First FJ40 build in a long time (1 Viewer)

[adistler1]

Okay guys.. I need some help. I'm a bit preoccupied with my '32 project right now and trying to get the Hemi on the dyno in the next week but my FJ40 project has a hangup. I'm in the middle of repairing the main harness but the chassis harness is a disaster. Butchered for trailer lights and burnt places and the steenkeen' tail light plugs don't fit the tail lights. Please, anybody. I need a chassis harness and I'd like to keep the original plugs in place. HELP!!

If you want to rewire the whole thing I'd be glad to come and help!

 

[Rainman]

Aaron, are you an electric wizard? If so and I can get some parts or whatever from Coolerman, I'll take you up on it. I've about got the main cowl harness repaired and ready. It just needed sections of wire replaced that was cracked or melted. A few more hours should do it. It's the chassis harness I need to replace.

 

[Rainman]

FENDERS! We have FENDERS... I'll post pictures when I can get decent pictures of them. They're going to look great with that awesome tub. Can barely wait.

Meanwhile... I've drawn up a spacer for the heat riser replacement. Not all the dimensions are in yet but you get the drift. I plan to remove the butterfly arrangement and use this with the two new gaskets so I can install the manifolds and carb. Anybody need one? If so let me know and I'll make extras.

 

[Vae Victus]

FENDERS! We have FENDERS... I'll post pictures when I can get decent pictures of them. They're going to look great with that awesome tub. Can barely wait.

Meanwhile... I've drawn up a spacer for the heat riser replacement. Not all the dimensions are in yet but you get the drift. I plan to remove the butterfly arrangement and use this with the two new gaskets so I can install the manifolds and carb. Anybody need one? If so let me know and I'll make extras.

Rainmaker,
You are making it rain with that spacer diagram brother! I forgot you were the king of all things drawn mechanically. You may want to explain again to MUDland why you are taking that out - there may be others who will jump on if they like the logic.

Congrats on the fenders! Can wait to see them married to the tub.

 

[adistler1]

Aaron, are you an electric wizard? If so and I can get some parts or whatever from Coolerman, I'll take you up on it. I've about got the main cowl harness repaired and ready. It just needed sections of wire replaced that was cracked or melted. A few more hours should do it. It's the chassis harness I need to replace.

Certainly not an electrical wizard, but I've been reading up on fixing harnesses because of the nightmare that is my truck and if you lay it out on a big sheet of 4x8 plywood and go off of the FSM and do each wire one by one, making sure you run the correct colors, un-taping, cutting, splicing, crimping, etc. I definitely know how to cut, crimp, splice, solder, heat shrink... It's hooking it all back up in working order where I'm clueless.

 

[John Smith]

FENDERS! We have FENDERS... I'll post pictures when I can get decent pictures of them. They're going to look great with that awesome tub. Can barely wait.

Meanwhile... I've drawn up a spacer for the heat riser replacement. Not all the dimensions are in yet but you get the drift. I plan to remove the butterfly arrangement and use this with the two new gaskets so I can install the manifolds and carb. Anybody need one? If so let me know and I'll make extras.

Hey Rainey, If this spacer is going to block off the bottom of the intake manifold from exhaust gas, please count me in for one. Years ago the flapper broke off my exhaust diverter on the way home from GSMTR, partially blocking the exhaust gas, causing my 40 to overheat. It took months to figure out what was causing the overheating.

 

[Rainman]

Rainmaker,
You are making it rain with that spacer diagram brother! I forgot you were the king of all things drawn mechanically. You may want to explain again to MUDland why you are taking that out - there may be others who will jump on if they like the logic.

Trying to keep it short:
First, this Cruiser and most Cruisers these days aren't normally used as daily drivers. Second, the gas used today runs hotter than the gas did back when these trucks were new. Third, these manifolds are 30 to 50 years old and if the heat riser mechanism hasn't failed already, it most likely will and there's a 50% chance it will freeze open or closed. That's a 50% chance of ruining parts around it like cracking the intake. So while I've got the manifold off, it just makes sense to eliminate the potential problem now. I'm not making it as a block off plate because open it can still heat the intake but not have exhaust forced upward to over heat the fins. Now all of this is advice from someone who has been building engines and hot rods and most anything else with an engine for 50 years and did this exact thing to the engine in his Hudson. It's straight 6 has the same basic design and he removed it for all the reasons above and it runs perfectly.

There.

 

[Rainman]

By the way. I'm not counting those of you who live in Minnesota and have to get to work at 6am and deal with 20 below temps and so on. You may need the help up there and I understand that. So please don't think I'm suggesting that this is for everyone.

There. Again.

 

[Rainman]

Certainly not an electrical wizard, but I've been reading up on fixing harnesses because of the nightmare that is my truck and if you lay it out on a big sheet of 4x8 plywood and go off of the FSM and do each wire one by one, making sure you run the correct colors, un-taping, cutting, splicing, crimping, etc. I definitely know how to cut, crimp, splice, solder, heat shrink... It's hooking it all back up in working order where I'm clueless.

I don't need to redo the main harness. I'm just repairing a small section that had burned up. I may need to create all the wire from the double chassis harness plugs back though. This is a May '77 and my FSM diagram shows a '79. That's almost GOT to be different.

I'm a cut, crimp, splice, solder, heat shrink guy too. That's the easy part. It's the logic I apparently don't understand...

 

[Vae Victus]

I don't need to redo the main harness. I'm just repairing a small section that had burned up. I may need to create all the wire from the double chassis harness plugs back though. This is a May '77 and my FSM diagram shows a '79. That's almost GOT to be different. I'm a cut, crimp, splice, solder, heat shrink guy too. That's the easy part. It's the logic I apparently don't understand...

I have the diagram for the '76 [Edit: '78] that was redone by someone who claimed to be a designer. They simplified the FSM and Haynes manual drawings so us idiots could understand them. I'll shoot it over to you - I think it's in my Google docs folder in the Sky. You can compare it to your harness and see if it is a closer match.

I think we are going to end up looking at a lot of wiring diagrams and getting good at seeing the differences. Maybe someone good at technical drawings could do a line art overlay of all the years so we could visually look at the differences. Wow, wonder who has the skill to do that?

Logic? You don't need no stinkin logic, just follow the wire, and replace it.

 

[Rainman]

I have the diagram for the '76 [Edit: '78] that was redone by someone who claimed to be a designer. They simplified the FSM and Haynes manual drawings so us idiots could understand them. I'll shoot it over to you -

You tried but I don't have an account. That didn't work. Try the old fashioned way and just email it... Please.

Maybe someone good at technical drawings could do a line art overlay of all the years so we could visually look at the differences. Wow, wonder who has the skill to do that?

There's some bone head that lives out here. I'll ask him.

Logic? You don't need no stinkin logic, just follow the wire, and replace it.

That's easy. The "mechanical" part of it is what I grasp, the "logic" of the phenomena is my problem.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Don't make the spacer hollow in the middle (like the gasket). Just make it from a solid sheet of SS metal. There is no need for the exh gas to hit the bottom of the intake manifold all the time. That only makes it too hot. The intake manifold gets plenty of warmth because it's bolted to the top of a FRICKIN HOT exhaust manifold. Conduction provides plenty of heat transfer.

There.

 

[Rainman]

Don't make the spacer hollow in the middle (like the gasket). Just make it from a solid sheet of SS metal. There is no need for the exh gas to hit the bottom of the intake manifold all the time. That only makes it too hot. The intake manifold gets plenty of warmth because it's bolted to the top of a FRICKIN HOT exhaust manifold. Conduction provides plenty of heat transfer.

There.

1/16th SS?

 

[FJ40Jim]

Yes, 16 ga, or 11ga. Remember that the spacer sheet doesn't need to be gasketed to the bottom of the intake mani. So the SS plate can equal the thickness of the original spacer plate plus one gasket (11ga.)

The stack order upon reassembly is
- Exh mani
- gasket
- spacer plate
- intake mani

 

[adistler1]

I have the diagram for the '76 [Edit: '78] that was redone by someone who claimed to be a designer. They simplified the FSM and Haynes manual drawings so us idiots could understand them. I'll shoot it over to you - I think it's in my Google docs folder in the Sky. You can compare it to your harness and see if it is a closer match. I think we are going to end up looking at a lot of wiring diagrams and getting good at seeing the differences. Maybe someone good at technical drawings could do a line art overlay of all the years so we could visually look at the differences. Wow, wonder who has the skill to do that? Logic? You don't need no stinkin logic, just follow the wire, and replace it.

If you could share that with me also, that would be amazing!

 

[Rainman]

Short break in the FJ40 progress. I'll get back to that channel next week.

An update on the other project occupying my time... The Baby Hemi is on the dyno and we'll run it tomorrow after we get the last of it hooked up. Not looking for big horse pressure, just making sure it's running well, broken in, and not leaking anywhere.

It'll get painted after it's all buttoned up.

 

[Vae Victus]

Yeeeeaaaaahhhhh baby! Nice looking engine Rainmaker!

 

[Rainman]

Thanks Scott. I wish I could post a sound bite of the motor running. Purrs like a kitten. It started right up the first try.

 

[Rainman]

THANK GOD! The SUN! I think I may even have gotten sun burned today.

I pulled out the Green Machine and let it run a while in the pasture and pulled 2NDCHNC over to the barn door and let it bask in the afternoon sun while I painted the engine, front frame horns and the big late model turn indicator housing and posts black. I didn't take any shots because the sun was straight on the Cruiser and you couldn't see much. I couldn't pull it out of the barn and get it back in alone as the opening has a slight drop which is a pain to roll back over. Pics soon though. I promise.

 

[Rainman]

Starting to move along again...
Time to make a new check list.