Build "Scout" the 1977 FJ40

[77CruiserDog]

My package from City Racer came today and so did my ball valve, so I did a little more work on Scout. Every time I get a package from that dude it feels like Christmas. The parts are packaged up safely and I know what I'm about to open is amazing quality. Thanks so much Roger!!

The heater valve was super easy to replace, probably only a cup of antifreeze spilled out as I disconnected the old crusty and leaking one seen here.....

Super easy to replace. I checked the old one and it definitely leaks coolant past even when it's closed, whereas the new one is a tight seal.

I also threw this in for good measure. It will be nice once the weather heats up to not have EternaHeat any longer.

Thank you 1911 and Cruiserkev for the idea. This place is amazing for support and thought sharing.


If you're interested, here's what I used....
Amazon product ASIN B07CMC62YR
I have yet to close the valve down and see how it works but I assume since it completely stops the flow it will work well. Today was wet and chilly so I left it open.

More to come in my Adventures in Land Cruisering!

Cheers,
Adam

 

[77CruiserDog]

In that box from City Racer was also my new brake master cylinder. I felt like it would be a good idea to replace it since my brake light on my dash was flickering on and off as I applied my brakes, plus it was old, non OEM, slightly leaking out of the front most sensor and there was an odd feeling as I pushed the brake pedal, possibly air in the lines but also quite possibly rust on the cylinder walls as I'm guessing brake fluid changes weren't done regularly on this thing.

I won't go in to the process of changing it because it was quite simply an unbolt and bolt on scenario with a few additions.... a one banana job for sure.

Old master cylinder:

I did use the cheap, Amazon bench bleeder kit, which helped get all of the air out of the master before I plugged it in to the lines.

The bench bleeder kit was like $8 so I'm not surprised it didn't fit perfectly, but it did the job. When I first hooked it up and pushed the plunger in only the rear brake cylinder was bleeding, but then I realized I wasn't pushing the plunger in far enough and eventually I got the hang of it. (First time bench bleeding a master.... HA!)

After it was all bleed, I bolted it on, hooked up the lines, filled it up with brake fluid and then went around with that handy brake bleeder tool I used on the clutch slave replacement last week and cracked open the bleeders in the back then the front. Some pretty nasty fluid came out, which I'm not surprised by.

Here it is all installed and purdy looking

I topped off the fluid again, backed it out of the garage and the pedal was solid as a rock. I took it around the block, all is good. I came back and opened the hood, hosed off all of the spilled coolant and made sure any drips of brake fluid were washed off.

One thing I noticed was that my brake light on the dash still flickers when I apply my brakes. I have a clue as to what it could be. I think what's happening is the brake light switch is being tripped before there is pressure on the sensors connected to the brake master cylinder. Perhaps this could be alleviated by adjusting my brake light switch so it comes on slightly later in the pedal push. If that is the case, I'm somewhat keen on the idea of my brake lights coming on a split second earlier because that gives the drivers behind me slightly more notice that I'm hitting the binders on this pig.

On a side note, one of the attributes to the braking system on this vehicle (as I've read here on Mud... all 40's) is that the rear brakes have a tendency to lock up long before the fronts do. I'm eager to install a better (possibly adjustable) proportioning valve in this thing to help with that. I'd like to stay with OEM looks but it would be nice to have it also be adjustable so I can send less pressure to the back brakes. Thoughts or ideas are always welcome.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[77CruiserDog]

Super Retarded -

I think my engine's timing was super retarded for quite a while.... including the trip to Walla Walla which may have contributed to the over heating issue. I put a timing light on it a month ago when I replaced the distributor but I just checked it this morning and the BB was about 10mm above (to the right) of the timing mark as the timing light flashed it. I wonder if I bumped the distributor or something before I tightened it down.

Either way, I set it so that the BB is essentially at the bottom of the window now. I test drove it both ways numerous times and found that when the BB is close to the bottom of the timing window the vehicle has way more power. I don't however have any idea how much timing advance this is... because every vehicle I've ever owned had hash marks with numbers on it. A timing light with an advance setting would be handy but the one I have is brand new.

Can anyone tell me if this is remotely the appropriate amount of timing? I have the de-smogged carb and distributor. I don't hear any pinging. I also want to point out I searched on this site and general Google for quite a while to no avail. Any helpful feedback would be greatly appreciated.

I just drove it down to meet some of my favorite clients it drives WAY, WAY better. They were pretty excited to see it, which made me happy that I brought it instead of my boring little Jeep. HA! One of them just picked up one of the coolest non-Toyota vehicles out there.... a 1981 T3 Volkswagen Vanagon Westy.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[thorslc1977]

Yes you have the timing in about the right spot. To dial it in take to a place where you can drive up a grade in fourth gear if it starts pinging move mark back a little at a time towards top until it won't ping anymore.

 

[1911]

Can anyone tell me if this is remotely the appropriate amount of timing? I have the de-smogged carb and distributor. I don't hear any pinging.

Yes, that is good. The BB is 6 degrees BTDC, the bottom of the window is about 10 degrees BTDC. That's where my de-smogged 2F runs best also, and what de-smog, carb and dizzy guru Jim C. suggests for a de-smogged engine also.

 

[77CruiserDog]

That's awesome you guys! Thanks for the confirmation 1911!! I essentially did just that Thorslc1977!

I drove it up a steep hill by my house, way too steep to hit 4th gear but just barely grab 3rd and hope to hear the rpms increase a little if everything goes right.

I marked where I shifted from a dead stop to 1st gear (man hole cover 10 feet from the stop line), then 2nd (electrical box near driveway) and finally 3rd (first tree in the row along the sidewalk).

Every time I got the BB closer to the bottom of that window, my shift points would be earlier and earlier, indicating more power. By the time the BB was essentially at the bottom of that window I was able to just slightly notice an RPM increase in 3rd gear.

Once again, this website and the kick a$$ people on it have provided me with valuable insight that I couldn't find elsewhere due to incompetence or pure stupidity. Mud Members Rock!

Cheers,
Adam

 

[77CruiserDog]

BEER RUN! -

Yesterday I felt like I needed to go for a drive so I hopped in Scout and headed north. I knew only one thing... I'd never been much further on Hwy 9 than perhaps Lake Stevens, which is pretty pathetic since it was less than 30 minutes from my house. Hwy 9 receives far less traffic and is much more scenic when compared to the main thoroughfare I-5 which is sometimes 3 lanes in each direction and typically packed with traffic even in the morning. I knew I had a full tank of gas and I had little else to worry about.

I also knew that I'd done quite a bit of work to Scout and needed to do a shakedown run just to make sure there were no leaks or other issues. Heading toward the magic line I'd never crossed before I started smelling coolant. So I decided it would be a good idea to look for a place to stop. I figured it was smart to look for an auto parts store and before long I found one... errr two. I pulled in to Autozone and right across the parking lot was O'Rileys. I wonder if the big wigs at either of those HUGE national chains really thought that one out. They're literally less than 90 yards from one another on the same side of the street and only separated by a parking lot and a small bit of grass. So funny but also super lucky. I popped the hood and deduced that the drain cock on the radiator was slightly loose, I snugged it up, washed the few drips of coolant off with a bottle of water and kept on going.

The drive was uneventful but absolutely stunning in beauty. I passed about 6 lakes, an old FJ40 with a really cool Warn 8274 and weaved in and out of a bunch of small towns, beautiful evergreen forests and absolutely zero traffic. In the end, I found myself at the US / Canada border. I needed to justify the trip so I picked up some awesome local beer from Kulshan in Bellingham and headed home. The drive home was equally as beautiful and surprisingly not repetitive at all. I honked as I passed the FJ40 rotting away in the field and before long I was back at the house. All told I did just shy of 200 miles and it was a very successful shakedown run as nothing popped up after I snugged down the drain cock.

When I arrived home I had a part waiting for me on my doorstep. It was a Pertronix 1662LS kit to eliminate the points in this new distributor. Now I'd like to summarize what I've read hear on Mud about this kit. Many people love it, many people think it's a bad idea and feel points are the only way to go because they can fix them on the trail. I get it. These old rigs were meant to be simple. But my dad has a smartphone and it makes it easier for him to find funny cat videos, so I figure I'm going to give it a try.

I pop off the cap, unscrew the points and condenser, replace it with the Pertronix kit and connect the red wire to the pig tail coming off my resistor above the coil, then the negative wire goes to the negative connection on the coil. I fired it up, backed it out and set the timing so the bb was at the bottom of the window and took it for a drive. I'm incredibly impressed. It idles smoother, accelerates smoother, has slightly more pick up and at higher rpms it's smoother. Please note, my distributor, cap, rotor and points are all brand new. Based off my initial impressions, I highly recommend this. I've had it in other rigs and I remember a similar difference with them as well. And, yes, I'll keep my points in a plastic bag in the center console in case my rig is hit by lightning or an EMP.

Okay, on to the pics:

 

[77CruiserDog]

Here are some pics of the Pertronix kit installed and the points that I will keep in the center console.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Sunday morning I spent some time testing a brake proportioning valve that @Racer65 sent me.

I’d tested the stopping ability in my Land Cruiser many times in my short ownership but not in a controlled and measurable environment like I was today. As you probably notice in your 40, brake distances are not all that impressive and the rears lock up easily. I was excited when Roger asked me to try out this new proportioning valve.

The test was pretty simple. Panic stop from 30mph in a straight line with my old proportioning valve and then retest with the new one from City Racer. I found a large, empty parking lot by my house where I could easily get up to speed and use a light pole as my braking point indicator. I marked each stop with chalk and measured the distances from the light pole. My vehicle’s brake system is stock with drums in back and front disks.

My first 4 stops were with the old proportioning valve.

• 1st attempt 71’ – rear brakes locked
• 2nd attempt 70’ – rear brakes locked
• 3rd attempt 57’ – rear brakes locked (I found this odd that I would be 13’ shorter so I did it again)
• 4th attempt 58’ – rear brakes locked (my only guess is that the brakes warmed up by now and were more effective)

Then I replaced the valve. Super simple, unscrew the two hoses and unbolt the valve, then reverse those steps and bleed the brakes. I used the handy brake bleeding tool that I used when changing my clutch master/slave and my brake master.

Old Valve

New Valve

Comparison

After replacing the valve, I went for a short test drive and noticed that the pedal was noticeably harder, very different feeling like I had to work a bit harder to get the vehicle to stop… but not so bad that I thought something was wrong, just different.

I drove down a steep hill to check the brakes before I ran through the panic stop test. Prior attempts on this hill showed my rear brakes would lock up VERY easily. Now with the new valve, my rear brakes didn’t lock up at all, but the stopping distances felt similar to before. The pedal still felt odd.

I then drove over to the parking lot to do my official test with the new proportioning valve.

• 1st attempt 62’ – no brakes locked
• 2nd attempt 51.5’ – front brakes locked barely, rear brakes didn’t
• 3rd attempt 67.5’ – no brakes locked (something happened during this stop that I could feel in my brake pedal, it pushed down further and felt "normal" like before I changed the valve. So I decided to do an extra few stops.)
• 4th attempt 45’ – front brakes locked, rear brakes didn’t
• 5th attempt 49’ – front brakes locked, rear brakes didn’t

I took it on a spin after the fifth attempt with the new valve, my brakes suddenly worked really well now!

I think on my 3rd attempt after replacing the valve, what ended up happening was my front calipers finally engaged for the first time since owning this thing. The old proportioning valve was so heavily biased to the rear brakes that the fronts were either barely used or not used at all. In my panic stop attempts before the valve change, my steering acted like the fronts were not being locked up at all. After changing the valve, I believe more pressure was being pushed in to the front calipers causing them to break loose and actually work.

I also noticed the front end would now dive down a little like most vehicles do when coming to an abrupt stop which tells me the fronts were never really being utilized. The stopping distances with the new valve are noticeably shorter. I also like how the weight transfer pushes the front tires in to the ground while the front brakes are now being utilized much more.

Roger also shared… “The advantage of having a valve made to OEM spec is that it's specifically tuned to the weight transfer on a FJ40, as Toyota had designed it. It's also easier to fit than the adjustable valve, because the geometry is identical to the original.”

All in all, I’m a huge fan of these brakes now! Stopping distances are measurably improved, attitude of the vehicle when stopping is improved and it’s simply more predictable. Two thumbs up from me.

Cheers,
Adam

 

[TheHardWay]

Soon as I finish building my storage shed I'm gonna apply to become a test pilot too...

 

[77CruiserDog]

I've not been able to post much but the work on the Cruiser continues....

First up - Leather wrapped steering wheel 2.0

I added a second layer of the leather to the steering wheel to get the desired thickness. I have driven it quite a bit with this and it's absolutely perfect! The first layer was the L- and the second layer is the XL.

Next I wanted a touch of protection against any walls that I might be parking near and wanting to keep an eye on the budget I found some Energy Suspension general purpose bump stops (part number 9.9103G SM) that fit where the originals fit. I think they look pretty good. Pay no attention to the pile of crap under Scout. I'm pre-packing for a trip to Moab very soon. Not planned at all, it happens to be during Cruise Moab.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Next up, I focused on the rear axle:

I wanted to address the rear brakes after finding out that 99% of the braking done on this thing was happening in the back. I pulled the drums off to inspect and discovered some pretty wasted shoes and decrepit wheel cylinders.

I ended up yarding out the rear axle all together so I could clean it up, prime and paint it and address the rear transfer case seal which was leaking.

All in all, it was a pretty easy job. I extended the breather hose, cleaned what appeared to be undercoating from the rear drive shaft and parking brake drum, replaced the zerk fittings on the drive shaft and replaced that rear transfer case seal while I was at it and installed new hardware.

Once I get the rear tires on, I plan on attempting to adjust the rear brakes, I tried to do it without the tires on and I just couldn't seem to get the feel for it. For such a simple task, it sure does seem like a PITA!

I'm waiting for a new gear oil pump before I can do anything more on the rear end, it should be here tomorrow.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Lastly, on our trip to Walla Walla, I noticed the smallish fuel tank and somewhat thirsty 2F make range a limiting factor. I added a 5 gallon gas can to the back so we won't have a concern on longer more remote trips.

I found the mount at a cool little company called Gamiviti. It bolts directly to the spare tire carrier behind the spare tire... here's a picture of it as I'm getting the Smittybilt Jerry Can Holder alignment sorted so I can weld it up.

Here it is installed. It's very secure and I don't see the extra weight of this thing being an issue.

Lastly, the rear latch handle was super loose and crusty so I replaced the assembly with the Taiwanese made version that Cruiser Corps sells. I'm actually pretty dang impressed! For less than 1/3 the cost of the OEM, it fits perfectly, is completely secure and works great.

Next up, bring on the rubber gloves and blue paper shop towels..... It's time for the oh so fun knuckle rebuild including backing plate eliminators, reman calipers, new pads, all new bearings, seals and tie rod ends and a new steering stabilizer. Once that's all done, I'll yard it out and put some paint on it as well. I'm not all that excited about the task ahead, but I know it needs to be done, especially since the front calipers were completely frozen until just a few weeks ago. I'm actually pretty sure the pads in there will be in good shape. I'm eager to see how the knuckle and front wheel bearings look.

Until next time, Happy Cruisering!!

 

[77CruiserDog]

I was finally able to take this thing for a proper spin with the rear brakes being done, I had to bleed them considerably more than I expected. I'm thinking it's because of the 2 wheel cylinders at each drum.... lots of room for air. I also got the hang of adjusting the rear brakes, pretty easy once you do it enough. This thing stops on a dime now!! That's the good news.

The bad news is, it was warm out today, so I figured it's a prime opportunity to push it a bit hard on the freeway to see if I actually did get rid of that overheating issue we experienced on our trip to Walla Walla. The answer is no. The needle still creeps up and wants to pass that 3/4 hash mark toward hot.

I know the following:

I flushed the cooling system when I got the vehicle, it spewed out disgusting brown water for much longer than I expected before it ran clear.
New OEM thermostat (with both gaskets).
New OEM water pump.
The fan clutch is new, I spin it cold and there is some resistance. I spin it warm and there is a lot of resistance. I believe it's working as it should.
I open the block drain valve and coolant starts to flow immediately.
The radiator looks new, however it's aftermarket.

To rule out whether the radiator is garbage/plugged or not, I bit the bullet and just ordered a new OEM one from City Racer. I'm not all that thrilled about this but I've read on here a number of people have remedied their overheating issues by swapping to an OEM radiator. Fingers crossed.

 

[77CruiserDog]

In anticipation of my OEM radiator, I stopped by NAPA and picked up 3 bottles of NAPA brand cooling system flush. I drained all of the new coolant from the radiator in to a 5 gallon bucket to be reused. I backed the cruiser out of the garage and opened the block petcock. I noticed the stream of coolant flowing was odd looking, so on a hunch I stuck a screw driver in there and wiggled it around.... the flow changed and became more pronounced. I then put a garden hose in the top of the radiator and flushed out all of the remaining green coolant. Then I closed the petcocks and poured in the 3 bottles, topped off the radiator with clean fresh water and ran it for 20 minutes. I then drained it all really well and filled it back up with clean water, burped it and took it for a spin on the freeway. Below are my results.

Ambient temp 60 degrees with the needle essentially dead center on the gauge. I used an IR temp gun for these readings.

Top of the radiator 179 degrees
Thermostat housing 113 degrees
Hottest part of the head (in between spark plugs number 2 & 3) 197 degrees
Block drain 187 degrees
Temp sender 204 degrees

Unless I'm wrong, these are all very acceptable readings and on my 5 mile freeway trip, the needle barely moved above center and I had the gas pedal matted for good chunks of that time.

I decided to remove a touch of ignition timing and try another test drive.

Ambient temp 65 degrees with needle getting close to the 3/4 hot mark on the gauge after the same test drive bombing up the freeway.

Top of radiator 185 degrees
Thermostat housing 161 degrees
Hottest part of head 200 degrees
Block drain 201 degrees
Temp sender 208 degrees.

With these readings, I'm also not overly worried, but my gauge shows a different story...

I'm thinking that the temp sending unit is just overly sensitive and my rig was never really over heating. What do you think?

 

[1911]

What do you think?

I tend to agree with you; the pertinent temps are the top of the radiator/upper hose. If they are close to the thermostat temp like yours are, that says to me the cooling system is working as intended. It sounds like the temp sender is getting some heat soak from the head, i.e. is not getting full flow of coolant to it - possibly a bubble of air in it, or a partially-blocked coolant passageway in the head? I don't remember, did you burp the air out of the system really well already?

 

[77CruiserDog]

Thanks 1911, I believe I did. I used my very steep driveway to angle the front end up while I refilled with straight H2O for the tests yesterday. However, I also ordered one of those handy "burp bucket" funnel kits from Amazon which came last night. I'll use it when I install my OEM radiator. I think you're right that I'm getting some heat soak from the head in to that temp sender. A possible way to look at the coolant passages in the head would be to remove the temp sender and the brass reducer it screws in to and simply look down that hole in to the head.

I have 3 other variables that my mind can't seem to let go of:

1) This vehicle is from Minnesota and the coolant appeared to be rusty/muddy water or some combo of 40 year old coolant and water when flushed it out shortly after getting it. Could it be that the PO used hose water with a high mineral content which caused a build up in the blocks coolant passages? The flush I did yesterday with the NAPA stuff did seem to do something. Maybe I need to do that again.

2) The temp sender is aftermarket.... maybe I simply order an OEM one. This couldn't hurt.

3) The fan clutch is one of the few mechanical items the restoration shop replaced but I've not heard it come on (roar) when this thing has been running, only when I first start it and then it quiets down. Maybe that's a last resort item I consider.... I remember our FJ60 would start screaming when we headed up the pass. I've heard of people using the FJ60 fan clutches on the FJ40.

More soon....

 

[Racer65]

I would do all of the above when the radiator is out and the coolant is drained. Cooling system parts are all around the same age. Do the job once and you won't be chasing down each issue. Use an Aisin fan clutch.

 

[reddog90]

@Racer65 is that proportioning valve a special order thing? Don't see it on your site.

 

[reddog90]

It's a Capri Tools vacuum brake bleeder. It's roughly $85 and I found it on Amazon.

Amazon product ASIN B00OM751EC
It made bleeding the clutch system super easy. No more of that... "Hey babe, can you help me in the garage for a minute.... you sit here and push the pedal while I tell you UP, DOWN and HOLD and fiddle around under the hood." HA!

So I bought this vacuum bleeder based on your report here. I bled my rear drums last night and was getting heavy spitting into the bleeder tank, but never a solid stream of fluid. I double checked with the friend pumping the pedal method and had a solid stream into my gatorade bottle.