Builds DarkHorse's 91 HDJ80R - The Tank (1 Viewer)

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Just read the whole thread, really great writeup and a nice job on everything. Only idea on your steering box problem would be to sacrifice an allen key and weld it into that. Then you'll have a nice post to get something real on.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed.

Tossing up between welding on a nut or your suggestion of allen key. Same concept, I'll just see which I think is easier.

I now have a replacement on the way, so don't have to worry quite so much about keeping it serviceable.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Did the steering box today, thanks to the walk-through on here.

I think I stumbled on all the usual issues:

1) pitman took a bit of grunt, but a proper beefy puller and 2ft breaker bar did the job. If you don't have a vice consider doing this on the car so it's held in place.

2) Plunger guide nut is just a horrible design. Solution was a nut welded on, as there wasn't room between the raised casing and the base of an allen key to get a rod in:

3) input shaft preload was too tight when I got the locking collar back to my marks. Tapped it back off 1mm, keeping the actual cap lined up, and it freed up.

4) worm gear balls are a proper pain. Took a good couple of hours. No such thing as too much lube. I think I got them all in... but what magic stops them spitting out the top of the piston on extension?

5) teflon ring inside rubber o-ring is tricky. Eventually got it with the heart-shape method.

6) shaved the teflon ring on re-insertion. Tiny sliver. Going with it, but I'll keep the original in case.

Now to weld up the chassis so I can put it back in!

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

New toy arrived today:

Supercheap Auto special was too god to pass up. Matches my 170hf stick/tig unit.

Sooooo... here goes nuthin! Cleaned up the chassis rail, and drilled a 3mm hole at the end of the two cracks:

Then used a cutting wheel on the Dremel to groove out the cracks:

Ready for welding, grinding, then plates tomorrow (if the weather holds.)

I cleaned up the inside as best I could. Bunch of stuff in the way of getting tools in there. It'll be OK... it's clean of any dirt, rust, oil etc, just paint still there.

I also got the poly bushes out of the panhard. Tried to clean and linush to get the new rubbers in, butnot sure I'll be able to without a press.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

OK, finally had a crack (pun intended) at the chassis today.

Welded up the two stress fractures, and beefed up the panhard bracket seam and tube cross-brace:

Ground them flat, then since I was on the outside, did that plate. I could not for the life of me get the MIG dialled in - during a single run it would vary from the hissing burnback of insufficient wire speed to the staccato tapping of too much wire. Likely not helped by the voltage drop over 30m of extension lead I had to run. On top power setting it would trip the power board after about an inch, and with that removed it would go into overheat protection after maybe four inches.

So results were certainly not as pretty as I'd hoped, but it is well stuck on there:

And doesn't look as bad under a coat of flat black:

The inside plate was a whole other level of pain - literally. Spitty welder raining molten steel down while you try to contort yourself to get eyes and gun around diff, alternator, oil pan etc... and with the light fading I admitted defeat and called it before I got so angry that I broke something or hurt myself.

I'm a little worried about what fresh eyes will find in the morning, but that's tomorrow's problem.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Another trying day today with uncooperative welder, awful ergonomics, and howling wind just to make it even less likely that I achieve anything presentable.

Got the inner plate to the point where doing any more was making it worse instead of better. Ugly as sin, but definitely attached, and I don't think I am in any danger of over-penetrating/heating the chassis tube:

Again, slightly better with a shot of flat black:

The really heart-breaking thing about this is that I am a better welder than that, and I held off on this job for ages until I had the time etc, so the results are really disappointing.

Then the wonderful feeling of finally bolting clean stuff back on. Steering box, lines, pitman, tie rod:

High-pressure line back in it's brackets, and new low-pressure line run along side - will be tidied up when finalised:

Low pressure line excess waiting to be snipped for cooler, and new dampener bolted up:

List is still pretty intimidating:

• Align steering
• Grease balljoints
• Install cooler
• Tidy lines, fill, bleed
• 
  
• Install driveshafts
• Rebush & reinstall panhard
• Fab speed sensor brackets for cruise control
• 
  
• Install radiator hoses
• Flush & refill cooling system
• 
  
• Install fan & shroud
• 
  
• Re-plumb vac feed for cruise control to vac reservoir instead of booster
• Bolt check everything I've done
• Sort out why horn not working

Then maybe standard service stuff, roadworthy, and club rego.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Doing some research last night, and I think I've worked out my major mistake with the welder - apparently MIGs, especially low power machines like mine, really don't go well with pure argon. I have a bottle of pure argon for TIG work recently, and was really hoping not to have to fork out for another bottle of MIG mix, but looks like I am going to have to with the trailer build coming up.

Good lesson learned anyway. I may revisit at least the outside and just tidy it up a bit... or I may not. It really don't look too bad unless you're really looking for it.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Some minor progress today, but any movement is good psychologically.

Driveshafts bolted back in.

Panhard bushes pressed in and a quick splash of paint.

Rough steering alignment done, though not finalised given lack of panhard.

Steering cooler finally arrived. This thing is a whole lot bigger than I expected, so hopefully doesn't look too ridiculous sitting on the front chassis rail:

If the weather improves I'll suss out bracketry and get it mounted and plumbed up.

That's kind of the last missing piece, so now I can get everything assembled and off for roadworthy.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Few more baby steps today...

Panhard back in, with a bit of creative jacking and a ratchet strap from one side of the chassis to the opposite side of the diff:

Cruise control vac line teed into the feed from the pump to the reservoir:

After looking at a million parts diagrams I still couldn't be sure exactly where the non-return valve for the brake booster was (built into the res, or the booster?) so figured this was the safest option. Vac hose runs neatly along the top of the firewall to the actuator:

Also got the power steering cooler mocked up (that thing is hoooooge) so I can make a bracket, and muscled the car away from the kerb so I can do a rough alignment and fill/bleed the steering system.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Another frustrating afternoon fighting with welders - I don't have pure helium so HF TIG on Aluminium doesn't work. Thankfully pure Argon for MIG does... sort-of. So while again I am not proud of the results, and I'll spare you the ugliness on the back, the PS cooler is finally ready to mount:

Because that took four hours instead of four minutes I didn't get anything else done... which in turn means I won't get anything done until I'm back from work on Friday, so can't get roadworthy done before the rego expires.

Irritating.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Still feels like baby steps... but progress is progress...

Cooler is mounted and sits really nicely all plumbed up:

Steering system filled and bled, balljoints greased, and all seems happy and smooth from lock to lock. I think I might be one spline out reconnecting the input yoke on the box, but I've fudged that out with adjusting the tie rod. Rough string-line adjustment is done, and I'll get a pro alignment done when I can.

Apparently bottom radiator hoses for an early 80 series are problematic... here is what I've been through:

Top is what came off the car. It's a Gates hose, judging by the remnants of the label from under the clamp, but a part number hasn't survived, and it's been cut down at one end, so obviously didn't fit originally anyway. Middle is for an FT/multivavle/95-96 80 series... which you'd think would be identical but really really isn't. Bottom is for a 1hz 70 series, but at least it's close enough that it works. So after all of that I still haven't seen the correct part for a 1hd-t 80.

Anyhoo... radiator hoses and fan are back on, and I double tasked while the PS was bleeding and put a rad flush through the cooling system. That's now draining and I'll refill with coolant tomorrow.

Otherwise, to have it driveable I just need to throw the fan shroud in, though I'd also like to get the speed sensor for the cruise control sorted before I go away again on Monday. Then next week I can sort alignment, roadworthy, and club rego (I've ended up just forking out for full rego in the meantime, but that's refundable when I get it on club plates.)

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

OK, it's all bolted back up, checked, run and test driven:
- coolant flushed, new rad hoses, system bled
- steering aligned (kerbside stringline job, but feels OK) cooler is shedding heat, and no leaks
- all bolts checked, splash guards bolted back on
- new trailer plug installed
- new starter relay (genuine) which seems to have fixed that problem, and a new horn relay (aftermarket) which has not.

Haven't got the cruise finalised yet, but that and the horn are about the only things from that list a few posts up. The horn is annoying me, because I could put my multimeter on connections at each point in the chain and get 12V when the button was pressed... so I figured sticky relay was the culprit. New relay, no joy, so not sure now.

I ran it for a few mins to get everything up to temp and checked for leaks. All looked good so I drove it around the corner to a servo and checked tyre pressures and also checked everything again. Happy enough with that I went for a quick blast up the freeway to get it to 100kmh and see how everything felt. Idle felt smoother looking at the motor and sitting in the seat, and low speed driving didn't feel as vibey so I think at least one of the motor mounts was shot. Annoyingly most of the noise still happens up around 100kmh, but I don't feel it as much through the steering - so hopefully box rebuild, balljoints, dampener and panhard is doing some good. Most of the issues at speed feel like they're coming from the back end.

Anyhoo, happy enough that it's all back together and no worse than when I started I took it for a wash to remind myself that she's actually not in bad shape for an old beater...

I'm in Ballarat a few days a week for work at the moment, which is delaying working on the car and the rego process, but I'll take the trailer out there and make the most of the workshop facilities to get that job done.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Got the starter contacts and plunger replaced today - the old girl has been increasingly reluctant to start, especially first thing in the morning.

Getting the starter motor out was nice and easy - one nut, one bolt, two cables, lift out past the oil filter.

Three little bolts and the cover comes off the solenoid, gasket thankfully intact and reuseable since a new one didn't come with the replacement bits I'd bought.

Everything inside was surprisingly grotty, and the contacts themselves were worn and pitted, but didn't look too bad. Certainly not as bad as I have seen. Here is new next to old:

The other notable thing from the pic is that the new contacts are significantly smaller than the old ones - Toyota genuine parts and a genuine Denso starter, though it has had a visitor before me. They still make good contact with the plunger, so I'm hoping it just means they might have a slightly shorter lifespan?

The other difference is the outer insulator ring for the battery terminal - much more elaborate design, including a locating lug that has no hole in the starter housing BUT the boot for the cable does have space for it. I shaved the lug down so the ring tightens flush to the housing, but left the backing plastic so the boot fits tight. Also an o-ring and fibre gasket that wasn't on the old stuff.

I gave the inside and outside a good clean with contact cleaner and degreaser:

Bolted it all back up and tested it a couple of times - everything sounded great and fired first kick. With temps going sub-zero in Ballarat tonight it should be a good test in the morning.

 

[emptyhide]

I've also replaced a few little broken interior panels, a window switch, windscreen washer nozzle, and bonnet liner.

So that's more or less caught up I think.

Immediate list now is:

• Steering box rebuild (with later model sector shaft and pitman arm)
• Weld up chassis crack and fit strengthening plates.
• Steering hose replacement (might rebuild the pump too... why not.)
• Mount speed sensors for cruise control
• Panhard bushes seem fine, but might do them in case.
• Wire and mount trailer plug with brake controller line and 12V to integrated Anderson plug.

The biggest thing is the trailer rebuild, which will not go down well with the neighbours.

What nozzles did you use? Mine are shot so I’m looking at oem vs aftermarket and I can’t decide.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

What nozzles did you use? Mine are shot so I’m looking at oem vs aftermarket and I can’t decide.

Genuine, purchased through eBay from memory.

 

[emptyhide]

Genuine, purchased through eBay from memory.

Good to know. Thanks

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

So once again I've let this thread go over a year without an update...

Small things have been happening, with big things coming up. I haven't been driving it much so stuff has been put on the back-burner.

It sat for months while I was away for work, and trying to get it jumped apparently killed both the main battery and the dual battery isolator, so both those were replaced (DBi 140 from Sidewinder, recommended otherwise!)

Decided to sort out the cargo area, and found a used set of Titan drawers (cheap and nasty to begin with)

Mounting was much more difficult than expected - cross bars wouldn't line up with both 3rd row seat points anywhere near the position I wanted (drawers close to tailgate) so I'm going to have to get creative with brackets. Also s***ty that the retailer insists on charging individual postage rates for each of the tie-down anchors, so $50 worth of parts costs $115 to get to me.

Cargo barrier from a 200 series, which is perfect height but much narrower. Haven't decided whether to keep it and build extension wings or just build something from scratch. Playing around with mounting ideas in the meantime:

Reasonably happy with that setup now, the only other thing on the wishlist really is some LED lighting for the tailgate.

Speaking of LEDs... I have upgraded the tail/brake and reverse lights courtesy of Stedi, and also have LED H4s in the lowbeams, and waiting on a set of semi-sealed H1s for the Highs. Also grabbed a used set of cheap 9" LED driving lights and got them mounted, just have to put the Deutche connectors on the leads:

(OCD forced me to replace those rusty number plate bolts while I was at it too!)

The LED bar I had mounted to the roof rack managed to crack the 2mm sheet it was bolted to and was making a horrble noise as it vibrated at highway speed, so I will have to come up with something much sturdier for the even bigger replacement I now have for that.

Speaking of vibrating at highway speed - I am still getting a nasty rumble between 80kmh and 100kmh, which feels like the back end. The rear pinion is weeping a tiny amount of oil, so hopefully that is a clue. Front end and steering feel OK after I went through all that, though steering box preload could maybe tighten up a bit and one of the balljoint boots has a crack and is spitting out it's grease.

The old Safari snorkel is pulling itself off the pillar mount, and the bolts into the snorkel body were shot to hell, so that requires some attention:

Part of the trailer rebuild involved upgraded electric brakes, so I grabbed a Tekonsha controller for them, which I would like to mount in the slot for the ash tray. I'm thinking of extending my home-made console up on a 45deg angle to mount that and the battery monitor on an angle that is more legible from the driver seat:

Lots of wiring niggles to be sorted... headlight and aux lighting relay project seems all good, but hi-beam switching is still intermittent somewhere, as is the horn. Dash aux power needs tidying up, gauge lights are on the fritz, and the Saas boost/EGT gauge on the pillar is junk and needs replacing. Trailer plug I think is OK, but I'd like a decent utility power feed to the boot for a future fridge and various stuff, plus the bigger brake power feed and an Anderson link to a battery and solar setup on the trailer. Sub amp and signal feed are still there... I'm considering something slim-line I can squeeze between drawers/cargo barrier/rear seats... or maybe mount to the barrier... dunno.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

...which more or less brings me up to current.

I sort of had to make a decision on the future of this relationship, given a few factors:
- I am going to travelling for extended periods with work in the next couple of years
- it makes zero sense as a practical vehicle for the inner suburbs
- it is showing it's age in a few ways, and isn't the most comfortable, quiet, refined, fuel efficient thing on the road
- there is a bunch of fix-ups to do...

BUT...
- the old Tank is now eligible for significantly cheaper historic/club rego
- market value on these things is going through the roof
- I have a heap of time, money and emotion invested in the old girl, and I'm quite fond of her.

So... I got chatting to a guy about fixing the AC compressor, which then led onto intercoolers... and exhausts... and turbo upgrades... so then this happenned:

I guess I'm keeping her.

So, in addition to all the little wiring fix-ups, replacing worn out flare, door and window seals, replacing the back windows with solids, retinting, and sound-proofing... I'd like to tidy up the few dents in the body, and see if anything can be done about the paint short of a full respray. I'm not sure I like the idea of Raptor coating the whole thing, and a traditional respray is a lot of coin.

Then there's the fun stuff.
Redback 3" exhaust looks the business just sitting in the box, so it would seem a shame not to make the most of it with a turbo upgrade and intercooler - cue yet more hours spent trawling through two of the biggest threads on this forum... and the need for a functioning boost and EGT gauge option, plus pump tune.

Trouble is my timing stinks. Pandemic supply issues and time of year mean that, for example, DPI and Munroe both have projected delivery times well into the new year. Even G-turbo is showing 'limited' stock on most things.

The extended, lower priority wish list includes a 4" stainless snorkel and airbox (might play around with butchering current stuff and see if I can't open things up a bit in the meantime) a decent rear bar, and some fresher seats - the XR Falcon units hiding under the sheepskins are an order of magnitude better than the 30yo stockers were, but even they are showing the usual wear and tear, especially driver's door side.

So I'm probably up for another $5k minimum to get to the point where I will happy to continue the investment... er... relationship... er... yeah.

Lots of time on eBay, Gumtree and Marketplace in my future.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Today's updates...

Bunny burners wired up and working nicely (Hi-beam semi-sealed inserts are on order and will get matching Stedi H1 LEDs)

And the big one... Redback 3" system is in. It's so pretty:

Turbo dump pipe, runs system inside the chassis all the way...

The one section that drops below the level of the chassis rails... and I don't understand why. There is plenty of room above between it and the floorpan, and it drops after the mount and before the resonator, then goes back up again to get over the rear axle. The only thing I can think of is to leave room for the full-size muffler option. I'll leave it as is for now, but be very upset if it gets banged up the next time I'm scraping over rocks.

The exit is really neat and tucked up, working around the space for a future long range tank.

My old exhaust was stock except for a very badly welded muffler delete, and wasn't in bad shape otherwise. The new one doesn't seem any louder, but there is a slightly growlier tone to it. I haven't driven enough yet to make any judgements about performance or efficiency.

 

[DarkHorse1HDT]

Speaking of efficiency, one thing I have done that I forgot to mention was a full oil flush and renew using Cost Effective Maintenance products. I've been using the fuel additive for a while, but this is the first full flush I've done.

I drove 70km with the flush additive in new oil, and when I drained that it was a thoroughly opaque grey. Not black, but certainly didn't look new. Following that I got 900km from both tanks for the first time in my ownership. 500km later again, and the dipstick still looks remarkable clean:

On top of the efficiency boost, the driving experience changed dramatically - the thing felt like a sports car! Throttle response was so much sharper, and the motor just wanted to rev out at every opportunity. I was absolutely stunned.