Chilean Troopy Resurrection- FJ to BJ

[Owyhee Jackass]

As this will be somewhat of a miracle if I’m successful, resurrection is an apt title to this thread…this will also answer the age-old question ‘Can an FJ in one life come back as a BJ in another?’

I’m not great at ‘build threads’ but I need a place to document progress, organize my thoughts and plan, so I figured I’d start one anyway.

Some history on the vehicle:

Ex Chilean Army Factory Soft Top Troop Carrier a.k.a. Chileno. Acquired by Specter Offroad back in ought 4.

Cruiser Ken purchased it from Marv with a 2F and H41 4spd.

Ken was doing a spring-over, FJ60/62 axles/crawlbox/3FE swap…and during the build he decided to sell it to me, this was in ‘11.

I've had it for almost 2-years ( I think I took delivery in March of '12) and have gone backwards from where Ken had gotten it. I sold the 3FE and crawl box as I found a ‘deal’ on a 3B and H55 locally on craigslist. Hence, the reason I’m starting a thread in the diesel section.

I've had several cruisers, (still have 2 or 3 too many) but I've never owned a diesel and have only driven one once. This will hopefully scratch two itches at once, the diesel itch and the troopy itch. (or is it troopie?)

Dan

p.s.

many people don't know that Metallica opened for Jesus' birth...

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Short term plan, which is a relative term as my projects are measured in geologic time, is to get it running. If it’s a good replacement for my 45LPB, I’ll most likely sell the LPB, which should generate enough capital to put the lipstick on this pig.

The 3B had been partially disassembled, and was in about five or six boxes.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

I started to clean and assemble the 3B around Thanksgiving last year and the first thing I found were cracked precups (pre-combustion chamber). $OR sells them for $678/4, I called up a shop in Canada that had them listed for sale @$260 for 4. They suggested I get the head magnafluxed and/or pressure checked. This was in November of 2013. I got the head magnafluxed, a couple cracks were found, then had it pressure checked, none of the cracks went through to coolant passages. Valves/seals all checked out.

I repeatedly tried to order the precups from the shop in Canada but had no luck, so I ended up getting them from RooDogs in Australia for $120 + $32 shipped to my door in less than a week.

I'll have to add photos of the cracked precups later as I can't seem to find them right now.

Dan

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

I have found most everything for the 3B as I’ve been assembling. I was missing a ‘fuel delivery tube’, posted up on here on a Sunday, gerg (greg) came through with one for me and shipped it out to me on Tuesday, I had it installed on a Friday…better service than most on-line parts sources.

I was missing a water pump as well, ordered one from Cruiserparts.net, along with injection nozzle seats, gaskets, fuel filter, oil filter and I figured what the heck and splurged on a new decal for the valve cover.

This brings me up to date. I’m hoping to dedicate at least a few hours a week to this project. I’ll try to post up progress and photos, but I’m probably the world’s worst photographer and it really slows down my build progress to stop and take photos as I go…I don’t know how you guys do it, but I realize ‘this thread is worthless without pics’. So I’ll try.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

List of to-dos:
· Finish assembling engine

o Water pump

o Injectors

o ?EDIC?

o Accessories

§ Source, install (some modification needed) air box

§ Power steering pump

§ Alternator

· Hang engine in engine bay

o Determine engine mount locations

o See how the H55 mates up relative to engine and H41 mount location

o Fab/modify both of the above as needed

· Steering

o Mount 60-series steering box

o Determine what is needed/necessary to connect all the steering components (when I received the vehicle from Ken, I took an inventory of loose parts but don’t recall if everything was there to connect all the components)

o Fabricate connection from steering wheel to 60-series box

· Fuel

o Mount fuel tank (was removed for crawlbox)

o Make/modify/route fuel line(s)

· Electrical

o Determine battery mounting locations

o Sort out 12v/24v issues

· Brakes

o Source/install vacuum tank, route lines

· Suspension

o Fab and/or install front shock mounts and shocks

· Drivetrain

o Verify rear driveline is long enough...maybe, it's bolted up. Yoke is extended about an inch more than the old grease/paint line shows.
o Lengthen front drive line
o Rebuild front klnuckes? (optional)
o Replace rear axle seals? (optional)
o Replace Transfercase output seals
o Hook-up and make operable the rear drum parking brake? (ad line lock?) Cable is too short, need to source another, or make an extension.



Shot of the 3FE coming out and then my old stock FST 40, the SOA 45 and the somewhere-in-the-middle Troopy...should fill both bills, right?

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Installed the water pump this morning. Looking at the box of parts that's left to install and I'm not seeing what's supposed to go in these holes, they're not threaded, are they supposed to be open to atmosphere?

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Took me a while to get the right search criteria...but as usual, found an entire thread on these 'mystery holes'
https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tech-24-volts-systems/403715-help-me-plug-my-hole.html

 

[B Point]

Very very envious. Building an old troopy is up high on the bucket list but in reality finding the parts seems like such a challenge. A 70 series troopy seems like a good compromise.

And no doubt,,, Metallica were playing "Enter Sandman"...

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Thanks. Although it is 30 years old, I'd still consider it a 'new' 40 series.

I definitely would like to find a 70-series some day.

'Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
Off to never never land'

Dan

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

I cleaned and installed the injectors. New injector seat gaskets from Cruiser Parts, next to the old gasket. Any reason I shouldn’t use the new one? It’s listed as being for a 3B as well and the size is similar, I swear I ordered the one on the left in the second picture.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Someone installed two seats on the #4 injection nozzle, two of the nozzles were fairly clean, other two (I think 3 & 4) had some serious carbon build-up. I’m not certain, as I didn’t take the injectors out, but there are only two gaskets to be found in the box the injectors were in. I suspect that maybe the two nozzles with the carbon build-up might not have had gaskets installed.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Down to just a few parts left in the box. It looks like I’m missing a few brackets here and there. A threaded fitting on the water pump (probably on the missing water pump), I brought the alternator brackets and engine/tranny mounts in to work today to media blast. Hopefully I can find some time at lunch and get them cleaned up.

The vacuum pump soft lines look pretty ratty. I’ll need to order some new radiator hoses, it’d be nice to find some OEM clamps and get rid of the cheap hardware-store type hose clamps.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Looks like I’m missing a few plastic cap/parts. Hope they’re ‘optional’…

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Just going through photos from the guy I purchased the engine from, trying to see what I’m missing/where stuff goes.

I seem to recall seeing this bracket at some time…I may have tossed it thinking it wasn’t a stock piece. I can fabricate something if needed. Anyone recognize it as stock, or is it a home-fab piece?

 

[FF LC FREAK]

Yes, the plastic pieces are "optional". However, they are pretty cheap. SOR lists them as a glow plug grommet for $1.97 each. Basically, just an insulator. Also, you are missing the injector line holder - an upper and lower rubber piece attached to the intake manifold with a bolt. And finally, that bracket holds the fuel filter and is a brace for the power steering belt tensioner. So, yes, it is a stock piece.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Yes, the plastic pieces are "optional". However, they are pretty cheap. SOR lists them as a glow plug grommet for $1.97 each. Basically, just an insulator. Also, you are missing the injector line holder - an upper and lower rubber piece attached to the intake manifold with a bolt. And finally, that bracket holds the fuel filter and is a brace for the power steering belt tensioner. So, yes, it is a stock piece.

Keep up the good work!

Crap. I hope I didn’t toss that bracket, but I have a feeling I did. I’ll look for it in the scrap pile tonight.

I found half of one of the injector line holders. Hopefully I can find those at $OR too.

Managed to get the brackets I didn’t toss media-blasted at lunch. Should be able to get it in the engine bay this weekend and determine motor-mount position.

Thanks for the words of encouragement.

Dan

 

[MOTOV8R]

Awesome!! I have been periodically mud stalking you for the last two years waiting for this build to get rolling.

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

Yeah, I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to get going on it. Other priorities I guess.

Found the missing bracket for that tensioning pulley. Got the engine and tranny mount brackets cleaned up. Hit the alternator, power steering idler mount and the missing bracket with some rustoleum.

Does that idler pulley mount use the timing gear cover bolts?

 

[greencruiser]

nice build! love the collection, 3bs are great motors any plans for a turbo?

So those holes on the head by the exhaust manifold i think theres some teeny frost plugs that go in there.

oh make sure you get the injector line holders I've seen a line break because of this and then its like running on 3 cyls and gets really gutless

 

[FF LC FREAK]

Does that idler pulley mount use the timing gear cover bolts?

Yes. Right about at the 1:00 position. If you mount the bracket that you found first, then attach the pulley to that, it will be obvious which timing cover bolt it is.

Here's the best picture I could get of mine. It's kind of tight in there.