Build Kermit, 1976 FJ40. The Cobbler has the worst shoes!

[ceylonfj40nut]

Hypothesis confirmed today about the prior leaky lifter cover gasket. Got Kermit out for a good hot run at 70 mph on the freeway after spraying down old oil drips with brake kleen. Pulled it to the barn and popped the hood. Bone dry. Reason it leaked was due to excessive crank case pressure when it had flat top pistons and cracked rings. One less thing to do on the list.

I will do a new OEM fan belt and two lower radiator hoses just for peace of mind, also with OEM hoses.

I think she is ready otherwise.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Ready for SAS. Always things one can tweak. Good enuff. My son @Cowboy45 and I went for a little ride in our rigs. His 72 FST with a 3 fiddy and three speed on the floor is still my favorite combo! He is all smiles when he is driving her. Pterodactyl we call her. She growls and hauls ass. 2f in mine does not hold a prayer!

 

[RevISK]

Ancient lore is that the 2 F’s in 2F stand for “flying f#ck”, as in, don’t give a…
Because it’ll always get you there.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Ancient lore is that the 2 F’s in 2F stand for “flying f#ck”, as in, don’t give a…
Because it’ll always get you there.

Those Japanese know how to name engine models! Need to give them more credit.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Well, was up at night a tad (SAS night sweats)! I had the top radiator hoses done. Bottom two were old and a tad too soft for my liking! Broke out the OEM hoses I was planning to carry on the trip and got them done! New coolant as well.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Also got an OEM (plastic) fuel filter and air filter placed last night! I was checking lights etc and noticed left turn signal was not alternating on and off. Chased grounds and placed star washers, still no joy. I tore into the rear wiring to find some PO stuff. Fixed it. All good. Going to to do one more round of bolt/nut check and put skid plate on.

Time for a long awaited bath and pack her up ready for the trip. @thatcabledude is enroute to convoy up.@siplifebis also heading home to drive with me!

 

[RevISK]

Also got an OEM (plastic) fuel filter and air filter placed last night! I was checking lights etc and noticed left turn signal was not alternating on and off. Chased grounds and placed star washers, still no joy. I tore into the rear wiring to find some PO stuff. Fixed it. All good. Going to to do one more round of bolt/nut check and put skid plate on.

Time for a long awaited bath and pack her up ready for the trip. @thatcabledude is enroute to convoy up.@siplifebis also heading home to drive with me!

“Time for a long awaited bath“

Yes CD, everyone would appreciate that…

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

That’s right ambulatory meat bag!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Heading out first AM to SAS. Thinking of removing the drain plugs to let the sweat out. Gonna be hawt!!!

 

[John McVicker]

@ceylonfj40nut same here. There are several different routes I can take to get to our KOA. I’m taking what I believe will be the one with the lowest temperatures. But even still, I will be either pushing or actually in triple digits the entire 2 days, including even Montrose which is scheduled to be 104* on Sunday.

I’m thinking my rather stock 60 is up to this challenge…but wow!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Yea. You have kept up with it John. It will pay off! Pacing yourself is where it’s at!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Almost ant Amarillo. It’s hot. Looks like I am getting some vapor lock. Letting it cool and getting some heat shield.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

@thatcabledude took this awesome pic. So many meanings behind it. One of the which is “ regardless of what is ahead, we will overcome and get there!”

We had a tough run at Molass Pass heading from Silverton to Ouray. It was hot! Truck was at 3/4 mark on the temp gauge. She bucked a bit and pinged. Pulled over and did a temp reading 220F. We let her cool. We then hit the road again and made it to KOA in Ouray! Oil did have a smell of fuel. Knowing we put Kermit through the paces, we are going to @RustyNailJustin’s shop for an oil change and replacing front brake pads. Seemed to have had a bad batch. Brake dust and squeal was not within expectations. Ouray could benefit from some local support and glad to have them do it despite me being able to do it. @landcrusher909 will also be with us. We will see about getting pinging resolved. Lots of factors….ethanol gas, unusually hot spells in CO, altitude.

Despite the hiccups, Kemit was great otherwise! I am glad to do this right of passage with @SipLife

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

If you ever need some cruiser work done while in Ouray/Ridgeway, look up @RustyNailJustin and his crew! Excellent work. Humbling to have a legend get a few things dialed in on Kermit. @SipLife also got to hang with him and his crew which was priceless. Coincidentally, my younger son @Cowboy45 drives Justin’s FST FJ40. Justin has a standing offer if he ever wants it back. We are stewards of it for now.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

I had rebuilt my carb prior to leaving for SAS. Seemed to work great until I got past about 8000’. It began to run very rich and power dropped significantly. Both primary and secondary jets were in operation but lower in power. My fuel bowl was at mid mark while in operation but would bubble and “drain out” when I stopped the truck. Mpgs were single digits. Had to pull over on Molas Pass because the rich mixture caused excess heat.

Over 3 to 4 finger bourbons at the campsite “fire in a can” with the usual band of brothers (@ElviMcCoy, @thatcabledude, @landcrusher909, @SipLife,@dogfishlake) carb theories among other viral/vial subjects transpired. We were fortunate to be graced by the OG of carbs @landcrusher909 who magnanimously offered to take a “look see” about the padawan carb rebuild I did. Key findings were that my power piston screw was loose and my carb jets were a little too big for what the OG specs say. Loose screw could have been the culprit for premature fuel bowl draining. My primary was 141 and secondary was 220. OG says about 120-140 for the primary and <190 for the secondary. Carbs usually have spare jets in the fuel bowl access bolts. Mine did not. Knowing the secondary was too big, we opted to run on the primary jet only since it was on the high side of the range. @landcrusher909 conducted surgery on my carb on the picnic operating table to castrate the secondary jet. @SipLife got a first hand lesson.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

We head out of SAS today. Carb was good up the million dollar mile hwy on our way to Durango. All seemed great. However after the second hair pin turn heading up, Kermit just died in the middle of the road. Yanked the parking brake and tried to fire it up but it would not start! Popped the hood while directing traffic and checked the carb. Bowl was at the mid mark and the accelerator pump was spiking fuel as it should. @thatcabledude was ahead of us. He came back and we hitched a tow rope to his truck and got us to a flat spot where we diagnosed the issue. Oddly it was the DUI ignitor coil that s*** the bed, likely from the high engine heat. Luckily, I had a spare in the glove box. Swapped it out and got back on the road. We are glamping south of Albuquerque tonight.

@thatcabledude took the most epic pic of Kermit as we were heading back. It’s going to get transferred to a large wall canvas for sure!

 

[John McVicker]

Good job CD. It’s a great feeling that ‘our Cruiser community’ has for each other. We never know, we might help someone out…and the next day receive help. Love it!

 

[landcrusher909]

That was such a Great trip, wheeling, hanging out and wrenching. @dogfishlake and @ElviMcCoy getting some work in.

 

[cruisermatt]

Lose the HEI and get Toyota points distributor.. they don’t randomly fail without warning. And spare points are only $4.
Simple. Reliable. OEM

New FJ40 OEM Vacuum Advance Distributor Assembly 2F 3F

New OEM Toyota Vacuum Advance Distributor for 1975-1992 Land Cruiser models with 2F or 3F (Non-USA) Engines. Note These are a points-type unit. Make sure to pair with proper coil and ballast resistor. Clamp included. If you have any questions about compatibility or installation, please do not...

cruisermatts.com

 

[ElviMcCoy]

That was such a Great trip, wheeling, hanging out and wrenching. @dogfishlake and @ElviMcCoy getting some work in.

View attachment 4190644

If I hadn’t spent so much time wrenching on bourbon…. Many thanks to the Wolf Pack for the assist. Looking forward to staring into holes in the ice at Bowfin’s place this winter. I’ve got plenty of clothes/bibs/coats for you TX/CA boys.