Builds Roma's 78 fj40 gets a refurb (2 Viewers)

[roma042987]

At this point I'm waiting once again. This time on some brackets from powder coating to reassemble the front side of the engine. I also went ahead and ordered and new front crank seal and alternator vac pump supply and outlet hoses from amayama. I had my current ones made when I installed the engine and although they appear to be fine I sure would feel better in the back country knowing I got oem Toyota replacements on there. I also placed an order from cruiser parts this morning for a new water pump bypass hose and some new engine mounts. Mine have actually been broken since the engine install and I figured its about time to replace them.

 

[roma042987]

Wagner hardware as good as OEM or at least close enough? I just went through the rear brakes on my 60 and some of the small bits are a bit crusty and rusted.

They seem to be fine I would certainly prefer oem but it seemed to be a hassle to have to order everything piece by piece.

 

[roma042987]

More powder coated parts. This time in satin black. Also a new radiator I had made a while back. I also cut out some new pads out of rubber to mount between the frame and the support.

 

[roma042987]

Ok so the elocker to cable conversion finally came in. I was a bit disappointed that for close to 500 bucks the pieces didn't come powder coated so after a quick test fit I sent them out with the next batch of parts and had them coated satin black. I was further disappointed that the supplied hardware was the incorrect size. Two of the bolts weren't long enough to engage their supplied matching nylon lock washers. One was a simple hex head stainless bolt that I replaced the second was a specially machined bolt that will not be easy to replace. This pivot bolt actually threads through the plate and gets locked down with the supplied lock washer so its not critical to operation since it threads into the plate but nevertheless id imagine is quiet important. The three bolts that attach the plate to the aluminum block were steel so I replaced them with stainless just because of where they will be at on the truck. I also put a heavy coat of anti sieze on them since they are threaded into an aluminum block and will be highly susceptible to dissimilar metal corrosion.

I opted to get a push pull style cable instead of a lever since there isn't much room in the 40 as is and it sees quiet a bit of highway duty. The quality of the cable is extremely impressive definitely the nicest ive ever seen and it is even serviceable as in the plastic handle end can be replaced if ever needed.

 

[roma042987]

Here is where I ran into another problem. The kit came with a new "cross pin" that operates the locker fork. This pin is identical to the pin that was found on the original elocker motor but is threaded on the end where the elocker motor was previously attached. This pin is locked down with a special shanked 6mm .80 thread pitch bolt. I saved this bolt when I disassembled the axle knowing that its a special bolt. Well I was sad to find out that the new cross pin is incorrectly threaded...its threaded for a 6mm by 1.0 pitch bolt. Without the special shank you can see that the properly threaded bolt just doesn't fit right. Here are some photos. So I dug through my Honda parts and found a properly threaded and shanked timing cover bolt. however the shank was too big so, I made a lathe and turned it down to the proper size
the bolt with the blue locktite is the factory bolt

Here you can see this bolt really needs a shank for proper fit

in the back ground of this picture you can see another one of the timing cover bolts for comparison before the shank is cut down.

 

[roma042987]

here is the new aluminum block bolted up

Old axle coming out

I used the drive shaft to mark the pinion flange and got to use my new centering punches to perfectly center the holes

 

[roma042987]

Looks much better I ended up removing the front hub caps. I cant decide whether Im going to get two more front hub caps to go on the rear or keep all four off. rear axle is done minus the parking brake cable. I have the bj42 cable and a 60 series parking brake lever but I really want to utilize the existing 40 series dash mounted lever so I may have to make a custom cable. I also forgot to get some photos of where I mounted the pull for the locker so i'll do that later and post it up in case anyone is interested.

 

[roma042987]

some zinc plated goodies

new engine mounts and Toyota coolant bypass hose from cruiserparts

powder coated bits going back togther

 

[roma042987]

I plastidipped the glow plug bus bar because it was starting to look a little rough. Intake and valve cover back on

@AlbertoSD supplied the valve cover gasket for this as well

 

[roma042987]

since the mounts were off I figured might as well powder the block brackets

I got some t bolt clamps for the new coolant bypass hose

This little seal is the last piece im waiting on to put it all back together.

 

[roma042987]

oh almost forgot, the new rear axle has a factory extended breather and I ran the hose up to the frame rail so, I decided this would be a good time to install the front one as well. Turns out the 60 series axle barb I had does in fact have the correct thread pitch for my 40 front axle so that was a piece of cake. I even found a nice Toyota bracket that attached to an existing captive nut on my battery try to secure the hose with.

 

[boozewz]

Super clean cable locker set up. Great work your doing!

 

[roma042987]

Super clean cable locker set up. Great work your doing!

thanks!

 

[roma042987]

Finally got my long awaited package from japan. I had to order the front crank seal from amayama since American Toyota couldn't sell it to me and I figured since I was ordering stuff id get new hoses for the vacuum pump

The old and new seal side by side. the new seal appears to be a superceded part because it is quiet different in design. the new seal is narrower so it sits deeper in the timing cover and has lip that protrudes horizontally and I assume rides against the crank pulley to keep dirt from reaching the sealing surface. pretty impressive.

new vacuum pump hoses installed. I covered the return hose with heat shrink because it tends to get covered in oil thoroughly when the oil filter is removed. The heat shrink also keeps the end from fraying.

 

[roma042987]

I did put everything back together late last night and drove the truck home from Tucker's place where it has been keeping his 40 company in the garage. I got in a hurry and didn't take any more photos but will get some more of everything buttoned up.

 

[AlbertoSD]

Well done, Roma!

And just to clarify, I didn't "supply" the gaskets, I just donated them for the project

Keep up the good work!

Alberto

 

[roma042987]

After installing some caster shims on Tuckers truck he talked me into getting some for mine. I must say i was a bit skeptical until I put them on. These are steel 2.5'' wide 4 degree shims I bought off a jeep website. I should have put these on years ago! I thought the bump steer I had was just a normal characteristic of the 40 but it drives like a whole new rig now, tracks perfectly straight down the road when going over bumps. The entire install only took an hour and the original old man emu spring pin was long enough to add the 4 degree shim without needing a longer replacement. Highly recommend this to anyone with a old man emu lift.

Sorry the 40 is soo dirty I've been driving it quiet a bit since my 60 is down and my commuter is too much of a eyesore for a bachelor like myself.

View attachment 1213736

 

[drnekFJ40]

I did have shims on mine (4'lift),but they put them on in opposite way so driving it was quite unpredictable and truck took every rut and followed it ...Scary sometimes...I flipped them the way they need to be (thicker part towards back shackles in the back and on front axle towards front shackles)and what a difference.When I flipped the back axle it almost felt even worse,but after the front axle been done-is was a brand new truck...I love it now even more...Angles on my flanges are back 0 and front 3-4 degree difference still ,but its ok for now...Mike

 

[roma042987]

installed a new adjustable prop valve courtesy of racer65

Took it for a little wheeling yesterday to explore a couple of caves. The locker sure makes crawling over rocks a breeze.

 

[roma042987]

Well after nearly four years without a parking brake I finally have a hand brake once again. No more carrying around a rubber wheel chock.

New cable from Toyota as well as new equilizer brackets, bolt, pin, clips, and bushings. The lever and cup piece are from an fj62 I parted a while back.

I made a plate out of 3/16 steel and welded 8x1.25 captive nuts into it.

Tacked in.

I also used a triangular piece of plate to strengthen the mountung bracket