Builds Hygge's Sawdust FJ62

[hygge]

Since I had been doing some work on the engine, I decided it was a good time to replace the valve cover gasket and a few other things, like performing a valve lapping (clearance).

First stop was cleaning up that decrepit valve cover!

After cleaning up the valve cover, I used some high temperature primer before spraying with high temperature silver paint. I think it came out really well. Was looking to see if there were ever 3FE stickers affected to the valve cover, but I do not think that was case.

 

[hygge]

The valve clearance was slightly intimidating because in the past I had tried to find TDC and it was a disaster.

This time around I think I had a much better handle on things, so I was able to find TDC by moving the PS pump with a 19mm wrench - while aiming a flashlight at the inspection cover. If you have the FSM this makes it pretty easy to follow in terms of steps.

Just to be sure I also opened up the distributor cap to make sure that my rotor was pointed to the #1 position.

 

[hygge]

Since this truck has been a secondary vehicle for a while now with my 100-series being the primary daily driver for the family while I work on fixing it up, I've had some problems getting it started.

Seemed like a good time to add some distilled water to the battery just to check the levels. A good $1.00 fix to help keep the battery working. I'd like to upgrade the electrical system some time soon, but you know things and budget - so I'll keep what I have chugging along for as long as possible. Otherwise, I'd love to upgrade the battery grounds - positive wire, battery tray, alternator, starter, ignition coil, new battery (Optima?) and if I get into accessories, maybe even a dual battery.

 

[hygge]

One thing that was irritating me and seemed easy enough to fix was the rear louvers (D Pillar Vents). The original vents were looking nasty and needed a do-over. I have considered buying the really awesome and beautiful CNC'd vents built by Jason over at Trail-Tailor, but as my budget is right now on major project stuff I went the cheap route and decided to clean and spray paint what I already have on hand.

For the spray paint, I used the Rustoleum Flat Soft Iron, which was highly recommended in a few different threads. I also used some Meguiars Black Plastic Trim restorer for the gasket. I would love to buy some EPDM / Neoprene to build new gaskets, but that is for another day and another time.

 

[hygge]

In keeping busy with parts I've accumulated, I had bought rear sway bar replacement bushings. They have just been sitting in a box, so thought it was a good time to bring them out. Like all things, nothing is ever as easy as you would like it to be. You would think replacing them was going to be as simple as unscrewing two bolts and then sliding off the old bushings. Of course one of the bolts heads tore right off when I applied some pressure.

I was able to drill out the bolt for the most part. However, my extractor drill bit could never really get the old rusted screw out. The PB Blaster I soaked all the bolts with was helpful on some but not all of the bolts. I think I'll have to re-tap this mounting bolt to re-attach the sway bar mount.

I've also thought about getting extended sway bar end links, since there will be a lift at some point in the near future. It does not appear that there will be any issue with using extended links on a non-lifted, stock ride.

 

[EscapeWagon62]

Love this thread. Well done.
I’ve done a bunch of work on mine but have now identified quite a few more to feed my obsession

 

[hygge]

Love this thread. Well done.
I’ve done a bunch of work on mine but have now identified quite a few more to feed my obsession

Thank you @EscapeWagon62 glad to see you have found some value in my many posts . What are you up to next with your rig? What has been the most challenging thing that you have done yourself?

For me, its doing welding. I suck at it. Not really my specialty. I am woodworker, but all this woodworking does nothing for battling rust.

 

[hygge]

Update on battling the broken off bolt for the Rear Sway Bar Bushing mount.

First, it would not come out no matter what.

So, I had to get into drilling it out. My extractor screws were doing nothing.

After methodically and carefully drilling out the old bolt, I found that the most prudent method for extraction was going to actually be to tap the hole.

I used my die set, which was a nice thing to have sitting around in the shed. Thank you shed.

 

[hygge]

Next up was looking at all of the bushings for the Rear Sway Bar. But let me tell you, it was a monster trying to get the passenger side link off. The driver side link (the portion that connects the frame to the sway bar was a breeze. Came right off.

But the passenger side was quite stubborn. I ended up lowering the spare tire to get some space. After multiple whacks, PB Blaster, punches and almost some aggravation I decided to use my sawzall.

The sawzall easily took off half the bolt that was extended. However, even with this off, I couldn't get the bolt out. So next up was my almighty grinder.

Let me tell you something, having a bunch of Lithium Ion, battery-powered Makita tools is a huge blessing. These tools go everywhere and with the batteries now adays - not being NiCad like they were 20 years ago, they last quite a bit and have good power/torque.

The bolt finally came out after the head was chopped off and I could fit a long bar in there to pry it out.

 

[hygge]

Thoughts ? Should I buy extended links since I'd like to do a 2-3" lift in the next year? Or just buy replacement bushings and bolts/nuts for these?

The other question is will there be any problem with me running extended links if I don't have the lift yet? It seems from the geometry that it shouldn't actually matter much. The sway bar should be able to pivot on the rear axle and move however it needs to even without a lift (but with running an extended set of links).

@Spook50 @cruisermatt @EscapeWagon62 ?

 

[Spook50]

Thoughts ? Should I buy extended links since I'd like to do a 2-3" lift in the next year? Or just buy replacement bushings and bolts/nuts for these?

The other question is will there be any problem with me running extended links if I don't have the lift yet? It seems from the geometry that it shouldn't actually matter much. The sway bar should be able to pivot on the rear axle and move however it needs to even without a lift (but with running an extended set of links).

@Spook50 @cruisermatt @EscapeWagon62 ?

If you're wanting to keep your sway bars with a 2-3" lift I would recommend the extended links. Until then though I would stick with OEM links. It's been a long while since I've looked for extended links so can't offer a recommendation on where to get them. I will say if Cruiser Outfitters @cruiseroutfit offers them they'd be my first pick. I've had nothing but outstanding experiences with them. I'll be deciding after my OME install if I want to reinstall my sway bars or not. I've had them off for 12 years and am so used to not having them I'm hoping I don't. If I DO decide to reinstall them, I'll need new mounting hardware, links and bushings. Literally all I still have are the bars themselves

 

[EscapeWagon62]

Thank you @EscapeWagon62 glad to see you have found some value in my many posts . What are you up to next with your rig? What has been the most challenging thing that you have done yourself?

For me, its doing welding. I suck at it. Not really my specialty. I am woodworker, but all this woodworking does nothing for battling rust.

Most challenging mentally - getting idle correct since it had aspects of temp sensor, TPS, timing, vacuum leaks, egr valve and brass screw adjustment.
Most challenging physically - OME springs (removal of pins) and general hassles of doing it on a garage floor.
Most challenging “pucker factor” - transmission valve body. If I screwed test up it would be a very expensive mistake
Most challenging all the time - I have a habit of fixing things and tweaking them from 97% perfect to 100%. Inside that 3% zone is where I risk breaking vs fixing.

Next up after it comes home from getting painted will be exhaust gaskets. Might wait til next winter for that.

PS - I grew up in Ross, right nextdoor to SA. Beautiful area up there.

 

[hygge]

Most challenging mentally - getting idle correct since it had aspects of temp sensor, TPS, timing, vacuum leaks, egr valve and brass screw adjustment.
Most challenging physically - OME springs (removal of pins) and general hassles of doing it on a garage floor.
Most challenging “pucker factor” - transmission valve body. If I screwed test up it would be a very expensive mistake
Most challenging all the time - I have a habit of fixing things and tweaking them from 97% perfect to 100%. Inside that 3% zone is where I risk breaking vs fixing.

Next up after it comes home from getting painted will be exhaust gaskets. Might wait til next winter for that.

PS - I grew up in Ross, right nextdoor to SA. Beautiful area up there.

That's hilarious about Ross. I grew up in Kenfield (went to Kent Middle School and Redwood High). After 10 years of NYC I decided to move back to Marin. Started a little Instagram @marinlandcruisers !!

Yeah the first project I ever did was replacing the exhaust manifold gasket. From then on I decided that there is not really anything on the truck that I can't do myself.

When I did the exhaust I used that time to get the fuel injectors rebuilt. Painted the exhaust manifold, etc. Fun times were had.

Let me know if you ever make it back this way. We could reminisce about how cool Eddie's was. It's now an organic no-meat pizza shop. Yuck.

 

[hygge]

If you're wanting to keep your sway bars with a 2-3" lift I would recommend the extended links. Until then though I would stick with OEM links. It's been a long while since I've looked for extended links so can't offer a recommendation on where to get them. I will say if Cruiser Outfitters @cruiseroutfit offers them they'd be my first pick. I've had nothing but outstanding experiences with them. I'll be deciding after my OME install if I want to reinstall my sway bars or not. I've had them off for 12 years and am so used to not having them I'm hoping I don't. If I DO decide to reinstall them, I'll need new mounting hardware, links and bushings. Literally all I still have are the bars themselves

@Spook50 yeah great vendor for sure! There are plenty of outstanding options.

I've been researching the pros /cons of taking them off altogether. I have two little kids that I worry about, so deleting the sway bar seems like not the best move with how comfortable I am with risk right now.

That said, apparently you can modify them so they disengage while you are off-road and reconnect them when you are back on pavement. This might ultimately be the route that I end up going.

 

[EscapeWagon62]

That's hilarious about Ross. I grew up in Kenfield (went to Kent Middle School and Redwood High). After 10 years of NYC I decided to move back to Marin. Started a little Instagram @marinlandcruisers !!

Yeah the first project I ever did was replacing the exhaust manifold gasket. From then on I decided that there is not really anything on the truck that I can't do myself.

When I did the exhaust I used that time to get the fuel injectors rebuilt. Painted the exhaust manifold, etc. Fun times were had.

Let me know if you ever make it back this way. We could reminisce about how cool Eddie's was. It's now an organic no-meat pizza shop. Yuck.

Eddie's was a staple for me. and went to Redwood as well (class of 84 or 85, too old to remember now). If you ever find a copy of the book MARIN by Beth Ashley and you find the photo of Eddie's, I'm the guy walking out the front door with a red and black Adidas sweat jacket.
The trick was to buy your french bread at Eddie's and walk across the street to Sam the Butcher to get the meat for a sandwich. Saved some $ that way.

 

[hygge]

And we are back with some updates. After a debate about what to do with the bar links and whether it was safe to drive without the rear sway bar, I decided to keep it and get new OEM bushings/hardware (hat tip @Spook50 ). I cleaned up the sway bar and end links and proceeded to prime them and rattle can them with flat black - as one does.

I initially had trouble getting the bushings to go in by hand ( that was what the FSM suggests), so I added some silicone lubricant and they went right in with no hassle. To get the metal tubes into the bushings I opted for using a vise and carefully pressing them in.

The hardest part was getting the sway bar to attach to the axle. With the new bushings on the rear sway bar its a tight fit. I used a vise grip to get it snug enough to get the bolts in.

Now its back to normal. Rear Sway bar refashioned back to new!

 

[hygge]

Next I did a little welding, since the seat bracket that holds the seat to the rails failed on the passenger front seat.

The bracket that connects to the lower portion of the seat (which has the rails bolted to it) was sagging. I examined it to find that it is tacked in four spots (and all four had failed).

I added a few pieces of steel and gave the welds a nice cleaning before proceeding to reassemble the seat. Works great now and unless you read this post I doubt anyone would ever notice I had to weld the seat back together. I'll be getting rid of these seats at some point since I'd like to swap in BMW seats with Torfab brackets. But for the time being I'd like to make them work.

 

[hygge]

This is one of the next mini-projects. I am re-doing the metal trim that holds the rear cargo carpet in place. Since I am swapping the interior of the truck from brown to blue/grey I need this carpet retainer trim to match. I am fairly confident its a very dark grey.

I've also got to figure if it makes sense to POR15 the back of the seat. It has some rust on both sides where the wheel wells connect at the swivel points. No one will see the back of the seat - so part of me says go for the POR15 and stop worrying about it.

Thoughts?

 

[Seth_O]

I had the exact same rust on my rear seat, maybe a little worse. I corrosealed the whole thing and will never have to address it again.

 

[hygge]

@Seth_O yeah, I have a few cans of POR-15, which I think are about to get slathered all over the interior. Still need to carve out some rust first!