Build Live in Texas, drive a pickup: HDJ79 single cab build

[bottombracket]

Had another good day. Got the intercooler in, AC lines modified, headlights, turn signals, side marker lights with conversion harnesses, horn, windshield wipers, and mirrors.

Technical notes to follow tomorrow.

 

[davegonz]

Très bien, mon ami!

 

[davegonz]

Will you have to modify the grill for the intercooler?

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Had another good day. Got the intercooler in, AC lines modified, headlights, turn signals, side marker lights with conversion harnesses, horn, windshield wipers, and mirrors.

Technical notes to follow tomorrow.

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Looks like a surgery room after successful surgery! Nice work Sir! It looks great!!

 

[Gun Runner 5]

The side markers also serve as turn signals?

 

[bottombracket]

@davegonz , modify ain’t the word. It’s such a thick intercooler core… The instructions from Australia say to thin the grill down until only 2 to 3 mm are left. I want to use the Satoshi grill with TOYOTA script… but that grill is so far recessed, I’m not sure it’ll be possible. I started to cut it out last night at 2:30am and stopped.

@ceylonfj40nut if this was an OR… It’d be more like Frankenstein‘s lab.

@Gun Runner 5 yes! They are turn signals on my truck, not clearance lamps. I’ll detail more in a minute.

 

[bottombracket]

OK, a few notes on the PDI intercooler.

The guys at PDI tried to build me a kit for something that didn’t exist… A left-hand drive wide nose 79 with an FTE in it. So really I just bought the intercooler core and they made some rough guesstimates on piping and hoses.

The install is not as bad as you would think. Amusingly, you have to “bend the radiator supports in” with a hammer. Yes, you just bang the hell out of it with a 3 pound hammer and make a slightly radiused clearance for the intercooler piping. I figured that would have more structural integrity than cutting the rib of the radiator support out.

The only real fabrication was notching the passenger side bracket for the A/C hardline. The M6 stud has to be removed. I cut a notch out in the bracket, moved the rubber support bumper up, and in-plane bent the two aluminum lines to move the AC high-pressure valve from a forward-pointing orientation to vertical.

You also have to space the passenger side of the condenser back on a slight angle with three included 3 to 4 mm aluminum spacers.

Pre:

Passenger side bracket pre-modification.

Modified bracket with high-pressure valve oriented vertically now.

Modified bracket, massaged lines, massaged rad support.

 

[bottombracket]

Careful and judicious bending of the cooler, refrigerant lines, and the upper condenser fitting of the refrigerant discharge hose made everything fit. It’s close, but it clears everything in all directions.

I even reused a 90° bracket to hold the upper cooler refrigerant discharge hose. 88688–60810 lives again in a different form.

(It’s the cute little support bracket in the last two pictures)

 

[bottombracket]

Before putting the headlights back on, I installed all of the front frame to cab mounting hardware. Part numbers are listed below. I had to reverse the orientation of the upper and lower cushions to accommodate for slight variation in the homemade mounts. Basically just puts the thicker cushion at the top.

 

[bottombracket]

Lower valance on, headlights in, intercooler bolted up.

The Satoshi grill that I want to use (PZ376-60074) maybe too far recessed to fit over the intercooler core. I may be forced into using the black sombrero grill there’s a lot more meat on the plastic ribs. PDI says that you have to thin the grill until only 2 to 3 mm of thickness are left… I’m going to start on that after a lot of coffee right now… I didn’t have the guts to do it at 3 AM when I was tired.

 

[RevISK]

I strongly prefer the black grill just wish it didn't have the flaccid T logo.

 

[bottombracket]

Ian I’m not sure have a choice here unless I make my own with some expanded metal mesh…. wanna come over this afternoon and help me bleed brakes? We could probably drive this thing today!

 

[bottombracket]

@joekatana gave me a bunch of parts when he closed shop. Two of the old style horns (still attached to the old valance here) are now bolted into the right front fender well. They changed over in 1/2007.

 

[Broski]

I strongly prefer the black grill just wish it didn't have the flaccid T logo.

^^^ This

 

[bottombracket]

OK @Gun Runner 5 this is for you:

It’s interesting that on the wide nose trucks the side marker lights are intended to only be clearance lamps?

On my 1999 to 2006 narrow nose harness, they definitely function as turn signals.

The correct lamps for my truck are 81731-60061. The new lamp socket itself that has been superseded with a four prong socket, 90075–99012. So I stole new style lenses (81731–20192) from the double cab and made conversion wiring harnesses to wire them up.

And yeah they flash! They are NOT wired as running lights.

 

[bottombracket]

Wipers:

 

[Gun Runner 5]

OK @Gun Runner 5 this is for you:

It’s interesting that on the wide nose trucks the side marker lights are intended to only be clearance lamps?

On my 1999 to 2006 narrow nose harness, they definitely function as turn signals.

The correct lamps for my truck are 81731-60061. The new lamp socket itself that has been superseded with a four prong socket, 90075–99012. So I stole new style lenses (81731–20192) from the double cab and made conversion wiring harnesses to wire them up.

And yeah they flash! They are NOT wired as running lights.

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It seems strange that the 79 Series had those lights while the 76 Series did not.
Thanks

 

[bottombracket]

Weird. Yours are JUST running lights? Are they hazard flashers? Mine function as turn signals and hazard flashers.

Finally, mirrors. I had to go top shelf and break out my big old #1 Toyota JIS screwdriver (normally saved for ceremonial occasions only) to get the loctited mirror screws to tighten down.

 

[bottombracket]

 

[Gun Runner 5]

@bottombracket …. “Weird. Yours are JUST running lights? Are they hazard flashers? Mine function as turn signals and hazard flashers.”
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They are physically not there.