call them.

 

[ryanwk628]

So today I pulled it out to work on. I'm anxious to get it back together and drive.

Then just as I got my "until I buy a tub" patch formed up and was pulling my miler 211 out, I got a call back in response a message I left two days ago. I put my other 40 to do list items on hold to go check out a Craigslist sale about an hour and a half away. Scored this 8274 for $50 from a guy cleaning out his house to sell. I'm going to do a rebuild on it. It doesn't look awful and it turns alright by hand.

Looking up parts now... welding, seats and bib will need to wait until tomorrow