The Dorkle

[serenity]

After a long break from the cruiser world I have finally bought the Cruiser I’ve always wanted (with bonus snorkels), after owning or driving just about every other model. Last weekend I enlisted some friends to come with me on a 1000km round trip so I could drive it home, and it was all smiles and permanent hearing loss the whole way back.

The bloke I bought it from also had a 45 ute and troopy, as well as a 79 and a 105, I was more interested in seeing if adult adoption is a thing rather than driving home.

My friends endured the comforts of my 16 Hilux with its ac, sound deadening, power steering and cruise control. We made it home without incident but having no caster angle meant a firm grip on the wheel the whole way. The 40 held 110kph on the motorway with ease even with the 35s.

Only a 40 turns a grown man into grinning idiot like this.

 

[serenity]

Now the bad stuff.

Metallic orange engine and firewall!

It has a Holley carb, the install was butchery. They used the factory fuel pump with no fuel return so the carb bowl is constantly flooded with excess fuel, I have ordered a later style pump and spacer with the fuel return. They also removed the charcoal canister so it has a strong fuel smell. Don’t even ask what they did with the disconnected fuel return line.

More butchery was done to the dash while adding a stereo and switches, the wiring job was very poor so I have stripped all the non factory wiring and will start again. There are also holes drilled all over the place, my guess is from various owners accessories over the years. Nothing unexpected for a cruiser this old.

Extended shackles from a 60 or 75 series that have been spaced to fit with washers, they sit close to inverted so the springs barely move. I have standard length shackles to go in, after that I’ll see how it sits and may remove a leaf or 2 from each pack.

Aside from that it’s the usual worn out door hinges and latches, and little leaks from pinion seals and transfer case output.

 

[serenity]

Now that that’s out of the way, the good stuff.

Twin air lockers
New suspension
Rebuilt motor that has no blow-by.
Finally have somewhere to put my pto winch that I’ve hung on to for almost 10 years.

 

[Rocky_LC]

Do your dueling dorkles connect to the carburetor directly? Looks like a fun rig!

 

[serenity]

Do your dueling dorkles connect to the carburetor directly? Looks like a fun rig!

Surprisingly they do! Whoever put the carb and dorkles on made up a twin entry carb hat.
Looks like a cheap prop from an old sci-fi movie, I have replaced it for the moment with a standard round air cleaner.

 

[serenity]

Started working my way through the wiring loom this weekend, used plenty of contact cleaner and heat shrink. I now have functioning lights!
A few before and afters.

 

[AdventureToolCompany]

Well done!

 

[serenity]

Slow progress all week, I just kept finding more hack jobs on the wiring. I think I have it all sorted finally! My 1977 user manual has been invaluable, it’s awesome how much information they put in the old manuals.

Got the new fuel pump installed, just have to finish replacing hoses. I’ve started on the tune up with new leads and plugs and a new aircleaner to get the big dorkles off the fenders. I found out that genuine spark plugs are cheaper than aftermarket ones and come gapped correctly!

And more parts arrived today, surely my boss can pay me to work on my 40 right?

 

[Pighead]

a new aircleaner to get the big dorkles off the fenders.

I like those dorkles, I think one would look great on a 55

 

[serenity]

I like those dorkles, I think one would look great on a 55

I might still run 1 of them, but they made it a pain to work on anything, I’m also toying with running one of them under the hood. $50 for a carb top air cleaner while I get everything tidy seemed a fair price to me.

From memory I think they would be too wide for a 55 fender, they definitely add that oldschool utilitarian vibe to a 45.

 

[serenity]

Finished off the tune up with dialling in the Holley as best as I could. I’m a diesel guy with zero carb experience and I’d never seen a Holley in person before buying this 40.

Then finally adjusted the valve clearance, and now it hauls like it should and sounds like it should!

PO had no idea what they were doing, some rockers were tight when they should have had clearance at tdc, others had way too much clearance, one was spot on and on one the adjusters was loose.

After a little test drive I swung back into the fitting shop at work to start sorting out the suspension (or lack of).

Pulled a bunch of leafs out of the packs which got it sitting 50mm lower, then had to do a poser flex shot with the forklift of course. Then the rear settled further and the tyres started rubbing.
So I left it there for the night, I’ll put another leaf back in the rear today and see how it behaves.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Good to see you back again @serenity

 

[serenity]

Good to see you back again @serenity

It is great to be back, I’ve missed the cruiser life. The Hilux is an excellent machine but lacks soul, and all the young blokes I work with have 4wds so I have fun helping to keep a fleet of junk td42s and a little sierra on the road. But I miss working on a grown-ups car.

 

[serenity]

A big pile of parts arrived today! I went to flush the cooling system on the weekend but saw how muddy it was and decided to go all in.

Got all the old stuff out of the way. Cleaned up the gasket faces on the block and head. I always clean up the threaded holes with a tap, these were all full of crud but otherwise in good condition.

Wire wheel on the bench grinder does an excellent job on the bolts. One day I’ll have to give zinc plating a try.

Got the new water pump on but progress for the evening came to a halt when I realised this aftermarket gasket for the lower thermostat housing is a poor fit. I’ll take the housing to work in the morning and cut out a new gasket.

 

[serenity]

New gasket is cut, it’s a much better fit!

Put the pulley up in the lathe and checked the run-out as I noticed it’s been cut and welded, it’s 0.60mm which isn’t ideal. I machined down some of the weld as it made it difficult to fit to the hub, but then realised someone had shortened it to fit on the wrong pump for this year model. Now the pump pulley doesn’t line up with the others.

Short term solution is to swap the hub over from the old pump so I can fit up this pulley while I find a replacement or machine a shiny billet one.

At least the new parts look good.

 

[serenity]

Well the hub walked itself off the pump shaft sending my brand new fan into my brand new radiator. At least it didn’t puncture it.

So I machined out the pulley, machined a new barrel for it, gave it a 0.10mm interferrence fit to locate it, welded it, then put it back into the lathe for a final machine to ensure it ran true.

 

[serenity]

I’m still waiting on parts to get the Holley carb tuned so I pulled out the seats to have a little look at the condition of the floor.

I’ve seen worse on here but it’s not ideal.

Found the original gear knob fascia buried in all the dirt!

The LH side floor is the worst, pin holes everywhere.

 

[serenity]

I’ve decided trying to patch or spot weld the floor is a futile effort so I’m going to order a replacement panel, which will probably be a next year job. In the mean time I sealed it back up with some single stage paint and left the speed holes. Found a colour on the shelf that is a bloody close match.

Also ditched the 35s and the flares a few weeks ago for a set of 33x10.5r15s. Now it can actually stretch its legs.

 

[letterman52]

I’ve decided trying to patch or spot weld the floor is a futile effort so I’m going to order a replacement panel, which will probably be a next year job. In the mean time I sealed it back up with some single stage paint and left the speed holes. Found a colour on the shelf that is a bloody close match.
View attachment 3750808
View attachment 3750809

Also ditched the 35s and the flares a few weeks ago for a set of 33x10.5r15s. Now it can actually stretch its legs.
View attachment 3750810

Do you happen to recall the paint you bought and where from?