My '74 has front disc brakes. A must if you plan on daily driving, IMO.
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #142
Brake check done. Typical for this rig, or so it seems, things just look better and better the more I clean. Also typical, for all the great, some things look a little iffy. Nothing to get in a twist over, as I'd really like to go discs anyway, but things looked good enough to throw a new master cylinder in there and run them as-is for a while.
Wheel cylinders are a little rusty from sitting for so long, but no apparent leaks and the rubber is still soft. I think I'm good with the hydraulics at the wheel end. The PO said they "did the brakes" before the old man died, and these don't look to have much wear on them at all.
The drums had a little surface rust, but nothing I couldn't rub out with some steel wool. No gouges, no visible wear at all really.
Wheel cylinders are a little rusty from sitting for so long, but no apparent leaks and the rubber is still soft. I think I'm good with the hydraulics at the wheel end. The PO said they "did the brakes" before the old man died, and these don't look to have much wear on them at all.
The drums had a little surface rust, but nothing I couldn't rub out with some steel wool. No gouges, no visible wear at all really.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #143
With all this chipped away from the knuckle...
Things looked pretty good. No rust to speak of, the hydraulics look good, and the seals around the birf looked solid. Other than the pound of crap stuck to the outside, it doesn't look like there are any issues to worry about. I'd still like to repack the birf before I drive it, but I'll wait on that until I decide what I'm doing with the front brakes.
Things looked pretty good. No rust to speak of, the hydraulics look good, and the seals around the birf looked solid. Other than the pound of crap stuck to the outside, it doesn't look like there are any issues to worry about. I'd still like to repack the birf before I drive it, but I'll wait on that until I decide what I'm doing with the front brakes.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #145
Wish I could find a cheap, used master cylinder to be able to test this all out. Would the master I'm going to want with the discs work at all with the current drums? It would be nice to replace the master that I know is shot with something that will work with both setups.
ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #148
Lots of slow progress the last week or two. Cleaning. Lots and lots of cleaning. There seems to be no end to the crevices full of crud on this rig. Happily, it is smelling better and looking noticeably better after every session. I find myself needing to focus a bit, though. I start on one thing, then get distracted walking to the other side of the truck for a tool. I see something dirty, or shiny, or whatever, and I'm like a 12-year-old boy with ADD. Focus. Pick a system and focus.
I'd love to get it running enough to be able to drive it in and out of the garage, at least. Before I even try to start it up, however, the cooling system is in need of some serious attention. Damn near every hose on the truck is factory original. Most are stamped 07/74 or 09/74 on the hose. The engine-side hoses are all rotten (only 43 years), so I need to find something better to replace them with. I'm hoping to make the next set go at least 45 years. Surprisingly, the heater hoses on the inside of the rig don't look that bad. I'm still going to replace them, but I probably could have left those for a while. Still, it'll be nice to pull everything, flush it properly, and know it's all good to start the motor.
I wondered why the heater valve was hooked up incorrectly. I think I found my answer. Sort of:
I'd love to get it running enough to be able to drive it in and out of the garage, at least. Before I even try to start it up, however, the cooling system is in need of some serious attention. Damn near every hose on the truck is factory original. Most are stamped 07/74 or 09/74 on the hose. The engine-side hoses are all rotten (only 43 years), so I need to find something better to replace them with. I'm hoping to make the next set go at least 45 years. Surprisingly, the heater hoses on the inside of the rig don't look that bad. I'm still going to replace them, but I probably could have left those for a while. Still, it'll be nice to pull everything, flush it properly, and know it's all good to start the motor.
I wondered why the heater valve was hooked up incorrectly. I think I found my answer. Sort of:
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #149
It looks like the heater was leaking somewhere, judging by the blue crust. It was hard to tell, but it looks like the hoses were leaking where they go into the heater core. I removed the heater radiator core, flushed it a bunch, and it looks good and has held water without leaking for two days. Hard to know without putting some pressure on it, though. I'm open to suggestions. I could take it to a radiator shop, I suppose, but I might just hook it up inside the engine compartment once I get the truck running to see what it does. If it passes the pressure test, I'll put it back inside the heater box.
One of the rear heater lines also looked a little green and in one of the gaps between the foam. I polished it all off, and I can't find a hole, but we'll just have to see once I get some pressure on them, too.
One of the rear heater lines also looked a little green and in one of the gaps between the foam. I polished it all off, and I can't find a hole, but we'll just have to see once I get some pressure on them, too.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #150
Here are the highlights from the pile of junk stuff that came inside the truck. If anybody sees something I should hang onto, let me know. Otherwise, I'll post it up in the classified list.
Looks to be an early-70s intake with no vacuum port. In good shape overall.
Downey performance "upgrade" kit. Holley carb and some Downey adapter plates. I also have the probably Downey headers on the truck. Not sure if they are any good, but they look like they're leaking. Focus. See what I mean? Exhaust? That is waaaaay down the list.
This is a weird piece. No idea what it is. I can't even find much out with a part number search, though I didn't look that hard. I'm guessing it isn't for this truck. Part number is 86309-89107. No idea.
Looks to be an early-70s intake with no vacuum port. In good shape overall.
Downey performance "upgrade" kit. Holley carb and some Downey adapter plates. I also have the probably Downey headers on the truck. Not sure if they are any good, but they look like they're leaking. Focus. See what I mean? Exhaust? That is waaaaay down the list.
This is a weird piece. No idea what it is. I can't even find much out with a part number search, though I didn't look that hard. I'm guessing it isn't for this truck. Part number is 86309-89107. No idea.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #151
The heater box is a little banged up. I'm waiting for parts, so I took it out and took it all apart for a good cleaning. New foam and hardware on the way from SOR. I'm going to order paint tomorrow for some touch-ups for the front and back heaters and it'll be ready for reconstruction.
thebigredrocker
SILVER Star
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2013
- Threads
- 60
- Messages
- 3,596
Looking good. I rigged up a garden hose individually to each heater cores, filled them with h2o, capped one side and left the garden hose on(low pressure) for a 1/2 hour.
What's the plan of attack with your Aisan carb? Did you figure out what distributor you have?
What's the plan of attack with your Aisan carb? Did you figure out what distributor you have?
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #153
Thanks to the garden hose tip. Great idea.
Looks like a vacuum retard stock distributor for the '74. It's been capped off with the PO's attempt to de-smog the motor. The cap looks nearly new and points look fine. I'll adjust them and see what happens. I think I read to keep the vacuum retard capped and set the timing at 10° advanced. I'm focusing on the cooling system right now, but reading in my downtime. Lots of homework.
I cleaned the carb off a bit and sprayed carb cleaner into every orifice I could reach. Going to try to start it as-is and see where I'm at. Likely either a Trollhole carb or send this one off to get it reworked by the experts and add a vacuum advance port, along with a vacuum advance distributor. If that one you sent me a link to is still around, I'll take a look. I'd like to go with electronic ignition of some sort.
Looks like a vacuum retard stock distributor for the '74. It's been capped off with the PO's attempt to de-smog the motor. The cap looks nearly new and points look fine. I'll adjust them and see what happens. I think I read to keep the vacuum retard capped and set the timing at 10° advanced. I'm focusing on the cooling system right now, but reading in my downtime. Lots of homework.
I cleaned the carb off a bit and sprayed carb cleaner into every orifice I could reach. Going to try to start it as-is and see where I'm at. Likely either a Trollhole carb or send this one off to get it reworked by the experts and add a vacuum advance port, along with a vacuum advance distributor. If that one you sent me a link to is still around, I'll take a look. I'd like to go with electronic ignition of some sort.
I wouldn't ditch the stock carb just yet. That would be a shame. If you aren't going to get a vacuum advance dizzy just yet, you can rebuild the carb yourself. They aren't that tough to rebuild, especially if you follow along with PinHead's carb rebuild videos. Here's the first video - .
If you are planning a vacuum advance dizzy, it would be a good idea to send it to Mark or Jim to have them port it for vacuum advance. But, IMHO, that can wait. There are lots of other good projects to do (or spend money on) first.
Good luck! And let me know about the knuckles/disc brakes.
If you are planning a vacuum advance dizzy, it would be a good idea to send it to Mark or Jim to have them port it for vacuum advance. But, IMHO, that can wait. There are lots of other good projects to do (or spend money on) first.
Good luck! And let me know about the knuckles/disc brakes.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #155
Thanks, Kyle. Yes, trying to keep all the stock stuff in place as much as possible and only replace things that need to be replaced. I'm hoping that after a good rinsing of the carb, cleaning out all the lines and tank, and some fresh gas, it'll start. The distributor seems to be tight and clean inside. The points look to be in good shape and the cap and rotor looked new. Well, new 20 years ago. The metal on the rotor fell off and had corroded under the rivet that held it onto the plastic, so I replaced that with a new ND rotor in a Standard Ignition box from Rock Auto. My hope/guess is that she fires right up once I get things cleaned up.
I love the idea of spending time and money on the things that show the most need and have the possibility of the most benefit. Like your disc brakes.
I love the idea of spending time and money on the things that show the most need and have the possibility of the most benefit. Like your disc brakes.
Hang in there. Once you get it running and can drive it, the smile that will be stuck on your face makes it all worth it.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #157
Yeah, looking forward to it. I'm already having a blast. It's nice because everything I do is such a noticeable improvement. I put new vacuum lines on last night and even that looked so nice and fresh. Even the cleaned up carb looks great.
Even most of the rusty stuff is looking great. Naval Jelly is amazing stuff. I'm almost ready to start painting some of the metal bits and pieces I've taken off. Debating how far down I need to go with the prep. I could sand down to clean metal on everything, but for the stuff like skid plates and battery supports, I'm not sure how pretty they have to be for some POR-15 or Rust Bullet and a coat of black paint.
I had to take some time off of the 40 to finish the wiring install for the fridge in my 100 for an upcoming trip to the NW Overland Expo. It was killing me. It turned out great, and will be really nice to not have to deal with ice on the family trips this summer, but I was wishing I was spending the time/money on the 40 instead.
Even most of the rusty stuff is looking great. Naval Jelly is amazing stuff. I'm almost ready to start painting some of the metal bits and pieces I've taken off. Debating how far down I need to go with the prep. I could sand down to clean metal on everything, but for the stuff like skid plates and battery supports, I'm not sure how pretty they have to be for some POR-15 or Rust Bullet and a coat of black paint.
I had to take some time off of the 40 to finish the wiring install for the fridge in my 100 for an upcoming trip to the NW Overland Expo. It was killing me. It turned out great, and will be really nice to not have to deal with ice on the family trips this summer, but I was wishing I was spending the time/money on the 40 instead.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #158
Well, thanks to @thebigredrocker, the pressure test on the heater core came back aces. I even put some toilet tank dye in there and put it on a white towel with very light hose pressure. No leaks. The green crust on the inlet/outlet pipes appears to have been from leaking hoses. I soaked it with some vinegar and rinsed it out thoroughly. Heater rehab kit from SOR should be here in a couple days, then back in business. Next up: rear heater.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #159
Progress! Sort of. It's been a busy summer. I'm a school teacher with an 8-year-old daughter and my plans of working on the new Cruiser all summer got vetoed by my kid. We decided to take a marathon road trip through the Sierras in the 100, pick up the wife in San Diego and spend a week with old friends and family in SoCal, then drive back up the coast to visit more old friends and see our old college stomping grounds. More camping after, a couple fishing trips, and a mini garage remodel to make the workspace a little more efficient, and a week-long trip to the mountains to see the eclipse will round out the summer. I'm bummed that I haven't had a single whole day to work on the truck since school got out, but I wouldn't trade a single day for dirty fingernails. Great summer.
Ok, tech. I had a bad experience trying to get a water pump from CruiserParts.net that ultimately got (sort of) sorted out with me seriously overpaying for a Gates water pump, but it was a good learning experience. No trash to talk, but I'll definitely be more careful in the future. I pulled the rear plate off to find some rust starting where the gasket was, so that got cleaned up and sealed up properly. Install will be complete din a bit. Next up will be finishing off the heater hoses, installing the radiator into the de-rusted and painted frame, rehabbing the fan shroud, and painting the heater parts for the interior. No pics, but none of it is that exciting.
I found a set of chrome steelies from a 60 on Craigslist with decent tires for $250. The guy had an 80, so since I just built a new cargo system for the back of the 100, I offered up a trade for my old cargo box. He was down to trade, so I got a set of OEM Cruiser wheels, albeit the wrong vintage, and a clear space in the garage for $0. No more dry-rotted tires losing air every day. No more nasty rust flaking off the cheapo "white" wagon wheels. Pics on the phone. Updating soon.
Ok, tech. I had a bad experience trying to get a water pump from CruiserParts.net that ultimately got (sort of) sorted out with me seriously overpaying for a Gates water pump, but it was a good learning experience. No trash to talk, but I'll definitely be more careful in the future. I pulled the rear plate off to find some rust starting where the gasket was, so that got cleaned up and sealed up properly. Install will be complete din a bit. Next up will be finishing off the heater hoses, installing the radiator into the de-rusted and painted frame, rehabbing the fan shroud, and painting the heater parts for the interior. No pics, but none of it is that exciting.
I found a set of chrome steelies from a 60 on Craigslist with decent tires for $250. The guy had an 80, so since I just built a new cargo system for the back of the 100, I offered up a trade for my old cargo box. He was down to trade, so I got a set of OEM Cruiser wheels, albeit the wrong vintage, and a clear space in the garage for $0. No more dry-rotted tires losing air every day. No more nasty rust flaking off the cheapo "white" wagon wheels. Pics on the phone. Updating soon.
thebigredrocker
SILVER Star
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2013
- Threads
- 60
- Messages
- 3,596
I'll be curious what heater hose you use, I probably need to replace mine. I too paused the wrenching to take my girls camping, water skiing and bike riding. Look forward to seeing your cruiser come together.
