Builds Sandy the '60 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Sep 19, 2016
Threads
29
Messages
206
Location
Austin, TX
Meet Sandy. Her name pre-dates the ARB rig by about 13 years thanks to previous owners @Unoman and @FARMAN33
Currently in Austin, Texas

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First off, I’d like to thank My Desmog Thread. What started out as a simple de-smog re-do has quickly snowballed to the point where I feel like it’s time to start a thread.

I love this truck, but over the past year or two, something just didn’t seem right. It ran ok, but there was a fairly high idle, it smoked a little, and it smelled like a top fuel dragster. At some point in its life, somebody had just yanked all of the smog components (and added an exhaust header). Everything but the distributor was capped, which I knew wasn’t right, so I set off to re-do it - the right way. I ordered the proper plugs and pulley from JimC and got to work.

It didn’t take long to start building a more detailed list of parts and desmog components that I was missing. While I was tracking down VCVs, various fittings, and waiting on them to arrive, and the air cleaner was off anyway, I thought I’d give her a valve adjustment. Who knows the last time this was done. Valve lash was pretty good, so while I was in there (famous last words), I thought I’d check timing and air/fuel and give her a proper tune up. I ordered up plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc from the local dealership.
 
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Here’s where things got interesting. I almost immediately found that my distributor had major issues.
Not only were the internals rusted stuck, the vacuum advance was completely shot:

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I sourced a refurbished dizzy and a new vac advance from @4Cruisers, along with the MSD springs for a “good enough” recurve. Installed it all, and went to set the timing. I had read a few places that people had success setting the bb just out of sight (to the left), and tuning by ear, this seemed pretty good to me.

I made sure she was warmed up and headed over to the carb to perform a lean-drop. I was relieved to see that the cap had already been removed. According to the FSM, you’re supposed to tighten her down all the way, then back out 2 full turns. Out of curiosity, and the fact that the truck seemed to be running richer than richie rich, I counted the turns down. Nine full turns… NINE.

I got the truck running to where I thought it was idling pretty nice, and started bolting everything back together for its maiden “first time in a long time tune up” voyage. Ran like a CHAMP for the first mile or so… then it just fell on its face. Once it got hot, I couldn’t even keep it idling. Gauges all showed fine. Weird.


I let it cool off, defeated, and eventually got it back to the house. Time to re-set the timing and go through the lean drop again. I must have messed something up. Tomorrow.

The next night, I thought I may have advanced the timing too much for sea-level, so I brought the BB back up to the needle for a base line. I went to the carb and last night’s setting still seemed good to me. So I pulled it out of the garage to head around the block, and a neighbor jumped in for moral support. It seemed to be running great. We passed by a gas station and I thought, I can’t remember the last time I put gas in this thing, let’s get some fresh gas. Good to go. Took off into the sunset, ready for the next adventure…

Then it died. Again. I could get the truck to idle, but the second I applied any load, it’d stumble and die. Something was funky between 900-1500rpms. The only way I was able to get it home was rev, clutch, rev, clutch. Luckily, by this point, I wasn’t far.

19101-61240Distributor Cap1
19102-43060Distributor rotor1
90099-14090Distributor O-ring1
19127-61240Distributor Cap O-Ring1
90919-21325Spark Plug Wires1
 
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Something was clearly off, so I broke out the vacuum gauge to help me verify timing and air/fuel adjustments were correct. I started down this path, but without a whole lot of experience in this area, I was surprised to see the vacuum jumping all over the place at idle (16-20”). After some more late night ih8mud reading, I started to realize that I may have bigger problems.

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At this point, I feared the worst and reached for the compression tester. After multiple wet/dry compression tests, I definitely had some issues… but, at 285k, they weren’t as bad as I had originally feared. Time for a leak-down.

This was my first experience with a leak-down tester as well, which takes some getting used to, but after some sage guidance, the valves were determined to be the culprit...

OFF WITH HER HEAD!!
 
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Ok, enough story time. All I can say at this point is that mission creep, combined with influence from @mattressking , is a real and present danger.

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Exhaust valves were toast

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Head gasket had seen better days

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This was the head after taking 005 off the top. No wonder my compression wasn’t great.
(Shout out to Brooks Elliott in Dripping Springs, Texas.)

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The massive cleanup effort begins...

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Painted the head. With some help, of course. Put ‘em to work!
Ended up going with liberal coats of VHT Primer and VHT Gloss Black for everything we painted.

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Something on the passenger side had been leaking for a long time.
Still not 100% what it was, but I thought it might be the pushrod cover and previous owner suspected the oil cooler. The O-rings were pretty bad.

Might as well paint it, too. Mmmm, pretty.

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83420-20020Temp sender1
04111-61044Engine overhaul gasket set1
90430-18012oil cooler gasket2
90301-21176oil cooler ring2
90916-03052Thermostat1
90430-43002Thermostat gasket1
16341-61030Thermostat gasket1
90467-24038PCV "clip"1
90910-02050Head Bolts15
12204-61010PCV valve1
90116-08042Carb studs4
90480-18180PCV gromet1
90176-08014Valve Cover Nut4
90210-13001Valve Cover Washer4
90413-04005Vacuum tee1
90919-01065Spark Plugs6
90119-12003Exhaust bolts4
90170-12211Exhaust nuts4
90201-12051Exhaust washers4
93311-16012Clutch inspection cover bolts8
91611-60814Pushrod cover bolts12
90341-12012Oil drain plug1
91612-61025Bolts for thermostat housing4
91612-61030Bolts for accessory bracket4
 
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The wife wasn't too happy about this one...

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Pro tip: When you go to put the pushrod cover back on, lay a bead of sealant around the gasket, let it dry, then insert and hand-tighten EVERY SINGLE BOLT before you torque any of them down. Getting everything lined up and bolted down, only to find that your LAST bolt doesn't fit... is no fun.

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Might as well refresh all of the coolant hoses (and clamps) while we're here.

What can I say, @ToyotaMatt is a stud. He hooked it up with all new Toyota studs, nuts, and washers for the manifolds, which I prefer over bolts. It’s worth noting that when I first started this project, my front bolt was missing altogether and the rear was finger loose. Ready to start buttoning everything back together.

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Whether you have stock manifolds or a header, I'd highly recommend checking them for flatness and likeness. While my manifolds were both flat, the depth of each bolt hole was vastly different. I ended up getting a few different kinds of washers (for different thickness) and cutting them in half to bring the intake and exhaust up to the same thickness.

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I posted this in another thread recently, but here are a couple things that have made my life a bit easier:

A 4’ LED shop light and 2 magnetic hooks from Home Depot lights up your engine bay like the sun.

Some paracord and a hook in the ceiling get the hood support out of your way without the hassle of removing the entire hood then trying to re-align it when you put it back on.

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Gross...

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Rebuilt the carb with a Hygrade 891B rebuild kit and CRB 24093 diaphram from Napa.
Also got some new Mikuni jets: N100.604-150 and N100.604-200

Just follow Pinhead's youtube videos, and keep a copy of your manual nearby.
I really don't understand why everybody is so intimidated by the carb rebuild - get in there!

Once the carb was done, everything just fell into place.
Started up, like a champ, and after a few iterations of the lean-drop method - she runs like a top!

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Finished just in time to roll out for the recent Lone Star Land Cruiser Roundup in Mason, Texas!

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Always chase your threads!

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Something seems to be missing here... :facepalm:
Brand new thermostat, bolts, and cables. Part numbers above.
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Makes me happy to see the old girl still out there turning heads! Awesome work on breathing new life into her
 
is this the 60 that was parked at the church parking lot for a while?
 
hyde park baptist. last year over by the boy scout trailer. then over to Ave D. (I live very close by)
 
Here are a couple more pics from the Lone Star Land Cruiser event a few weeks ago. Met a ton of great guys out there!

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Vintage photos from previous owners.. circa 2009

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That swing-out has to be sitting in somebody's back yard somewhere - I wish I could track it down!
 
"Pro tip: When you go to put the pushrod cover back on, lay a bead of sealant around the gasket, let it dry, then insert and hand-tighten EVERY SINGLE BOLT before you torque any of them down. Getting everything lined up and bolted down, only to find that your LAST bolt doesn't fit... is no fun."

Let sealant harden first???
 
"Pro tip: When you go to put the pushrod cover back on, lay a bead of sealant around the gasket, let it dry, then insert and hand-tighten EVERY SINGLE BOLT before you torque any of them down. Getting everything lined up and bolted down, only to find that your LAST bolt doesn't fit... is no fun."

Let sealant harden first???
Yes

I used this: 3M Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive, 03602
Amazon product ASIN B000CCFXYY
 
is there a reason? seems counter intuitive...

..because the instructions say so?

I've also read here on mud that it's the way to go. If you try to put it on wet, it makes a big ole mess and slides all over. By bolting down the cover, it squishes the semi-dried adhesive and forms the appropriate seal.

A Durable Bond Where it Matters Most
You take your auto weatherstripping for granted — until it starts to fail. Our 3M™ Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive is designed specifically to bond seals and gaskets to metal, ideal for helping ensure a waterproof, airtight seal inside your vehicle. Preferred by auto professionals for decades, this adhesive was developed by 3M to bond with weatherstripping around doors, trunks, T-tops and sun roofs as well as around your windows. It bonds permanently to a large variety of surfaces including rubber, fabrics, gaskets, seals and metal. The weatherstripping adhesive is very easy to use. Simply squeeze it right from the tube, easily brush and spread as needed on each surface, and let it cure for up to 24 hours. The adhesive remains flexible, yet it resists nearly any condition you’re likely to encounter in your vehicle — wind, rain, vibration, temperature changes, detergents, grease and more.

3M™ Black Super Weatherstrip Adhesive can also be used for securing paper, cork or rubber gaskets, or to bond vinyl headliners and side panels. It applies most effectively when used with 3M™ General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner 08984 or 3M™ Gasket Prep and Parts Cleaner 08901.
 

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