Builds Skin Deep: 1963 FJ40 resto (1 Viewer)

[flee]

(Edit- I started this thread with these questions and then morphed it into a build thread.)

The lifters my '68 F engine had in it are hydraulic. Can anyone tell if these are OK to use? (This turned out not to be true.)
Aren't the factory ones solid? Thanks, I'll have many more questions and hopefully a few answers, too.

I had a 1970 FJ40 back in the day. That is the one in my avatar photo. We are atop the peak above Telluride, CO in 1977.

 

[65swb45]

I’ve been wrenching on FJ40s here in the San Fernando Valley for four decades, and I’ve never seen anyone put hydraulic lifters into a Toyota engine.

Pics are definitely required.

 

[flee]

Back in Feb. I got a '63 FJ40 that looked OK from about 6 feet away and was drivable although down on power.
I got to working on it starting with all four wheel bearings and all eight brake cylinders.
The rear diff was sloppy so I found a nicely rebuilt one at SOR which happens to be about 6 minutes from home.
Saves shipping! So far so good...
The knuckleheads - that's what I call the PO's - had at some time swapped in a manual Saginaw steering box.
The lack of power assist coupled with the BFG 10.5/31 tires and tiny 13" aftermarket steering wheel made for a
rather high-effort driving experience. I figured I was already halfway there so I got a power steering box and the
other needed odds and ends from BTB, including their PS pump bracket. That went in pretty well with a few mods.
Steering was much improved.

Now I needed to figure out why the engine seemed soft. I guess no compression in #1 and #2 will have that effect!
Removing the head and pan revealed a completely worn out engine that needed a head, pistons, cam and bearings.
Luckily, I found a decent head on ebay.
After a few trials and tribulations the replacement head is better than new and the block is bored and honed.
Right now I'm trying to figure out if the hydraulic lifters the '68 engine had in it are something that works or just
another bone-headed mod by the knuckleheads.
Any ideas?

 

[flee]

Thanks for the reply, Mark. I was thinking the same but now I know!
The hydraulic lifters fit the bores perfectly and the engine ran as well as it could with two bad cylinders and a multi-cracked head.
See my build post for a photo of the FJ40 and I can shoot pictures of the lifters if that would be helpful.

 

[rmckay1021]

Back in Feb. I got a '64 FJ40 that looked OK from about 6 feet away and was drivable although down on power.
I got to working on it starting with all four wheel bearings and all eight brake cylinders.
The rear diff was sloppy so I found a nicely rebuilt one at SOR which happens to be about 6 minutes from home.
Saves shipping! So far so good...
The knuckleheads - that's what I call the PO's - had at some time swapped in a manual Saginaw steering box.
The lack of power assist coupled with the BFG 10.5/31 tires and tiny 13" aftermarket steering wheel made for a
rather high-effort driving experience. I figured I was already halfway there so I got a power steering box and the
other needed odds and ends from BTB, including their PS pump bracket. That went in pretty well with a few mods.
Steering was much improved.
Now I needed to figure out why the engine seemed soft. I guess no compression in #1 and #2 will have that effect!
Removing the head an pan revealed a completely worn out engine that needed a head, pistons, cam and bearings.
After a few trials and tribulations the replacement head is better than new and the block is bored and honed.
Right now I'm trying to figure out if the hydraulic lifters the '68 engine had in it are something that works or just
another bone-headed mod by the knuckleheads.
Any ideas?View attachment 2444313

Great looking truck. I also have a 64 but with SOA. Love the early models!!!

 

[Tancruiser]

Hydraulic lifters ?????

 

[flee]

Hydraulic lifters ?????

I know, right?
The engine ran 'normally' AFAIK, even with two dead cylinders I could keep up on the freeway.
This is my first time rebuilding an F engine so I wasn't sure that hydraulic lifters weren't a mod.

 

[Tancruiser]

I’ve never seen hydraulic lifters on a for 2f engine .

 

[65swb45]

My shop is linked in my sig line at the bottom of all 28,000 posts. Apparently some ‘smart’ phones are not smart enough to see it.

www.marksoffroad.net

 

[whitey45]

Are you sure you don’t have a Chevy 250? I’m sure as Mark and I have never seen a Toyota f engine with Hydraulic lifters? Pics are needed!!

 

[flee]

Are you sure you don’t have a Chevy 250? I’m sure as Mark and I have never seen a Toyota f engine with Hydraulic lifters? Pics are needed!!

This just in: the engine builder had mixed up my lifters with another 6-cylinder (Chevy) he was working on. Mine were/are solid all along.
Yeah, it's an F from 1968. I'll post up the latest photos tomorrow. Here is the engine before taking it out:

 

[flee]

Here can be seen the firewall with wires, etc, masked and out of the way. Notice the 2.5" x 4" hole in the passenger footwell area.
Why the knuckleheads cut that out I have no idea. The holes above that are how they routed the heater hoses.
I am fond of gazing at this clean and dry engine compartment because when I got this cruiser the entire passenger side was coated with
years of dirt mixed with engine oil that was blowing out of the filler and dipstick under pressure due to broken rings in cylinders #1 and #2.

 

[flee]

The first bit of bling is this heater control valve from Japan. I used a small block of aluminum to adapt it to the two M6 mounting holes
that were already there. I would have been a bit more careful removing the cylinder head mounted valve if I had known how rare they are!

 

[flee]

Some shots of the engine work in progress. Next week is looking good for assembly. (edit- Or not!)

 

[middlecalf]

What’s that orange paint? Completely hydrocarbon proof?

 

[flee]

What’s that orange paint? Completely hydrocarbon proof?

That's called Glyptal. It's supposed to enhance oil drainback to the sump. Kind of a hotrodding thing.

Glyptal Red Brush On 1 qt

Seals uneven surfaces in enginecastings to improve oil circulation

www.eastwood.com

 

[flee]

I made a stainless steel cover for the big hole in the firewall. At first I was just going to cover the hole up and paint the cover black.
But after reading some other posts here on mud I thought of using that to route the heater hoses instead of the round and oval holes
the knuckleheads had cut. I like having valves to stop coolant to and from the heater core in case it springs a leak out on the trail. So
I got a pair of slick angle valves with built-in filter screens from McMaster-Carr. I was then able to drill and tap the cover for 1/2" NPT.
Presto: more bling!

I think this may qualify as an example of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

[flee]

Under 50 years of grime: not exactly bling but more like a tribute to Downey Toyota's huge impact on the Landcruiser universe!
I never put one in my '70, preferring the column shift, but I'm pretty sure I bought my header and Holley 2-bbl set-up from them.

 

[flee]

Just a brief update. I rethought the heater valve location and put it closer to the firewall holes, again using pre-existing 6mm threaded holes.

The transmission input shaft seal has been replaced and front cover resealed in anticipation of putting the engine back in next week.

 

[flee]

The engine rebuild is (mostly) finished and sitting back in the garage. The fun begins!

I thought it might be useful to know the oil pressure since the bearings are all new and the oil pump is rebuilt, so:

Fortunately BSPT fittings are easy to get from McMaster-Carr and others.