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- #481
Cleaned things up a little and the 2 bottom bolts tightened right up. Both were loose, one was a good 1/8 inch out. Should know in a day or so if it stops dripping oil. 
Bumps on my 78’s rear tub/fenders?
- Thread starter Gusb
- Start date
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twoturtlesracing
Slowwly but surely...
Believe the lower splash guard is factory... I have one on my rig as well. I don't think a lot of people have even seen them- I know I've had a couple guys ask me about mine at least.
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- #483
Thanks for the feedback twoturtles - makes me think my red fan shroud may be oddball stock after all.
Drove 24 miles on 101 yesterday to get the engine hot. At 69 mph the speedo reads around 60 - I guess that's typical with the 33 tires? Anyone know a formula to figure how far off the odometer might be over a tank of gas? Want to get an accurate estimate of gas mileage at some point.
The bottom of the timing cover still shows a little leakage but no oil on the garage floor today
Multiple ways to do this, but the odometer will be off by the same percentage as the speedometer. To figure the percentage, it's speedometer reading divided by actual speed. In your case, thats 60/69=0.8696 or about 13% slower or fewer miles registered than actually traveled.
You could figure your MPG using your actual odometer reading and gallons used, then just divide by the factor which is .8696
for instance, if you went 100 miles and used 6.8 gallons of gas:
100/6.8=14.705
then the correction:
14.705/.8696=16.91 mpg
You could figure your MPG using your actual odometer reading and gallons used, then just divide by the factor which is .8696
for instance, if you went 100 miles and used 6.8 gallons of gas:
100/6.8=14.705
then the correction:
14.705/.8696=16.91 mpg
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- #486
Thanks! 
- Thread starter
- #487
Got the new drag link spring from Toyota . . .
Old spring measures .920 overall - new spring is .960 in overall. Don't think the .040 will make much of a difference but I changed it anyway. Keeps the plug (cotter key) out a little anyway - so the plug is not as deep.
Back to the doors.
Old spring measures .920 overall - new spring is .960 in overall. Don't think the .040 will make much of a difference but I changed it anyway. Keeps the plug (cotter key) out a little anyway - so the plug is not as deep.
Back to the doors.
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- #488
Looks like I'm getting about 10.4 mpg around town. Lots of short trips - choke for warm up, etc.
Does that sound about right?
Does that sound about right?
I hope that is low, I thought the 2fs averaged around 14 to 15 mpg. How do you like your dewalt compressor? I was thinking of getting the same one. Nice to have 200 psi in a compressor that small. Where did you buy your lift kit from? Love how your truck sits!
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- #490
I'm beginning to think that anyone who says they get 14/15 around town with a 2F may be in denial, unless they're rolling downhill to Taco Bell. Toyota says a brand new FJ Cruiser (manual) only gets 15 around town. My old 1978 brochure says highway18/city12 for Federal and highway14/city9
for California. For the Wagon they call out city 8 
The Dewalt has been a great little compressor, but I'd like something bigger. Does a great job with my little SATA Minijet 3000 B HVLP (small gun), but struggles with an air grinder, etc. It's gotten me by and I appreciate it for what it is.
Thanks, I like the way it sits too - OME from Kurt, http://cruiseroutfitters.com
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Sounds about right to me.
Sorry, but it's not. It's a heavy truck and it especially sucks fuel in stop-and-go.
On a weekend trip with a 100-200 miles of freeway and some wheeling I get about 13mpg if I can manage to go slow, like 65. If I commute in it, 30 miles one way, mostly freeway, but some stop-and-go, it's about 11 or 12mpg.
I'm beginning to think that anyone who says they get 14/15 around town with a 2F may be in denial. Toyota says a brand new FJ Cruiser (manual) only gets 15 around town. My old 1978 brochure says highway18/city12 for Federal and highway14/city9
What's wrong with being in denial if you're getting 15 mpgs?
I'm running a desmogged 2F that's in fair/not great condition with an Aisan, 31" tires and stock suspension. I slightly advance the timing and run on premium and if everything is adjusted right I'll get 16 with mixed driving and a light foot (my all-time record is 17 highway). If I'm pulling a trailer, or the points are off or there's a vacuum leak, or a fouled plug, I'll drop down to 12-13 quick. If I got 10.4, I'd be looking for a puddle of gas under my truck.
I'm just finishing up installing a much fresher 2F and hoping to do even a pinch better. It sounds like the brochure (not to mention Fast Eddy) is confirming that your California model mileage is fine--especially considering that you're running a lift and 33" MTs.
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- #493
Thanks for the feedback duffontap.
My truck is a Federal (not CA) and I'd like to hope I could get 16 mixed driving. It's probably not very close to perfect but it seems to run well. Hard to believe Toyota would advertise City driving-9 mpg if they could do better - mpg was a big deal in 78 (maybe bigger than today). I'd expect them to go the other way
I too have been running premium and will continue to track and try to fine tune. And the truck has sat for a good while. So maybe I can improve a bit in the future.
Hard to believe Toyota would advertise City driving-9 mpg if they could do better - mpg was a big deal in 78 (maybe bigger than today). I'd expect them to go the other way
Doesn't your brochure say 12 mpg city for Federal? My decent fuel economy comes at a cost. I'm running 31" ATs that are more road friendly but less off-road friendly, headers that are loud and ugly, and I'm totally desmogged, which improves gas mileage but isn't as environmentally responsible (something I do care about enough that I wish the PO didn't desmog).
Best of luck with the fine tuning.
I get about 12 mpg mixed driving in my '77 Federal FJ40, 31" MT/Rs, 2F w/ Aisan, desmogged, stock exhaust manifold, fully electronic ignition from '79 or so, slightly advanced dizzy at about 5000-6000 feet ASL. If I go up I-70 to the mountains it'll drop to 9 pretty quick. But that's cause I floor it to try and keep my speed up. I did get about 15 mpg once going to Moab, it's kinda downhill from Vail to Utah. I need to get my speedo working reliably again to check it again, and I need to get the smog stuff back on cause my truck stinks.
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- #497
Took the 40 to Big O (where I bought the tires) for my "free" alignment check. The manager guy said they didn't have specs in the machine for a 78 Land Cruiser so he couldn't check it. I drove away thinking it was probably for the best anyway. My tie-rod was all frozen up and looks like the last adjustment was a long time ago, if ever. I started thinking about at least breaking the tie rod threads free myself to keep someone from applying a lot of force to the ball-ends down the road.
Made a bunch of measurements on the tires and came up with what looks like 1/8" of toe. Then I spent some time cleaning and oiling up the threads on the tie rod. Finally got tie rod threads free using a 16mm open end on the little flat on the ball ends to keep pressure off the joints. Then tried some static adjustments with the truck just setting on the ground. The only thing I could figure from the FSM [Standard 3~5 mm (0.12~0.20 in.), DR78-15B tire -1~1 mm (-0.04~0.04 in.] is toe is 1/8 inch but a radial tire gets less? Anyway got it to what looked like (tape measure so who knows) a 1/16 in. (.060) which seemed to be only 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the rod (at most) - does that sound right?
Put the clamps back on and did a 15 minute test drive and it seems to drive better than it ever has (no freeway yet). May try to remove some more and see how that goes.
Made a bunch of measurements on the tires and came up with what looks like 1/8" of toe. Then I spent some time cleaning and oiling up the threads on the tie rod. Finally got tie rod threads free using a 16mm open end on the little flat on the ball ends to keep pressure off the joints. Then tried some static adjustments with the truck just setting on the ground. The only thing I could figure from the FSM [Standard 3~5 mm (0.12~0.20 in.), DR78-15B tire -1~1 mm (-0.04~0.04 in.] is toe is 1/8 inch but a radial tire gets less? Anyway got it to what looked like (tape measure so who knows) a 1/16 in. (.060) which seemed to be only 1/4 to 1/2 turn of the rod (at most) - does that sound right?
Put the clamps back on and did a 15 minute test drive and it seems to drive better than it ever has (no freeway yet). May try to remove some more and see how that goes.
1/16" toe-in with that size tire should be about correct , see if it tries to follow the washboards on the highway and also check it closely on highly crowned side roads . Up to around 33" on solid axles I've always ran 1/16" inward with no tire wear issues or bad tracking . 35"+ and they need a bit more...
Sarge
Sarge
- Thread starter
- #499
Thanks for the feedback.
Does this diagram make sense?
My new tires seemed to be making (before the adjustment) more contact on the outside edges. Not enough mileage to call it wear, but you can see less contact on the inside tread. This seemed to have improved with the toe-in adjustment (this photo - after the short test drive). Is that outside contact (less on the inside) consistent with too much toe-in? I think I can see less dirt on the inside tread now.
Does this diagram make sense?
My new tires seemed to be making (before the adjustment) more contact on the outside edges. Not enough mileage to call it wear, but you can see less contact on the inside tread. This seemed to have improved with the toe-in adjustment (this photo - after the short test drive). Is that outside contact (less on the inside) consistent with too much toe-in? I think I can see less dirt on the inside tread now.
Because of the knuckle bearing centerlines, the tires will lean, top out or positive castor, as you steer left or right. This could be the cause of why you see tire tread contact more to the outside of the tread but not the inside.
However, large amounts of excess toe-in will case the inside of the tread to 'cup' or wear faster than the outside, at least that has been my experience. Perhaps too much toe out, might cause the opposite.
You might try to run the tires through dirt to get the thread dirty, then drive straight for a short distance on pavement and see what the contact pattern looks like. If you do not have contact across the entire tread inside to outside, then you could drop the pressure until you get near full contact. I think I see in your pictures that the outer most tread has less contact than the center.
However, large amounts of excess toe-in will case the inside of the tread to 'cup' or wear faster than the outside, at least that has been my experience. Perhaps too much toe out, might cause the opposite.
You might try to run the tires through dirt to get the thread dirty, then drive straight for a short distance on pavement and see what the contact pattern looks like. If you do not have contact across the entire tread inside to outside, then you could drop the pressure until you get near full contact. I think I see in your pictures that the outer most tread has less contact than the center.
