Builds "The Cucumber" build. Ultimate 80-series. 1HD-FT, H152F (world's first), PTO. Titanium and carbon fiber galore.

[SNLC]

Basically you are building this....

That is a LHD HDJ80 with H151, factory PTO, rear A/C, diff locks, factory snorkel, console cooler, ect ect.

Came across it six months or so ago but it’s a 96 so I can’t import it for awhile. Sweet Cruiser though and not the first I have come across, I would like to have one.

Cheers

 

[SNLC]

This is another one I came across, fully factory kit. Personally, I really like this color.

Few more years and I should be able to bring one in for myself.

Cheers

 

[bottombracket]

Dennis,

Glad to see the story playing out. You’re getting me all fired up to get started on my own 1HDFT swap into my HZJ80 this fall.

Awesome truck, awesome build.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Are barn doors part of this awesome build?

A couple pics of the PTO dash handle to share

 

[White Stripe]

I've thought about using a PTO before. But I've been in too many situations where I am in a difficult situation and need to do a little winching with the engine off just to get the vehicle safe.

 

[TurboDennis]

Basically you are building this....



That is a LHD HDJ80 with H151, factory PTO, rear A/C, diff locks, factory snorkel, console cooler, ect ect.

Came across it six months or so ago but it’s a 96 so I can’t import it for awhile. Sweet Cruiser though and not the first I have come across, I would like to have one.

Cheers

Pretty close, but mine will have a much better gearbox and the truck will be cleaner and in much better shape overall.

Regardless, those are awesome LC's!

Are barn doors part of this awesome build?

Of course not. I cant think of a worse, more useless "upgrade" to the 80 series. Maybe converting to RHD? Even that would be a stretch... I can sorta understand the "cool factor" because the north american market never got them, but the barn doors were only available in "poverty spec" 80's in other markets (all "loaded" trims always got the same tailgate as us). The two piece upper/lower tailgate is probably the best tailgate design of any SUV, EVER MADE.

 

[CycloSteve]

I actually started planning the wiring stage of the motor yesterday (the last question mark in "stage 1" of the build, at this point) and ran into a dilemma.
My FT is a JDM NON-EGR motor from a truck originally equipped with A/T.

There are 3 routes i see, and i don't particularly love any of them.

1) Ideally i would prefer to buy a brand new, 1HD-FT, LHD, MTM, NON-EGR harness. The problem is that i don't think they ever made them this way. I spent a couple of hours digging through parts diagrams, and i believe FT's only came without the factory EGR in RHD markets. There are significant differences between the EGR and non-EGR harnesses. LOTS of extra wires and connectors on EGR models, different connectors on dash side, and locations of some connectors on the engine side are different (the glow screen for example, which i intend to use in 100% factory config). The EGR harness is discontinued, but there are still a few kicking around in some warehouses in Japan which i can get. However if i need to trim down, re-pin and lengthen some wires on it, i might as well go with option #2
2) Use the existing RHD JDM non-EGR wiring harness (which is complete, uncut) and extend it for LHD truck (and trim the extra A/T wires)
3) Get a brand new 1HD-T harness for LHD, MTM. This would require less modifications to use on 1HD-FT than option #1. Mainly the glow plug/screen "conversion". But again, i dont want to spend a ton of money on a harness that is not correct just to hack it up.

At this point im leaning towards option #2


Steering wheel on the RIGHT (as in CORRECT) side is what will make this truck great, compared to all the HDJ81's that are flooding the local markets these days.

Option 3 would likely work best in my view. You still will need to swap out pins here and there. PM me if you want some of my conversion notes/spreadsheets.

 

[SHREDwagon]

At this point im leaning towards option #2

Would recommend #1 or #3 in that order. Otherwise you will end up with a splice in literally every wire feeding the motor, and more. Way less grief to de-pin or add a few terminals and IMHO well worth the $.

Take whatever schedule you have and triple it. GL!

 

[Workhorse]

Hey Dennis, any updates???

 

[TurboDennis]

Hey Dennis, any updates???

There's been some progress. I just suck at posting the updates because most of my spare time is taken up working on the damn thing.

Although i gotta say, this statement sums it up nicely:

Take whatever schedule you have and triple it.

On a serious note, i ran into a few unexpected issues that introduced a few delays. My plan was to go over the whole engine and check everything as per FSM, and replace all the seals/gaskets/rubber/timing belt parts and anything else that didnt look 100%. I thought i had all of the parts on hand, and started tearing into it. Turns out the idiots at Toyota didnt feel like including the sealing rings for the 2 exhaust manifold halves in the MASTER gasket kit for the 1HD-FT. Those rings are known to be problematic on 1H*-series engines, so i assumed they would be in the master kit, and didnt check before splitting up the manifolds... With no rings to be found in the kit, i decided to order them (along with a few other minor things that i wanted to replace) and hold off dropping the engine into the truck until those parts come in. Much easier to do with the engine out. I still had plenty of other non-engine related work to do on the truck - retrofitting the front locker into the axle, retrofitting console fridge, steering knuckle rebuild, etc. So i was working on all that while waiting on the parts. They came in this week and everything is installed and good to go. The plan is to drop the drivetrain in tomorrow or Monday.

I have the tranny/t-case bolted up to the engine now. Will post all the details after i drop it in and confirm that it actually fits.

Flipping the engine upside down to inspect the BEB's, crank thrust clearance, adjust valve clearances, etc. A fancy engine stand makes this completely painless even for such a bulky/heavy engine.

The thrust clearances of crank, rods, camshaft were all on the low end of the FSM spec.

Valve clearances were all slightly loose - 0.010-0.012" for the intake (spec is 0.007-0.009") and 0.022-0.024" for exhaust (spec is 0.019-0.021). Not a big deal, all were adjusted to 0.008" intake /0.020" exhaust. Adjusting valves on this engine it helps to have 4 hands... Had to do some ninja stuff to manage with only two.

BEB's all looked pristine. Picture is how all 6 of them looked. Oil clearances on all 6 were 0.0010-0.0015" (basically the lowest end of the spec, so essentially same as new). They have never been replaced either, as i found no evidence of the oil pan ever being removed and all the BEB's had Toyota markings on them - Mark 4/3/3/4/4/4. I know that a lot of guys like going with aftermarket BEB's for simplicity (Taiho and ACL), but i like the fact that Toyota ones are basically blueprinted to the crank and didnt want to install generic "one size fits all" BEB's. So i've decided to keep the original ones in for now. Now that i know their "mark" i will order a set of 6 exact same ones to replace them sometime down the road (not anytime soon).

I know it's a bit early, but i just couldn't wait to slap this badge on

 

[TurboDennis]

You would think that tightening the crank pulley bolt to 317 ft/lb would be easier with the engine out of the truck. But i had to add quite a bit of bracing/strapping to keep the engine from falling/turning/lifting as i was cranking on the monster torque wrench.

New flywheel and clutch installed. The H152F input shaft makes a great clutch alignment tool. Way better than the wimpy plastic Toyota SST.

New timing belt stuff. Removed parts all looked pristine, but there was no timing belt change sticker on the cover so i didnt want to take the risk and got all the new parts.

 

[TurboDennis]

Found out a very interesting thing about the exhaust manifolds. I can confirm 100% that almost nothing on the exhaust/intake/turbo assemblies needs to be removed, or even loosened to remove the short #5/6 cylinder manifold section for the purpose of replacing the sealing rings on it. You just need to remove the 4 main manifold heat shield bolts (you wont be able to remove the heat shield without disconnecting the turbo to intake manifold pipe, but you dont need to - just need to be able to move it around a bit to access the nuts/studs on the exhaust manifold. Then just remove the 4 nuts, and then 4 studs for the short manifold section and slide it out of the main section and remove. A 15 minute job if nothing is seized. Now i cant guarantee that this will work with the engine installed, as i imagine it will be kinda tight in there, but it should be doable.

Im using the 1HD-FTE turbo on my engine. This turbo has a flange on the compressor outlet instead of just a pipe like the 1HD-FT turbo, so i had to machine an adapter that bolts to the FTE turbo and connects to the 1HD-FT intake pipe via a rubber hose (like the original FT setup). Just an example of numerous small things that take up a ton of time and make this project go beyond the planned time frame.

 

[mudgudgeon]

I've thought about using a PTO before. But I've been in too many situations where I am in a difficult situation and need to do a little winching with the engine off just to get the vehicle safe.

Agreed.
Have wheeled with buddies who have had PTO winches. The pulling power is awesome, but they lack the flexibility of an electric winch.
One mate who swore by his PTO winch eventually went electric.

 

[mudgudgeon]

Found out a very interesting thing about the exhaust manifolds. I can confirm 100% that almost nothing on the exhaust/intake/turbo assemblies needs to be removed, or even loosened to remove the short #5/6 cylinder manifold section for the purpose of replacing the sealing rings on it. You just need to remove the 4 main manifold heat shield bolts (you wont be able to remove the heat shield without disconnecting the turbo to intake manifold pipe, but you dont need to - just need to be able to move it around a bit to access the nuts/studs on the exhaust manifold. Then just remove the 4 nuts, and then 4 studs for the short manifold section and slide it out of the main section and remove. A 15 minute job if nothing is seized. Now i cant guarantee that this will work with the engine installed, as i imagine it will be kinda tight in there, but it should be doable.


View attachment 2066716


Im using the 1HD-FTE turbo on my engine. This turbo has a flange on the compressor outlet instead of just a pipe like the 1HD-FT turbo, so i had to machine an adapter that bolts to the FTE turbo and connects to the 1HD-FT intake pipe via a rubber hose (like the original FT setup). Just an example of numerous small things that take up a ton of time and make this project go beyond the planned time frame.


View attachment 2066718

View attachment 2066719View attachment 2066717

Your lucky to have the manifold separate so easy. I've had them be a complete bear to separate.

Nice work on the adapters for the fte turbo!

 

[mudgudgeon]

You would think that tightening the crank pulley bolt to 317 ft/lb would be easier with the engine out of the truck.

I have a 33mm socket welded into the end of my 5' high lift Jack. It was the only bar I had at the time strong enough to use to crack the crank bolt loose on my hd-t when it was on a stand

 

[TurboDennis]

Agreed.
Have wheeled with buddies who have had PTO winches. The pulling power is awesome, but they lack the flexibility of an electric winch.
One mate who swore by his PTO winch eventually went electric.

Winching without the engine running is definitely an advantage for the electric winch, but it's a rather small one IMO. You can also winch with PTO without the engine running if you must to do it for some reason. Just disconnect the IP fuel solenoid wire and crank the starter. Starter becomes the electric drive for the PTO. Yes, it will drain the battery pretty quickly but so will the electric if you winch without the engine running. Might not be as convenient as pressing a button on electric, but if you're in a situation where you cant run the engine, it will get you out of the bind.

However with PTO the advantages are:
-Superior pulling power and speed.
-Inherent reliability. I've seen electric winches go out of service from lack of regular use and water getting in. Not to mention all the electrical components and wiring that can just fail. Cant really happen with PTO
- Nearly 100% duty cylcle for PTO. Electric winch will overheat and drain the battery with any sort of serious use.
- Can not winch with electric if your battery is bad.
- Highly adjustable winching speed
- Coolness factor of a PTO on an 80-series

PTO is a clear overall winner, IMO.

Your lucky to have the manifold separate so easy. I've had them be a complete bear to separate.

It wasnt easy to separate, but the trick that i found was lightly whack the end of the manifold in up and down direction with a brass hammer to break it loose. Once the rust seal breaks, you can tap it out.

I have a 33mm socket welded into the end of my 5' high lift Jack. It was the only bar I had at the time strong enough to use to crack the crank bolt loose on my hd-t when it was on a stand

My big torque wrench goes up to 600ft/lb, but even with only 317ft/lb i had to really put a lof of force on it. The handle is about 4ft long

 

[CrustyRusty]

Dennis. (this is Russell from Calgary BTW)

I had a hj61 with 12ht and pto winch, ive also had 2 separate 80 series both equipped with electrical Winches. PTO is the way to go, I loved that PTO winch. the thing was unstoppable. I wish I had a PTO set up for the 80 series Im building

 

[bottombracket]

Dennis, can you confirm spline count on the H152f input shaft (14/21) and what size clutch/fly wheel it is? 275 or 300?

 

[TurboDennis]

...and its in !

Drivetrain went in with no dramma. Installed everything by myself in a few hours. The only thing that gave me a bit of trouble was the turbo oil return hose wanting to damage itself on the motor mount frame bracket when fitting the engine in. If i was to do it again, i'd probably remove that hose to avoid the risk of damage to it.

The transmission crossmember bolted right up to the new mounts i made and the shifter holes in the tunnel lined up the the shifters on the tranny/t-case. I did all the mods to the tunnel and the crossmember brackets without actually using the transmission as a guide, so i'm glad all the research i did on mud has paid off.

Will post a detailed writeup on those mods and all the tranny mods shortly.

Dennis. (this is Russell from Calgary BTW)

I had a hj61 with 12ht and pto winch, ive also had 2 separate 80 series both equipped with electrical Winches. PTO is the way to go, I loved that PTO winch. the thing was unstoppable. I wish I had a PTO set up for the 80 series Im building

Hey Russell! Good to see you on mud

Honestly with the amount of winching i plan to do with this rig (very little), either PTO or Electric would work just fine for me. I just wanted to go with the PTO for the cool factor.

Dennis, can you confirm spline count on the H152f input shaft (14/21) and what size clutch/fly wheel it is? 275 or 300?

H152F input shaft has 14 splines, same as the H151F for the 80 series. Clutch/flywheel im using is 300mm - (for H151f 80 series). I see no reason why you couldn't use either a 21-spline shaft/ 275mm clutch on this tranny (if you wanted to, for whatever reason). I think the 100-series came with 21 spline 300mm clutch, so even that could be an option.

 

[TurboDennis]

So my original plan to have the truck running by the end of summer failed miserably... Things are taking way longer than i was hoping, and the fact that im super busy in September with work/family isnt helping the progress. Im trying to dedicate as much time as i can to finishing up the "stage 1" of the build. I can see the finish line.. sorta..

Since installing the drivetrain in a month ago i spent a lot of time tying up some loose ends. Finished the retrofitting of the e-lockers.

I took the longest, and hardest route to accomplishing this.

Started out completely rebuilding both differentials. They came out of my old HDJ81 with 300k KM, so i figured they could use fresh parts. I sandblasted and powder coated the housings, installed all new OEM bearings, seals, crush sleeves and other associated parts. Lockers worked on the old truck, but the actuators were starting to look a bit crusty, so i opted to replace them with brand new OEM units, both front and rear (big $$$, but i was not in the mood of using old questionable parts on this truck). Front one set up fairly smooth, but the rear took me 14 re-adjustments of the shims to get a pattern that was kinda OK (still not perfect). I attributed it to wear in the gears. This was the best pattern i could get. I will probably get new gears later.

Front one much better:

Then i modified the axle housings. Rear one was easy - just a bit if metal needs to be removed (using gasket as a guide) and longer studs installed into existing holes

Front one was a lot more involved. Here's the before picture - lots of metal needs to be removed, 4 new holes drilled and tapped. I ended up installing the differential, and using the holes on the diff with a transfer punch to mark new hole locations.

2 of these holes are for the long studs that go through the actuator, so they have to be perfectly perpendicular to the surface, or the long studs will bind up in the actuator. Using a makeshift drill guide seemed to work OK.