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[NCFJ]

You could not pay me to drive on the beach. There is a great amount of salt mixed in with that sand and it gets and stays everywhere. After living on an island (key) for ten years and seeing the damage that just salt air does to vehicles it is simply not worth the trouble.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

The beach salt pales in comparison to northeast winter rock salt. I'll take the beach all year long over a single week in the northeast winter.

 

[ErikinSC]

Question:
My Holley carb only has a gas supply line, no return line. My fuel pump only has supply in and out to the carb, no return to the tank. I want to swap out a carb from an '83 2F. This carb does not have a return line either, only supply. So will my fuel pump work? Why does my system work now without a return line?

Thanks,

I got some help from @Weber Sarge on this : Good news, if you'd didn't know already - It is not an issue. You and I have an aftermarket carb. The '83 Carb will work the same way. His suggestion was to use a vented jeep CJ style inline filter, installed close to the carburetor, with the vented return outlet routed back to your stock (and very nice) hard return line and into the tank. Now your return is not open to the atmosphere, and any excessive fuel is 'vented' back to your tank. HTH !

 

[lowtops]

I got some help from @Weber Sarge on this : Good news, if you'd didn't know already - It is not an issue. You and I have an aftermarket carb. The '83 Carb will work the same way. His suggestion was to use a vented jeep CJ style inline filter, installed close to the carburetor, with the vented return outlet routed back to your stock (and very nice) hard return line and into the tank. Now your return is not open to the atmosphere, and any excessive fuel is 'vented' back to your tank. HTH !

Thanks for the info. I have not researched this much lately but once I get the drivetrain back together the carb will probably be my next project.

 

[lowtops]

I'll start by letting the great Willie Nelson explain how I feel right now...


I would like to thank @Vae Victus for his H42 rebuild thread. https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/h42-transmission-tcase-ebrake-rebuild-in-a-76-fj40.758634/
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/h42-transmission-tcase-ebrake-rebuild-in-a-76-fj40.758634/
I went back to his thread numerous times for ideas and to avoid pitfalls. Thanks again Vae. Between his thread, my pictures, a spare trans to compare with (Thank you @Roxx), and the FSM I was able to put it all back together.

So I'm calling the trans/TC reseal project done. I have driven it approx. 30 miles since Tuesday with the trans hump, gas tank cover and passenger seat removed to shake it down. This project took a lot longer than I wanted it to but I'm ahead of my deadline, which was the All-Star race in Charlotte. I'll elaborate more about that in the ONSC chat thread.

List of jobs completed since the HAMOM:
oil pan gasket
valve cover gasket
cam access and oil galley plugs replaced
new rear motor mounts
new pilot bearing
bell house blasted and painted
flywheel turned
new clutch, pressure plate, and throw out bearing
transmission rebuilt, replaced reverse gear and 3rd/4th gear synchro
Transfer case rebuilt
parking braked rebuilt and drum turned
driveshafts rebuilt
rear pinion seal replaced
new plug wires, gapped the plugs (all were oversize)

Every part that came of was either cleaned, painted, polished or replaced.


Now some pics....

I replaced the cam access plug and oil galley plug since both looked a little weepy. This pic also shows the new rear main seal and pilot bearing. Also note the aftermarket exhaust, with this exhaust in place the flywheel will not drop down from the bell house. You can't remove the bell house without removing the flywheel.

So my work around was to use electrical wire to attach the flywheel to the bell house and then remove both as a "unit". This involved using the cherry picker because of the weight.

I ordered new front and rear motor mounts. I'll do the front mounts later. Look at those fuel lines!

Here is the trans rebuilt. This was a good day.

Here is the trans/TC installed. This was also a good day.

 

[lowtops]

I had to make several SST's to complete this project.

I had to drill holes in this bar to use as leverage when tightening the stake nuts. These nuts call for 101 ft. lbs. Yes I used two bolts, second bolt is not installed yet.

The idea for this cobbled together monstrosity was from Vae Victus. His solution was little more elegant. After a MAPP heat the bearing came out. It was stubborn though.

I reused the puller arms to rig this up to get the bearing off the shaft.

I found this idea here on MUD and it works well. This is just one of those rubber jar openers. Once you get the mechanism cleaned and lubed you can do it by hand without the SST.

When I went to buy gear oil I found this on the shelf and had to try it just because of the name. It works well. Nice and tacky for those needle bearings.

 

[lowtops]

When I was cleaning the valve cover I noticed a crack on the top of it. It was not leaking or oily from that crack anyway.

Although I don't have a TIG welder now I have done a fair amount of TIG welding in the past, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that someone had performed a quality TIG weld on this crack from the inside. AL is not easy to TIG and has to be extremely clean to achieve good results.

I was able to pick up a period correct bottle jack and jack rods from a MUDder. Now I want to locate a tool bag or roll, I would prefer a roll even though it is not correct for the year. Tool rolls are just plain cool.
Let me say I'm something of a hardware pack rat. The black bar I used as an SST earlier was part of a garage door opener. The puller arms were just some sheet metal I had laying around. I have a bucket full of misc. metal and a bolt bin that I save junk in. So when I took the clutch out I noticed it had some interesting looking clips on it and so I put them in my bolt bin for some future use. Then when I installed the bottle jack I remembered that the tool bag is held down by a rubber band using three clips. Well what do you know all I have to do is open up those clutch clips a little and they will work fine. In the pic they are not opened up or oriented the right way, but you get the idea.

I like the patina on the bottle jack and tools. It fits the overall look of the 40.

 

[lowtops]

Two months of lonnnng nights and nobody will ever see it. No, I don't use Motorcraft 5W-20 for anything. Just a box.

I have had the doors off to make it easier to work on and with the nice weather I did not put the doors back on for my shake down runs. So this is how she sits now. It has been nice riding around with no doors. I'll take the top off in a few weeks.

I took the next picture two days ago before my first shake down run. I was going over all the bolts that had been touched, that I could reach anyway, to make sure everything was tight when I noticed a drip on the concrete coming off of the lower trunion bearing bolt on the passenger side. So I wiped the bolt clean and checked the bolts, all were tight. Then I started thinking about the grief I was going to give @GLTHFJ60 since he was working on that side at the HAMOM.
Since I took this pic before my shakedown run it has not dripped. I started thinking about it and I figure the birf grease had separated in the two months it has been sitting idle and just needed to be stirred up a little. So no grief from me Johnny, thank you for your help!

Future projects:
I still have a leak from the front of the engine that I will address a little later. I want to drive it for now. I also have a coolant leak. It is hard to pin down. It looks like the upper radiator hose is leaking, I have all new hoses for it. I'll be doing the hoses in about a month if not sooner.
I still want to change it back over to an Aisin carb or maybe a Trollhole unit. I have factory hard fuel lines for the engine bay and want to hook up Jason's return line he made for me. I'll also be able to use a factory air cleaner. I'll probably wait until winter for that.

For now, I'll take @FJinTegaCay advice and drive it like I stole it!

 

[FJinTegaCay]

That sure looks purdy!

 

[roadstr6]

Great work, man! Those were some tough jobs and you knocked them out handily.

 

[CharlestonG8R]

Nice work, sir!

 

[JohnVee]

Great work. You've got commitment and dedication out the wazoo.

 

[lowtops]

Since the trans/TC rebuild I have been driving the 40 almost everyday. This thing is a blast. I have not started any new projects although I have a lot of parts that need to be put on. I will wait until winter to start some of the more involved projects.

I was finally able to get some help to get the top off last week and install a @Trollhole bikini top. The bikini top is very well made and fits great. So far I am very pleased.

 

[lowtops]

Nothing too crazy here, just some cosmetics. My lower dash pads were old, hard, and deteriorating. The PO owner installed an aftermarket upper dash pad and it looks great which made the lower dash pads look even worse. I found a guy, @Armenoonanian , here on MUD selling lower dash pad replacements. These are high quality with a perfect fit and texture.

OLD

NEW

 

[ontherxs]

Fantastic progress!

 

[Hmmm]

Since the trans/TC rebuild I have been driving the 40 almost everyday. This thing is a blast. I have not started any new projects although I have a lot of parts that need to be put on. I will wait until winter to start some of the more involved projects.

I was finally able to get some help to get the top off last week and install a @Trollhole bikini top. The bikini top is very well made and fits great. So far I am very pleased.

View attachment 1094202
View attachment 1094203

Lowtops, I have decided it is now time for you to return my 40. This weekend will be fine. Hmmm

 

[lowtops]

Lowtops, I have decided it is now time for you to return my 40. This weekend will be fine. Hmmm

You might want to wait until next spring for me to return it. I have a few other winter projects planned that you might like.

 

[lowtops]

BFG 31X10.50R15

Yokohama Y742S 7.00/15
[URL=http://s1234.photobucket.com/user/lowtops01/media/Pizza%20cutter%20tires.jpg.html][/URL]



I have put about 50 miles on these tires this week and I like them a lot. Steering effort is greatly reduced. Almost feels like I have power steering.
I had a very noticeable shimmy from the rear at 55 mph with the 31's, these are a lot smoother. I'm sure the 31's just needed balancing, I'm just glad it wasn't a driveshaft issue.

The overall diameter is the same as the 31's but the Yoko's section width is almost 2" narrower.

These tires should be perfect for my intended usage, cruisin'. Plus if I decide to hit some trails I still have a mildly aggressive tread.

BTW, I received great service at Discount Tire at Concord Mills Mall. They called to say the tires had been delivered and I could come at any time. I decided to remove the tires at home and take them up there in my truck. Rear lug nut condition was unknown and I did not want any surprises. Plus I like to ensure proper lug nut torque.
I was the only customer there at 4:30 on a Thursday. But the guys were not goofing off. Everyone was in the shop cleaning up, even the manager. When I pulled up the manager remembered me and started quaterbacking the whole process. He told each guy what to do regarding tire pressure, valve stem selection, and what weights to use all without asking me first. He was spot on with all of his directions. I was in and out of there in 20 minutes. Five guys, five tires, done.
This is at least the fourth set of tires I have bought from them over 10+ years and I have been pleased each time. Its hard to find that kind of consistency these days.

 

[Rice]

Nice. It's definitely ready for cruisn.

Same experience with Discount Tire here. I'm up to about 6 or 7 sets from them now.

I make it a point to say nasty things about Merchants whenever possible.

 

[jamesurq]

I used to be a discount tire guy. But without the ability to do alignment, and the fact that Taylor's tire is cheaper, quicker, and can do alignment, I switched.