Builds "Thing 3" FJ80 build

[jasonc]

While I'm waiting on engine parts, I figured I might as well get some other stuff done to the truck.

One of the first things I wanted to do was upgrade the sound system, so I bought a pair of Rockford Fosgate 6.5" speakers on Amazon. When they came in, I opened the door and realized I have a 5 speaker truck, and there aren't speakers in the front doors. Luckily there's a speaker hole in the door, and only the interior door panel will have to be cut. I removed the panel and tried test fitting the speaker, but the magnet just barely came in contact with the window slide.

After doing some brief research, I bought some MDF and started making some spacers. I usually only work with steel, so I didn't have a lot of woodworking stuff. After outlining the design, I cut MANY straight lines with a reciprocating saw, and then rounded everything out with an angle grinder. They fit great, and all I have to do now is pull some wire through the doors and screw everything together.

They came out fairly consistant, and are exactly what I needed, all for around $5 bucks.

 

[jasonc]

I finally got my head back from my machine shop, and WOW is it lookin' good! I had them do pretty much everything, so it has all new valves, guides, rotators, etc. I also had them tap and plug that famous oil galley, which they were happy to do. They also repainted the sides, and got everything nice and shiny. I'm more than impressed with their work.

I'll post some pictures later on once I get it unwrapped.

 

[jasonc]

Now that I have everything apart, I decided I would start plugging a few holes for the desmog.

I couldn't find any sort of plug that threaded into the manifold hole, so I found a black pipe bushing and a smaller plug that were as close of a fit as I could find. I used some JB weld to make sure everything would stay put, and so far, it seems like it will work great.

Next was to plug the four holes in the head, so I called the Toyota stealership to order four plugs, but they were $9 each. I went to Fastenal and they sold me the same plugs for around $0.90 each, which was a great deal. They threaded in smooth, and the fit was perfect.

 

[jasonc]

A few weeks ago, I had a few friends help me pull the engine and transmission. For the most part, it came out very smooth with hardly any difficulties.

The one problem we did have was with an exhaust manifold flange bolt rounding off, so I ended up taking out most of the exhaust system. After I got the bolts out, I decided I might as well paint them, so they got a few very expensive coats of 2000 degree paint.

I then stripped the engine down and brought it to the machine shop, and it is currently being cleaned and checked for cracks. If it turns up crack-free, I'm planning on having that 3FE block rebuilt to put back in.

 

[jasonc]

While I had some extra time, I started building my subwoofer box and drawer system. I picked up a pair of Kenwood 12" subs a few months ago online, which is what I will be using.

Because I was already planning on building a sleeping platform/drawer system, I decided to incorporate the sub box into the rest of it to get a very clean look. I removed the third row seats and took a few measurements, and started building. My goal is to have a sleeping platform that will lay flat across the 2nd row seats, so the total height is going to be around 14 inches.

The first step was to build the face that the subs will sit in, so after getting everything centered and placed correctly, I was ready to start cutting.

Once I got the subs mounted, I needed to make the drawer part of it.

I'm going to cut everything and make sure it all fits together nicely before I start screwing and gluing it all together, but so far, fitment couldn't be better.

 

[jasonc]

I finally started getting everything attached together a few days ago, and all that's left to do now is finish the top, and make the actual drawers.

I'm not going to put the top on until I seal the sub portion of it, so that may be another day or two.

I also needed to figure out a way to attach it to the truck so it's not bouncing around. Early on I decided not to use turnbuckles like everyone else because the factory tie down locations are pretty narrow, and I would prefer to have my drawers wider so I can have more space. I figured I should use the 3rd row seat mounting bolts, but they would be so far into the drawers I would have to crawl inside if I ever wanted to remove everything. My solution was to make a giant bracket that would help to disperse the weight, and allow me to easily access the bolts.

Using the factory bolt locations, shorter bolts, and quarter inch flat bar, this is what I ended up with.

And it fits perfectly!

Now all that I need to do is weld some nuts to the bottom, and bolt it all down!

 

[noahfecks]

Good to see you moving T3 along, making any progress on the Ute?

 

[jasonc]

Good to see you moving T3 along, making any progress on the Ute?

Not a whole lot of progress on the Ute, just trying to get engine and trans stuff figured out.

 

[jasonc]

After I gave the bracket a few generous coats of rust preventative paint, I bolted it down.

I finished up the box, sealed the edges, and the bolted it down as well. The fitment could not have been better, and the drawers are fairly large.

I finished running all of my wires to the rear of the truck, and then hooked everything up so I could test it out.

Although there's still heaps of junk laying around, and the amp isn't even mounted, it still sounded incredible. The two 12s and 1000w amp are totally overkill, but boy do they sound great.

Now that I had so much bass, I needed to even it out a bit. I decided to put a Rockford 6 1/2 inch where the factory sub was. The holes didn't quite align, so I had to drill 4 new ones. While I had everything out, I gave the factory bracket a quick matte black paint job. I'm pleased with the results, and it really helps to bring out the mids and highs.

I'm thinking I'll put a pair of large tweeters in the rear doors, and eventually wire an amp to a more powerful mid range speaker in the rear.

 

[jasonc]

After about a week of just ordering parts, I needed another little project to do while I was waiting. I decided I didn't really like the stainless steel EGR block off plate I made a few months back, so making a new one would fill up my spare time. I ended up going with 2 layers of 1/8 inch aluminum flat bar this time, and I painted it blue to match the engine block. I also had a spare TRD badge laying around, so that got thrown on as well. I bought some new bolts to go with everything else, and I'm very pleased with how it came out.

Now I just need to get 25 years worth of dust off of the intake manifold, and it should look great!

 

[jasonc]

About a month ago, I won a pair of 31mm dome lights on eBay, and ended up paying only $0.16 for both, with free shipping. I knew shipping from China would cost a lot more than 16 cents, so I honestly wasn't expecting these to actually arrive.

When I got a small packet in the mail, I was more than excited. These are 31mm dome lights with 12 "Ice Blue" LEDs, and they are AMAZING!

The light output is crazy, I've never seen dome lights this bright before.

Very very impressed!

 

[jasonc]

Most of the parts have already arrived, and the only other thing I need is my camshaft from Man-A-Fre. I've completely ran out of things to do now, so I started assembling the new parts as they come in.

New fan clutch, water pump, oil pump, and thermostat.

I also got some Bosch 4 hole injectors

Still waiting for other odds and ends, but once the cam gets here, I should be set.

 

[jasonc]

I decided to degrease everything before I put a nice clean engine in, so a few hours of washing later...

Close to spotless! 25 years of baked on grime didn't come off very easily, so I only got about 80% of it. Another few hours with some steel wool should do the trick.

 

[jasonc]

After about 5 weeks, my Man-A-Fre RV cam kit finally arrived! It looks great, and should add a little bit of power.

I ran it over to the machine shop along with pistons, pins, connecting rods, timing gears, and the crank shaft, and everything should be pressed together and ready to assemble by the end of the month. Getting closer!!

 

[jasonc]

After listening to the audio setup I had with the two 12" subs, rear door speakers, and one RF 6.5 inch speaker, I wasn't very impressed with anything except the bass. I ordered a 6.5" midrange and two tweeters from DS18, which should really help to bring out the mids and highs.

The quality seems great on these just looking at them, but I have yet to install them. Might have to make a few extra brackets to support the added weight, but that shouldn't be too hard.

 

[jasonc]

Over the last several weeks I've been assembling my 3FE, and I have most of it together right now. The only issues I ran into were trying to track down an OEM one piece oil pan gasket, and trying to find the head dowel pins, as mine were scraped up and smashed. I couldn't find them anywhere, so I ended up having to file and round the old ones, and they ended up fitting perfectly.

Final painting

Crank installed

Head on

Everything except the timing cover, balancer, water pump, manifolds

I'm still waiting for the timing cover paint to dry, and then I'll adjust the valves and button it up for hopefully the last time!

 

[jasonc]

I've also been doing a little work to dress up the interior a bit, and decided upgrading the dash lights was the top thing on my list. I went with the blue theme again, and got most of the lights swapped. I hadn't realized there were 4 different sizes of bulbs in these trucks, so after several shipments later...

I'm still trying to get the backlighting on the gear lights and climate control figured out, but overall, one of the best improvements anyone could make to the interior for hardly any money. Very satisfied.

 

[jasonc]

A few days ago my friends and I got the engine mated to the transmission, which was surprisingly easy. Got everything attached and bolted in, and threw the timing cover on for the final time.

After spending a few days getting engine mounts and all sorts of junk attached to the block, it was ready to drop in.

Going in went a lot better than taking it out, especially now that I'm very familiar with what goes where. The only issue we had was with one nut on the transmission crossmember being a little bit cross threaded, but running a tap through it a few times fixed that. It was dark by the time I was ready to get a picture once it was in, so I'll get one tomorrow. Hoping to start it up within the week.

 

[jdayment]

I've also been doing a little work to dress up the interior a bit, and decided upgrading the dash lights was the top thing on my list. I went with the blue theme again, and got most of the lights swapped. I hadn't realized there were 4 different sizes of bulbs in these trucks, so after several shipments later...

View attachment 1389829

I'm still trying to get the backlighting on the gear lights and climate control figured out, but overall, one of the best improvements anyone could make to the interior for hardly any money. Very satisfied.

Have you been able to figure out bulbs for the climate control yet?

 

[jasonc]

Have you been able to figure out bulbs for the climate control yet?

I haven't been able to find them yet, but I should be able to soon.