A Zimbos Guide to building an FJ45... TAKE 2!! (1 Viewer)

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Vossie

#thecrazycruiserman
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
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Location
Harare, Zimbabwe
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HI all, been awhile since i last posted up anything related to a build thread

Almost exactly a year ago, I had to sell my H/FJ45, so its been a sad period in my life.

however, things are looking up, as i have just purchased a complete 83 FJ45, all be it in many pieces.

And I guess this will be my build thread for the new ol girl.

So heres the basic info straight off the bat:

She's a 83 FJ45- RPK with a 2f. Right away thats new territory for me, as all my experience is with diesels, the 2H to be specific. however, i must say that i am really looking forward to this 2F, some thing with a bit more grunt!

So i bought the 45 off a great guy down in Bulawayo, 450kms away from where i live in Harare. I paid the rock bottom price of $1500 for her. the catch? well.....

this is how i purchased her, and once i had got her home to harare to my fathers garage at his house.

Start off.jpg

"Are you nuts?!" i hear you say... Perhaps :grinpimp:
I will say this, compared to my last 45, this old girl has far more potential. where the last 45, the Tortoise, was missing almost all interior trim, this 45 has it all. where the tortoise had even a small amount of rust, this 45 has even less. for me, she has the makings of a great 45, and i have been itching to get myself back behind the wheel of a LC since i said my fairwells to the tortoise, may he rust in peace where ever he is :crybaby:

Now, onto the build, because i sure havnt waisted any time on starting :bounce:
 
So here's the plan, im aiming to get her together as quickly as possible, running soundly mechanically speaking, and then i will address the aesthetics.

Ready, set, go!

First up, lets get this old girl sitting up on her wheels.

Front axle about to go in...
front axcel before.jpg


Front axle in and tyres on
front axcel after.jpg


also put the battery box on and the steering box, as well as hooked up all the steering linkage too.

next up, rear springs and axle. first major roadblock... the springs i have are too short! like 6 inches too short :doh:

So i get on the phone with Scotty, the PO, and tell him the story. He says no worries, he has another 45 sitting out back he can pinch the springs from, i just have to wait a few days for him to get em off and send them up via swift (company that does over night deliveries from most parts of the country). cool. "Anything else?" he asks...

well :hmm:

Here's the best thing about our deal. Not only did 1500 bucks buy me a whole bunch of pieces that should go into a 45, it also bought me access to pieces from other 45's. My good friend Scotty has access to 4 of them, all be it most are non runners and standing on farms near Bulawayo. So now he has my wish list, and i have the correct springs inbound. yay:bounce:
 
So while I wait for the springs, lets get that beautiful engine and gearbox in...
Great little engine hoist..
Engine going in.jpg


I sent the radiator in at the same time for a total recon too.
Rad recon.jpg


Once the engine was in i decided to clean her up a bit. I took the carb off and covered all the other important parts that dont like water, sprayed everything else with Bliksem (the best degreaser i have ever used, water soluble stuff, that i have once taken a bath with to get off 3 days worth of grease and oil) and then a good pressure wash.

engine clean up.jpg

This pic was after bliksem but before wash. you can see how much muck was caked on the front.

Also decided this was a good time to clean the carb, what ever a carb is :rolleyes:

Carb clean up.jpg


a diesel injector pump its not. and although im not very familiar with carbs and other petrol things, i do have a general understanding of how it all should work and go together. besides, best way of learning how something works is to take it apart, right?

having said that though, this was just a very simple disassemble, clean, then reassemble. i dont want to touch the jets and other small delicate and complicated things until i need to.

and heres the engine, clean and tidy, with the air box on. Next the tub!
engine clean.jpg
 
Glad to see you back :)

Now get building !

Thanks JonnyC! Good to be back.

and my self imposed deadline for getting her moving is 25th December, so :worms::bounce:
 
Hey Vossie great to see you back and hard at it mate looks like a fun project.
 
interesting, 83's still had drum brakes and no fan clutch and single groove balancer.

Nice to see it come back alive.
 
You're not nuts... I'd scoop a deal like that. In your rush to assemble it, don't skip steps, you'll not want to pull it apart later.

And hey, you'll be able to do a frame off, and you got to skip the disassembly stage.
:cheers:
 
You're not nuts... I'd scoop a deal like that. In your rush to assemble it, don't skip steps, you'll not want to pull it apart later.

And hey, you'll be able to do a frame off, and you got to skip the disassembly stage.
:cheers:

very true. the frame is in fantastic condition. the po had started on his own frame off, started on the frame, took it to steel, primed it and painted it really nicely, then thats as far as he got. means i have a frame in as good condition as the day it left the factory.

and although my original plan was just to reassemble and get her running, last night i found myself in possession of a compressor and spray gun :rolleyes:

Hey Vossie great to see you back and hard at it mate looks like a fun project.

thanks chappo. good to be back and have a 45 again mate.

interesting, 83's still had drum brakes and no fan clutch and single groove balancer.

Nice to see it come back alive.

ja, not sure if its because of where in the world this one originates. i havnt done any digging yet, but i have a sneaking suspicion that this 45 was assembled here in Harare by Willowvale motors, but im sure JonnyC can chime in on this one
 
Even if you don't paint all of it, paint the frame, the tub bottom, the axles, etc.
 
sneaking suspicion that this 45 was assembled here in Harare by Willowvale motors, but im sure JonnyC can chime in on this one


You mean like that they were building land cruisers from CKD kits from Toyota by the shady characters at WMI willowvale motor industries in Zimbabwe

:)

Deja Vu conversation with you there :)

However many tlc used 4 wheel drums... It was a market thing
 
You mean like that they were building land cruisers from CKD kits from Toyota by the shady characters at WMI willowvale motor industries in Zimbabwe

:)

Deja Vu conversation with you there :)

However many tlc used 4 wheel drums... It was a market thing

ja, seems we've been here before. :rolleyes:

I saw dagha boy was also looking into his 45 as well.
 
Howzit Vossie and JohnnyC too. Strange to bump into you in Zim Johnny! "Shady Characters" are you perhaps referring to the infamous Mr Rautenbach??? Bloody nice 45 Vossie. I looks like the time is ripe for a cross border raid to liberate some of those surplus LCs. Are you guys still using USD ?
 
funny how some cruiser heads will probably only see one or two 45 series (if that) ever... and you had bought 2 within months :)

would it be too much to say that i have number 3 lined up? :p

but believe it or not, my dream is a 40, not a 45. funny how the grass is always greener

Howzit Vossie and JohnnyC too. Strange to bump into you in Zim Johnny! "Shady Characters" are you perhaps referring to the infamous Mr Rautenbach??? Bloody nice 45 Vossie. I looks like the time is ripe for a cross border raid to liberate some of those surplus LCs. Are you guys still using USD ?

that we are bru, and with 13 to 1 at the moment, it seems to be our market. that being said however, the Rand still has plenty of power up here, even more power down towards Bulawayo
 
Back to the build :)

Got the tub on almost immidiatley after the engine, including all the small things that go against the firewall, the blower, the brake booster. oh, nd also the front bib :p

engine tub on.jpg
engine tub on front.jpg


then i started wiring. i had the loom in a box and it was in great nick, only a few connectors here and there that i had to make a plan with.
so in that went. 90% of everything lined up and went together, except for the battery side, the coil, the dizzy and a few odd wires here and there.

im gonna link up the thread i made to help solve all this

Wiring help need please... mostly coil and distributor

so i got through this, thanks to those who chimed in and helped out a diesel boy with coils and dizzy's.

after that, i had to have a go at starting her....:D:D:D



any thoughts here are greatly appreciated. its the first time in over a year and a half that anyone has even tried to start this engine. i know she sounds very rough, and im not even sure if its counted as running, so any advice here is very very welcome
 
to me sounds like a vac leak (and obvious exhaust LOL)... but... it will be good to run soon :)

how many vacuums should there be on a 2f? bc the only one i think i currently have is from the air box to the tappet cover and then the very small one from the bottom of the carb to the dis, if that is even a vacuum line
 
would it be too much to say that i have number 3 lined up? :p

but believe it or not, my dream is a 40, not a 45. funny how the grass is always greener

that we are bru, and with 13 to 1 at the moment, it seems to be our market. that being said however, the Rand still has plenty of power up here, even more power down towards Bulawayo

13:1 is a bargain. My bank is charging 14.66 for a dollar today. Getting poorer by the day. I fear we'll see 15 by the end of the month. Alchemists we are - we've changed gold into s***. I'd also love a 40. Nice LHD one in Hoedspruit but unlicenceable because of that and it has been pretty badly butcherd 3.0L Ford V6 in it. Yours is comimng on real nicely. Looking gooood!
 

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