Big Muddy's Buildup...

[1Fine40]

I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying! Plus, my top was leaking like a sieve, so I've got it off and am going to try to get it refinished! And after that I'd like to replace my rear sill, patch up the rocker panels, swap in discs, do my power steering, etc, etc, etc- I guess I'd better just concentrate on one thing at a time!...

Easy does it there!!! The addiction is starting to take over!!! Withdrawals can be very difficult

Cheers!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

So I haven't had the time lately to devote to the ol' 'Cruiser like I would like. My little niece has been in the hospital from complications with a brain tumor, and there are just more important things in life than the ol' 'Cruiser! But- I have been picking away at it little by little after work, getting the engine and accessories ready to go back in.

First orders of business: making a new bracket for my tank style engine heater and building my own fluid heat riser intake manifold plate since Justin gave me a set of headers with the new motor that I'll be running.

After reading a couple of posts by Mark W. and one by Degnol, I decided to keep the heater and plumb it into the heat riser plate so that the intake/carb then heater lines would be the first to be warm on those mornings it's 20 below. I am wanting this (Like everything else I try to add the the original genius behind the LandCruiser) to be well thought out, factory looking, long lasting, and simple as I can make it with the help of the combined experience of 'Mud.

I used the heater that was on my rig when I bought it, but instead of using the plumbers tape that was holding it onto the block when I pulled it, I used some extra 16 guage steel I had laying around to fashion a bracket that would hold it securely and look good doing it. I left the 's camera at home so I apologize for the bad pics as they are taken with my cell phone:

Test fit of the heater and bracket:

From Mark:

While the fluid heaters do not approach the heat of the factory ehaust manifold, this amount of heat is unneccesary.

A fluid heater does not help during initial startup of a cold motor. Neither does the factory ehaust manifold (although to does come nto play much sooner than the standard fluid heater). But there is a simple and proven approach that changes this. Plug in block heaters. If the coolant is heated prior to the "cold" start of the engine the manifold is already heated. An additional step improves this even more. Either by itself or in addition to the freezeplug heaters, add an external tank heater with the intake feeding from the drain port on the block and the outflow plumbed into the"heater hose" side of the intake preheater plate. The other side of the intake heater is of course connected to the heater hose fitting on the head.
When the tank heater is energized, the convective flow generated pushes hot coolant through the intake heater before it flows into the head. Since the intake side of the heater is pullng fluid out of the drain port, a very effective circular pattern is generated which flows through the intake before going on to shed the rest of it's heat in the engine.

The proof is in the pudding as the saying goes. An 800 watt heater, with no additional heaters involved, turned on for about 15-20 minutes can bring the intake manifold to warmer than body temp (about 100-105 F at a guess) when the starting temp of the engine (and the continuing ambient temp) is -25F.


Mark...

Getting ready for paint:

I got these fittings off of McMasterCarr to go into the block or intake manifold heater or wherever else I might need them. They are 3/8 NPT by 5/8 hose barb. Since NPT and BSPT have nearly the same pitch- you will find that they will thread into the original BSPT threads with only a little encouraging. (Searched it out here on 'Mud) And it is also pretty easy to find a 3/8ths NPT tap -I got mine at the local Ace- to thread them into the bottom of your heat riser.​

I enjoyed making the heater bracket. I was really the first time that I have shaped anything but 45s or 90s in steel. I just used a vice, piece of pipe, and a hammer. Body work, I'm getting closer! ​

 

[BlackDiamond72]

I really like this tank heater. After the -31 degree morning this past winter, I'm ready for one. Very nice, clean install Coe!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

Thanks man! Now I just need to get the rest of it back together and get it back on the road before CM11!

 

[subzali]

tick tock tick tock Coe...where are you at in the process? Try to give yourself some time to do some trial running before CM!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

tick tock tick tock Coe...where are you at in the process? Try to give yourself some time to do some trial running before CM!

Ahhhhh!

I'm getting there... Motor and tranny are back in, just need to swap the carb over and finish putting the front end back together. (Radiator, grill, and etc) And then finsh the conversion on my 3-speed case and install it. That is the lions share of the work completed that HAS to be done before Moab. However, I would also like to finish my top, which I have been working on also, and would love to have it done before moab in case it rains/snows. Definitely not going to have PS before Moab this year though... Maybe next year!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

So I finally got everything installed and got the 'Cruiser running again! I think that I stll have some bugs to work out, but more on that later!

Here's some pictures to kind of show what all I've done:

My routing completed on the tank style engine heater and intake heater riser. I built the riser out of a piece of 3/8" aluminum plate I bought as a drop from the local sheet metal shop and parts from the local hardware store- as I didn't want to buy one for $80 or so from MAF. I have less than half of that in materials + some time, and that includes a 3/8 NPT tap and enough aluminum left over to build 3 more.
I installed it all before I put the motor in, then realized I had the heater mounted to high, and it was hitting the firewall...​

After modifying my bracket and re-mounting it, this is where the final install turned out to be: Bolted to 2 tapped holes down on the lower part of the block- just above the oil pan. (Not a great pic, but you get the idea!)​

Gear reduction starter installed that Justin gave me when I bought the motor. I can already tell you that this is a great upgrade- do it when you get the chance! (Note: On the gear reduction starter, you will only use the hot lead from the battery and one wire, whereas your old starter used 2 plus the hot from the battery. Just tape up and tie the other out of the way.)​

Tranny top cover painted, installed, and then the whole unit mounted up: (Note: Make sure that you get all of your shifter forks lined up when you install the top cover the first time- especially the reverse fork as it requires a little more attention be payed. I learned the hard way when, after the whole thing was installed, I had to pull the tranny hump, (Which up to that point I had not, but should have: it made my life easier when it was out.) pull the top cover off, and line up the reverse shift fork correctly- after having to call Mark Algazy and asking him what I did wrong and him telling me I probably didn't get it lined up. It's a newb mistake, but he was absolutely right. )​

The motor tranny installed- Now to get everything else hooked back up and finish converting the older tcase to my 4-speed tranny. ​

 

[twoturtlesracing]

1.99 swapped to 2.313

There are several writeups and links on 'Mud about converting the older 2.313 tcase to a 4 speed tranny, but I found a couple that I felt were more complete and informative.

• One is from Kurt of Cruiser Outfitters website, and is in the tech articles: [FONT=Arial,Helvetica]Landcruiser H42 4 Speed Trans. to Landcruiser 3 speed T-Case[/FONT]
  (Btw, Kurt is a great guy to hook you up with all the parts necessary to do the swap and any other parts you might need while you are in there, and is always very nice and professional to deal with.)
• The other is by Natvet here on 'Mud and has some good photos to go with it: Mounting a 3 speed case on a 4 speed tranny

With these two writeups, this is a really easy job and worth it if you have access to a good cheap tcase. However, there is one thing that had me worried till I actually got in there and did it, and I could not find an accurate description on what needed to happen anywhere, so I will do my best to supply that info here to clear up any confusion:




The are different spacers and bearings in different orders between the 3speed trans and it's tcase and between the 4 speed transmission and the tcase mounted to it. Depending on what all came with your new parts, they may add confusion for your swap like they did for me, unless you are intimately aware of the differences between the 3speed and 4 speed trans.

• The 3speed trans has a bearing that mounts on the back of the trans, between it and the face of the transfercase. You WILL NOT need this bearing to mount the tcase to your 4 speed trans.
• The 4speed trans has a spacer that slides on the output shaft and that takes up the space between the bearing of the output shaft (Which is internally mounted in the 4 speed trans) and the the transition gear that you bought to do your swap. You WILL need this spacer.

So the order of parts are as follows from trans through tcase for the 2.313 tcase to 4 speed trans swap:

1. Really short spacer from 4 speed trans
2. Transition gear
3. PTO gear spacer: Since most "4speed" tcases did not come with a pto gear like the "3speed" tcases did, and "3speed" pto gear will not work for the 4 speed trans output, you have to use the spacer from the "4speed" tcase.
4. Transition bearing
5. Short spacer
6. Washer
7. Nut

Here's a picture for if you are a visual learner like me: ​

The only other thing that I might add to clear up confusion, is that if the transition bearing you ordered comes sealed- like so...​

Take a small screwdriver and pry out the plastic so that the gearlube can lubricate the bearing like so...​

Another thing to do, while you are doing this swap or have your tcase apart for any other reason, especially if your parking brake drum looks like mine does below, is to do the Mudrak double seal trick on the tcase output shaft. I found it here on 'Mud. It virtually eliminates output shaft seal leaks- or so I've read. I;m hoping it will help even this bad of a seal groove, though I should probably buy a speedi sleeve and put on next time I have my tcase drained just for a little extra insurance:

It's as simple as pulling off the speedo housing and then taking a die grinder or dremel tool and removing the seal stop in it (Being careful to not remove to much material) and then installing 2 seals. Drive the first one in, then carefully drive the second one in on top of that, pushing the first seal into the housing, until it's flush. Make sure and use plenty of grease on the seal lips, especially the last one, as it should see hardly any gearlube to lubricate it.​

Here's a pic with the 2 seals installed:

 

[1Fine40]

Lookin' great! You will love the 4 speed vs. the 3. Just a question...can that black heater hose take the radiant heat put off by those headers?? I would think you better wrap them in some header tape to protect them from baking!! (That's my thought anyway...)

Your rig is gonna rock!

Cheers

 

[subzali]

Original low range: 32.19:1
New low range: 50.32:1

 

[Drag Racer]

Nice Rig! I'm from Durango and recognize some of that..

 

[twoturtlesracing]

Lookin' great! You will love the 4 speed vs. the 3. Just a question...can that black heater hose take the radiant heat put off by those headers?? I would think you better wrap them in some header tape to protect them from baking!! (That's my thought anyway...)

Your rig is gonna rock!

Cheers

Since the heater is now mounted lower I don't think it's quite as close, but close enough I was still going to keep an eye on it. But your idea to use header tape on the hose instead of the header is a great idea!

Original low range: 32.19:1
New low range: 50.32:1

Ok, so what am I missing here? Tranny ratio (4.95)X tcase (2.313)X Diff (4.11)= 47.06 for the new, and 3.55 X 1.99 X 4.11= 29.04 for the old? I'm ok with over 50:1 though! Sounds more impressive!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

Nice Rig! I'm from Durango and recognize some of that..

Thanks Man!

 

[twoturtlesracing]

While I was putting everything back together, I bent the stop on the transfercase lever gate so that I now can run in 2 low, as well as 2hi. This is a mod that is cool to have now, but I don't imagine that I will really have a huge need for it until the day that I lock the front end up. But hey! I'm just preparin'!

2hi

2N

2lo

 

[twoturtlesracing]

It's running!

Justin had given me the exhaust that had been run with the headers, but not likeing the fact that it had no muffler, and that it went under the cross member of the frame, I decided to modify it a little bit. I wound up cutting it on both sides of the cross member and turning the bend so while it is still below the cross member, it is as low profile as it can be, and is still higher than the emergency brake drum. I then put a "turbo" muffler running parallel with the frame as it heads up and over the axle. I didn't have the right bends to get it to exit behind the drivers side tire like I would like, but for the sake of getting it on the road for now, it's just dumping out behind the rear axle towards the ground. I thought I had some pictures of it, but I can't find them so I'll post them to this thread later.

After having some problems with getting it to run like it should, I re-inserted the dizzy I don't know how many times to make sure that it was right, learned how to static time the thing, tried re-tuning the carb since I had finished a de-smog (after consulting with JimC) that a PO had started, all to no avail!...

After hours messing with the thing, and finding some vacuum leaks, but still not getting it to run right, I finally figured out that I had a bad fuse, and I wasn't getting power to the idle solenoid! Once I replaced that, it starts great, idles really good, and sounds even better!

The engine definitely runs stronger than my old one, but as I can tell that it's not running to it's potential, I have a new vacuum advance dizzy coming from TrollHole to replace my worn out vac retard model. Usually, you have to send your carb off to modify it for ported vacuum, but I learned that all '75s -except CA models- come with ported vacuum.

On another note, I am only pulling like 11-12 mmHG of vacuum at idle- which doesn't seem that great. Can having a performance cam have something to do with that? How much does living at 7500' have to do with it? I'd be glad for any input from you guys, otherwise I'm off to do more research on 'Mud!

All this being said, I did finally get to take the 'Cruiser out thursday afternoon and run around with it to make sure everything is working and leak free!

I can already tell a difference with the low range, although I'll have to get it out into the rocks to be able to tell exactly HOW MUCH of a difference. The was begging me to not spend ALL of my vacation working/playing with my 'Cruiser though, and I felt she had already put up with more than her fair share, so that trip will have to wait till next weekend after I get back.

During the next week and a half before Moab, I would really like to refinish my top that I have in pieces, I've decided to lengthen mt rear shackles and move my rear spring hangars forward to make up for rear springs that are just to short (Somewhat counter productive I know, but I'm moving the mounts forward enough that it'll be ok and I'll gain a little droop this way as well), and would love to put power steering on before CM- though that is hardly a priority, but it would be nice, and it would get rid of most of the remaining slop in my steering. So, if I'm going to do any of those, it's all going to have to be done this week- so I can wheel it this coming weekend and still have some time to work out any kinks that might arise... I don't want to have an untried setup before CM!

 

[subzali]

Ok, so what am I missing here? Tranny ratio (4.95)X tcase (2.313)X Diff (4.11)= 47.06 for the new, and 3.55 X 1.99 X 4.11= 29.04 for the old? I'm ok with over 50:1 though! Sounds more impressive!

I was being lazy and just going off this website:
Gear Ratio Calculator

...but I thought 5.3:1 sounded right for a H41 first gear? EDIT: never mind me...

He also has 2.2:1 listed for a '74-'75 4spd t-case, not sure if that's right or if all 4 spd t-cases pre-split case are created equal? EDIT: again never mind me...

Anyway, congrats on the gears!

On the vacuum, the FSM for a 2F states that 16.5 in. Hg at idle is what you're shooting for. But that will drop with altitude, I believe a lot of us in Denver see in the 13-14 in. Hg range. With a little higher elevation I'd say a steady 12 would be pretty good.

 

[twoturtlesracing]

Anyway, congrats on the gears!

Thanks man!

On the vacuum, the FSM for a 2F states that 16.5 in. Hg at idle is what you're shooting for. But that will drop with altitude, I believe a lot of us in Denver see in the 13-14 in. Hg range. With a little higher elevation I'd say a steady 12 would be pretty good.

Good info!

 

[caper]

Here's a shot of the new brake lines comparing them to the old ones:

(The new one is on the bottom, the old front line in the middle, and the old rear line on top) There is plenty of room with these on now, for as much travel as I can get out of the new springs!​

The new lines had a different mounting system than the old ones, and would allow the new lines to pull through the factory mounting bracket.​

New VS old

For the solution, I took 1/2" washers- drilled the center out with a 5/8" drill bit (which was within a .001" of being perfect)- and then ground off about a .001-.002" of the washers thickness, so that the circlip would still snap on the hardline side of the factory bracket, with the washer on the back side, to keep it from pulling through.​

Solution:

From the top:

A pic of the solution installed:

(The circlip is now installed on the front side of that factory bracket, in the groove on the brakeline, thanks to the grinding of the washer.) Hold's it snug, and almost looks like it's from the assembly line. ​

Do you have the make and part # for the new brake lines you used ? Also did you use the same new line for front and back. thanks

 

[caper]

The only reason I'm asking is I just bought the BH38009 that is always mentioned on the site and though it is about 2 inches longer than the stock rear flex line on mine , but it won't work due to it not having any grooved slot for the clip where it attaches to the hard line on the frame . the line will have no support at that point witch is no good . I would love to find the exact lines you have there.

 

[twoturtlesracing]

The only reason I'm asking is I just bought the BH38009 that is always mentioned on the site and though it is about 2 inches longer than the stock rear flex line on mine , but it won't work due to it not having any grooved slot for the clip where it attaches to the hard line on the frame . the line will have no support at that point witch is no good . I would love to find the exact lines you have there.

Post #18 of this thread has the part number that I used when I got mine from CarQuest. I had to make the special washer that you see in the pics to make mine work with the thicker groove and no small groove like the original ones had. Does the one that you got look like mine? I detailed what I had to do to make mine work earlier in my thread. HTH