Scored 2006 LC w/194K AHC (untouched Jewell restoration) (1 Viewer)

[2001LC]

I'll back up just a bit here as I'm getting question on how I clean-up & recondition knuckle & wheel hub.

First as I started this restoration project I cleaned undercarriage. This included power washing knuckle and wheel hub on vehicle. Cleaning undercarriage pays dividends once I start working on rig in many ways.

I'll just use some stock photos. Most where from extreme case(s) that were not a restoration project, but just being made safe and reliable to drive coast to coast. Keep in mind, one can always replace axle brass bushing and needle bearings, but rarely is this necessary.

The oil seal comes off first and can really be frozen on. Just be careful not to damage bushing or seal seating area while pulling off. I'll either garb lip with a vise grip and using round edge to roll up/off or a crow bar and pry off.

This is from Garybear it had both (axle dust cover & knuckle oil seal) seals missing on LH & RH knuckles and was packed with crud in bushing area.

If knuckle still has to much crud built up I'll power wash again. I prefer not to get inner working (bare metal & bearings) wet yet, so I avoid washing at this point unless really grimy and going into solvent very soon (rust starts fast).

I first wire brush with my electric drill and/or air tool. This time I did used the de-rusting wheel I pictured here and earlier. It worked well speeding up the job, but raise my cost.

I use whatever I can find to clean.

I'll also flat sand (use hard flat backer pad with sand paper) brass bushing if needed. I'm not concern with the gouges in Graybear's brass axle bushing only that it's square, flat and smooth. I start with course wet sand paper or emery or whatever I've got then work to fine. Keep in mind, As brass bushing thins it will increase axle end to hub flange snap ring gap. So if to thin one may exceed max snap ring max thickness so replacement bushing must then be used.

 

[2001LC]

Once I've got de-cruded, de-rusted and metal worked I scrub with solvent. Then I power wash with clear water paying special attention to needle bearing. I direct HP water in every direction possible on bearings washing out any grit or grim. I get bearing spinning with water washing out.

From here I move quickly to air dry with compressed air to avoid rusting. I pay special attention to bearings again. I keep dust free from this point forward. If I know I'm not going to have time to grease at the moment, I use a lite oil on bearings and all bare metal. This if to avoid rusting.

This is Snowy's L Knuckle oiled up waiting on grease until I've time.

Now I grease up pressing grease into bearing and rubbing on all bare metal of internals. I use M1 synthetic wheel bearing grease. I also grease external bare metal but use Marine grease as it save my M1 (I'll need close to full tub for bearings) and holds better.

Finally I'll install the new OEM seal.

As always getting seal started squarely is key to easy clean seating. You can use old seal and I have many times, but clean piece of a coated oak (no wood chips) works even better here. I start slow and easy. Then once started squarely, I get more aggressive with hammer inspecting after every hit. I keep broad flat on seal at all times, and strike more on any side seal is high/out. I'll hear a thunk as it seat into back stop of knuckle leaving about 3mm of lip sticking out.

Note: hard end of hammer works better, this was just poor photo op.
Snowy's

Perfect seat

Bag to protect form dust until I've time to install.

 

[2001LC]

The knuckles are ready for Installation:

Before:

After wiring brushing backing plate, found they needed some TLC.

 

[2001LC]

Wheel hub are next. Inspecting races & matting surfaces along with rotors including condition of cooling fines while cleaning and recondition. Snowy's did not need much recondition so I'll show some that did from another jobs. What I find very often is damage from hammering some do to get hub flange off and/or rotors. Please don't hammer on these, if you feel you must use brass not steel. It a very bad idea hammer on hub flange same is true of wheel hub, as it will warp the matting surface so that hub flange and/or wheel will have difficulty seating squarely.
From Redbaron:

Sometimes studs need removing and de-rusting. I pack grease around studs on final assemble to prevent this in the future. This along with back plate to knuckle is where I first started using grease to prevent rust.

Cleaned with solvent, HP water and compressed air. Then wiped with oil to stop from rusting, until I get time too grease up.

 

[2001LC]

Cleaning & inspecting wheel bearing is last. I keep them in plastic containers soaking in solvent until I get to them. Then after scrubbing with solvent brush, I use HP water (garden hose with spray head). I start with all the small parts hub flange, cone & claw washers, nuts, bolts snap ring and hub flange. Then I clean bearings by spraying bearing out from sides, then direct water so it spins the bearing as water lubes and cleans. I keep all these parts in clean water (about 10 minutes) until ready to dry with compressed air, and pack bearings with grease. If I can't grease as soon as dry, I'll coat with oil to protect from rust. These bearings are very clean at this point and will rust fast so I don't let sit dry. Before packing bearings with grease I give final inspection for pits, scoring or anything remarkable that may necessitate replacement.

I'm not to concerned with minor pitting or scoring of bearing or scoring of races. I say this because The King's wheel bearings have been ugly since my first packing ~100K miles ago. I found Toyota Dealer shop set bearings loose and forgot to bend tabs on DS locking ring, on it's first wheel bearing service PO had done. This caused pitting, scoring and bluing from heat build up on bearings, races, spindle and claw washer.

I cleaned up spindle and races at that time on The King with sand paper (fine emery cloth) before final solvent/water/air. Then pack bearings with moly fortified grease one time to re-calcify bearings (fill pits and scratches). Note: Using moly fortified grease is not a good idea as it does not dissipate heat well. Over the years these bearings have gotten better and better as I've gone higher and higher on adjusting nut torque to reach FSM breakaway preload of 9.5 to 15lb. They look even better now then they did 100K miles ago.

Claw washers were badly scored on both DS & PS, and DS spindle was scored and blued from heat. So I flipped good side in and used.

I mention this before: I will replace wheel bearings if torque gets to high on adjusting nut to reach breakaway preload on pull spring scale. The concern being damaging threads. I find as bearing get seated and are properly serviced over time they run even smoother than new. That and things like how clean and type of grease during assembly will change how much torque required. As much as I hate to wasted good bearings they are cheaper than spindles (knuckle).

I've now hit 72ft-lbf on adjusting nut without any apparent damage to these very thin threads, buts that is getting to a very high torque. So I schedule new bearing for next service, as I know it will take even more torque next service if they've been properly set up this current service. New bearings take ~42ft-lbf on adjusting to reach ~10.5-11.5 lb breakaway preload. Then after torquing locking nut that will go up about 2lb to 12.5 -14.5 breakaway preload.

These (Series 100) bearings are really very tough and can last a very long time if properly set up and serviced. They like to be set very tight and kept tight. That is why factory recommends service every 30K miles. OM has service at 30K miles/2 year. Two years is interesting, do they really mean that? What if it had only a few thousand miles in two years? Well, grease separates, it separates fast if not mixed, driving keeps mixed so last longer. So time is something to consider when deciding if time to service or not.

Keeping wheel bearings and snap ring gap tight protects all parts, most important the expensive parts like spindle and axle (front drive shafts).

Loose bearing create chatter which show on claw washer as scoring (as seen above). Combine that with a wide gap between snap ring & hub flange and axle act like a saw. The axle moving in and out along with chatter (vibration) cuts at teeth of axle & hub flange. This becomes most apparent in the softer metal of hub flange.
Garybear:

New hub flange for comparison:

Snap ring also takes a beating if gap to wide:

As does the front surface of hub flange snap ring is pounding on.

 

[2001LC]

Packing wheel bearings and seating wheel hub oil seal.

Starting by drying and inspecting small parts like claw washer above. That claw washer can be flipped putting good side into bearings if keep is good, if not replace.

The chip at the top of this cone washers is no big deal just someones tooling mark. The scoring (line) is of concern, as it may inhibit cones ability to move absorbing shock. It also indicate wear on riding/seating surface. So this one should be replaced.

I go through inspecting each part for anything remarkable. I replace those that don't pass inspecting. Even seal can be used again if it passes inspect, but they rarely do.

Notice I've two containers one mark DS the PS. The wheel hub are also marked this way. It is if very import the bearings are put back in the same races (hubs) as the have seated together.

After blow bearings with compressed air to clean & dry off water I inspect. Packing bearings just takes a few minutes each to do old school by pressing in off the heal of my hand.

 

[jerryb]

if you do a 2 or 3 year you should get a bead blaster cabinet.

 

[2001LC]

if you do a 2 or 3 year you should get a bead blaster cabinet.

Good idea, a cabinet blaster would be great

Would be nice to have a hot solvent parts washer also. My biggest issue is room, I've none!

 

[2001LC]

Now that I've old parts cleaned and bad sorted out like these unusable claw washers on Snowy:

I then set aside usable with new parts.

Once bearings packed I place in wheel hub. I'll pack wheel hub cavity with grease full enough so centrifugal force will push grease into bearings. But it's important to leave some air space for proper cooling in cavity.

I then tap in seal. You can use old seal as tool to tap in new, I have many times. But anymore I just careful tap in with plastic hammer working around edge of seal avoid inner ring as I tap.
Perfect seat with no bends in metal ring and cavity 3/4 full of grease (accounting for spindle room).

I then flip over and place in small bearing.

If not installing on hub at the time, I bag to protect from dust.

 

[Runner2aCruiser]

So who's gonna step up and buy this new landcruiser 100 when he's done?

 

[2001LC]

So who's gonna step up and buy this new landcruiser 100 when he's done?

It pre-sold in first few weeks as did Redbaron. Each buyer worked with me and made many of the decision on what work would be done with my guidance, based on intended use and long term objective of each.

Buyer of Snowy only need show-up with cash, and it his. He and his family will have a blast driving it home the 2K miles or so. I've got two weeks to finish, I'm in the home stretch now. It may take few more late nights but the goal post is in sight. I'll have close to 250 parts in Snowy, a record for me. To be fair 7 qt of oil is 7 parts. But still I'm nearing $6k in cost above purchase price, and I get good prices on parts. This one has got the best of the best!

My next projected arrived on auto transport this last week. I've barely had time to open the doors yet on it. @abuck99 stop by and we peak under the hood, but that's as far as I've gotten. It will be my biggest restoration project to date. I'll be doing something very different along with base-lining. It's the one that I've been dreaming about for years and it just came up. I didn't even realize what it was when I made the offer on it. It's cool and the seller is a member of mud that was a pleasure to deal with!

I'm keeping under wraps for now.

 

[2001LC]

Final assembly of axle hubs on freshly conditioned steering knuckles and dust cover.

I used the old bearing and races which are in good shape on Snowy. I packed with M1 synthetic wheel bearing grease, with all new axle hub oil seals, claw washers, lock washers, hub flange, flange gasket, cone washers, 2.4mm "D" snap ring and grease cap.

Sorry for wind noise & Video being cut short. PS wheel bearing Final Preload (at starting) was set at ~14,5lb with 52ft-lbf of torque on adjusting nut yielding ~12.5lb Preload. Then lock nut was torqued to factory spec of 47ft-lbf which raised Preload ~2lb, yielding a final Preload of ~14.5lb. I then bent one tooth of lock washer over lock nut and one tooth over adjusting nut.

Axle hub flange install, 100 series Toyota Land cruiser
Setting snap ring gap. Series 100 Toyota Land Cruiser

 

[2001LC]

DS
Sorry Video cut short. Final Preload (at starting) was set at ~14lb with 42ft-lbf of torque on adjusting nut yielding ~12lb Preload. Then lock nut was torqued to factory spec of 47ft-lbf which raised Preload ~2lb, yielding a final Preload of ~14lb. I then bent one tooth of lock washer over lock nut and one tooth over adjusting nut.

 

[2001LC]

Did a quick inspect & cleaning of front brake caliper. Pins, anti squeal shims, pad slide ends & caliper slides all needed cleaning and greasing.

 

[2001LC]

Front end near competition. I'll need to fill front differential with gear lube, bleed brakes flushing out all old fluid from braking system and put on new bleeder caps.

 

[Scoin]

I don't wanna just come out and ask but can you give us an idea of what your getting for this cream puff when your finished, it's gotta be a premium. Amazing attention to detail, some lucky sob is getting a new Hundy!

 

[paj262]

This thread/build is amazing! The attention to detail and expertise.... I'm in awe. Keep up the great work!

 

[2001LC]

I don't wanna just come out and ask but can you give us an idea of what your getting for this cream puff when your finished, it's gotta be a premium. Amazing attention to detail, some lucky sob is getting a new Hundy!

Well consider its 0 miles on a PM basis. What do you think its worth?

This thread/build is amazing! The attention to detail and expertise.... I'm in awe. Keep up the great work!

Thank you!

 

[looking4lc]

I am starting to enjoy the videos now. Very helpful.

We need more now
Keep up the good work

 

[2001LC]

Videos slow me down even more than pictures, but I'll see what I can do. First thing I need to do is find out why camera shuts down just before I'm done at ~7:25 min:sec