So I got back the Pistons from Swain Tech. It was actually just 1week from when I shipped them until they arrived back at my door all coated.
I did have some initial concern with the thermal barrier coating having a ridge and chipping on the lower edge:
So I gave them a call and after having to wait for a Tech to get back in the office they said that it wasn't a problem and they could be installed as is and the ridge would disappear during break-in. However that I could opt to remove it with a razor blade, so I went ahead and did that.
@PurpleFJ62 The 1HD-FT is pretty rare. I actually purchased mine in Japan. It was listed on Yahoo Auctions (much more popular than eBay in Japan), and was fairly had to find even there. However they wouldn't have shipped internationally, and I ended up picking it up and shipping it to the US with my other stuff (I was returning from living in Japan at the time).
Keep on eye on the IH8Mud classified as well there was one there just a month ago, but it is gone already.
Also I noticed that your profile says that you are in Dexter, I am actually just over in Plymouth, so let me know if you want to stop by and check it out some time.
So I forgot to post the picture or my new piston rings installer that I picked up from Amazon:
I didn't know it was called a air duster...
The backing was still useful for making a cardboard template for a ACSD block off plate.
And transferred into Aluminum:
I went ahead and sand blasted the Aluminum to try to get it to fit in now all it needs is some grease and ~21 years of weathering and it will look like Toyota put it there.
With the ACSD delete done I was able to get the injection pump in and set the timing. It was definitely a let easier to do with the engine out of the vehicle.
Unfortunately the head gasket that I received had some slight damage so that stopped the engine assembly progress:
I considered installing it anyway (the 1HD-T gasket actually doesn't have coating in this location) however the seller agreed to ship me a new one so there is no way to justify not waiting for it to arrive.
So with the engine work on hold due to waiting on a new head gasket. I switched gears and fixed a small electrical issue. The 24V to 12V converter that powers the radio had an issue where it always provided power to the illumination line.
After some trouble shooting I was able to confirm that the transistor Q707 (in the lower left in the photo below had gone bad). After replacing the transistor everything returned to normal operation.
Also interesting is the additional circuit on the PCB for adding another switched 12V output if needed. Not sure what else would be needed thought.
Since I had the soldering iron out and had to go to the electronics store I also picked up components and made a new trailer light converter:
This takes a 5-pin (Brake, L turn, R turn, Running, Ground) input at 24V and outputs to a standard 4-pin connector at 12V. The switching circuit is similar to what I used previously just with an internal 12v regulator to provide the correct output voltage, no need to provide a separate power source, and all in a nice Aluminum housing.
If anyone wants more details on the circuit design let me know. I plan to post more details in the 24V section, but I still need to draw up the final circuit layout.
So I went to put on the timing belt, but somehow managed to snap a bolt:
Luckily, the remaining portion came out clean, and the local hardware store happened to have an appropriate grade 8 replacement bolt, so it was solved and the timing belt installed without too much delay
