Builds Build: Rusty Pumpkin Project 74' FJ40 (1 Viewer)

[Green Bean]

Not sure what thread size that you used for your brass plug. But it is my understanding that Toyota uses BSP (British Standard Pipe) threads. Some can be close to NPT (National Pipe Thread) but just enough off to wreak havoc . I doubt that you will find a BSP brass plug in your local hardware store but I believe McMaster may have some. Your threads may be too far gone in which case you could tap new threads.

 

[bdawg23]

Not sure what thread size that you used for your brass plug. But it is my understanding that Toyota uses BSP (British Standard Pipe) threads. Some can be close to NPT (National Pipe Thread) but just enough off to wreak havoc . I doubt that you will find a BSP brass plug in your local hardware store but I believe McMaster may have some. Your threads may be too far gone in which case you could tap new threads.

I did not realize this, thanks for bringing this to my attention!

I used NPT thread.

 

[Green Bean]

Also, to the extent that you are not familiar with Loctite 567 Thread Sealant, it is a nice product to have on your workbench.

 

[bdawg23]

Also, to the extent that you are not familiar with Loctite 567 Thread Sealant, it is a nice product to have on your workbench.

Great call out and yes, I do have some of this

 

[bdawg23]

Working on getting new parts for the cooling system and in the meantime went to work on refreshing the body. I wet sanded a lot of random spray paint off to reveal what I think is the original paint/primer combo.

Then I geared up for some time in the garage using the polishing wheel. Here is where it started:

And here is where I'm at so far. I'm going to switch to a foam pad so I can try and get a little closer to all the hinges and corners but I'm pretty pleased with the result. Bringing back some shine to the old rig.

 

[bdawg23]

A few quick updates on the build...

• the cooling system is full of rust and junk, not unexpected and I've been digging into some past threads on how to clean out the block
• I've got new thermostat housing, thermostat, water pump, and radiator coming thank you @cruisermatt!
• I ended up removing the heater that was installed
• I also printed out the FSM for the chassis body and engine putting everything in a 3-ring binder for reference. I added blank pages to the end so I journal stuff as I go.

I've got some work travel coming up so when I get back in July I'll try and find a little time to get the block flushed out and then when I'm back end of August I can work on installing all the new parts. Thinking it might be a fun goal to drive this down to Ovelrand Expo East in October.

Here is the heater that was installed:

Certainly simplifies the engine bay/cooling system and also gives some more knee room on the passenger side where it was bolted up.

Here is a pic of the radiator/fan removed. I left the old parts on there until the new stuff arrives so I don't forget how it goes back together

thanks for all the feedback and guidance so far!

 

[bdawg23]

Back from a great work trip out west, was in Bend, San Fran, Seattle, Leavenworth, and spent the 4th in Bozeman. Drove out with my wife and our dogs to make a work/vacation trip out of it.

While we were gone the parts arrived to refresh the cooling system (Thanks @cruisermatt!)
- new radiator
- new water pump
- new hoses/clamps
- new thermostat and thermostat housing
- all gaskets

I knew I would have some work ahead of me when I got back because when I pulled the engine block drain no coolant came out. During my trip I was reading about the blocked passage and what folks have done to fix the issue. So I had a pretty good shopping list when I got home. I came home from the hardware store and laid out all the things I'd use to make a DIY flush kit.

From here I was able to make a flush system to get some water circulating around. This setup didn't seem to work that great at getting anything circulated through the engine block with any vigor. Having the truck running would have probably helped.

What I did end up doing was using the 3/8 pipe to garden hose adapter to push water in from the engine block to the front of the engine (not pictured) and this seemed to move out a lot more rusty water.

Once I had the water being pushed from the back of the block to the front of the engine I did about 4 buckets full where the water was a rusty brown color. To help with cleaning I mixed up some dishwasher detergent and poured it in the opening for the water temp sensor. Granted not the best color bucket to use to gauge how dirty the water is but you can see, its definitely not clear.

I should backup a second. I mentioned the engine block drain being clogged. It took me about 20-30 mins of digging with this little awl before I saw fluid coming out. I'd put the shop vac to the hole between mining operations to help pull stuff down and out. I was about to give up when I went full reamer mode doing 360s with the awl with quite a bit of force when suddenly water started pouring out. That's when I hooked up the hose to the back of the block. Here is what I kept getting with each effort.

Next up is to pull the thermostat and water pump and install all the new parts.

I also had a yellow storage bin underneath the truck while I was gone and when I moved it out from under the frame there was a puddle of gear oil on the lid. Looks like the transfer case is leaking from somewhere so I'll have to add that to the list.

As always feedback welcome!

 

[bdawg23]

Alright - progress has been made!

I got all the new parts installed for the cooling system and my engine temp gauge is working again! This is the only gauge that's working but it's a relief as I now have at least one vital sign I can measure from behind the steering wheel.

Here are updated engine bay pics with all the new parts. Totally forgot about the fan shroud, found it in the back of the 40 after I finished putting everything together

I also ordered a non-heater pipe connection and was waiting for this to arrive when it turned out I had it already and was in another box of to be installed parts. This truck had heat but it's a Costa Rica edition so the heater was aftermarket and full of rust so I just pulled it out and moved on. I'll probably think about the heater in January when it's cold again.

Drove it around for about 2 hours without any apparent issues until it stopped running without any warning. Felt like it ran out of gas, just went quiet. No loud sounds, clanking, banging, just shutdown like someone turned the key off, which is actually what I thought happed. Thought maybe my knee hit the key or something. Gas gauge also went to E so I thought maybe the sensor is bad and I actually ran out when I thought I had a half tank. My wife pulled me home with the 4Runner. Feel free to reprimand me on the towing setup, not really up to code but chanced it for 2 miles.

We took a Lyft back to the house, grabbed the 4Runner and pulled it home. I did some troubleshooting in the lot but wanted to get home before dark.

It cranked over pretty slow but still cranked. This happens when I drive it for awhile b/c the alternate isn't keeping up. When off the battery shows about 12.6v, when running the batter shows around 12.3 volts. I believe this should be closer to 13.5v as it should be receiving a charge. Something to dig into.

Parked it for the night and hopped on mud for some preliminary research.

Today I started by checking the plugs this is cylinder #2, I have no idea how old these plugs are or what they should look like but I don't think these look super healthy. Maybe someone wants to share what a proper plug should look like?

This plug didn't look great but the motor wasn't getting any spark. It has a Davis Unified Ignition on it so I started following wires. One wire goes from the unit back to the fuse panel and that's when I found two blown fuses. One fuse is the ignition and the other fuse is for the fuel gauge. Explains why when the engine shut off the gas gauge was showing EMPTY but I swore I had half a tank.

I replaced these two fuses and it started right up. Now I need to figure out where the short is occurring.

Open to other thoughts here for things to consider/research!

I have some work travel coming up as I'm headed to Sturgis next week. If anyone will be there I'll be at the JP Cycles downtown in the Peak Design booth.

 

[bdawg23]

a few quick updates:
- radiator fan shroud is installed
- new fan belt installed mine does not have power steering so it’s just three pulleys below in the belt that fit for me

Replaced the fuses and couldn’t help but go for a drive.

After my trip I need to fix the leak on the ebrake output shaft it’s gotten quite regular and it’s time to deal with it.

 

[Chungas Revenge]

a few quick updates:
- radiator fan shroud is installed
- new fan belt installed mine does not have power steering so it’s just three pulleys below in the belt that fit for me



View attachment 3690716


Replaced the fuses and couldn’t help but go for a drive.
View attachment 3690718

After my trip I need to fix the leak on the ebrake output shaft it’s gotten quite regular and it’s time to deal with it.

Nice Pumpkin…

Take a look at the double seal.

 

[bdawg23]

Thanks! Good call on the double seal, I’ll look them up.

Nice Pumpkin…

Take a look at the double seal.

 

[bdawg23]

Work hasn’t stopped (does it ever?) and here is what I’ve got going on at the moment:

Repainted the wheels that came with the project. Picked up a few rattle cans of antique white, hit the rims with wire brush and some rust converter. Put on some more aggressive tires (accelera m/t-01, 31x10.5x15) and it’s lookin the part dare I say lookin good

Five tires mounted and balanced was about $750 from wal-mart. Date of manufacture was 13th week of 2024 so got a few years before they dry rot (hopefully!)

I’ve been having some intermittent fuel delivery issues. Seems to pull fuel fine sitting in the garage but the other day it wouldn’t start after driving it. Poured a little fuel in the car and she lights off only to die off. Fuel filter (clear one) seems to be filled with rust particles so I figured it was time for a new tank. Took the long way to drain the tank by letting fuel run out the line into a gas can. Eventually though the fuel stopped and there was more gas left. At this point the gas tank was accessible so I gave it a shake and fuel resumed flowing. Something didn’t seem right so ordered a poly tank and that’s going in.

Here is the prep before install. Cleaned up area and vacuumed it up. Ready for the poly tank.

Here is the poly tank sitting place. I did order a generic charcoal canister to use. The other tank had all the vent lines plugged which didn’t seem savvy.

Didn’t realize how expensive 1/4 inch fuel line was until I needed like 6 feet to run all the vapor lines. I’m going to run some brass T fittings to connect a few vapor lines and then reduce them from 4 lines to 2 lines to connect with the generic charcoal canister.

Also received the speedi sleeve for the leaking ebrake. Gotta dial in the rest of the parts there as well to get that cleaned up.

Always open to thoughts and feedback here!

Hope everyone has a fun Labor Day weekend.

 

[bdawg23]

The pumpkin in the wild! Back on the road over the weekend!

The metal cover didn't fit very well with the new poly tank and all the lines running. I picked up a universal vapor canister and routed the four vent lines via some creativity and brass t connectors. Not sure how effective the canister is going to be but it's something. I'm not a fan of the location but it's something for now. I did re-route the gas gauge wiring on top of the metal cover instead of underneath.

The tank came with some left over residue inside and I vacuumed it out.

Took my in-laws for a spin and got some groceries. Was running pretty good!

Before I left for a spin I did a quick preflight and I noticed the turn signals were not working. Turned on the headlights and hit the high beams and lost all my lights. Turns out the fuse went. Replaced the fuse and lights are back but no turn signals.

I also noticed the motor running a bit rough at idle and I noticed the distributor could more freely by hand (turn it left and right) and I think the timing has walked. It's also hard to start once it's hot. Very slow crank and then all of sudden it fires up with a blast of black soot then idles rough. It has a 38mm weber carb on it. Not trying to spend too much time on the weber as I have the factory carb that I plan on rebuilding.

Open to thoughts on researching either of the above if anyone has time

 

[pb4ugo]

I would disconnect the batt, remove all the fuses and use a pipe or rifle wire brush and clean the fuse box contacts. Dirty fuse holders is a common problem. I've read that stk carbs are the best. In the future you might use the search function or look in FAQ's for solutions, or ask. You'd find out the poly tank holds less gas than stk and they tend to leak vapor or gas. New tanks are available thru Toyota.

Have you downloaded Factory Service Manual (FSM) yet?

 

[cruisermatt]

Yeah, poly tank is a bad choice vs new OEM

 

[bdawg23]

I would disconnect the batt, remove all the fuses and use a pipe or rifle wire brush and clean the fuse box contacts. Dirty fuse holders is a common problem. I've read that stk carbs are the best. In the future you might use the search function or look in FAQ's for solutions, or ask. You'd find out the poly tank holds less gas than stk and they tend to leak vapor or gas. New tanks are available thru Toyota.

Have you downloaded Factory Service Manual (FSM) yet?

I have the FSM printed and in a 3 ring binder along with the F engine manual. Also have the Haynes manual FWIW.

I knew going with the poly tank would reduce the fuel capacity.

Thanks for the suggestion on cleaning up the fuse panel. I'll work on this and also start searching around for similar topics.

 

[bdawg23]

Yeah, poly tank is a bad choice vs new OEM

I'm sure I've made worse decisions in my life

The only fuel leak that I can see is from the rubber filler neck that is cracked where it meets the tank.

 

[pb4ugo]

A lot of electrical issues on these rigs end up being bad grounds too. If things start acting weird, it's usually a ground.

 

[bdawg23]

Plug check!

They are NGK BPR5EGP.

cylinder 4 looks great

 

[bdawg23]

Well I think it made sense to follow up the plug check with a compression test. After seeing number 4 I figured this cylinder would not test well.

Here is what got:

Also pulled the fuse panel, cleaned all the contacts and fuse holders.

And I’ve got spark so I need to revisit the fuel because maybe it’s not actually getting any. Been reading about the Weber setups and issues to see what to check next.

I set my phone up on video and went around and cranked the engine. I picked up a remote starter trigger but got a little stumped when I tried to figure out where to put the ground.