BJ42 refurbisment

[crushers]

HUGE improvement over any other location for the tip.
if it is centered on the tire then the air flow takes much of the smell away from the interior when the soft top is on. if too short the air flow under the body wraps the exhaust up the back and into the cab area
out side the body and the side flow SEEMS to do the same thing.
the tires cause a disturbance in the body flow and creates its own air stream ... not sure why it works but it does.

the fiberglass body is MUCH stronger than the tin one and the A pillar area is extremely strong. plus the windshield frame is amazingly strong. you would have to see one of these bodies to understand what i am trying to describe.

thanks for the compliments, later today i will have the rest of the update and the final (s***ty) pics to post up.

 

[crushers]

after taking the 42 for a test run i decided the floor was too warm for comfort.
the exhaust runs very close to the floor so i made up a heat shield for protection.

 

[crushers]

i didn't like how close the exhaust ran to the oil feed line that came in the kit so i added a 45 degree fitting. no worries now.

 

[crushers]

we test the cooling system to 15 psi to check for leaks, sadly when we checked we never caught the rear heater control valve as it is tucked under the console and between the seats. we took the 42 for 3 good long runs with nothing showing and yet when we delivered the truck, the valve started leaking. a depressing sight for both the owner and for me.

something to note, just because a shop says "use these, they will work" doesn't mean they will work correctly. the truck seemed sluggish during the first test drive and when i swapped the silver colored gaskets for the factory brass it seemed to run much better.

not sure if i posted these up earlier but if i did, i apologize for the repeat. when we were pressure testing the cooling system we left the pressure on over night. the next morning there was a small leak around the factory block heater.
out with the old and in with the new, leak repaired. bitch to do in the truck and the first block heater we tried was faulty, we tried for an hour to get it to seat properly. grabbed another and done in 5 min. sucks when faulty out of the box.

 

[crushers]

another bummer was when we filled the washer bottle and the fluid came pouring out.
seems the previous owner had did a repair job where the bottle rubbed on the mount.
as you can see, hidden in the grove was a long cut and the repair he did.

 

[crushers]

final test drive before loading up.
loaded and in Michigan
does anyone see what is missing on this trip? the big boy passed away on Monday and little Billie has stepped up to the plate as long distance hauler buddy. My wife took the day off work so she could accompany me to deliver the truck to the owner.
the fall colors are taking over, the day was a beautiful one for the run.

 

[crushers]

lights on at night, bright enough?
then time to clean for the local afternoon car show
final shot of the engine compartment, we also added the battery terminal protectors.

 

[crushers]

the new hubcaps make for a nice finishing touch.
entered in the car show and sitting proudly among the other vehicles on display.
while i was there the 42 got plenty of attention from the guests.

well, that is it.
the build is completed for now. still a few flaws that i am not happy with, the gaps in the hard top rear where the steel meets the fiberglass sides. the door rubbers that seem to keep coming loose. the leak in the rear heater and the front heater control valve that doesn't seal properly so tons of heat keeps flowing into the cab. the rad definately needs a fan shroud, really tight on the LHS so the fit of the shroud will be tricky to clear all the parts.
the truck rides really nice, handles great, seats are comfy, stereo sounds adequate.

it looks really nice and the comments and looks we received on the delivery run shows others feel the same way.

 

[lostmarbles]

Looks great Wayne..

And I love the way you are so open.

With a big job like this on a 30+ year old vehicle there are bound to be some little things that aren't detected/remedied at the best time.

I much prefer dealing with someone like yourself (who's upfront and doesn't try to project an unrealistic image) than someone who pretends to be always perfect...

As someone who's worked in engineering for much of his life, I know that no job ever goes 100% smoothly.

 

[Dougal]

As someone who's worked in engineering for much of his life, I know that no job ever goes 100% smoothly.

Just when you think you've got a job running 100% smoothly, the customer decides to change stuff around.

 

[tmarx]

Congrats Wayne, another project that you can be truly proud of !



But at the same time also sad to hear about old Cruiser passing on, I know (and dread) that feeling.

 

[hsumbal]

I have just completed the Rebuild of my 40 and done only 600 Kms on it and had a leaking brake pipe.

This is life with a rebuilt car. Little niggles will stay, but the good thing is that there are no major surprises.

You have built a great car congrats. I love seeing and reading your threads.

Take care

 

[FF LC FREAK]

Beautiful job! I wish you would have posted all this about a year ago before I put in the H55 and BJ60 power steering on my 42. It would have saved me a lot of trial and error to see how you did it!

Quick question. In post 268 you mentioned the truck ran sluggish until you swapped out the silver colored gasket for the factory brass one. What gasket is it and why would that make it run sluggish?

 

[crushers]

i suspect it restricted the fuel flow, there was a lot of carbon on the gaskets ... all i know it that it ran much better with the proper gasket installed.

thanks for the compliments guys.

one point that i missed making, if you are going to run this turbo then it is WISE to run a metal head gasket and not the composite one.

this was the result of the composite gasket in a different 3B, less than 1500 km on a brand new gasket.

you can see the damage
you can see a piece of the gasket material in a water jacket
a better pic of the damage to the gasket
the suggested factory steel gasket.

if you are installing the turbo kit i would strongly suggest you pull the head and check for cracks in the head and definately the prechambers
replace the gasket with the factory steel one, just to play safe.

hope this helps others.

and yes, it is very painful to lose Cruiser. he was a huge part of my life. thanks for the kind words.

 

[crushers]

side note:
1997 ford powersmoke 4wd crewcab
towing 2400 lb float
with 4500 lb BJ42
13.74 mpg US (16.5 mpg can or 15.7 L/100) at 60 mph average over 288 miles (delivery trip)

with out the BJ42
17.5 mpg US (21.1 mpg Can or 13.3 L/100) at 60 mph over 359 miles (return trip)

mostly flat with no head winds.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Wow! Nice Build!

 

[peteinjp]

Can you post up the part number for that all steel gasket. I'm planning on doing a turbo on my 3b which only has 40,000kms. Given what were seeing here I should probably take your advice on the head gasket as a preventative measure. Also though I doubt I'll need it how what's your recommendation for pre - cups in terms of a maker.

Also what air filter housing is that? Looks sweet!

Pete

 

[crushers]

the air filter housing was modified and the lid is factory HDJ81.
the gasket was purchased from Radd Cruisers, i don't have the number on hand, sorry.
precups are from RooDog in Oz.

cheers
and thanks for looking.

 

[peteinjp]

Thanks Wayne- I'll be keeping a lookout for one on auction here. As for the precups wondering if the units from roodogs are better than the OEM ones. If so I may go ahead and pop them in despite the low miles on the engine.

What's the specs on the silicone elbow you used there?


Pete

 

[crushers]

i wouldn't say "better" since i have yet to tear apart an engine after having them installed for a couple hundred thousand km ...
they "seem" to hold up fine. they are about 1/5 to 1/3 the price of factory ...
this being said, i have not heard or read of them failing either.
no news is good news