Builds An HJ61 followed me home to Texas (1 Viewer)

[bottombracket]

I want to take a moment to publicly thank @roma042987. The rebuild job on this 12HT is simply outstanding. Roma is a perfectionist, a craftsman, and the mechanic we all strive to be. Thank you, friend.

Time to clean up brackets and hang some parts on this beauty.

 

[bottombracket]

Took about an hour with a wire wheel to clean up the exhaust manifold. I painted it with the Eastwood high temp coating. That stuff dries really fast- we’re talking 30 seconds before it gets gummy. I think it’ll look pretty good in the end.

This time I remembered to pull off the masking tape...on top.

 

[Paco]

@bottombracket are you putting a CT26 back on or upgrading?
@roma042987 Beautiful work!!! Was this a favor for @bottombracket or is there a waiting list I could get on for when mine needs a rebuild?

 

[bottombracket]

@Paco I’m just putting a stock CT26 back on. It had a fresh rebuild up in Waco. I plan on keeping everything stock and at factory settings for now. I have Marilu the HDJ80 running 23 pounds of boost through a G turbo with an intercooler. I think I’m gonna keep this one chill.

Roma is a busy dude, but I would do whatever I could to convince him to make a waitlist and then get on it!

 

[davegonz]

Where's the EGT probe?

 

[bottombracket]

I got too scared to drill a 21/64”hole in the manifold without confirming. I figure I can still drill it through a layer of paint…

 

[bottombracket]

Nope, it’s gigantic. 1/4 NPT it is.

 

[roma042987]

@bottombracket are you putting a CT26 back on or upgrading?
@roma042987 Beautiful work!!! Was this a favor for @bottombracket or is there a waiting list I could get on for when mine needs a rebuild?

I wish I had time to rebuild these on a regular basis for people but fact of the matter is with a full time job that requires 50% travel and two in diapers I would make alot of people unhappy with my production times. I do have another personal 12ht long block i just started tearing into and once it's done I may sell it on an exchange basis. This way I could rebuild them on my time schedule and each one would be documented just like this one and my others. I think offering them as a long block exchange would be ideal because it will allow a customer to keep all there accessories and such. If someone sent their core assembled I could transfer parts over.

 

[bottombracket]

And that right there is the best thing you could ever ask for. Roma’s 12HT factory.

Get in line quick, because parts are becoming NLA quickly for these old beasts.

 

[Paco]

@bottombracket Why did you rebuild yours and how many km were on it?

 

[bottombracket]

@Paco, it was a prophylactic rebuild. The motor has 465,000 km on it. It ran fine, and pulled strong, but after weighing the merits of a prophylactic ring and piston rebuild versus a catastrophic piston ring failure, blowing out the block and crank, I elected to rebuild before anything bad happened.

If you look through this thread, during Roma’s tear down, there was one piston with ring land wear, which 12HTs are known for. I’m glad we got to it before it scored the cylinder walls or did anything MUCH worse. This motor should be ready to go for another 500,000 km or more. It’ll likely outlive me.

Also remember, more and more 12HT bits and pieces are going NLA with every passing year. Stuff that was available two years before is now gone forever.

 

[bottombracket]

In between some brief socially distanced hanging out with @77mustard40 and @davegonz at different times, I got a little work done. I definitely have to make this truck live up to some pretty clean standards.

So much for chucking the engine in and being done. I pulled the accessories off the shelf and with a combination of brake cleaner on a rag and some compressed air, got the majority of the worst gunk off. I’ll probably paint the brackets and call it good.

 

[bottombracket]

Note that the vapor hone didn’t even take off the 30 year old sticker!

 

[bottombracket]

Actual tech:

I cranked the exhaust manifold studs on. I kind of wanted to put these on as the reason I started down this crazy pathway about two years ago was that I had an exhaust manifold leak. Then I started pulling off parts and look where that got me…

Part numbers for the studs, washers, and nuts are attached.

 

[bottombracket]

I chased the exhaust manifold to turbo studs as the holes were kind of grungy, using my trusty M10 x 1.25 tap. So far in Toyota engine work, this tap has gotten all the business.

 

[bottombracket]

Fresh CT26, rebuilt by John Walzel at Majestic Turbo in Waco, Texas. As stated above, I’m keeping things stock and not turning up the fuel or increasing boost.

 

[bottombracket]

Continuing the OCD, freshening up the exhaust manifold heat shield port holes, running a tap down them because SOMEONE may have gotten some Eastwood exhaust coating in there. I was too lazy to cut some ear plugs in half so now I’m spending Saturday night chasing threads. M8 x 1.25 if anyone cares. New hardware to match!

 

[roma042987]

Good way to spend a Saturday night.

 

[mongoose2231]

Impressive

 

[bottombracket]

Today I sucked it up and drilled and tapped the exhaust manifold. I went with the center hole in the manifold; that way I could keep the heat shields intact and keep the pyrometer out of the way.

I got the hole remarkably centered. The smaller of the Isspro pyro probes is an ‘R’ drill bit and a 1/8” NPT tap.

Except it was too damn short.

I called Isspro, whose customer service was awesome. I ended up buying a second gauge and longer 1/8” NPT temp probe; I will use this short one on the 79 truck,

Additionally I found out from customer service that the gauges are 12-24V compatible. Score!

Anybody need a 1/4” NPT Isspro temp probe?