There are quite a few of us that would be VERY interested in replacement rubbers for the hinges. Make sure you post up when that is purchasable.
And love the progress. That new top section of screen on your rad support looks plenty stout. Nice.
Build Doc's 1978 FJ40 Rebuild
- Thread starter TractorDoc
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There are quite a few of us that would be VERY interested in replacement rubbers for the hinges. Make sure you post up when that is purchasable.
And love the progress. That new top section of screen on your rad support looks plenty stout. Nice.
- Thread starter
- #182
Not looking forward to putting them back in either. . . but I hope it will be easier without all the extra stuff in the way. Not sure what I would call the worst part of the build so far. . . there have been frustrating moments but nothing jumps out that I could not do again. We will see if that is still the case once the hinges are installed! I appreciate the feedback as well. Out of curiosity do you work in building/masonry? Had to look your name up. . . I would not have known otherwise. EDIT: Just started reading your build thread and had my question answered for me. . . nevermind!!
Thanks Joel, it should keep a few more bugs from hitting the radiator than the old one would.
After a lazy Sunday morning I returned to the shop to finish what I had started yesterday.
At the end of the day I have some blue parts to show off. It took longer to move all the equipment out of the way than it did to paint, but that is part of the fun. After a light sand of the epoxy primer I gave the parts a quick coat of 2K filler primer. Wait to dry, sand again, and then sprayed the blue. Everything looked good when I was done; lets hope when I see the parts dry I can say the same.
One of the things that has made cleanup a lot easier is my Spray-Max gun cleaner. . . much more efficient than the brushes only method.
I also painted the radiator support, fan shroud, and a couple other pieces black with the rattle cans. I also cleaned up the fan and fan clutch with the soda blaster. Installed the thermostat housing thanks to @davework 's new bolts arriving in the mail. . . I broke one of the old bolts that hold the two halves back together and they are an oddball size. Set a couple pieces in position to see how they look all cleaned up.
I will do my best to be patient and let the paint dry. . . Monday and Tuesday are busier days at work so that will have my full attention anyway.
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Seems your intentions are to eat off that thing! She's looking great Doc. You sure have a lot of patience and attention to detail. I like the hard brake line isolator on the front axle on page 5 I believe. Heat shrink?
Edit: I read where it states it's heat shrink. haha..
Edit: I read where it states it's heat shrink. haha..
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- Thread starter
- #184
Ive been known to eat a fry or two off the seat when I had to fit lunch in between farm calls. . . not sure I want to put the vet box in the back of the 40 just yet though
. Really appreciate the feedback. . . I can usually give my time and patience without breaking the bank account. . . time usually runs out though and sometimes my patience does too!One of the cheesy things I do is sign each "project" I have undertaken. . . somewhere out of sight and where things have to be taken apart to be seen. Name, date range, signature etc. all put down for some future owner to find. In the end if I am putting my name on something I want to make it the best as my ability allows. . . hence my OCD on even the smallest parts. Again, I appreciate everyone noticing the effort!
- Thread starter
- #185
I held out as long as I could. . . finished up what I needed to at work and had an extra hour to spare so to the shop I went to see about fitting the door hinges. @Dagha Boy is right, the installation is a pain. The lower two hinges were installed easily but the upper two required me to bend my hand/fingers in ways I didnt think I could to get the bolts started. The passenger side was worse than the driver side due to the glove box placement. In the end all four are in place. . . I know when I go to fit the doors I will have to loosen/tighten the bolts again but that should not be as bad. A ratcheting wrench is very helpful and makes the job much quicker in tight quarters. I am glad I took the time to mask off the rubber as it looks cleaner against the blue.
I also could not resist test fitting the windshield hinges with davework's stainless hardware. I know stainless deviates from the original gold plating but I think the silver goes better with the blue.
One hour turned into two as I dropped the new radiator in place.
More stainless to secure the fan shroud/radiator to the support. I have a box full of the old fashioned hose clamps that I told myself I was going to use on the various coolant hoses but I broke down and ordered a set of racer65's OEM style stainless clamps that should be arriving soon.
I plan on buttoning up more of the engine components over the next week. . . still lots to do but each day brings a little more progress. I just need to spend more time working and less time staring at whats been done so far.
I also could not resist test fitting the windshield hinges with davework's stainless hardware. I know stainless deviates from the original gold plating but I think the silver goes better with the blue.
One hour turned into two as I dropped the new radiator in place.
More stainless to secure the fan shroud/radiator to the support. I have a box full of the old fashioned hose clamps that I told myself I was going to use on the various coolant hoses but I broke down and ordered a set of racer65's OEM style stainless clamps that should be arriving soon.
I plan on buttoning up more of the engine components over the next week. . . still lots to do but each day brings a little more progress. I just need to spend more time working and less time staring at whats been done so far.
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Love the pic. No toothed lock washers to scratch up that nice new paint? I've always wondered if OEM was raw fasteners or painted. I always thought they were painted, but I like the look of exposed fasteners.
You painted the windshield hinges intact, I was wondering about this. Looks like it worked out fine? Was trying to see if there was a way to take apart and paint.
- Thread starter
- #188
Paint is still too soft!!
Left the washers in the bag. . . they are still "sprung" and Im sure they would leave their mark if installed now. . . they probably will anyway down the road but for now I wanted to "give paint a chance, man!"I did indeed paint the windshield hinges intact. I made a half-hearted attempt to separate the upper from the lower piece but the pin was securely in place. The hinge flexes tight but easily and for the most part the plastic bushings are still intact, so I did not see the need to replace them. (Only replaced the door hinges because the old had bad rubber) The key is to get paint on all areas of the pivot point so you do not have a bare spot if you choose to fold your windshield down.
I am sure with a little more effort the pin can be tapped out the same way you would with the door hinges. . . and paint both pieces individually. The paint will add thickness at the hinge connection though and make things going back together tight. I know I will have to file or shave a little of the paint thickness from the door hinges when the other half goes back on with the new bushings. I tried plugging the pin holes with small pieces of shop rag to keep paint from getting down into the pin hole and making things tight there.
Thanks for keeping an eye on me Dave, and thanks again for making the hardware available. . . really pleased with your product!
- Thread starter
- #190
Maybe. . . thought I was going to start on the wiring harness over a week ago but you can see how/where that went.
Honestly, if they are calling for warmer weather this weekend I might try getting the rims primed and painted. Or I might focus on the manifolds/getting them permanently installed. Or I could start installing the harness (cant wait to get that coolerman harness in either). . . or maybe dad will want to cut more firewood this weekend.
I have goals that I want to accomplish, but sometimes the 40 tells me what it wants done next and my plan goes out the window!
My favorite saying during this resto has been "maybe" and it drives my dad nuts.
- Thread starter
- #192
Currently muddling thru what to do with my heat riser valve in the exhaust manifold. I picked up one of the stainless plates to eliminate the potential of overheating/cracking the intake. I know this is more of a concern if the valve fixes itself in position/stops working, but I like the idea of eliminating a weak point if possible. I have a hard time believing that a thin piece of stainless metal is going to stop the intake from warming up when both are bolted directly to the exhaust manifold, but I guess an extra barrier with an air cushion in between may be more of a buffer than I realize. I am no engineer.
One of the decisions I will have to make is what to do with the flapper valve. Currently the flapper shaft rotates freely but is not loose where an obvious exhaust leak was present. For that reason I would like to keep the shaft, but if I do that the flapper will interfere with the new stainless plate. I can install the plate with the flapper flexed so exhaust gas will be diverted down to the pipe, but I think this may restrict exhaust flow/act as a choke point (I would think this even when the flapper is working as designed).
One of my options would be to cut the flapper as I tried to show with a red dashed line in the picture:
It would still then be able to rotate with the bimetal spring without hitting the plate. As I mentioned previously I have commitment issues and would rather not cut up a perfectly good flapper; even if trimmed it still seems like there is a lot of "stuff" there to restrict the exhaust.
The other option I am considering is to leave the flapper off and just install the shaft. No issues with pieces coming into contact and less stuff in the way of the exhaust flow.
Only trouble with that idea is the potential for the shaft to fall out. I have read where bolts have been used to plug the holes with something like a copper washer to seal off the opening. I have also read that the openings can just be welded shut (and even less stuff is in the way!). I am not as competent when it comes to welding cast iron and the manifold appears to be in decent condition. . . I always prefer that my modifications can be "undone" if the next person in line ever wanted to go back to the way things were. . . welding the holes up would make a flapper reinstall much more difficult.
My current thought/solution was to drill a small hole in the bimetal spring mounting stud and install a stainless cottar key to keep the shaft from sliding forward and falling out. (I see the irony as well, I don't want to weld up holes but I am willing to drill them. . . at least a hole I drilled can be welded back up easier than a hole I welded up can be drilled . . .
I am not set on this solution but it is the best I could come up with overnight. If the shaft still wanted to move around more than it should I always have the option of dropping the exhaust pipe at the bottom of the manifold and I could install the bolts/sealing washers without much trouble. I would have to source the proper size/diameter bolts and find them in the proper material to keep them from burning up. . . . or I could get one long bolt to pass all the way thru just as the flapper shaft does. I would rather have the stockish look of the bimetal spring and counter weight that a random bolt or nut.
As stated previously, I am not afraid of criticism. If anyone sees why my current path/fix is a bad idea I am all ears. I would rather know about it now before I go thru the process of getting the manifolds situated together/on the engine so everything fits nice and happy like. I know I am probably overthinking the entire situation. . . just how I am built.
One of the decisions I will have to make is what to do with the flapper valve. Currently the flapper shaft rotates freely but is not loose where an obvious exhaust leak was present. For that reason I would like to keep the shaft, but if I do that the flapper will interfere with the new stainless plate. I can install the plate with the flapper flexed so exhaust gas will be diverted down to the pipe, but I think this may restrict exhaust flow/act as a choke point (I would think this even when the flapper is working as designed).
One of my options would be to cut the flapper as I tried to show with a red dashed line in the picture:
It would still then be able to rotate with the bimetal spring without hitting the plate. As I mentioned previously I have commitment issues and would rather not cut up a perfectly good flapper; even if trimmed it still seems like there is a lot of "stuff" there to restrict the exhaust.
The other option I am considering is to leave the flapper off and just install the shaft. No issues with pieces coming into contact and less stuff in the way of the exhaust flow.
Only trouble with that idea is the potential for the shaft to fall out. I have read where bolts have been used to plug the holes with something like a copper washer to seal off the opening. I have also read that the openings can just be welded shut (and even less stuff is in the way!). I am not as competent when it comes to welding cast iron and the manifold appears to be in decent condition. . . I always prefer that my modifications can be "undone" if the next person in line ever wanted to go back to the way things were. . . welding the holes up would make a flapper reinstall much more difficult.
My current thought/solution was to drill a small hole in the bimetal spring mounting stud and install a stainless cottar key to keep the shaft from sliding forward and falling out. (I see the irony as well, I don't want to weld up holes but I am willing to drill them. . . at least a hole I drilled can be welded back up easier than a hole I welded up can be drilled . . .
I am not set on this solution but it is the best I could come up with overnight. If the shaft still wanted to move around more than it should I always have the option of dropping the exhaust pipe at the bottom of the manifold and I could install the bolts/sealing washers without much trouble. I would have to source the proper size/diameter bolts and find them in the proper material to keep them from burning up. . . . or I could get one long bolt to pass all the way thru just as the flapper shaft does. I would rather have the stockish look of the bimetal spring and counter weight that a random bolt or nut.
As stated previously, I am not afraid of criticism. If anyone sees why my current path/fix is a bad idea I am all ears. I would rather know about it now before I go thru the process of getting the manifolds situated together/on the engine so everything fits nice and happy like. I know I am probably overthinking the entire situation. . . just how I am built.
I havnt gotten to it yet and am in the early research stage, but plan on running a gutted manifold. Rather than welding the holes shut, I am going to try tapping them, installing some sort of plug and using the block off plates.
You can add a weld to the shaft inside the manifold preventing it to fall out. Or manufacture a new small plate and install it instead of the original one. It just needs to keep the shaft in place.
I tacked mine in place just recently. Went into some of the theory on why I left it in place vs removing it in my thread
IIRC you tacked yours to the manifold from the outside, If doc wants to keep things reversible he can just tack on the shaft itself. It can still move but not fall out.
I misunderstood the intention here. Yes that would work and I did that as well so the valve itself wouldnt move on the shaft.
You can leave the valve out.
But I think if I faced this issue I would fabricate a dummy valve, just enough material to keep the shaft on place. Everything can be brought back to original if needed.
- Thread starter
- #199
I appreciate the responses/feedback.
I had precious little shop time today. . . more green house preparation, more projects at the real job than expected (again!), and sold a garden tractor posted on craigslist that took some time in the afternoon.
I did like the idea that @waiting for time presented about substituting a small plate for the flapper to keep the shaft in place. It makes so much sense. . . makes me mad that I did not think of it! I dug thru another one of my hoarding piles and came up with a suitable piece of steel; a little cutting and drilling and I had a replacement prototype mini flapper.
Test fit in the manifold and it should work to keep the shaft in its proper anatomical location. The bolts were welded to the original flapper. . . will do the same with the new plate. My main goal was to make and test fit everything today. . .
Another view with the spacer washer more visible.
I put the manifold on the back burner and took my remaining time to roll out the factory rims that I had sandblasted. I picked out the best five and gave them a good going over with 80 grit paper on the most visible areas. I think the human eye is naturally drawn to round/curvy objects and the wheels are a focal point on most vehicles. Taking the extra time to smooth out any irregularities, pits, etc. can make a huge difference on the finished product. Seems I have two stamped '76, two stamped '78, and one stamped '79.
I am switching gears/giving the rims my attention as favorable painting conditions may be coming this weekend. Sixty degree days in mid-February is a rarity in North Central Ohio and I plan to take advantage. Add in the craigslist sale from today that will pay for new tires. . . its almost like a higher power wants the FJ40 to have new and proper shoes!
I had precious little shop time today. . . more green house preparation, more projects at the real job than expected (again!), and sold a garden tractor posted on craigslist that took some time in the afternoon.
I did like the idea that @waiting for time presented about substituting a small plate for the flapper to keep the shaft in place. It makes so much sense. . . makes me mad that I did not think of it! I dug thru another one of my hoarding piles and came up with a suitable piece of steel; a little cutting and drilling and I had a replacement prototype mini flapper.
Test fit in the manifold and it should work to keep the shaft in its proper anatomical location. The bolts were welded to the original flapper. . . will do the same with the new plate. My main goal was to make and test fit everything today. . .
Another view with the spacer washer more visible.
I put the manifold on the back burner and took my remaining time to roll out the factory rims that I had sandblasted. I picked out the best five and gave them a good going over with 80 grit paper on the most visible areas. I think the human eye is naturally drawn to round/curvy objects and the wheels are a focal point on most vehicles. Taking the extra time to smooth out any irregularities, pits, etc. can make a huge difference on the finished product. Seems I have two stamped '76, two stamped '78, and one stamped '79.
I am switching gears/giving the rims my attention as favorable painting conditions may be coming this weekend. Sixty degree days in mid-February is a rarity in North Central Ohio and I plan to take advantage. Add in the craigslist sale from today that will pay for new tires. . . its almost like a higher power wants the FJ40 to have new and proper shoes!