best Cheap mods.

[jrkirkjr]

Define "cheap mod"...

I did my mods cheaply...
Well, inexpensivly.

Saginaw Power steering cost me about $500 when it was all said and done...
My SM420 cost me about $700 with a new old stock transmission.. (did the job twice)...

Hi...appreciate any help. Just bought a '71 toy lc....good shape. Has '85 f2 motor and a 1975 4h2(?) 4 sp trani. Wheels are 32 x 1150 15'' rims 2 ft lift.
Hi am a newbie, will just drive this on a mellow cattle ranch in N. Calif.

Here is the q?...1) Your saginaw power steer w/out cooler installed is $1600...Oregon City..


OR 2) go to junk yard and 'get' stuff that will work...which I have no clue and should I to alignment shop for check up....bout 10 '' of play in steer wheel.
Thanks so much...jim kirk Olympia, Wa jrkirkjr@gmail.com

 

[Black Jeep]

Hi All,

A cheap way of greasing your bird-field every 3 or 6 months is to fabricate a grease nipple as per attached picture USD 1.

Breaking of "brake-lines" are out of the past because i welded small "half-pipes" under the hose and disk-break.... USD 10

Many thanks,
Andre

 

[caladin]

My best cheap mod...

Do this to your manuals, costs $13 each at Kinkos.
cut the binding off, Laminate front and back cover only,
have them spiral bind it.

books lay flat when you are using them. MUUUCH nicer.

awesome mod for the money.. .though not TECHNICALLY on the cruiser, but definitely for it,

Thanks,

Cal-

 

[slickrock]

I made this with some bed rails left in a dumpster at work so just the cost of some welding wire and a few bolts (oh and the 12 pack for the two nights I worked on it)

Talk about a blast from the past. That's when I was dead set on a stock DD.... ALmost 6 years later and about the only thing left is the faded paint.

 

[skidplate]

Hey slick, lets see some closeups of how you mounted that.

 

[slickrock]

Hey slick, lets see some closeups of how you mounted that.

Sorry, that is long gone. I used the stock tire carrier and mounted the arms off of that and made a foot on the driver side to support it when closed.

Here is how it is built now. Standard set-up

 

[77 Mike]

Back when I was troubleshooting the fuel system trying to get the truck to run for more than 15 minutes I came up with this mod. It's just a cheap clear fuel filter from a local auto parts place. I like it because I can just look down and visually ensure fuel is flowing. I like to see stuff working so I think it's cool. (In the picture you can sort of see the fuel level toward the bottom. Normally it's full but I had just shut the engine down.)

The other was a solution to the rear view mirror issue while the top and doors are off. I think I paid about $6 for this convex mirror at Advance. It comes with a clamp and some other junk. I just took the parts you see there and threaded them through the hole where the hardtop normally attaches. It's really secure, gives a great view, and is somewhat discreet. It also does not interfere with the bikini top.

 

[77 Mike]

My other mod was EL wire in the gauge cluster. I ordered it from coolight.com. 5 feet of the white 4.3 mm EL wire. I ordered it long because I don't have experience soldering something like that. I'm glad I did. It was an exercise in patience working on it. The inverter I bought was part # CL-IUC-12V-MNT-to-15FT, which i don't see on the site anymore. Altogether, the total was $16.75 with shipping. And I picked up some heat shrink tubing at Lowes for a couple bucks. The other thing I bought was krazy glue [maximum bond]. It made it really easy to get the wire to stay where I wanted it.

It may be an error in what they sent, but the wire does have a blue tint to it, evident in the pictures. The best representation is the close up. Doesn't really bother me though.

Pictures should speak for themselves.

 

[cruiserkreutz]

Didn't plan on sharing until I saw this cool thread. Needed some more leg room for steering but I didn't want to spend over $150 for a Grant wheel and adapter. Stopped by the local junk yard and found this wheel in a 1993 Toyota SR5 truck. Fit right onto my '73, just had to drill a couple holes in the bottom and add two tapered hardened steel pins for the turn signal canceling. Works great, 15" wheel and about 1/2" more dish than the original. Only cost me $10 for the wheel, $6.85 for the paint (wheel was grey) and $1.70 for the pins. I can take pictures of the pins if anyone needs...

 

[cruiserkreutz]

Stupid Android app turned the pictures! Sorry

 

[ethernectar]

Simple cup holder

• ethernectar
• Sep 6, 2015

PVC pipe coupling and some velcro.

DIY Cup holder! Just an plastic pipe coupling.

 

[shelfboy1]

cadilac electric door solenoid to operate rear hatch lock from driver seat

 

[ethernectar]

Simple DIY Dash Shelf WIP

• ethernectar
• Sep 7, 2015
• 1

The cutout is for the shift lever (GM Auto).

Simple DIY Dash Shelf Finished

• ethernectar
• Sep 7, 2015
• 1

Painted with spray-on plasti-dip so it has a bit of grip. Simply zip-tied into place.

Made a simple shelf that attaches to the cage crossbar and rests on top of the dash pad.

 

[RolandFJ40]

$1.00 3 led jobber from walmart. Now i can see at night.

 

[65swb45]

Hard to believe that this thread went dormant for SO LONG!

While I was tooling around the desert last week, with a LOT of time to think, my recent swap out of water pump and alternator crossed my mind. And the fancy, L bent adjuster brackets with the tensioner bolt and coupler fitting that only the’79 and newer cruisers had…until @ToyotaMatt leveled the playing field for all the F engine guys with the coin to buy his sexy F engine alternator tensioner system.

And while I’m no stranger to bling, and have several of Matt’s products on my rigs, the Karma Cruiser has been mostly a budget build/maintain since Tony gave it to me in 2009.

So I’m thinking. Adjusting the F alternator typically involves loosening the stop bolt and putting a lever between the alternator and the engine block, taking up the slop, retightening the stop bolt and removing the lever. Done it for decades. In the field more time is spent deciding on the appropriate lever (clearing the air cleaner) than anything else.

But what if…there was a SECOND stop bolt…on the alternator bracket…NEXT TO the ear of the alternator? Then you could simply stick a screwdriver between the two (right there next to the 12 in the toolbag) take out the slop and be on your way. Reset the secondary stop whenever/ wherever you feel like it. Bonus: you’re now carrying a couple of easy-access pieces of hardware that you know exactly where they are both are in a pinch (like having driveshaft bolts in your front bumper.)

 

[Slapshot]

Thanks @65swb45 for the thread revival. Lots of good stuff in here

 

[65swb45]

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Hard to believe that this thread went dormant for SO LONG!

While I was tooling around the desert last week, with a LOT of time to think, my recent swap out of water pump and alternator crossed my mind. And the fancy, L bent adjuster brackets with the tensioner bolt and coupler fitting that only the’79 and newer cruisers had…until @ToyotaMatt leveled the playing field for all the F engine guys with the coin to buy his sexy F engine alternator tensioner system.

And while I’m no stranger to bling, and have several of Matt’s products on my rigs, the Karma Cruiser has been mostly a budget build/maintain since Tony gave it to me in 2009.

So I’m thinking. Adjusting the F alternator typically involves loosening the stop bolt and putting a lever between the alternator and the engine block, taking up the slop, retightening the stop bolt and removing the lever. Done it for decades. In the field more time is spent deciding on the appropriate lever (clearing the air cleaner) than anything else.

But what if…there was a SECOND stop bolt…on the alternator bracket…NEXT TO the ear of the alternator? Then you could simply stick a screwdriver between the two (right there next to the 12 in the toolbag) take out the slop and be on your way. Reset the secondary stop whenever/ wherever you feel like it. Bonus: you’re now carrying a couple of easy-access pieces of hardware that you know exactly where they are both are in a pinch (like having driveshaft bolts in your front bumper.)

thanks for the kind words mark


- this is a interesting approach for sure , but ................


- still involves prying , with a metal device , this added stress to a already sorta weak point the top lock down tab FEMALE thread we all see get stripped is a possible end

- result un-intended result maybe here , never the less its simple and in a pinch can achive the end goal result on a limited one time use mind set approach .....


- i like " LEVELING the Playing Field " for fellow member of the Vintage TOYOTA community as a whole alot ! , its what i live for 100% SOLID



- so much so , this is within reach of the common man / female owner operator too now !


- Presenting for Your Review Mark & fellow members alike : ........

Another STAINLESS STEEL Pipe-Dream for ALL 2F Engines 16381-61012 LIVES ONCE AGAIN passenger side Upper MOUNTING ALTERNATOR SLIDING ADJUSTMENT & DRIVE BELT TENSION TENSIONER KIT #4 SKUNK-WORKS LAB Exclusive 1/75 - 9/87 FJ40 FJ45 FJ55 FJ60 - VintageT

Another STAINLESS STEEL Pipe-Dream for ALL 2F Engines w/ the passenger side upper factory Alternator mounting location 1/75-9/87 ... -...

vintageteqparts.com

 

[ToyotaMatt]

NEW Stainless Steel PIPE DREAM 16381-60420 DRIVERS SIDE LOWER MOUNTING LOCATION ALTERNATOR SLIDING ADJUSTMENT & DRIVE BELT TENSION TENSIONER KIT #3 SKUNK-WORKS LAB Exclusive 1962-12/74 F / F1.5 NON-USA 2F & .3F CARB FJ40 , FJ55 , FJ60 , FJ62 - Vint

NEW Stainless Steel PIPE DREAM - Part # 16381-60420 - DRIVERS SIDE LOWER MOUNTING LOCATION ALTERNATOR - SLIDING ADJUSTMENT &...

vintageteqparts.com

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[ToyotaMatt]

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