Bikersmurf’s 40

[bikersmurf]

Stalled due to shipping. The new rigid line wouldn’t screw into the ‘74 flex line. Rather than waste even more time I decided to replace the flex line. Since it had had a good run and it was due.

None in stock at a couple suppliers. One said Tuesday and the other this morning… but it didn’t arrive from Vancouver due to “weather”. So no front brakes, no test drive, and no final adjustments.

 

[bikersmurf]

The front and rear center lines came in today... only problem is that the "front" line was only about 8" long... rather than 12-13". At least I had the rear line which was the correct length for the rear. Since I'm a little over stock height, and my goal extra travel, I decided to use the "rear" line that is about 2" longer than the original front line.

Line is installed and the front brakes are bled....

 

[stevebradford]

Napa 40,60,70 brake line body to axle 5 inches longer than stock part number 38009

clip to attach NAPA extended brake line

so I grabbed the extended brake line mentioned i the tech trivia (NAPA #38009) and it looks good... both appropriate metric ends and it's longer as needed but...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[seapotato]

Napa 40,60,70 brake line body to axle 5 inches longer than stock part number 38009

clip to attach NAPA extended brake line

so I grabbed the extended brake line mentioned i the tech trivia (NAPA #38009) and it looks good... both appropriate metric ends and it's longer as needed but...

forum.ih8mud.com

I got these off rockauto when I was ordering some other things

 

[bikersmurf]

Good to have those numbers. I feel the rear line I put in the front was overpriced, but it fit and I have brakes again.

I’m planning to order some lines off RA in the near future. Based on a preliminary search there, I can replace my remaining flex lines for roughly what the one line cost.

 

[bikersmurf]

As the flakes began to fall…

Took it for a short rip. Centred the steering wheel, adjusted the TREs, tightened things up, and set the cotter pin. I’d zip tied the lines and hoses to make sure they stay out of harm’s way…

Still left:

Mount shock towers
Reinstall shock
Lock washers
Loctite
Lock nuts

Pros:
Steering is super easy
Steering ratio is good (doesn’t feel like you’ll change lanes if you sneeze)
No noise from new pump

Cons:
Zero road feel (ice and dry pavement feel essentially the same)

It’s what I need. I’m willing to accept the con in order to have a vehicle I can keep driving. It’s not for everyone, but I know how to decrease pressure to increase road feel (if I ever decide to).

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Right on man! Eeets alive!!

 

[bikersmurf]

Right on man! Eeets alive!!

None of the loctite or lock washers… but who needs them. it’s not like it’s that important for the steering linkage to stay connected to the column.

 

[bikersmurf]

It’s plated. Took it for a drive. Headlights crapped out (loose connection at fuse box) and got working again. Turn signals and hazards stopped working. One more thing to sort out. Tis the nature of a 48 year old truck that hasn’t moved more than 25 feet in 2 years.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Good work pulling it all together! Hope to see it at a six mile meet sometime (just waiting on covid to chill the fack out and I'll organize something)

 

[bikersmurf]

Good work pulling it all together! Hope to see it at a six mile meet sometime (just waiting on covid to chill the fack out and I'll organize something)

Missing one shock tower, but it doesn’t make a huge difference. I’m sure it’ll be nicer once all 4 shocks are in place.

The Power Steering seems so natural. It doesn’t feel any different than driving it before. It’s not till I consider that I’m palm steering and it’s effortless to turn the wheel that I realize it’s different than before.

When I was a teenager, our youth group leader had a 40 with a quick ratio Saginaw box. I was told it was somewhat twitchy… if you weren’t careful you’d be in a different lane.

This 4.25 turn box isn’t at all like that. It feels like it was built this way, no surprises, no fanfare, it just works as it should… with no effort.

 

[bikersmurf]

One step forward, two steps back.

Flashers weren’t working for the last trip. After replacing the flasher unit, returning the defective flasher, and replacing it again… All the signals and hazards are 100% again.

At the start of the outing the brakes felt great. However, as I continued, the pedal seemed to get lower each time. Pumping the brakes didn’t make for an improvement, and by the time I was pulling back into the driveway the pedal was getting close to the floor.

Popping the hood revealed that the reservoir was essentially empty. I inspected all the lines and brake callipers and found no sign of the missing fluid. It’s not impossible, but I think the there’d be a mess of fluid around if a line was gone… or a calliper.


All that’s left is the master cylinder leaking into the booster. I filled up the reservoir again… brakes feel ok, but still no visible leaks. To confirm, I’ll have to pull the M/C, but for now I’ve started looking into replacement parts.

No one seems to sell rebuild kits locally, however if you know a source, I’m all ears. Called B to B, NAPA, and Lordco. For about $125, I can get a new master… I think. They only have a listing for a 1991 Landcruiser with no models or features.

Only challenge is that my master cylinder and booster are off a 1991 S-HDJ81V-RNPEX (JDM Diesel 80 Series). Anyone know if all 80 series M/C are the same? Work with the same rebuild parts?

 

[seapotato]

It's not just 80 series, fairly sure it crosses over to 4runners and t100stoo...

Raybestos Mc39996 is the number I think?

1991 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 3.0L V6 Master Cylinder | Shop Now at RockAuto

Brake & Wheel Hub Parts and More for Your 1991 TOYOTA 4RUNNER at Reliably Low Prices. Fast Online Catalog. DIY-Easy. Your Choice of Quality. Full Manufacturer Warranty.

www.rockauto.com

I bought the advics one this time.

 

[bikersmurf]

It's not just 80 series, fairly sure it crosses over to 4runners and t100stoo...

Raybestos Mc39996 is the number I think?

1991 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 3.0L V6 Master Cylinder | Shop Now at RockAuto

Brake & Wheel Hub Parts and More for Your 1991 TOYOTA 4RUNNER at Reliably Low Prices. Fast Online Catalog. DIY-Easy. Your Choice of Quality. Full Manufacturer Warranty.

www.rockauto.com

I bought the advics one this time.

Good to know. The site claims Advics is the OEM one.

And the parts guy was worried that the M/C had to match the vehicle it came in… it had to be a diesel one since the original was in a Diesel. He didn’t quite get it when I was telling him they were interchangeable… and the ‘91 Master was in my ‘74 Fj40.

MC39999 is for 91-92
MC39996 is for 93-95. Or something like that.

Who knows what the difference between them is.

 

[bikersmurf]

As luck would have it, the brake fluid was leaking in the same area the P/S had leaked fluid.

Pulled the master and found no evidence that it leaked. It turns out the connection between the flex and hard line was leaking. Three attempts later, it leaks no more.

Now back to our regular program.

 

[bikersmurf]

Working on modifying the D/S Ford shock tower. I’ll add a before picture at some point… but it shouldn’t take too much imagination to picture it as a mirror image of the other side. I’ve cut a triangle wedge out and then hammered it across. Here’s how it looks after the initial welding from both sides.

I’ve built up the bottom corner with weld so it isn’t shorter.

Next time I’ll be sure to purge the air out of the line before welding. The oxygen contributed to the porosity of the welds on the back after just hooking the line to the tank.

Happier with the weld up the front. I’ll post some pics after some grinding and sanding.

 

[bikersmurf]

After a little sanding and massaging with a die grinder…

Still needs some paint… but it’s coming along.

 

[bikersmurf]

Ready to install…

Fortunately the paint was dry before it rained again.

 

[bikersmurf]

Almost like it was meant to fit here:

Holes are drilled and the bolts slipped in for a test fit. Now I just need to use some voodoo magic to blindly position the shouldered nut inside the boxed section of frame without any direct access to the area.

 

[too tall]

Why not weld the tower on? Is it something you think you might have to remove? Not worth it to go through the hassle of making it bolt on. Easy to remove and stronger by welding it. Ive had them on my truck for 20 years and haven't had to remove them yet. I believe I've replaced and repaired more things in and around that area than you ever will.