Bumps on my 78’s rear tub/fenders? (1 Viewer)

[miker]

As usual, looks great! I really like the look of the lift and the wheels/tires you selected. Perfect! Its going to look like a brand new 40 when its painted.

 

[Gusb]

As usual, looks great! I really like the look of the lift and the wheels/tires you selected. Perfect! Its going to look like a brand new 40 when its painted.

Thanks Mike,

If you ever get the chance to drop by the beer is on me (after you drive the 40 ). Love for you to give me your experienced opinion. Even leaving a trail of brake fluid on the way back home yesterday I was really happy. Tomorrow I pick up a new clutch slave at Toyota - rubber hose will take a bit longer to get here. Next step after that is carb/CA smog stuff.

As I said earlier there's still a disconcerting twitch in the steering off and on. Suspension now feels great, and maybe as the geometry settles in it will be better - but I think it's the same kind of random wandering I felt earlier when I first got the truck. All I can see is maybe a tiny bit of slop in the tie rod ends - so small I'm not even sure it's there. How tight should that ball friction be? I've shaken the wheels around on jack stands but nothing seems too out of wack. Rubber boots are all shot from age but ball joints seem like they've had grease and just don't seem that worn. I'm replacing a few boots as I go. Rebuilt the center arm and replaced the Rag joint when I got the truck. Toe is probably not perfect but looks close with a tape - I'll get the alignment checked as soon as I'm street legal. Steering wheel position is a bit off (to the right side) when tracking a straight line but the truck will drive a pretty straight line without pulling to either side. Steering gear box maybe - checked the gear oil, etc. Anyway - another mystery to solve

Gus

 

[Gusb]

Replacing the 34 year old (note the ring - #2) hose and slave - should have done it when I replaced the master - as lostmarbles recommended.

Anyone know if anything goes through that clamp/guide (#1)? I don't see anything around the slave that looks like it threads through there?

 

[kling-on]

Wiring for rev. Lights ????

Sent from outer space via my mind

 

[thecrazygreek]

Theres normally a bracket in that location that is for holding one end of the return spring for the clutch fork. Maybe someone lost it and replaced with that?

 

[Gusb]

Theres normally a bracket in that location that is for holding one end of the return spring for the clutch fork. Maybe someone lost it and replaced with that?

The return spring bracket is there, just hidden behind the bolt on the left. In fact the end of the spring on the left is hooked in to it. Funny thing too is that #1 clamp looks like it's made from copper or maybe brass, need to clean off the crud to tell. And it looks original...

 

[twoturtlesracing]

GusB-

Just thought I might add that, as Kiwidog mentioned, it doesn't take much of the wrong caster to really mess up your steering and make it really twitchy. I have been there, fixed it, and was amazed at the difference. Even if you have other slop in your steering, it will be much easier to drive than slop with bad caster!

Excited that your getting it back together, and taking part of the journey with you... My clutch master is going out!

Enjoy!

Sent from my iPhone/ IH8MUD app

 

[twoturtlesracing]

And my Clutch cylinder has the same retainer. Not sure what it holds though!

Sent from my iPhone/ IH8MUD app

 

[Gusb]

GusB-

Just thought I might add that, as Kiwidog mentioned, it doesn't take much of the wrong caster to really mess up your steering and make it really twitchy. I have been there, fixed it, and was amazed at the difference. Even if you have other slop in your steering, it will be much easier to drive than slop with bad caster!

Appreciate the feedback twoturtles (and Kiwidog). You guys may well be right on the mark and I hope to nail down the steering problem by doing a lot of driving/testing and eliminating things as I go along.

Right now I've only gotten up to say 30-35 mph and I'm curious to see what happens over a range of speeds/conditions. This is the kind of thing where everything feels sort of normal and then it's kind of a mild, insecure feeling in the steering wheel like maybe slipping on ice or the steering box slipping. The truck will still be tracking straight and nothing extreme actually happening but the steering feels sort of disconnected momentarily (what feels like a very long moment . And now that the new suspension is different and feels so solid on the road, etc. it's makes this "steering wheel" condition seem like something maybe unrelated to springs, etc. Would the wrong caster usually be a continuous handling condition or could it be something more random (like this)?

 

[Gusb]

And my Clutch cylinder has the same retainer. Not sure what it holds though!

When I pick up the slave at Toyota I'll try to get a part/drawing printout and see if they show it.

 

[thecrazygreek]

If that is a factory bracket then by the looks of it it holds a rubber hose of some sort as it has a rubberized end for low friction as seen on other areas under the hood. The only thing running in that general area thats rubber are the fuel lines, both coming and going from fuel tank. But they usually run more on the frame side.

Hrmmmm

 

[Gusb]

A few Caster comments/questions: (again, please excuse my ignorance)

1) I'm assuming the more lift the more negative caster, as a lift gets higher the Caster approches 0 degrees and then moves on into the negative range if things get even higher?

2) The more positive the caster the more noticeably hard the steering effort - this would make sense because my steering has always felt too "light/easy" (for a truck without power steering) when moving.

3) So as the springs break in and weight is added to the truck will the caster angle continue to change and move back toward the positive side?

4) When I get the wheel alignment can't they use all that fancy equipment to check exactly what the caster is and then I in turn could use that info to determine what the proper angle shims should be (instead of trial and error)?

 

[miker]

A few Caster comments/questions: (again, please excuse my ignorance)

1) I'm assuming the more lift the more negative caster, as a lift gets higher the Caster approches 0 degrees and then moves on into the negative range if things get even higher?

I'm sure there are many opinions but here are mine:

I'd say 'not true' to this statement. If the lift is designed correctly then the castor will stay 'correct' or positive. If the lift components cause the axle to rotate then yes, the lift can change the castor. For instance, just installing longer shackles 'rotates' the axle and therefore changes the castor.

2) The more positive the caster the more noticeably hard the steering effort - this would make sense because my steering has always felt too "light/easy" (for a truck without power steering) when moving.

Yes, generally true, the more positive the castor, the more the tires will try to track straight ahead. As you turn the wheels, you may feel more resistance. When you let go of the steering wheel when in a turn the wheels will try to return to center (or straight ahead). This effect should feel "normal" to the driver. What feels strange is when you turn and the wheels want to stay in the turn and you as the driver have to steer out of the turn with some effort. This happens when you have little or no positive caster, or negative caster.

Note that the condition of the road can effect a lot of this seat of the pants feel so if you are "test driving" make sure you are not judging the handling of the vehicle and blaming it soley on the vehicle alignment if the road has a large crown or ruts. These things are not sports cars.

3) So as the springs break in and weight is added to the truck will the caster angle continue to change and move back toward the positive side?

I wouldn't think so, but I guess it could, slightly. But, I would not wait or hope for this to happen and get better. I wouldn't think it will change enough over time to make any drivability difference. You, as the driver, may get used to it and it may feel better to you over time but again, I doubt the angles are changing much. A good suspension design should be taking wear or suspension travel into account and the castor should not change significantly.

4) When I get the wheel alignment can't they use all that fancy equipment to check exactly what the caster is and then I in turn could use that info to determine what the proper angle shims should be (instead of trial and error)?

I don't see anything wrong with that. FWIW, I've found that my fj40s have drivien much better with about 4 degrees of castor especially with larger/wider tires. Once you have your measurements from the alignment shop, you may not be able to find a shim to get you from where you are now back to OEM specs. But, I would go a little more to the positive side than OEM specs. Again, I think they drive better that way.

 

[Fast Eddy]

Measure the caster yourself along the top of the steering arm right at the knuckle. Take a measurement of the garage floor as it should be angled away from the house.

I agree the lift should not require blocks, but it might. You won't notice a couple degrees of caster change with power steering. If it's light now, it is going to be light forever. You can add a valve to the HP line and adjust it.

 

[kiwidog]

twitch

Hi Gus,

After reading the last few posts. Here are my thoughts.
The trunnion bearings get notches in races from driving in a straight most of the time and pounding from the bumps.
You might not be able to feel then with all the birfield grease and friction from the wiper seals etc.
This can be a cause of twitchy steering. As the bearing rolls over the cup the rollers go from one valley to another rather than rolling smoothly.
The caster can correct problems especially with manual steering. What seems to happen there is stack up of little things causing a bigger effect, as you eliminate them little you get closer to perfect. ( the best a forty can be).
I have never replaced a tie rod end because it was worn out on a 40. They are pretty good stock if you keep them greased. If you can't feel any slop they are probably OK.

Went to LBHNM today. Filled in a lot of the details of the whole story.
Yesterday the A/C pump quite on the LX450 and temps have 95 to 100, driving with windows open helps but with the air that warms it is still hot. Anne has been a trooper and hasn't companied a bit, although she like HMB weather better.

Don't give up on getting the 40 up to spec. There are small improvements which can be made to improve over Mr T's design.

Thanks jb

 

[twoturtlesracing]

Miker and FastEddy are good guys and know there stuff- I will only comment on my experience and the lift: OME lifts should, I think, have the correct caster built in. Kurt would know for sure. When I had the caster problems it felt like you had to really stay on top of it when driving down the road, and most especially if you hit bumps or ruts, or it would go careening out of control. When I went springover and returned it to factory caster, I was amazed how much easier it got to drive- not like it might dart off in any direction at any point!

A quick, easy caster check is to see if your front driveshaft flanges are very close to parallel angles. This can be done by eye, or with an angle finder. If not, that is your biggest problem- if they are, look elsewhere.

You could even post a picture of it and we could probably tell from that. HTH!

Sent from my iPhone/ IH8MUD app

 

[JTeeg]

I will only comment on my experience and the lift: OME lifts should, I think, have the correct caster built in.

I just installed an OME 2 1/2 lift kit and the caster ended up about a 1/2 degree negative. I had to add shims to get the steering back to normal.

 

[Gusb]

A few then and now shots in the next few posts. Still a lot of work left to do

Note the makeshift mirror adaptor in the door mount.

 

[Gusb]

Other sides... I like it better with the hardtop back on but this is fun to drive!

 

[Gusb]

After/Before engine - everything still in process. May need to rebuild the carb at this point.