Build My 78' Barn find FJ45

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FYI the transmission manual has some additional information that is not in the FSM I had previously downloaded from Trollhole. But all of the basic information is there in the FSM.
 
Happy New Year to all of my Mud brothers and sisters!
 
looking good man! love that rear bar. something my 45 is desperate need of...

on a side note, did you get to drive your 45 much with the 12HT in it before the rebuild?

just finished my 12HT swap and its a beast. but I have it hooked up to my h42. I find that bc of the short gearing I have to shift very quickly when I plant my foot to keep up with the engine! is it like that with the h55?
 
Thank you @Vossie ! I'm pleased with the rear bar so far. That was the first test fit of the actual bumper. He had been out with a couple of mock ups before that. There will be several other features added to the final product. So I'm anxious to see how it will turn out myself. My problem is when it is finished I can't install it right away. If I do the garage door won't clear it and I can't pull the truck in any further and still walk around the front of it. :hmm:

As to your question about the gearing. I drove the 12HT about a 1000 miles before taking the truck apart and I really love the power the turbo adds. I had driven the 2H for about the same amount of miles prior to that. So I really had a good comparison. I ran both with the H55 and first gear is short for both engines. Even changing from 4:10 gears to 3:70 first gear is short. I normally would just use second gear from a normal stop (i.e. No large hill). With your H42 you may find 3:70 gears a reasonable modification in lieu of an H55. Especially if you run 31" or 33" tall tires. I hope this helps.
 
Michael B said:
Thank you @Vossie ! I'm pleased with the rear bar so far. That was the first test fit of the actual bumper. He had been out with a couple of mock ups before that. There will be several other features added to the final product. So I'm anxious to see how it will turn out myself. My problem is when it is finished I can't install it right away. If I do the garage door won't clear it and I can't pull the truck in any further and still walk around the front of it. :hmm:
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well that's a slight shame :p planning on tyre carrier and extras?

Michael B said:
Thank you
As to your question about the gearing. I drove the 12HT about a 1000 miles before taking the truck apart and I really love the power the turbo adds. I had driven the 2H for about the same amount of miles prior to that. So I really had a good comparison. I ran both with the H55 and first gear is short for both engines. Even changing from 4:10 gears to 3:70 first gear is short. I normally would just use second gear from a normal stop (i.e. No large hill). With your H42 you may find 3:70 gears a reasonable modification in lieu of an H55. Especially if you run 31" or 33" tall tires. I hope this helps.
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ja, I have the h55 already, well, its mine, I just need to travel 900kms to get it and finding time away from work is the issue. I also already have the front diff from a 70 series which is a 3:70 ratio. I just need to find a rear one. then when I drop the h55 in I will do the diffs at the same time and I should in practice have a 70 series cruiser underneath with a 45 body on top :D
 
More goodies for Sampson, when I can get the garage warm enough to work in.

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They are aftermarket. I snagged them in eBay. An interior shop in Ga is making them in black and gray for $125.00 shipped. I'm very impressed with the product and timeliness of delivery.
 
I finished the passenger door this weekend.

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Thanks mate! That's a good question Ben. I still need to resolve my transmission issue. Then the PS and AC install will be the next items to complete. I really don't have an ETA on light off.
 
So the fellow that is building my rear bumper, lets call him John (because that's his name), came over for another test fit of the afore mentioned bumper. After all the fitting and measuring had subsided we were talking about the build progress of the 45. I happened to mention my woes with the H55f not going into neutral and John asked if he could take a look at it as he has had some experience with building manual transmissions. So I said sure! He crawled up inside the cab and I leaned in from the other side to hold the light. We discussed what it would and wouldn't do while demonstrating what I had seen the transmission do and not do. So John poked at the tyranny for about 10 mins and said here's a problem. The fourth gear syncro is jammed against the gear, have you got a small screwdriver? Tap tap tap, well that's loose now. Lets give it a spin. Nope not yet. So he moved the selector into third then to neutral and then to fourth. Attempting to rotate the outputshat at each new selection with no joy. Until he slipped it back to neutral and took the screwdriver and made both syncs for third and fourth gear rattle in there perspective positions. I grabbed the output shaft and viola! It turned freely as it should. I almost fell out of the truck!! I was convinced I would have to pull the tyranny and tcase to resolve this issue. Needless to say John‘s stock just went up in my portfolio. Man what a relief!!!!

Tomorrow after the club meeting I can get the transmission buttoned back up and start getting the inside of the cab finished. It'll be great day in the mornin' boys!!! Yes sir a great day!
 
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Feels like winning the lottery when you solve a nagging problem. Still haven't figured out my transmission problem, hopefully this weekend
 
Thanks Mark! It has cost me a fair amount of time and no small amount of concern. It is a relief to have this issue resolved so I can get back on track with assembly.
 
Git'er done!
 
After our club meeting I spent some quality time with my favorite 45. I made pretty good progress. I buttoned the transmission and t case up after installing the new door seal on the drivers door. Then I installed a few more items in the cab. I'm pleased with the day's progress!

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