Timbo FJ45
Supporting Vendor
A little 30w only adds character.
FINALLY - '67 FJ45 LPB Resoration Begins
- Thread starter Kotekaman
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
A little 30w only adds character.
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #162
Thanks for the feedback and comments everyone.
We're going to chase down the fan clutch and see if that's the issue. Makes the most sense at this point (seems to be related to engine RPM/airflow velocity).
No complaints at all about the rig. The reality is that I pushed it pretty hard over the weekend to see if there are any weak points, and considering the complexity of the build, a fan clutch is pretty minor in the overall scope of things. I'm very, very happy with the results, she'll be a reliable ride for a long time.
I'll keep everyone posted on if the problem is solved with the fan clutch.
We're going to chase down the fan clutch and see if that's the issue. Makes the most sense at this point (seems to be related to engine RPM/airflow velocity).
No complaints at all about the rig. The reality is that I pushed it pretty hard over the weekend to see if there are any weak points, and considering the complexity of the build, a fan clutch is pretty minor in the overall scope of things. I'm very, very happy with the results, she'll be a reliable ride for a long time.
I'll keep everyone posted on if the problem is solved with the fan clutch.
One complaint: Tell the guy, leaning on the brush guard, to stay out of the picture. He's messing up a good shot of the cruiser! 
One complaint: Tell the guy, leaning on the brush guard, to stay out of the picture. He's messing up a good shot of the cruiser!
Scruffy dude!!
You can't have beauty without the beast
I hope your not refering to yourself as the beauty. ;p Because your truck is a beast.
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #167
Even my wife has not ever mistaken me for being a beauty.
Got a new fan clutch installed, as well as some modifications made to the fan shroud to reduce fan cavitation. Seems to have solved things, but will just have to take it up to the mountains to make sure.
Taller heels and more blush should help that.
Awesome LC, sir.
Have followed since winter, green with envy.
Had dreams of a finished product of the same caliber and similar style, thought solidified when a Mudbuddy headed that way, to be dashed by the recent dissolution.
Thanks for sharing the porn.
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #169
I'm not sure if the bead can be balanced out with blush, but I'll sure give the taller heels a go.
I'm definitely happy to share the build, It's kind of nice to see what can happen to a cruiser in the hands of artists.
It is a huge bummer that everything has come to an end, especially seeing what these guys are capable of. I do, however, have a hard time believing they will stay down for long. Just too much demand out there for the services they can provide.
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #170
Update
So over the past few weeks, the 45 has been getting a lot of good workouts, as far as I am concerned, we're still in the shakedown (or "sea trials" for all you navy guys) mode. Building a 45 from scratch involves a lot of parts and pieces, the complexity of the build makes it necessary to do a bit of testing and tweaking until everything is settled in and working as intended.
There have been a few adjustments to the chassis and suspension, nothing major.
A few wires have loosened up and required additional support/grommets etc...(so proud of the
, she was driving it earlier in the week, and noticed that the engine power dropped from what she was used to, and gave some feedback. Turns out the #6 spark plug wire had come loose. Got to have your eyes and ears open when driving one of these old beauties)
Big thing continues to be the rejection of heat from the 3FE. As stated earlier in the thread, the head was shaved down a bit in order to increase compression and therefore power. Kind of hard to anticipate how that would affect how much heat was generated by combustion, but now that we have a few miles on her, it is clear that it generates a lot more heat than a stock setup. The issue with this, is that the radiator can keep up with rejecting heat, as long as there is good airflow going through it (either going at 15+mph or 2500+rpm for the mechanical fan). The new fan clutch helped a lot, but as we all know, the F engines are built for low rpm torque, and the cruiser is built for low speed, so she still gets into trouble in situations where speed and rpm are low (driving off road). Current thinking is to eliminate one of the variables to airflow through the radiator, and that would be removing the tie to engine rpm and airflow. Best way to do this is with an electric fan, it only cares what the water temp is, once it reaches the limit, then the fan runs full speed, no matter what the engine rpms are. I know there are a lot of pros and cons to electric fans, the main challenge on this particular build is finding one with the appropriate flow rate (2,500+ cfm) that will still fit between the motor and radiator, as well as between the light buckets. Will keep you posted on how this is fixed.
I also put some exhaust wrap on the exhaust downstream of the headers. I wasn't expecting much, and it didn't help much. It did help a little, however, and every little bit helps. It also quieted things down a bit. Before things warm up enough for the fan to kick in, all I can hear now is the metal timing gear growling.
I am still very much enjoying the 45, and am absolutely amazed at how nice the build is, as well as how functional the ride she gives is. The shakedown is just that, and soon she'll have all of the gremlins worked out...
So over the past few weeks, the 45 has been getting a lot of good workouts, as far as I am concerned, we're still in the shakedown (or "sea trials" for all you navy guys) mode. Building a 45 from scratch involves a lot of parts and pieces, the complexity of the build makes it necessary to do a bit of testing and tweaking until everything is settled in and working as intended.
There have been a few adjustments to the chassis and suspension, nothing major.
A few wires have loosened up and required additional support/grommets etc...(so proud of the
, she was driving it earlier in the week, and noticed that the engine power dropped from what she was used to, and gave some feedback. Turns out the #6 spark plug wire had come loose. Got to have your eyes and ears open when driving one of these old beauties)Big thing continues to be the rejection of heat from the 3FE. As stated earlier in the thread, the head was shaved down a bit in order to increase compression and therefore power. Kind of hard to anticipate how that would affect how much heat was generated by combustion, but now that we have a few miles on her, it is clear that it generates a lot more heat than a stock setup. The issue with this, is that the radiator can keep up with rejecting heat, as long as there is good airflow going through it (either going at 15+mph or 2500+rpm for the mechanical fan). The new fan clutch helped a lot, but as we all know, the F engines are built for low rpm torque, and the cruiser is built for low speed, so she still gets into trouble in situations where speed and rpm are low (driving off road). Current thinking is to eliminate one of the variables to airflow through the radiator, and that would be removing the tie to engine rpm and airflow. Best way to do this is with an electric fan, it only cares what the water temp is, once it reaches the limit, then the fan runs full speed, no matter what the engine rpms are. I know there are a lot of pros and cons to electric fans, the main challenge on this particular build is finding one with the appropriate flow rate (2,500+ cfm) that will still fit between the motor and radiator, as well as between the light buckets. Will keep you posted on how this is fixed.
I also put some exhaust wrap on the exhaust downstream of the headers. I wasn't expecting much, and it didn't help much. It did help a little, however, and every little bit helps. It also quieted things down a bit. Before things warm up enough for the fan to kick in, all I can hear now is the metal timing gear growling.
I am still very much enjoying the 45, and am absolutely amazed at how nice the build is, as well as how functional the ride she gives is. The shakedown is just that, and soon she'll have all of the gremlins worked out...
May be way off base here, but...
Have you considered changing the fluid viscosity?
Know heats the enemy of the 1FZ and when swapping to a newer fan clutch with a differing fluid viscosity, my engine temps did lessen when wheeling.
Have you considered changing the fluid viscosity?
Know heats the enemy of the 1FZ and when swapping to a newer fan clutch with a differing fluid viscosity, my engine temps did lessen when wheeling.
Nice , i realy like how it turn out !!!
How do you like teh Big Horn so far ???
Nice thread like the Bf Goodrich had .
How do you like teh Big Horn so far ???
Nice thread like the Bf Goodrich had .
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #174
Thanks!
So far the Big Horns have worked well, however I haven't wheeled them too hard yet. They are a little rough on paved road (not anything unexpected), but have handled well off road. I have taken them on loose, rocky trails as well as hard pack with good performance. Now to see how they do on snow!
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #175
'Nother Update
Ok, so the '45 has been back at the shop getting a few things tweaked. The main item worked on was the cooling, as previously discussed, the radiator/fan combination were struggling to keep the heat down at low revs/low speed.
A few different electric fans were tried, however they did not solve the problem, the main constraint being the available space between the headlights. Without doing a lot of modifications, a dual fan setup was not possible, so only single fans could be used, and they just didn't move enough air. The mechanical fan system was put back on, and some serious tweaks were done to the fan shroud in order to force every bit of air the fan pulled to be pulled through the radiator. That pretty much seemed to fix the overheating issue. Now the temps stay at 195 (thermostat setting) when on the highway at speed, and around 200 when going slow/low rpms. When idling, the temps stabilize at 210 and don't climb any higher, and go back to 195 when the rpms are raised 2-300 rpm.
With the scorching hot weather here, I'm sure she'll continue to be tested pretty intensely. After a few weeks away, I'm looking forward to getting her back on the trails!
Ok, so the '45 has been back at the shop getting a few things tweaked. The main item worked on was the cooling, as previously discussed, the radiator/fan combination were struggling to keep the heat down at low revs/low speed.
A few different electric fans were tried, however they did not solve the problem, the main constraint being the available space between the headlights. Without doing a lot of modifications, a dual fan setup was not possible, so only single fans could be used, and they just didn't move enough air. The mechanical fan system was put back on, and some serious tweaks were done to the fan shroud in order to force every bit of air the fan pulled to be pulled through the radiator. That pretty much seemed to fix the overheating issue. Now the temps stay at 195 (thermostat setting) when on the highway at speed, and around 200 when going slow/low rpms. When idling, the temps stabilize at 210 and don't climb any higher, and go back to 195 when the rpms are raised 2-300 rpm.
With the scorching hot weather here, I'm sure she'll continue to be tested pretty intensely. After a few weeks away, I'm looking forward to getting her back on the trails!
I can't remember if it's got AC, if so, how's it cooling with your radiator problems.
Hope it gets worked out for you.
Hope it gets worked out for you.
Kotekaman
Keeping it in low range
- Thread starter
- #178
Yes, it does have air conditioning (Vintage AC). When running on pavement, the AC doesn't have much effect on the engine cooling, the temps stay pretty normal. I haven't actually tried running the AC on the trail, don't know what it would do, but I imagine it would make it run a bit warmer. The AC doesn't really cool the cab down, as there is a lot of heat coming in through the firewall and floor boards, but it works decent at 'spot cooling' whatever the vents are pointed at.
Have been driving the rig for a week now, looks like the overheating problems are fixed!
One more question and that's it, I swear 
What's the material you picked for the seats and do you like it?
OK, two more.
I'm glad you got all the kinks worked out.
What's the material you picked for the seats and do you like it?
OK, two more.
I'm glad you got all the kinks worked out.
