Biscuit's 2013 Projects Thread

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I've been there too. Sad part is without completing it you can only sell for a loss and if you had it completed you wouldn't want to sell it. I suggest a list and priorities it to get it running see what it will take on paper and go from there
 
Mike, ya always got help. Make a work day ( BEFORE it gets too fawking hot!) and we'll get it done.

Or, just a thought - spend the summer (when it's too FAWKING hot to drive these toaster ovens) not worrying about getting it done and collect the stuff you need and make sure it works, then in a few months set a date ... :hhmm:

I've got four damn cruisers around the house, now, and I know how you feel.

:censor:
 
Spike Strip said:
Mike, ya always got help. Make a work day ( BEFORE it gets too fawking hot!) and we'll get it done.

Or, just a thought - spend the summer (when it's too FAWKING hot to drive these toaster ovens) not worrying about getting it done and collect the stuff you need and make sure it works, then in a few months set a date ... :hhmm:

I've got four damn cruisers around the house, now, and I know how you feel.

:censor:
Click to expand...

I'll probably just be planning things. Sometime between now (very literally today) and mid-September, I need to move to a new place somewhere in Glendale or Burbank (basically split the difference between my work and the :princess:'s grad school at UCLA). Hopefully there will be a place I can wrench where we end up.


DSRTRDR said:
mojo loss ? - you are not alone https://forum.ih8mud.com/chit-chat/183324-im-done-ive-lost-my-cruiser-mojo.html

sorry to hear :frown:
Click to expand...

Definitely a loss of mojo. I shouldn't have bought it (meaning this specific 40). It was originally bought since my dad had bought and restored (with my help) a CJ-5 for my younger brother and my mother finally explained to him that I got screwed over royally in the deal since I was driving the 1984 Volvo I had ridden in since I was 18 months old. I couldn't even get the 40 the 65 miles home after buying it in 2002 without it dying on me at a light and then not being able to be restarted for a good 40 minutes. The head rebuild job the PO did lasted until Mother's Day in 2004 when the engine ate both valves in the #6 cylinder while on the highway going to meet my family for brunch (let me tell you my mom was not amused). Then the first rebuild I had a shop do for me (and they took their sweet time) had a malformed rear main seal seat, which once up to temp caused the oil pressure to drop and the oil pressure safety switch I had installed would kill power to the engine, took me several months to figure that out. Thankfully the rebuild was under warranty.

The second rebuild started late spring 2005 and I finally picked the truck back up around that Christmas because I had moved to CA and it was in CO at the shop. I'm still pissed about that situation since my 40 was basically out of action for 18 months and the rebuild still sucks. Pro-Tip: don't bother having an F motor rebuilt at a shop when you can find running 2Fs (which I could have bought). I wanted to keep the truck "stock" which meant an 1.5F motor, but now I have a frankenstien ~1971 block with a 1974 head (I think, and may not be the original head). And to think while I was having it rebuild SOR had a 1974 1.5F block new in shrink wrap for what I paid the engine shop for a used block (I always wonder what happened to that engine block). The rebuild a $4000+ :censor: disaster.


Due to me not trusting the truck or having to fix things (among other reasons) the total number of times it has been off road is: 4 Surf-n-Turfs, 1 Big Bear trail, 2 trails in Colorado. Yes that is 4 over night trips and 3 day trips in 11 years.


I think I first need to really do some soul searching focusing on what I want out of a second vehicle, and what I will be able to realistically do with a second vehicle. The answer may not by my FJ40, heck it may not even be a Land Cruiser or truck. But I think this is the first step.
 
Getting some virtual work done on the 40 today since Sunday is the day when parts can't be obtained anywhere local.

Since I still have the BJ42LX sliding windows that I thought would fit (they are ~1/8" to 1/4" to small on the mounting surface), I needed to design an adapter. This adapter would be sandwiched between the hard top side and the window frame.

adapter.webp


The only question is to the width of the adapter. I need to make sure it fits in the indented region of the hard top side panel where the window sits.

Does anyone have the glass out of a around 1974 hardtop and can measure the height and width of the indented area for me?
adapter.webp
 
Today I replaced the heater hose that runs from the driver side of the block, over the valve cover, and to the heater valve. The old one was far to short and makes taking the valve cover off a major PITA.

I pulled the valve cover to reglue in the rubber gasket to it. It had gotten pulled lose on Thursday when adjusting the valves as part of a diagnostic. Before I reglued the gasket, I cleaned out the old RTV left in the gasket groove. I then polished the valve cover, figured while it was off why not.

Unfortunately this was my last full day to work on the 40 for at least three weeks, could be up to nine weeks before I have any real time to work on it. :bang:
 
Mike

Keep the truck. You're just a few years shy of all those folks that just bought into a 40 series as part of their mid life crisis, so...your ticket is already prepaid! :p:

On a serious note, I've thought about your scenario a couple of times since Thursday. I don't think you have ALL the information yet on which to make your final decision. I REALLY think you should get ahold of a compression tester and get some 'hard' numbers on that motor. You shouldn't need 25 degrees of advance to get 15" of vacuum.

Best

Mark A.
 
determining what you want the truck for will go a long way in deciding what you really need to do on it - I am about to embark on a major refurbish; after 8 years of many great wheeling trips :steer:, my rig needs some TLC, for sure

but I can also see reasons for terminating a project - we have an old Buick in another state (that we visit just about 4 times a year :rolleyes:) with bad gas jelly in the tank by now - in my mind, I treat it as a write-off since we'll probably never get to it again :meh:

an older colleague once said to me "change is good" in a situation when I wasn't really ready for change - but since then, I have seen the wisdom of his words many times - good luck with whatever you decide :cheers:
 
Did a cold check of compression. Results are as follows:

#1 - 155
#2 - 130
#3 - 130
#4 - 117
#5 - 130
#6 - 145

I'll do a warm test tomorrow or Thursday.

At least the valve cover is nice and shiny.
 
65swb45 said:
Keep the truck. You're just a few years shy of all those folks that just bought into a 40 series as part of their mid life crisis, so...your ticket is already prepaid! :p:
Click to expand...

That is good logic. Not only is the ticket prepaid, but it is a known set of problems. This will feed into the decision.
 
Did a compression test after idling for a few minutes to warm up the motor.

#1 - 157
#2 - 142
#3 - 137
#4 - 125
#5 - 132
#6 - 152
 
Mike - just tell Durf to haul it to Arkansas and park it next to my '74! Just kidding. Keep up the good work. I have a 4-speed that's been sitting in the floor for 5-months that's screaming to be installed. Anytime I get over whelmed I just get a beer and stare at it...then work on something else for a bit. - Justin
 
Biscuit said:
Did a compression test after idling for a few minutes to warm up the motor.

#1 - 157
#2 - 142
#3 - 137
#4 - 125
#5 - 132
#6 - 152
Click to expand...

so, what exactly is your problem :confused:
 
DSRTRDR said:
so, what exactly is your problem :confused:
Click to expand...

This was part of the diagnostic to establish current motor state.

Compression doesn't seem to be the root cause of the low vacuum.

Vacuum reading was better during the test at around 17, though this is a different gauge.

image-1407195661.webp

This was without changing the current timing (25deg advance). Choke off idle mixture was rich at about 12.5 AFR.
image-1407195661.webp
 
It's the little things that really restore one's Cruiser Mojo.

I moved to a new house this weekend (only 6 blocks from my old one) and when I took a load of stuff up in the 40 Friday evening a bunch of kids, probably 10-12 were playing basketball across the street. As I pulled up in front of the house, two of them yelled over "Nice Toyota!" (They also get points for not calling it a heep.) The basketball game came to a halt as they checked out the 40.

I realized, while there or many reasons why an 80 or a Taco could be more useful than the 40, the 40 has personality that can't be beat.

So come September, it will be time to get that three speed out and the H42/early case combo in.

But first up is door locks, since until the transmission swap my trucks leaks like the Exxon Valdez it will be parked on the street.
 
What clutch are you gonna use (are you doing the clutch, also ?)

And you may wanna get one of these, if you don't have other anti-dirtbag deterrents.

images
 
I'm thinking stick with the 3 speed clutch setup since all the parts are on the truck. If I remember right a new clutch went in with the new engine so there is less than 7k on the clutch.
 
I believe 3 spd and 4spd clutch setup are the same. At least that's what the EPC says.

Congrats on the successful move, btw .... :)
 
Biscuit said:
It's the little things that really restore one's Cruiser Mojo.

I moved to a new house this weekend (only 6 blocks from my old one) and when I took a load of stuff up in the 40 Friday evening a bunch of kids, probably 10-12 were playing basketball across the street. As I pulled up in front of the house, two of them yelled over "Nice Toyota!" (They also get points for not calling it a heep.) The basketball game came to a halt as they checked out the 40.

I realized, while there or many reasons why an 80 or a Taco could be more useful than the 40, the 40 has personality that can't be beat.

So come September, it will be time to get that three speed out and the H42/early case combo in.

But first up is door locks, since until the transmission swap my trucks leaks like the Exxon Valdez it will be parked on the street.
Click to expand...

:confused::confused::confused:

Door locks...with a Paki top?:p

So when's the house-warming party?:beer::beer:
 
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