FJ62 Build UP - Long with pics

[WHITCHCOCK]

I saw a comment the other day that there weren’t many 60 series build ups and honestly I didn’t think mine was anything special

Most of the mods I made weren’t original and were pretty much time tested, but I had gotten many of the ideas from this forum; so it is time to give back.

Before I start, I must thank my good friend Ben hose patience (and heated garage made this possible) and his knowledge kept me from screwing the pooch on multiple occasions.

James at CruiserParts.net built me a long block and was an absolute joy to work with.

Lance at Iron Pig built my sliders and got them on faster than I could imagine so that I can go to Coal Miner Classic with sliders.

MAF who sent me a Dakar lift and various miscellaneous other parts quickly.

Bill at Aussie Locker, who I gather is the guy who actually designed the locker, who managed to beat into my thick skull how the thing actually works

I must say that none of these suppliers knew me from Adam and they all gave service that was simply exemplary. And as a shameless plug if you need some thing for your cruiser give any of them a call.

I was only so-so about taking pictures in progress so some are only of the final project.
So here’s the list of what was done
- Bumpers front and rear – with a tire carrier (hand made so I could start to learn to weld)
- New engine
- OME lift kit
- 33x12.5x15 BFG MT with new wheels (off a Japanese Hilux thank you E-Bay)
- Aussie Locker
- Rebuilt rear axel and drum brakes
- H4 headlight mod
-Aussie Sliding rear windows (Thanks MAF)

I’m not going to write about the lift – I don’t really have anything to add that everyone else has to say (other than air tools and a torch aren’t optional) – or the headlight mod because I really just followed the wiring diagram from the tech session (and Ben did all the thinking on the electrical parts because electricity makes me cock my head to one side like your dog.) the only thing I added was an interior and exterior battery kill switches (I have a problem with leaving lights on).

As for the bumpers, lets just say I’m learning to weld and right now my skills lean more towards agricultural than anything else.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Begin with the begin

To begin with the beginning, I had bought a FJ62 about a year ago- just to be the house truck that could cruise the beach, and be the weekend hauler. And after spending way too much time on mud, perhaps some mods could occur.

I was trying to balance off road adventure mobile, while keeping it friendly enough to take wife, dog and 2-year old camping.

I had never driven another one, and well, didn’t know it shouldn’t sound like a cement mixer filled with ball bearings at idle. It ran decent enough, and once I got the entire vacuum lines sorted out had decent power. But the valves did sound kind of loud…

Ben, more on this hapless soul later, convinced me to come over one weekend to adjust the valves. We got everything open and started. I had not wrenched on a Toyota, but had turned enough wrenches to know that the valve train shouldn’t be bone dry – the only oil in sight was directly under the fill cap.

Not good, I thought. Ben didn’t say anything. I grabbed a couple of rockers and they moved 1” or so. This, I thought, cannot be good. Ben remained silent. We started to adjust the valves, and the measurements weren’t in 1/1000s or even 1/100s but a quarter to half an inch. On each valve.

After we buttoned it back up, we took it for a spin around the block. More power was had. Smoother running was found. And the valve train was so quiet that in rather short order we could hear all sorts of new and disturbing noises….

Ben and I got back to his garage cracked open another beer and he spoke,
“That high pitched chirp, I think, is a bad spot on the cam. The valves were so far out of wack that we couldn’t hear it before….(a long pause)…I don’t know when those valves had been last adjusted…”
“May be in Tokyo,” I said.
Ben looked down, took another slug of beer, “Could be, but,” he hesitated, “it isn’t good.”

I knew the look Ben was giving me. The last time I had seen it was when the septic tank started bubbling it the back yard and the plumber hadn’t taken out any tools, but a pencil and a receipt pad.
It was the look of $5000.
“Well, 500 or 5000 miles,” I asked damn well knowing the poo was already ankle deep and rising.
Ben tried to smile and said, “Ahh who knows these things will run like crap for a long time. You never know.”
I drove off knowing the poo was up to my mid-shin already.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Breakage

The Beast was running great. Putted around town, got groceries, and even pulled out a stuck work truck. But if I ran her for more than 1/2hour the chirp got worse and power started to drop off. The knee boots were holding but just barely. One bad step could lead to wet socks.

I started pricing engines and talked to Ben every other week. I knew I was in trouble when he kept offering his heated shop each time I called, “Whenever I needed it.”
With the hip boots already on metaphorically (really just an AAA membership card and a cell phone), I took the cruiser on a solid 1-hour drive up to Delaware. No problems, running great.
Had my meeting. Got back in the Beast and thought, as I drove home, may be I can get 5k out of her. 20-minutes into the drive, I stepped into a low spot and was up to my waist and sinking fast.

First the chirp got louder. Then the power dropped off and I could barely keep it going 50mph without it trying to drop out of overdrive and into 3rd. Then, unless I feathered the throttle and didn’t put any load on the engine, a banging would erupt from low in the engine.

It made it home, but I disconnected the battery and called Ben, “Hey I think I might need your garage and the 10,000 pound trailer…yeah it made it home, but I’m not sure how.”
Skip the chest waders and hope the life ring will float.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Canage

The Beast is a 1990 FJ62 with 180k on the speedo. By Carfax, I am the legitimate fourth owner and realistically only the third. The US Govt. had it for 13-years, a mechanic for 3-months, and the previous owner who sold it to me had owned the truck for 1-year before I got it.

And one of those POs flushed some concrete down the hopper, as it were, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Aside from the current complete engine failure, the truck is unmolested. No rust anywhere and that is unbelievable considering it lived its life a mere 20-minute drive from the ocean or the Chesapeake Bay. Most of the problems I had found up until the engine decided to leave this mortal coil were of the neglected maintenance variety rather than abuse. I sincerely doubt the truck had ever seen anything rougher than a dirt road and had rarely been in four-wheel drive. Heck, most of the frame had the original paint and undercoating in situ.
So even if the motor had grenaded, the truck was a good candidate for an engine transplant.

But back to our story.
After we unloaded the truck from Ben’s trailer, I tossed him the keys and said,
“Take her for a spin around the block. You are not gonna believe how bad she sounds.”

The Beast lived, but just barely. I can only compare it to one wags view of hell – All the residents have stand on their tiptoes in a ocean of raw sewage barely keeping their lower lips above the high water mark. And everyday at noon, Satan goes water skiing.

She banged, she squeaked, she had no power. Ben turned around after a few hundred yards.
His comments were in order, “Not much power… Oh boy….What is that…That is not a happy noise…. I keep thinking two thoughts - I’m just hoping we can get back to the garage and why is this thing still running.”
A day and a half later (We’re not that slow, but lots of part cleaning/bead blasting/painting and oh some beer drinking had occurred), she was open and I found the concrete.

Before we even pulled the head I took off the rocker arm assembly, I could barely move most of the rockers by hand. When we exposed the main oil journal top the assembly, it was packed solid with dry calcified engine/oil remains. I dug around in the journal with an eyeglass screwdriver and had to chip a good 1” of material out of the journal. When we tried to pull off the rocker arms, they wouldn’t budge without a 5-pound hammer being applied. The main assembly shaft was bone dry and had score marks a good 1/8 to ¼” deep in it from the rockers.


In the trash can it went.

The lifter rods looked fine on the round end, but two of them had the cupped end completely blown out. The rockers had been driven straight through the tops of rod.
When we finally lifted the head off, the head looked fine and the cylinder walls were smooth, but the head gasket looked wrong.
“This is it. Look half the journals are covered,” Ben said. He was correct, it appears that some previous owner had installed a new head gasket – just the wrong one covering half the journals. The scary thing is the engine always ran cool and had plenty of oil pressure. The scary part is how long did it run this way without blowing up.
Of course thanks to one $40 gasket, someone had created a $5000 boat anchor.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

"While I'm there, I might as well..."

While I waited for the long block to show up, I proceeded to,” Well, while I’m here…”

I cleaned, bead blasted and spray painted every part I could pull off the truck.

The radiator was sent out to be boiled and soldered as needed (didn’t need it as it were).

As I started cleaning out the intake manifold and found about a 1/4-inch of gook and sent that out to the boiling tank.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

The Aussie Locker

The Aussie Locker went in next. I figured,”While I was there”. I yanked out all of the bearings and replaced all of the gaskets and seals.

While I was disabling the axels, I found that the passenger side seal had failed and soaked the drums. So out they went with new shoes, springs etc.

If you do go the locker route, figure on replacing all of the axel seals as they are likely to get mangled on the way out (if you are as ham fisted as me). The directions for the Aussie Locker were fairly straight forward and it took longer to get the gear oil back in the axel than the installation of the locker.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Return of the tractor

With a few minor set backs, ok complete do-overs, I got the motor back in about two weekends. Yeah, I’m slow, but it is a damn spaghetti factory in there. I’m sure you could do it cheaper than I did, but I replaced every hose, belt, gasket, more vacuum lines than I care to mention, water pump, oil pump, fuel injectors and other stuff that I’m sure I’ve forgotten.

I figured that I really only want to do this once every 180k or so I might as well get it right the first time. The Beast fired up after the third try (two fuel leaks) and ran like a champ right off the bat.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Exhaust System

The exhaust system was custom fabbed by a local hot rod shop. I told him I wanted better flow, quiet (I know, I know an oxymoron) and 1-cat inboard of the frame.

He cut and used the MAF down pipes with the OME 02 sensors into a 2 to 1 Dodge CAT with a 2.5” out pipe. To keep it quiet and tucked up out of the way, he used late-model Cadillac El Dorado muffler.

As for sound there isn’t much a little tractor like may be, but I wanted quiet. The BFG MTs are the loudest thing on the truck right now. I’ve just run chainsaws too long and hearing loss is turning me into the guy that says “Huh” a lot.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

So How is it?

So how is it?
Pretty damn good. It isn’t a dragster, but it will do 70 mph at 2100 rpm on the flats of Maryland. It chugs real good in the woods. But probably the most dramatic improvement was the locker – I wouldn’t own another truck without one. It will go places, with MTs, in 2wd drive that it would have struggled with before in 4wd. Sure the tires and a fully functioning engine helps, but that locker is incredible.
However, it does click, clack and does seem to pull a bit to one side in corners under acceleration and I don’t ever seen snow here so that isn’t a worry.
What next?
For now, all I want to do is get some real lenses and bulbs for the front end (the PO put Pep Boy specials), maybe some better seats for the interior, rebuild the front seals/disk brakes when they need it and after I play with it for a while wheel see.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Some more pics

1-Battery tray and the relay system
2-Iron Pig Sliders
3- Welding 101 front bumper

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

The Chincy Bull Bar

I hacked off the bull bar - it just was too tractor fab.

The rear tire holder is still under review and may be replaced.

As for the battery tray, I made it out of 3/8" steel (a little bit of over kill, but it was free) and will probably outlive the truck by 20years.

I was able to sneak in a real nice Marine grade battery cut out switch behind the air filter assembly.

The wheels are off a Japanese Hilux (sp?) I got through ebay. Tires are 33x12.5x15 BFG MT.

 

[tcb]

Good job man, and a nice read....

 

[sundaypunch]

Let me say it first - you write really well

Oh yeah, nice truck too.

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Post Script

I will be attending the Coal Miner Classic in June and if any one is looking for a core head or block e-mail me.

From the damage I found, I can only say they might be good for a core, but that's it. There is no obvious cracks in the block or the head, but I didn't look that hard. If you need one I'd be willing to donate.

I will probably have room on a trailer and can deliver - Just give me a sixxer of good beer and that'll be fine.

Thanks

Bill

 

[tcb]

Let me say it first - you write really well

Oh yeah, nice truck too.

I believe you were second....

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

Thanks. I use to write for a living so its good to know I still have a few words left in me.

 

[sundaypunch]

I believe you were second....

Looks like you got your post in while I was typing didn't you

 

[Chip B]

Quite inspiring, good job! Can you make mine look like yours if my engine ever kaputz?

I knew my rig had a twin sister on the beach somewhere..

 

[WHITCHCOCK]

I'll pass on the engine work, evrything else was fun.

For the beach, get the 33x12.5 the truck doesn't have too work nearly as hard.

 

[lunyou]

nice write up, very enjoyable to read.....do your 33x12.50s ever rub? Are you lifted?

lunyou