Well... we went hiking with some friends today, and since I don't yet have any locking storage, I left my tools at home... (this should best be read with some ominous background music)... When we got to the trailhead, the truck waited about 20 seconds before it puked out about 1/8th of a cup of antifreeze through the overflow tank onto the ground. It happened again at our next stop. The truck didn't seem to be running hot, but nevertheless, I was a bit concerned. This concern was elevated by the fact that my temp gauge was inoperable.

So... I guessed that the thermostat might be sticking a bit, and was probably due for replacement anyway. I picked up a new one, and was intending to pick up a new temp sensor while I was at it. The wire coming off the old one was completely rusted through in a bare spot, and I figured that the problem with the gauge might be the lack of good contact. I was going to replace the sensor and wire and see if the stock gauge would work.

As things worked out, the price for a new temp gauge (including a new mechanical sender) was only about $20.00.

We were barbequeing with some friends in town, so I figured that I would swap in the new thermostat while I was there. It should be simple, right? All I should need is a 12mm socket, a flathead screwdriver, and a bucket to catch a few cups of coolant. I had all those in my car. Easy? RIIIIGHT.

Everything went as planned, until I tightened the rearmost bolt down on the neck. The bolt snapped like a schizophrenic crankster. I caught a ride with a friend back into town, bought a bolt removal bit set, a small set of vicegrips, and some other odds and ends.

The bolt removal bit was a pain, but eventually worked. After about an hour of screwing with it, I got the thermostat in. I went ahead and removed the old temp sensor while I was at it. The probe was completely caked in residue. I replaced it with the mechanical sensor from the kit and as a temp fix, stuffed the temp gauge over by the battery.

I waited an hour for the gasket maker to harden a bit, then started the truck up. The temp gauge came up to about 190 before dropping back to a steady 180. The whole time, though, there was a loud noise, similar to the noise that a pressure cooker makes. Not the whistle, but the boiling/bubbling noise. I thought it was coming from the thermostat, and that perhaps there was some air trapped in the line. The temp was holding, though. It wasn't for about 15 minutes of tapping and poking and wondering (with the help of the other guys there... because open hoods attract every male in a two mile radius), that I realized that I had removed the two vacuum lines from the vacuum switch that is mounted on top of the valve cover near the thermostat. I switched them, and the noise immediately stopped. I switched them back, and the noise didn't return. I now wonder if I have them correctly routed. I have a smog appointment on Monday, so we shall see.

Anyone want to place some bets on whether a truck that had recently gone through a fire will pass smog the first time?

And, because it is too funny to ignore- the reason that I am still up at 0038hrs, is that my 4 month old daughter is awake (odd for her in the middle of the night) and is laughing out loud in her room, in the dark, like a hyena on crack. Happy fathers day to the rest of you!

MC

 

So... I routed my new aftermarket water temp gauge into the cab- sort of. I didn't have the right size bit to drill the hole in the firewall and send the tube through, so I temporarily ran it under the corner of the hood and around the A-pillar into the cab. I drove down to Fresno (about a 45 minute drive) this afternoon, and temps stayed in the 180-190 range. On the way back, they were in the same range, but when I kicked on the A/C (to see if it would raise the temp), it kicked up to about 200. I turned the A/C off, and it went back down a little, but then kept climbing slowly until it was at 210ish. Keep in mind, it was pretty hot today, but still traffic was good and we were staying in the 60-65mph range. Going up any significant grades (like near Rd 200 for you local(s)) would raise the temp to almost 225. I am basing this on a new (read: untested) temp gauge, and it is the first time I have had a reliable temp gauge in this vehicle. The truck is acting the same as before I put the gauge in.

Now, one thought I've had is that I am temporarily routing the tube over the head (not touching, but still over it and pretty close). I wonder if that temp might be affecting the reading. The gauge is mechanical, so I would imagine that the whole tube is able to be affected by heat.

I am planning on flushing the cooling system (because I haven't yet, and I don't know when it was done last). The fan is spinning along merrily, so I doubt that is an issue.

In my inspection of the radiator, I noticed that there is about 4" of unused space on the sides of it. I wonder if an aftermarket radiator of some other manufacture might fit in and give more cooling space. The best option would be one that has an electric fan which might be rigged up. I know that the Taurus/Sable fans work on our radiators, and I have thought about the upgrade, but if I can get more cooling surface area as well, that would be nice.

In other news, the truck passed smog with flying colors today, even with my guesswork vacuum line routing.

Also, while wheeling last week, I think I bounced enough to get some air in the clutch line. My priorities for this week are now to bleed the clutch and flush the cooling system. So much for getting started on my bumper. There is a pile of steel in my yard, taunting me to get moving.

MC

 

I actually took a look at the numbers on my smog today. Strangely, after semi-surviving a fire, 24 years as a geologist's work car, and all my abuse, this is one of the cleanest smogging cars I have ever had.

@ 935rpm-%CO2 14.9 %02 .2 HC(ppm) 31 (Max 150/Avg 40), CO% .04(Max 1.20/Avg.10)
@2558rpm-%CO2 14.9 %02 .5 HC(ppm) 24 (Max 180/Avg 35), CO% .11(Max 1.20/Avg.20)

Idle seems a bit high, though. I think a tach will be added soon.

Hopefully I can get the clutch taken care of tonight, so that I can go camping tomorrow!

 

glad to hear everything is well bud. what a great story this truck has.

beautiful pics too.

4 months already??? wow.

 

Thanks!

Yeah, time flies. She is actually closer to five months now than four.

How is your boy's truck coming along? We need an update!

 

nothing yet.

been tweeking my truck to get it ready for the East Coast 4runner Jamboree this weekend......as long as i make it back without breaking anything, i will be selling the cadillac i was using while my truck was down for the count and use the proceeds to work on his.

likely going to do a 3vze to 22re swap.......sounds stupid, but i like the idea and i'm not sure i''ve ever heard of it being done before. i alawys hear about the 3.4 swap, but not to a 22re.......hehehehehe....but that's me.

they grow fast....never wanted to believe that, but they do. my boys are 14 and 8.

 

Having simultaneously had both a 22re/5speed and a 3vze/auto, I can say that the 22re is hands down a better powerplant. In the combinations that I had them, the 4 cylinder engine could easily out accelerate the V6, and could do so with better fuel economy and with 100,000 miles more on it than the 3.0.

If I was doing an engine swap, I would be looking for diesel options, but I'm not at all unhappy with the little 22re.

Good luck! I can't wait to hear of his progress (and your success).

 

thanks....stay tuned

 

Well... I had planned on going wheeling/camping with Malteserunner and some others this weekend, but work foiled my plans. In protest, I went to 4wheelparts. They are having a sale till the end of June wherein if you purchase 4 wheels of certain brands, you will receive either a $50 or $100 gift card in the mail. I bought all 4 pro comp rock crawler 15x8 3.75" BS wheels they had.

I also went by Harbor Freight and picked up some tire irons. They had 24" long ones for about 8 bucks each. Getting Maltese' used 33x12.50 BFG M/Ts on was work, but went smoothly. I figured it would be worth it to practice at home, in case I ever have to do it on the trail.

I had to pound the pinch weld down a bit with the BFH, and gave the same treatment to the lower part of the fenders in order to get the tires to fit without rubbing. We shall see if there is any rubbing off road. I have about 2.5" of clearance from the back of the tire to the edge of the fender as it sits now. I'd really like to avoid a body lift. I'll have to play with it and see.

Shocks are needed soon. Also, I'm not happy with how hot the truck has been running. It might be time for a new radiator. I'm considering aluminum with an electric fan. Does anyone know the stock fan CFM capacity?

I threw the truck up on my neighbor's lift while I was pounding out the pinch welds. Looks like my rear main seal is probably leaking, and my transfer case seals need to be replaced as well.

I took a close look at the spare tire for the first time. It was flat. It was flat, because the old, worn out exhaust mounts allowed the exhaust pipe to lay against it, which melted a strip through it.

My list of (major) projects at this point is as follows (in rough priority ranking).

-Fix cooling problem
-Replace shocks
-Determine need for further lift
-Build bumpers
-Finish bed sides
-Bedline / paint interior and touch up exterior paint
-Address main seal and transfer case and try to afford a 4.7 crawler gear swap
-Begin working on 4.88 r/p sets and Aussie lockers
-Build roof basket/rack assembly
-Build bumper-mounted grill
-Build rear bumper-swing out spare tire/jerry can/hi-lift mount.

I'm sure things will change as time moves on.

I'll get pics of the new wheel/tire combo up tomorrow afternoon. It LOOKS good. The question is how it will function. I like the backspacing. The tires stick out just enough to look a bit more aggressive.

MC

 

Pics of your new wheels please, and how much you paid for them I'm looking to get some new wheels soon

 

Pics up:

The new tires/wheels with a TrailGear winch mount instead of my old beat down front bumper




This heavy pile of steel will someday become front and back bumpers.

 

Lookin good!

You gonna reinforce that front crossmember where that winch plate bolts?

 

Oh yeah. That whole thing is getting reinforced. The pile o' steel has the plate in there somewhere.

I've been poking at skid options. I think a rear LCA mounting point cross brace is in order. I'm contemplating building that out of channel, then tapping the bottom or welding nuts in to attach a front diff skid pan under it. That could be nicely made to fit a wider skid plate that could be sandwiched under the current recovery hooks. This would retain the hooks, and make the skid nice and secure, and wide enough to hopefully brush everything off to the tires.

The front bumper must come first, though. The "upper skids" that will be built into that should be aesthetically and practically complementary to the lower skids.

New radiator is on the list. I flushed the old one, but it just isn't cooling well. I hit 220 today. The aluminum ones on Ebay now have aluminum tanks, instead of plastic ones. They cost about the same as the brass/plastic ones from Napa. I'm probably going to try the aluminum, to be followed at some point by a Taurus electric fan swap.

I went out and flexed the front tires as much as I could without rolling, and worked the steering. The hammered and slightly trimmed pinch weld and lower fenders seem to be safely away from the tire. This is good, because it means I probably won't have to do a body lift. The only advantage that I can see for a lift (if the tires aren't an issue) is to eventually flatbottom the truck. I just don't see that happening. Also, my wife claims that if I make it any taller, she is going to make me bring a step stool everywhere and put it in place for her so she can get out. Low it is.

I am still craving more suspension travel in front, but if I ever do modify to that end, it will be either a 1.5" ball joint spacer + relaxing the TBs, or (money permitting) a Blazeland LT kit.

Ah, dreams.

 

So... here is my best shot at rocking MS paint. I used to be fair at photoshop, but paint is just a bit more archaic! Anyhow, this is a bit of what I have planned for a front bumper, skidpan, grill solution. The grill would be one piece and removable for headlight replacement.

Grill=blue, bumper=red, skid=green

This is more for my mobile reference than anything else, but feel free to critique.

MC

 

why can't you live by me?

i need a simple rear bumper....my "boat anchor" as it's been called , has got to go.

 

Hey your skid plate fell off...

 

The wheels and tires look good! I like that bumper idea too. Those TG plates make a great starting point. Keep it up!




On another note, are you going to the Pismo Jamboree, Sept 24-26? I'm going to try to get the weekend off, and head down Friday.

 

What shocks are you going with? I'm glad you decided to rebuild this rig!

 

Bumper looks good but add a little more material to the outer corners to improve corner/corner crash protection and sacrifice the small hit on rock crawl clearance.

 

92toy: Actually, you need Dbcfr to live near you. He is the welder. I just come up with ideas.

BBP: Good lookin out, buddy. It was off because I was flushing the radiator.

Malt: Sounds like a blast- let me check my schedule with work/wife and see.

Thralldad: Not sure yet. If I stay with stock to +1.5" lift in the front, I will probably switch to Samurai shocks. Iirc, they have the same compression length and a bit longer extension length. As far as what brand and model, no clue yet. I haven't even seriously started shopping yet.

Aviator: As I'm sure you can tell, my graphic arts skills are a bit lacking. The outer edges of the corner pieces will sit about 4.25" from the edge of the truck, and will be braced from the leading outer edge to the bottom of the winch mount with 1"x1"x1/4" tubing. The main bumper tubing is 2"x5"x1/4" tubing. The portion that trails back toward the tires will be 11" long, and possibly braced from the rear inner corner to the back of the bumper.

MC