ROTM- klinetime574

[klinetime574]

Got some time in the garage tonight. Finished up the inside. The radio accessory power and ground now are butt connected straight into the factory wires. Got all inclinometer wires tied into my radio wires. Used splices for that on the radio harness (not the factory wires). I couldn’t tell you what wire is what on the inclinometer, that thing has a lot of wires. I just mimicked what was already working.

Discovered I have a constant power wire for the radio that runs near the fuse box and splices into a loom. Didn’t feel like undoing the tape to investigate. Everything works. Works for me.

• Kenwood KDC-352U (would like an updated unit but whatever at this point)
• Inclinometer
• Ashtray (had a small Cobra CB slid in there for my cross country trip, now I’m gonna put that in my Tundra. Midland will stay in the Cruiser.)

Note the illuminated rocker switch to the left of the cigarette lighter. That’s for my Rigid Spot Lights. Also note the Dual USB Blue Sea to the right of the ashtray. It slid in there perfectly, yes there is a small gap above and below, but I don’t mind it. That’s wire tapped on the fuse box then grounded on the dash.

Tomorrow night I’ll finish up under the hood. Need to get some 3M tape. Shorten and lengthen some wires for the Rigid lights. Lastly, make some power wires for the fuse box. I was wrong previously. I’ll be using 4 gauge wire.

PS - I love the lights I have in the garage. 4 foot LED shop lights from Costco. I have them mounted on the ceiling. Basically surrounding the front of the vehicle. Fender, front end, fender.

 

[klinetime574]

I didn’t finish the fuse panel wiring yet, but I went to the local shops Open House, Chitown 4x4.

Things happened.

One $30 raffle ticket and I was the champion.

I’m thinking I’ll need to upgrade my OME Medium suspension to Heavy. I’ll call @cruiseroutfit when I’m ready. I’ve also got my front axle rebuild kit that I bought from them waiting. I’ll knock it out all at once.

It’s a Warn VR8 winch and ARB recovery kit (which is the bees knees). A lot of useful stuff.

Pic of the rig for good measure.

It drives really nice. New battery was a huge improvement as well. It was a good weekend!

 

[cruisermatt]

Get a buddy to jump up on your front bumper you’ll get a good idea of what the winch will do to the ride height. I bet you don’t need to change anything, and if you put synthetic line on (you should) you’ll kill a bunch of weight.

 

[klinetime574]

Get a buddy to jump up on your front bumper you’ll get a good idea of what the winch will do to the ride height. I bet you don’t need to change anything, and if you put synthetic line on (you should) you’ll kill a bunch of weight.

I thought about that. I think the winch is only 70lbs. I was gonna measure with and without it, simply sitting on the bumper. Synthetic line would be cool, but I’d like to hold off that expense for now... although springs do cost money. And it would be easier to change line...

Either way, my concern is that the springs will wear out over time. I would also like to add a rear bumper with swing out (at some point), so I was kinda thinking towards that. Whatcha think?

EDIT. Amazon specs show that the package weight for standard is 71lbs. Synthetic is 59. Not that much of a difference? But google search showed a HUGE difference in weight. Like 20 pounds or so.

 

[HemiAlex]

I think you’ll be fine with your current set up. I wouldn’t change anything until you put some miles on it.

Until you add a second battery, if ever....I’d hope off buying anything else.

 

[klinetime574]

I think you’ll be fine with your current set up. I wouldn’t change anything until you put some miles on it.

Until you add a second battery, if ever....I’d hope off buying anything else.

That’s probably a good idea. I just like to plan ahead. The ARB is already heavier than a stock bumper and the winch just adds to that weight. I guess I could just try it for a bit and see how it goes.

I would have purchased a winch with synthetic line, but a $30 winch is a $30 winch. Maybe run it for a while and then switch when the cable gets Warn.

 

[HemiAlex]

That’s probably a good idea. I just like to plan ahead. The ARB is already heavier than a stock bumper and the winch just adds to that weight. I guess I could just try it for a bit and see how it goes.

I would have purchased a winch with synthetic line, but a $30 winch is a $30 winch. Maybe run it for a while and then switch when the cable gets Warn.

I went synthetic but that’s only because I’ve seen wire rope break.

You won’t even notice the winch up there.

 

[klinetime574]

You won’t even notice the winch up there.

I'm thinking that's what I'm gonna do.


I just went out in the garage and measured my fender heights to the ground (through the wheel center) and from center of the axle to the fender. I had some previous measurements on my phone and thought it was interesting.

7/20/2012

Driver Front - 37"
Passenger Front - 37"
Driver Rear - 37.75"
Passenger Rear - 37.25"

6/26/2019

Driver Front - 37"
Passenger Front - 36.5" (lost 0.5")
Driver Rear - 37.125" (lost 0.625')
Passenger Rear - 36.5" (lost .75")

After seeing such a big difference on the front end I rocked the vehicle side to side and the measurement was the same. I wonder if the weight of the battery has taken a toll on the springs over time. Not saying this is a big deal. It's just interesting data.

I then measured from axle center to fender just to gauge the springs side to side. The measurement taken to the ground is probably more accurate but this kinda mimics what is going on there. (Note I don't have old measurements for this.)

Driver Front - 22"
Passenger Front - 21.25"
Driver Rear - 23"
Passenger Rear - 22.5"

I hope this was interesting to some. OME Medium suspension installed in 2007.

I need to get the spring identification numbers so I can figure out what I actually have. Seems like light/medium is the soft spring now, heavy, and then extra heavy. My springs are the early Dakar variant with the spring eyes that slide around a bunch. I've had the rear inserts tac'd in place, the fronts I would like to do the same. Anyways, off on a tangent here, is there any "spring ID guide" for OME springs? Like number of leaves means: this, etc, etc.

No progress to report on the rig, just been planning in my head!

 

[klinetime574]

Hey guys, hope everyone is doing well. Time for another yearly update. I'll have a couple posts for pictures.

During a winter check up (started it and edged it out of the garage). I noticed that I had a heater hose leak, and then another time noticed my radiator was split at the top seam right in the middle. It is a Toyota unit that was replaced by a dealer in 2001 and then had a leak fixed in 2012. The original lasted 17 years, the Toyota replacement went 11 before a rebuild was needed. Now 8 years later I think it is done. I did attempt to seal it up myself using an oxygen/acetylene torch and automotive grade solder. I thought, "hey if this is cheap and I can do it, why not." I didn't take the radiator out of the vehicle, whether or not that hindered the attempted repair, we shall never know. I ran out of solder. Shopping for a radiator now.

To my knowledge, radiator options are: CSF, Champion, Griffin, Ron Davis, and I saw someone posted a Spectra Premium CU12 but I can't find it online anymore (only referencing it for historic purposes).

Obviously the CSF and Champion are going to be the more common units. I'm personally not a fan of the CSF because of the integrated trans cooler, yes I don't need it, so why should I worry about it, dunno, don't like it. Champion is cheaper, more simple in design, and ooh shiny. I'll probably keep my Toyota radiator for a rainy day. Not calling around for a rebuild right now because I'm unsure if it would be worth it and I want to get my rig back on the road quickly (I'm posting this on Friday night and radiator shop isn't open til Monday, if at all). I just got a Champion unit for $209.99 plus tax. If a rebuild is over $100, I'm better off at this point in time buying a new radiator.

Sorry for the long winded post. I do have other tech. Heater hoses. I purchased some molded hoses from Rock Auto. Everything that was listed for a 1984 FJ60 by Gates. They all fit really well with trimming of course. Bypass was hard to get on and sort of looked like it wasn't gonna work, but it did. Part numbers listed.

Rear Heater Lines - 28460 (Need 2)
Heater Valve to Heater Core - 28466
Heater Valve to Engine Tee - 28467
Hard Line on Firewall to Hard Line on Engine Side Cover - 18773
Bypass Hose Thermostat to Water Pump - 21222

I used straight hose (1/2"& 5/8") everywhere else, but the thermostat housing to hardline on valve cover. Reused the hose I had there. Swore I used straight hose in the past but couldn't get one to fit today haha.

 

[klinetime574]

Next up, I bought the sacred 81110-60P70 headlights. I'm excited to have proper power and relays for my headlights, this also motivates me to wire my Hella lights to come on with my high beams. Something I have been wanting to do for a while. I sold my Rigid LED pods to my Dad. Going to mount them on his side by side. Wasn't in love with them on the ARB anymore.

Oh and I finally cleaned up my Blue Sea panel install.

 

[klinetime574]

Forgot to post pics of my engine bay so you can see the new hoses, hose clamps, and my attempted radiator repair. I do intend to wipe down my firewall and clean off some stuff. I know the dirt is very distracting!

I will report more once I have the lights installed and obviously when I get the Champion radiator.

 

[samc2447]

Get @HemiAlex to send you the proper oil filter!

 

[klinetime574]

Get @HemiAlex to send you the proper oil filter!

Lol. They are pretty nice. I’ve had one before from him. FL-1A filters are affordable and readily available at Walmart. I don’t drive this thing enough though. I try to change the oil every 6 months. Would be a waste of a good filter.

 

[klinetime574]

Got the front end prepped a little bit today for radiator removal. You can see I’ve got one of the new headlights in. The other will stay out for wiring purposes. Trying to not have to remove the battery.

Updated my checklist. Slowly but surely.

New radiator should ship Monday. Hopefully Jegs isn’t too backed up. I know Amazon has been getting a lot of business! No more two day shipping from them in my area, at least.

Currently lighting the grill and enjoying a cold one. Stay frosty!

 

[HemiAlex]

The radiator install was easy. I didn’t remove the top bar.

 

[Skniper]

Nice magnet collage you have going there. If someone could solve the radiator petcock drain pain in the a$$, that would make the world right.

I've given up on it and just put a large rubbermaid type packing tub under the petcock and let it drain into that....it catches "most" of it. The Mishimoto radiator plug has a magnet on it which is a nice touch, mine collected some stuff.

 

[Skniper]

The radiator install was easy. I didn’t remove the top bar.

Except for the two bolts buried under the condenser, which I guess is easy enough to unbolt and lean out of the way.
I solved that problem on mine.

 

[klinetime574]

The radiator install was easy. I didn’t remove the top bar.

Yeah you wouldn’t need to necessarily. I had it off to try and fix my original. May as well leave it off. Your Champion doing okay for you?

Nice magnet collage you have going there. If someone could solve the radiator petcock drain pain in the a$$, that would make the world right.

I've given up on it and just put a large rubbermaid type packing tub under the petcock and let it drain into that....it catches "most" of it. The Mishimoto radiator plug has a magnet on it which is a nice touch, mine collected some stuff.

It is one of the most irritating things about the 60 Series (other than an upside down oil filter). At the time I made that list I was going to do it with my OEM radiator. I’ve read the Champion unit has the petcock closer to the passenger side which would make it not shoot all over the frame. I may still try to extend it once I get a look at it. Probably will be NPT versus whatever Toyota had in mind.
Thanks for the compliment on the magnets. Gotta do something with them!

Except for the two bolts buried under the condenser, which I guess is easy enough to unbolt and lean out of the way.
I solved that problem on mine.

Yeah I experimented and there is enough room to get the condenser out of the way while leaving the lines connected.

 

[Skniper]

Here’s a small mod I just did to address the upper radiator bolts. I cut a slot in the top of the radiator support big enough to drop a 12mm wrench on to the radiator bolt. I had the whole front end apart so drilling and making the slot was easy and no danger of drilling into the condenser.

pics:

 

[klinetime574]

Here’s a small mod I just did to address the upper radiator bolts. I cut a slot in the top of the radiator support big enough to drop a 12mm wrench on to the radiator bolt. I had the whole front end apart so drilling and making the slot was easy and no danger of drilling into the condenser.

Nice mod there. Looks like you’re running a Champion as well. What’s your feedback on it?