Bikersmurf’s 40

[bikersmurf]

Progress.

The engine had developed a quiet lifter tick. Since I’d not readjusted the valves after the initial installation of a different cam, I decided the valves should be adjusted. After a couple attempts to adjust the hydraulic valves by first having them a #1 TDC on compression stroke and then adjusting certain valves, and then rotating the crank 360* and then adjusting the remaining 8 valves it wasn’t running right. The tick was gone, but now the vacuum gauge was flickering at idle. I suspected that one (or more) valves wasn’t sealing properly or I’d wiped some lobes off the cam.

I pulled both valve covers and cranked the engine over. All the valves appeared to be opening and closing proper. So it wasn’t a f’ed up cam. So I proceeded to adjust all the valves in firing order… adjusting both intake and exhaust and rotating till TDC of the next compression stroke. After all 8 were done put the covers on and fires her up. It idled super smoothly till it ran out of gas. I didn’t realize that tank was so low.

After pouring some in from a Jerry can I ran over to the gas station. $90 bucks later at $2.15/litre I figured it would be good for a while. It now wouldn’t idle quite right. I tried to make it run right, but it started running like there was bad gas or moisture in the tank:

I drove it around and just when I thought I was through with the bad gas it would run sh!tty again. Pulled the top of the carb and cleaned some shmag and jelly out of the bottom. Still wouldn’t idle right and it surged at a high idle and even when driving with light throttle. It was acting like it was lean… but sometimes smelled rich. I burnt up as much fuel as I dared and decided to pump the tanks dry.

After pumping out the last 10 litres of fuel and putting in 5 of fresh gas, it still wouldn’t idle. The gas was part of the issue, because even at 3600ish rpm the mower would randomly die when burning it. Even with the electric starter I couldn’t get it to start again until I drained some gas out and tried again. The old gas looked crystal clear and didn’t smell terrible it was part of the issue.

So I asked google why an Edelbrock 1406 won’t idle. The answers were somewhat surprising. I found threads describing engines that wouldn’t idle right, fluctuating rpms, stalling at lower rpm, rich smell at “idle”, and restarting after pumping gas. All of which sounded very familiar.

The problem consistently seemed to be the idle circuits. Apparently 1406 Edelbrock carb’s idle circuits easily get clogged. The solution described was to remove the 2 idle mixture screws and spray carb cleaner down the hole with the “straw” or blow compressed air down the hole.

I sprayed cleaner down the first hole and it seemed clear (or to clear out with it). On the second hole the cleaner didn’t flow out but instead backed up and overflowed out the top of the hole. So next I tried compressed air down both holes at higher pressure with the rubber covered nozzle tight to the holes. Air seamed to flow through freely. I confirmed this by spraying some cleaner through both mixture holes. Both now flowed freely,

After setting both mixture screws to 1.5 turns out from bottom, I started the engine. After it warmed up somewhat, I found it ran best at 1 turn out, and it would idle smoothly at 650 rpm. Crisp throttle response, no more surging, and smooth idle. After I drive it some I’ll fine tune the idle… but it seems to be running great again.

 

[crustyBJ60]

Progress.

The engine had developed a quiet lifter tick. Since I’d not readjusted the valves after the initial installation of a different cam, I decided the valves should be adjusted. After a couple attempts to adjust the hydraulic valves by first having them a #1 TDC on compression stroke and then adjusting certain valves, and then rotating the crank 360* and then adjusting the remaining 8 valves it wasn’t running right. The tick was gone, but now the vacuum gauge was flickering at idle. I suspected that one (or more) valves wasn’t sealing properly or I’d wiped some lobes off the cam.

I pulled both valve covers and cranked the engine over. All the valves appeared to be opening and closing proper. So it wasn’t a f’ed up cam. So I proceeded to adjust all the valves in firing order… adjusting both intake and exhaust and rotating till TDC of the next compression stroke. After all 8 were done put the covers on and fires her up. It idled super smoothly till it ran out of gas. I didn’t realize that tank was so low.

After pouring some in from a Jerry can I ran over to the gas station. $90 bucks later at $2.15/litre I figured it would be good for a while. It now wouldn’t idle quite right. I tried to make it run right, but it started running like there was bad gas or moisture in the tank:

I drove it around and just when I thought I was through with the bad gas it would run sh!tty again. Pulled the top of the carb and cleaned some shmag and jelly out of the bottom. Still wouldn’t idle right and it surged at a high idle and even when driving with light throttle. It was acting like it was lean… but sometimes smelled rich. I burnt up as much fuel as I dared and decided to pump the tanks dry.

After pumping out the last 10 litres of fuel and putting in 5 of fresh gas, it still wouldn’t idle. The gas was part of the issue, because even at 3600ish rpm the mower would randomly die when burning it. Even with the electric starter I couldn’t get it to start again until I drained some gas out and tried again. The old gas looked crystal clear and didn’t smell terrible it was part of the issue.

So I asked google why an Edelbrock 1406 won’t idle. The answers were somewhat surprising. I found threads describing engines that wouldn’t idle right, fluctuating rpms, stalling at lower rpm, rich smell at “idle”, and restarting after pumping gas. All of which sounded very familiar.

The problem consistently seemed to be the idle circuits. Apparently 1406 Edelbrock carb’s idle circuits easily get clogged. The solution described was to remove the 2 idle mixture screws and spray carb cleaner down the hole with the “straw” or blow compressed air down the hole.

I sprayed cleaner down the first hole and it seemed clear (or to clear out with it). On the second hole the cleaner didn’t flow out but instead backed up and overflowed out the top of the hole. So next I tried compressed air down both holes at higher pressure with the rubber covered nozzle tight to the holes. Air seamed to flow through freely. I confirmed this by spraying some cleaner through both mixture holes. Both now flowed freely,

After setting both mixture screws to 1.5 turns out from bottom, I started the engine. After it warmed up somewhat, I found it ran best at 1 turn out, and it would idle smoothly at 650 rpm. Crisp throttle response, no more surging, and smooth idle. After I drive it some I’ll fine tune the idle… but it seems to be running great again.

What’s a carburetor?

 

[bikersmurf]

What’s a carburetor?

It won't be long before no one will know how to work on one. Most mechanics now only know how to replace parts the computer says are faulty. Old rigs like ours are beyond their capabilities. There's nowhere to plug in the code reader.... and no computer for that matter.

I've been collecting the parts to switch to injection... but I didn't want to start the conversion at this time. Also, until everything is working properly I don't want to change even more variables. The fuel injection conversion will have enough unknown variables without having any extra unknowns. I've got a stand-alone harness, computer, and almost all the hardware needed to do the conversion. Also 2 or 3 intake manifolds, 3 sets of injectors, and spares of most of the sensors. As far as I know, all the parts are good, but it'll be a real challenge to troubleshoot any problems that could arise. It's also going to be a major learning curve for a guy who cut his teeth on carbs to convert an old rig to fuel injection.

 

[bikersmurf]

Been putting some miles on the 40. It’s warm in the recent weather… but nothing like when the hardtop didn’t have vent windows. Having them in the front doors and the hardtop makes a big difference.

I’ve been noticing that the clutch will slowly start to engage if I hold it down for any length of time. It’s currently a subtle thing, but it’s getting worse. I’m sure the clutch M/C is bypassing internally. I likely could disassemble the clutch master, polish the internals and reassemble it… to get it to work.

When I checked back on mud, I found that I last rebuilt it around 2011. So I went shopping for a new slave and master for the clutch. Toyota has the ‘74 parts as obsolete. Lordco, Bumper to Bumper, and NAPA all have part numbers… but no stock anywhere. Rock Auto doesn’t have stock on any clutch Master cylinders… and rebuild kits are also a thing of the past on almost every site.

Believe it or not Amazon has a ‘74 clutch master for $45 and an early ‘74 slave for $30. Neither part is OEM, but the Beck Arnley parts that are now failing have lasted 11+ years which is as long as OEM last.

Beck Arnley for $65 shipped.

Doorman for $31 shipped.

From the pictures Doorman looks slightly better and $10 less for the slave than Beck Arnley.

Exedy makes a $45 Clutch master… but it looked cheaply made in the pictures.

I’ve ordered parts for a ‘73 because some manufacturers switched to a larger bore for ‘74 because August ‘74 the specs changed. I want the early 3/4” slave rather than the late ‘74 which is 13/16”. It’s a small difference, but the 3/4” gives me plenty of travel and I don’t want to loose even a small amount.

I think I’ll inspect the internal finishing work before installing them. If they’re not up to snuff, I’ll order another set. I suppose I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.

 

[bikersmurf]

They passed a visual inspection. The paint on the Slave looked iffy an it looked nonexistent on the clutch master.

So this is after primer and paint. Now.

 

[bikersmurf]

Step one… replaced the hard line, and tried to connect the flex line to the slave cylinder. First hiccup… the Doorman slave cylinder doesn’t have the right bore and threads.

A quick trip to Green Line, a 7/16” reducer, a metric to imperial conversion, and we’re back in business… almost.

The metric conversion fitting was designed for an inverted flair fitting. I drilled out the inverted flair portion so the flex line will seat against the copper washer…

Not excited about the extra fittings… but it works, and I should be able to get rid of them when I replace it again in 2032.

Any idea why this wasn’t staying released?

This slave cylinder is trashed… it could be rebuildable… but rebuild kits are hard to come by. These days a rebuild kit costs more than a new slave cylinder… but the fittings would fit.

Theoretically if could be bored out… but then it would need to be sleeved to keep the 3/4” bore. I’ve still got the previous one… it it’s even a Toyota one… but who knows what was there when I bought in 1991.

 

[bikersmurf]

Despite how ugly the slave looked, it wasn’t the only issue. Went for a spin, and the clutch felt way better.

When I backed into the driveway I discovered that the master cylinder was still bypassing. As I backed into the driveway, the clutch still didn’t stay released. As I held it down the truck started to roll and I had to stall the truck to stop it.

 

[bikersmurf]

I’ve swapped out the steel yoke on the master and adjusted it for correct pedal height. I would believe the original copper yoke should act as a bushing and provide smoother movement.

Now that it’s in, bled, and flushed again… it’s time to go for a spin.

 

[bikersmurf]

The latest challenge I’ve come across is that the taper in the Mini-truck TRE faces towards the back of the truck rather than the front.

View attachment 2945058
The taper.

View attachment 2945059
The old TRE from my scrap pile vs new TRE.

View attachment 2945057
The 60 series damper to install.

View attachment 2945056
The stud/mount.

The damper needs to be in front to clear the Tie Rod.

Solutions?

Drill the TRE out & Make a new stud?

Reverse the taper and hope there’s enough extra length in the stud for it to fit?

Add shim to above suggestion?

Other ideas and wisdom?

Yesterday I started up the 40 and moved it around... even though it has sat for more than 8 months it started up and ran like it was new.

Today when there was a break in the rain I stripped off the old Rancho Steering damper off the front axle... after almost 30 years it was pooched. Unfortunately, by the time it was in the scrap pile the floodgates had opened so I called it a day. Which brings me back to the question of how to reverse the direction of the taper in the TRE.

Before I get too creative... Does anyone have a reamer that matches the Toyota TRE taper?

If I can't lay hands on one, I'll see if on of my three stepped bits has a remotely similar slope. If so, I'll use the step bit to enlarge the small side and then use a die grinder to smooth out the slope. Baring that, I'll use the set of drill bits to approximate the slope of the hole and then smooth out the shape. It would take a bit of effort, but it should be possible to make the taper tight on both sides even if it isn't perfect.

 

[cruisedeisel]

Not a F-ing chance that will work.. But please do send some pictures.

 

[bikersmurf]

I've found a reasonably priced 10:1 tapered ream so I can just drill it out and ream it it the opposite direction. It'll be so much easier than trying to figure it out an other way.

If, and I say if, I was willing to put in enough time I'm fairly sure I could make a tapered hole that the tapered pin would fit into snug... but it's really not worth the effort for what a I found a tapered ream for.

 

[bikersmurf]

Not a F-ing chance that will work.. But please do send some pictures.

You underestimate my skill and determination. By the same logic this couldn't be machined with a Milwaukee palm grip router and a Jobmate tool bench.

After it was the right shape I fine tuned the curves with a file and buffed it. The studs were tapped with a bolt turned into a tap and carefully drilled holes, and then I buffed it with some compound.

In comparison, making a hole in a piece of steel that is 10 mm at one side and 13 mm on the other side that is close enough to the taper of the steering damper stud's taper that it doesn't flop around wouldn't be impossible. The slope is 1mm for every 10mm, it's not like it is a 3 dimensional curve that will be mounted in the middle of the hood. Since I've got a high speed steel tapered ream on the way, it should save me a lot of time over using a chainsaw file to create the taper after using 5 or 6 bits to start off the shape.

 

[cruiserpilot]

Yesterday I started up the 40 and moved it around... even though it has sat for more than 8 months it started up and ran like it was new.

Today when there was a break in the rain I stripped off the old Rancho Steering damper off the front axle... after almost 30 years it was pooched. Unfortunately, by the time it was in the scrap pile the floodgates had opened so I called it a day. Which brings me back to the question of how to reverse the direction of the taper in the TRE.

Before I get too creative... Does anyone have a reamer that matches the Toyota TRE taper?

If I can't lay hands on one, I'll see if on of my three stepped bits has a remotely similar slope. If so, I'll use the step bit to enlarge the small side and then use a die grinder to smooth out the slope. Baring that, I'll use the set of drill bits to approximate the slope of the hole and then smooth out the shape. It would take a bit of effort, but it should be possible to make the taper tight on both sides even if it isn't perfect.

Before you get all going here How about some pics of this whole steering assembly. Cause I can’t figure out why you have to reverse a taper on something it seems you just took apart

 

[bikersmurf]

Before you get all going here How about some pics of this whole steering assembly. Cause I can’t figure out why you have to reverse a taper on something it seems you just took apart

The steering damper attached to the axle in the above picture is what has been removed.

The ‘81 pickup TRE had the same threads as the stock TRE, but it’s about 5” longer. The taper in the pickup TRE would have the stud facing rearward. The damper needs to be mounted in front of the relay rod to clear the TRE.

Clear as mud…

I’ll take a couple other pictures once the sun is out… &/or I feel inspired to throw some parts together to illustrate how it’ll work.

 

[too tall]

I would focus more on shocks than your steering dampener. They will benefit you more. You don't actually need that part if your steering is setup properly. I haven't had one for decades.

 

[bikersmurf]

Shocks… do you think there’s room for improvement over 25+ year old Rancho 5000s. Nah…

 

[bikersmurf]

Not a F-ing chance that will work.. But please do send some pictures.

As requested, pictures…

Only thing left to do is remove the original bracket from the frame and remount it with the damper at mid-stroke. The “hard part” is done.

 

[cruiserpilot]

I don't think that's how that goes. Steering stabilizer is to stabilize the steering knuckles input. Putting that
there is doing nothing. I'd suggest to not do this, put it back the way it's supposed to mount on the steering link.

 

[seapotato]

I think mine is the same way. Damper is between drag link and frame.


Aftermarket dampers are often between the tie rod and the axle, so I don't think it's all that critical where it goes.

An extra touch of toe in goes a long way to make these old lumps civilized as far as steering goes.

The factory .5 degrees of caster is the biggest problem. Ain't enough.

 

[bikersmurf]

I don't think that's how that goes. Steering stabilizer is to stabilize the steering knuckles input. Putting that
there is doing nothing. I'd suggest to not do this, put it back the way it's supposed to mount on the steering link.

40 Series OEM Location

60 Series OEM Location

70 Series OEM Location

80 Series OEM Location

If it was good enough for Toyota for 50 years and at least 5 different series of Landcruiser, it's good enough for me. And besides, half the people out there are telling me not to even run one. I prefer to have it tucked up tight to the frame out of harm's way.