Builds '78 Refreshtoration, what next? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Yes, the missing exhaust collector stud is critical. Get one, and the nut, and consider replacing the donut gasket sandwiched in there.
 
Yes, the missing exhaust collector stud is critical. Get one, and the nut, and consider replacing the donut gasket sandwiched in there.
Thanks Steve, it appears the thread is stripped, so I'm gonna have to tap it out. I started on the carb swap last night with @vfrer , had quite an interesting throttle linkage situation going on. It's a cable with 2 zip ties and an ounce or so of JBWeld. Gonna have to get creative to get it to work with the OEM carb. Needed two new gaskets though, so had to pause while I made some. Also working on something to cap the fuel return until I get that all hooked up and working again.

Got a pretty good exhaust leak coming from manifolds, but will address that after I get it running. Trying to get ready for a trip...
 
Well, we got the Jim C carb on, with a bit of fabricating to make the throttle cable contraption work and guess what? It runs about the same!

engine idles better and sounds good under no load. But in my excitement, it told the boys “hop in the cruiser, were getting ice cream!” And I barely made it home. Stalled out on the big hill right before our house. Acts like it’s not getting enough fuel even though I know it is. Spits and backfires if you try to get it to go quick. Seems the dizzy is not cooperating. I noticed it would sound much better with a little pushing or pressure on certain wires. I pulled it off and one node is missing the contact. No idea how someone made that happen. But have a nice new carb, shined up the valve cover, painted air cleaner cover, installed new air and fuel filter and to make myself feel better, a new mirror too.

6B7E5BF3-F2AE-4686-807C-CB0472C8891C.jpeg


63311F4B-C164-4742-8DA3-A2281826A566.jpeg
 
Looks like dist cap I got is OEM to my year but my current dizzy is not, so they aren’t compatible. I cleaned up the red one on there and it idles better but still fails when I try to accelerate. Trying to figure out what it could be.

Here’s a video of it:
 
I haven't read through your whole post so forgive me if im repeating.

1. Idle solenoid hooked up? Looks disconnected in the photo of your carb.
2. Vacuum lines all set? Sounds like its not advancing with rpm.
3. Timing sounds off and the idle way too high. Should be 7' BTDC (right on the BB at our altitude) at 650rpm. Sounds like you'r shooting around 1200 there.

I'd start there, assuming all other connections, wires, and vacuum lines are in place.
 
Idle solenoid is connected...but I can't find signs that it's working. Jim C suggested turning ignition one click, then disconnecting the wire to the carb, and it should make a click clack noise. I did this and no noise. I then put a voltmeter on the green wire that goes to the blue and no reading. Is this enough to prove the wire isn't getting power? Next step I guess is attempting to trace that wire back to the source and check for wear...
 
So we tested the idle solenoid and the wire it was connected to was getting juice. We then connected it right to the battery and it clicked on and off. :hmm: Looks like it wasn't getting quite enough juice. I connected it to what I think is the old EGR connection and it worked! Clicked on and off when I turned the key to accessory and connected/disconnected the connection.

So this made it sound better, but still not great.

Next we tackled the timing with a timing light from "Sears Roebuck" that @vfrer got at a yard sale and I would bet is also a circa 1978. But it worked. Timing was pretty easy to adjust and helped, but the weird thing was that if we pushed down on the top of the dizzy or cap, it sounded like hell. I tightened the screw that keeps the dizzy from turning and that helped most of all. Then we drove it around the block and had a good NE IPA or two, reveling in our accomplishment.

I drove it to work today, first drive in over a month and it felt great! Excited to take it off road in a few weeks, assuming nothing breaks between now and then.
 
So we tested the idle solenoid and the wire it was connected to was getting juice. We then connected it right to the battery and it clicked on and off. :hmm: Looks like it wasn't getting quite enough juice. I connected it to what I think is the old EGR connection and it worked! Clicked on and off when I turned the key to accessory and connected/disconnected the connection.

So this made it sound better, but still not great.

Next we tackled the timing with a timing light from "Sears Roebuck" that @vfrer got at a yard sale and I would bet is also a circa 1978. But it worked. Timing was pretty easy to adjust and helped, but the weird thing was that if we pushed down on the top of the dizzy or cap, it sounded like hell. I tightened the screw that keeps the dizzy from turning and that helped most of all. Then we drove it around the block and had a good NE IPA or two, reveling in our accomplishment.

I drove it to work today, first drive in over a month and it felt great! Excited to take it off road in a few weeks, assuming nothing breaks between now and then.

I'm thinking the clamp wasn't grounding the distributor well enough when loose but not sure. I could kill the engine by pushing down on one side of the distributor cap and then if I pulled up on the dizzy housing it would run like a champ. Still seemed to do it after tightened but not as bad. I've got an old vacuum advance dizzy we could try. Got to clean up that idle solenoid wire connection too.
 
With the engine running so well, I told the :princess: that we should take the 40 for the drive to dinner. I had also reinstalled the doors, but not yet the hard top.

Halfway there, she's like "Good god, why is it so loud?" I guess when the engine was making crazy noises, it was harder to hear the doors and windows rattle. So now commence operation Quiet Doors.

I ordered the outer rubber weatherstripping from@racer65 based on the good reviews, and they were great. Had a bit of a misstep as I somehow installed the LH strip on the passenger door :bang: Never underestimate your own penchant for stupidity.

Getting the old stuff off was pretty easy. Getting the newly applied 3M Black Weatherstrip adhesive was not. In the end, I left about 20% of it on there, figuring it wouldn't make things any worse. Goo Gone worked ok to remove, but was still tedious. Then used denatured alcohol like City Racer recommends for final cleaning.

Next up is window channel / felt replacement...
 
The key was putting the adhesive in the door first, smearing with a gloved finger, then applying to weatherstrip, smearing, waiting probably 30 seconds and then applying. Also, I found masking tape worked better than clamps, except on the top corners. The clamps were applying too much pressure and distorting the shape of the rubber.

E297F0CC-583E-4B36-890B-79DEE0462636.jpeg


0E7E147C-4221-47DA-AD57-E62BFDED19F8.jpeg


F081D6DE-2EF7-4C1D-B14A-8E9ED6E43851.jpeg
 
Made some great progress this week, getting ready for the Yankee Toys Fall Gathering in NH. Can't wait to take it wheeling for the first time and spend some time in nature.

The doors are now vastly improved. After the weatherstripping from City Racer, I put in the OEM window channels. I only did the upper portions as the ones in the door weren't making too much noise, and I didn't have it in me to take the door all apart and go as far as @GA Architect in his awesome door surgery. I ordered parts 68160-90300 and 68180-90300 for the inside and outside where the glass goes in and out, and 68105-90300 as the bigger U shaped piece around the edge of the glass. I was able to get it in without removing the glass. I took the doors off, rolled the window all the way down, and installed the U shaped one and then 68180-90300. I did 68160-90300 last and removed all but the last clip on it. I put that in, then inserted the rest of the clips with needle nose pliers and pushed the strip in with a 5 in 1 painters tool. Worked pretty well, though one of the U shaped pieces isn't staying in as well as I'd like.

I then installed the brass door bushings from @SouthBostonFJ40 which made a much bigger difference than I expected. Not so much when the door is closed, but opening and closing, it swings like a normal door now!

@vfrer helped replace the busted rear pinion flange which somehow got mangled, must have been one hell of a rock..
Also fixed a wiring issue causing a short of the fuse for the heater fan and guages. Nice to have heat back now that it's getting a little chilly in New England. Will certainly be helpful in NH this weekend.

Drove it to work today, 45 mins each way with a big grin.

Next up will be ambulance door weatherstripping, getting that air cleaner intake on if I can find this clamp at a reasonable price: Intake Hose Mounting Bracket & Clamp 1975-1978 [17754-61010 - U] - $75.00 : CruiserParts.net, Toyota Landcruiser Parts it's toyota part no 17754-61010

Engine is running great thanks to timing adjustment, idle soleniod fix and new carb from @FJ40Jim
 
Didn't get any work done on the 40 this weekend, but it was still super productive, went wheeling with @chill will, @vfrer @cruiserguy80 and @Trialsallday at the Yankee Toys fall gathering. First time taking the rig on trails, and it was fantastic! Learned a lot about it. Saw some great rigs, met good people and decided on a few next projects.

Decided I'm no longer going to ditch the Toyo MT 33 x 12.5s in favor of pizza cutters and steelies. Might still go that route but will definitely hold on to the Toyos for wheeling. Also settled on a name: Goldbug a note to my boys favorite Richard Scarry book.

81C525BB-89E7-4572-90AF-974661F9B835.jpeg


15C28D2B-BA7D-4B49-A054-4E0937C300EB.jpeg


9B73440F-40FA-4194-99D1-CAD69AF2CC01.jpeg


E13ECB4A-E8B4-4F02-8E9E-916244000879.jpeg


A3FD58C4-7A7E-4283-B618-C2F57E7685F9.jpeg
 
Stayed out in the garage late last night getting the ambulance door weatherstripping on. I ordered the side weatherstripping from City Racer. I decided to try OEM for the ambi doors. I love City Racer and try to support the little guys, but there was a bigger difference than I expected between theirs and OEM. The OEM stuff was softer, perfectly cut, more like a mix of rubber and foam rubber. The CR stuff was much harder. I have to imagine they are rather different materials and manufacturing processes. Went on easy, used 3M Black Weatherstrip Adhesive 08011. Also dismantled, cleaned and tightened up the rear latch and lock. Then hit inside and out with some fluid film.

Next up is belt whine. It's driving me crazy, starting to turn into a character in a Poe poem.

907099CF-2A53-4EFE-BC5B-457B6E7246EB.jpeg


DEFD427C-3017-4212-9F6B-CBF92963FEBD.jpeg


E60D1399-668E-437D-937A-3C1A2D0494FA.jpeg
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom