BJ60 DD Slow overhaul

[scottslalande]

Actual work on the truck is going slowly. The next few steps require a lot of prep and some downtime for the DD. Which means I'll need to have an alternate set of wheels in case a weekend project goes long. I also need space to work. And a welder.

So to address the daily driver I am resurrecting my 96 Pathfinder. Fuel issue. Prolly related to wiring. Yay. Killed several wasp nests to begin work... Began charging battery.

Addressing the space issue I'm cleaning out a pole barn which is useful as long as it doesn't rain. Lots of cleaning. Old projects and storage that are going away...

Welder -picked up a used gas welder(against the stern advice of the local welding shop, "Its too difficult, its an art. Buy this 1200$ starter welder"...). It was a good oxyacetylene system for 199$. It had several tips and other tools including a cutting torch. I've done some TIG welding when I was 15. Some mig welding more recently. This isn't harder. Its slower. But I feel like I actually have more control. And no electricity needed.

So I've been rolling out at 5am to practice for a few hours before my 9-5. I'm not touching the LC until I've got more hours under my belt. I'm using the old panels for practice. Cut, Weld, repeat. Then I found the front end grill support that I'd replace in February. It'd broken but I still had both pieces. So used some copper coated steel as filler and welded it together. Its uneven and resembles a blob more than a clean weld, but its structurally overkill. So first repair. Day 1. Done. After 1 hour of practice. Hopefully I can improve greatly before tackling the body welds. I found out yesterday that goggles really help weld quality

On Friday, coming home from work, the passenger battery started fizzing. gauge read overcharging at 16 volts. Suspected a ground that I hadn't liked the look of. cleaned it up, tightened it and snapped the bolt. Curses! Tapped a new hole this AM. Mounted the ground wire. Looks tight. Revved engine to 2k. Charged at 14 volts for a few seconds before climbing to 16. Battery fried?

Also swapped out the wipers with a pair from a 96? 4Runner. Nice. Easy.

The BJ has been christened the Wubbamatic Wagon. "wub" is a general use, positive, descriptive filler word/prefix in our house and sees a lot of use. The parts FJ shall remain nameless until such a time as I replace its steering linkage.

 

[TLC Norway]

Keep going, this is good!

 

[scottslalande]

The nice thing about a resto is that you can almost always do something. Even if you are short on cash or time. Like getting the hatch key lock re-pinned! I'd gotten the ignition done a bit ago but they couldn't get into the hatch lock. So I opened it for them... Just took me a couple of days before I had time! But now its done! Boy was it grimy. So a bit of dish soap and a toothbrush and some elbow grease. Courtesy of my wife's kitchen

Before:

After:

 

[scottslalande]

Driving around to job site on Tues. the wagon started clattering a bit. It'd been leaking oil pretty well since the weather turned hot sdo I checked the level. Low. I added a couple of quarts, and drove home. Almost. about 10 minutes to the house and it started clattering bad. I pulled over and popped the hood. I thought maybe a belt shredded or the fan was hitting? But no it was coming for the engine. I let off on the throttle and the engine stopped dead. Long story short, my brother towed me home. I was able to unstick the engine as he was pulling at about 20mph. Slower speeds just braked us both. The next morning I turned over the engine. After topping off the oil. It clattered a bit then settled down. I shut it off and took my dad's truck to work. This am I fired it up and again it rattled a bit and sounded a bit off. But I let it warm up for a bit. It sounded a bit better after a few minutes but still not the settled rumble it usually makes. After about 10 minutes it stopped. I had been getting my gear ready for the day so I didn't hear anything other than it ceasing to run.

So. I guess a rebuild is in order. Its my brothers guess a top end job. But since I'm pulling the engine for the swap anyway I might just do the whole thing. I was considering it but wanting to put it off a few hundred thousand more miles...

Any thoughts? Wisdom? Good threads to peruse first?

I was pretty upset about it but knowing that I have a good rebuild will give me peace of mind.

 

[scottslalande]

Since I was planning on getting a different DD when the wagon was down for body work, I merely accelerated my plans due to the needed rebuild. My brother and I having recently gotten our motorcycle endorsements, I decided to buy a bike. I tried to get my pathfinder running. No good. I can't find the issue. Still half heartedly trying. Maybe a fusible link? It is not: The fuel pump, the battery, the starter, the sparks, the fuses, or the fuel lines... But I saw this 85 Honda Nighthawk 650 on a porch here locally. Looked like it'd been sitting a while. I asked the guy if he wanted to sell it? Sure. 500$ get it off my porch. Its actually in pretty good shape. Not perfect, but I've put at least a thousand miles on it and it really wants to go!

I also got my wife's 2001 VW beetle going again. coolant seal on the manifold had blown. Easy enough.

Ok now the pressure is off to get wheels on the road. Back to the Landy. I needed a rebuild kit. So I bought a 3B kit from Engines Australia last week. Still waiting for it to arrive. gerg finished up my turbo and it is now waiting at the postage depot. So much goodness ready to be poured into the landy! I've got a solid replacement frame. Cannibalized panels for the rust. All the gear for a complete AC overhaul. And enough cruiser crap to make this very, very quiet...

I have a mechanic friend helping me with the rebuild in the coming weeks. The landy wagons are sitting side by side the pole barn. I've been prepping them as I have time. But this weekend I'll be beginning the teardown.

 

[scottslalande]

Engine Australia kit is here sitting in the back of the wagon. I splurged on a mls and a high Nickel head. Starting the tear down. Slow going...

 

[scottslalande]

Front end off. Radiator out. Fenders off. Pure goodness.

My wife is prepping the fj, removing hardware and beginning to remove the dash and instrument clusters

 

[scottslalande]

You can see the frame damage from the wreck earlier this year. The metal is peeled back and is tweaked.

 

[scottslalande]

Long time no post. Lots of life in between. Here are some of pics of the work done. I think if I had to do it over again... I'd just get a nicer wagon

Here is the donor FJ's engine getting pulled. This was almost 2 years ago!

 

[scottslalande]

After we pulled the engine I started prepping the donor. It was pretty clean but had a snag drop on the windshield. My plan? cut the good parts off the BJ and weld it together. I tacked it together just enough to tow the whole thing down the road to my new house.
Bolted on the driver's seat, steering column, and parking brake. That was an exciting ride.

 

[cruisermatt]

looks like fun!

 

[scottslalande]

It was around this time that I decided I needed to upgrade my life. My Landy was brokeded, my work had my crawling through insulation and such, my employer's "free tuition program" ended with me halfway through my Computer Information Systems degree(an associates). So I sold my Dodge Dakota (see pics for a sweet trip up to middle-of-nowhere to watch the 2017 solar eclipse) and used the proceeds to pay(partially) for a WGU Master's degree. This meant not a lot of work was done on the Landy from the end of 2017 to the beginning of 2019 when I graduated. It was a great experience and took up essentially every weekend and every evening and early morning for 14 months.

 

[scottslalande]

Here are some shots of the original BJ floor. Explains why it was so loud in the cabin

 

[scottslalande]

Cleaning the hybrid:

 

[scottslalande]

Aaaand cruisercrap. I had help with this phase.

 

[Hojack]

Awesome project
Love the diesels. I’ve got a 4BT Cummins in my 60.

I stayed at the Bull of the Woods fire lookout near Mt. Jefferson during the eclipse, definitely an amazing sight way out in the Cascades.
Im up here in Eagle Creek, Oregon

 

[scottslalande]

Going through the pics and found this pig that stopped by from Colorado. Nice to know Hojack! Might see you on the trails if I get this project finished!

 

[scottslalande]

Here are some more pics of the progress. Not necessarily in order! I sold what was left of the BJ(mostly for the axles and drive train) but not before chopping off the motor mounts! Welded a steel bar to the mounts to preserve their angle etc. I pillaged everything I need off the chassis. I think.

 

[scottslalande]

Next, I worked on seat brackets because the BJ had a different front seat mount points(taller). And... drivers seat is thrashed. I was going but some sweet seats but it turns out that right now I have more time than money so these old seats are great!

 

[scottslalande]

Before I clipped up the headliner I re-welded the roof and finished welding the pillars and firewall. Ugly but functional. The doors close with a bit of persuasion : ) I finished off the welds by cleaning and spraying with Rustoleum.