Build Pete the Old Prospector

[majdomo]

I’m actually building one of those combos right now for a client in Culver City. He bought a used transmission from cruiserparts before he knew about me. Cost more to fix that one than it would have to buy one from me.

SO many adages come to mind but leaving those aside, he will get a good trans and only has to do the install once!

I have a lot of questions about doing the swap, we can chat during the week. Having had both I do appreciate the 3-speed on the freeway in stop and go traffic, taking out that 3-4 shift is helpful and 2nd does lug down decently low crawling along through DTLA. The main downside (and it's fairly big) is that unsynchronized 1st gear, super annoying.

 

[majdomo]

Well it wasn't my finest hour in the garage today. Undid the bolts to pull off the top cover, and found that the two "posts" that were supposed to hold the 2/4WD lever in place were actually two bolts where someone had snapped off the heads. And of course the top needs to slide over just a bit before you can pull it off, so anything fixing the lid in place makes it impossible to remove. Vise-grips worked on one, but the other one needed some additional problem solving. Wonderful.

The good news (maybe?) is that this is the worst of 1st gear. I spent an hour going through each gear carefully looking for where the chunks may have come from, and the rest of them were fine as far as I could tell. Suggests that this maybe happened a long time ago, but open to additional perspectives.

Lots more scraping to go, but making progress.

 

[65swb45]

Did you look down at the countergear that first meshes with?

 

[majdomo]

Did you look down at the countergear that first meshes with?

I did, and jammed my hand in there while rotating the whole thing to see if I could feel any sharp parts on all of the countershaft gears for multiple rotations on each. None found.

Doesn't mean I didn't miss something though.

EDIT - did the same with the reverse idler, but that one is waaaay in the corner and really tough to see / get a hand on.

 

[majdomo]

Well, looks like I found where the chunks came from!

Plus these look pretty fresh, I think I know who did it... There was this one time last week when I had to slam on the brakes in the parking garage at work, and I remember my foot coming off the clutch as I shoved into the gearshift on accident while the whole truck lurched forward and a very loud BANG came with it. Avoided an accident, munched the reverse idler. Ugh.

Had a chance to talk with Mark, it's staying a 3 speed. But which 3 speed is an open question right about now, if this can be replaced or if it means I'm getting another 3 speed.

 

[majdomo]

Game plan set - took apart the transmission and transfer case, hauled the whole thing off to Mark @65swb45 this afternoon and got some good advice, new parts, and plenty of quality time. Took on a good used 3-speed, a new lid with tower, new 3-speed clutch kit, throwout bearing, rear main seal, reseal kit for the transmission, pilot bearing, seals, and a new pivot pin for the PTO lever.

EDIT - important note - Mark had all of this in stock ready to go, which is awesome... it is so great to have him as a resource for both parts and advice. Sometimes it's a bit more work to not just hit the Buy button and it arrives at the house, but I find I get more value than just good parts when you work with great vendors like him. We are very lucky to have more than a few of them on the boards and in the community.

Left the transfer case with Mark for a rebuild, will be in excellent condition when it comes back. Something I never noted before - when I resealed the transfer case and transmission on Luigi, I probably should have had that one rebuilt as it sang and had a loud, extremely high-pitched whine something terrible, which definitely did not help with my tinnitus. This one was not making nearly that kind of racket, but since it's apart, may as well go for it. New to me transmission is in great shape, just needs a reseal and a good scrub.

Also got the 2002 back today, it was in the shop for more than 3 months but it looks awesome, ready for the LA-Paso Robles rally this weekend! Damn I missed this car.

... like it never happened. $16K later.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Game plan set - took apart the transmission and transfer case, hauled the whole thing off to Mark @65swb45 this afternoon and got some good advice, new parts, and plenty of quality time. Took on a good used 3-speed, a new lid with tower, new 3-speed clutch kit, throwout bearing, rear main seal, reseal kit for the transmission, pilot bearing, seals, and a new pivot pin for the PTO lever.

Left the transfer case with Mark for a rebuild, will be in excellent condition when it comes back. Something I never noted before - when I resealed the transfer case and transmission on Luigi, I probably should have had that one rebuilt as it sang and had a loud, extremely high-pitched whine something terrible, which definitely did not help with my tinnitus. This one was not making nearly that kind of racket, but since it's apart, may as well go for it. New to me transmission is in great shape, just needs a reseal and a good scrub.

Also got the 2002 back today, it was in the shop for more than 3 months but it looks awesome, ready for the LA-Paso Robles rally this weekend! Damn I missed this car.

View attachment 3734573

... like it never happened. $16K later.

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how come you chose to go with another non-synchronized J30 ?

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as opposed to all the various leaps in overall ASCO / AISIN MTM gear-box technology of the H41 & H42 's ...
.

..

.​

.

 

[ToyotaMatt]

Did you look down at the countergear that first meshes with?

I did, and jammed my hand in there while rotating the whole thing to see if I could feel any sharp parts on all of the countershaft gears for multiple rotations on each. None found.

Doesn't mean I didn't miss something though.

EDIT - did the same with the reverse idler, but that one is waaaay in the corner and really tough to see / get a hand on.

Hi Mark .....

can you explain in detail what exactly this is below and why ?


thanks sir !


.

3 Speed Toyota Landcruiser Gearbox Shortened

Complete 3 speed shortened Toyota Landcruiser gearbox. Comes with the following: - Backing plate- Driveshaft flange These boxes DO NOT come with: - Shifter top- Gear lever Straight out of a Toyota Landcrusier - these gearboxes have never been raced. NO WARRANTY

fastlanespares.co.nz

.

.

 

[majdomo]

-

how come you chose to go with another non-synchronized J30 ?

.
as opposed to all the various leaps in overall ASCO / AISIN MTM gear-box technology of the H41 & H42 's ...

Couple reasons:
- I don't mind the 3 speed. The non-synchronized 1st gear is the biggest drawback, not trivial but not a dealbreaker either
- The 4 speed would have required sourcing a different trans cover or cutting my very original '72 trans cover (not happening)
- The PTO adds a whole other level of work, which would have required sourcing a longer shaft and so on
- It's $$ for a good one. I would rather put that cash into the transfer case and other projects, for now.

It may end up happening down the road, but for my purposes today, it's fine to just swap like for like.

 

[65swb45]

John

I gave your old output shaft a quick scuff. Magic eraser.

 

[majdomo]

John

I gave your old output shaft a quick scuff. Magic eraser.
View attachment 3742204

Looks like new! Thanks for the walk-thru on Thursday, learned a lot! Interested to see which front output flange you go with.

Going to spend some time today on prep and resealing the transmission, to have it all ready to go once the case comes home. Getting antsy to have it all back together and drive

 

[65swb45]

This is as far as I got last night. I won’t be able to get back to it again until Tuesday

 

[majdomo]

Thank you Mark!! Looks amazing!

New-to-me trans getting cleaned up and ready for its arranged mate. No gaskets yet, just finished cleaning up. It's already 100 in the garage, will pick it up again tomorrow am.

EDIT - picked up the flywheel this morning as well. Ready to go!

 

[majdomo]

Been quiet on the FJ40 front the last few weeks, haven't had a lot of free time on the weekends but finally had some yesterday. Got the transfer case mated up to the transmission, set the transfer case input support bearing, and was able to get the whole thing installed. Borrowing a motorcycle jack made things much easier, although still needed quite a bit of jiggling and persuading to get it to mate up. I'd installed the rear main seal, flywheel, clutch, TO bearing and fork about 2 weeks ago, so it's been a leisurely pace of work, so to speak.

Also adjusted the clutch pushrod, started cleaning up my mess in the rig to get ready to reinstall the gas tank and interior, but it's still sort of a war zone in there..

The trash was all vacuumed up earlier, now just puttering as I'm waiting on a speedi-sleeve for the rear output drum, which has a bit of a groove in it. Installed the rear cover on the back of the transfer case, cleaned up all the parking brake hardware bits in anticipation of installing new shoes, need one last little brake shoe holder spring before I can keep going with the reinstallation.

I also checked the speedometer driven gear, and it's a 6-17T which I think was stock. I thought for a minute about getting an 18T gear to correct the speedometer (it currently reads fast), but I'm planning to get some bigger tires eventually which may knock it back into a better range with the 17T gear so sticking with what I have for now.

This is the second time I've done this on an FJ40 and feel like I did a better job this time around. It's been slow going given that my weekends are kind of blown up during the fall. Goal is to have it all done and buttoned up in the next couple of weeks, should be easier with cooler weather on the way.

 

[majdomo]

PTO reinstalled, installed the parking brake and drum, and reconnected the front driveshaft. Went to put in the '68 rear driveshaft and no go - '72 flanges are not the same as '68, the bolts / holes on the '68 flanges look like 8mm vs 10mm on the later ones. Soooo... now I need a new u-joint for the '72 shaft.

Continued with cleaning - just getting rid of the caked-on mud and washing out the junk from the seat belts. It's coming together, but at an easy pace.

 

[majdomo]

Progress with cleanup and speaker wire wrangling (the black Y-shape). The speakers will go to one of those little $12 Bluetooth receiver things that will mount up under the dash. It'll be fine for around town but that's about it. So much scrubbing but been worth it. Makes me super happy that this is all original. Seats and gas tank go back in today.

 

[cbmontgo]

Referring to the early part of this thread, I love the prospector history and those maps and binocs that were still in the 40 when you got it. Back then, people really used rigs for what they were made for. No rubber ducks on the dash in those days.

My brother bought this Land Rover last year from a widow whose husband used it for dinosaur/fossil hunting in South Dakota. These rigs were probably kicking around out West around the same time.

 

[majdomo]

Referring to the early part of this thread, I love the prospector history and those maps and binocs that were still in the 40 when you got it. Back then, people really used rigs for what they were made for. No rubber ducks on the dash in those days.

My brother bought this Land Rover last year from a widow whose husband used it for dinosaur/fossil hunting in South Dakota. These rigs were probably kicking around out West around the same time.
View attachment 3764317View attachment 3764318

Agreed - love the homegrown DIY use it and abuse it mentality that these things have! I love the plaster cast dinosaur bones and come along rigged to the roof. Nothing like a LR in its natural habitat I'm sure most of the dirt I cleaned out had been there for decades, from plenty of trips into the desert looking for copper.

The binoculars are in my son's bedroom, and we use them to watch SpaceX launches from Vandenberg as they come up from the west. The maps are in the garage, they are so brittle that just opening them results in flaking and chunks falling off. I still have the original radio and homemade shelf, and I'm planning to leave the dash pad for now. The jerry can holders are probably going to stay, about the only "mods" I'm planning is to get some original wheels and slightly bigger tires, and to redo the upholstery / padding so I don't get poked in the rear by springs.

 

[65swb45]

Progress with cleanup and speaker wire wrangling (the black Y-shape). The speakers will go to one of those little $12 Bluetooth receiver things that will mount up under the dash. It'll be fine for around town but that's about it. So much scrubbing but been worth it. Makes me super happy that this is all original. Seats and gas tank go back in today.

View attachment 3764286

Your tank well is awesome! I am dreading pulling the tank out of the tek cruiser bc from underneath I can see the rough cutout of the original floor and two additional layers of sheetmetal

Got your message about returning the Jack, but was too tired to call you back. The rear brake job snowballed into a full-blown rear differential replacement that I wasnt mentally prepared for.

 

[majdomo]

Your tank well is awesome! I am dreading pulling the tank out of the tek cruiser bc from underneath I can see the rough cutout of the original floor and two additional layers of sheetmetal

Got your message about returning the Jack, but was too tired to call you back. The rear brake job snowballed into a full-blown rear differential replacement that I wasnt mentally prepared for.

All good! It's just riding around in the back of the car until we get a chance to meet up. Brake job sounds like a nightmare, nothing like opening up a can of worms! This week is kind of busy, but Tuesday afternoon / Friday look better.

I was pretty excited about the tank well too. The rest of it looks fine more or less. Bluetooth thing worked a treat, once I figured out where to ground the power line (used one of the mount bolts for the fresh air inlet). That took way longer than it should have and the unit itself is really sort of cheap, who knows how long it'll last. Oil / filter / gear oil all done, seats and tank reinstalled, and redid the bottom part of the door seals to finish out the day.