Dreaming the impossible dream... meet Dulcinea (1 Viewer)

[LostInNevada]

Dulcinea is the new name for this old bird....

She is the newest (not for long) member of my family, basic stats are as follows;

5/85 FJ60 still running the factory 2f and 4 speed with 224K on the clock

We named her Dulcinea (with the help of the household supervisor) mainly because she is "a grand delusion of an aging man in search of something that most have forgotten with the impending reality of her true burden setting in in a slow and torturous manor."

Not to worry though, my wife just likes make smart quips, she's all aboard on this project, or at least as much as she can be in he current condition as we are expecting our first child in December.

I got her, because , why not get a sweet project while also dealing with the biggest honey do list I've ever had in the nesting of my home and working three jobs. should be fun.

Got her with:

The Good:

1. 99.95% rust free
2. Fits in my restricted height garage (for now)
3. Starts, stops, turns left and right
4. Radiator does its job (though you would know from the temp sender or guage)
5. Radio is rockin (its own selection)





The Super Exciting things to learn about:

1. Half assed desmog
2. Aftermarket suspension (near stock height) that is unidentifiable
3. Touch of rust on the drip edge (really a touch, otherwise a Nevada rig and appropriately busy free)
4. Kaymar Rear bumper with tire swing out and bad wiring
5. Slew of aftermarket wiring "upgrades" from the PO
6. Knuckle rebuild needed (Bilateral)
7. Some quite frozen dif plugs
8. A poor respray of what i can only presume is the original 033 white (but not quite sure)
9. Key cylinders that need a little giggle to make open (first trip for gas was interesting)
10. Standard gauge issues
11. non functioning AC (This is a big deal)
12. Window regulator problems
13. a sweet Taylor Swift CD that won't eject so we'll keep rocking it for the time being

The Plan:

I Don't know, Id like to get it running at the basic level. Learn the ins and outs of mechanicing on this basic vehicle and have an activity that I can do at home as I will be spending an increasing amount of time there in my impending supervisory (assistant) role .

Getting her running well has been a problem with my commute being from 7600 ft at home to 2200 ft at work and I can't quite get her there with the plethora of vacuum leaks and my recent lack to time for the task.


Once I'm running well , it'll be on to the drip edge and various small nuance items which have been listed.

Then its on to cosmetics and interior .

Ultimately I'd like to repower it with a more eco friendly power source (that 2.8 looks nice), provide it with a mild (2ish) lift and associated mid size tire upgrade that will allow me to access those hard to reach ski lines and wild places that are situated around this great point on the map where I live.

Make no mistake, I am, at this point, a negative Banana mechanic and I intend to (as I have already begun) to fully pillage any of the information and kindness of you fine folks have to provide to make this thing happen. This thread, if nothing else can serve to document the slow and steady, yet expensive, downfall of my impossible dream to drive around in the wonderful style that is the 60 series Land Cruiser.

If nothing else you will all get a fine show, orchestrated by my complete inability and lack of time to take on such a project, leading the the inevitable end result of me pissing away my future daughters college tuition on the professional resto mod . Should be fun!

The good news is... I have beer, Lots of beer.

Cheers!

 

[Gengis]

A rust free 85, you are soooo lucky..

If the desmog is half assed, then check the dizzy. They need a modification to the advance curve in case of a de smog so this may be why you have an altitude problem.

Search is you friend for more info.
Good luck, watching with interest.

 

[NMfjCruiser]

Welcome. Same mileage as mine.

 

[rrv333]

Lots of beer is always good. If you haven't already, get an FSM and dive into your to-do list. As Gengis stated, "search" is your friend.

 

[sd60]

you had me at "13. a sweet Taylor Swift CD that won't eject so we'll keep rocking it for the time being."

welcome - love the rig. fatherly tip: babies love to play in the cargo area while you work on the cruiser (or "cwooser" as my little ones call it).

 

[rhah]

you had me at "13. a sweet Taylor Swift CD that won't eject so we'll keep rocking it for the time being."

welcome - love the rig. fatherly tip: babies love to play in the cargo area while you work on the cruiser (or "cwooser" as my little ones call it).

I thought it was our built in play pen for our chitlens so we can turn wrenches. This isn't One of the many excellent feautures our rigs have

 

[Chad717]

I thought it was our built in play pen for our chitlens so we can turn wrenches. This isn't One of the many excellent feautures our rigs have

 

[LostInNevada]

Haven't had working oilpressure yet. Hoping for a milestone today. can someone confirm that this is correct so I don't fry the gauge. Cheers

 

[kbfj621989]

Yup. Connector goes on the center button. My gauge wouldn't register a while back. check the sender and then the gauge. I built a test light per the fsm. Others may have additional tips.

 

[kbfj621989]

Oil Pressure Reciever and Sender Gauge - FSM test bulb

 

[SteveH]

The 'can' of the OP sender should be grounded - in case you see another wire under there that is flopping around. That's why there is a male spade terminal on the sender body. Not critical, but if the wiring is there, use it.

 

[LostInNevada]

Thanks

 

[LostInNevada]

Alright, I'm stuck and need some help getting on track. After I bought this rig is ran fine at low elevation but died at my house.

Since then its runs well for a time but I've always hat trouble getting it to idle near the sever hundred mark. I'll just start from my current position with questions.

Currently
Fj60 with 2f
1. Smog components removed (partial PO, partial me) and idler replaced with man a fre
2. Rushing style recurve on the dizzy done by a mechanic neighbor. he's a good dude but not available much so i don't want to bug him
3. Had some compression confusion earlier but have 100psi + in all cylinders (125 in all but 5 but am counting on some unidentified vacuum leak )
4. Desmog style - Ive run vacuum lines in two versions and can't get idle right (mjweb60 "keeping HAC" and the "how To Desmog" Document )
5. Carb. I have two OEM carbs available . originals secondary was frozen and has been freed, second was recently purchased used. both seem to currently have all linkage and moving parts functioning .
6. My Dizzy vac advance does not seem to work (pull vac on the advances and the rotor doesn't move)
7. I Know I've got oil pressure so thats a plus
8. Recent fuel filter change , That old bit was full of rust. Plan on changing the tank but want to get it running first
9. Man a fre Plugs in the Air Rail ports and Block off plate in place with gasket
10. At faster than Idle speeds the engine runs with no hiccups can't hear a vacuum leak

Before I go any further, the reason I purchased this vehicle specifically to learn to work on vehicles and would most rather do the work myself. I'd like to do the work myself but as they say, winter is coming, and a baby and I'll need to start splitting wood soon. After that I'm poked for a bit. I am armed with 3 days, and FSM, A Chilton and ok tool Cache. and a 60 minute round trip to a variety of auto parts stores.

I'd like to start over with the whole desmog process and am totally lost.

So...
1. How would you start and go about the process of figuring this out my problems? Please reference posts and or FSM pages as needed.

2. Presuming you can't vouch for your carb at idle (because i jacked with it so much) can I you still set the base timing ? how? Carb has fuel, linkage all turns and moves

3. FSM says start at 2 turns for the idle mixture screw and, the best I can tell says Play with the Idle Speed screw, where should I start just to get base timing going?

4. I know there is a Intake manifold crack problem , Looked under the carb, and sprayed carb cleaned across the area no change in function occurred. anywhere else I can look or other method to use?

5. The only loose hose or connection I can detect is the Valve cover to Air Cleaner connection, Does this matter?

6. I am at about 8000ft and have a function HAC if that matters.

In general, the function of this engine seems like it should be pretty simple. I'd like to be able to figure it out on my own (with your help) and don't feel I'm say enough to quite put it together on my own. I think starting with a good idle would help me figure the rest out.

As mentioned before I've got three solid days to figure this out. If Im still at a loss I'll be limping it to a mechanic.

I would appreciate any help I can get on getting through this process. I am happy to owe you beer or what not and will always pay that debt.


Help Me.

Cheers, Luke

 

[LostInNevada]

So, Things have been going well with Dulcy (Considering the newborn). I've just rebuilt the carb though an have a question.

Once I strap this thing on , I think I'll have better luck tuning and discovering vacuum leaks if I rotate my air cleaner about 60 degrees counter clockwise to give me access to all the mixture and speed screws without as much cussing or burning my hand.

If I do this, I can extend all the vacuum hoses to make it work . The only thing I can't account for is the Valve cover ventilation. Can I leave this open on both or either ends? Or do I need to cap or otherwise rig something up to make sure I have a proper tune?

Thanks all for your help,

Cheers

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Air cleaner cover stays in place. Use a glove on the right hand (mine has the first two finger tips cut off) and a small pen flashlight for the left. Get yourself a drill bit extension w/ a flathead end and add a 1/2” of silicone hose or cap on its end so it’s tacky to the finger tips, stretch of tape helps too. (Pix taken as I was doing my driver regulator yesterday. What a pita chore!)
Then your all set.
For complete carb tuning that cover really needs to be on. Preset the IM out 2-3 turns. Mark one corner of the head (view it in quarters) w/ sharpie so it stands out visually and makes it easier to count turns.