1FZ-FE Rebuild - Restoring my FZJ80 from an early demise (1 Viewer)

[bryanb]

I began detailing the rebuild of the 1FZ-FE in my truck build thread (listed in my signature), but it soon began to dominate the thread, so I decided to create a dedicated thread.

My '97 Landcruiser died early and suddenly, with only 175k on the clock, when a misplaced bolt got into the timing chain and gear, breaking the chain and leaving me dead-in-the-water in Death Valley, of all places.

It took us a while to figure out what happened, but once it became clear the decision was made to pull the engine and refresh everything while it was out.

Here's the moment we discovered the timing chain was broken... something we hadn't expected:

Getting towed to my father's garage to begin the project:

My Dad always says to use the right tool for the job...

A huge, HUGE "Thanks" to my Dad and friends for their help. This sort of thing can overwhelm at times, so having someone come along side and help (or, in my Dad's case, pushing me every week to finish up and get out of his garage ) really keeps me motivated.

 

[bryanb]

More parts being stripped down...

 

[bryanb]

After a bit of research, I decided to have Martin Davidson’s Automotive handle the machine work and the valve job. They hot tanked the block (not "hot" technically, as a true hot tank could damage the oil pump bearing, but more like a warm bath with chemicals) and pan, honed and decked the block, decked the front cover, and checked and polished the crank. I also picked up NPR rings and bearings through them. While the engine was at the shop, we got going on cleaning everything we could, inspecting and determining what needed to be replaced. My Dad single-handedly cleaned up all the accessories and bolt on parts.

Oil cooler Before:

Oil Cooler After:

 

[bryanb]

I got to work on disassembling the manifold so that we could clean the greasy dirt out of each runner

Reassembly of the manifold

I had Hurst Injector Service clean the injectors. All the frills of RC and the like, at about 2/3 the cost.

 

[bryanb]

The OEM gasket kit and some other parts arrived just before we picked up the block, crank, pan and completed head (which, btw, turned out to have a crack in it… fortunately Kyle at Martin Davidson’s had a good core on hand… one of the many benefits of using a reputable landcruiser engine builder). So, time to get to work! We painted the block with Duplicolor engine paint (cast iron color)

The Upper pan after the hot tank

The complete head awaiting installation:

 

[bryanb]

The next big decision was whether or not to do a cometic gasket and ARP studs. Although it’s likely that running the OEM head gasket would be fine for another 200k miles, I ultimately decided to go with the cometic head gasket (MLS, .070) in order to restore the factory combustion dimensions since the block required 9 thousandths off the deck and the head had to be shaved 10 thousandths. It’s also nice not to have to re-torque the head gasket a month or two after we get up and running. And, who knows, perhaps one day I will add some boost. Parts should be arriving soon.

 

[bryanb]

Spent the last couple Saturdays getting the rotating assembly in. Installing everything with plastiguage, then removing to check, then reassembling. Good thing we did... the bearings in the box labeled for original dimensions turned out to be for .025 grind, causing a very tight fit. We got the bearings exchanged and everything went together quite nice.

Plastiguage shows they are right on the money!

bearings set in the block

Installing the pistons with the ring compressor

We installed the two front head bolts to see if they are going to be the right length. There's some debate about which ARP studs to use. We went with the Supra ones. So far they look good. We'll know for sure when we install the washer and nut and torque to spec.

We placed the head on to see how things would look. It's not locked down yet.

Got around to replacing the vacuum lines. In front are the old ones that were removed.

 

[bryanb]

Install of pump drive shaft gear and oil pump drive shaft gear:

Install of crankshaft rotor, oil jet, new chain tensioner slipper and vibration damper, crankshaft timing gear (which I had cryo'd), camshaft timing gear and timing chain.

Installed front cover with Ultra Grey. Installed oil pump cover with hex drive flat heads.

Installed upper (ultra grey) and lower (ultra black) oil pans. My hands are still sore from squeezing the tubes.

Crankshaft pulley and drive belt idler pulley installed:

Ready for the head!!!!

 

[bryanb]

the head ready for install along with the Cometic MLS gasket

Installed and torqued

 

[sbman]

That looks great!

It's a big job, but pretty fun. Good call on the plasti-gage. I've read so many people who say to just go with what the shop gives you, they know what they are doing, but mistakes happen. You found it now, instead of later when the bearings heated up and spun! I found a minor issue with rod sizing on mine when I plasti-gaged and the machine shop made it right.

 

[cahill]

That engine sure looks great! How did you clean up the intake manifold?

 

[bryanb]

That engine sure looks great! How did you clean up the intake manifold?

Disassemble, clean in parts washer, final clean with simple green in sink, reassemble.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Curious as to your thoughts on cryoing the crankshaft gear.

 

[bryanb]

Curious as to your thoughts on cryoing the crankshaft gear.

Mine, and others' around here, broke teeth off at the base of the tooth. It seems that the engine continues to run ok even with a missing tooth or two, but I'm hoping that reducing any stress points may also reduce the likelihood of it losing any teeth

 

[bicycleagent003]

That's impressive work. I'm not sure I have the patience, space or cash for such a project. I'm hoping to avoid that decision tree for some time. Well done.

 

[Wayne]

Great looking work. Nothing like have all the right tools for the job (which I don't have).

 

[bryanb]

That's impressive work. I'm not sure I have the patience, space or cash for such a project. I'm hoping to avoid that decision tree for some time. Well done.

with only 230k on the clock, you probably have a long time before having to worry about it... as long as you don't misplace any hardware in the engine.

 

[bryanb]

Final re-torque of the head studs since it has had a few days to settle. Then installed the cams per FSM.

 

[mdawg]

Very impressive work! Great pics to document the different phases. Thank you for sharing

 

[Mountainpassing]

That must be incredibly satisfying seeing all the new and reconditioned parts coming together. I wonder what an average lifespan ,in miles,will be off of a nice rebuild?

Nice work,great photos,and I think the paint scheme looks pretty killer