- Thread starter
- #121
THANKS! I will look those up!
Build Abandoned 84 FJ60 gets some love, and a 4bt!
- Thread starter Thechief86
- Start date
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Definately get the remflex exhaust gaskets. It's one of the few aftermarket gaskets that is better than the OEM. They sell them in a kit or as a single header gasket. The torque values used are significantly lower than what OEM manual calls for, so pay attention. I forget what they claim the gasket will take up in warpage, but it's pretty significant. It'll most likely solve your problem.
- Thread starter
- #123
Just ordered a Remflex gasket for this pile.
I hate that I'll have to wait a little longer for it, but if it will solve the leak problem, it will be worth it!
Should I use any type of sealant such as the copper Permatex or anything? Or just torque to recommended spec and let 'er eat?
I hate that I'll have to wait a little longer for it, but if it will solve the leak problem, it will be worth it!
Should I use any type of sealant such as the copper Permatex or anything? Or just torque to recommended spec and let 'er eat?
DRY! No sealant! It'll come with clear instructions. You may have to cut some washers to stack under the mounting nuts if there's too much of a gap between the intake and exhaust. That was a pita, but doable and worth it.
And handle the Remflex with care - until they get installed, they're fragile. Toast if they get bent.
- Thread starter
- #126
I ordered the thing online, here's hoping it doesn't get damaged in transit!
I went ahead and removed the intake and header this morning so when it arrives I'll be ready to button it back up and run. I am so excited to finally be heading in a good direction with this car after it sat so long, and then waiting over 2 years for the chance to buy it, and then another few months to actually start fixing it, lol.
Just hearing it run was a hard-earned and long anticipated victory. My next weekend off will be dedicated to removing the interior and cleaning everything as much as I possibly can, and possibly looking for some junkyard seats to run until I can afford to have the original stuff reupholstered.
This cruiser will be the substitute for the brand new Tacoma I had planned to buy, so I have license to spend a bit of money on it, and have every intention of making it quite nice over the next few years.
I had one folded in transit and another dropped by an idiot, third one worked (only paid for one in the end). If you buy directly from Remflex, they ship in a hard tube that usually can't be damaged.
The heater core is brass/copper.
A good radiator shop can fix it . Or pressure test it and solder the leak yourself.
You can still find aftermarket versions.
BUT!!!!!!
To gain access, the top of the dash needs to come off. I also seem to remember pulling my lower dash as well because I could not get the heater core out of the heater box. So I removed the heater box....
A good radiator shop can fix it . Or pressure test it and solder the leak yourself.
You can still find aftermarket versions.
BUT!!!!!!
To gain access, the top of the dash needs to come off. I also seem to remember pulling my lower dash as well because I could not get the heater core out of the heater box. So I removed the heater box....
The heater core itself may be ok. The in/out tubes on top of the heater core may be leaking. The in/out tubes are slip fit with O-ring seals. Each tube has a removable clip that keeps the tubes is place/sealed. Some people just solder the tubes in place.
- Thread starter
- #131
Thanks! I'll dig into that when I get time to pull the dash apart. Warm weather is coming, it may stay bypassed for a fee weeks while I feel out the rest of the vehicle.
I love how auto manufacturers start with a heater core and then build a vehicle around it. I haven't seem many examples of a heater core that can be accessed easily. Makes me miss the days of air-cooled VW's where we just gave up on having heat entirely and just wore thick coveralls haha.
I drove from Atlanta to Nashville in a snow storm with no heater and hardly a coat. But I had a radio… lol
- Thread starter
- #133
I came across the Rockies in a snow storm in an antique Kenworth cabover last year and it was MISERABLE haha!
I guess I'm just trying to make my Cruiser as complete as I can in an effort to make it better than I found it. I've wanted an FJ60 for a very long time, more than 20 years, and always viewed them as something unattainable by anyone who wasn't rich. But I figured out that a broke mechanic can have one as long as he's willing to start with junk and move up from there, lol.
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While major in items to remove. It is maybe a 2 banana job based on seeing your work. If you take the heater box out. You can clean out the leaves and other stuff that likes to hide and then fly out and hit you in the face when your crawling down a steep slope.
There are 2 gound wire points on the left and right A pillar (Just below). It is good to refresh the contact points (clean).
The good thing is that most heater cores outlive the vehicle they reside in. It’s on the cars/trucks that have survived for 20+ years that see heater core issues so that if it’s a pain to access it’s at least not done with much frequency.
I would not recommend soldering these in place. It bit me once and doing the dash removal twice isn't the kind of experience you need.
They clean up really well and having that little wee bit of adjustment and movement as it goes through the firewall isn't a bad thing.
Glad I caught up to this build, I remember when you first got it.
There is a place called "Mylers" that repairs motorcycle radiators that might be a good resource for a heater core repair...worth asking them. They have repaired a few of the motorcycle radiators I have completely pretzled after hitting trees while off road riding. They are fast turnaround and very reasonable on cost.
- Thread starter
- #138
Thanks! I've got a good radiator shop in Nashville nearby as well, if the core is actually leaking rather than the O-rings, I'm sure having it repaired won't be the hard part of the job, lol.
Yesterday I went to get some tools out of the Cruiser to do some work to my old Subaru, and out came a few red wasps from apparently under the dashboard. I can't believe I haven't seen these bastards before now! I'm so lucky they didn't decide to come out and zap me while driving!
I'll be picking up some spray and hopefully some bombs this afternoon to combat these stowaways. The last thing I need is some inhospitable bugs in my project car! Lol
I still haven't even washed this thing yet. If I'm able to get rid of the waspers and fix the exhaust leak, that will be happening SOON.
You can tell there is still some tree gunk even on my windows...
Dude, I drove a 66 ford stepside when I was in high school. It had those wheel well vents down by the floor that you could open on hot days. Yeah, you guessed it. I popped that thing open one hot Atlanta summer day and they got PISSED at me. Got stung a few times before I was able to pull over. Fun times indeed.
I’ve never seen a red wasp. The wasps we have around here a mostly friendly. They often end up in the house due to a windy open or door open etc. i usually just coax them into my finger and carry them out.
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