Blu (said with fake French accent)

[88red]

Parting Out - 1988 FJ62 Entire Vehicle

Purchased this rescue cruiser for a project. Generally clean frame, interior, and body. Rear differential jammed up, transfer case cracked and toasted. Drive shaft MIA. Need to pull the transmission to asses further damage. Planning to give this old dog a thorough overhaul. Really can't wait to get started.

 

[88red]

Getting Blu home...

Loading a non rolling project onto a tow dolly proved to be challenging. A 3ton jack, a couple of redneck cinderblocks, the son in the drivers seat standing on the brakes, greased the ramp and with the tow vehicle in reverse, jammed that rig together. A top speed of 40mph got us home by 10pm. Man! Projects are F U N.
First on the agenda, get that funk off the bumpers and free up the rear diff to get a roller.

 

[88red]

Opened up the differential case to see the carnage. This must have stopped the truck in a hurry. It looks like there was less than one rotation before the loose pinion jammed up the works. The diff needs to come out to free up the pinion but that can't come out until the axles are out of the way.
What normally would be a simple removal of the cross pin bolt turned out to be a lesson in operating a grinder in tight spaces. The small cross pin bolt that holds the pin which keeps the axles from tossing their retainer c clip was sheared off in place. Some grinding and pounding was needed to drive out the pin before we continue with normal diff removal.
Once removed, the carrier was next so we could get at the pesky pinion. The lower pinion bearing was completly obliterated into a pile of bits and pieces at the bottom of the axle housing. Still not sure if the TCase or the pinion bearing was the source of failure, but with the pinion removed the diff housing went back in temporarily So we now have a roller to work on!
Next up, jerry rig the starter to the broken bell housing to see if the motor will start. Fingers crossed.

 

[mattressking]

Saw this on Craigslist, Severna Park or something? Glad someone picked it up and is giving it life again.

 

[88red]

Did someone say split case?

With further investigation I'm convinced the tranfer case was running bone dry. The shift fork shows signs of extreme heat buildup (just shy of welding itself in place) and several gears have surface rust. Also, extensive use of rtv on the case and silicone on the output flanges shows some amateur battles with leaks.
The shockwave of destruction extended up into the transmission bell housing and the mounting plate behind the flex plate where the starter mount. Absolutely no luck in getting a starter to mount up with or with a transmission. The motor looks fine but to make sure we spent the day assembling a new donor transmission and Tcase. Got it all bolted up late last night just shy of firing it up again. Should have it all patched up tomorrow evening.

 

[g-man]

serious carnage going on there....uh and lots of scrap metal!!! Note to self : don't use silicone to fix a leaking transfer case seal.

 

[88red]

New flex plate and starter installed, neutral safety switch bypassed and cranked on the motor....


turning over but not firing. Jumper the fuel pump and it is humming away. I think the timing is off. Taking inspiration from the likes of Roadkill I grab a 12mm, loosen the distributor, and have Jr. turn the key while I reposition it. It fires right up. The motor sounds great! In fact I now realize my dd could use some valve adjustment.


The plan has always been to pull the drivetrain and find a new home for the 3fe. I always thought I would sell the motor to help fund the new build, but now I'm thinking pull it, put it on a stand, tear it down and rebuild for the daily driver. Up next compression test and evaluation of the 3fe.

 

[88red]

On a little side note, here in baltimore city I lack a proper driveway so work is done in the alley. When you want something metal hauled away you just leave it in the alley and scrapers cruise by and basically snatch up anything not bolted down. That busted up Tcase was gone in under 24hrs. They moved that heavy transmission about 2 feet and gave up. I imagine they will be back with reinforcements and it will be gone by morning. Quirks of city living.

 

[Kaasdief]

Around here the bolted down stuff is not safe from scrapers Good luck with your truck.

 

[g-man]

metals going up. You should haul it yourself and make some coin.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

turning over but not firing. Jumper the fuel pump and it is humming away. I think the timing is off. Taking inspiration from the likes of Roadkill I grab a 12mm, loosen the distributor, and have Jr. turn the key while I reposition it. It fires right up. The motor sounds great! In fact I now realize my dd could use some valve adjustment.

Haha! Love Roadkill. Excellent save man, not often that a 62 gets saved from the chopping block.

 

[88red]

Got the 3fe timing adjusted by ear and it settled into a nice idle. The temp sender or T-stat need replacement as the gauge barely rises above the C. Pulled the plugs and checked compression front to back 140,135,133,137,130,140. Not too bad I suppose for 240k. Considering a full/partial rebuild for possible future builds.

 

[88red]

Before hauling blu up to the shop where we have a lift but more importantly AC and the space to perform bulk of the work, we decided to pull the drivetrain here in my alley. Shadetree mechanics at their prime!

 

[88red]

Man this shop is some fun! The center lift makes things a bit tricky but with the help of four 2ton stands from the HF we separated the 28year marriage.
Cue up your favorite breakup song.



Don't blame me for the vertical vid. I am the jerk working the lift.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Bad ass!!

Have you used a two post lift? A center lift seems like it would be advantageous.

 

[SteveH]

You're diving right in - good job!