New to FJ55s. . .

[PabloCruise]

Looks like you have been busy!

Are you fixin' to fab a tailgate handle?

 

[kpfoten]

Bacon and Saurkraut go well together... Those 914-6's are great! I've got a '73 914-4 with a little 1.7 in it and that thing scoots. I can only imagine how awesome a 2.7 would be stuffed in there. Tom--I've thought about putting my 2.7 into the 914 and "upgrading" the 911 engine. AHh...some day. Your '74 looks great with those flares.

 

[Tom FJ55]

Are you fixin' to fab a tailgate handle?

Yuppers. I made some good progress on it this afternoon (no pics yet). I'm planning to break out the welder tomorrow and tack it together. Hopefully, it'll work.

Bacon and Saurkraut go well together... Your '74 looks great with those flares.

Thanks! I'm sure my wife would agree that the P-Car is my third "child" for sure. It's really kinda sad how much I love that car. At least I can admit it I guess. I'm will certainly have all my basis covered between the Pig & P-Car.

Pig Progress:
Today I was able to re-install the gas tank. So in other words I spent 2+ hrs. doing stomach crunches. That is a job I do not wish to repeat any time soon. I also replaced all the rubber fuel line sections and dropped in a new fuel filter along the way. I think I may splice in a second fuel filter - before the primary filter. I'm sure there will be some crud coming from the fuel tank even though I rinsed it out. It'll be easy to see what the fuel looks like w/clear sides from an easy-to-replace cheapie from NAPA. I can visually monitor it until it looks good then go back to just the primary.

Also worked on the tailgate handle. It's not looking too bad and I'm hoping it'll work - mostly that the angles and lengths are close enough and that it doesn't warp too badly one me when I put some heat to it. I should have some pics on the progress tomorrow. . .

Tank back in - phew! The spare tire carrier is in too, just snapped the pic before as I was proud of myself for wrestling it up there alone!

 

[PabloCruise]

You are a brave man for stabbing that back in there by yourself!

I don't think you could go wrong with a second filter. I added a filter right out of the tank because I wanted to pre-filter my electric fuel pump. I used a cheapie, clear NAPA filter. As you can see, I am still bringing crap out of my tank! You can almost make out the p/n in that image!

Did you send your tank out to a radiator shop while it was out?

 

[Tom FJ55]

Little update. . .

I did install a NAPA Gold see-thru fuel filter just before the OEM one. They are so inexpensive, I figured it could help the longevity of the OEM one and hopefully let me see what the fuel looks like etc.... I can always yank it out if it causes issues.

Also go my radiator back from being cleaned and re-installed it along w/all new coolant hoses & filled the system w/50/50 coolant and water. No leaks as it sits, but I plan to pressurize the system just to be sure.

Most of the engine is back together. I put the oil pan back on, which was another hr. of continuous stomach crunches. . . and put some oil in it. I also made a tool to spin the oil pump w/an electric drill. I had my (fabulous and most understanding) wife watch the oil pressure gauge as I spun it up and she said it read just under half-way when the drill was spinning. That OEM gauge sure looks accurate (NOT!) - maybe I will install a more modern one at some point in the future for better monitoring. I was happy enough that the gauge registered something as I've been starting to look at the electrical and am finding it will need some attention. I'm just waiting on the rebuilt carb. from Mark A. along w/a spare distributor that I plan to sacrifice for parts for mine. Once I get those and do a quick wiring check, I'll be ready to fire the thing up. . . maybe by next weekend??

Still waiting for front brake cylinder rebuild kits, but I did go ahead and replace the front rubber brake lines w/new stainless ones so it'll be ready to go after I get the kits and assemble the cylinders. . .

I finished fabbing the rear tailgate handle . . . and it WORKS!! For the moment at least. It's not the prettiest solution, but it does function. I can now open and close the tailgate for the first time - ever. Hopefully I'll get motivated to pull it off and at least give it a coat of paint, but for the moment, I'm just happy that the tailgate opens and closes as it should.

On a side note, I could not remove the tailgate glass. I removed the outer rubber seal - or at least what was left of it. The metal retaining strip for the seal stayed attached. It didn't look to be removable, is it? The gap still wasn't big enough to squeeze the bottom of the window through. I also did NOT remove the inner piece of felt. I couldn't see how to get it out, so I gave up. I guess the next step is to reinstall the rear window motor and see if the new gear works. . .

That's about it other than the minor Exxon Valdeze incident I had transferring the old oil to containers to bring it to the recycling center. . . I basically poured it all over myself and the driveway. . . not one of my proudest moments.

A few pics of the oil pump tool and the tailgate handle. . .

 

[Tom FJ55]

More of the finished tailgate handle. I'm sure that with more time and patience, I could make it more aesthetically pleasing, but I'm just happy it works at the moment.

 

[Tom FJ55]

One quick additional question on electrical grounds. . . I've done some searching and read a bunch of threads on grounds, but just want to be sure I understand the FJ55 system. Do most of the powered items ground themselves through how they attach to the chassis? And not via an additional ground wire?

Is there a list somewhere (I could not find one) of all the separate grounds on an FJ55? The only one I have found is the one from the neg. (-) terminal of the battery to the body @ the battery tray and the engine itself @ one of the motor mount bolts. Are there any more, or do I need to go through each separate item and make sure its housing has good clean contact w/the body or engine?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[PabloCruise]

I love that tailgate handle!

Brilliant!

 

[Pighead]

The metal retaining strip for the seal stayed attached. It didn't look to be removable, is it?

Yes, little springy X-shaped clips, just like on the front door window felts. Put a screwdriver blade between the strip and the steel and pop them out one at a time.

 

[bogus one]

I love that tailgate handle!

Brilliant!

Refine it a little, and I'll guarentee you could sell them. I'd buy one.

 

[nuclearlemon]

yes, a lot of the stuff is self grounding

 

[Pighead]

yes, a lot of the stuff is supposed to be self grounding

fixed.

 

[PabloCruise]

fixed.

Heh heh!

Am I correct that the notorious windshield washer squirted is wired differently?
Can anyone refresh my memory on that one?

 

[chevurai]

I am looking at the owners manual, wiring diagram, that came with my '69 and the washer gets power from a 15A fuse. A wire then goes to the windshield wiper/washer switch. The diagram has the wiper motor and the washer motor using the same ground at the wiper motor. I can't confirm the exact, actual, location of the ground .

 

[Tom FJ55]

Yes, little springy X-shaped clips, just like on the front door window felts. Put a screwdriver blade between the strip and the steel and pop them out one at a time.

Thanks for that tip. After popping out the felt strip as you suggested and removing the (very crumbly) outside weatherstrip, I was able to remove the rear window from the tailgate.

Refine it a little, and I'll guarentee you could sell them. I'd buy one.

I've been thinking about this and may do some research into getting some pieces produced. . . we'll see if I get motivated enough to follow through!

yes, a lot of the stuff is self grounding

I spent today chasing electrical stuff. I am fully stumped however. . . The wires going to the right side rear lights were all chaffed where they run up into the body cavity from underneath. I cleaned all that up, but still can't get any of the right rear lights to function.

What DOES work:
emergency flashers - work except for the right rear.
blinkers - click "ON", but do not blink/cycle - except for the right rear.
brake lights - left rear OK, NO right rear.

What does NOT work:
Obviously none of the lights in the right rear.
headlight switch does not turn on ANY lights.
Neither the front, nor the rear heater blower fan turns on.
The hazards blink, but the turn signals do not blink.

I have not tried to turn the ignition switch past ACC, ie:tried the starter. I am still waiting on the carb and dizzy parts before attempting that. . .

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed w/the electrical. I've been pouring over a few different wiring diagrams and doing lots of poking around, but still don't feel like I have a handle on the system. Looking under the dash - it all looks pretty good and unmolested. There is power to a few of the fuses w/the key in the OFF position and the remaining fuses are powered with the key in the ON position. I don't really see any glaringly obvious messes - although there easily could be something I'm missing.

In troubleshooting the right rear, I removed all the light housings and cleaned them up bit, trying to help w/the grounding etc.... Still no joy. I also pulled down the wires running along the rear bumper area where the trailer light splices are? It all looked unmolested and OK. . .

Time to sleep on it I think and try again later this week. . .

 

[Pighead]

blinkers - click "ON", but do not blink/cycle - except for the right rear.

Sometimes is due to a bad ground at the front turn signal...which is supposed to be grounded to the fender sheet metal through the hollow tube that the wires run through. Some people make another ground wire for each turn signal housing...

Also, headlight switch is not too hard to take apart. Threads are on here about doing just that

 

[Tom FJ55]

Taking a mental break on all things electrical so I do not go crazy.

I've been thinking about a few other things:

1. The impending first start up. Is there a specific procedure(s) I should follow? - I'm mostly thinking of things to do or avoid so as not to further damage an engine that's been sitting for so long. I have oil pressure from my drill-through-the-dizzy-hole. I will reinstall the dizzy and carb, hook up the vacuum hoses, put some fuel in the tank, check the wiring etc... What am I missing? I plan to borrow a timing light so I can check that after I get it running.

Stupid question of the day: Is the #1 cyl. at the front of the engine or the back? I just want to be sure when I reinstall the dizzy that it's lined up correctly. . . any tips on that?

2. Given how the transmission and transfer case look (wet on the outside) I have a feeling that once I get it up and running, I will want to replace some input/output shaft seals all around. Can I remove the trans. & transfer case through the bottom by themselves and leave the engine in? Is this a rational way to tackle seal replacements?

Thanks,
Tom

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Taking a mental break on all things electrical so I do not go crazy.

I've been thinking about a few other things:

1. The impending first start up. Is there a specific procedure(s) I should follow? - I'm mostly thinking of things to do or avoid so as not to further damage an engine that's been sitting for so long. I have oil pressure from my drill-through-the-dizzy-hole. I will reinstall the dizzy and carb, hook up the vacuum hoses, put some fuel in the tank, check the wiring etc... What am I missing? I plan to borrow a timing light so I can check that after I get it running.

Stupid question of the day: Is the #1 cyl. at the front of the engine or the back? I just want to be sure when I reinstall the dizzy that it's lined up correctly. . . any tips on that?

2. Given how the transmission and transfer case look (wet on the outside) I have a feeling that once I get it up and running, I will want to replace some input/output shaft seals all around. Can I remove the trans. & transfer case through the bottom by themselves and leave the engine in? Is this a rational way to tackle seal replacements?

Thanks,
Tom

1. yes, #1 is the closest to the front of the truck


2.the trannie and t case can be seperated from the bellhousing, pulled back to clear the input shaft, and lowered down on a floor transmission jack or slung with chain and lowered via cherry picker thru the floor access. Can also use a stout piece of steel/ lumber thru the cab supported by the doors(windows down) and lowered w/a comealong



you got coolant in the motor, oil in the motor, everything torqued down right, all belts tight, fuel to carb and timing static set, no tools laying about....I'd bump the motor a couple times and then crank it-course, if it starts on one of the bumps, let it go. check for fuel leaks first, oil leaks second and water leaks last. let it warm up and shut it down to adjust the valves. Might have to stop inbetween things to make adjustments to carb and dial in timing. Nope, you will have to stop inbetween to adjust carb and timing.

 

[Pighead]

1) That's pretty much it. With 12v on, you can static time it to get it close enough to start. Crank the engine with the coil wire off to get oilpressure to register on the gauge. Put some gas in the float bowl too.

Yes, #1 cylinder is at the FRONT of the engine.

2) Yes, you can pull the tranny & T/C out the bottom all by themselves, sometimes easier & quicker if you pull the tranny hump and support the tranny from above. I've used a 4x4 piece of lumber laid between the dash and the tailgate and a bunch of ratchet straps. Others will stick a cherry picker in through the door to support the tranny. Mating the tranny up to the motor is always the funnest thing...

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

Sometimes is due to a bad ground at the front turn signal...which is supposed to be grounded to the fender sheet metal through the hollow tube that the wires run through. Some people make another ground wire for each turn signal housing...

Also, headlight switch is not too hard to take apart. Threads are on here about doing just that

this. Run a ground jumper from a GOOD ground point on the body or frame to the front turn signal buckets and land it with a ring terminal under the lense and against the reflector metal.