Build Montina and The Blue Plate Special

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Put the wheels on and took a drive around with the adjustments made according to specs. What a crazy difference with new tie rod ends and the new stabilizer! Transformative! Instead of driving like an old tractor it drives like a new tractor.
I couldn’t get jellybean to get out after the ride. She wanted to stay in the 40. 😁

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Starting to work on the Blue Plate Special since I’ve got Montina driving well now. Fuel filters came in from CCOT for the 79 and I bought some gates 5/16 fuel line. I took the plugs out and dropped some more Marvin’s oil in the cylinders. I hooked up a battery and turned the engine over a few times. She’s free moving and turns over very easily so that’s a good sign!

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Brave man.

Your bottle makes it look like some magic elixir
 
Got the tank drained and felt around inside of the tank drain and could definitely feel some crusties. I will try to flush it out without removing the tank. Any recommendations on what to use
besides fresh and expensive gas?

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Cheap and stale gas? Filtered of course.

A gallon of seafoam?
 
Finally welded a new nut to the stripped transfer case fill plug. Happened to be 17mm. Worked like a charm. There was hardly any gear oil that came out, maybe a half pint. I filled back up with a couple quarts till over flowing and used an additive for preventing further wear. Also put on the outback plate from @landcruiserjunky.

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Unbolt the rear heater so you can access the sender cover. If you loosen the retainers on the heater lines near the transmission hump you can probably move it out of the way enough for the next steps. Pull the sender cover and sender and look in to see how bad it is. If it’s bad, pull the tank and clean it right or just buy a new one. If it doesn’t look too bad flush a couple of gallons of gas through it and check again.
 
Finally welded a new nut to the stripped transfer case fill plug. Happened to be 17mm. Worked like a charm. There was hardly any gear oil that came out, maybe a half pint. I filled back up with a couple quarts till over flowing and used an additive for preventing further wear. Also put on the outback plate from @landcruiserjunky.

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Did you check the gear oil in the trans? Was it above the fill plug ( overfilled)? If so, it might have migrated over there from the transfercase. The quick fix is a hose kit from @shipmag. He has two different lengths depending on model year.
 
Did you check the gear oil in the trans? Was it above the fill plug ( overfilled)? If so, it might have migrated over there from the transfercase. The quick fix is a hose kit from @shipmag. He has two different lengths depending on model year.
Tranny fluid was drained and filled a while ago and was normal. I’ll check again just to be sure. I did notice yesterday a leak from the rear output of the pto. I’ll do some more digging today but that might be where the fluid has gone. I will look into the hose kit, thanks.
 
Unbolt the rear heater so you can access the sender cover. If you loosen the retainers on the heater lines near the transmission hump you can probably move it out of the way enough for the next steps. Pull the sender cover and sender and look in to see how bad it is. If it’s bad, pull the tank and clean it right or just buy a new one. If it doesn’t look too bad flush a couple of gallons of gas through it and check again.
I’m fighting rusted screws on the cover plate but just got some new impact posi bits I will try today so I can take a look inside the tank.
 
On the transmission remove the fill plug. If oil comes out of the fill lug it is being over filled by the transfer case. As the front seal of transfer case fails the oil from the transfer case is pushed into the transmission. Over filling the transmission may cause oil to spill from transmission to the clutch. Oil on the clutch disc can crystallize and becomes harden and cuts groves into the pressure plate. Also the transfer case oil level drops and may damage the transfer case.

The correct fix it to replace the front seal in the transfer case. Many mudders install a bypass hose for insurance. One never knows when it starts happening. I made up a braided stainless steel hose using banjo fittings for my 74 FJ40. The interior hose is teflon which also resist heat. The braided exterior helps protect the hose from the heat of the exhaust pipe. Other mudders learned of the unique design and asked me to make them one. So rather than dealing with group buys I try to keep both sizes in stock. You have to measure full plug to fill plug. If your thinking I'll just buy the longer one so I don't have to
Measure? Wrong too long won't drain right.

Some Landcruiser shops keep my hose in stock to install on the cruisers that go through their shop. I've sold over 500.

Send me a pm and we can figure out what works best for your situation.

Be sure a PO didn't loose the fill plugs and replace them With a 1/2npt plug. If your threads are tapered it's a pipe thread. Banjo fittings won't seal on a pipe thread. They have to be straight threads. If a PO did do the pipe plug I have a fix for that. Out of 500 three have run into this. So send a pm and see how I can help you.
 
T
On the transmission remove the fill plug. If oil comes out of the fill lug it is being over filled by the transfer case. As the front seal of transfer case fails the oil from the transfer case is pushed into the transmission. Over filling the transmission may cause oil to spill from transmission to the clutch. Oil on the clutch disc can crystallize and becomes harden and cuts groves into the pressure plate. Also the transfer case oil level drops and may damage the transfer case.

The correct fix it to replace the front seal in the transfer case. Many mudders install a bypass hose for insurance. One never knows when it starts happening. I made up a braided stainless steel hose using banjo fittings for my 74 FJ40. The interior hose is teflon which also resist heat. The braided exterior helps protect the hose from the heat of the exhaust pipe. Other mudders learned of the unique design and asked me to make them one. So rather than dealing with group buys I try to keep both sizes in stock. You have to measure full plug to fill plug. If your thinking I'll just buy the longer one so I don't have to
Measure? Wrong too long won't drain right.

Some Landcruiser shops keep my hose in stock to install on the cruisers that go through their shop. I've sold over 500.

Send me a pm and we can figure out what works best for your situation.

Be sure a PO didn't loose the fill plugs and replace them With a 1/2npt plug. If your threads are tapered it's a pipe thread. Banjo fittings won't seal on a pipe thread. They have to be straight threads. If a PO did do the pipe plug I have a fix for that. Out of 500 three have run into this. So send a pm and see how I can help you.
Thanks, I’ll get the measurement and send you a pm. I think that would be good preventative maintenance item to have. I checked the fill plug of the tranny and no spillage.
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There is definitely a leak coming from the rear output of the PTO. It sits lower than the fill plug so I will have to address this seal.
 
Got the tank drained and felt around inside of the tank drain and could definitely feel some crusties. I will try to flush it out without removing the tank. Any recommendations on what to use
besides fresh and expensive gas?

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Might as well liberate it at this point. You never know what’s hibernating underneath. If there’s no suspicious metal underneath you can prime and paint.

Down on the farm, we would use a “bag of nuts/bolts” inside the tank. Shake it like it was stolen, rinse and repeat.
Worked a few forgotten and questionable tanks this way.

Full disclosure: I did end up buying a new tank recently because the Japanese tin worm had started working the bottom of the tank. Just one of those components you might not want to roll the dice on.
 
Use zinc chromate gas tank coating! Used it on all the old cars I restored and equipment. Put a quart in after cleaning the gas out. The idea of rocks inside is a good one. Once you put the coating in seal with some duct tape and plug the holes roll it all around to insure the coating gets all over. Remove the plugs with hard retap the threaded holes. Just follow the instructions used it for
Decades
 
T
Use zinc chromate gas tank coating! Used it on all the old cars I restored and equipment. Put a quart in after cleaning the gas out. The idea of rocks inside is a good one. Once you put the coating in seal with some duct tape and plug the holes roll it all around to insure the coating gets all over. Remove the plugs with hard retap the threaded holes. Just follow the instructions used it for
Decades
Thanks, I’ll check into that. I haven’t had much time to pull the tank and it has been 100 degrees plus in my shop so will have to wait till conditions allow. On another note Montina the ‘75 has been driving much smoother since the new cap and rotor. I need to adjust the throttle linkage a bit still.
 
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