Builds PDX 1990 FJ75 Troopy LHD Build

[MES]

Took a while to start a thread but here goes. BTW This is going to be a slow build...

Have no garage...yet.

Bought it from a member in Cali.

1990 FJ75 Troop Carrier

3F Carbureted Engine
5spd H55f Manual Transmission
Split Case Transercase
Full Float Rear Axle
ARB bull bar
Factory AC along with an aftermarket AUX AC ( soon to go on sale)

FJ75 Troopy1

• MES
• Jan 16, 2019

fj75 under

• MES
• Jan 16, 2019

FJ75 Interior

• MES
• Jan 16, 2019

Needs some work... Cosmetic and mechanical

Has a 20+ holes on the rear floor due to riveted in floorboards that need to be welded up.

Has rust on the drip rails.

Muffler has a huge hole. ( replaced recently)


Engine was not running right.

There was no Thermostat installed.. ( Middle East Style..)
After installing one, the radiator blew now that there was actual pressure in the sytem...

Much more info to put on here. Going to be a long term project.

Just glad I found a LHD Troopy for a decent price with minimal rust!!


Will update with new additions / Maintenance

 

[Mookies]

Glad she made it up here. If parking on the street the mantra is Club and kill switch immediately!

 

[umpqua]

If you’re in Portland I’d love to take a look.

Second the kill switch. First thing I’d do.

 

[MES]

Will get a kill switch added asap!

Hey Umpqua, will love to meet up. Send a PM to set up a time.


——

First thing I did when I brought the troopy home , I did a full inspection on engine / tranny / driveline.

Had a lot of caked on oil , and dirt/sand. Decided to clean the engine bay to make it easer to spot leakes/ cracks.

Before photo of engine bay. ..Had seen better days ...



OCD kicked in and decided to paint the valve cover and air intake pieces while I waited for parts to arrive.




ammonium sulfide molar mass





While, the cover was off I decided to check the valve lash. Both cold / hot / and while,running.

They were slightly tight . Adjusted to the factory spec and assembled the parts all back on.

Thought the valve adjustment would change the slight fluttering I’m getting from the exhaust but didn’t do much. Just happy that the valves are adjusted and I have 149 compression on all cylinders.

Next up was figuring out why the engine never got hot. Would drive around town and the temp gauge wouldn’t move at all. I tested the sensor and it was working fine. Even got a new sensor and still no change.

The only old school mechanic mindset my dad suggested to check if there was a thermostat installed. Since it pretty common to not put one in hot countries. ( Like The Middle East )

Of course the thermostat housing was empty.

Installed a new one along with new radiator hoses . Started the car, let it warm up.

Now the radiator springs a leak. A big one.

I was in a crunch to finish the mechanicals to drive it from Los Angeles to Portland, so I needed to act fast and fix it. Luckily my friend and FJ fanatic said he had a new radiator that he Justin installed in his FJ40.

It was Toyota OEM unit. Product number 16400-49356 not sure what it’s for but Toyota still makes it and is available at the dealerships in the SoCal area.

I knew it would take some fab work to make it fit, but I decided to take it off his hands and get to work.

The factory 75 series rad mounts and fan shroud weren’t going to work. I found some brackets at Home Depot that worked perfectly for a temporary mounting system.

Will fab some steel mounts later when I have some time. For now these work.



I’ll try to find a OEM FJ75 rad ordered to keep on hand when this one goes out, or my friend wants his back for some reason... lol


Other maintenance things I did:

Coolant flush
Oil change / filter
Air filter
Replace distributor Rotor, Cap, plug wires , plugs all new OEM
New fuel filter
New PCV valve

Cleaned out carb with carb cleaner along with a sea foam session.

After all these steps along with adjusting the carb, I still couldn’t get the engine from smelling like unburnt gasoline. It smells like its running rich but at cold start it wants to stall if I don’t keep giving it gas.

So it’s an odd Lean at start up, rich at idle once it’s warmed up.

I can’t get it to idle below 850 rpm without the engine starting to shake.

It could be hidden vacuum leak that I still haven’t detected, or the carb needs a good cleaning and rebuild.


Anyways decided to take the troopy to the Oregon DEQ yesterday... ( emissions testing )

Failed with flying colors.




I knew it wasn’t going to pass due to the excessive gasoline smell from the exhaust.

Another factor was the lack of catalytic convertors. : )

Going to weld in some cats to see where my hydro carbons get.

Won’t solve the smell issue, but would be good to see how it changes the results.

I’ve read about every post on the 3F engine and it’s woes.

I’m open to any suggestions on fixing the excessive gas at idle issue.

Once the engine is dialed and passes emissions the fun part starts.

 

[FJ73Texas]

I had a 3F powered FJ73 soft top that is now living a lucky life in Arizonia. I never had to get it tested for emissions being in San Antonio but I am sure it would have failed if it was required.

I really miss having a soft top. Soft top 70 series are the bee knees.

 

[TonyP]

An LSx will help you pass

 

[MES]

An LSx will help you pass

Your only the 10th person to suggest this lol.

Have a 5.3 in a friends garage waiting for an engine bay. but maybe a 6.0 later on...

 

[FJ73Texas]

The 3F doesn't get much love.

 

[roscoFJ73]

I’m open to any suggestions on fixing the excessive gas at idle issue.

A carb rebuild. Its probably never been done and makes a big difference to how they feel, not sure if it will make the hydrocarbons go away.
I dont remember smelling fuel in the exhaust with mine. I had mine rebuilt
Another way might be to add an EFI kit. And an old cruiser mechanic told me the spark is too yellow and an ignition upgrade can make the spark blue

 

[Honger]

Glad she made it up here. If parking on the street the mantra is Club and kill switch immediately!

Is this a PDX issue? Or is this just the way things are in the States and I've been living a sheltered life over here in the Middle East the last ten years?

 

[Honger]

Will get a kill switch added asap!

Hey Umpqua, will love to meet up. Send a PM to set up a time.


——

First thing I did when I brought the troopy home , I did a full inspection on engine / tranny / driveline.

Had a lot of caked on oil , and dirt/sand. Decided to clean the engine bay to make it easer to spot leakes/ cracks.

Before photo of engine bay. ..Had seen better days ...



OCD kicked in and decided to paint the valve cover and air intake pieces while I waited for parts to arrive.




ammonium sulfide molar mass





While, the cover was off I decided to check the valve lash. Both cold / hot / and while,running.

They were slightly tight . Adjusted to the factory spec and assembled the parts all back on.

Thought the valve adjustment would change the slight fluttering I’m getting from the exhaust but didn’t do much. Just happy that the valves are adjusted and I have 149 compression on all cylinders.

Next up was figuring out why the engine never got hot. Would drive around town and the temp gauge wouldn’t move at all. I tested the sensor and it was working fine. Even got a new sensor and still no change.

The only old school mechanic mindset my dad suggested to check if there was a thermostat installed. Since it pretty common to not put one in hot countries. ( Like The Middle East )

Of course the thermostat housing was empty.

Installed a new one along with new radiator hoses . Started the car, let it warm up.

Now the radiator springs a leak. A big one.

I was in a crunch to finish the mechanicals to drive it from Los Angeles to Portland, so I needed to act fast and fix it. Luckily my friend and FJ fanatic said he had a new radiator that he Justin installed in his FJ40.

It was Toyota OEM unit. Product number 16400-49356 not sure what it’s for but Toyota still makes it and is available at the dealerships in the SoCal area.

I knew it would take some fab work to make it fit, but I decided to take it off his hands and get to work.

The factory 75 series rad mounts and fan shroud weren’t going to work. I found some brackets at Home Depot that worked perfectly for a temporary mounting system.

Will fab some steel mounts later when I have some time. For now these work.



I’ll try to find a OEM FJ75 rad ordered to keep on hand when this one goes out, or my friend wants his back for some reason... lol


Other maintenance things I did:

Coolant flush
Oil change / filter
Air filter
Replace distributor Rotor, Cap, plug wires , plugs all new OEM
New fuel filter
New PCV valve

Cleaned out carb with carb cleaner along with a sea foam session.

After all these steps along with adjusting the carb, I still couldn’t get the engine from smelling like unburnt gasoline. It smells like its running rich but at cold start it wants to stall if I don’t keep giving it gas.

So it’s an odd Lean at start up, rich at idle once it’s warmed up.

I can’t get it to idle below 850 rpm without the engine starting to shake.

It could be hidden vacuum leak that I still haven’t detected, or the carb needs a good cleaning and rebuild.


Anyways decided to take the troopy to the Oregon DEQ yesterday... ( emissions testing )

Failed with flying colors.




I knew it wasn’t going to pass due to the excessive gasoline smell from the exhaust.

Another factor was the lack of catalytic convertors. : )

Going to weld in some cats to see where my hydro carbons get.

Won’t solve the smell issue, but would be good to see how it changes the results.

I’ve read about every post on the 3F engine and it’s woes.

I’m open to any suggestions on fixing the excessive gas at idle issue.

Once the engine is dialed and passes emissions the fun part starts.

Some obvious similarities to my own find... especially the holes all over the rear floor.

My 3F runs like a champ however. It has an obviously near-brand-new carb and vacuum lines on it.

I'd get an OEM radiator installed along with a new OEM carb. Sell off that near-brand-new 40-series radiator and then rebuild the old carb as a spare for the shelf.

Where'd you get your rotor for the distributor? I show that as NLA... got all the other parts except that one for my own truck I've yet to install.

 

[MES]

Ordering the new carb!

My friend had a spare 3F Distributor rotor. He had bought it thinking it would fit the 3F.

I did try buying one earlier on the usual websites and didnt find one.

_mes

 

[roscoFJ73]

Where are you getting a new carb from?

 

[roscoFJ73]

Where'd you get your rotor for the distributor? I show that as NLA.

They haven't been available for 15 years and same for the 3F carb
The carbs are like new after a rebuild.

 

[Honger]

Where are you getting a new carb from?

Umm... I can get new 3F carbs here in region. 21100-61300
That carb works for 1990 and 1991 3F's. So mine as well as @MES; perhaps he and I just luckily fit into that slot.

 

[Honger]

Ordering the new carb!

My friend had a spare 3F Distributor rotor. He had bought it thinking it would fit the 3F.

I did try buying one earlier on the usual websites and didnt find one.

_mes

Do you mean a spare 2F rotor? And it did fit a 3F?

 

[umpqua]

Hi Mes, great meeting you yesterday and keep up the good work.

A couple of thoughts;

You should be able to get a "special interest" plate for your truck. If you get it you won't have to take it through DEQ but one time. Check it out on the Oregon DMV site.

I know that you're going to want to address the rust issue on the gutters. You might want to consider an Alu Cab top. You'd ditch the existing top if you went that route so you might trade the repair dollars for an Alu Cab top. Just a thought.....

 

[MES]

Do you mean a spare 2F rotor? And it did fit a 3F?

No it’s a 3F rotor. He had bought it thinking it was for a 2f. I gladly took it off his hands.

Where are you getting a new carb from?

Like @Honger said, I just looked up the item number and both Partsouq / megazip had them.


—

@umpqua was great meeting you as well. Will wait to see the repair quote and compare it to the Alucab cost .

Hercules top is over $9k correct?

 

[umpqua]

I'd expect to pay "almost" that amount....might be a little less.

I had a yellow troopy that I took to Dario that had roof rust. His comment was "mucho tiempo." The yellow truck had significant rust in other areas and as I recall the work order on it was going to be several thousand.

I guess at this point you'd take it to him and see what he says.

 

[TonyP]

Even if you chop the roof for a poptop, you'll still need to address the driprails, correct. You only cut off the roof portion not the drip rails from what I remember. Depending on where your rust issue is.