Builds Welcome home Matilda - faded like your favorite pair of jeans (3 Viewers)

[CruiserTrash]

Side cover is on. After reading many, many threads about assembling it, I chose to go in with a dry gasket. I dabbed a few dabs of FIPG just to hold it in place on the cover while getting it in to position.

VHT graphite paint on the cover (no need for the 2000*F stuff, but I like the color. I chased all the threads on the block and on the bolts, the painted the bolt heads black.

After getting jammed up for nearly a month because of life stuff and because I’m wrestling two stuck bolts in my limited time at the shop, it feels real good to have a minor victory. I don’t even care if it weeps out of the back corner. I took it off, found no cracks in the block, and it’s back on.

 

[CruiserTrash]

I think I stress fractured this big EGR nut trying to remove it. It was glowing red and I 5’ of leverage. I gave it everything my 5’10”, 160lb frame could give.

I’ve been heating it and applying PB blaster for 3-4 weeks now. Time to find a donor.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Handed my carb over to @mattressking for a rebuild last time he came through Denver, and got it back a few days ago. The thing looks pretty fresh, except ... in shipping everybody's favorite carrier (UPS) must have bounced the box off the ground (despite Nate's giant "FRAGILE" stickers), because one of the brass vacuum hose nipples was bent. It was pinched off and would restrict airflow at the base, and the end of it was touching the carb body. Not only could I not get a vacuum hose on it, but the vac would be mostly pinched off anyway. So I tired to gently pry it back .... which did not go well. The thing snapped off. Nate's sending me another carb base to make this thing complete again, but I'm over here having ideas.

First of all, there's an aluminum nut at the base of the brass nipple and it has wrench flats. Anybody removed that? Second, what if I get some brass tubing, bend it, and either braze or solder it on? Think it would work?

 

[reddog90]

Damn UPS taking notes from USPS. Nathan did my carb as well and it's pristine. Hope you get this figured out.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Damn UPS taking notes from USPS. Nathan did my carb as well and it's pristine. Hope you get this figured out.

That is a gorgeous engine bay. How's that Saginaw pump working out?

 

[reddog90]

Thanks! I replaced a leaking pump April of '21 just a few months after I got the truck, but no problems since.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Thanks! I replaced a leaking pump April of '21 just a few months after I got the truck, but no problems since.

Valley Hybrids kit or roll-your-own? My daily driver has been without power steering for almost two years because I refuse to pay Toyota $500 for a new pump. I tried rebuilding it but there’s too much wear on the hard metal parts for it to work.

 

[reddog90]

Valley Hybrids kit or roll-your-own? My daily driver has been without power steering for almost two years because I refuse to pay Toyota $500 for a new pump. I tried rebuilding it but there’s too much west on the hard metal parts for it to work.

It’s Georg’s kit.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Manifolds are in. Everything seemed to torque down evenly. I used all new studs and bolts which made life real easy. I don’t think I’ll ever reuse bolts again if I have to do this over.

I also started tear down on replacing the brake calipers. I’ve got all new soft lines coming too. Stopping is important!

I’m getting pretty committed to taking this thing to SAS…

 

[77CruiserDog]

View attachment 3044901

Manifolds are in. Everything seemed to torque down evenly. I used all new studs and bolts which made life real easy. I don’t think I’ll ever reuse bolts again if I have to do this over.

I also started tear down on replacing the brake calipers. I’ve got all new soft lines coming too. Stopping is important!

I’m getting pretty committed to taking this thing to SAS…

Looks beautiful!

 

[CruiserTrash]

Looks beautiful!

Amazing what a drill-mounted wire wheel and some scotch bright can do. Oh, and a case of brake cleaner.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Yeah brake cleaner is magic isn’t it?!?!

You do great work my friend!!

 

[CruiserTrash]

Yeah brake cleaner is magic isn’t it?!?!

You do great work my friend!!

But that’s what’s taking me so long haha! The curse of trying to approach perfection with limited time and budget.

 

[77CruiserDog]

But that’s what’s taking me so long haha! The curse of trying to approach perfection with limited time and budget.

It goes back to the old (yet timeless) saying. You can have only 2 of the following 3...

1. Fast
2. Cheap
3. Good

Choose wisely.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Ok, we’re picking up steam now. I made a list of things to do before Solid Axle Summit and nearly s*** myself.

Currently new brake calipers and knuckle soft lines are in, and rods and ends are off and disassembled. By about Thursday all of the soft brake lines will be in and the fluid flushed and filled with DOT 4; Carb should be on and new vac hoses run; And new rod ends on and the steering reassembled.

We’re leaving about 4 days early for the start of SAS. We’re leaving on a Thursday to run the Rimrocker Trail from Montrose to Moab, then heading into the desert west of Moab for the weekend and beginning of the week where we’ll do some paddling on the Green River. Yes, we’re bringing our canoe! Then we’ll be in Ouray by Wednesday for SAS. We go home to Denver that Sunday.

So I have from today until Wednesday 7/26 to complete the following:

BRAKES
2x calipers
2x front hoses
2x new hoses
Flush & fill fluid

FRONT END
tie rod ends
Stabilizer
Knuckles?

REAR END
2x add a leaf?

FLUIDS
Front diff
Rear diff
Transmission
Transfer case

ENGINE
Manifolds
Side cover
carb plate
Carb
EGR
Vac hoses
Spark plug wires
Dizzy + o-ring

MISC (mostly swap from tomato)
Rear swing arm bumper
Buy 5th tire (Discount)
Roof rack
Koito Headlights
Aux lights
Front bumper + lights + winch
Euro Mirrors
Sliders
70 Visors
Remove cruise control

INTERIOR
vacuum
Clean
Install stereo

 

[batthewmrown]

TREs/Stabilizer/Knuckles we can knock out in a day. Been there, done that.

 

[reddog90]

You got this. Sounds like a cool trip on the rimrocker. I’d love to do that some day.

 

[CruiserTrash]

TREs/Stabilizer/Knuckles we can knock out in a day. Been there, done that.

What’s this “we” you’re talking about Matt?

Fwiw, I have the steering rods all torn down and painted. It’s ready for reassembly.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Huge win again today. My partner Karen came and cleaned all the carpet, shampooed all the seats, polished all the vinyl, and cleaned all the glass. Mostly I walked around looking for tools and cussing, she’s the real hero today.

Brakes are bled. Flushed the clutch fluid and bled that. I was getting continual air through it - pretty strange considering how small of a system it is. All fittings were tight, no leaks. I was using the same method as I do for bleeding brakes where you leave the bleeder open and pump fluid out the bleeder, through a tube, into a bucket with more fluid. I was told it’s better to open the bleeder, pump, close the bleeder, release. I tried that and no change - still lots of air. Finally I took a long tube from the bleeder to the clutch reservoir (had clean fluid coming out at this point) and “bench” bled the whole system (found that deep in Mud). That ended up working - no more air. I think that’s the way to go in the future. I don’t know where that air was coming from so we’ll see if the clutch is working when the truck runs. Both cylinders seemed to operate fine and the pedal feels ok.

I also finally got the EGR system in. I was only waiting on the big nut for the j-pipe and on the 4th donor system I got, I was able to free it up. It’s been a month of fighting to build up one complete system that is clean inside and out. Used one of my reproduction brass j-pipe ferrules and it tightened up really well. Now I have a completely cleaned, de-rusted, de-carboned system with all new ferrules (small ones are available from Toyota). God I hope it doesn’t leak! @g-man is the ferrule I sent you still holding up? I used your method of building the entire system on the bench (a little trial and error, dry fitting, and a sharpie marker to get the j-pipe location right), then installing the front EGR cooler bolt, swinging the j-pipe up into place and bolting it down, then finally putting the last bolt in the cooler. I’ll never do it any other way.

Using the holiday tomorrow to work again. I’m aiming to swap the sliders over from my tomato truck, wrestle with the transmission fill plug some more (nut is completely rounded off), clean some grounds, maybe swap the roof rack. Onward.

 

[g-man]

My ferrule is holding. No leaks. As for my method of installing the J pipe to the cooler, I slid the ferrule onto the pipe and loosely put the pipe in the cooler and started the nut but left some play as to get the flange end in place on the manifold. Then installed the EGR cooler to the motor and got the j pipe flange over the studs at the manifold. Put the nuts on the studs and tighten. Then went back to the cooler and tightened the big nut to crush the ferrule in place. There is a stop or shoulder built into the cooler so the pipe can't go too far into it. I used a narrow 36mm wrench that I shortened by cutting the handle to tighten the nut in the tight space but still am able to get past the frame. This one: