!OY Coolermans 2/71 Build

[handcannon]

I know this would be off topic, but I would love to see some pics of the completed log home and shop. Just a lot of curiosity involved since I've installed cabinets in log homes, and being very partial to their looks.

Don

 

[Pin_Head]

Shaft. What the rag joint is attached to. The ps box is 3/4 inch longer to the rear.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Great thread! Subscribed

 

[Coolerman]

OK thanks Pin_Head I am going to add that tidbit of info to my web page when I update it.

handcannon: Here is a link to my loghome "build" I never completed that web site as it just got to be too much work but it shows most of the construction... I attached a pic of how it looks now...

 

[MoCoNative]

Coolerman, Pin head is right, the actual steering shaft is shorter on the PS box, but you have already negated that effect with the aftermarket frame mount. You have slid the box down the slope so to speak the extra 3/4 inch.

The missing bearing/bushing you speak of was never present. I know on my 73, there is a bearing on the shaft at the top of the tube under the steering wheel. But at the bottom that was just a heavy felt bushing that centered the shaft in the tube. The tube itself has a four bolt flange, that you cut off, that sat in a three bolt on bucket that sat at the proper angle in the firewall. The felt bushing was captured at that point. I think the felt gave the shaft some body flex play, as the weight of the shaft was bore by the steering box and the rag joint.

For your setup, I don't know if you want a solid bushing there, or something with some flex. I do think however, a simple plate welded to the end of the tube will be just fine to mount it. And in reality, you don't get that much flex in the frame and body right there, perhaps a solid bushing would be fine. I would mount the plate to the firewall with a heavy rubber or foam gasket to instill some flex and vibration dampening.

 

[MoCoNative]

Oh and the house looks great, just finished my 2 year house building odyssey this past August. Finally time to get back to my 40, and all the other backlogged car maintenance.

 

[handcannon]

Thank you for the link to your build. I just finished looking at the house pics and reading the whole thing. Big difference between the pic above and what you went through getting to that point. Some of what you went through is waayy beyond the norm for residential construction, but I saw so much that looked normal for building a house.

It looks real good. I'm really partial to the rustic looks of a log home. I'm impressed with yours, and how everything looks/fits together. I like that floorplan with the central core being the main living quarters, and everything else around the outside edge.

Good to see you got a boxer. Of course, as you can see in my avatar I'm partial to boxers. I find it amazing how hard and rough they can play and still be so gentle with toddlers and little kids. We just recently lost our first boxer at 11 years and about 1 week of age, very old for a boxer. She's not in the avatar pic, but the bigger one in the pic is now about 7-8 years old and getting very gray, and the pup is about 6-7 years old.

In an effort to try to keep this post on topic...... I'm almost jealous of your "man cave" and all the space you have, especially for working on your 40.

Don

 

[93jspec]

The old bushing in the end of the column was missing so I added that to me list of things to get from Toyota.

Next I got to thinking I really don't know if the steering tube is too close to the driver. The last pick shows the column covers are about 3 1/4" from the dash. Anyone know if that is correct or close? I only have 3/4 to play with without cutting the rag joint thing off the end of the shaft, cutting out some material, then welding it back together. Surely the dash/column/seat relationship did not change much from 71 to 75?

Curious if that old bushing is the same part number between years, I need to track down a new one myself. I am also curious to see where my steering colmn cover measures out to. I am guessing it should be close to a factory 76 measurement but I second guess that becuase I changed the angle of the minitruck gearbox mount to ensure the gearbox and steering wheel shaft were in line and not at some hokey angle.

 

[roddyordiales]

looks awesome!

 

[93jspec]

The steering column for the PS Fj40 is 3/4 inch shorter than the column for the manual box. Some kind of compensation is needed to make everything fit: Move box forward, shorten column, or move column rearward.

Looking at the way the 76 column comes from the factory it leaves no room for error length wise. The tube that runs from the firewall that the ignition cylinder housing mounts to leaves no adjustment. If this argument is valid then my measurement of 4 and 11/16s should be the same or really close to a stock 76. I am now considering shortening the tube by about 2 inches and the shaft as well..but messing with a vital component such as the shaft makes me a tad nervous...or moving the box forward like Pin_Head said.

 

[Coolerman]

It looks real good. I'm really partial to the rustic looks of a log home. I'm impressed with yours, and how everything looks/fits together. I like that floorplan with the central core being the main living quarters, and everything else around the outside edge.

Good to see you got a boxer. Of course, as you can see in my avatar I'm partial to boxers. I find it amazing how hard and rough they can play and still be so gentle with toddlers and little kids. We just recently lost our first boxer at 11 years and about 1 week of age, very old for a boxer. She's not in the avatar pic, but the bigger one in the pic is now about 7-8 years old and getting very gray, and the pup is about 6-7 years old.

In an effort to try to keep this post on topic...... I'm almost jealous of your "man cave" and all the space you have, especially for working on your 40.

Don

Thanks Don, We worked with Honest Abe Log Homes out of Tennessee. We found that floor plan, made a few changes to it and they cut the entire kit with a computerized "log making machine". We toured the factory. It's an awesome set of machinery that does all that milling.

My shop was actually built before the house so we could store all of our stuff from our house we sold. Lucky for us it sold quickly but then we ended up living in a camper for a few months on site.

That, unfortunately, resulted in !Oy sitting outside under a tarp for two years while we built. The body (among other things) I had primed rusted again. I am building a body carrier so I can remove the body, mount it to the carrier, roll it outside, and sandblast it back to bare metal. I still have a LOT of welding to do on the body!

I know what you mean about Boxers and how hard they play. Bentley chipped a bone in his ankle when he got into a fight with the neighbors dog. (Bentley won the fight, though it cost him a night at the vet and about 20 stitches) He plays so hard it won't heal!

 

[Coolerman]

For your setup, I don't know if you want a solid bushing there, or something with some flex. I do think however, a simple plate welded to the end of the tube will be just fine to mount it. And in reality, you don't get that much flex in the frame and body right there, perhaps a solid bushing would be fine. I would mount the plate to the firewall with a heavy rubber or foam gasket to instill some flex and vibration dampening.

I plan to put the Toyota part for a 75 column back in there or at least some type of rubber or poly bushing. The tube needs to be sealed enough to at least keep the dirt dobbers out! It servers no other real function as the shaft is centered at the bottom by the rag joint and the top by the ignition module bearing. Last night while I was doing one last check of everything I "tweaked" the snap ring that holds that bearing in place and it no longer seats properly. I'll need to get a new one of those too.

 

[Coolerman]

93jspc
So you are putting a 1976 column into your 1971 FJ40? From reading, I'm pretty sure the columns are the same up until 80 or 81 when they went to the two piece collapseable shafts. Instead of cutting the shaft I would move the box forward if possible. How are you going to mount the steering tube to the firewall?

 

[FJ40Jim]

Or the tube can be cut loose from the firewall mount and pushed up 3/4". That seems to be what Cooler is doing because he has the luxury of redoing the bottom mount anyway. So he can line up the tube perfectly w/ the steering box before welding tube to firewall plate.

Cooler, are you planning on using the later upper column electrics- blinker, hi-beam, flash to pass, ignition switch?

 

[93jspec]

93jspc
So you are putting a 1976 column into your 1971 FJ40? From reading, I'm pretty sure the columns are the same up until 80 or 81 when they went to the two piece collapseable shafts. Instead of cutting the shaft I would move the box forward if possible. How are you going to mount the steering tube to the firewall?

I looked at it again last night and I am beyond moving the box forward but as it moves up the frame it changes the angle of the column because the frame starts to pitch up. Here is the excerpt from my build thread:

For the installation of the 76 column I used a toyota power steering box from a Toyota PU. I believe it is an earlier year because the return line has a smaller fitting. I pulled the entire column from the 76 as well as the firewall piece you see that is black in this picture. I did have to trim down the firewall rib to make this fit.

This is the inside of the firewall. I made a plate and welded it into the firewall, probably not necessary but I did it. I also used some sealant to make a nice airtight seal..it gets cold in Alaska and I did not want any air sneaking in.

Done..

The biggest issue I had was the JT outfitters powersteering gear box mount did not have the correct angle for the rag joint and the steering wheel shaft. I ended up having to cant it up about 1/2 an inch to get a straight line. I had to remove the top two bolts in this pic, as well as the bolt on the bottom right, then pivoted it up to the correct angle, welded it in place and then drilled another hole for the bottom right bolt just to make me feel better.

This is how it is right now. I need the fitting for the return line on the gear box, a new "seal" for the shaft as it goes through the fire wall..not sure where to get that yet. I did just notice the oil line is uncomfortably close to the rag joint. I still need to install the three bolts you see missing.

 

[Coolerman]

Or the tube can be cut loose from the firewall mount and pushed up 3/4". That seems to be what Cooler is doing because he has the luxury of redoing the bottom mount anyway. So he can line up the tube perfectly w/ the steering box before welding tube to firewall plate.

Cooler, are you planning on using the later upper column electrics- blinker, hi-beam, flash to pass, ignition switch?

Yes, I am. I already completely re-wired my harness to move the dimmer to the column, use the column key switch, the turn signals, and the horn. I had to make up an adapter for the turn signals. That's something I actually sell on my website.

 

[Coolerman]

93jspc
I read that thread! I actually considered using the 76 bucket mount but did not want to cut and weld on my firewall. It would have made it easier to get the angle but in reality the angle is set by the power steering box mount. So you found that the JT box was built at the wrong angle? As Jim stated, your easiest way is to remove the tube, slice off the square end like I did, remove however much tube you need to , then weld the square end back on.

 

[FJ40Jim]

The defective JTO PS stands should be returned to sender and demand a refund.

Failing that, a toyota lower U-jt can be welded to the stock column to allow for any misalignment.

Like these:

 

[Coolerman]

Jim, that last pic. Is that something handmade? Never seen a u-joint AND a rag joint like that. I have the u-joint from the mini-truck that attaches to the box just like the rag joint but it has a male 6 spline on the other end of it. Wasn't sure what it originally attached to so did not use it.

 

[apeterson]

loving that you are back on this project!! looking great!