Builds Project Snowball ❄️ 85 FJ60 Cummins 4BT/ HX-30 SUPER/ NV4500/ SOA (8 Viewers)

[Hojack]

Took the 60 for its first diesel fill up and be able to fit the diesel nozzle into the fuel neck without a funnel. If you do a diesel swap remember to remove the diesel rejection flapper.

Drove home and just love the 4BT and 5 speed NV4500. 5th gear just cruises. The Speedhut Gauges are awesome. Here is 4th gear at 55mph... one more gear to go!

Project Snowball❄ has been a long road. Been a lot of blood, sweat and burns but this setup is so fun. Just a bit more on the suspension and it’ll be time for wheeling.

Headed east of Crater Lake, Oregon tomorrow to look for some mountain property to play with Snowball❄.

 

[Hojack]

It’s been one of those weeks... Friday and an easy 60’ pump pull right... wrong!
Wellhead was buried under 2’ of dirt. Dug out well and exposed the wellhead.

The pipe was seized in the 60 year old well seal.

Tried lifting with a strap but was either going to break the strap pulling with out 6T hoist or break off the 90 and drop the pump down the well. The 3/4” well seal bolts were seized and the corners were rounding off. Only way to pull it was to cut the 6” well casing below the well seal. Then the dilemma was if the pump was on steel or black poly pipe??? Didn’t want to cut the casing and melt the black poly pipe and loose the pump to. Decided to cut an access window to see first with my angle grinder.

Steel pipe but also the well casing is breaking apart too. Bad well scale.

Cut the casing off with my oxygen/ acetylene torch.

 

[Hojack]

Once the well casing was cut the pipe lifted easily.

The pipe and casing were in terrible condition.

The galv pipe was about ready to fall apart.
Got the pump out.

Found the wire was shorted just above the pump.

All the insulation was gone.

 

[Hojack]

In order to not have the new pump plugged up the well casing needed to be brushed and blown out with our 375 CFM air compressor. But first a dilemma with the 1” galv pipe coming to the well head.

Once the 6” casing is welded on then the 90 won’t be able to and the 90 is going to be close.

Looking down the well after the pump was pulled and the sheets of well scale had fallen down the well.

 

[Hojack]

Run to shop and get 3’ of well casing and a weld ring. Pickup compressor brush and blow pipe. Return to job.

Install 1” galv 90 with plug on line to the well. Weld on the weld ring.

I love my job...

The 90 worked perfectly. No need to cut and thread the old galvanized.

Now time to brush and blow the well

 

[Hojack]

First ran the brush down the old casing to knock loose all the debris and clean the casing. The brush did pickup a lot of well scale.

Next it was time to use air and blow out the well, the best part of the job. Originally the well was 75’ but filled in to 69’. All the water was coming through the 6’ of debris in the bottom of the well. The steel well scale can eventually shutoff water flow to a well.

Blew out the 6’ of debris and blew on well until the water cleaned up.

Nice clean water now.

All the debris that was once at the bottom of the well.

 

[Hojack]

Pull the blow pipe and install the pitless adapter in the well casing to keep the wellhead waterline from freezing.

The wiring mess, wire in the house with just electrical tape around one leg.

The pressure tank didn’t fit for the last pump installer, $h!t just heat and bend the plastic nipple.

Didn’t want that keeping me up at night so decided to replumb the waterline. Fixed the wiring and ran it in aluminum flex.

 

[davegonz]

Good stuff.

 

[Hojack]

Went and looked at numerous properties yesterday near Crater Lake. Left at 6 am and got home this morning at 1am. 614 miles of driving total. Some great property and some not so much.
My favorite is below which already has a well and conduit for the service entrance feed for the meter base from power pole. No septic. 1 acre for $7000. For what it is, great starter project. Could be an awesome camp spot for a couple years before starting a cabin.


The other is almost 2 acres with a cabin for $50K. Very nice lot with septic tank and lines installed. No well. Close to power. Price is too steep. I think is worth more about $20K. Definitely not in my price range but possibly if they’d take $20K.


Couple other lots with cabins not for sale.

Mt. Thielson 9,183’
AKA- Lightning Rod of the Cascades

Williamson River

 

[Hojack]

@davegonz here the rear quarter slider pictures

 

[Hojack]

Deciding on the best location for the license plate. I think I like the rear support of the ladder rack.

 

[Hojack]

After some morning coffee and some time thinking about the property I’m going to make an offer on the lot with the well. Now we can have a place to get away and have a 60s roundup.

 

[Hojack]

Put an offer of $ 4,400 on the lot with a well. They countered with $6,500. Countered with $6,000. No listed lots in that area show a well on site. Pulled the well info on the ID tag and it shows the same tax lot as the listed lot. She said a drilled well would easily add $10,000 to the price. I really hope $6,000 works.

Looks like $6,500, but a heck of a deal for an acre with a drilled well.

 

[Hojack]

My buddy Matt works for Pyramid Heating and Cooling and has a boiler that was removed from a job. Said it’s in great condition and so he kept it for a project. Said he’d donate it to the cause, radiant floor heat system would be awesome.

 

[Hojack]

Worked for my neighbor Don. His well pump was going bad. The pumphouse was in bad shape rotting siding and sill plate. Told him the best thing would be to move the pump equipment into his garage and clean up the look of the front yard. My brother Casey. So great working with my bro.

Did I mention I love my job

Rolled over nicely without hitting the well pipe going down the well.

New Grundfos pump with pitless adapter and waterlines to house and frostproof hydrant.

All cleaned up and headed with hydrant and we’ll cap. Ready for landscaping.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I know that this is your thread, and do with it what you wish, but I'm not subscribed to look at pictures of your well jobs. I'm subscribed to learn about what you're doing with your FJ60.

Start another thread in chit-chat and put all your well projects there. It's interesting, just not at all FJ60 related.

 

[Hojack]

Okay I’ll get you sum wheeling pictures so you can settle down

 

[MarkBC]

With your 80 axle swap, is that axle light enough to move around by hand? There is one in the local junkyard I'd like to pick up but only if I can man handle it. I was able to put my 3rd gen 4runner axles in the back of the 4runner by myself, lifting up one end at a time. I'm wondering how much heavier the 80 axles are. I guess I could pull off the brake components to lighten it up a bit. I'm not huge but pretty strong with no back problems.

 

[Hojack]

I had a forklift for loading and at the shop. I could move it with 2 guys.

 

[MarkBC]

I don't have a pickup so it needs to go in the back of the 4runner.