The Resurection of 'The Beast' (6 Viewers)

[Southeast Overland]

Thanks guys for the kind words.

Thanks to ACC (71-Cruiser) who picked up my 2F pieces (literally) and put them back together. If you need a warrantied and rebuilt A440 you need to contact these guys (or anything else Cruiser related).

I picked up a pilot bearing for a whopping $5 last night at Advance. The throw-out bearing was $75! I decided to pass on the throw-out bearing. It turns smooth and I never had a problem with it. I'm pretty sure it only has about 10,000 miles on it too and probably well less than that.

The gave me the go ahead to spend all Friday night and most of the weekend in the garage. My goal is to get the pilot bearing installed tonight and reassembled and in the morning I have two neighbors coming over to help me manhandle this contraption back into my Pig. I'm reeeeeally hoping to get my manifolds back today too. I'll have to call to follow up.

I'm also going to take off work a few hours early and go by a big hose supplier and have a new hose made for my clutch slave. My old one was pretty cracked and I figure its an easy replacement.

Inkpot - what type of puller are you using? I'm afraid to use the grease/bread trick with the clutch still in and I don't think the bearing puller I have can reach through the clutch. Advance had their pilot bearing puller rented out so I'll try to track down another one today.

Michael - I understand what you are saying about time and effort! Take how long someone thinks something should take - double it - and if you can not go far over that you are doing good! In my business there are ways to do some things a little bit quicker - but then they aren't 'right.' Big difference...

 

[Rock Hill Fj55]

Oh yes the famous question (So how much longer til' your trucks on the road?) I hate that one. My family, co-workers, and friends all ask like I really have it planed out to the day. They have no idea what goes in to a good quality build. It will be done when its done! Its not a race. Time is quality. And its not a truck its a fj55 Land Cruiser.

 

[jfz80]

Looking good Juice!!!!!!!! got me jealous and a bit inspired here. Cant wait for the bacon to hit the blacktop again soon. The clutch is a bit of a pain eh? i did mine from under the truck and had no luck w/ the bread/grease and dowel trick for removing my pilot bearing. Hope she treats you well.

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! For the old-style brass bushing type of pilot bearing I just find a bolt one size too big to go thru it. I taper the first couple of threads with a grinder, and then just screw it right in. It should be easy to "cut" the threads into the brass, and when the bolt bottoms out against the flywheel, then it will just start pulling the bearing right out. I've had a lot of luck with this method. John

 

[Southeast Overland]

I have a bearing - not a bushing - so I'm just gonna pull the tranny and clutch, use a bearing puller, and pop in a new bearing. I'm leaving work in a few minutes to start wrenching.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Bent the damn new pilot bearing putting it in last night. I'm on the way to buy another one in a few minutes.

The old pilot bearing was rusted solid - wouldn't rotate a bit. I'm glad I pulled it out.

I went to three stores trying to find a pilot bearing puller. Not one had anything that would work. I ended up buying a big carriage bolt and popped that sucker out.

 

[Southeast Overland]

New pilot bearing is in, clutch installed, tranny/tcase bolted up.

Clutch inspection cover doesn't fit worth snot. Only 3 of 7 bolts line up good. 2 (on the front/upper side) almost fit. There are big gaps between the inspection cover and the bell housing - not happy with this. It seems like 2 of the main bolts on the bottom are actually switched so if the holes on the inspection cover were on the exact opposite side they would align but they don't where they currently are located. Now that I think of it more the bellhousing I am currently using might be from my 1983 FJ60 2F and the clutch inspection cover from the 1976 FJ55 - I really can't recall. I'll have to see if I can russle up another cover from my stash of parts. That will be one more thing to scrub and paint.

I did pick up 25 ft of fuel line and some breather filters to extend my breathers. Total charge was around $30. I'll probably need to pick up some additional line to finish the last axle.

I'm off to Ace Hardware AGAIN to get some thin rubber washers for my 4 valve cover bolts. For some reason the OEM rubber washers (funky shaped) will not fit. They fit onto the nuts but there are not enough threads for the nut to grab onto. There isn't any real oil pressure up there so hopefully some thin rubber washers will do the trick.

The shop that is coating my exhaust said everything will be ready Monday. I was supposed to have it about a week ago but o well. The exhaust and tstat housing are the last things I need to bolt onto the motor before I drop it in. I was hoping to do that later today but I'll have to put it off until next weekend.

Its been raining for the past day or so and its not supposed to let up anytime soon. If it would I could go outside to my Pig and wrap a few more things up. Right now I'm trying to find anything I can work on in the garage and its getting hard...which is a good thing. (Don't quote that.)

 

[yooper]

This might be a good opportunity to extend the breathers on the tranny and transfer too.

 

[Southeast Overland]

I'm definitely extending the breather on the transfer. The tranny breathes through the shift boot IIRC so I'm not sure how or if it is possible to put an extension there.

Picked up some small, thin rubber washers to fix the problem with the OEM vavle cover nuts not fitting.

Still trying to figure out the clutch inspection cover problem.

ETA: rubber washers didn't work woth c*&p. I'll run without them and hopefully won't spring any leaks.

 

[Southeast Overland]

I need a 2 piece clutch inspection cover. Apparently I put the 76 bell housing on which requires a 2 piece inspection cover but I was trying to put a 1 piece cover on. I'm cleaning up the 2 piece now (covered in crud) and will have it painted later tonight.

 

[FJ40Jim]

I'm off to Ace Hardware AGAIN to get some thin rubber washers for my 4 valve cover bolts. For some reason the OEM rubber washers (funky shaped) will not fit. They fit onto the nuts but there are not enough threads for the nut to grab onto. There isn't any real oil pressure up there so hopefully some thin rubber washers will do the trick.

Are the right valve cover nuts being used? Tall acorn nuts that pilot down into the valve cover seals?

If the correct VC nuts will not reach, then the studs are too short. A combination of 80-earlier tall valve cover and the shorter 81-87 rocker studs.
The correct studs can be swapped in by pulling them out & replacing one at a time.

 

[Southeast Overland]

I have both types of valve cover nuts. I'm not using the tall acorn ones. The flatter ones seemed to reach deeper.

Jim - now that you posted up I believe you said earlier if I am using the 83 block, 76 carb, valve cover and air filter I would have to switch out the rocker studs.

I'll try to get on that tomorrow...maybe...I can secure the valve cover well with the flat valve cover nuts but don't have room for a rubber washer.

Would it be the end of the world if I left things "as-is?".

Thanks again - I owe you a .

 

[Southeast Overland]

Well hell - I'm cleaning up all loose ends before a bunch of friends come over to wrench in two weekends. I pulled out my driveshafts to dust them off (already painted) and I'm missing 4 dshaft bolts. I have all the dang nuts and washers but I'm missing 4 bolts!

 

[Southeast Overland]

I just had my exhaust manifold (3 piece) for a 1983 FJ60 2F ceramic coated. The nice shop coated my intake (by accident) but they didn't charge me - woo hoo!

They were supposed to plane the manifold surface where it mates to the block. It doesn't look like they did but they swear I will be OK. I already see where I will have to sand some of the ceramic coating off of the manifold to have a smooth mating surface. The 3 pieces were not tack welded together which I was told a shop would have to do before they planed the surface but those could have been ground off.

My question - If I bolt the intake and exhaust manifolds together and a straight edge shows that they need to be planed will this screw up my ceramic coating? I know planing the surface will remove the ceramic coating at this location but will it start the rest of the adjacent coating to peel?

 

[Trollhole]

Looking Good, Its amazing what taking EVERYTHING apart and cleaning and painting does. I just wish people would understand how much time and effort it realy takes.

No kidding it took me a year.

 

[Trollhole]

Well hell - I'm cleaning up all loose ends before a bunch of friends come over to wrench in two weekends. I pulled out my driveshafts to dust them off (already painted) and I'm missing 4 dshaft bolts. I have all the dang nuts and washers but I'm missing 4 bolts!

.

Steve are you taking into account the studs on the parking brake drum?

16 washers
16 nuts
12 bolts

 

[Southeast Overland]

.

Steve are you taking into account the studs on the parking brake drum?

16 washers
16 nuts
12 bolts

Well hell x2! LOL

You are right - thats where they went.

RHT has already priced them for me. Maybe I'll use my old ones, red locktite them, and order just a few as spares.

 

[FJ40Jim]

If you think you might ever flat-tow the pig, keep the spare d-shaft fasteners in the ashtray. You WILL need them someday.

Not that I have ever misplaced the shaft bolts in a snowstorm.

 

[merbesfield]

Post without pictures=boring

 

[Southeast Overland]

I tried to do some work last night and wasn't very successful. I really don't like things coming down to the last minute.

I bolted the manifolds together but I was missing one bolt (needed a smaller head) so I couldn't really torque things down. I don't think these were planed. I'm ordering some OEM manifold bolts today, will get them ASAP, bolt this sucker together and hopefully have this manifold back to the shop before the end of the week (doubt it) to have them planed if needed.

This sucks b/c I was planning on dropping my motor in this weekend!

Here are some pics.

Exhaust manifold ceramic coated.

Close-up of coated exhaust manifold.

Intake manifold coated - they weren't supposed to coat this one. If I knew they were I would have had it done silver - o well - no biggie.

Close-up of coated intake manifold.

Exhaust manifold - looks pretty smooth.

Exhaust manifold - couple ridges on left side - not too bad.

Exhaust manifold - note run in ceramic coating. This should be taken care of when these suckers are planed.

Run/ridge in ceramic coating on exhaust manifold.

I was just told that these have to be on a flat surface when they are bolted together - I didn't do that last night. I'm ordering OEM bolts now, will get them in ASAP and hopefully these will bolt up correctly.