Finally got around to REALLY upgrading the cooling system. A few months back I found a double row, dual pass Ron Davis radiator at a flea market for $25 (too good of a deal to pass up). Though I wasn't sure if I could use it, a few weeks of staring at it got me going on how to fit it into an already tight engine bay.

(2 of the fins were previously repaired, but they look solid)


Here's how it works. A dual-pass horizontal-flow radiator moves coolant across the top half of the radiator on the first pass, then directs the coolant across the lower portion of the radiator face for a second pass. One reason this works is because the velocity of the coolant roughly doubles when the coolant is forced to travel across half as many tubes per pass. This creates turbulence in the tubes, exposing more coolant to the radiator tube walls and improving heat transfer. It also provides a bit of a restriction to coolant flow, reducing the overall flow rate of the cooling system and allowing the coolant to spend more time in the radiator. I think one of my problems with the single core Griffin was that it flowed too fast with this engine - the coolant didn't have enough time to really cool as it passed through the radiator (but that's just speculation).


I enlarged the radiator opening a bit so I could move the radiator as far forward as possible.

Here it is all mocked up in its final position. I already had the lower brackets made (just a "J-hook" to cradle the bottom of the radiator, bolted to the body crossmember), so I just needed to bend and fit the brackets to their final position.


The top hose/inlet is a simple 1.5" neck that the hose slides on to. The lower hose/outlet though is a 3/4" NPT bung . . . so I got a copper 3/4" NPT fitting, trimmed the overall length down and soldered a "street elbow" on to it. I also tapped the bung a bit deeper so that the copper fitting would thread all the way in (no threads showing). The outlet on my fitting is now 1.25" - the stock lower radiator hose is 1.375" - so there sohould be no real restriction that I need to worry about.

top view of it mounted with the plumbing all connected - I found a formed hose that I could cut/splice onto the stock lower radiator hose and used a universal flex hose for the top

Home Depot pipe hanger to hold the long lower radiator hose away from anything it might rub against


** started to fill the radiator with water to flush everything out of it and noticed water puring out of the bottom/front core tube . . . I don't know how I didn't see it split and spread 1/8" open. I tried to silver solder it but couldn't get it to stick, so I filled it with as much JB weld as I could push in and then squeezed the core closed. I pressure tested it to 20psi and it's held, so I'll consider this a permanent repair.

Previously I was using a 14" fan on my single core Griffin radiator. I could fit one 12" or 2 9" fans with the new setup (not enough room between the radiator and the front cross member for the 14"). I did some math on how much coverage the fans would give on the radiator:
1x14" fan = 153 sq.in.
1x12" fan = 113 sq.in.
2x9" fans = 127 sq.in
So 2x9" fans it is then - combined they pull 22 amps when they first start spinning, but settle down to 10 amps at full speed. Even though I'm stepping down in fan size I should be golden since the overall cooling capacity is increasing (won't find out till I have to pull the trailer again).

 

I've been lugging around a NWMP fuel tank for the last 14 months and I finally got tired of moving it around to different locations, so I decided to finally install it today. It's supposed to be a gravity feed system with a hose running into a fitting where the main tank drain plug is on the bottom. Problem with this is I don't like the idea of having something hang even lower off the main tank, especially a brass fitting that could drain all my fuel if it gets hit hard enough.

So I thought of putting a shut valve on it (elec or manual) and have the aux tank drain into the filler neck vent tube for the main tank, but the filler neck is too high and I don't want to put a hole lower than that in the side of the main tank because I'm afraid it'll leak.

My final option is an electric fuel pump, but fuel pumps can get damaged when they run dry from heat build up and I would have no way of knowing when to shut off the extra pump. I can't find anything saying they are safe for short periods of dry running and likewise nothing about how they work except that they do not use a diaphragm.

This is what I came up with, though it may be a bit over engineered it should save the pump from running dry, and if the rest of the system wiring fails a jumper wire across the load side of the relay will still turn on the fuel pump (actually changed it a bit from the first idea, now I have the switches working on the ground side with the relay at the passenger side rear of the engine bay)



Red: fuel lines
Dk Blue: wiring
Parts: low pressure nitrous fuel safety switch (adjustable 2-5psi), fuel pump, momentary & toggle switches, relay, slight fuel line restriction (small crimp in steel fuel line to main tank)

- the toggle switch turns on the system, but the relay won't turn on the fuel pump until there is ~3psi at the low pressure switch
- press the momentary switch to bypass the pressure switch and turn on the relay and fuel pump
- pressure builds behind the restriction and makes the pressure switch close, the momentary switch can be let go now as the relay will stay on
- when the aux tank runs dry the pressure switch opens deactivating the relay and fuel pump

if I really want to get fancy, I was thinking I could run a wire from the + side of the fuel pump back up to the switch panel through an LED and on to ground as a "fuel pump on" indicator light

Installing the tank is easy, so I'll leave out the bits about drilling holes and bolting it up. It's the details that'll make it trouble free in the long run . . . like an exhaust heat shield so the gas doesn't get too hot (excessive vapor/boiling)


view from the wheel well - before I fill it for the first time I'd like to replace the rubber hose with steel braided to help deter thieves from thinking it would be easy to cut the rubber hose and steal my gas - I was also thinking a steel hard line would work, but I'd have to find another fitting first


transfer pump (universal, for a carb'd car) - I used 1/4 riv-nuts to attach it to the frame rail (still need to put a fuel filter inline to pretect the pump)


a bit of protection to keep the hoses from chaffing against the frame rail, it also keeps them tied together nicely so they don't move around much


a few months ago I had to repair the main tank fuel pump bracket because the metal line on the outside finally rusted through, while I was at it I added an extra line to dump the fuel from the aux tank into the main tank, I had actually extended that fitting down to the bottom of the tank in the hopes that it would work like a siphon once fuel starts flowing (in case the pump fails/doesn't work out I could still use the aux tank w/ pump removed)


I tossed my spare tire back under there and noticed that the tank didn't affect my departure angle at all, though if I drop off an obstacle the spare will definately take the hit. If I know I'm hitting any rough trails I'll just take the spare off and toss it in the back. I am planning on making some kind of spare carrier for the rear bumper - I always liked the idea of being able to carry 2 spare tires for longer trips.

rear view

Switches installed - turn the toggle on, press the momentary switch till there's enough pressure to trigger the pressure switch, let go of the momentary and the pump runs till the toggle is switched off or the pressure in the line drops (aux tank empty) - the blue LED is wired to the transfer pump V+ wire so it is on any time the pump is running


With the extra fuel on board I should be able to get a range just shy of 600 miles normal driving
(17 gal factory tank + 14 gal aux tank) x 19mpg = 589 miles

 

With the aux fuel tank I lost a bit of ground clearance in the rear, so time to relocate the spare. I also like the idea of being able to carry 2 spares on longer road trips, this will let me do that. Wet weather stopped me from working on the property in Wild and Wonderful (WV), so a perfect opportunity to change up the rear bumper a bit and get it ready for a spare tire carrier.

this was what I had when I started

trim the wings off . . . .

1/4" plate steel upright + piece the wings back together

all done

here's the hinge brackets for the spare tire carrier - I got the idea of having the spare swing up and to the side from Scotty at Addicted Offroad

Here's the delrin hinge I plan on using, now I just need to get some steel to make the arm . . .

 

new shoes - 33x10.5x15 BFG KM2's on 8" wide black steelies with 4.5" backspacing + took off the dumpy looking JCWhitney universal rubber flares since the tires are inside the wheel wells again. I still don't have any lift on the front and don't plan on any, I do have a 1" body lift - I might have to tap the body seam at the rear of the front wheel wells a bit, but it doesn't have to get hammered flat. The rears fit fine after I bent the mudflap brackets a bit to angle them rearward.





initial driving impressions on road:
- I can break the rear loose exiting a tight corner once again in 1st or 2nd (2nd gear only does it if I'm in the power band).
- definately a bit "looser" mid-turn through the twisties than my well worn 32x11.5 BFG A/T's w/ 3.5" backspacing, but I kinda expected that. I'm hoping they'll stick just a tad better once the new tire smell is gone and they get scuffed in
- I'm pleasantly surprised with the level of road noise - I can only hear them if I'm off the throttle, and even then it's minimal

 

I don't want to lift the front of my 'runner any more than it already is, but last trip out I found that I kept bashing the front crossmember and it got dented up fairly well.. I consider skid plates to be "consumables" when offroad, so I'm not worried that the front skid also got a bit thrashed.

So this is the shape of my reinforcement. You can see the score lines where I was going to bent it to wrap around and under


I cut the top off so it would conform better to the front crossmember


all done 1/4" steel to help guard my front crossmember


the next part of this will be a skid extending from the front crossmember to the one I made tying the lower-rear control arms together. This way, any hits I take to the front will be spread out a bit - I try not to slam around that hard anyway

 

Part of my engine swap had me remove the steering stabilizer since it would interfere with the oil pan. I recently picked one up at a junkyard in the hopes that it'll cure a slight vibration/wobble that I have when turning at higher speeds. A few days thinking about it and I figured out what I needed to do.

Here's my bracket for the frame side attachment using 2 driver side front cross member bolts

I borrowed this idea from the universal fit steering stabilizers - 1" exhuast clamps from NAPA work perfect with a piece of 1/8" flat stock between them

ready for install - this stabilizer doesn't have any brand names on it, but I'm pretty sure it's not OEM. I liked how wide the body of it is (compared to the thin OEM ones), so I plucked it out of a mid 90's Limited 4runner

installed and ready for testing on some high speed fireroads - the stock bolts were long enough once I ditched the washers that were on them

 

Finally warm enough to get some minor work done - pair of used 25mm SwayAWay Torsions, painted blue because some of the red had been sand blasted off (from AZ) and blue was the only spray paint I had nearby



the guy I bought them from had left the adjuster arms on, but the adjuster arms on my '88 were a bit narrower so they wouldn't work. I fought getting the adjuster arms off for 1.5 hrs, the ones on my OEM torsions slid right off - good lesson on why the factory used little dust boots to seal the splines up (I added a healthy dose of grease to make sure future disassembly goes smoothly)



also removed the driver rear grab handle and mounted my 3D Maglight there

 

I found these overpriced LED strips from Autozone and decided to upgrade the interior lighting in the rear since the “Deck Light” is all but useless. These cost $15, but 1/2 the price is probably due to the “TRY ME” switch and battery on the package. The same type LED strip lights can be found online for about $12/foot and can be cut into 4” sections – then it’s just a matter of soldering 2 wires onto each separate section. Measured current draw on both is 20-30mA and best of all it’s an easy connection as these run straight off 12V (no need for a LED regulator).

Mounted them in the rear corners & drilled a 1/8” hole for the wires to pass through. These have 3M tape already on them, so just clean the shell and stick ‘em on (if you’ve never used 3M tape before, make sure the lights are where you want them because they won’t move once the tape makes contact).

The upper rear section of the shell is hollow and connects to the “d” pillar, but I still had to use a stiff piece of wire to run my LED wires into the pillar. Here’s the wiring at the base of the “d” pillar – I used a spare 2 pin Toyota connector that I had lying around to connect the shell to the body.

All that’s left is to run two wires straight to the Deck Light itself – connect the LED wires to the wires going to the bulb and you’re done. I tried taking some night-time photos, but anyone who’s tried that before knows that night pics don’t work very well. Suffice it to say that now there’s plenty of light in the back, but not so bright as to be blinding (I could comfortably read a book by this light, even up by the front seats).

Here's 4crawler’s Deck Light Mod for some more info

 

Got my E-Locker in today

I prepped for awhile before the actual install.
made a tap and drill jig so everything is done on a 90* angle


made an actuator guard


Made a "cut-out" template


and finally got my 4.88 gears set up by a semi-local Toyota tech Mark / 86 Toy (on TTORA) - price was right and I like the pattern, professional all the way. Here's the drive side (coast and pinion also dead on, only .001" variance on ring gear backlash measures at 4 spots)


I'm not going into detail as this has been done many times before - except I did mine without removing the axle (because I'm a masochist like that)




forgot to get the MIG from my roomie before he left, so flux core to the rescue


here's the tap jig in action - I used a cutting wheel for the piece that needs to be cut out, less sparks that way


the hardest part of the install was drilling the holes, but got everything together in a reasonable amount of time. I'll wire it at some point in the near future


I just pushed all my mess into the garage for tonight, I'll clean it up tomorrow.


I took the 'runner for a gentle 15 minute drive around town to start the gear break-in process, plenty of gentle accel and long downhill coasting. I'll repeat a few more times this weekend and probably change the diff fluid in 100 miles (cheap gear oil) and again at 500 (synthetic) just to be on the safe side

 

For the wiring part, I decided to keep it relativel simple, I used this wiring from http://carterswebsite.com/4runner/mods/locker/ - easy to wire, 2 relays, uses a momentary switch that gets pushed in one direction to lock & the other to unlock. Instead of a momentary on-off-on toggle, I picked up a regular single pole double throw toggle - it doesn't have a middle "off" position, will let me use a toggle guard, and unless I'm missing something in the diagram, should work just as well as the momentary (once the limit switch goes open, the relay turns off and everything stops anyway)

soldered, assembled and bench tested with a test light instead of the locker actuator as load - just enough wire to pull both relay boards out of the box


ready to go - just have to JBWeld the connector to the box once I'm sure there are no glitches - I used my trusty dremel to scribe the connector pin-out onto the lid for future reference


the rear harness mounted up nicely using pre-existing holes in the tank bracket


I used the step drill to make a huge hole for the e-locker connector to go through and used a spare grommet I had to seal it all up


wiring run and the controller just about ready to be mounted


The only problem I ran into is that the rear diff locked but now it won't unlock electrically - the voltage is switching the way it's supposed to, so I'm thinking the actuator is either jammed or stuck on a "dead spot"

*edit* took the actuator off and found out the 3 "fingers" for the lock and unlock limit switches weren't making contact well enough, bent them out a bit and everything works perfect

 

I hate rust. About 4 years ago, before moving to AZ and So Cal, I fixed both wheel wells - grind, primer, bondo, primer, paint. This is just from this recent winter:



So I fixed some of that again, all rust spots were wire wheeled and primered before having some bondo thrown in. There are more big holes than I remember under that paint - I really just need to bite the bullet and get Toyota Fiberglass fenders, but shipping from the far side of Canada costs as much as the fenders themselves .



also got started on another project - time for better filtration. During a recent junkyard safari, I figured out a Subaru Forester airbox would work with a bit of tweaking.
here's the adapter I used so I can mount the VAFM to it (cut up a bit and redrilled)

all adapted, JBWelded and ready to go


ditched the cheese cone filter and installed and plumbed up the Subie box - I used 2 nutserts going into the stock battery tray to hold the bottom of the filter box in place


now, what to do with the 3" diameter hole facing the inner fender . . . .

 

Time to work on the Comms a bit. I finally got around to installing the NMO mount on my roof for my 2M Ham 1/4 wave whip antenna. Here it is with the NMO cover on it


and the 1/4 wave 2M antenna, just small enough that I don't think it'll be bothered by low branches. Now I just need to find a center console to stuff the 2M Yaesu into.


Last winter during one of the snow storms I figured out that my CB squelch was messed up - it'd only open up if I pressed on the dial. I tried taking it apart, but everything is solid state and resistant to component replacement. So I got rid of the 10M/import CB and picked up a slightly used Cobra 18ST WX. There are no power mods for these radios, but they do have WeatherBand and are one of the only ones with a forward facing speaker. I started by modding the radio bracket with a fender washer to mount the CB (I hate welding sheet)


simple enough install

 

Last year I got a front diff with 4.88 gears courtesy of cash-for-clunkers. I finally got around to swapping the the LSD over to the new (to me) 4.88 gears so now I have matching gears and can use 4wd again (just in time for EC4RJ, if I could actually go)

When I got the 4.88 front diff, I took the front lower crossmember that was attached and modded it up a bit with 1/4" plate so it won't get dented anymore (overkill - I should've used 1/8" but I literally have over 1/4 ton of 1/4" plate laying around)


(before I put the front skid back on)

 

finished up one minor project today that started with a new airbox

gettting ready for the first cut


Subaru Forester airbox bottom back in again. the airbox has a 3" opening with a rubber lip seal from factory and that is what makes the seal


I used 3" thin wall PVC septic pipe & learned that it doesn't heat bend very well without kinking so I ended up using premade bends - here's the front


the rear, note the inlet is angled up a bit


I did heat bend the inlet to help deflect any water from the cowl a bit better


almost done


add fender and call it a day - everything fit perfect with my fiberglass fenders, not sure if 3" would work with stock fenders but it might

 

I found my windshield is leaking from the passenger side lower corner. I knew it was leaking because there was a puddle on the pass. floor for the last few months whenever it rained, but I didn't know from where until the truck didn't start. Quick diag found it didn't have spark and I followed it back to the ECM, took the ECM apart and found a couple drops of water in it (windshield dripped right on it, water got in one of the empty mounting holes). That was an easy fix as earlier electronics are pretty robust - I took both sides off the ECM case, doused the internals with rubbing alcohol, swished it around a bit and after using a hair drier on it the engine started right up.



Since I can't fix the windshield right away, I sealed up the ECM a bit better. Every mounting hole and the side seams got taped. This might also help with quick dunks since the it's the top and sides that got sealed and the connectors point downwards - push an empty glass upside down into water, if the air can't go anywhere the water won't rise . . .

 

yeah, yeah, no worries, I already went through the "ricer" phase and realize that there is absolutely no reason to put a spoiler on the back of a 1st gen. Not like it's gonna improve my handling at 100mph. What it does do is keep the exhaust from coming in the partially open rear window at highway speeds - I was hoping for better than that, but I'll settle for a bit of bling and minor improvements (it'll help in a few months when I swap coasts again ). There's not much improvement with the window all the way open, but there is under 50mph with it cracked 3"-4". I couldn't smell any exhaust coming from the back over 50mph.

Here's what I started with - $40 ebay 2nd gen JDM rear spoiler with peeling clear coat


I sanded a bit, but not too much - we don't need it looking too good - primered and painted it what I hoped would match the shell. Measured, marked, re-measured and drilled 4 mounting holes. Since the shell is double wall I continued the drill straight through to the interior and enlarged the inside holes so I could get the nuts onto the spoiler studs (the nuts are about 1" long and work well).


the rear mounts don't match the angle of a 1st gen exactly, so I'll probably use some fuel tank epoxy to fill in the gap (the type of epoxy that gets "kneaded" into a putty not mixed with a toothpick)


finished job, though I may yet take the heat gun to it and make it fit the shell shape a bit better in the future


here you can see the scoops that grab some of the overhead air and directs it into the back window (the orange thing in the left scoop is the connector for the 3rd brake light which I haven't wired yet)


(gratuitous poser pic after conquering the back yard grass)

 

since the front lower crossmember has been beefed up it's time for a front belly skid. It's a bit thicker than I would have liked, but the 1/4" metal plate was free. Because it only bridges a small span I'm not too worried about it doing any damage to the truck if I take a hard hit to it (a skid should bend before it affects the parts it's bolted to). The rectangle section was cut out to give the front diff drain a bit of space otherwise it would be completely flat.



The rear of my skid bolted to the lower brace I made awhile back - note the angled piece which should help me from getting hung up in reverse (this was the cut out piece from between the front legs)

Another plus is that now all 4 control arm horns are solidly tied together so force to one is spread out to the others.


BTW, if you see this in your engine, a head gasket retorque probably won't help much

I'm hoping it was just something that was brewing since the last time I towed with the small radiator . . . project for next weekend

 

update on some minor projects. I'm considering the rear storage box finished for now - if I decide to later, I might add a hinged sleeping platform to the front of it.


I made a junkyard run this weekend and picked up 2 additional crossbars for the roof rack. I pilfered these from an Isuzu Rodeo, though Jeep Cherokee cross bars mount on the same style rail (the Jeep rails are much longer but could be cut to length, the cross bars are easy to cut to width). I like this design since the weight is spread out over a greater distance on the fiberglass cap - I wouldn't want to hard mount a basket with legs since it would localize the weight to a few small areas. The eventual plan is to run several 1" wide x 1/8" thick aluminum strips front to back and bolted to each cross bar to make, essentially, a roof basket without the sides or resultant mpg drop.


I also picked up a new coolant reservoir from an 80's something BMW 3 series. It's about the same size as the cheapy universal reservoir I had but mounts much nicer. In the BMW this reservoir was under pressure when in use and had a 3/4" i.d. nipple on the bottom for a hose as well as a smaller hose running to the top of the radiator for an air purge, the cap on the reservoir works the same as a radiator cap and only vents at a certain pressure. I JBWelded some brass in the lower nipple for the small hose to the radiator filler neck and used the original radiator hose nipple for the overflow (so it doesn't build any pressure). I also had to make a new coil mount, which worked out well since this coil is supposed to be mounted vertically anyway (was on a 45 degree before).

 

I've always wanted cup holders in the 'runner, it's the one thing that's bugged me about the 1st gens. It bugs my wife too, and since she'll be the one driving it 2300 miles I thought I'd remedy that before we left. Materials needed for the cup holder: 4" length of 3" diameter drain pipe, a 3" drain pipe coupler, a 3" drain pipe end cap and 2 carriage bolts to attach it. For the mount I just bent up some 1.25" wide flat stock that I had laying around and bolted it to the seat track

the cup holder itself it pretty simple - slide the end cap and coupler over the piece of drain pipe. I ended up adding a rib to the metal arm to stiffen it up and reduce vibration while driving


in 4th gear - it only gets in the way going into reverse and I can still get to the rear window switch underneath it

 

I like driving fast on dirt roads. The occasional gasp from my wife when I kick the rear end loose is like music to my ears. But with the fiberglass fenders (and no fender liner) I get tired of hearing all the rocks dinging off my doors and rocker panels (this old steel doesn't need help with chips and rust). Since I started winter driving this truck again, I also got tired pretty quickly of slush freezing my door seals. So after 5 years of fiberglass fenders it was time to finally make some front mudflaps that extend into the wheel well to protect the door seals and rockers.

After I made a pattern with some cardboard, I picked up a single huge $15 mudflap from a truck stop. This thing nearly extended from one side in the cargo area to the other and is big enough for both guards with plenty to spare.


I traced out the pattern and made sure it fit properly. Then I flipped the pattern and repeated for the other side, keeping the thicker edge towards the outside. Note how it will extend pretty far up into the wheel well to protect the door from anything coming off the tires.


There's a flat surface in the fender well, that if you laid a straight edge on, lines up nicely with the edge of the fender (so without bending, the mudflap will "snug up" to the fender edge). I traced this area out as well as where I wanted the bottom 2 bolts attached, and used my trusty Harbor Freight hole punch to make some screw holes.


Then I pushed the mudflap into place and traced the holes to be drilled for my NutSerts ($15 tool from HF). Here are the nutserts installed after drilling the appropriate sized holes. I painted the edges before install and put a tiny dab of black RTV to seal things up before expanding the nutsert. These install like a pop-rivet, but allow me to use machine screws to bolt the mudflaps in place.
*NOTE* if you use nutserts be sure the nutsert fits snugly into the hole before expanding it, don't drill the hole bigger than you have to

another view - in this one you can barely see the inner bottom nutsert on the other side of the body seam, this was a factory hole and fit a 1/4" nutsert perfectly


a few stainless steel machine screws later and I'm done. With any luck, no more frozen doors and cleaner rocker panels are in my future. I still have to put a small screw eye in the bottom to pull it back and away from the tire a bit (think rally-style), but that's for another day.