FJ62 (1987) rebuild, and 1HZ diesel swap

[KwaTeebs]

The exhaust had to be re-run on the left hand side... after sourcing a 2nd hand Exhaust manifold downpipe, the guys at powerflow just replaced it anyway (I really hate making purchases twice).

But they did a pretty great job of it, and ended up running the pipe up and over the propshaft by the transfer case. There is no movement there, so I think it is good.

The only issue is that the 4x4 light sender cable now runs really close to it. We did redivert it, but its a little close for comfort.

 

[KwaTeebs]

These photos were taken 15 minutes after the first start two posts above... I made it a few KM down the road, and the car cut out.

I managed to start her again, and made it a few more KM and she cut out on a down hill allowing me to just rolling jump start her. Before eventually breaking down literally a stones throw from the Lolipop Lounge strip club hahaaha.

The battery died after too many turns of the starter motor. The culprit was one of the output arms on the Diesel filter. It was sucking air (again). We think one of the exhaust guys had bashed it, and the dying battery from being left on the hoist with the ignition on at the exhaust shop. We ended up turning it a full extra turn with a lever and it sorted out the airleak. But man too many lessons in the sensitivity of diesel lines to air ingress. Had to tow her back to the house.

 

[KwaTeebs]

That first drive, I had some hellish grinding noises coming from the power steering box.

Since I had replaced all the pressure lines, and the PS fluid, there was a lot of air in the system. We just worked the power steering back and forth repeatedly while it screamed at me till all the air was bled (bubbling up like a strawberry shake). We added more fluid as the air bled and eventually the noise stopped. If Ken hadnt been there I probably would have been rather worried about that sound

 

[KwaTeebs]

Sometimes its the little things that give you a lot of pleasue when you solve them.

I finally got my tailgate gas struts replaced. This was great. No more bashed heads, and awkwardly holding the tailgate open. Its heavier than it looks.

After trying all the usual parts places, I managed to get McNaughtans Mcnaughtans – Bus, Canopy, Trailer & Truck Components - https://mcnaughtans.co.za/ in Alrode South to make one up for me. They had to put an extender in, and it took a few attempts with too low pressures before we found one that worked. I think its 400 on each strut. They supply industrial parts for trucks and busses.

No more broom sticks to hold the boot open.

 

[KwaTeebs]

The horn / hooter was not working. Seems a common issue on these 60 series Cruisers.

Not having a .22 shell casing to shove over the pin (like many people have done here on Mud), we found the opportunity to make a piece up with Ken's lathe. I have never used one before.

We didnt take any photos of the fabrication process, but it was actually quite simple and I have a pic of the end result below. We found a small length of brass rod, shaved it down to the right diameter on the lathe, and then used it to drill a hole down the centre to a few mm from going all the way through. Using a file while still on the lathe, Ken rounded the edges for a better fit. This sheath just slotted over the hooter pin, and it worked first time. It was lot louder than I expected

and the finished result

 

[KwaTeebs]

So, one thing you don't see on a lot of these engine swap threads are the tiny additions, and parts rebuys required to get the item finished.

I had to replace the OEM air intake pipe because I have mounted the engine about 2-3 cm further back than the old engine was (to align with the transmission cross member). This meant the air intake pipe was bashing on the clutch booster, and knocking the lid off the refill unit.

Same issue with the lower radiator pipe. There are a few versions of the 1Hz radiator pipes and both of these are OEM. The one on the right reached, but it was being stretched to capacity and was at risk of popping off which would be very bad out in the bush. I replaced it with the longer one. I dont have the correct part number on me (I will try update this post when I can find it), but I can tell you that 16572-17010 is just a couple of cm's too short.

Similar issue. The engine was sitting possibly a little lower than a vehicle that comes stock with a 1hz. The radiator fan, was pretty much touching the lower radiator pipe. I actually ended up solving this, by getting a slightly smaller 1HZ fan. (see before and after below)

The larger fan above is touching, and the smaller fan below has just enough clearance.

 

[KwaTeebs]

Progress is progress. We have been chipping away at the final electrical snag list and getting close to completion.

The oil pressure gauge was the only item not working in the instrument cluster. This does seem a common 60 series issue, because I went through 6 scrap yard units before I found a working oil pressure gauge. 1 was a 24v, 4 just didnt move at all, and one luckily did work, because I was begrudgingly about to go aftermarket on it. I am glad i didnt need an extra gauge mounted on the dash.

otherwise chipping away at a few other electrical items. Had to add a relay for the glow plugs, because the OEM one I bought has a time delay that was causing starting issues.

Got the tailgate light and interior light working.

Ken had a bit of a time replacing some of the corroded wiring

 

[KwaTeebs]

Someone decided on my behalf that it was time to upgrade my wheels and tyres.

They kindly left my car on bricks after they rolled off with my wheels. This happened in Kens driveway on a Saturday night; in fact they left the car on Ken's driveway, as they pulled the paving up and put it under the axels.

Oh well, the upgrade had to happen some day. LOL time to go bigger.

 

[KwaTeebs]

After the tyre theft, we put the car on stands, and it seemed like as good a time as any to tackle the suspension.

The leaves were really sagged, and the ubolts were siezed so we cut them off with a grinder. Fun times.

Cleaned up the base plates and treated with rust inhibitor.

Got all new components, bolts, shackles, leaves, shocks. Pretty much a new suspension all round, with a 4cm lift. You can see the new shackle vs. the old one at the bottom. The leaves have been done to make a comfortable ride when not loaded, but with a heavier duty leave that kicks in when under load. Will have to wait and see how it works out.

 

[KwaTeebs]

Ok - new suspension in all round. But did pick up a snag in the front brake lines which I guess was useful having the wheels off because we hadnt noticed it before. Replaced these flex lines and bled the brakes, so front and back brakes seem to be in a pretty good state right now (a little exterior rust on the drums, but didnt seem anything to worry about).

I am pretty disappointed to see how my new exhaust installed in December has already rusted. Should have forked out more for something less susceptable to rust.

Oh, and that black stuff on the body in the last photo is the fingerprinting dust from when the cops came by to dust after the wheels were stolen. They closed the case less than a week later due to no evidence. I guess they were never really going to try and find the culprits.

 

[KwaTeebs]

oooh and my new pro-white rims arrived ahead of the tyres

I liked the original look of these rims, with the white rims on the white body. I had to search hard to find them. I ended up going up to a 16' rim. It really does seem like there is a lot less range on the 15' tyres available here in Southern Africa. So I went with the easier to replace size. It does come at the compromise of less sidewall for deflation, but I am planning on bigger tyres too, so overall I think I am going to be good.

The below pic shows the original 15' rims and 31' tyres before they were stolen.

 

[KwaTeebs]

Ok its been a hot minute. Life has certainly gotten in the way here.

The new wheels and tyres went on and she is sitting pretty. I got forced to make an upgrade decision sooner than I would have likes, as I would have chosen to run those 31's in a little more before choosing new tyres. I splurged on the BF Goodrich KO2s. 33's - or more specifically 285/75/r16.

Between the tyres, refreshed suspension and the lift she is riding high.

Not to be paranoid, but I now have anti-theft locknuts on the wheel studs

 

[KwaTeebs]

One thing I got a friend to bring back on a trip to Colorado was this grab handle / oh sh!t bar off a FJ62. The South African Spec never had these so you cannot get a second hand one here. I did try the grab bar off the 75 series bakkie / pickup ute but it was too narrow for the 60 even though they look so similar on the interior.

Pretty stoked to have this here. Before and after.

 

[KwaTeebs]

and other little things that give great pleasure was getting the Land Cruiser logo stuck back on.

another before and after

Something about things like this that scream "close to the finish line"

 

[KwaTeebs]

and then I found a nice aluminium roof rack on Gumtree off an HJ61. The paint is coming off a bit, but the wooden slats are great.

It was a bargain, and feels way more period appropriate than getting a modern Front Runner roof rack or the likes

 

[KwaTeebs]

Aint she just looking pretty with the roofrack on?

So great to be able to drive her out to a friends farm for a visit. Nelly's first real outing.

 

[KwaTeebs]

We've come a long way baby

Pretty much a full re-build.
- Rust repair, front fenders replaced, respray, headlight bezels replaced
- Engine swap from 3f 4l Petrol, to 4.2 Diesel 1HZ with the H55F input shaft replaced for the diesel
- New clutch
- Refurb radiator, fuel tank, all new fuel lines and cooling pipes
- High pressure lines replaced on the power steering
- Breather lines ran to the top of the engine bay
- Suspension, shocks, steering dampeners replaced, and 5cm/2" lift
- Brakes serviced, lines replaced, and bled,
- Prop shaft refurbished and balanced
- New rims and new tyres upgraded from 31" to 33" (not by choice - thanks to some knob)
- Electrics refreshed (only thing I have not got working was the oil pressure gauge, but have replaced with a warning light, & the 4WD light is not working)
- Interior cleaned out, and new carpets added, with sound dampener on the floors and all side panels, new passenger grab bar & dash oh sh!t bar
- New tailgate struts to be able to get rid of the broom stick
- Horn / hooter repaired

The things that I have not gotten to, that will come. But none of these stop me going on a trip
- Seat covers (I thought about re-upholstering, but there are great canvas covers here in South Africa for the 60)
- The aircon (it kills me that I couldn't re-use the compressor and other parts from the old 3f)
- A stereo (bluetooth speaker will do for now)
- Tach / rev counter (I have an autometer unit a friend brought from the US for me that I just have to install)
- New window weather strips for front and back to stop the leaks & the rattle as I wind the glass down (also flown by a friend from the US)
- I also have some new rubber stoppers to stop the back seat from squeaking from CruiserTrash parts

I am pretty proud of how far I have come in under two years as a first time wrencher. I do have to thank the people who have really helped me. Mike for letting me use his shop and the help from Albert and Pat. Jeff for sharing all his bush mechanic wisdom from his 1987 - 75 series (factory Perkins 4 cylinder diesel). And Ken for helping finish all the stuff that needed an actual mechanic / auto electrician (I truly could not have finished these bits without your knowledge and the use of the tools in your workshop - electrics are still a mystery to me).

 

[KwaTeebs]

One thing that was not on the prior list was anything about the transfer case... outside of checking the oil levels

The pictures from the last posts and installing the roof rack was meant to be the start of my first long trip with Nelly (again), but rather resulted in a transfer case rebuild and a few months searching for parts. Talk about stumbling at the finish line.

The rear output seal was leaking (only while driving - not when parked from what I could see) evidenced by the scream of the bearings as the oil drained. In that seal there was beach sand, a worn shaft, bearings gone blue and bushings that were no longer functional. I should have checked this when I had the gearbox out the vehicle. Oops.

I sourced a new shaft from Toyota, and after unsuccessfully chasing the right bearings and seals locally, I did discover Terrain Tamer make a rebuild kit. But on arrival found the kit doesn't include the bushings so the gears were wobbling nicely on the shaft. After a bunch of searching for discontinued part numbers I found it eventually. Part 90560-35008 for the two bushes. Still available from Toyota on back order from Japan or Terrain Tamer in Australia.

Ken has been helping me with this one... almost there now.

Hoping to take my first shakedown trip next weekend... lets see. Hoping no more finish line stumbles.

 

[KwaTeebs]

Oh man... I see I stopped updating this log over 2 years ago. I went through so much drama and downtime with the vehicle not running that I was getting a bit despondent and didn't really feel like updating this space out of frustration

I have had a serious time getting this baby stable, but I am happy to report that outside of a (manageable) cooling issue on long mountain passes, she is running like a dream. What a relief to get to a point of feeling mechanically stable. I would fix one thing, just to have another hurdle pop up again.


Issues I had to face.
- Head gasket replacement
- Full cooling system overhaul (new thermostat, radiator removal and cleaning, fan clutch service etc. etc.)
- Fixed multiple airleaks on the fuel line connectors to the fuel tank.
- Replaced a Racor fuel filter which failed and leaked out of the manual primer pump. Replaced it with an old toyota one, which is working great but doesnt have the water catch can, so I should probably upgrade that.
- IP removal and maintenance because fixing the fuel line leaks and replacing the fuel filter didnt solve the problem (turned out it was actually an issue inside the fuel tank - there was a hole in the fuel pickup pipe in the tank itself which I needed to weld closed) - in removing the IP though I screwed up reinstalling it, and had to take it to a diesel shop as a bolt came loose and it shanked the whole system - rookie error I know and this led to 3 months with the car inoperable!!
- Full electric rewire for the alternator, starter, all battery connections etc. And I managed to eliminate what ever was draining the battery by wiring ALL accessories to only work when the ignition is on. I have no idea where the drain was, but once I connected the accessories cable to only work with the ignition on, I have had zero battery issues.
- Between the head gasket replacement and the starter wiring refresh, she starts on a dime before its even done a full turn with the starter motor

Overall I am really happy and she is driving amazingly, and is basically my daily driver down here in Cape Town where I am now based. I have taken her on a number of epic adventures and plan many more. I will share some pics from trips in the following posts.

My only real concern is the rust, which after 3 years parked outside near the beach in the humidity of Durban, all the rust I treated is coming back. But thats not a mechanical issue.

Shopping list of things to do:
- Rust
- Extending the fuel tank pickup somehow (as when she gets to 1/4 tank, she sucks air on an uphill)
- Oil cooler clean out (this is the only thing I did not sort out when working on the cooling system - and it may help with the running hot on mountain passes)

and then nice side project. Like building a drawer system and sleeping platform for the back and maybe some accessories like seat covers. But these are just for fun

 

[KwaTeebs]

Camping trip up to the Groot Winterhoek mountains just outside Cape Town