Builds 1978 US Market FJ40 Factory Restoration

[dmaddox]

Another "against the grain" project. The original Toyota leaf springs are 1. In great shape. 2. Do no lean. 3. Have a great ride stock ride height. Essentially I love the look and feel - so for me, why buy Old Man Emu? I have purchased all new Toyota hardware, bushings, shackles, spring pins, shocks, etc..

I disassembled as best I could, the leaf packs, cleaned and degreased down to bare steel (admittedly, a pain), and liberally applied satin black 2k ceramic frame coating (left over from my frame job above).

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Nice

 

[dmaddox]

I've been trying to make @caboulto proud - if nothing else - inspired by his work, so thank you my friend.

Last update was springs - and more orders into Toyota.

The dirty work, blasting, scrubbing, stripping and sanding all of the components, motor, backing plates, housings, etc..

I decided (mainly because I was pleased with the frame) to go with a 2K Ceramic high-temp gloss black engine paint for the engine/axles/trans.

Eastwood Ceramic Engine Paint Universal Gloss Black Quart

Super durable engine paint enamel withstands 650 degrees F

www.eastwood.com

I sanded like crazy, to get everything clean and then used lacquer thinner to clean it all. I know this is sometimes assumed, but I really have taken care to clean everything down to steel and sand/prep well.

I want to add, how (sprayed in 85 degree heat, paint/1:4 hardener, 1:4 xylene reducer, 74% humidity, 1.5 tip @ 38psi) wonderfully this sprayed, flowed and has hardened.

I have all new motor mounts and hardware and will spray the mounting brackets later, so I blasted freely on the old hardware. Don't judge! Ha ha ha.

Cheers!

Thank you @cruiseroutfit for over 15 years of support and nine restorations. The relationship from Kurt's backyard to helping me out in tough times, Cruiser Outfitters isn't just another excellent cruiser parts company, but more importantly friends.

 

[dmaddox]

Lots of parts arriving from Toyota - I am amazed too, at the availability of parts you can still buy.

Yes, these stands are going back to HF, I used them on the lowest/bottomed out setting and only for this job until I can get back over there.

I am using a universal bearing/seal driver set to punch the bearings and seals back into the axle housing after a nice cleaning and packing of axle grease.

Believe it or not, the bearings (stored in the freezer over night - pre-packed) went in easier than the seals did!

Recall that I mentioned I loved the stock springs, the quality of the ride, the ride height, etc? Well, in order to achieve the same thing. I marked each spring with a punch:
1 dot: Front Driver
2 dots: Front Passenger
3 dots: Rear Driver
4 dots: Rear Passenger.

Here, I am holding the rear driver, you can see my punch marks:

From Overland Metric, a full gold cad kit and I also ordered two stainless steel diff cover sets. Very impressed with this kit and the quality of the hardware.

 

[dmaddox]

With parts ordered, springs marked and ready and hardware and gear in hand, time to start re-assembly. What a feeling! (I miss that slogan).

Because I am using Toyota spring pin and shackle kits with the supplied bushings, I am using a non-detergent, rubber-safe grease that can sustain 450+ temps. What I liked about is that it is also super thick/goopy and didn't run or make a mess.

Installing the (dusty) leaf springs:

In keeping with trying to restore this cruiser to the "most correct" I can, given some things will be upgraded/painted/preserved....please let me know if something is "wrong" so that I can fix it. I appreciate feedback!

Springs installed, awaiting some lower back pain:

 

[dmaddox]

Setting the axle into place:

Now, for some thoughts here. When I disassembled the axle, I noticed a gray paint (backing plates looked to have never been removed) on the INSIDE of the backing plate, I took a shot:

That was the axle setup before I stripped it. Yes, the calipers/pads looked replaced but that gray paint looked stock. I most definitely could be wrong.

However, In attempting to "restore" it, I matched the gray best I could and rolled with it. I figured if I was wrong....hey...its the INSIDE of the drum. No hard feelings to my fellow purists.

More assembly fun.

Don't let the pinion flange/etc. throw you off, I have yet to take that apart and clean/replace the seal. That will come later!

 

[dmaddox]

Again, very impressed with Overland Metric gear.

Installing the rear brake cylinders, I noticed that the exposed area (what you see above, the circular portion that pokes out) was raw steel. So, I used a waxing pad and sponged on some POR15 to protect them from the elements:

New brake tubes from Toyota:

Brake pads, with a reminder not to eat them.

 

[dmaddox]

Although most of this is obvious, the FSM was a needed companion.

Brake Pads and assembly:

Yes, I hit the hot spots with the "super grease", as prescribed in the FSM.

Brake tube installed:

Rear axle is just about completed. I have the brake lines to solve and work on and then onto the front.

I have also yet to put in the adjuster rubber plugs - but if you guys see something as wrong, please let me know!

Thanks for reading through my updates, friends. Cheers for now.

 

[JDNs78FJ40]

Although most of this is obvious, the FSM was a needed companion.

View attachment 2366656

Brake Pads and assembly:

View attachment 2366668

View attachment 2366658

View attachment 2366661

Yes, I hit the hot spots with the "super grease", as prescribed in the FSM.

Brake tube installed:

View attachment 2366662

Rear axle is just about completed. I have the brake lines to solve and work on and then onto the front.

I have also yet to put in the adjuster rubber plugs - but if you guys see something as wrong, please let me know!

Thanks for reading through my updates, friends. Cheers for now.

All I can say is wow! Very impressive. I went in to great detail on my 1/78 build but wanted some upgrades like disk brakes, power steering and fuel injection. This is fun to watch.

 

[Curtice]

Man I wish I could come check out what you are doing in person. Looks fantastic. The attention to detail is amazing.

 

[dmaddox]

If a picture is worth a thousand words......I can't begin to tell you how tired I am of powerwashing, degreasing, srubbing, stripping, sanding......

Stripping the front axle down....

 

[dmaddox]

Lots of updates I am behind on. But first some little things that have been consuming some time and bench space I wanted to wrap up with the storm raging outside.

A few months ago, I set out to try and solve the air-pump mystery. I know many send them off, many buy from SOR, or just gut them and use them as a visual for restorations and emissions.

I had three on the shelf from various dealings on 'mud, however, none of them spun without either a small war inside, or not at all.

I took the best of the three apart. Here is the diagram for reference:

Disassembly Instructions:

Step 1: Remove 17616 and 17617 Nut and Washer. NOTE REVERSE THREAD.
Step 2: My pulley came off very easy using a steering wheel puller, along wi the 17621 key. Set aside.
Step 3: Remove the four 40825 screws and washers holding the 17602 cover on.
Step 4: I lightly tapped on the cover and body of the air pump with a rubber mallet until they started to separate.
Step 5: I then used a hard plastic interior trim tool to start evenly separating the two until the cover separated.
Step 6: Remove the 17611 screws (6 of them) and that will release everything you see in the diagram down to the 17614 Springs.
Step 7: I set the body on two 6x6 chunks of wood and used a rubber mallet to lightly tap on the pulley shaft/main shaft until they all separated.

At this point is should all be separated, lay it all out and clean what you can. I was lucky that in the three pumps I had, the 17614 springs and the "shoe kit", I was able to make a nice set out of all of it. I apologize I do not have a source for these pieces.

Next, 17603, replace with Koyo B-188. This bearing pops right out. Note the replacement bearing has more rollers/pins:

This is a tricky part. Notice in the diagram above, Toyota does not show or discuss the main bearing that the shaft spins on just aft of the pulley. This is a bit of a bugger, I used a large/long socket and hammered from the inside out to remove.

Please note that INSIDE the channel this bearing rests in, is a copper bushing. You can see the pattern is forms on the bearing I just removed here:

The replacement bearing is a 6203-2RS. They come in bags of 2:

Here is where I thoroughly cleaned the body, basket, and all parts in cleaner, soaking overnight and then polishing.

After cleaning, I gently pressed in (using a seal/bearing driver) the new bearing. It can only go in one way. HOWEVER (big note here). That copper bushing I mentioned to you earlier needs to be cleaned as well, and installed prior to pressing in a new bearing. While pressing, note that the bushing will want to get in the way, so use lots of grease and keep your eye on it, so that the bearing seats properly:

 

[dmaddox]

With the bearing pressed in, re-insert the retaining clip:

At this point, you can set the body aside and continue to clean/polish the outside when it is time to assemble.

Now, onto the "basket" which is also not pictured.

After polishing and prepping, re-insert the air baffle:

And then re-insert the spacer:

After this, the "basket" is ready to re-install and push through the housing.

Next are these little buggers, the SCE-65's. These are the little guys (Four of them) are for the 17604 vanes and require the patience of my grandmother and the fingers of a clockmaker. I used a vice and tapped using a pin punch, wrecking one of them by accident.

Once these are in and everything is clean, you can assemble in reverse order as above, with the shoes and springs in place. Take note that the slots for the shoes have a deeper side, which is where the springs will reside. Recall the importance of step 6 in the previous post so you know how they go back in.

Paint/re-plate as you see fit. You can even purchase the decals.

I hope this helps someone out there.

 

[dmaddox]

Here is the finished product, 1978 Air Pump, with some high temp gloss engine paint, new decals and snappy new hardware:

 

[dmaddox]

Another project the Air Bypass Valve. Usually either rattle canned or they look grimey. As you can see, here are my candidates, none of which look great:

I took the best of the three which met the following criteria:
1. It passed the vacuum test.
2. Body was in restorable shape.
3. The mechanism inside worked and moved freely.

These are fairly simple creatures, not much to show. Also, they are sealed on the top, The bottoms come off with two 4mm screws, and house a felt/fabric filter of sorts, which in most cases is full of dirt and grime.

Here you can see the the bracket, top and bottom at one point were yellow zinc/cad plated, and the body raw aluminum:

Once disassembled I used doused in a mild soap solution over night and then blasted clean with an electrical cleaner as to not eat any seals. I then lubricated and polished up the housing. Here you can see the mechanism inside:

 

[dmaddox]

Once the whole thing was cleaned, including the filter pad in the bottom, I sourced two new 4mm screws, a new decal using the old valves as a reference and reassembled.

 

[Curtice]

Man, again your attention to detail is amazing.

 

[dmaddox]

In the spirit of getting the rolling chassis completed, I have put the knuckles on hold (I can do those at a later date) and am focusing on wrapping up the rear main, clutch, powertrain.

The rear main was a leaky mess. As a matter of fact the entire 2F/trans/tcase underbelly rivaled the Case 2290 I spent most of my high school hours seeding and bailing on.

You'll see the amount of grime, oil/gear oil building and grease zerk fling in the photos that follow.

I read a thread by @Poser years back that recommended dropping the rear #4 main bearing cap if you have the oil pan/trans/tcase out of the way, that it makes installing a rear main seal a breeze. He was right. I was wrong.

So, I dropped the cap as mentioned (new pilot bearing pressed in with the gasket/bearing driver kit) - apologies the garage floor is a mess. I am doing all of this work, in a single car garage, in mosquito infested Long Island, NY. Including handling entire axles, engines, etc.. on sub-par equipment and hand carts, ha ha ha! I ordered a new rear main from @cruiseroutfit

Inspecting, cleaning and preparing the rear main cap and seal surfaces. I could also see traces of FIPG between the main cap and the block, as per the FSM.

I cleaned up the surfaces and used lacquer thinner to degrease.

Then, I cleaned up the bearing cap, with the help of a friend, found the bearing wear to be acceptable.

I cleaned and polished these surfaces as well:

as

 

[dmaddox]

My oil pan was as crooked as a dog's hind leg, so I ordered a new one from Toyota. I was a tad unhappy to see they've updated them quite a bit, with a smaller drain plug that not only has an internal collar, which won't allow all of the oil to drain, but (in my opinion) is more cheaply made with press marks all over it.

I will say however the mounting surface looks the same, if not a bit more sturdy.

As a buddy mentioned, they must use FIPG and an industrial adhesive to put these part number stickers on, as cool as they are:

Pretty spiffy:

Here you can see the reinforced mounting surface as the old-style had:

Using little zip ties, lightly secured to keep the gasket in place for the fipping!

 

[dmaddox]

With the rear main in (correctly this time) and the bearing cap re-installed (per the FSM - as there are some steps/products involved). It was time to install the flywheel and clutch:

Alignment tool in place I added blue locktite and buttoned it all up:

This is Caterpillar Cement, 5H2471 as recommended by @Poser. I ordered from a farm and implement thinking it would come in the can like Poser shows, but this is how it was delivered. Seems to be the exact same stuff, was even in a Caterpillar box. This, to adhere the pushrod cover gasket to the cover. This stuff is awesome. First, it applies easily and doesn't make a giant mess (I just used a rubber shop glove as shown above) and it doesn't muck-up the gasket, making the install look professional and OEM.

Once that cures, I used a very very thin film of FIPG on the block side (thank you @ToyotaMatt for the hardware)

New cover screws (and consequently timing gear cover), Toyota, with philips screw indentation in the head: