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Final pics of the installed mechanical oil pressure gauge and the overdrive sticker on the dash that helps ID the overdrive as a Berens-Hone-O-Drive????
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Manifold vacuum should be in the neighborhood of 20 (inches of mercury) ideally...the hiss from the brake booster is probably a bad diaphragm. Maybe disconnect the brake booster and plug it's vacuum source and re-check.
An oilpressure of 5 (PSI) is a little worrisome, but if the engine is hot may almost be normal. Oil generally just drips from the rockers... Wonder if maybe you could adjust that oilpressure relief valve and bump up the pressure a little? Make sure you didn't plumb it backwards too.
I realize you're an air-cooled guy, radiators traditionally overflow as the water heats up. Most Pigs did not come with an overflow bottle. Most owners buy a generic overflow bottle and fit it in near the radiator cap...
 
Manifold vacuum should be in the neighborhood of 20 (inches of mercury) ideally...the hiss from the brake booster is probably a bad diaphragm. Maybe disconnect the brake booster and plug it's vacuum source and re-check.
An oilpressure of 5 (PSI) is a little worrisome, but if the engine is hot may almost be normal. Oil generally just drips from the rockers... Wonder if maybe you could adjust that oilpressure relief valve and bump up the pressure a little? Make sure you didn't plumb it backwards too.
I realize you're an air-cooled guy, radiators traditionally overflow as the water heats up. Most Pigs did not come with an overflow bottle. Most owners buy a generic overflow bottle and fit it in near the radiator cap...

Good thoughts. Tomorrow I will:

Disconnect the brake booster & plug the hose to see if the hissing changes.
Adjust the oil pressure relief valve to see if that helps the oil pressure.
Verify that the hoses to the oil pressure relief valve are connected correctly.

When I ran the engine w/out the valve cover, there was oil dripping from the rockers, but it was a VERY slow drip. Not many drips from 1-2-3 and only a once every few seconds drip from 4-5-6.

Adjusting the valves is also on my list too. I'll start thinking about an overflow bottle.

I just drove it around the block a few more times w/my kids and tested 2H, 4H, 4L etc... everything seemed to work as far as I can tell. Now that the timing and carb are adjusted, the engine starts fairly easily, idles well and revs up and down OK. It's basically like driving an enclosed tractor. I need to dial in the brakes. . . they work, but I'm sure could use some fine tuning.

I'm in the process of downloading a quick video of it running and few more pics. I'll post up when they're ready.

Thanks,
Tom
 
One more quick question about the manifold vacuum. I read about 15 on the gauge. Could the brake booster issue affect the reading? Also does altitude affect the numbers? I'm at about 5500 ft. If the answer is no to these, should I continue to look for vacuum leaks or is that a symptom of a tired engine etc...? I did do some spraying w/a water bottle filled w/water around all the hose connections and didn't notice any change in the engine idle.

Thanks,
Tom
 
A few pics for fun while I wait for the video to download.

It still stinks like musty mouse, or maybe I should say musky mouse. Driving around w/the windows down is kind of necessary - hopefully w/some further cleaning & time, that will disappear.

Also on the to do list is the electrical. Except for the engine itself, the radio, the hazards and the wipers, nothing really works. I need to get the heat/defrost going before we can drive it much this winter. And then there's the tailgate that needs to be reassembled. . .

Never a lack of things to do. . .

Proof that it's moving under its own power, one of the Jr. members & one of yours truly, complete w/the winter chops. . .
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, but it was a VERY slow drip.

I forgot, you have the early oiling...your oil does not get to the head through the cam bearing, it gets up there through the little brass tube and banjo fitting around the rocker shaft. A few drops is all I'd expect, especially with your low oil pressure.
If the hiss is truly a bad master diaphragm it will certainly lower your vacuum readings. Your altitude will also lower it. valve adjustment will probably improve it, your timing will also affect vacuum. I use my vacuum to help with timing. Advance the dizzy to find best idle vacuum, then retard just a hair and try it there. Carry a 10mm endwrench in the glovebox so you can retard it more if it pings.
 
I forgot, you have the early oiling...your oil does not get to the head through the cam bearing, it gets up there through the little brass tube and banjo fitting around the rocker shaft. A few drops is all I'd expect, especially with your low oil pressure.
If the hiss is truly a bad master diaphragm it will certainly lower your vacuum readings. Your altitude will also lower it. valve adjustment will probably improve it, your timing will also affect vacuum. I use my vacuum to help with timing. Advance the dizzy to find best idle vacuum, then retard just a hair and try it there. Carry a 10mm endwrench in the glovebox so you can retard it more if it pings.

That's exactly what I have - the brass tube & banjo fitting thru the cam bearing. Thanks again for your help & tips etc....


Here's a quick video. Nothing fancy, but shows the engine running and some of the bits & pieces - along w/the new front seat. . .

Link because it didn't embed properly: FJ55 First Run.m4v - YouTube
 
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Great pics Tom with the kids on the maiden voyage. I've been lurking watching this because I have a neighbor who is the first and only owner of a 72

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He showed it to me a few weeks ago, I don't have space for another one so some of the locals may help him get it rolling again.
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77mustard40 - I think that's the same color blue that's underneath the purple on my rig. Very nice looking.

I am going to apologize in advance for the long post. I spent some time yesterday going through everything and creating a longish "todo" list. I have questions on some of the items and thought it best to combine & condense into one post.

Here's the list w/comments. I'd appreciate any feedback.

Brake booster: After some searching and reading, I think the hissing means replacement or rebuild. I have not been able to locate a rebuild kit - although I only looked at a few online places and one may be available somewhere.

Battery hold-down: I need to add some straps or fab some spacers as the battery I have is too short and the stock hold down studs aren't threaded deep enough to allow the stock hold down to snug it up.

Muffler heat shield: I noticed on my short drives around the block that the driver's side floorboard above the muffler/exhaust heats up - a lot. A friend had mentioned this happens on his FJ55. Is there a common set-up to help w/this? I don't want to melt the sole of my shoes!

Parking brake: I need to source all the e-brake guts and figure out a cable length that'll work etc...

Roof: I need to pop the roof back out/up. Also the 2 main roof supports are sagging. Is it common to add some sort of reinforcements to these supports or the roof in general to help it keep its shape?

Headliner: I don't think I want to endure reinstalling a stock headliner right now, but I do want to put something up there. I was thinking about some heavy felt or perlon carpet. I've seen it done on vintage race cars and I think it looks good. . . see pics below.

Tailgate: I need to finish the handle I fabbed (still works great). I thought I'd take a bunch of measurements before I reassemble it for good so I can work on a better solution in the future. Also need to reinstall the window motor and glass etc....

Headlights: This could fall under the general electrical note below, but adding a relay set-up for brighter headlights is on my list.

Dash cap & instrument panel cover: I see that SOR offers a plastic dash cap for 9/72-later FJ55's. Will this fit my 4/72? My dash is intact, but has about 6 cracks and is a bit nasty looking. Alternatively, I could use some carpet I suppose. w/the instrument cover - SOR offers a replacement piece - is that a good option?

Rear interior panels: I need to fab some rear interior panels - the pieces that cover the emissions tanks in the rear. Mine were not-so-nice. I have the originals to use as templates and was thinking about aluminum or stainless sheet - maybe covered in carpet to help w/the tin can feel and noise.

Rear seat release cable: is frozen up. Looks like a bicycle cable might work as a replacement?

Vent./heat system: The fresh-air cable is frozen and neither front or rear fan turn on w/the switches (could be under electrical). I also want to look into the fresh air vent as it's probably filled w/more mouse related yuckiness.

Wipers: turn on and work fine, but the arms are broken and have no blades. I did some searching and am not exactly clear on the path to having an arm that accepts non-specialized blades. Is there one? I'd like to end up w/an all-season wiper that's easy to find replacements for.

Doors: I need to take off the interior panels and lube all the lock and opener mechanisms as most are sticky at best and one or two don't always work.

Trailer hitch: need to fab one to fit the existing holes on the rear bumper - just for our yard trailer, nothing big. Also need to wire for trailer lights - is there something to this w/an FJ55? I must admit that I've been spending A LOT of time w/the wiring diagrams and don't really understand the tail light wiring at all yet.

Weatherstripping: I spent a long time reading through this thread yesterday: https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/90960-fj55-weatherstrip-guide-30.html In order to uphold some sense of budget, it looks like I will have to mix and match pieces from a few different sources - JC Whitney or similar, SloCruisers and maybe Cabe Toyota. I'd REALLY appreciate any directional help w/this as there seemed to be some conflicting info on the weatherstripping thread about part numbers and fitment of some of the pieces. I'd like to do it cheaper than the $2,150 kit from SloCruisers if possible. I'm sure the kit is great, but it's out of my budget for the moment - maybe if I do a more complete restoration in the future. . .

Misc.: Need a spare key, transfer shift lever boot

Electrical: Saved this one for last. Some things work, some don't. I plan to first check as many grounds as I can find. Then clean switches and contacts. After that, it's tracing individual offending wires etc.... Hopefully cleaning grounds and switches will cure the majority of the ills here. . .

Whew. I'd appreciate ANY comments on the above, big or small. And as always, I appreciate anyone taking the time to read through my drivel and help!

Thanks,
Tom

Pics of perlon carpet type headliner:
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Couple comments on some of your questions-

-I would not use carpet on the dash pad. The PO of my FJ40 did this and it traps dust etc. and is nasty. Personally I would rather deal with a cracked dash pad than one with carpet on it.

-If those wiper arms are the same or similar to FJ40s, you shouldn't any trouble finding wiper blades for them. The NAPA local to me happens to have a bin of wiper blade connectors, and the guy was able to dig through and find one that was the right width/thickness to fit on my arm. No problem.

-Electrical. Start with pulling all the fuses out, one by one, checking their amperage and that they're not blown, and clean the fuses and the fuse block with some scotch-brite or similar. And then see what happens. If you still have no luck then move to your grounds.

-Headlights - IPF/ARB makes a harness upgrade that you can purchase through Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters and other places. The tech links page also has a writeup if you'd rather buy the parts and assemble the package yourself.

-Checking the fresh air vent is probably a good idea - the mouse will probably disappear with time and more cleaning...

Looking good Tom! That's quite a list there!

Oh - also, I live at about the same elevation as you, and 15 in. Hg vacuum is pretty good for this altitude, most of us in Denver see closer to 13. Advancing the timing a little bit seems to help it run better too, like you mentioned above.
 
Parking brake is easy...SOR sells a kit with all the hardware & shoes...C.Dan will sell you an FJ40 cable that will fit your longer 55 drivetrain.
Brake booster not so easy. I've heard of one place that will rebuild yours, or several different boosters that will bolt on with minor modification.
Cables usually respond well to soaking in PB blaster or similar.
I got the ARB headlight harness for my Round eyes headlights...plug & play.
That dashcap will fit your earlier dash, with a little trimming of the center section.
Is your muffler in the stock location? Mine was between the DS frame and rocker...and did have a heat shield.
 
Cheer up...the list eventually gets shorter but there's always a list!
I may have an extra rear seat cable. If so, it's yours for the cost of shipping. I also had a fair amount of work to do on my roof. I managed to score a set of the cross braces here on MUD and did what many do...added an extra one for support. Also cut the other one in half and ran it front to back from over the tailgate to the stock rear brace. If your muffler isn't in the stock location, it will generate a heck of a lot of floorboard heat...ask me how I know. Any muffler shop should be able to fabricate a shield. The shop that installed my exhaust system did mine for no charge when I took it back because of the heat issue.
 
Extra roof support

Here's a pic of the extra roof support I added. Also added an additional stock dome light in the rear.
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Brake booster: After some searching and reading, I think the hissing means replacement or rebuild. I have not been able to locate a rebuild kit - although I only looked at a few online places and one may be available somewhere.

fj60 booster mounted upside down will bolt right up. only issue you have is if your master leaks into the booster, so make sure your master is good

Battery hold-down: I need to add some straps or fab some spacers as the battery I have is too short and the stock hold down studs aren't threaded deep enough to allow the stock hold down to snug it up.

put a 1x4 under the battery

Muffler heat shield: I noticed on my short drives around the block that the driver's side floorboard above the muffler/exhaust heats up - a lot. A friend had mentioned this happens on his FJ55. Is there a common set-up to help w/this? I don't want to melt the sole of my shoes!

are you planning on a stock barrel muffler? if so, i'm pretty sure i still have the stock heat shield on the pickle. i'm not going to run the barrel muffler, so it won't do me any good, you're welcome to it.

Parking brake: I need to source all the e-brake guts and figure out a cable length that'll work etc...

all the maintenance items are the same from fj40/45 to 50 series, so any aftermarket works, or if you find a used assembly, you can get the shoes relined locally if you have a shop that does that.

roof: I need to pop the roof back out/up. Also the 2 main roof supports are sagging. Is it common to add some sort of reinforcements to these supports or the roof in general to help it keep its shape?

it's not a true pig if the roof isn't caved in. i'm doing the same thing as many and adding extra stock braces.

Headliner: I don't think I want to endure reinstalling a stock headliner right now, but I do want to put something up there. I was thinking about some heavy felt or perlon carpet. I've seen it done on vintage race cars and I think it looks good. . . see pics below.

didn't like the idea until i saw your pics. that actually looks pretty good. good luck cleaning all the old crap off the roof tho :eek:

Headlights: This could fall under the general electrical note below, but adding a relay set-up for brighter headlights is on my list.

you can easily build your own. i did. right now, it runs off a standard relay, i'd like to find the relays that the harness makers use tho, that use both 85 and 85a to power out, as opposed to opposing each other (if that makes sense)

Dash cap & instrument panel cover: I see that SOR offers a plastic dash cap for 9/72-later FJ55's. Will this fit my 4/72? My dash is intact, but has about 6 cracks and is a bit nasty looking. Alternatively, I could use some carpet I suppose. w/the instrument cover - SOR offers a replacement piece - is that a good option?

carpet will work fine, but like subzali said, it does get skanky. use velcro strips and a carpet cover that you can wash occassionally and you'll be in the affordable range

Rear interior panels: I need to fab some rear interior panels - the pieces that cover the emissions tanks in the rear. Mine were not-so-nice. I have the originals to use as templates and was thinking about aluminum or stainless sheet - maybe covered in carpet to help w/the tin can feel and noise.

plastics are another option. i have sheets that were given to me. i've tried making them in pressboard and vinyl and it's a pita. i'm doing the plastics next

Wipers: turn on and work fine, but the arms are broken and have no blades. I did some searching and am not exactly clear on the path to having an arm that accepts non-specialized blades. Is there one? I'd like to end up w/an all-season wiper that's easy to find replacements for.

most anco (crap) winter blades come with an assortment of adapters, i know i found a set that fit the 55. from there, you can use a decent blade with the anco adapter

Trailer hitch: need to fab one to fit the existing holes on the rear bumper - just for our yard trailer, nothing big. Also need to wire for trailer lights - is there something to this w/an FJ55? I must admit that I've been spending A LOT of time w/the wiring diagrams and don't really understand the tail light wiring at all yet.

check your wiring underneath in the middle. there may be factory trailer wires hanging down that aren't hooked up. at least three pigs that i've had had that factory, just a plug dangling. whatever you do, don't waste your money on the fancy "japanese adapter" wire harnesses, you don't need them. my 76 is wired exactly as expected and i ran a trailer brake setup on it.

Weatherstripping: I spent a long time reading through this thread yesterday: https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/90960-fj55-weatherstrip-guide-30.html In order to uphold some sense of budget, it looks like I will have to mix and match pieces from a few different sources - JC Whitney or similar, SloCruisers and maybe Cabe Toyota. I'd REALLY appreciate any directional help w/this as there seemed to be some conflicting info on the weatherstripping thread about part numbers and fitment of some of the pieces. I'd like to do it cheaper than the $2,150 kit from SloCruisers if possible. I'm sure the kit is great, but it's out of my budget for the moment - maybe if I do a more complete restoration in the future. . :

the w/s thread is hard to follow regarding the warshawsky's (jc whitney to the non chi town folks) options. warshawskys has always been notorious for changing the part numbers on a regular basis (sometimes as much as every four months or so)
 
First off, thanks so much for all the helpful replies. I appreciate everyone taking the time to respond and comment on my list; it's really helpful. And thanks for the parts offers too.

Riderjgs - I will take you up on the rear seat release cable if I can't free mine up or create a replacement easily; I'll try to look into this soon.

And nuclearlemon - It looks as though I may actually already have a muffler heatshield - see pic below. Is it common to add heat reflective material underneath to help w/heat transfer through the floorboards? I hate to add a dirt/water catch underneath, but I don't want to melt my shoes either!

Also have a quick wiper question. In the pics below, is the plastic end piece replaceable or do I need an entirely new arm? Is this the adapter part that comes w/some wiper blades? Also, How do the arms come off the wiper studs? There are no visible nuts - do I need to be more forceful w/the cover?

As I can only post 3 pics at a time, see next post for more. . .

Thanks a lot,
Tom
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Roof supports.

Trying to get a game plan for the roof. My supports are sagging in the middle after years of being loaded w/snow etc... Some solutions I've thought about:

Having a sheet metal shop friend create some straight sections that I can splice into the existing supports - maybe the middle 30"-36"? I don't know if the supports have any kind of continuous curve or not. Replicating straight sections would be pretty easy, as would welding them in. If they are curved however, fabricating becomes less straightforward. I really like the idea of adding an additional support or two. I've made a few inquires about sourcing extra supports, we'll see how easy they are to come by.

Are these supports supposed to be welded to the roof panel itself, or do they simply sit below the roof? I can't tell from mine if they were ever actually attached.

I also like the idea of adding an additional dome light in the rear. . .

Here's what I'm starting with. It's kind of hard to tell from the pics, but the roof still needs to be popped back out - hopefully it'll remember its original shape when I get to that.
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And nuclearlemon - It looks as though I may actually already have a muffler heatshield - see pic below. Is it common to add heat reflective material underneath to help w/heat transfer through the floorboards? I hate to add a dirt/water catch underneath, but I don't want to melt my shoes either!

Also have a quick wiper question. In the pics below, is the plastic end piece replaceable or do I need an entirely new arm? Is this the adapter part that comes w/some wiper blades? Also, How do the arms come off the wiper studs? There are no visible nuts - do I need to be more forceful w/the cover?

As I can only post 3 pics at a time, see next post for more. . .

Thanks a lot,
Tom

do not put material underneath, it will do just like you said, catch crap and create more rust. you could put heat reflective material under the floormat inside.

the plastic is an adapter from an aftermarket blade

the back of the wiper arm is a small cover that rotates up (towards the arm). there will be a nut under there
 
Re: your roof, mine looked much the same, caved in three different places and cross braces bent down, though not quite as severely. Roof was popped out as much as possible, then finished using conventional body shop techniques and minimum filler. The braces were straightened using porta-power pressure. Mine had what appeared to be a stock carpet-like strip between the brace and the roof skin to prevent "oil canning" and the upholstery shop put in new insulation before installing the SOR headliner. Turned out great.
If you install a second stock dome light, you'll need to place it on the front side of the rear brace. Otherwise it'll interfere with the headliner suppport rod. Nice to have the additional illumination over the cargo area.
 
Spent some time on the electrical today. By simply hitting the fuse panel w/a dremmel to polish up the contacts, I was able to get a few things up and working. I also disassembled, cleaned and reinstalled the front blower fan and ductwork. It's not shiny new, but at least it won't blow mouse related stuff out the vents when I turn the fan on - which now works btw!

Here's what works:
All the marker lights
Left brake light
Front blower fan - Just one speed though (first click on the way out).
Wipers
Windshield washer pump
Light outlet under the front hood (I even have the original little lamp & it works! Cool!)
Hazards (not the right rear)
Horn
Radio


Here's what does NOT work yet:

Headlights - There's power through the fuse, and the marker lights all come on w/the headlight switch, but the headlights don't. I jumpered one directly to the battery and it flickered on so I think at least one bulb is OK. Does all the power to the headlights go through the switch on the steering column? That may be the issue. . . There is no power at the connectors to the headlights themselves.

Turn signals - they click on, but don't blink on/off, like the relay is stuck. Need to check ground at the front lights.

Right rear brake light & turn signal - could be as simple as a burned out bulb. The marker light works there, but not the blinker or brake light.

Front fan only has one speed - first click on the way out, the second click shuts it off

Rear heater fan - getting power at the switch, maybe ground issue at the fan.

I think some of the dash gauges don't work - fuel, temp., PkB. light

The CHG. light on the dash stays on, but I'm pretty sure the alternator is working as I got 14V at the battery when the engine was running yesterday.

Cigarette lighter, Dome light

All in all, good progress. I was excited to get the front fan working so I have some heat and defrost. Also, it was nice to see all the marker lights come on w/the headlight switch. And hear the windshield washer pump run. . .


Also working on sourcing some roof support bars, a rebuilt brake booster and a few of the key weatherstripping pieces.

Inching closer to being road worthy.
 
Check the bulbs. The flasher is resistance-based, so if it has too much or too little resistance it will illuminate a bulb, but won't blink. Glad to see it was easy progress to clean up the fuse block and get a bunch of stuff working.
 

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