Build Family haulin'

[jvazquez53]

Wow, what a long week. In fact it's been a couple of long weeks. Quick summary: IT RUNS!! but........ she's not moving all that well meaning probable tranny rebuild sooner than later.

There are many ways to do this and and probably better but this is what I came up with for the lower radiator hose. I had to adapt the 2 1/2" to a 1 1/2" with a funny angle. I couldn't find any copper elbows big enough but I did find a plumbing elbow that had close to a 2 1/2" o.d. It is actually list as 1 1/2" i.d. Then I just got some 2 1/2" radiator hose from Napa.

I took in a half of my 4bt upper hose to Napa and had them find something that had a similar bend. They had something so I used that new piece as the second half of the upper hose and used this older piece to connect to the FJ60 lower. I picked up an exhaust reducer from 2 1/4" to 1 1/2". This is the lower section of the frankenstein hose.

This is how it goes together.

After I invested in some hose clamp stock I picked up some better clamps and put it on. The engine side clamp is not small enough so I'll need to get a smaller one and eliminate the second clamp from the top. Hey, sometimes more clamps are better . It makes me laugh looking at it but it works.

Friday was a very good day. Kevcj came over and put in 9 hours with me and we got a ton of little stuff done. Little stuff like circle clips, front hubs, rear lug nuts, filler neck tube to the gas tank, finished routing lines to the heat exchanger, making a mount for the heat exhanger, wiring, hooking up power, oh yeah we even got the engine RUNNING!

The tranny cooler/heat exchanger came with a mount base. We heated it up and bent some parts and now it's on the firewall.

Video was requested, here you go.

diesel first start.mov videos from rides videos on webshots

I'll admit this wasn't the very first start. We had to troubleshoot a few things before it would actually start. This is what we did: We hooked up the battery and found a switched 12v source from one of the connectors on the driver side that wasn't being used. We wanted it hot once the key was in the ignition spot. I got new fuel, took off the fuel filters and filled them up. Then we put the rest of the fuel in the tank. We primed it using the primmer on the lift pump. The arm went limp. Then we tried to start it. The starter turned over very slow. After some additional batteries and a couple of jumper cables we found that the ground was not efficient. I had put it where the last one was and that was on the fender. I scratched off the paint but the ground was inefficent. Once we went to the frame with the ground it spun the starter much faster and I now get the instant start that I got in the stepvan. We used the big, thick cables that came from the stepvan and had plenty of room to re-route the ground. I ground the engine and the battery to the passenger side diagonal brace that already had two bolt holes in it from removing that front undercover (I think this is FJ60 specific), anyways the threaded holes were already there. The engine started up and stumbled for about 20 seconds and then it settled into a rock solid idle. I didn't have to bleed the injector lines. The fun came when I tried to turn it off and it kept running when I took the key out of the ignition. There is a manual shut off on the injector pump and I used that to stop the engine. After talking it out we must have used some wire that continued to get power after the key was out. I knew the coil wire was good but it was on the other side of the engine bay. I decided to tag off of that wire to try it out but Kevcj, who already stayed later then he planned, could go home and leave me dumbfounded that things actually worked. I hooked up that wire and the engine started and stopped with the turn of the key like it should so I'll just clean up the routing of that coil wire. If you are doing a swap, label your wires, I did and it was easy to find them 7 months later when I needed them again. Also before I started the engine I put in any necessary fluids like power steering, engine oil, coolant, and ATF since I'm running an auto.

With the engine running I could see a few leaks I needed to fix. The biggest one was the block heater. The next day I took it out and found a tighter fitting o-ring at the hardware store. It wasn't as easy to get to since everything was on the engine now but with the air filter off it was accessable. HINT: When I put it back on I tightened it as far as I could get with a little allen head wrench but it didn't feel tight enough so I got some socket extentions and tapped it with a hammer. I tighten it some more. I did this a couple of times until the block heater looked almost flush with the block. Now it doesn't leak.

In order to take it around the block I needed to get the front wheels on so I did an alignment. This is how I measure for 1/8th toe-in. I found some straight angle, clamped them on, measure out equal distance on the front and back and compared. Pretty simple.

I went to my friend's shop and he helped me shorten the rear driveshaft. Finished up other stuff and went for a drive. I forgot to put the doubler and TC in gear but figured that out. Then it still wouldn't move. I increased the rpms and it finally started to move.

Vids:

leaving
first time leaving.mov videos from rides videos on webshots

coming back
first time coming back.mov videos from rides videos on webshots

Got the hood on (yes I re-routed the air cleaner, this one's just temporary until the other one comes in), hooked up the dash and tested the lights. Only one bulb worked on the dash so I turned the others around in the sockets and now the others worked. LEDS are polarity specific so it matters which way they go in. You'll only know if you get it right when they do or don't come on. I really like how the lighting turned out and they do dim if needed. I then took it on the freeway to go the a cruiser christmas party.

I got on the freeway and couldn't get overdrive. I thought earlier that I wasn't getting third gear but it was actually overdrive. So this is what I'd get: 1st good, 2nd good, nothing in the 3rd spot, 3rd in the 4th spot, and no overdrive. I was going maybe 55 mph on the freeway (had my wife chasing behind me and we used little radios to communicate). It felt like 3rd is slipping (1:1 ratio). I got off at the next exit (2 miles) and turned around to go home. It was a good first test but with unfortunate results. I have the trans manual and will look it over to see if it's something simple but I'm leaning towards a rebuild. Since I don't have a dipstick low fluid is a possibility. I think I had 10-11 quarts in it. I added 3 more for a total of 14 quarts and took it out yesterday but it was doing the same thing. I should be getting my dipstick today so I'll have to see how it reads once I get it installed. Bummer, looks like we won't be taking it to California after all for the christmas visit. I didn't have a muffler on it when I was on the freeway and it was loud. I hooked the stepvan one up yesterday before the tranny test and it helped. I was worried because I haven't hooked up shocks yet but it wasn't that bad without them and I took it easy and left myself room to stop.

Here are some pics of the engine with the hood on. I have a clearance issue with the overflow tank and will need to cut of the mount and weld it on a little lower.

This is so well done and interesting that inspired me to follow your steps!

 

[boots4]

So I just bought an FJ62...

​

...If I can find a step van, and drop them both off at your house - how much and how long for you to do my diesel conversion?!?!?!

Let's see, the second one usually goes faster and considering all of the things I did besides the engine swap the first one took me about 10-11 months to get it on the ground and the next 6+ to continue tuning. I bet I could get a swap and SOA with pre-bought parts done in 3 weekends... Seriously, I'm still working out stuff and expect to continue that for awhile. It's just the nature of the game and (sometimes I have to remind myself) part of the fun. It can get stressful but there should always be some fun in it. I've been taking a little breather from wrenching lately getting ready for winter which mostly means a wood supply for heat.

As far as price, the would probably make it expensive since she fills in as my therapist, cook, babysitter, house cleaner, occasional cruiser project assistant, and my friend. That can't be cheap.

What are your plans/intended use for your rig? Great color BTW!

 

[boots4]

Thanks Jose, looks like you've got plenty to do with all your vehicles in your sig line! I bet you keep busy.

 

[Scottb]

This a great build, if you ever want to sell it PM me.
This build has alot of great ideas also, keep up the good wood.

 

[chicago]

I googled "Colorado off road express, Jerry Nichols" and this thread popped up. I spent a better part of the day reading this damn thing, and going over and re reading certain parts of it!
I never come to the HC section all that often cuz....well....Im not all that hard core, but Im glad I found this!
Planning on a Vortec, 4L60E to NP203 to 19 spline and this thread helped clear up A LOT of the quesitons that I had regarding the mating of the tranny to the dual case set up!

Thanks and great job!

Just out of curosity, about how much was the 203 to the 19 spline adapter?

BITCHIN THREAD! BITCHIN WORK!

Chicago

 

[boots4]

I think the adapter was $525 or $550 and Jerry had it shipped out the next day.

Tips for what you might be interested in:

I've been looking over how I mounted the shifters and found the mount is really flexing when I yank on the levers so that will need some bracing. I'm trying to decided if I want to completely redo the mounting base or try and salvage what I have. The levers with zerks I'll definitely be keeping.

If I did another crossmember I'd go under the front tcase output instead of over it (easier to make) and mount it to the frame differently so it's easier to take out. Probably like how the stock one is mounted. It will help protect better and make a skid plate a little simpler.

 

[chicago]

I think the adapter was $525 or $550 and Jerry had it shipped out the next day.

Tips for what you might be interested in:

I've been looking over how I mounted the shifters and found the mount is really flexing when I yank on the levers so that will need some bracing. I'm trying to decided if I want to completely redo the mounting base or try and salvage what I have. The levers with zerks I'll definitely be keeping.

If I did another crossmember I'd go under the front tcase output instead of over it (easier to make) and mount it to the frame differently so it's easier to take out. Probably like how the stock one is mounted. It will help protect better and make a skid plate a little simpler.

What are the zerks from...
IIRC, you said that you were strolling through the hardware store...is there a more specific application for those that you have.
Im NO WHERE near a point that I can begin much of anything, but For the x member, I was considering building something similar to FC fab's x member.
Honestly, the two things that worrie me the most, are the wiring, and the shifter linkange fab...
Ive never done anything like this, so this project is gonna be the challenge of a life time for me.
Ill be amazed if my rig will ever run again after I get started!

Chicago

 

[boots4]

Ask for set collars. My store had them separate from the nuts and bolts. I choose a size, found a bolt they would fit snug on and found zerk fittings that fit the holes where the allen head screws were. The zerk threads weren't the same just the hole size was similar so I just cross-threaded them in. They're not holding any pressure so I didn't bother with drilling and tapping new threads.

I'm going to try bracing the base in the next day or two to see if that helps improve shift engagement. If not, I'll go back to the drawing board to make a new base to mount the shifters on. The challenge will be figuring out how to mount the base to the tranny.

This is my first complete project too and I've treated it like a bunch of little projects (a common approach I believe). It made it easier to manage.

 

[chicago]

Ask for set collars. Mine store had them separate from the nuts and bolts. I choose a size, found a bolt they would fit snug on and found zerk fittings that fit the holes where the allen head screws were. The zerk threads weren't the same just the hole size was similar so I just cross-threaded them in. They're not holding any pressure so I didn't bother with drilling and tapping new threads.

I'm going to try bracing the base in the next day or two to see if that helps improve shift engagement. If not, I'll go back to the drawing board to make a new base to mount the shifters on. The challenge will be figuring out how to mount the base to the tranny.

This is my first complete project too and I've treated it like a bunch of little projects (a common approach I believe). It made it easier to manage.

Thanks for the info man!
Again...props to you for the documentation and photos. This is an award winning thread!
Oh yeah...I did have one more question that I was thinking about...Why did you go with a 4L80 and take out the electronics, why not go with a NON computerized tranny like a 700R?
Just curious!

Chicago

 

[boots4]

I wanted to go with an auto and it had to be GM since that was the adapter that came on my engine and I didn't want to trade out for another setup. I was concerned about the strength of even a built 700r4 behind the 4bt. The torque pulses this engine makes is different than the GM diesel v8 some of the 700r4's came behind. Some are having fine results behind the 4bt but aren't pushing big #s or big tires. I wanted to have some scalability so I decided on the 4l80. I found out I could convert it to manual shift and for me I thought that was the best of both worlds. I can keep it in whatever gear I want like a manual and have the benefits of a t.converter for finessing obstacles. It makes backing up my trailer in our backyard up an incline on wet grass easier as well. The deeper first ratio didn't matter to me because I'm running a diesel and the way it pumps out torque much quicker than a gasser. So far I like it, but I can tell the t.converter isn't quite matched to this engine. I used a heavy duty diesel t.converter that came behind the GM v8 mated to a 4l80.

 

[boots4]

biweekly update

I didn't get last week posted so I'll just post it here. I didn't get much done anyways I just painted the back of the rear seat since it had some rust and painted part of the tailgate since I had the paint out.

This was the worst of the rust. I wire wheeled it to clean it up.

This is after two coats of rustbullet. By the time I'm done with this project the whole thing will probably be coated with this stuff!

I coated part of the tailgate. The center part will eventually be cut out for tailgate storage.

In my quest for more boost and leak finding I started reading more about turbo dynamics. What I did read re-enforced the idea that bigger is not better and that a matched setup is better. My power goals are 200hp, mid to upper 20s for boost, and mid 20s for fuel economy. Right now I putting out about 140hp, 18psi max, and 18mpg consistantly.

For the boost department I reconsidered my setup. I was getting some turbo lag and so I decided to try out my original setup that came on my 4bt. I was going to replace the 54mm inducer with the 44mm inducer. This meant tearing the turbo apart to replace both the turbine shaft and compressor wheel because they are balanced together even though it would have been easier to just swap out compressor wheels. I removed it from the engine and brought it to a workbench.

The Hi-temp silicone actually held up and sealed so well that the cover took a little persuasion to separate.

I took the 54mm compressor wheel off. Still nice and clean inside.

Getting ready to remove the main body from the exhast housing. It came out using the wedge trick with little effort.

Here is the rear oil seal I had to transfer over to the other turbine shaft. There was actually some wear on it but I reused it anyways.

Other side

I haven't had my wastegate actuator hooked up to line pressure so I decided to just remove it from the turbo. To keep the wastegate shut I tapped into my redneck and used a piece of the old emergency brake cable when I had rear drums. Didn't want to go to the store and wanted it to be reversible in case I want to play with an actuator later on. My thoughts are I probably won't with this turbo setup but who knows.

Here it is mounted back on the engine. WH1C with 44mm inducer, 3" intake housing, 12cm exhaust, wastegate deactivated.

But now I had to setup a 3" intake instead of the 4" I had for the other housing. I still have parts from the stepvan to play with.

I measured and cut a bunch of times and came up with this. The good thing is that I worked in my air filter meter that measures the vacuum pull in the intake tube. This will help tell me when I need to clean/replace the air filter.

Tapped back into my redneck and made a TEMPORARY 4"-3" reducer. I'll be ordering a real one today but wanted to get it back on the road to see the difference of the turbo.

It's all hooked up and tightened down. I now have room to change the oil filter again. I'll hold on to the 4" stuff in case I move up to a different turbo needing 4" intake.

Driving impressions:

The turbo spools faster improving drivability. It takes off from a stop light a little quicker and it responds to hills quicker as well. Doesn't sound any different.

Since the inducer is smaller (44mm) the turbo doesn't have to work as hard by making smaller slices of air. According to reading, the air quality is also suppose to be better. The 54mm did come off a 6bt that needed more air to fill more displacement. Remember that this is for an H1C holset so the turbine wheel was exactly the same. If you change that turbine wheel then a bigger inducer could be a better match but that would probably mean a different turbo.

I stared at the tcase shifters and am getting closer to redesigning the mounting base with something that will be more rigid.

I also think I've narrowed the boost leak down to the intercooler. That will mean either a fix or a replacement. I'll first look into fixing it and then research for a replacement.

For fuel economy I'm going to try some injector cleaner to see if they are dirty. I don't get smoke or hard starting issues that would be associated with worn out or leaky injectors so I'm thinking they are dirty. Now matter how I drive I get 18-19mpg pretty consistently. I suspect cleaning the injectors should also quiet the IP just a little since it won't have to work as hard.

 

[Tapage]

But the new 44mm inducer make any diference on boost along with no wastegate at this time .. ?

I'm with a no signal wastegate in my K26.8 from second week on Tencha ..

 

[boots4]

But the new 44mm inducer make any diference on boost along with no wastegate at this time .. ?

I'm with a no signal wastegate in my K26.8 from second week on Tencha ..

No, not on max boost. Still around 18psi for max. That will change once I get the leaks fixed; I had been taking a break from hunting for them until recently. Gauge still flutters.

I've been thinking about fueling and how the IP accounts for boost. Basically when the turbo starts boosting the pressure builds on the AFC diaphram in the injection pump moving it down causing more fueling to make up for more air due to boost. More exhaust is produced and in turn powers the turbo. The turbo is obviously boosting more than 18psi right now but is not max boosting since the signal the AFC diaphram is seeing is after my boost leaks so it's only fueling to the 18psi it's seeing. Just fixing my boost leaks will result in a performance increase because it'll get more fuel due to a higher boost signal; meaning it will push the AFC diaphram down further and let the fuel pin travel further. The other benefit to getting more boost is that with my current settings I could see a small reduction in ETGs. Just thinking out loud.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I always wondered how a mechanical IP accounted for the extra air provided by the turbo.......cool!

So your leak is at the intercooler? Are you going to test that by replacing it with a tube or hose to see if you retain more pressure?

 

[boots4]

That would be one way to single out the intercooler and I've been tempted to just try that out to see what boost I would see out of the turbo.

I've thought about taking it out and closing off the ends and using compressed air to build some pressure inside and then dip it under water (an aquarium would help) or putting soapy water on the it to see where I get bubbles or filling it with water and pressurizing to see where it leaks or taking it to a repair shop and have it tested. I've toyed with the idea of using jbweld or similar product to patch the holes but haven't called any repair shops to see what a real repair would cost. Wish my brazing friend still lived here because he could patch almost anything.

 

[Tapage]

I'm just curious .. when you by pass the intercooler to see if there are much more boost inmediately .. actually in Toyota Diesel pumps you can adjust the hole rail in the IP and get more diesel throught the hole powerband .. in theory ..

Actually my Tencha IP can't suply the necessity of fuel when I'm over 14 PSI .. but I'm not really worryed about that coz If I keep my foot on the floor at 3k rpm and 14PSI my engine temp start climbing ..

There is another cooling issue that I need to solve .. maybe with a bigger rad ..

 

[boots4]

...actually in Toyota Diesel pumps you can adjust the hole rail in the IP and get more diesel throught the hole powerband .. in theory ..

The Bosch VE IPs on these cummins have adjustability like your toyota pump. With easy light wrenching:

You can adjust the full power screw which would give more fuel all over. You can adjust the AFC diaphram which can fuel more aggressively depending on boost. You can adjust the star wheel which allows the IP to start fueling at lower boost pressure (reduces the spring preload on the AFC diaphram). And of course there is timing. That's in a nutshell and when adjusting one thing you affect another.
​

With our mechanical IPs we're doing the same thing as a "chip" in the modern truck except that we have to turn some screws instead of press some buttons.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

better finish before the baby comes.

Are you kidding? I'm going to need that project as an excuse to get out of the house and into the shop!

 

[brokenparts]

Are you kidding? I'm going to need that project as an excuse to get out of the house and into the shop!

you have so much to learn young jedi.

 

[Tapage]

With our mechanical IPs we're doing the same thing as a "chip" in the modern truck except that we have to turn some screws instead of press some buttons.

I believe your Bosh VE type IP have much more options to adjust it and much more simple than linear Toyotas .. but at the end we can reach the same goals ..

you have so much to learn young jedi.

Hey I got my pen and paper .. let me take a note, so start with those lessons ..