Roadworthy after 18 years . . . sort of

[OffRoad Rage]

It’s been a good week. Last weekend my brings home these as an early B-day present (1st Pic) Yaay me! Got to love it when your wife starts to support your projects. I don’t feel nearly as bad about not making CM09 now.

Then, all my hard work on my 55 pays off on Saturday when she passes emissions on the first run. Not too bad for a truck that was sporting 1991 registration plates when I bought it. The kid at the emissions station almost sounded disappointed when he told me I passed.

Not to spoil an upcoming build/resto thread but here’s a sneak preview. It was rescued from the Tucson desert a little over 2 years ago with many, many issues. (2nd & 3rd Pix - Before/After).

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Now for the "sort of", after driving it around this weekend the steering felt sloppier than usually. A check of the steering components revealed this nasty little development. The frame where the center/pivot arm attaches is cracked and broken. One bolt of the center arm housing was missing and another was loose.

It’s going to need a serious weld repair. Welding is an area I don’t have much experience in. I intend to start the learning process soon but to keep the momentum of this project moving I need to ask for help. If anyone one has time in their upcoming schedule to provide welding project support I’d be extremely grateful. I can do all the grinding/prep work and provide compensation including cold beverages of choice.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! Well, CONGRATS!! on passing smog on the first try. That's fantastic. Sure looks better than when I saw it at the showNshine. I may be able to help you out on the welding. We could slip a piece of 1/4" inside and build it up with my Mig. Yours is a piece of cake compared to what I have had to do on mine. John

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Holy weld build ups Batman! I knew you were reinforcing the frame at the sag box but that thing is crazy stout. That'll be the last thing to break in the next 20 years on the Pig.

I was on cloud nine on Saturday when I passed and then bummed on Sunday after seeing this. It can be fixed though.

I'm going to start preping the area this week. I'm taking an involuntary day off Friday so it'll be ready any time by then or after. Do you have any open time coming up John?

 

[inkpot]

Holy weld build ups Batman! I knew you were reinforcing the frame at the sag box but that thing is crazy stout. That'll be the last thing to break in the next 20 years on the Pig.

I was on cloud nine on Saturday when I passed and then bummed on Sunday after seeing this. It can be fixed though.

I'm going to start preping the area this week. I'm taking an involuntary day off Friday so it'll be ready any time by then or after. Do you have any open time coming up John?

Yea, I mad DAMN SURE that ain'ta gunna bea problem again. That's 3/8" thick, welded solid all the way around. Kinda spreads the stress load a lot better than the original AA bracket ever could. I may have some free time Friday/Sat/Sunday. You might want to wire brush, lightly grind off the surface rust to see if/how much the cracks have spread out. I have plenty of scrap we could slide in from the front, if the bumper is off. Looks like there is a reinforcing strap running vertical between the two holes. Probably just to hold the nuts. Are they both still there? I'm assuming that the front cross member is solid. John

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! Any progress in cleaning up that section of frame to check for more spyder cracks? From what I can see, you are probably safe to drive it around a little bit, since you are running stock sized tires, and won't be in 4x4. Is there a square access hole in the outside of the frame real close to where the damage is? I know I buried a hole on mine that was about 1.5" square with a rubber plug in it. I actually reached thru the hole and welded the inside of the cracks on mine. If you add a scab plate on the outside of the frame it will throw off the distance to the bolts in the front cross member. I'm thinking that a 1 x 2 piece of angle iron could be pushed in from the front, and then buzz it in. Fill in the gap with weld, and then grind it back down smooth to fit the bell crank's original position. You might have to remove the front bumper to get the angle iron into the frame. I don't remember if there are any big "windows" in the frame near that spot. How big of a hurry are you in to get this done? Maybe we could schedule it as a Tech Session over at Fireman Bob's nice big garage. I did a job like this on a 53 Chevy 4x4. The whole frame was fractured all around the steering box mounting area. I grooved out all the cracks, welded them back up, and then ground them down smooth. Next, I fabbed up a sub-frame that fit inside of the original C-channel. Welded it in solid, drilled out the mounting holes for the steering box, used longer bolts, and it worked great. You couldn't even see the sub frame setup. Chevies from the 70's and 80's are so bad on this, that there are repair and "beef it up" kits available for them. John

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Prep Update

Here are some pics (poor quality warrning) of the clean up. Several cracks throughout the area. I'm hoping to have those ground down by tomorrow to prevent further propagation.
The contact area for the bell crack/center arm against the frame is only about an 1" strip (1/2" either side of bolt holes).
Here's what I was thinking:
-Weld the bottom of the backing strip to the bottom of the frame with a ~1/2" strip of material same thickness as the frame.
-Weld up and grind down all the cracks.
- Weld two strips of thicker material on either side for the contact surface for strength from frame top to frame bottom.

That way all the work could be done without having to go in from the inside. Do you think this would provide sufficient strength and support?
I'll try to mock up one of the pictures and attach.

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Pictures.

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Sketch

Maybe something like this.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! The bolster strips might work good. Can you tell if the cracks run around the upper hole, or if that is just a footprint from the bellcrank? How wide is the inside of the fame right there? I'm still playing with ideas of what might work on the inside of the fame. With the amount of cracks, it would be a good idea to spread out the stress load as far as possible. John

 

[inkpot]

Hey, on another note, I found a head for your 60 posted on the LCML:

From: "Brad Yurish" <wvbrad@comcast.net>
To: "'Land Cruiser Mailing'" <landcruisers@birfield.com>
Subject: [LCML] FS: 1986 HJ60 in Virginia


1986 Toyota Landcruiser HJ60- 2H 6 cyl inline diesel, non-turbo, H55 manual
5 speed transmission. 360,000 Km. Engine and transmission very strong and
tight. Former owner rebuilt transmission. Newish exhaust. Body is rough. Not
inspected currently, but registered legitimately in Virginia. Runs great,
fast and strong. 24 V system, have 24V-12V converter and radio installed.
Rear window is gone. Racor Water/oil separator filter installed. New rear
tires, new radiator, new front calipers, 4WD working fine. Need to sell-
$2,000 OBO. Located in Leesburg, Va (northern Virginia) wvbrad@comcast.net
703-898-1838. Email for pictures.


Will be posting to Ebay, Craigslist, and the IH8MUD forum, but you guys have
been quite helpful for years and year to this lurker so I'm putting this
here first. A great engine and transmission to swap into another vehicle.
That was my original idea, but marriage, kids, & work got in the way.


Thanks, Brad

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Howdy! The bolster strips might work good. Can you tell if the cracks run around the upper hole, or if that is just a footprint from the bellcrank?

Crack runs above the hole tangentially and then angles down and away slightly. Not sure how deep. I'll grind them to depth tonight/tomorrow morning.

How wide is the inside of the fame right there? I'm still playing with ideas of what might work on the inside of the fame.

Frame rail is full width at that point. I don't think it lines up with the rectangular outside hole.

With the amount of cracks, it would be a good idea to spread out the stress load as far as possible. John

Make the strips wider? Maybe a hole in the middle for additional weld contact?

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! If you can see a crack, it's a pretty sure bet that it goes all the way thru the steel. I had the same problem, trying to find the end of each crack. I found that if I tap along them with a small ballpeen hammer, you can hear the sound change when you pass the end of the crack. If you put your finger on the opposite side of the crack, you can also feel the vibration change when you go past the end of the crack. Gotta kinda close your eyes and concentrate on what you hear/feel to be able to follow it. It took me a while to really be sure of where it was. I just marked it all with a felt tip as I went. It seemed to me like the higher up on the frame the crack runs, the more it likes to go horizontal. I traced the cracks with my die grinder to make a nice little groove over each crack, maybe 1/4 of the thickness of the steel. I think that gave me good penetration, and it was pretty easy to see while welding.

Haave you considered going to a Hybrid steering setup, like FJ 60, mini truck, Saginaw, so you can eliminate the bell crank? I know you want to stay pretty stock, but it is a possibility. Of course, you could get that 1977 frame from Garie. He tried to talk me into it when I told him about mine.

Another way to beef it up is to get two longer bolts for the bell crank and run them thru a piece of tube, inside the frame, and then weld a nut onto the outside of the frame. Hmmmm, we'll figure something out. John

 

[Brian Macgyver]

I spent 20+ years in mechanical in the City, most of that time in Honda and Toyota. In that time it became very clear to understand that any vehicle that is brought out of mothballs, no matter how classic or valuable, was to be stopped at the emissions station. We could not allow anything more than ten years old to be licensed if it was not licensed the year before. That was the main reason for emissions testing in the City. To eliminate older vehicles. So double congrats.
In the last 5 years in the biz in the Valley, I found myself spending a lot of time in the emission lanes, calling techs on deliberate efforts to blow tests based on the age of the car. They would cheat clearly and obviously to fail cars based solely on age. I saw techs deliberately pump the gas on cars with carbs to richen the fuel mixture in order to fail an otherwise great-running car. They would shut off a car just long enough to let the cat-converter cool off, then test it. I caught them every day. They did everything possible to fail every car over ten years old. That was then, and it is worse now. I quit in 2002. Keep up the fight! Emission controls are yet another good idea that has become a conspiracy!
I am glad that you got your truck through.

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Fab repair party?

Clay, John and/or any other experienced fabricators want to come do some frame weld repairs tomorrow (Sat.)? Itching to use my new toy. Been practicing laying down some beads. I have a master cool and a pool when it gets hot. I'll have some beer and gatorade in the fridge too.

Also thanks for the affirmation Brian. I really did get the feeling these guys were bummed that I passed. I'm really proud of all the smog and fuel system work I've done to this thing. It doesn't make for a sexy thread but was key to my success.

Cheers,
Norm

 

[RHINO]

i see your out of position practice,, it will make a difference when its time for the real thing.

i was thinking just some backing from inside the frame and a good weld up of the holes will be sufficient since you are keeping small tires and manuel steering for now.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! Looks like your about ready to Git Er Done!! Do you have some scrap to put inside as a backer plate? Give me a call after 7 tonight. 480-899-5502 John

 

[OffRoad Rage]

Progress (warning some ugly weld content)

Cut some plates to weld in behind the holes out of angle material about the same thickness as the frame. Prepped and positioned those.
Then began the welding. Some beads turned out really good (for a first timer) and others were not so aesthetically pleasing. It's all about the penetration right? (insert comment of choice here). The channels that I ground out where the cracks were welded up pretty nice. It was the filling in of the voids where the backing plates were the met with varrying success.
Once cleaned up and ground down it didn't look too shabby.

 

[OffRoad Rage]

All Done!

Then I welded in some bolster stips I made out of 1/8 plate. Probably over kill for the application but I wanted to make sure my first welding project didn't end up as an engineering failure study. Overall I'm pretty happy. Practice makes purfect but you have to start somewhere.

Thanks to John and Clay for all your advise and suggestions!

 

[RHINO]

i think that'll work out real good, of course its only temp cause you know your gonna swap to power steering.