Build Louie - 1973 FJ40 - A OEM work in Progress

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I was chasing a vibration issue at higher speeds and narrowed it down to rims and tires. Two wheels could not be balanced. While the vibration has been reduced, Louie still shimmies and shakes at about 5o mph and above. It is a shame since the rubber is very low/no mileage. The spare still have the little nibs on it.

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So....The process for new shoes has started. The old rims/rubber will be retired to the lake for utility trailers.

First step is to order new rims from Toyota. Part Number 42601-60072. I didn't want to deal with trying to find the best of five bad rims to use as a spare, so I ordered 5. You can have any color you want as long as it is black. The rims also have the hub cap retainer clips. ✅

Second step is to get the wheels powder coated gray or pebble gray to be specific ✅

New Shoes will be installed next week.
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Living in the Past said:
Was the thread that threads into the arms different? Is the way you replaced the ball section? I have some new rectangular flat glass mirrors but haven't compared the thread to the 68-76 mirror arms.
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Yes.... The threads on the ball section was different which is why I had to replaced them. I think the mirrors that I purchased were designed to mount on the mirror arms shown below (ball section bolt and nut installation).

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Vs. the style that I currently have on Louie (ball section stud installation).

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The new shoes have been mounted and are installed. ✅
I purchased and installed Toyo Open Country A/T 30x9.50R15. I wanted the same size of tire that I had originally. The vibration at higher speeds is now gone. Louie is smoother however still drives like a tractor just faster. :) Happy with the color of the powder coating as well.

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FJ40Savvy said:
Carburetor Tune completed. Truck is now idling at ~650 rpm. I will run it this way for a while and see if the rich smell during running is better. All the vacuum lines seem loose on the small connections. I will order and replace all of the vacuum lines over the next couple of weeks. Vacuum gauge connected directly to the exhaust manifold (i.e. bypassing all of the emissions equipment) Needle was steady at 15 in Hg. Calgary elevation is 3400 ft above sea level.

I need to review the smog FSM manual to figure out where to connect the gauge. Truck is stock will all smog equipment in place.

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Testing a theory based on some feedback that I received this weekend. The "rich" condition could be a result of the float not working correctly in the carburetor. Excess fuel is getting dumped into the engine. The sight glass was totally full after driving and I confirm that there is no pressure build up in the gas tank.

I think I need to pull the carb apart adjust the float settings and needle valve so that the fuel level only reaches half way up the sight glass. Does this make sense as a possible solution?

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First time on the new lift. The lift will make working on Louie easier. I have two issues to address:

#1 Drum Brake Adjustment
Need to deal with the pulling to the left when stopping. Thinking the left side is too tight or right side is not tight enough. Time and patience to deal with this issue.

#2 Gas smell in Exhaust
Louie starts and runs really well however there is a strong gas order in the exhaust which would mean that it is running really rich. I did the lean drop tuning last year and it seem to help the running issue but not the gas smell issue. Based on the reading it could be a couple of problems
  1. Bowl Float sticking ( I need to look at the sight glass before driving and after driving)
  2. Wrong Jets installed in the carb (I don't know which ones are in it and don't want to pull the carb apart just yet). I live in Calgary(elevation 3,428 ft).
  3. Choke not fully closing.
Any hints on things to look for would be appreciated.

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FJ40Savvy said:
First time on the new lift. The lift will make working on Louie easier. I have two issues to address:
#2 Gas smell in Exhaust
Louie starts and runs really well however there is a strong gas order in the exhaust which would mean that it is running really rich.
Click to expand...
Welcome back to 1973 technology. We've all been conditioned to exhaust gas passing through a catalytic converter, which removes hydrocarbons.
 
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