72 FJ55 Buildup thread

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I also discovered that for some reason, I had a later slip yoke that the shear pin rides in(by the winch)... this means it doesnt have the brass caps(or bronze?) on the yokes. I was curious since it was smaller than the other yokes, if an FJ55 steering intermediate shaft U-joint would fit, and sure enough, it is exactly the same as the later PTO u-joints. I had the GMB u-joint thats used for the intermediate steering shaft, and installed it.

Also got measurements for the seals on the pillow block...it has felt crappy seals, so I measured for rubber and steel typical oil seals and came up with these measurements:

Big seal
OD 55mm
ID 34mm
width 7mm

Little seal
OD 40mm
ID 30mm
width 5mm

these cross to NAPA numbers of:
Big seal: 13445(this is 1mm wider than the listed dimensions above but its about the only choice.
Little seal: 11510

the bearing in the pillow block is a 6205DDA, which equates to a standard 6205 with two rubber seals. I hope its not too hard to find at Napa.
 
cruiserbrett said:
I was curious since it was smaller than the other yokes, if an FJ55 steering intermediate shaft U-joint would fit, and sure enough, it is exactly the same as the later PTO u-joints.
Click to expand...

I found those u-joints to be the same as first gen 1200cc Corolla driveshaft u-joints!
 
control panel frame restore early pig

Brett; how bad is your lower control panel frame?...where I have the hazzard light knob circled; is it as bad as mine??....the rubber that surrounds the lower control knobs on mine is toast......have not been able to find anything written on its restore....am also sure you have given it a lot of thought:grinpimp:

Lou
IMG_2172 what is this red button for.webp
 
I havent figured out what to do about the rubber surrounding the lower dash pod, but thinking about trying to glue on a spare rubber strip from in front of the upper dash pad, its kinda a u channel, and is smooth and I happen to have one in good shape. Other thing I was considering, was the door trim channel without the weatherstripping, in black.

My truck does have that license plate light, and I have a new one for it...
 
Very unusual pigs......Brett, I had never seen license lights like ours before..........BTW, does yours have an ashtray behind the front bench seat?

Lou
 
No seatback ashtray that I noticed, although, I doubt it, since it has door panels with ashtrays. I suspect earlier (68 and early 69) had seat back ashtrays, since the two that I have seen in person did not have door ashtrays...

As for the license plate lights, all pre 9(?)/'72 had that style, and they are still available new from toyota. Price is rough though. $32 whole dollars... :)

PS: reverse lights are still available new too!
 
Brett, thanks for the info, just put in an order for the license light:D...will try to get pix of the back seat ash tray later when it quits raining:frown:

:cheers:

Lou
 
I need to update and post some pics, since I have gotten a bunch of stuff done, but have been lazy about actually documenting it...

Last thing for the winch was making the delrin(plastic) rollers since I was planning on running synthetic winchline. Ordered some 1.25" OD delrin for Mcmaster.com and cut them to length. then turned them on the lathe to square the ends at the correct length, and bored the correct diameter holes for the winch roller bolts. the vertical rollers had sleeves to keep the long bolts from crushing the support brackets. Well, mine were there, but trashed and no where near consistent OD. Made new ones from some DOM steel tube.

Also, been working on the wiring harness. I am going to install a battery switch, and other upgraded components(alternator, later distributor, later starter, etc.) so I had to salvage the existing wiring harness and add and move wires to accomodate the changes. Removed the smog computer and VSV, connected the carb fuel cutoff solenoid to 12v, moved the coil wire, changed the alternator wiring, used a 12v switched wire from the now not used voltage regulator plug to connect to the alternator.
-Also discovered the wiring for the 4wd switch/light of earlier vacuum shift is present, so i dont have to add it, since I am converting the cruiser to vacuum shift...that was a nice bonus for the day.
-Lots of wires had chaffing, and other damage so I had to do a bunch of splicing/soldering/heatshrinking to correct the damage. Tested all the wires after and everything ohm'ed out well.

finally, I got the door hinge press done. As seen in the other post, its used for replacing the bushings in the worn out door hinges... got some hinges done, and now need to make some hinge pins, so I can finish the hinges...
 
some pics of progress

Got the delrin rollers machined from the 1.250" rod, for the PTO. obviously no normally available rollers would work since the lengths are wrong, so machined these for the OEM PTO. Came out pretty well, and I made new veritcal sleeves for the bolts, since the others were trashed...

Worked on rebuilding the clutch master cylinder, since it was in good shape. Ordered the beck/arnley rebuild kit, and tore it apart, honed it out and installed the new seal. It was a complete pain in the ass, so dont plan on doing it on the trail. the large nut/cap on the end has to come off to install the larger of the two seals, and it required a bit of heat and a large vice!!! Spend the extra $40 and just buy a complete new master. Interesting learning experience, but not worth the effort IMO...

Also got the frame sleeves for the FJ62 P/s box machined. opened up some 3/4" OD, 3/16th wall DOM to just over 12MM for the bolts to pass through. Will make a frame plate for the outside.

Got the rest of the PTO winch driveshaft done that I can. finished up the pillow block, with new bearing, seals and paint. Cant install the u-joints in the long part of the DS yet since I still have to calculate and cut to length the DOM tube...

Pics of the wiring include misc repairs to chaffing and other damage to individual wires. also separated the headlight wiring so I could add a relay for hi and low beams, so I just left the wires in the harness from about the old voltage regulator back... Forward of that will be new.

Battery power supply for the fuse black(red/blackstripe) will now go to the battery switch which is going to be located by the old voltage regulator location. removed alternator to battery white wire, since I am addding a 130 or so amp alternator and the 10ga wire just isnt going to cut it.... Also figured out that the white with red wire that is present at the alternator is a source of 12V switched power to alternator, straight from the fuse block, so I am going to use that as the sensing wire for the alternator. Yellow with white stripe is the original charge warning light on the instrument panel, so thats a simple hookup to the CS130 style aternator. Only thing I have to do there is check to see if the wire is grounded at the instrument cluster light or a 12v supply???

final thing I got done was to machine the stock steering intermediate shaft for lengthening... I took a stock male steering intermediate inner piece and drilled the end by the yokes to a 3/4" bore, which when drilled deep enough split the yoke from the splines. now I machined the spline part of the shaft to have a bevel and a knub of about .46" to press fit into a 3/4" OD, .156" wall tube, which will allow me to extend the shaft a few inches with the DOM tube which will now slide right into the yoke which now has a 3/4" ID... Pics work best for the operation but I forgot to get them... sounds confusing but is really simple with a lathe and some patience...
delrin rollers.webp
fj60 PS box bolt spacers.webp
clutch master.webp
 
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, havent found too much time to get alot done, but i did change the plans for the pig a bit...

Here is the new plan which is only going to affect the drivetrain selections... With gas as pricey as it is in San diego, I decided to skip ahead to what was going to be the later modification to install a diesel engine. Got to looking around at 3b's with turbos, 13bt's and even a 14bt as an option. Pricey to say the least, and not ideal parts availability sorta forced me to look at more common diesel options, and I have always been interested in the Isuzu 4BD1T engines in the NPR box trucks.... After looking at Rhino's 4BD1T in an FJ55 swap, and 88tlc's FJ62 with a 4BD1T, I was sold... So, now I need to work on the adapter to make a B series H55F mate to the Isuzu 5 speed Bellhousing. Looks like it will be a doable swap and the adapter shouldnt be too hard. Once the prototype is done and tested I am planning on making a few of them to sell to folks interested in the same swap...

After that, I think I am still going to install a toybox too, for some crawl ratio, but undecided on whether it will be a 2.28 or a 4.7???
 
On the navy base gas station, diesel has steadily been between regular and premium out in town prices...

Its about $4.69/gal now.

And Rhino is getting 26ish MPG out of his Isuzu 4bd1t powered pig on 37" tires. I am hoping for 25ish on 35" tires, so I hope its a realistic goal. My miserly F powered 73 FJ55 on narrow 33's" would just squeak out 16.5 mpg.
 
Hey Brett,

Bob Engel here... I hadnt talked to you since just before the 1000. I might be getting my hooks in a piggy real soon, a little bartering yet to be done.:hhmm: Now I understand why everyones fingers keep getting pointed in your direction when the topic of 55's comes up in San Diego. Im really enjoying your work here and look foward to seeing what you post up next. I might be looking you up in the very near furture for a little direction on the 55. :popcorn: Thanks, and keep posting!
 
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agree, diesel is the way to go.........an expensive way BUT cost per mile is cheaper than a gasser.......just got back from 1600 miles in a dodge 2500 cummins turbo diesel and it was getting around 24 MPG on 17 inch wheels and yes, was loafing along at less than 2000 RPM at about 65-68 MPH but hey; when you go to 75 the MPG drops to 20:frown:it was a no brainer. just turn up the radio and enjoy the TX scenery:steer:

Lou
 
cruiserbrett said:
Sorry for the lack of updates lately, havent found too much time to get alot done, but i did change the plans for the pig a bit...

Here is the new plan which is only going to affect the drivetrain selections... With gas as pricey as it is in San diego, I decided to skip ahead to what was going to be the later modification to install a diesel engine. Got to looking around at 3b's with turbos, 13bt's and even a 14bt as an option. Pricey to say the least, and not ideal parts availability sorta forced me to look at more common diesel options, and I have always been interested in the Isuzu 4BD1T engines in the NPR box trucks.... After looking at Rhino's 4BD1T in an FJ55 swap, and 88tlc's FJ62 with a 4BD1T, I was sold... So, now I need to work on the adapter to make a B series H55F mate to the Isuzu 5 speed Bellhousing. Looks like it will be a doable swap and the adapter shouldnt be too hard. Once the prototype is done and tested I am planning on making a few of them to sell to folks interested in the same swap...

After that, I think I am still going to install a toybox too, for some crawl ratio, but undecided on whether it will be a 2.28 or a 4.7???
Click to expand...

Brett,

I am also thinking of going diesel and running WVO ( Robertos Blend;).
Still in the planning stages for my pig project- but definetly want to have something that will be affordable to drive and unique. Also looking at CNG or Propane for the 2F as well, but Diesel is looking like the smartest long range option for my needs.

Tim:steer:
 
Tim,
I thought about it, and between the ease of finding and dealing with diesel VS propane(particularly in baja), and the savings of mileage over gasoline, I am hoping its a smart move. Whatever way I look at it, I need to spend some money on an engine. I dont have a running 2F for this cruiser, so building one will set me back at least $2000 with new peripherals.

The swap with a toyota diesel($$$) is not even close cost wise, since a used 13bt is going to be $7k alone...

I havent found a local Isuzu 4bd1t but I did find a 4bd2t for $1500. Even entire NPR's are only $2500 or so running. I figure I will buy one, and take whatever I need and scrap the rest.

On a side note:
Rebuilt the wiper motor for the 72 today. cleaned, lubed, etc., and cleaned the commutator surface on the armature, and installed new brushes. It makes a HUGE difference!!!

Most of the work is straight forward, but the brushes weren't. Not a single place I could find on the internet or locally carried the correct brushes. I found a set of brushes that were too large in two dimension, but had enough meat sand down to fit. They sand really easily on a sheet of 220 or 320. Keeping the sanding square was a bit of a challenge, but with some sanding they fit right in.

One of the brush springs has lost some tension in the last 36 years so after some searching a local industrial supply place I found a set of three springs that were a little long but the right Diameter and as close to the correct tension as I could tell. trimmed them to length and soldered in the new brushes. Finished final assembly and lube and tested it out.

Its got to be twice as fast as it was before. Part was due to the old crusty grease, but I bet the super short brushes(nearly falling out of the brush holders) and one spring with too little tension was a big part of the problem.

If anyone has a slow wiper motor, Take the time to find the parts, and get after it. Its well worth the time to find the brushes...
 
here are pics of the wiper motor brush holder. the first shows the worm out old brush, and the side lead for the copper wire, this is the stock setup.

Cant find anything like that for cheap so I modified some larger end lead ones with a notch so that the end lead could feed out the slot in the top of the brush holder for the side lead. also you can see how I retain the brushes in the holder enough to slide the armature in... The wiper works great...

On a side note, I doubt I will be doing much work on the cruiser in the next few weeks. Seems like we are in for some unusual weather, since this thing(the TIV from stormchasers) is parked about 4 blocks from my house in Pacific Beach... Uh Oh! ;)
wiperbrush.webp
wiperbrush2.webp
stormchaser.webp
 
cruiserbrett said:
Seems like we are in for some unusual weather, since this thing(the TIV from stormchasers) is parked about 4 blocks from my house in Pacific Beach... Uh Oh! ;)
Click to expand...

Subtle clue :eek:...still it is Southern Ca...maybe they just wanted some time off at the beach or they heard there was a Par Excellence Cruiser guy around and they want to upgrade to a pig. ;)
 
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