JT's FJ40 build (1 Viewer)

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On day one I blew out the slave cylinder on the descent down to the creek trail. Not sure exactly what happened, but, when it gave, it left the clutch fully disengaged. I was able to loosen up the rod adjustment nut enough to let it retract and engage the clutch. Then it was just a matter of turning off the truck to change from forward to reverse and starting it in gear. We sent the girls with the rest of the crew to finish the creek trail, and Ginny and I limped the truck back to camp without a clutch. That was fun.

Back at camp I was fortunate to find the only slave cylinder within a 500 mile radius in Knoxville (Jrob had given me Roger's number on the way out, but luckily we didn't have to bother him). We hit the road, and about 2 hours later she was rolling again.

Day two found us on Little School Bus (trail 38) where the picture above was taken. At some point my filler neck hose got punctured, and we leaked gas on every incline (looking back on it, this was probably caused by one of the hundred or so rocks/small boulders the girls had collected in the back seat). We tried to patch it, but didn't have much luck. I'll have to source a new hose before crawl.

The truck did well. The front end flexes better than I thought it would, but I'm not sure the rear is dialed in just yet. The springs are the same front and rear, but the rear just doesn't flex like the front does. I'm pretty sure this is due to the rear shocks. I'm thinking I should cut the rear fender wells, run shock towers up through them, and install some longer travel shocks in a 100% vertical position. This will be on the winter project list.

Steering worked ok...much better than the last update. My new belt whines under load, so it will be changed out soon.

Here are a couple more pics from Little School Bus:

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Also wanted to relay this little story regarding the slave cylinder:

On the way to the auto parts store in Knoxville we pass this little auto repair shop (Car Works of Knoxville) and I notice a 40 out front. The same 40 in the exact same spot in this street view link:

Street View

At that point I was dead set on getting the part, so I didn't stop. At the auto parts counter, when I was comparing my broken cylinder to theirs to make sure the bolt patterns were the same etc, I noticed that the flare inside the hose fitting was different than the one I had (I'm probably saying that incorrectly). I got it anyway. On the way back I got to worrying that it was probably going to leak.

When I passed back by the repair shop I decided to stop and see if the 40 out front was more than just a coincidence. I grabbed my broken cylinder and headed in. Before I could even get it out of my mouth, the guy behind the counter eyes what I'm carrying and says "looks like you need a slave cylinder for an FJ-40." I laughed and told him I only stopped because he had one out front. I explained my concerns about the new one, and he walked to the back to see if he had one on the shelf. He actually had an older, smaller bore model that might would have worked and said I could take it. Then he explained to me (with an ink pen on the back of a napkin) the difference between a double flare and a bubble flare. After the lesson he assured me that if I tightened my hydraulic hose enough it probably wouldn't leak.

While we're talking, a young tech walks in from the shop, takes one look at the part on the counter, and says "slave off an FJ?". Turns out that these guys have done full frame off restores on 15 or so 40's, so if you're in the area and need some Cruiser help, look these guys up. Good people.
 
wngrog said:
View attachment 937913

I guess the guys and girls that went to Windrock are too cool to post a trip report.

Maybe JT can give us an update on how ole blue is working
Click to expand...

It would take a month for me to type that much. So it would be forgotten by the time I finished. And Lori can't take pictures so I got nothin...
 
southff4 said:
It would take a month for me to type that much. So it would be forgotten by the time I finished. And Lori can't take pictures so I got nothin...
Click to expand...
Don't you start crying!
 
southff4 said:
It would take a month for me to type that much. So it would be forgotten by the time I finished. And Lori can't take pictures so I got nothin...
Click to expand...

I gotcha Fergie:

Rolled into camp at 3am Friday...still upset that Lori wouldn't let him pull the 40 with the 200. Unloaded the 40 and hit the sack. Up at 5am to go get breakfast and beer. On the trails by 9 or so.

New tires - good
New lockers - good
Steering - not so good...to be addressed soon, like real soon.
 
fountainhead said:
I gotcha Fergie:

Rolled into camp at 3am Friday...still crying that Lori wouldn't let him pull the 40 with the 200. Unloaded the 40 and hit the sack. Up at 5am to go get breakfast and beer. On the trails by 9 or so.

New tires - good no crying
New lockers - good no crying
Steering - not so good...to be addressed soon, like real soon. a few tears
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fixed.
 
Filler neck hose replaced. Doesn't sound like much, but, with the tank cover on, cage/seat frame still installed, and passenger seat in place, this was a bear...lots of swearing.

Power steering pump belt replaced. I've got the pulley that supports the 'wide' belt. I had one on originally, but I'm pretty sure it was a bit too long (to me, I was never able to properly tension it). When I took it all apart and re-installed all the proper mounting brackets, I replaced the belt with one I found used in several other build threads. This was a very narrow belt, and it whined under load. I went back with a shorter version of the original belt, and it seems to be working much better...we'll see in a couple of weeks.

Forgot to mention that I developed a nasty grinding/popping noise in the area of the rear end at Windrock. While crawling around under and beside it at low speed I decided it was the rear drive shaft. We just let it be and ran it. I swapped it with a spare yesterday afternoon, and the noise is gone. Not sure what the issue was exactly, but we'll run this new one until it (or something else) breaks.

Now I need to try to clean this thing up a bit.
 
Per Georg, I'm running OEM FJ-60 shafts.

Edit - nm...you're talking about rebuilding the bad one with OEM u-joints, right?
 
Sometimes the pinion dust cover thingy (rides under the pinion flange) can get chewed up and make some noise as well.
 
Update after going to Clayton this past weekend:

When we got back from Windrock I replaced my power steering pump belt. This got rid of the whine that I suspected was being caused by the belt slipping. With the new 'wide' belt on and properly tensioned, I felt like the steering was finally dialed in for the first time. This was confirmed at the crawl. The truck worked better at the crawl than it ever has before - crawled at idle on just about every trail (even under slight braking it never stalled) and steering was fantastic. This past weekend at Clayton, though, the steering went to s*** again.

On the first day it worked well for most of the day. At some point, though, it reverted to the state it was in before I tore it all apart the last time. Specifically, it was approaching the point where you could not turn the wheels at idle. I didn't think a whole lot of it; drove it back to camp and left it there til the next morning. Before we headed out, I let it warm up, and I added a little power steering fluid...it wasn't really low. With the truck just sitting there you could not turn the wheels at all. Once you got it rolling, turning was a little bit easier. On the way back to the trails, though, it got hard to just make turns from street to street. Without bumping the throttle, the power steering was pretty much useless...it was going to be a LONG day.

Fortunately it never got any worse, which only means that the power steering system never completely failed. We wheeled it all day and made the best of it. What's strange, though, is that when we came off the trails the steering wheel had rotated 90 degrees clockwise when driving straight. After my last changes, I spent a good bit of time getting the wheel almost perfectly aligned. The only time I've ever seen the wheel get off center was when I adjusted either the drag link or tie rod. The tie rod has not been touched since it was on the alignment machine at WCT's shop, but I've made several adjustments to the drag link since then. Each time I've had to recenter the steering wheel. With the wheel off center, my assumption was that one of the links had gotten loose and had moved. When I got under it yesterday, though, I found both of them fully locked in place exactly where I left them last. I'm not sure what happened.

So, I'm ready to attack this issue once again. I know the thunder talkers told me to go with hydro assist, or ported boxes, or PSC from the get go. I ignored this advice under the premise that I would address it when the time came. Well, I guess the time has come. I don't mind ripping it all out, throwing it away, and sourcing new components if that's what it takes, but I have to try to understand what the issue is before I do all that. Based on what happened the last time, I concluded that my pump failed. Now, with identical symptoms, I guess I have to conclude that I've destroyed this pump as well. Many folks are successfully running this same Saginaw setup with 37" tires, so, there has to be a variable or variables in my setup that is/are causing the issues. The only things that come to mind are:

1) I'm running 2" wheel spacers and wheels with 2.5" of BS. I know this is not ideal and is more than likely wreaking havoc on my knuckles, bearings, etc.
2) I'm running the 4x4Labs steering arms that put the tie rod behind the axle.

Could one or both of these issues be putting that much more stress on my steering system and ultimately causing my pump to fail? And, more importantly, if so, is hydro assist the answer? I don't want to put a ram on there and just mask the underlying problem.

Oh, and since this is an update post, I fully clearanced my passenger side fender this weekend...it's time for some tube.
 
fountainhead said:
Update after going to Clayton this past weekend:

Oh, and since this is an update post, I fully clearanced my passenger side fender this weekend...it's time for some tube.
Click to expand...

But you made that line easily….

Oh and go with PSC…. there stuff just works & excellent customer service.
 
I thought the rule was saginaw for 37s+
 
Hey JT.
Just read your last update. Bummer you're having issues. Sounds to me like your pump is failing. Can you post pics of your pump, belt, pulley , hoses, cooler and box? Pretty much the whole system?
I like PSC stuff a lot. I've got it on my buggy and we've installed their components on pretty much all the rugs we built that require more than over-the-counter parts. Their quality and customer support are top notch.
We've had issues bending pitman arms. It could be the reason why your steering wheel is "off". I bent one in the buggy over a year ago. It was an almost new aftermarket part. Luckily a local buddy if mine runs a company that makes a lot if steering and suspension components. He cut a billet pitman arm on his water-jet for me. It's badass! Had it on the rig for at least half a dozen trips now and it's perfect. Not cheap; $175 but it's super beefy. We've since installed a few of them on other rigs and they have eliminated any pitman arm issues. He can make them in any offset and any length. Might be worth checking out for your cruiser.
Hydro assist may not be a horrible idea for your rig. You're definitely pushing the limits when it comes to tire size and the type of wheeling you do with a non-assist setup.
Hope that helps.
Georg @ Valley Hybrids
 
When we first put it together I only had your pump bracket that attached to the block at the motor mount. We got creative with the 'adjusting' bracket on the front of the pump. This setup never allowed us to get good tension on the belt, so the first time I tore it all apart I got your 'adjusting' bracket and spacers and got it lined up and tensioned pretty well (at least I think I did).

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