Frankie - '87 FJ-60 Refurbishment Plus a Few Mods

[60Works]

The frame looks great! Can you give me details about the galvanizing process? What type of paint are you using? Can you paint over galvanization? If so what is the prep work? Who did the work on the frame? Was it expensive?


Zack

Zack, galvanizing is a tough, durable, highly corrosion resistant plating of, mostly, zinc. It requires clean, bare steel to get a good coating and that is a problem for boxed frames. I had mine sand blasted to get as much clean as possible. When I delivered it to the galvanizers they dipped it in a pickling solution (an acid dip) to remove any unblasted oils and dirt. They got most of it but there are still remnants deep inside which interfered with the plating process.

If only Toyota had dipped the frames when they were new. sigh

After pickling, the frame is completely submerged in a hot galvanizing tank until it is as hot as the molten zinc. When it's lifted out, the zinc runs out of the frame through the ends and bolt holes leaving a noticeably thick layer of plating covering everything inside and out.

To paint over that, it has to be lightly blasted again, which produces highly toxic dust, to rough up the surface enough for paint to stick. My painters used Imron brand paint, applied electrostatically, to paint my frame. Big Cruiser Guy had his frame powder coated but none of my local shops here would touch mine.

I'll have more pictures later.

 

[60Works]

The Holidays have cut into my 'Cruiser Time' but I've got a few more pictures to post of work in 2013 and I should be able to get more done in the next couple of weeks.

I started on the transfer case while waiting on the frame.

The gear oil in the transmission had water in it.

I'm pretty sure that happened while the painters had the body off and the chassis parked outside without the shifter installed.

Broke down and waiting on piece part inspection.

Setting up to reassemble with a new H55 5-speed.

 

[60Works]

Hindsight being 20/20, just like numerous times before, I tried to do too much with too little shop. I'm a noob at transmission work and, though I have the FSM and read the pertinent threads, there are so many tricks and pitfalls to dealing with gears and bearings assembled with an interference fit. I tried to be very careful and only apply force to the appropriate surface of the bearings and usually used the old removed bearing as a spacer or a guide when pressing or tapping the new ones in.

This project gave me the excuse to pick up a few new tools, like this small slide hammer to pull the front output pilot bearing.

A press would have been better but I managed to not damage the teeth on any of the gears when pulling them.

I had to get creative to press the new front output bearing on the shaft. The tug weighs a lot. More than my floor jack will lift. That front surface is 2" thick plate steel.

Making sure the oil slinger is set correct side out.

 

[60Works]

I used a 1/4" NPT plug to seal the unused bolt hole when changing to the H55

The sealant is on the case because I almost forgot to snap the 5th gear oiler nipple in place. Yikes, that would have been bad!

I ended up replacing all the bearings and gaskets, the input gear, the idler shaft, the high range gear, and the rear output shaft. It cost a lot more than I was hoping. I probably could have gotten by without replacing the shafts or input gear but I'm trying to build a long term solution. I don't want to need to tear into this again in my lifetime.

On a ranting side note: The Marlin overhaul kit came with Koyo bearings, which is good, but the seals and gaskets were cheap Taiwanese crap. The rubber seals were noticeably less flexible than OEM. I really wish the parts vendors would stop trying to pass this junk off in 'Complete Kits' in order to improve their margin by $5. Marlin has lost my trust with this and the cheap hub stud hardware they sold me last year. If they want to substitute aftermarket items in a kit I think they should mention it to the consumer. Like every other time this has come up I chose not to use the cheap parts. I went to my local Toyota dealer and picked it up; no shipping fees, no taxes, and it all fits perfectly.

 

[60Works]

One more intermediate shot.

Here it is mostly assembled. (I got lazy with the camera.) The rear output bearing is too tight so I had to order new shims to set the correct preload. They should be in next week. I thought about, but opted not to, cut the shifter brace to allow it to shift to 2 Low. It doesn't hurt anything to use 4 Low without the hubs dialed in. I also replaced the plastic shifter bushings to make it shift tight again.

 

[Spike Strip]

FWIW, the Terrain Tamer kits I've used have always come with OEM Japanese seals. It would greatly piss me off, too, if I bought a kit from a high-end vendor and it had Chinese parts in it. That's Cool Cruisers territory. What's the point of selling expensive Koyo bearings then including cheap seals?

Nice work and great pix! I like slide hammer for the shaft needle bearing. I usually fold it over on itself with a flat screwdriver and pull it out with needle-nose grips, but your way is much cleaner! Gonna have to buy a new tool...

 

[Red Wagon]

You have a thread in Yotatech that has not been updated. Glad I found this thread.

I'll be looking for a 62 I think soonish. Any ideas on how to find one? I'd like to find an American one to get shipped to Canada.

No idea where to start looking. I imagine some sort of broker?

 

[Joe_E]

Wow, nice ballsy first time transfer rebuild.
Keep the updates coming.

 

[JohninFla]

I really enjoy reading the details in this build! Does the hospital know you are using an operating room to rebuild your transfer case? Holy cow, that is a clean shop!!

I do have two questions - in your post about the Taiwanese seals, you mentioned "no taxes" from your local Toyota dealer - how did you swing that? Also, where did you find an H55?

I went to my local Toyota dealer and picked it up; no shipping fees, no taxes, and it all fits perfectly.

 

[60Works]

I really enjoy reading the details in this build! Does the hospital know you are using an operating room to rebuild your transfer case? Holy cow, that is a clean shop!!

I do have two questions - in your post about the Taiwanese seals, you mentioned "no taxes" from your local Toyota dealer - how did you swing that? Also, where did you find an H55?

I went to my local Toyota dealer and picked it up; no shipping fees, no taxes, and it all fits perfectly.

Thanks, John. The 'no taxes' is a New Hampshire thing. We don't have sales tax on anything except entertainment items like restaurants, movies, or concerts. Not even new cars. No state income tax either. It's a very Libertarian state.

"Live Free or Die"

You can get a new H55 directly from Toyota, any dealer can order one and you don't pay freight. If you've gotten to know your local parts guys, you can probably bargain for less than list. I've ordered so many parts over the last couple of years (like $6 or 7,000 worth) that my dealer has set me up as a Toyota whole seller. With that discount, no taxes, and no shipping; I can usually get new OEM parts for cheaper than low quality aftermarket.

It's definitely worth your time to get to know the guys at your local dealer's part's counter. It's not unusual for them to be Cruiserheads themselves. -Right Beno?

I had ordered Marlin's kit because it can be a real PITA to find every seal, gasket, and bearing in a transfer case. For a few dollars more, I thought I had saved myself half a day of parts ordering and a couple of stops to the dealership. In the end, I not only spent more money but it took even more time. So far, Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters is the only vendor who, by reputation (I haven't ordered from him yet), always supplies OEM parts.

To be fair to Marlin; their order was easy, fast, and correct. The guys I spoke to on the phone were courteous, helpful, and knowledgeable. My only complaint is the substitution of non-OEM parts. If they had had a second choice of a more expensive kit with all Toyota parts I would have happily bought it instead.

 

[60toyetero]

Nice!! i wish i had major money laying around to do major work to my rig. i could only imagine what i could do with a couple of Ks! keep up the good work. sweet rig

 

[cruisermatt]

That cover plate is cracking me up!

 

[JohninFla]

Thank you for the info on the H55. Here in Fla, we don't pay sales tax on Internet sales, unless the vendor has a local presence. I am with you on lower taxes and small government. I am less than thrilled with our current administration adding social programs and other things that end up further bloating our government payroll. Enough tho, this is tech.

You transfer is a split case, correct? Was it malfunctioning or did you rebuild it just to end up with a new one?

 

[60Works]

You transfer is a split case, correct? Was it malfunctioning or did you rebuild it just to end up with a new one?

It is. It wasn't. And, yes, I want the drive line to be like new. I ordered the bearings before I even broke it down.

All the 60 series have a split case with a few variants depending on year; like the idler shaft diameter and the 62's (idiotic) vaccuum shift. The case has to be disassembled in order to change the transmission, which had some real problems (other than it being a 4-speed), so it's hard not to see issues and work them over while the pieces are spread out on the table. This case probably would have been good for another 100k miles if I had left it alone but I want the drive line to be as new as practical.

Its only major flaw was the high range gear bushing and rear output shaft. When the transfer is always in H2 or H4 the high gear doesn't turn on the shaft. Without rotation to pump in new gear oil, it starved the bushing for lube. That didn't cause wear but it did let moisture in. Corosion caused the damage to the shaft rather than miles wearing it out.

I try to use 4 low at least once a month on each of my trucks just to keep fresh lube on every surface. Storage is much worse for longevity than high mileage.

 

[60Works]

The frame came back from the painters shortly before Christmas.

And Santa also delivered a flock of painted small parts.

Even with the electrostatic application process, the inside of the frame rails still didn't get complete coverage so we devised a plan to pour paint down the tubes. Complete overkill? Yes it is.

 

[60Works]

We set up a poor man's rotisserie and literally dumped paint down the rails with a funnel until it ran out the ends and the bolt holes. We were able to adjust the angle with the crane and rotate it 270°. It worked perfect. It also made a huge mess. Which was thankfully all contained by 4 layers of sheeting placed to protect the floor.

The next day.

 

[SteveH]

Sweet job on getting paint inside the frame. Great photos and stories, too - thanks for taking the time to post and explain.

 

[Spike Strip]

I try to use 4 low at least once a month on each of my trucks just to keep fresh lube on every surface. Storage is much worse for longevity than high mileage.

I do the same, including locking the front hubs to lube the front driveling components. Even if it means just making a quick (and illegal) dash across the local soccer field. LOOKOUT!

Very nice work.

 

[60Works]

All the frame's threads were filled with galvanizing and paint. Some were so filled it was hard to get a tap started. Once it did, it seemed to find the threads fairly easily. The galvanizing is quite soft and malleable. Plus it's a little slippery so the tap cut well.

Not all the inserts are used and because each one took several minutes to cut I used photos to mark which ones to tap. Not tapping unused inserts will keep the threads protected until they're needed for accessories.

Once all the tapping was finished, I started reattaching the running gear and piping. The rotisserie worked great in getting things lined up again. The OME springs resisted a bit. Without having the weight of the body to jack against, they wouldn't compress and the shackle angle was so extreme that the anti-inversion bolt hit the frame before the eyes aligned.

Ready to go back under.

Ready to lower the body back on.

 

[The Phoenician]

...yeah, let me just park this weekend project next to my daily flyer plane