Azca
If there is a harder way - I will find it...
Well after 5 weeks, not all of it working on the engine, it is back in the rig and runs great. To say this did not go smooth is an understatement; a number of things went wrong, were missing or just plain would not work. Had everything fallen into place I would not have rebuilt the bottom end and been done much sooner than I was. I cannot tell you how many times I had to take things back apart again after it was together. Slow down, it is faster!
In many ways I wished I would have documented this better and with more information but time was not my friend for this project and I can't begin to tell you how much I lost and wasted due to missing parts, broken parts, doing things two, three and even four times and rushing to get it done. If you feel yourself rushing this STOP, step back and look at the big picture.
So final thoughts and observations to help those who begin to embark on this journey…
1. Go through Concretejungles excellent thread on rebuilding the engine and focus (unlike me) on the parts he documents that are MISSING from the gasket overhaul kit.
2. I found one gasket for the oil cooler assembly missing as well, the Toyota kit only had one in it. Apparently this is a problem you need to account for Toy Part No: 15785-66010
3. Crank Sensor thread for the unobtainable and missing o ring: crank sensor?
4. Get a laptop, take pictures, load them onto the laptop. Far easier than running into the house every 10-15 minutes to look at photos or look something up. You will pay for the laptop in time savings. Oh, did I say to take pictures? Too many is not enough, if you have less than 250 you are way short and not covering everything you will need. TRUST ME.
5. Get an electronic copy of the FSM, load it on the laptop and mark your pages.
6. Print the FSM. Well over 1300 pages, you will need two LARGE three ring binders.
7. DO NOT GET CHEAP ON THIS! I can’t stress this enough. Trying to pinch pennies on this for cheap parts or trying to make do is just stupid at this point. I have about $6k or so into the rebuild and when I try to save a dollar, literally, it costs hours of work. Just get with Onur, Dan or Murf for parts. They are huge assets that are essentially free, USE THEM!
8. Get a battery operated impact wrench and use it for disassembly.
9. Hide the battery operated impact wrench when you put the stuff back together. Yes it is faster, yes it is tempting, BUT DON’T USE IT. Ok, use it on 14mm or larger sockets only. These wrenches have a lot more torque than you think and you WILL snap something off. Guaranteed. Ask me how I know, and I know better and have used them for years.
10. Tighten the crank pulley nut from UNDER the truck. Your deep socket and torque wrench should just clear the steering stabilizer. You can now easily use your legs against the tires or frame to brace yourself. Trust me, MUCH easier.
11. TAKE YOUR TIME! If you rush this, you will make mistakes. If you don’t rush it, you will make mistakes too, they just won’t be as bad… Remember the old saying: There is never enough time to do it right but there is always enough time to do it again.
12. Do not install the compressor or lower radiator hoses until after the engine is in. You will fight them and still wind up taking them off anyway.
13. Take off the exhaust hanger from the engine and exhaust pipes, see above
14. Take off the y exhaust pipe and push it to the side, see above
15. Line up the torque converter and flex plate before you finish tightening the bolts from the transmission to the engine
16. Make sure your engine hoist works.
17. If you buy a new engine hoist because the engine hoist you are currently using stops working with the engine 3 feet in the air, don’t throw out the receipt.
18. If the new engine hoist you buy stops working, see the above.
19. Don’t fight it, get a ¾” breaker bar and socket set. They are cheap at harbor freight. Remember the old saying, never force anything, use a bigger hammer. It will save you busted knuckles and parts.
20. Get, borrow or steal a ¾” impact gun.
21. Make sure your air compressor is working well, it will break down when you need it most. Again, ask me how I know…
22. Two engine hoists, that work, make putting the engine and trans back together a breeze.
23. Buy two cases of brake cleaner
24. Buy a case of paper towels
25. Buy three bags of shop towels
26. You don’t have enough cardboard for the floors. Get more.
27. The guys are right about bagging and tagging everything you take off the engine, do it and use as many bags as you can. I used at least 100 and could have used more.
28. Take pictures of the parts in the bags and point to where they go on the engine. Saved me time.
29. I also segregated the parts in different boxes. It saved a ton of time in the end. I used one box for each side of the engine, for the top, for the intake, for the trans and for the engine compartment as well as the front of the engine. Also have one or two for the interior.
30. Take a ton of pictures, or did I say that already?
31. Make a list of all the parts you need, along with the part numbers, and put it on a spreadsheet. If you don’t you will miss parts and double order parts, ask me again how I know…
32. Don’t be cheap. Buy all your hoses, belts, gaskets from Onur, Dan, or Murf. Don’t shop around, see above.
33. Get a head lamp
34. Clean your work area and keep it clean! When you drop something, and can’t find it because of all the s..tuff in the way, you will understand.
35. When you buy stuff from Onur, Dan or Murf, check to see it is what you ordered check it off your spread sheet, AND PUT IT AWAY! Don’t play with it and don’t put parts in more than one location. You will spend HOURS looking for this stuff later if you don’t heed my advise…
36. Do not tear your engine out of the truck in Phoenix in monsoon season. That has to be the dumbest thing I have done in years, well except for using the electric impact wrench on assembly…
37. Get a metric tap set. Even when I was being careful (yes it happened at least once) I still snapped bolts, studs and had to clean out threads and in one case, drill and tap to a larger bolt. You are going to need it, save time and be prepared.
38. If you don’t have an account on ToyoDIY.com get one.
39. If you are using ARP studs, this thread has some good info for the Opel kit. ARP Head bolt question, real time - How Long?
40. Read the ARP instructions before starting.
41. Go through these great threads:
a. 1FZ-FE Rebuild full overhaul - picture heavy
b. Black Project 80 Engine Build Thread
c. TWIN HEADS, the new series from fox
42. Pulling the engine to do the head gasket was, and in my opinion, far easier than working with the engine in the truck. Especially if you have any physical limitations such as a bad back. You have better access to EVERYTHING and you don’t have to rig stuff up to get it apart or back together. Fixing all oil leaks are now a "breeze". In the end I had to have the deck milled on the block anyway due to pitting of the block, if I had tried this in the truck I would have had to pull it anyway. It is not necessary, but it is necessary if you know what I mean…
43. Buy torque wrenches, breaker bars, extensions and wobble extensions. Too many are not enough. They are cheap at HF, just do it.
44. Get a magnetic socket tray, at least one, two is better. HUGE time saver
45. Get a mechanics stool. Your but and back will thank you for this!
46. If you can get a small and short table with wheels to set tools and parts on.
47. Two tables in the garage to hold parts is big plus
48. Clean your parts AS YOU TAKE THEM OFF THE ENGINE. Not before assembly and do not throw them into the parts cleaner and think you will remember what they are and where they went. You wont. Besides once you start putting things together again it sure is nice to only work with clean parts!
49. You can clean the bejesus out of the engine bay without that big $%@#% in the way.
50. You will be amazed at how dirty your engine is, even if you thought it was clean.
51. Get three boxes of disposable gloves.
52. Get electrical tape, high temp tie wraps, heat shrink, wire loom, and heat insulating wrap before you start, you will need all of it.
I am missing a bunch of information but this along with the treads I shared above will be a huge help.
In this process I also need to give a bit shout out to Onur, Murf and Tools R Us for their help with the project, I can’t say enough about how much these guys know and their willingness to help and share information. My hats off to you guys, you are the greatest!
Also another shout out to Photoman, great guy, great product, EXCELLENT customer service. You can’t go wrong with him.
Finally I have one last big thank you to go out, to all of you on this forum. I am not exaggerating in saying that I could not have done this without you folks.
Now, before and after photos…
In many ways I wished I would have documented this better and with more information but time was not my friend for this project and I can't begin to tell you how much I lost and wasted due to missing parts, broken parts, doing things two, three and even four times and rushing to get it done. If you feel yourself rushing this STOP, step back and look at the big picture.
So final thoughts and observations to help those who begin to embark on this journey…
1. Go through Concretejungles excellent thread on rebuilding the engine and focus (unlike me) on the parts he documents that are MISSING from the gasket overhaul kit.
2. I found one gasket for the oil cooler assembly missing as well, the Toyota kit only had one in it. Apparently this is a problem you need to account for Toy Part No: 15785-66010
3. Crank Sensor thread for the unobtainable and missing o ring: crank sensor?
4. Get a laptop, take pictures, load them onto the laptop. Far easier than running into the house every 10-15 minutes to look at photos or look something up. You will pay for the laptop in time savings. Oh, did I say to take pictures? Too many is not enough, if you have less than 250 you are way short and not covering everything you will need. TRUST ME.
5. Get an electronic copy of the FSM, load it on the laptop and mark your pages.
6. Print the FSM. Well over 1300 pages, you will need two LARGE three ring binders.
7. DO NOT GET CHEAP ON THIS! I can’t stress this enough. Trying to pinch pennies on this for cheap parts or trying to make do is just stupid at this point. I have about $6k or so into the rebuild and when I try to save a dollar, literally, it costs hours of work. Just get with Onur, Dan or Murf for parts. They are huge assets that are essentially free, USE THEM!
8. Get a battery operated impact wrench and use it for disassembly.
9. Hide the battery operated impact wrench when you put the stuff back together. Yes it is faster, yes it is tempting, BUT DON’T USE IT. Ok, use it on 14mm or larger sockets only. These wrenches have a lot more torque than you think and you WILL snap something off. Guaranteed. Ask me how I know, and I know better and have used them for years.
10. Tighten the crank pulley nut from UNDER the truck. Your deep socket and torque wrench should just clear the steering stabilizer. You can now easily use your legs against the tires or frame to brace yourself. Trust me, MUCH easier.
11. TAKE YOUR TIME! If you rush this, you will make mistakes. If you don’t rush it, you will make mistakes too, they just won’t be as bad… Remember the old saying: There is never enough time to do it right but there is always enough time to do it again.
12. Do not install the compressor or lower radiator hoses until after the engine is in. You will fight them and still wind up taking them off anyway.
13. Take off the exhaust hanger from the engine and exhaust pipes, see above
14. Take off the y exhaust pipe and push it to the side, see above
15. Line up the torque converter and flex plate before you finish tightening the bolts from the transmission to the engine
16. Make sure your engine hoist works.
17. If you buy a new engine hoist because the engine hoist you are currently using stops working with the engine 3 feet in the air, don’t throw out the receipt.
18. If the new engine hoist you buy stops working, see the above.
19. Don’t fight it, get a ¾” breaker bar and socket set. They are cheap at harbor freight. Remember the old saying, never force anything, use a bigger hammer. It will save you busted knuckles and parts.
20. Get, borrow or steal a ¾” impact gun.
21. Make sure your air compressor is working well, it will break down when you need it most. Again, ask me how I know…
22. Two engine hoists, that work, make putting the engine and trans back together a breeze.
23. Buy two cases of brake cleaner
24. Buy a case of paper towels
25. Buy three bags of shop towels
26. You don’t have enough cardboard for the floors. Get more.
27. The guys are right about bagging and tagging everything you take off the engine, do it and use as many bags as you can. I used at least 100 and could have used more.
28. Take pictures of the parts in the bags and point to where they go on the engine. Saved me time.
29. I also segregated the parts in different boxes. It saved a ton of time in the end. I used one box for each side of the engine, for the top, for the intake, for the trans and for the engine compartment as well as the front of the engine. Also have one or two for the interior.
30. Take a ton of pictures, or did I say that already?
31. Make a list of all the parts you need, along with the part numbers, and put it on a spreadsheet. If you don’t you will miss parts and double order parts, ask me again how I know…
32. Don’t be cheap. Buy all your hoses, belts, gaskets from Onur, Dan, or Murf. Don’t shop around, see above.
33. Get a head lamp
34. Clean your work area and keep it clean! When you drop something, and can’t find it because of all the s..tuff in the way, you will understand.
35. When you buy stuff from Onur, Dan or Murf, check to see it is what you ordered check it off your spread sheet, AND PUT IT AWAY! Don’t play with it and don’t put parts in more than one location. You will spend HOURS looking for this stuff later if you don’t heed my advise…
36. Do not tear your engine out of the truck in Phoenix in monsoon season. That has to be the dumbest thing I have done in years, well except for using the electric impact wrench on assembly…
37. Get a metric tap set. Even when I was being careful (yes it happened at least once) I still snapped bolts, studs and had to clean out threads and in one case, drill and tap to a larger bolt. You are going to need it, save time and be prepared.
38. If you don’t have an account on ToyoDIY.com get one.
39. If you are using ARP studs, this thread has some good info for the Opel kit. ARP Head bolt question, real time - How Long?
40. Read the ARP instructions before starting.
41. Go through these great threads:
a. 1FZ-FE Rebuild full overhaul - picture heavy
b. Black Project 80 Engine Build Thread
c. TWIN HEADS, the new series from fox
42. Pulling the engine to do the head gasket was, and in my opinion, far easier than working with the engine in the truck. Especially if you have any physical limitations such as a bad back. You have better access to EVERYTHING and you don’t have to rig stuff up to get it apart or back together. Fixing all oil leaks are now a "breeze". In the end I had to have the deck milled on the block anyway due to pitting of the block, if I had tried this in the truck I would have had to pull it anyway. It is not necessary, but it is necessary if you know what I mean…
43. Buy torque wrenches, breaker bars, extensions and wobble extensions. Too many are not enough. They are cheap at HF, just do it.
44. Get a magnetic socket tray, at least one, two is better. HUGE time saver
45. Get a mechanics stool. Your but and back will thank you for this!
46. If you can get a small and short table with wheels to set tools and parts on.
47. Two tables in the garage to hold parts is big plus
48. Clean your parts AS YOU TAKE THEM OFF THE ENGINE. Not before assembly and do not throw them into the parts cleaner and think you will remember what they are and where they went. You wont. Besides once you start putting things together again it sure is nice to only work with clean parts!
49. You can clean the bejesus out of the engine bay without that big $%@#% in the way.
50. You will be amazed at how dirty your engine is, even if you thought it was clean.
51. Get three boxes of disposable gloves.
52. Get electrical tape, high temp tie wraps, heat shrink, wire loom, and heat insulating wrap before you start, you will need all of it.
I am missing a bunch of information but this along with the treads I shared above will be a huge help.
In this process I also need to give a bit shout out to Onur, Murf and Tools R Us for their help with the project, I can’t say enough about how much these guys know and their willingness to help and share information. My hats off to you guys, you are the greatest!
Also another shout out to Photoman, great guy, great product, EXCELLENT customer service. You can’t go wrong with him.
Finally I have one last big thank you to go out, to all of you on this forum. I am not exaggerating in saying that I could not have done this without you folks.
Now, before and after photos…