Builds Marion Rising: 1974 FJ40 FST

[MadMace]

Dean, When I got my Ignitor II, Pertronix recomended their Flamethrower II coil. And their instructions said to remove the ballast resistor when using that coil. I mention this as you may be thinking of replacing some parts in question.
"Flamethrower II Installation Instructions"
I didn't have the extra terminal on my starter (auxiliary contact) so I had to use a relay to make the resistor bypass work. Going with the Flamethrower II coil I was able to eliminate the resistor and the relay.

Thanks for that John. I remember looking into buying the Flamethrower II coil but read that the OEM coil should work fine so I didn't buy it. I definitely made a mistake in not bypassing the ballast resistor. Additionally, I am pretty sure that the coil that I have installed is a non-resistor type. It is a 12V coil and, if I am understanding what I have read correctly, it is a 6V coil that would be hooked up to a ballast resistor. If that is, in fact, correct then I probably compounded the problem by leaving the ballast resistor in place.

So, what follows is the plan I have moving forward--I am going to run a good ol' fashioned points system and bypass the igniter. Again, I would really appreciate any input about what I am doing wrong or if there is a better way. I am going to bypass the ignitor per the diagram below from the Haynes Manual:

I am pretty sure I have the "extra condenser" hooked up--is it what I have pointed out in the picture below?

This is the coil I currently have installed--clearly makes "12V". I have read a lot of what @Pin_Head has said regarding coils. My understanding is that because this is a 12V coil, I do not need the ballast resistor. If that is the case, I have yet to run Marion with a correct set-up.

 

[MadMace]

We have made some great progress. Finished up the parking brake and parking brake cable that had lost some of its protective jacket.

Cut of the portion of the protective jacket that was torn and tattered

Got some heavy wall heat shrink tubing

Heat shrunk it

All shrunk. It remained very flexible.

Back in place

 

[MadMace]

New parking brake hardware and new shoes.

Drum back on. Nut torqued to spec, cotter pin back in.

Propeller shaft back on

All lubed up

 

[MadMace]

Today was the day to try and re-restart Marion--but first a trip to the Alamo:

One of his favorite pieces of hardware

Back home, back to work on Marion

I went inside to grab something to drink, came back out and saw this. One of my favorite pictures. Marion suits him well.

 

[MadMace]

The good news is Marion started up today with the first turn of the key. What a relief that was. I have been reading, re-reading, researching all I can about ignition systems, ignitors, coils, points, etc., etc., etc....

What I did after she suddenly shut down was:
-Removed the Pertronix, replaced points and condenser
-Tested the coil, measured within spec.
-Learned that my coil should NOT be connected to a ballast resistor whether I am running points or Pertronix. It has been attached to a ballast resistor the entire time I have had her, including when I had the Pertronix installed.
-Found my fusible link wire to be frayed, so replaced it. My cables were pretty beat up overall, so figured it was a good time to replace them. Bought an awesome set from @Fourrunner. Quick delivery, awesome product.
-Found the ground from the starter to frame to be very dirty/greasy (on the starter side). Cleaned that all off before attaching the new cable.
-Static timed the dizzy. I did this after making sure that the rotor on the distributor was at #1 on the dizzy cap when cylinder #1 was at TDC. I wanted to make sure I wasn't 180 degrees off.

We must have done something right, she started right up and sounds the best I have heard her to date.

Frayed fusible link wire. Terminal pretty chewed up.

New cable, terminal, and fusible link repaired

 

[Jtk72]

The good news is Marion started up today with the first turn of the key. What a relief that was. I have been reading, re-reading, researching all I can about ignition systems, ignitors, coils, points, etc., etc., etc....

What I did after she suddenly shut down was:
-Removed the Pertronix, replaced points and condenser
-Tested the coil, measured within spec.
-Learned that my coil should NOT be connected to a ballast resistor whether I am running points or Pertronix. It has been attached to a ballast resistor the entire time I have had her, including when I had the Pertronix installed.
-Found my fusible link wire to be frayed, so replaced it. My cables were pretty beat up overall, so figured it was a good time to replace them. Bought an awesome set from @Fourrunner. Quick delivery, awesome product.
-Found the ground from the starter to frame to be very dirty/greasy (on the starter side). Cleaned that all off before attaching the new cable.
-Static timed the dizzy. I did this after making sure that the rotor on the distributor was at #1 on the dizzy cap when cylinder #1 was at TDC. I wanted to make sure I wasn't 180 degrees off.

We must have done something right, she started right up and sounds the best I have heard her to date.

Frayed fusible link wire. Terminal pretty chewed up.
View attachment 2173614

New cable, terminal, and fusible link repaired
View attachment 2173615

Congrats!!! Can you post some audio of her engine purring? I've been lurking, watching, and hoping for this day for you all. I'm very happy for you all! I definitely sold her to the right family.

 

[MadMace]

Before I turned in for the night, I wanted to share a quick story that demonstrates why I, and I think so many of us, love this forum and our cruiser brothers and sisters. Many of you have undoubtably read and likely benefited from posts by @Steamer. Long before I got to talk with John directly, I learned from many of his posts--not the least of which was flushing the cooling system when I was having my overheating problems.
As I outlined in previous posts, Marion had initially started up when we got the head back on but suddenly died and we couldn't get her restarted. As usual, Steamer was quick to help with his experiences and suggestions. He offered to send me a Pertronix Flame-Thrower II coil that he was no longer using. I took him up on the offer--expecting to at least send him payment to cover the postage--he wouldn't have it--said it was his gift to us.

Well, I get home tonight and in our mail is a Priority Mail package, quite heavy. I thought to myself--"I don't remember ordering anything that would be this heavy". My son loves to open packages, so I let him open it. He has worked enough on Marion to know parts for her when he sees them. He said "Look at all this stuff for Marion".
This is what was in the box:

John was kind and thoughtful enough to send different parts in addition to the coil that he had laying around that he thought might be helpful to get Marion running again. The dizzy has a Pertronix Ignitor installed. I wanted to send him Paypal to at least cover shipping...he said it wasn't enough to worry about. Wow, just wow. Great experience to share with my son as an example of just how kind people are.

John, thanks so much.

 

[MadMace]

Congrats!!! Can you post some audio of her engine purring? I've been lurking, watching, and hoping for this day for you all. I'm very happy for you all! I definitely sold her to the right family.

Hey Joel!! So nice to see your post. Your ears must have been burning. When my son and I were working on getting the valve cover and air filter back on this past weekend (the pictures of him in the most recent post), he said "I wonder how Marion's previous family is doing?" We all fondly remember that trip to Smithville to pick her up. I look forward to when we can drive her up to see ya'll again.

This weekend, I will definitely get some video of her running--I always love seeing those videos--or I should say I like hearing them more than I like seeing them.

Wish me luck, we are taking her for her inspection this Saturday.

 

[Steamer]

John, thanks so much.

You’re quite welcome Dean. I hope something in there is of use. I was happy to make a small contribution to a 74 build that you and your son are doing so well on. Keep up the good work.

 

[Jtk72]

Hey Joel!! So nice to see your post. Your ears must have been burning. When my son and I were working on getting the valve cover and air filter back on this past weekend (the pictures of him in the most recent post), he said "I wonder how Marion's previous family is doing?" We all fondly remember that trip to Smithville to pick her up. I look forward to when we can drive her up to see ya'll again.

This weekend, I will definitely get some video of her running--I always love seeing those videos--or I should say I like hearing them more than I like seeing them.

Wish me luck, we are taking her for her inspection this Saturday.

We are doing great - living the small town dream. Mickelthwaits BBQ put a physical location 3 blocks down from our house so we are living the BBQ dream too. I still have some extra parts for you stashed away in my shed.
Good luck - but I know she'll pass. There's going to be a lot of jealous people when you get her inspected. Looking forward to seeing you all again!

 

[MadMace]

Whoa! I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. Time, as always, flies by. Despite the lack of posting, we have got a lot done.

When I last posted, we were a few days short of taking her for her inspection. Fortunately, she passed without any fuss. My son and I had to drive to a couple of different shops as it was getting late in the day. As @Jtk72 predicted in the last post, she garnered a lot of interest. The first two we went to, the inspectors had already left but the mechanics that were still there wanted to look Marion over before we left. It was especially interesting at the first one because an older mechanic pulled out a much younger mechanic to show him "what real trucks used to look like".

The next morning, my son and I put the bezel back on--finally. We purposely kept it off after we got it powder coated almost 2 years ago and said we would put it back on when we were confident in Marion's roadworthiness.

I have to extend a "thank you" to @Lucille as I had no idea we could register year appropriate plates here in Texas. I have been following his thread and saw that he had registered 1974 plates for his 1974 FJ40. In Texas, through the mid 70's, vehicles were given a new set of plates each year. If you own a "collector" vehicle in Texas, you are able to register plates that are from the same year as the model year of your vehicle. I was able to track down a set on 1974 Texas plates without any difficulty through E-Bay. Despite DMVs historically being a nightmare, it was a piece of cake to get them registered to Marion. The plates suit Marion very well.

 

[MadMace]

One of the main things I noticed as we were driving Marion was how loud the fan was. I posted much earlier in this thread that I replaced the limb amputating, projectile prone original metal fan with an 8-blade FJ60 fan. I did this at the time because Marion's operating temps were running too high. The fan helped, it moved ALOT of air but it sounded like a UPS truck. We ordered a new, OEM 6 blade plastic fan and installed it along with the original shroud.

It was a good time to change out the fan anyway because we had just run Evaporust's Thermocure through the system for 3 days to combat any remaining rust in the block and had to drain and flush to cooling system. It worked great. Got all the hoses reattached, filled her up with coolant, and off we went. Temps are now running normal, even with extended driving--that has been a huge relief. In the end, I think it was all the sediment in the back of the block that we were able to wash out while the head was being rebuilt by JimC that was causing the higher temps.

New 6 blade fan and original shroud installed. I also need to thank @JohnnyC for the suggestion on how to better secure the overflow bottle bracket. A couple of trips back and forth to vise, a little bend here, big bend there and it fit like it was built for Marion's engine bay.

 

[MadMace]

Not too long ago, when reading through the classifieds, I came across a wanted ad by @FARMAN33 for a bumper mounted Con-Ferr tool box. Shortly after, he posted a photo of his new (old) box on his rig and, well, I succumbed to the sin of envy and just had to have one. Fortunately, @swamp-thing was kind enough to offer me his and had it shipped out to me in no time. Sure does look good!! And, yes, they are as cool, if not cooler, than they look. Fortunately, @Jtk72 had kept Marion's original front bumper that he passed onto us when we adopted her. Although I do like the different brush guards, there is something about the original bumper that I find more appealing--especially when there is a tool box bolted onto it!!!

Regarding the front bumper, somewhere along the way it was rattle canned black. We got it wire brushed down and tomorrow it will get painted with Duple-Color Stainless Steel. After a lot of reading through different threads, this seems to be the one that is the closest to OEM Pewter.

 

[FARMAN33]

That just looks right! If you can't have a vintage 8274 there, these are the next best thing!

 

[MadMace]

As I detailed not too long ago in this thread, one of the snags I ran into was not being able to restart Marion after she had been running for a while. Initially I thought maybe it was the Pertronix Ignition system that failed, then maybe a mis-matched coil with the Pertronix, and so on. Well, after a lot of reading, it became clear to me that what was happening was what so many owners of FJ40s without carb fans have learned. A hot engine bay causes the gas in the carb to vaporize (or something like that) and makes starting a hot engine more difficult. The answer if you don't have a carb fan--press the gas pedal all the way in (DON'T pump the peddle), choke open, turn the key and let off the peddle once (viola) it starts. This has worked like a charm.

Now, that being said, it is still a little rougher start than when the carb is cooled, so I have been reading, brainstorming different ideas for a retro-fit carb fan. The challenge has been that I don't want to drill any mounting holes and I want the fan to look like it is supposed to be there and not some retro-fit or after thought.

I looked into different bilge blowers and sure enough, one in particular will fit in the mounting holes for the emissions module that is located on top of the driver's side fender. Unfortunately, I could not find it in black so if I go with this one I'll have to paint it.

I was able to use some thick gasket material and my hollow hole punches to make a couple of rubber isolators.

So @ToyotaMatt, this is where I need your help. I am not planning on running this on an automatic timer. Instead, I plan to run this by a manual switch mounted in the dash--I have one opening left. I know that there is an OEM switch with a picture of a fan on it that I am thinking can control it. Plan would be make a custom wire set-up from battery to switch to fan.

 

[MadMace]

That just looks right! If you can't have a vintage 8274 there, these are the next best thing!

Haha--YES, exactly. I told my wife that the only way that toolbox ever comes off is if I find a winch. I think she initially thought I said wench because she looked confused--as in what does one have to do with the other. In the end she shrugged her shoulders and said "sounds like a great idea"...I don't think she could care less. She doesn't seem to share the same passion for Marion that I do.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

As I detailed not too long ago in this thread, one of the snags I ran into was not being able to restart Marion after she had been running for a while. Initially I thought maybe it was the Pertronix Ignition system that failed, then maybe a mis-matched coil with the Pertronix, and so on. Well, after a lot of reading, it became clear to me that what was happening was what so many owners of FJ40s without carb fans have learned. A hot engine bay causes the gas in the carb to vaporize (or something like that) and makes starting a hot engine more difficult. The answer if you don't have a carb fan--press the gas pedal all the way in (DON'T pump the peddle), choke open, turn the key and let off the peddle once (viola) it starts. This has worked like a charm.

Now, that being said, it is still a little rougher start than when the carb is cooled, so I have been reading, brainstorming different ideas for a retro-fit carb fan. The challenge has been that I don't want to drill any mounting holes and I want the fan to look like it is supposed to be there and not some retro-fit or after thought.

I looked into different bilge blowers and sure enough, one in particular will fit in the mounting holes for the emissions module that is located on top of the driver's side fender. Unfortunately, I could not find it in black so if I go with this one I'll have to paint it.
View attachment 2199142

View attachment 2199143

I was able to use some thick gasket material and my hollow hole punches to make a couple of rubber isolators.

View attachment 2199144
View attachment 2199145

So @ToyotaMatt, this is where I need your help. I am not planning on running this on an automatic timer. Instead, I plan to run this by a manual switch mounted in the dash--I have one opening left. I know that there is an OEM switch with a picture of a fan on it that I am thinking can control it. Plan would be make a custom wire set-up from battery to switch to fan.

Good evening mr. mace ,

is this what you envision ?

i call the fan blade a the " Boat Prop knob "

most folks are not aware or have never seen the partial production year ;

FRONT FAN only knob , its more popular with my clients as a AUX fan manual knob like you are planning , and alot less as it's intended target production date
use in the 40 & 55 series USA spec.


if the idea of a 2 speed / double pull AUX fan switch ever crossed you mind ,

options here too , but i don't see the need ?

i always want FULL blast on my 83 FJ43L-KC , i run a manual AUX Fan Pull as well ,
and have incorporate a Manual Wind up clock style timer so i can wind her up
before i go into HOME DEPOT on a hot summer day , after , 30 minutes
the manual wind up cuts the NEG- 12V to the FAN circuit ......

- fyi , TOYOTA uses NEG- ground on all switch side circuits since mid 1980's
say approx 1983 first gen 4Runner and beyond , so i feed my AUX devices with B+ hot constant , and switch leg my ground sides , I can further explain the TECH later with u in a PM , or Live Real Time .............



please let me know how i can further help ...............


kindly matt

 

[ToyotaMatt]

on a separate topic ,

i have had time to Bench Test the Audio Assy. we spoke about the other day ,
and well It's Alive and well ..........


i will PM you photos , and will be making a Bench Test Video very soon ......



i am very excited about this particular project , simply because i have never
seen one LIVE in action in any way , anywhere , ever .......


more to come .....

 

[Lucille]

Whoa! I didn't realize how long it has been since I last posted. Time, as always, flies by. Despite the lack of posting, we have got a lot done.

When I last posted, we were a few days short of taking her for her inspection. Fortunately, she passed without any fuss. My son and I had to drive to a couple of different shops as it was getting late in the day. As @Jtk72 predicted in the last post, she garnered a lot of interest. The first two we went to, the inspectors had already left but the mechanics that were still there wanted to look Marion over before we left. It was especially interesting at the first one because an older mechanic pulled out a much younger mechanic to show him "what real trucks used to look like".

The next morning, my son and I put the bezel back on--finally. We purposely kept it off after we got it powder coated almost 2 years ago and said we would put it back on when we were confident in Marion's roadworthiness.
View attachment 2199017
View attachment 2199019

I have to extend a "thank you" to @Lucille as I had no idea we could register year appropriate plates here in Texas. I have been following his thread and saw that he had registered 1974 plates for his 1974 FJ40. In Texas, through the mid 70's, vehicles were given a new set of plates each year. If you own a "collector" vehicle in Texas, you are able to register plates that are from the same year as the model year of your vehicle. I was able to track down a set on 1974 Texas plates without any difficulty through E-Bay. Despite DMVs historically being a nightmare, it was a piece of cake to get them registered to Marion. The plates suit Marion very well.

View attachment 2199020

Hell yes. Those vintage plates are a nice finishing touch.

 

[Steamer]

Hey Dean. Are those two punches mounted together or is it just two separate ones sitting together?