Builds Merl the Pearl Build (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter Ecliff5
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GX DAVE
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Merl the pearl 
as another nightshadow owner, looking good!
you cleaned INSIDE the frame rails? how? does having the front/rear bumper off give better access, or did you just shove a pressure washer wand into various holes? i have a box of fluidfilm waiting for me to undercoat, so i'm interested in your tips/techniques.
you cleaned INSIDE the frame rails? how? does having the front/rear bumper off give better access, or did you just shove a pressure washer wand into various holes? i have a box of fluidfilm waiting for me to undercoat, so i'm interested in your tips/techniques.
Ecliff5
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- #44
Thanks! Yeah I did the best I could, to be honest it was pretty damn clean to begin with. I had the bumpers off and stuck compressed air throughout the frame first to loosen stuff up, stuck a long brush in places I could reach, compressed air again, then went to town with the pressure washer and soap for hours. Used compressed air again after to get all the moisture out, let it dry and used the 360 degree nozzle everywhere inside the frame.
This is how clean the rear was before I started.
Ecliff5
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- #45
After installing the Delta 3L arms I had some rubbing on the stock front bumper. I trimmed the corners a little bit but still had some rubbing so, instead of ruining a nice stock bumper I tossed my ARB on that was stashed in the back of Shannon. Then came the crossbars so I could mount my awning and load a kayak for another camping trip.
Hawt dogzzzzz..... All day.
Ecliff5
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- #49
Took Merl on another camping trip and then it was time to give her some more love. The front end started binding in turns, figured the trunnions were toast since everything else up front has been replaced. Ordered up a bunch of parts from Toyota and Cruiser Outfitters and started wrenching. I was hoping to wait on this job until I had my diffs from Shannon rebuilt but oh well, just going to have to tear it all open again at a later time. I ended up going with a knuckle rebuild kit with koyo wheel bearings and trunnions, joint fuji spindles with all new hardware, and new standard duty birfs from Cruiser Outfitters. From Toyota I got all new knuckle studs and hardware, new hub studs and hardware, new caliper bolts. 90% new hardware for the front end. I reused my drive flanges because the spline engagement was still tight and I want to go part-time at some point so figured i'd wait and get the locking hubs eventually. It truly is amazing the difference working on a rust free truck…what stuck cone washers? West coasters count your blessings lol. I don't think i'll ever buy another truck in NY.
Ecliff5
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- #50
For a knuckle job, this one was going smoothly and pretty clean actually. I just finished getting everything clean, parts, tools. Reset before starting to put all the clean parts on… then Leroy(my dog) decided he wanted to jump directly into my drip pan filled with brake clean grease and gunk. Yay! Dog and driveway both ruined lol. Time out to hose down the dingo in the backyard and then back to work on Merl. I started swapping out all the knuckle and hub studs, popped the axle shafts from the old birfs and started getting ready for install.
Nice work. I agree people out west have no idea haha. I’m in same region as you and working on rusty trucks definitively adds the time to projects.
fine looking job. i need to do the same.
what influenced you to get new birfs and spindles? did you have signs of those being worn out? scope creep is real with the "while i'm in there" logic but i THINK those are fine on my truck.
and i'll "me too" on the pleasure of working on non rusty truck. my 4Runner was a hot mess after spending many years on the east coast, even though i bought it from NM. this 80 came from AR/OK/TX and is still nice and clean and i intend to keep it that way w/ Fluid Film. almost that time to undercoat!
what influenced you to get new birfs and spindles? did you have signs of those being worn out? scope creep is real with the "while i'm in there" logic but i THINK those are fine on my truck.
and i'll "me too" on the pleasure of working on non rusty truck. my 4Runner was a hot mess after spending many years on the east coast, even though i bought it from NM. this 80 came from AR/OK/TX and is still nice and clean and i intend to keep it that way w/ Fluid Film. almost that time to undercoat!
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Ecliff5
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- #56
Thanks. When the front end started binding in turns, I was pretty sure it was the trunnions but I didn't want to open it all up and find out it was the birfs the whole time. The knuckle balls were BONE DRY when I got the 80. At first I was like wow thats clean, neat! Then I was like... wait, that's too clean lol. On my last 80 I replaced the bare minimum when I did the knuckle job. I would call @OGBeno for 1 stud and 1 bolt and he would say to me... "do you not change your underwear after you shower?"
So, applying that this time around I decided to go all new and not hate myself for needing to do this again shortly after. Once I tore it all down there was some slight pitting on the spindle and the birfs had heat marks on it, glad I decided to go all new for sure.
mudgudgeon
Resident galah
Nice work. Gotta do the sane to mine soon. I put new birfs and drive plates in mine when I bought it, but it needs trunnions and new wiper seals. Wish I did then at the same time.
Were the heat marks on the bell? Birfs almost always have heat marks on the outside of the bell. It's from the manufacturing process
Ecliff5
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- #59
Yeah they were. I wasn’t sure if that were the case or not, I have read that though. The birfs I pulled out of my old 80 didn’t have any heat marks and these new birfs from cruiser outfitters didn’t either. Very possible those birfs were replaced at some point and the oem Toyota birfs have heat marks from manufacturing
But now I have 4 spare birfs on the shelf lol
Start breaking them homeslice! 
