JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
Hard to tell by the small picture ... But... The tire on the rim looks to be the original Dunlop snow cruiser tire... What brand is it?
My 77' Rescue (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter wardriver
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #22
You sir are correct - Dunlop Snow Cruiser. Still has the markings on the tread and shows no signs of road wear or dry rot.
coleman2347
Ole Jarhead
thats a great find, damned if I would not use them they look great
- Thread starter
- #24
This weekend we had a break in the early cold snap. I had a chance to pull the Holley, tear it down, soak it and rebuild it. I've never actually been good at doing that but results are amazing when you follow the directions. I also retimed it. It was so advanced the vaccum advance was hitting the oil filter. I'm guessing the PO was running it in the high mountains of Nevada. I dialed it back, set the carb and plugged a vacuum leak and she runs so much better. I did however have to add a ghetto mini chrome air filter. It was the only one that would not hit the master cylinder.
I also tested the KC lights - they work which is nice but they need to be rewired on a relay.
It was blowing a little black carbon smoke and some white smoke too. I hit the intake with some SeaFoam and the carbon smoke quit - leaving the white smoke. I did not see signs of major blow by - I'm thinking either super thin oil or the valve seals are shot from sitting. Either way I ran some MMO through the oil which was indeed paper thin and changed the oil....
Surprisingly enough the PO had 2.5x more oil in it that it should. And now my carport has 50lbs of kitty litter on it soaking it up.
Mt. Stack More continues to dwindle - but lets be honest. Turning wrenches is more fun than stacking wood.
I also tested the KC lights - they work which is nice but they need to be rewired on a relay.
It was blowing a little black carbon smoke and some white smoke too. I hit the intake with some SeaFoam and the carbon smoke quit - leaving the white smoke. I did not see signs of major blow by - I'm thinking either super thin oil or the valve seals are shot from sitting. Either way I ran some MMO through the oil which was indeed paper thin and changed the oil....
Surprisingly enough the PO had 2.5x more oil in it that it should. And now my carport has 50lbs of kitty litter on it soaking it up.
Mt. Stack More continues to dwindle - but lets be honest. Turning wrenches is more fun than stacking wood.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #25
Well I had a fair amount happen in the past 24 hours.
I made a very square trade deal with a local cruiser head for some new wheels, tires and shocks for my OEM wheels.
New master cylinder came in from PartsGeek.com - same one Advance auto sells but for $50 less. Cleaned up the brake booster while I was in there. Bled the brakes and it looks like they are holding. I'll have to give it a few days to see what leaks. But stopping is a huge step in the right direction
I was able to take it around the block 3 or 4 times. That is more than it has moved in over 20 years! I was also able to deal with the stuck hub which was not allowing me to engage into 4wd properly.
Quick wash to knock off the junk yard dirt, a little loose rust and the green funk growing on the driver's door.
She is starting to be more alive than dead.
Best of all was my little boy wanting to play worker man on the FJ. We both have our impact wrenches out working on the wheel.
I made a very square trade deal with a local cruiser head for some new wheels, tires and shocks for my OEM wheels.
New master cylinder came in from PartsGeek.com - same one Advance auto sells but for $50 less. Cleaned up the brake booster while I was in there. Bled the brakes and it looks like they are holding. I'll have to give it a few days to see what leaks. But stopping is a huge step in the right direction
I was able to take it around the block 3 or 4 times. That is more than it has moved in over 20 years! I was also able to deal with the stuck hub which was not allowing me to engage into 4wd properly.
Quick wash to knock off the junk yard dirt, a little loose rust and the green funk growing on the driver's door.
She is starting to be more alive than dead.
Best of all was my little boy wanting to play worker man on the FJ. We both have our impact wrenches out working on the wheel.
Last edited:
pb4ugo
SILVER Star
Nice find! Congrats on your running 40. Did your oil smell like gas? An overfilled crankcase with thin oil would cause me to suspect the fuel pump. It might be pumping fuel into the crankcase. I'd keep an eye on the oil level. Good luck!
- Thread starter
- #27
I had completely forgotten that when the 2f fuel pump fails it dumps into the crankcase. I will definitely keep an eye on the oil level
- Thread starter
- #28
So I got around to checking the Vin plates today to work on the title paperwork. Turns out it is a 78 not a 77 like the PO said.
- Thread starter
- #29
Hot off the printer from the DMV. My FJ40 adoption is complete! The VA abandoned vehicle title is a surprisingly easy process if you don't mind waiting 6-8 weeks.
View attachment 855
View attachment 855
Last edited:
Love these Stories! I hate seeing Cruisers rot away when they could last many more years. Way to go!
man you lucked out with this one ... no way in Hades would you find other than rust in a boneyard here ... looking forward to following your progress ...
sterling
SILVER Star
Great rescue and good job on getting the little man involved.
A 78 no less, you need to play the lottery sir
A 78 no less, you need to play the lottery sir
- Thread starter
- #33
Some days it just the little victories - like actually being able to open the driver's door. New handle $20 from Cruiser Corps.
View attachment 8561
View attachment 8561
Last edited:
Man great find, looking forward to seeing your progress
- Thread starter
- #35
Quick! It is sunny, 60 degrees an the kid is asleep - do something.....
I found the source of my smoking - ripped valve stem seals. Cheap and easy to fix. I did the old tried and true run the rope in the cylinder and give the crank a little turn to tighten the rope against the valves.
All went well until the rope tied itself in a knot. Epic fail. Time to pull the head. At least now I can clean any carbon deposits and check the walls for scoring.
In better news I bartered for these BFG MT's on correctly backspaces wheels...
View attachment 85View attachment 85923412331130
I found the source of my smoking - ripped valve stem seals. Cheap and easy to fix. I did the old tried and true run the rope in the cylinder and give the crank a little turn to tighten the rope against the valves.
All went well until the rope tied itself in a knot. Epic fail. Time to pull the head. At least now I can clean any carbon deposits and check the walls for scoring.
In better news I bartered for these BFG MT's on correctly backspaces wheels...
View attachment 85View attachment 85923412331130
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #36
So as mentioned above the rope trick of death I mentioned above back fired fairly badly. Although it was warm (45 degrees or so) today, work was closed due to the crazy amount of snow on the ground. I figured that gave me a good excuse to work on the 40.
Here is that crazy knot.
I think I've given a mouse a cookie. in the process of pulling the head I found serious crud deposits on the pistons and valves, ever so slight scored cylinder walls (#5, #6), and a cracked header.
But hey one thing at a time right?
Here is that crazy knot.
I think I've given a mouse a cookie. in the process of pulling the head I found serious crud deposits on the pistons and valves, ever so slight scored cylinder walls (#5, #6), and a cracked header.
But hey one thing at a time right?
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #37
Before and after - the last shot of the valve shows the old gas that was hard as a rock on the valve. It took some serious effort to get off.
Now I've got a C style vale spring compressor and I can get back to the valve stem seals. Those crank style compressors do not get enough compression to release the keepers.
Now I've got a C style vale spring compressor and I can get back to the valve stem seals. Those crank style compressors do not get enough compression to release the keepers.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #38
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #39
Very productive day today.
Went to local pick and pull to see if a new arrival 82' straight axle had power steering....It did not but I did score a full lift kit for my 4runner for $100.
Pulled oil pan - cleaned the rust off (the irony of that is not lost on me) and painted it up.
Dropped all the pistons one at a time to check cylinder walls and bearings. #6 and #5 were the culprits #1-4 were just fine. #5 was bad. Probably from sitting and someone bumping the starter on a dry engine (not me).
#3 has some jank on the crank journal. It did not wear through the bearing....so that will have to be another project another day.
Painted head, finished getting valve guide seals in properly - which means if they have a metal jacket don't drive them all the way on. Just tap them down until they get snug enough to seat and not move.
Found a crack in the header. Weak metal ended up being slightly smaller than the size of a dime. I welded them back up. I'm not the best welder in the world but what I make up for in quality - I can dish out in quantity!
Went to local pick and pull to see if a new arrival 82' straight axle had power steering....It did not but I did score a full lift kit for my 4runner for $100.
Pulled oil pan - cleaned the rust off (the irony of that is not lost on me) and painted it up.
Dropped all the pistons one at a time to check cylinder walls and bearings. #6 and #5 were the culprits #1-4 were just fine. #5 was bad. Probably from sitting and someone bumping the starter on a dry engine (not me).
#3 has some jank on the crank journal. It did not wear through the bearing....so that will have to be another project another day.
Painted head, finished getting valve guide seals in properly - which means if they have a metal jacket don't drive them all the way on. Just tap them down until they get snug enough to seat and not move.
Found a crack in the header. Weak metal ended up being slightly smaller than the size of a dime. I welded them back up. I'm not the best welder in the world but what I make up for in quality - I can dish out in quantity!
- Thread starter
- #40
Progress!
Installed oil pan
Cleaned head bolt holes and bolts
Installed head
Installed rocker arms
Painted headers
I need to clean up or polish that valve cover and install new grommets and gasket.
View attachment 86852
Installed oil pan
Cleaned head bolt holes and bolts
Installed head
Installed rocker arms
Painted headers
I need to clean up or polish that valve cover and install new grommets and gasket.
View attachment 86852
Last edited:
