Builds F-Bomb Buildup (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 22, 2007
Threads
17
Messages
306
Location
The Land of Enchantment
So I have been a member for a while but I think this is my first post. I had a '81 FJ60 about 10 years ago and had to sell it when I purchased a new business and moved. Since then I have wanted to get another Land Cruiser. Every time my 15 year old sees one he tells me, "I bet that guys got skills with the ladies."

Well finally I am in a position where I could get another one. My brother and I have built a couple trucks over the past couple years and we thought it would be fun to get a Cruiser. Below are some of our past projects.

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This is a 1963 Chevy C10 we built. It had the original 283 with 3 on the tree. We just did some cosmetic stuff and added power steering. It was a ton of fun to build. Crazy all the thumbs up we got all over town. Eventually some dude offered us enough money we sold it.

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This was a 1971 Ford F100. Crown Vic front end. MK8 IRS with disks in the back. It had a stroked 390. This truck was a ton of fun to build and drive. We took it all the way down to the frame and completely re-did everything. We eventually sold it to a guy in WI. I miss the truck. It was really loud and scary fast. It also handled great with the independent suspension all the way around.

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So here is the new truck we found the other day. I am excited to get to work. I have a ton of detail pics. Let me know what you all think! We plan on taking the cab off and totally going through everything. Probably more of a resto mod type build. My brother is a great fabricator and I look great standing next to the truck with a Coke. I will put more detail pics up as we go.
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More detail pics. It has normal rust on the rear sill and quarters. The rockers on both sides have a small patch on them. The floors appear to be just surface rust. The drivers fender has a tear and another small dent. The passenger fender has a little dent. There is a whiskey dent on the drivers quarter panel. The rear lift hatch is muffed up too. I think we'll try to pull it out and see what happens. It doesn't appear to have any rust on it. Excited to tear into it.
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:cheers:

steering wheel even has all the horn parts, except for the button - for that, contact "Anvil" here on MUD
 
Progress! So we would like to stick with the stock drivetrain. We need to determine the basic health of the engine. Below are the results of the compression test. The first number is dry the second wet. I have no idea when the last time was this thing ran.
Cylinder 1 - 30, 180
Cylinder 2 - 15, 125
Cylinder 3 - 15, 150
Cylinder 4 - 30, 150
Cylinder 5 - 35, 175
Cylinder 6 - 35, 180

How do these number sound? Is there more I should do to determine the general health of the motor? Below is also a picture of the spark plugs. No idea how many miles they have on them. It would be great to know we have a solid foundation and can move on to other areas of the build. Here are some pics of the engine compartment. It had a GM carb on it and there was another one like it in a box in the truck itself. I would also like to know about the brake master cylinder/booster setup. Is this they type of thing I can add disk brakes to or do I need to upgrade them? Do you think the foil is an ok solution instead of a cap?;) I am planning on installing either a Holley Sniper or FiTech 2 barrel TBI with the Downey adapter. The truck was missing the radiator so I need some advice on that. On parts that need to be replaced I would prefer to upgrade if its a real upgrade. I look forward to the input.

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Difference between dry and wet comp numbers seems a bit out of kilter. Were these from the motor running or just spinning from starter? Dry numbers would concern me. Maybe Jim C. (@FJ40Jim) can chime in.
 
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Those plugs look normal for a New Mexico rig without an oxygen sensor. Those dry numbers suggest that the motor is bad. The only thing conflicting those readings is that the plugs look good for an untuned carb a mile above sea level, aside from #6. I would start by trusting the plugs.

Drain the gas tank by hose going to the fuel filter, or the plug under the passenger seat, add a little 86 octane to the tank. Crank the motor with the valve cover off to see if the valve train is getting oil, then replace the valve cover. Get a radiator, and hoses. Test your thermostat to see that it opens in near boiling water. Install a new fuel filter. Try to get it to idle.
 
So the disassembly continues! Here are some more pictures of what the truck looks like when I started to take it apart. There really doesn't seem to be much rust. There is a little bit of paint shine in some places too. Take a look under the hard top where there was weatherstripping.
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My red head loves the Cruiser. My boys think the truck looks like its from the movie Hitari. A John Wayne classic!
 
I need some help! Here is a picture of the "Dash Pad Bracket?" I can't really find anywhere what this particular panel is called but mine is roached. Any ideas where I can get a replacement? I found a write up of a guy installing a dash box and that is what he called it. Looks like it would be easy to replace but I don't know where I can get a replacement from. Also take a look at some of these close ups from the door jam and side of the dash. Is that a paint run? Also do all the welds on everyone's dash look like this? It almost looks like someone has replaced the dash? Just doesn't look factory. Everything looks stock on this truck but the run and messy welds look out of character. Am I wrong? There is also a green color under the hood hinge you can see in the picture. Everywhere on this truck is evidence it was originally white. Did they paint these things with the hinges on? Is that primer underneath or was the truck potentially green?
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I’ve never seen anyone mention a source for a repro dashpad support. You could post a wanted ad in classifieds, perhaps someone is parting a rig with one. Can you leave it in place, clean up the rust and tack new steel where it’s blown out? If it has enough strength you could just stop the rust and leave it as is. Other option would be use a spot weld cutter, remove it, repair it, then tack it back on. That thin metal wasn’t easy to tack back to the dash, at least for me it wasn’t. I’d vote you leave it there if possible.


Here’s one related thread
Upper dashpad support shelf angles
 
Engine numbers look odd. Personally, I'd prime the oiling system and run it, then do a fresh comp test once it's at OT. It's an F, it's too stupid to die.
 
Engine numbers look odd. Personally, I'd prime the oiling system and run it, then do a fresh comp test once it's at OT. It's an F, it's too stupid to die.

This is a fact! I had a 2F with a cracked block and tons of blowby and it still put out good oil pressure and ran okay. Got rid of it when I couldn’t keep the air cleaner clean due to the blowby. Even tried a catch can and it still got dirty.
 
An engine with better compression?
 
Funny how dragging around a trailer behind you tends to get “stuff” to follow you home. I’ve unhooked my trailers. Especially the horse trailer. :D
 

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