My TLC experience (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter sogncab
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- Thread starter
- #82
I'm pretty proud of this basement bar.
This doesn't look that complicated, but the joint putting these two halves of that walnut bar top together is a symphony of trigonometry and parametric formulas. I abuse the heck out of the program I made to do that. It's super cool.
This doesn't look that complicated, but the joint putting these two halves of that walnut bar top together is a symphony of trigonometry and parametric formulas. I abuse the heck out of the program I made to do that. It's super cool.
middlecalf
SILVER Star
Wow!
- Thread starter
- #86
Thanks for the kind words. That was quite the project. I'd love to do more of those, even though I'm pretty sure that one gained me a lot of grey hairs.
I was hoping to pick up the Land Cruiser today. No such luck. Both rear axles are pretty gnarly looking, so I've got two used ones on the way from Classic Cruisers. They'll get shipped Monday, hopefully they'll be at the mechanic's shop next Thursday, HOPEFULLY I can pick it up next Friday. Hopefully.... I'm better off being a pessimist than an optimist. George Will once said: The nice thing about being a pessimist is you are either being constantly proven right, or pleasantly surprised.
Kinda funny though I called Classic Cruisers and said I need two rear axles for a 76 LC. He said they were $800 a piece. My heart dropped. That seemed insane to me. He asked how much I thought they should be. To which I responded, I don't know, but that seems bonkers. Then he started talking about freight. Wait.... axle shafts, not the whole assembly. Now we're talking the same language. $150 a piece. That seems more inline with what I thought I would be paying.
I'm pretty bummed. The poor thing has been down more than it's been operable since I got it. Knowing that the driveline, and suspension are as up to par as I can get them does get me a whole mess of peace of mind. The mechanic said "I think this is the dirtiest diff I've ever had to clean" I told him I'm in a constant state of trying to lower the bar.
I've usually got some seriously large amounts of patience on tap, but I'm about ready to lay on my back kicking and screaming in the cereal aisle about how I want my Land Cruiser Crunch flavored cereal with the toy.
Not really, but I want to enjoy it before summer is done.
I'm a little surprised these weren't leaking.
A new set of seatbelts for the front seats, aftermarket, from CCOT, and some new Toyota tail light lenses showed up yeaterday. Seatbelts will go in right away. The ones that are in there are pretty rough looking, and don't function very well. Lenses will sit on the shelf until the bodywork is complete.
Starting to think I need to win the lottery. I've piled as much into it as the purchase price already. Things have sadly only just begun. I should probably hide my spreadsheet. The Mrs. finds it, and my gentleman tackle is going to get thrown out the window Lorena style.
I was hoping to pick up the Land Cruiser today. No such luck. Both rear axles are pretty gnarly looking, so I've got two used ones on the way from Classic Cruisers. They'll get shipped Monday, hopefully they'll be at the mechanic's shop next Thursday, HOPEFULLY I can pick it up next Friday. Hopefully.... I'm better off being a pessimist than an optimist. George Will once said: The nice thing about being a pessimist is you are either being constantly proven right, or pleasantly surprised.
Kinda funny though I called Classic Cruisers and said I need two rear axles for a 76 LC. He said they were $800 a piece. My heart dropped. That seemed insane to me. He asked how much I thought they should be. To which I responded, I don't know, but that seems bonkers. Then he started talking about freight. Wait.... axle shafts, not the whole assembly. Now we're talking the same language. $150 a piece. That seems more inline with what I thought I would be paying.
I'm pretty bummed. The poor thing has been down more than it's been operable since I got it. Knowing that the driveline, and suspension are as up to par as I can get them does get me a whole mess of peace of mind. The mechanic said "I think this is the dirtiest diff I've ever had to clean" I told him I'm in a constant state of trying to lower the bar.
I've usually got some seriously large amounts of patience on tap, but I'm about ready to lay on my back kicking and screaming in the cereal aisle about how I want my Land Cruiser Crunch flavored cereal with the toy.
Not really, but I want to enjoy it before summer is done.I'm a little surprised these weren't leaking.
A new set of seatbelts for the front seats, aftermarket, from CCOT, and some new Toyota tail light lenses showed up yeaterday. Seatbelts will go in right away. The ones that are in there are pretty rough looking, and don't function very well. Lenses will sit on the shelf until the bodywork is complete.
Starting to think I need to win the lottery. I've piled as much into it as the purchase price already. Things have sadly only just begun. I should probably hide my spreadsheet. The Mrs. finds it, and my gentleman tackle is going to get thrown out the window Lorena style.
The best advice I can give is to remember this is very much a marathon, not a sprint.
I spent 3.5 years rebuilding mine. Virtually without fail 5-6 hours every single day (with lots of 10-12 hour days thrown in), minus the peak of summer. Easily thousands of hours, and had a major t-case issue on the test drive. That was 2.5 months ago. Lots of frustrations since then but I may…just may… get it back on the road tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
Don’t lose heart.
I spent 3.5 years rebuilding mine. Virtually without fail 5-6 hours every single day (with lots of 10-12 hour days thrown in), minus the peak of summer. Easily thousands of hours, and had a major t-case issue on the test drive. That was 2.5 months ago. Lots of frustrations since then but I may…just may… get it back on the road tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
Don’t lose heart.
- Thread starter
- #88
Good luck tomorrow man.
I agree, things just gotta happen at their own pace, and things will routinely go poorly. I wish so much of my time wasn't absorbed by work. I don't have a good spot to park a project like this for long periods either. I'd love to tackle doing the engine swap myself, I just don't have the place to let something sit for months on end. I'm struggling to figure out where I can park it for the winter.
I'm not losing the faith, I'm just being a whiny little kid.
Every time I fix something and drive it something else breaks. So I feel your pain. As do most of us here 
- Thread starter
- #91
Holy cows. Fresh axles made an incredible difference. It took out a massive amount of vibration, and noise.
It's not smooth, it's not quiet, but i think it's about the best one can expect from a 45 Toyota.
I'm not sure what is next on my list. Probably steering. I have new tie rod ends, and I just haven't dove into it. The front right frame rail is a little tweaked. I need to get that yanked straight before trying to get the steering lined up.
I've been eyeing up a replacement steering wheel. Mine is dissolving. I've got a little shell shock from the prices I'm seeing. For whatever reason, I'm not sure I'd be happy putting something else on.
I did buy new aftermarket seatbelts from CCOT for the front. Everything works as it should. The belts that were in there, were pretty tired, and did not function very well. I flipped the lock side to the inside of the seat frame, and clipped off the mounting bolts with about half a thread sticking past the frame. I'm betting I will still have to loosen up both seats and take up all the mounting slop to make room for the Tuffy console. I should be seeing that towards the end of this month.
It's not smooth, it's not quiet, but i think it's about the best one can expect from a 45 Toyota.
I'm not sure what is next on my list. Probably steering. I have new tie rod ends, and I just haven't dove into it. The front right frame rail is a little tweaked. I need to get that yanked straight before trying to get the steering lined up.
I've been eyeing up a replacement steering wheel. Mine is dissolving. I've got a little shell shock from the prices I'm seeing. For whatever reason, I'm not sure I'd be happy putting something else on.
I did buy new aftermarket seatbelts from CCOT for the front. Everything works as it should. The belts that were in there, were pretty tired, and did not function very well. I flipped the lock side to the inside of the seat frame, and clipped off the mounting bolts with about half a thread sticking past the frame. I'm betting I will still have to loosen up both seats and take up all the mounting slop to make room for the Tuffy console. I should be seeing that towards the end of this month.
- Thread starter
- #92
I AM SPEED!!
Holding 60mph on flat ground was a fantasy prior to having the axles gone through.
Remember that dumbass line from the first Fast & The Furious movie? "I live my life a quarter mile at a time. For that 12 seconds or less, I'm free."
I think for a 40 owner, that could be altered to; "I live my life a quarter mile at time. For that 46 seconds or more, I'm free."
I kinda wish I would've dyno'd this thing right away when I got it. Done it again after doing the transmission and transfer case. Then again after doing the axles. I bet I picked up ten or more hp.
A couple hundred more miles, and I'll drop the diff fluids.
Hmmm, didn't think about this until just now. I should lock the hubs to turn the front differential.
Holding 60mph on flat ground was a fantasy prior to having the axles gone through.
Remember that dumbass line from the first Fast & The Furious movie? "I live my life a quarter mile at a time. For that 12 seconds or less, I'm free."
I think for a 40 owner, that could be altered to; "I live my life a quarter mile at time. For that 46 seconds or more, I'm free."
I kinda wish I would've dyno'd this thing right away when I got it. Done it again after doing the transmission and transfer case. Then again after doing the axles. I bet I picked up ten or more hp.
A couple hundred more miles, and I'll drop the diff fluids.
Hmmm, didn't think about this until just now. I should lock the hubs to turn the front differential.
17 mpg in a well-tuned 2F with an H55 behind it can be done on long drives on flat land, circa 55mph-ish
but honestly, with how little miles the 40 will see in a year, why are we even talking about gas money ?
we get 40s for the fun of driving them
- everything else is secondary 
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- Thread starter
- #94
Not much on going on. I've just been enjoying driving it. Who knew I would prefer a turdbox forty five year old Toyota over a recently built, well equipped pickup? My wife says I'm weird, that's not an argument worth losing.
I need to start on the rear bumper design. I'm hoping to get both the front and rear done and mounted before the end of the summer. I'm bonkers busy at work, so dicking around coming up with a design made out of wood for a few hours after cursing my existence for 12 hours at the shop, doesn't sound too appealing at the moment.
I did order a gauge cluster from Dakota Digital. I'm having them tweak the tach so it only gets to 4,000 rpm, and the speedo so it just goes to 80mph. I feel like 80+ with a 6' wheelbase is like playing russian roulette with a 1911.... I also read on here about the Company's logo popping up on start up, so I voted for changing that to the retro Toyota logo. I think the lead time is four months. It'll be winter before it shows up, so no big deal.
I had to fill up with corn gas the other day. Man, that thing does not like to hot start on ethanol.
I need to start on the rear bumper design. I'm hoping to get both the front and rear done and mounted before the end of the summer. I'm bonkers busy at work, so dicking around coming up with a design made out of wood for a few hours after cursing my existence for 12 hours at the shop, doesn't sound too appealing at the moment.
I did order a gauge cluster from Dakota Digital. I'm having them tweak the tach so it only gets to 4,000 rpm, and the speedo so it just goes to 80mph. I feel like 80+ with a 6' wheelbase is like playing russian roulette with a 1911.... I also read on here about the Company's logo popping up on start up, so I voted for changing that to the retro Toyota logo. I think the lead time is four months. It'll be winter before it shows up, so no big deal.
I had to fill up with corn gas the other day. Man, that thing does not like to hot start on ethanol.
- Thread starter
- #95
17 mpg in a well-tuned 2F with an H55 behind it can be done on long drives on flat land, circa 55mph-ish
but honestly, with how little miles the 40 will see in a year, why are we even talking about gas money ?
we get 40s for the fun of driving them
I just checked out of curiosity, and was surprised.
- Thread starter
- #96
I've put 500 miles on since having the axles gone through. I changed the fluids on both differentials, and checked the transfer case level this evening. I've got a little bit weeping out the speedometer cable fitting, and was concerned I was losing too much. I put in a maybe a couple of ounces before it started coming out the fill hole. Front and rear had some glitter, but nothing I'm concerned about with fresh gears. I'll change it again in the spring along with the rest of the drive line fluids. Overkill is my second favorite kind of kill, and it's cheap insurance.
I did use a quick grip clamp to squeeze the bottles and that worked really well. A pump of some sort would be way better, but I don't have one. I should look for something that can be driven by a cordless drill. I'm open to recommendations.
I did use a quick grip clamp to squeeze the bottles and that worked really well. A pump of some sort would be way better, but I don't have one. I should look for something that can be driven by a cordless drill. I'm open to recommendations.
middlecalf
SILVER Star
Not cheap but this is what I use
www.forfluids.com
Drums, Lids, and Pumps - OilSafe/Transfer Equipment
Shop ForFluids for Oil Safe products to improve efficiency and minimize contamination. Manage lubricants with fluid storage, handling, and delivery equipment.
www.forfluids.com
- Thread starter
- #98
Expensive, but not horrifically so. That hand pump and a 3 quart jug is about $120.Not cheap but this is what I use
Drums, Lids, and Pumps - OilSafe/Transfer Equipment
Shop ForFluids for Oil Safe products to improve efficiency and minimize contamination. Manage lubricants with fluid storage, handling, and delivery equipment.
Darkwing58
SILVER Star
Welcome to the madness.
have fun with the build.
im in the same process, but went with a 3B diesel swap then turbo charging.
im looking at getting my tranny and transfer case rebuilt but can not find anyone near me.
how did you use and do you have contact information?
have fun with the build.
im in the same process, but went with a 3B diesel swap then turbo charging.
im looking at getting my tranny and transfer case rebuilt but can not find anyone near me.
how did you use and do you have contact information?
Awesome progress!
Did you add any shims to the front axle when adding the leaf springs? That makes all the difference in steering 'wander'
Did you add any shims to the front axle when adding the leaf springs? That makes all the difference in steering 'wander'
