Remove back air rail union

[Ian Crawford]

What steps (in all honesty now) did you take to try to unscrew it before it broke in two?

I almost put in parenthesis after "(or patient)" and now you're calling me out publicly for not! -haha

A quick preface, the truck was not running when I bought it nor when I removed these components, it had not run in roughly 10 or 15 years.

Rather than type it all back out see post 24 in my truck's "re-build" thread, I described it as it happened.

Link to the post:

1983 Cruiser Story

 

[OSS]

Link to the post:
1983 Cruiser Story

I just read your gruesome post on breaking the injector nozzles trying to get them out. What a nightmare. That's exactly what I was fearing when I attempted mine.

I failed to mention in my previous post (for the next guy) that before I tried twisting the rusty ones out, I dug deep along the edge of the rusty nozzles with a pick to scrape out the rust that had grown between it and the head. I think it was that and all the hitting with a hammer downwards that got me lucky.
But I'm sure if their really rusty and rusted in there, they're not going to screw out regardless.

 

[Ian Crawford]

All part of the fun!

Trials like that strengthen the bond you build with your Cruiser.

 

[Spike Strip]

 

[Spike Strip]

@OSS

How has the Nickel Plating held up ? I've got a hole in the firewall side of my Air Rail and I'm think of doing this with my spare before installing (then going back in for smog ) ...

Did you have any trouble installing the nozzles after plating?

It certainly looks impressive!

 

[Seth_O]

Also interested to hear how the nickel plating has held up. And if you dont mind sharing, approx how much it set you back?

I cleaned mine via electrolysis and sprayed with a high-temp paint, but not sure how solid/permanent a fix that is.

And for those of us who will have to keep the emissions equipment installed and working forever, my advice is to remove the air injection manifold (if you can) and have it replated. Metal plating is a coating, kinda like a super duper paint. It doesn't last forever and eventually corrodes off, exposing bare steel underneath that rusts. Toyota plated them with cadmium (yellow cad) but cadmium plating doesn't stand up to high temperatures very well and eventually burns off -- exposing the steel underneath... as most of us have witnessed.

The air injection manifold is NLA from Toyota and the only option to find another one to replace a thrashed one is to find a good used one.

Mine had rusted out to hell (living near the beach) and I damaged the rear injection pipe trying to remove it. I found a good quality used one somewhere and had it replated with nickel (better for the high temps). I'll be keeping my eye on it over the years, and if IT starts showing signs of the plating breaking down and rust beginning to show in spots, I'll remove it and have it replated again.
Without a functional air injection manifold, a car can not pass a smog test. No passy = no registration tags = no more drivey

View attachment 1567474

View attachment 1567475
View attachment 1567476

 

[OSS]

How has the Nickel Plating held up ?

After 3 years it still looked new & shiny. Same as when I installed it. The plating didn't affect the threads of stuff that needed to screw into stuff. I used nickel antiseize on everything that had threads of course. The air injection manifold I got plated (shown above) was actually an excellent condition used one I found that had almost zero rust on it. My original one was shot and too thrashed from rust to try to replate it.

If an old metal part is deeply pocked with rust damage, plating won't fill all the bigger holes. Tiny pores from rust damage can disappear beneath the nickel, but not bigger divots.

I got my stuff plated at Van Nuys Plating

Van Nuys Plating Inc. | VanNuysPlating | Metal Plating

Van Nuys Metal Plating | Van Nuys Plating Inc. | | VanNuysPlating | Metal Plating for all types of metals. Chrome Plating San Fernando Valley

vannuysplating.com

They have a minimum order (a bit over $125) so take as many parts off the cruiser as you can find to make it worthwhile. There's lots of stuff in the cruiser that can benefit from nickel plating - like all the exhaust hangars & brackets & hood springs & tailgate hardware stuff. The rear manifold heat shield is another really good thing to plate with nickel if it's in ok condition. If it's crumbly rusty forget it.

Cadmium with yellow chromate (yellow cad) is better than nickel for corrosion prevention (and they do that too) , but it doesn't stand up to the heat as well - as we've all witnessed (and verified at Van Nuys Plating). They were the ones that steered me towards nickel for exhaust hardware.
Here's a few pretty pictures of assorted parts from my bucket-O-Parts I brought to them.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Nice @OSS

 

[Spike Strip]

Thanks for those add'l pictures - Everything looks great! Van Nuys plating was where I was going to go; they're about 15 mins from me.

Now all I have to do is find a good Air Rail!