Builds Trash truck .... a diary and build thread

[CruiserTrash]

OH! I almost forgot @red66toy and @NookShneer with Cruiser Cult just added a page to their website that lists small-time Cruiser parts manufacturers, and I was lucky enough to make the cut with my Cruiser Trash Parts website.

So go check out the Cruiser Cult Parts Producers page to get all the fiddly bits Toyota can't provide to us anymore, as well as a bunch of other solutions, all made by folks kicking around our niche community.

No this is not a paid ad, I just think it's really cool of them to have compiled that list.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@Spook50 Check post #38 for the fuse block bracket. I’d really like to find one location that works for both the 60 and 62, so any photos of your engine bay are welcome.

 

[onemanarmy]

Been a while .... The truck has been running pretty well, but I'm still forever going into the cycle of "if I replace this, I could replace that ... how deep should I go??" and "blue-collar single dad in an expensive metropolis doesn't have funds to go all the way". So I do what I can and hope for the best. Here's some random fall/early winter photos. More below pertaining to the head replacement job I'll be embarking on soon - I'll write either today or tomorrow.


Trail Tailor sliders I was gifted for finding a local guy's stolen 60. Insurance totaled the truck out and gave him a nice check, and he swiped the sliders for me. It was a nice surprise. @TRAIL TAILOR was nice enough to send me out some missing hardware real quick and at low cost so I could get them installed. Top-shelf service, especially since I didn't even buy the sliders from him.
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Went back to Ohio this fall for a quick trip. Got to see the parts 60 I bought sight unseen and stored behind my dad's office. Frame is toast, otherwise there's lots of good parts. Anybody want this thing?
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Still got the Pig, despite trying to sell it for months. Anybody want this thing, too? I lack both time and money to do it justice, and I need to focus my limited resources on the daily driver 60. I feel bad camping out on this truck.
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Went to get an Xmas tree in the mountains above Ft. Collins. That was a nice day. Got this full-sized Surco brand rack used for cheap - never heard of them before - and it's working out pretty well. Definitely not in the same class as a Gamiviti or something, but it'll do.
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Did a very cold New Year's Day run out on the plains. Lots of old ghost towns out there that are about ready to shrivel up and blow away.
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How much for the parts 60? I could use all 4 doors (as long as complete windows and operating mechanisms) and some other parts.

 

[CruiserTrash]

How much for the parts 60? I could use all 4 doors (as long as complete windows and operating mechanisms) and some other parts.

PM me. My intent is to work something out to make it go away instead of letting it rot behind an office building 1200 miles away from where I'm at .

As they say, the road to hell is paved with good intentions ... and I assure you I had good intentions when I picked that thing up. As usual, I'm overbooked and underfunded and it doesn't make sense for me to have that thing.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Stopped at the machine shop to check on my spare head that’s under the knife. Kenny at Gunn is doing 12 springs, 8 SBI (he says they’re good?) valves, stem seals, valve seats, oil galley plug, and .02-.04 off the bottom face. No cracks present with magnaflux and the manifold surface is true.

He had a Chevy 235 block on the bench I asked him “Who’s F motor is that?” I knew the F was based on the 235 but had never seen one in person. They’re nearly identical.

Head is coming back home next week. Here’s a photo of the valves that were in it - I imagine the ones on my head that I’m driving every day aren’t any better…

 

[CruiserTrash]

Pig is more officially for sale now. Asking $4000. I want it gone so if you’re interested, let’s talk.

For Sale - Denver: 1972 FJ55 project - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/denver-1972-fj55-project.1276912/

 

[CruiserTrash]

Well, I picked up the refreshed spare head today. It’s a thing of beauty

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Head gasket kit arrived from Cruiser Outfitters today. Two days from my phone call to getting the package - those dudes never cease to amaze me. This is the Ishino Stone head gasket. Hope it works, because everyone recommends Toyota or Felpro.

View attachment 2902303

Have no fear, those are great kits. Ishino-Stone is NOK, the same NOK that makes many of Toyota’s gaskets and seals. We’ve sold thousands of their parts with great results.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Have no fear, those are great kits. Ishino-Stone is NOK, the same NOK that makes many of Toyota’s gaskets and seals. We’ve sold thousands of their parts with great results.

I know it wouldn’t be on your shelves if it was crap!

 

[MoaByte]

Well, I picked up the refreshed spare head today. It’s a thing of beauty

View attachment 2928026

I want one!

 

[CruiserTrash]

I want one!

This is a spare head I had redone since I daily my truck. Easier to do a swap. Want my current one once I take it off?

 

[MoaByte]

This is a spare head I had redone since I daily my truck. Easier to do a swap. Want my current one once I take it off?

PM coming

 

[CruiserTrash]

I have a question for you motley crew paying attention here. I have a bit of a puzzle with several different solutions and I’m not sure which would be best.

The pieces:
-I have this newly refreshed head.
-My complete motor in the tomato truck, 270k miles
-Potentially coming into my life soon: 124k mile 2F with a supposed cracked block inside cylinder 6. Everybody I’ve talked to - an old Toyota dealer mechanic who worked there in the 1980s, the machine shop guy, local cruiser heads, etc - all say the chances of a 2F block cracking are low, and a crack on a cylinder wall is essentially nil. The motor does turn and apparently runs so-so once warmed up.

The constraints:
-I have to pass emissions within 5 weeks, but have an additional 4 week grace period
-Money for a lower end refresh is not there right now

The possibilities:
-throw the New head on my 270k lower end and send it
-take the “cracked” block to the machine shop to at least be checked be checked
-drop the 124k motor in the tomato truck and see what happens.
-do the lower end refresh later this year and swap it under the new head.
-Some other solution?

What do y’all think?

 

[MoaByte]

I think you need that 124k truck and do a leak down test. I'm inclined to think it's a head issue and you will have the parts in hand if it is. I hoping for you. If it isn't a head gasket or valve issue, it might just be a bad ring. I hope I'm not being too optimistic.

 

[fjc-man]

Can’t you borrow a beater till you get this worked out?

 

[g-man]

I don't think a machine shop can thoroughly "check" the block without a teardown. I'd ask the seller more info about the "cracked block inside the 6 cylinder". Like..."did you scope the cylinder? to SEE?, what makes you say it's the block?" More likely it's got low compression on the 6 cylinder. Maybe it's just an assumption on his/her part or he is miswording things here. Hopefully you can swap out heads and have a working 2f.

 

[CruiserTrash]

So here’s some more info…..

A 98% rust free 1982 60 will be coming home to me in the next week or so. This is the big reveal I guess. Blue outside with the tan/brown inside - the best combo in my opinion. The only reason it’s not in my possession yet is because my Pig is taking up the only place I have to store it - my shop. The Pig is actively on the market.

@fjc-man I daily my tomato 60. It’s my only running vehicle. That’s why I got the spare head to have refreshed - I can’t pull the head off my truck and sit around and wait. The original plan was to swap the refreshed one over and get back on the road. That was the original plan until the opportunity on this blue one came up.

@g-man I’m certainly playing a game of telephone with the owner of the blue truck - the mechanic told him something 2 years ago when he parked it, and now he’s telling me. The mechanic was a well-known cruiser guy going back decades, I’ve heard many others mention his name before. He supposedly couldn’t figure out a rough idle for months and scoped cylinder 6, which is where he claims to have spotted a crack. The owner thinks he recalls the mechanic saying the crack was in the block. But on top of a game of telephone, there’s also time making memories fuzzy.

I definitely need to do my own diagnosis on the blue truck’s motor. 124000 miles and cracked block don’t add up for me. Compression test, leak down test, and maybe a cooling system pressure test, as well as some other checks like trying to fire it up are my Next steps. If the 124k block and rings are good that would be a great spot to plunk down my refreshed head.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Teaser:

 

[CruiserTrash]

With regard to the upcoming head/motor work, I started prepping a spare manifold set today.

I have all new hardware coming so I took EVERYTHING off the manifolds, even all the studs. Only managed to break one of the EGR outlet studs. I’ll go back for that later. Now everything’s apart. Heat riser flap is gone. I’ll have the holes threaded for plugs, and will install the block off plate from @cruiseroutfit . I only managed to burn myself once - a hot stud left a nice little thread impression on my finger.

I also took a break for a while to play with this little RC truck. I’m spending way too much time contemplating upgrades for it and having entirely too much fun.

While working today I was really trying to mull over what to do about this new 60 with the cracked block that was diagnosed by a locally-famous longtime Cruiser mechanic. When I got home I texted with a local 60 owner about it and he started telling me a story:

He bought a low miles 60 a while back. Supposedly the engine was bad. Apparently the same locally-famous Cruiser mechanic had maintained the vehicle. And the diagnosis was…… [drumroll please] ……a bad cylinder six. SAME DIAGNOSIS from the SAME MECHANIC.

What does this mean? Is it a sign? Are the Cruiser Gods trying to tell me something? This other guy’s truck ended up running FINE after some baselining. Will mine do the same?

I pick it up Friday, so time will tell. I’ll likely spend the whole weekend running tests. Compression, leak down, bore scope, vacuum, etc. I feel like I’m starting this wild ride all over again, but with less rust. I’m back in that same spot of “why do I do this to myself??” What heartbreaks are around the corner on THIS one??

But I know it will be exciting and I’ll be sweating it far less come Friday. God, I’m in love with this color combo. Just perfect.

 

[ntdb]

With regard to the upcoming head/motor work, I started prepping a spare manifold set today.

I have all new hardware coming so I took EVERYTHING off the manifolds, even all the studs. Only managed to break one of the EGR outlet studs. I’ll go back for that later. Now everything’s apart. Heat riser flap is gone. I’ll have the holes threaded for plugs, and will install the block off plate from @cruiseroutfit . I only managed to burn myself once - a hot stud left a nice little thread impression on my finger.

View attachment 2933322
View attachment 2933323
I also took a break for a while to play with this little RC truck. I’m spending way too much time contemplating upgrades for it and having entirely too much fun.

View attachment 2933324

While working today I was really trying to mull over what to do about this new 60 with the cracked block that was diagnosed by a locally-famous longtime Cruiser mechanic. When I got home I texted with a local 60 owner about it and he started telling me a story:

He bought a low miles 60 a while back. Supposedly the engine was bad. Apparently the same locally-famous Cruiser mechanic had maintained the vehicle. And the diagnosis was…… [drumroll please] ……a bad cylinder six. SAME DIAGNOSIS from the SAME MECHANIC.

What does this mean? Is it a sign? Are the Cruiser Gods trying to tell me something? This other guy’s truck ended up running FINE after some baselining. Will mine do the same?

I pick it up Friday, so time will tell. I’ll likely spend the whole weekend running tests. Compression, leak down, bore scope, vacuum, etc. I feel like I’m starting this wild ride all over again, but with less rust. I’m back in that same spot of “why do I do this to myself??” What heartbreaks are around the corner on THIS one??

But I know it will be exciting and I’ll be sweating it far less come Friday. God, I’m in love with this color combo. Just perfect.

View attachment 2933326

Dang man that is exciting! Congrats and good luck selling the pig. Is the new 60 an 82 or 83? That color combo seems incredibly rare.