Resurrecting "Red Green" a tough Toyota.

[44hunter45]

Many people are saying that this was a failed Bovil Run attempt. I'm not saying that, but many people are...

Before MRS got here to keep me in line, my vice was out-drinking the Vandals who came to experience The Silver Saddle. The Saddle used to serve "Chili Beer". Like Tabasco with a kick.

 

[44hunter45]

So got the drivers side wheel to clear the steering arm by grinding. Now realize that being done, it will still rub on the tie rod end rubber boot.
Then the FedEx guy was here to deliver some Talley stuff I ordered. He asked if I noticed the rears were rubbing on the leaf springs.

Gave up and ordered a set of 4 13mm (1/2") spacers. Burned a few more sawbucks.

 

[TOGIE]

you must be some sort of cat or something, with more than 1 expendable life at your disposal.

really glossing over rolling a vehicle 3 times in your life and still being here to talk about it.

that was some good reading.

 

[44hunter45]

you must be some sort of cat or something, with more than 1 expendable life at your disposal.

really glossing over rolling a vehicle 3 times in your life and still being here to talk about it.

that was some good reading.

I've walked away from two high speed highway crashes too. Air bags hurt like hell, but they do work. Only four lives left. Even Catzilla in Mouse Hunt finally met his match.

In the crash coming home from the RMEF banquet, I woke up as the truck was heading up the embankment on the left, having crossed the oncoming lane. I over corrected and the truck went over on the driver's side. I have a distinct memory of being suspended in the seat belt as the pavement slid by a fraction of an inch from my face. My only injuries were glass cuts.

It makes sense now the only thing MRS ever forbade me was motorcycles.

 

[hank4elk]

I got an 82 toyota 4x4 in 88 with 73k on it. Put 556k on it and sold it in 2000 and got a 98 Tacoma with 36k on it.

The 82 now has over a million miles and still cruizing SB.
My Tacoma now has 334k on it and runs like a champ.

Quit drinking in 88 too...never rolled a truck luckily.

 

[44hunter45]

Well that escalated quickly.

Rear axle seals and bearings blown. Just as well order the disc brake conversion if I am going that deep, right?

 

[44hunter45]

July 14th UPDATE -

I found an amazing parts supplier of Hi-Lux parts out of Thailand. I needed new windshield wiper linkages and there were only pull off OEMs on eBay. $250. NOPE!
I found NIB OEM from this supplier and had it in my hand in 5 days. Modern internet magic. I'm old enough to remember when that would have been impossible with a catalog and a landline voice phone.

I got a new OEM hood latch cable from the same outfit.

Had to go the used pull-off route for the washer fluid/coolant overflow reservoir. On the Gen 2 trucks Toyota used a one piece molded combo. $215 shipped.

One really cool development is that I called my buddy who serviced our Volvo for 13 years. Shout out to Import Car Services in Pullman. Karl is an old school Toyota 4x4 guy.
He calls them "The best hunting rig ever made." I originally had plans to drop a v6 in this and build a rock hopper. He helped my realize that is a game for flatbrimmers. Everything will stay stock for now.

I asked him why I've had so much trouble with blown rear axle seals. (I can hear all you Kip Addata fans laughing right now). He said I needed to check the front and rear differential breathers. Like a PCV valve, if they go bad, it builds up positive pressure in the diff and the only place it can go is through the seals.

I checked them and both bad. These will be replaced with NPT 90° fittings and hoses routed up to the top of the firewall, next to the brake master cylinder. Easy to zip tie the hoes to the brake lines and route. No more worries about water in the diffs.

I'm at a full stop right now waiting for the rear axle bearing kits I ordered from LCE Performance. I got the supply chain "dear John" letter this week. I have all the rear brake rebuild parts lined out, waiting for the bearings to be done.

There is a flatbed kit maker out of Bend, OR that has my attention. $799 for all the materials laser cut. You weld it up yourself. (I would take it to @p_ham for the welding, but I don't want to distract him. ) I would have to mod their Taco kit for my rig. The Taco is a full 11" wider.

 

[Beignet]

I asked him why I've had so much trouble with blown rear axle seals. (I can hear all you Kip Addata fans laughing right now). He said I needed to check the front and rear differential breathers. Like a PCV valve, if they go bad, it builds up positive pressure in the diff and the only place it can go is through the seals.

I checked them and both bad. These will be replaced with NPT 90° fittings and hoses routed up to the top of the firewall, next to the brake master cylinder. Easy to zip tie the hoes to the brake lines and route. No more worries about water in the diffs.

I routed that rear breather up behind the DS tail light assembly on mine. Keeps it high & dry, protected from grime plugging it up, and vertical so diff-fluid can’t work its way out.

 

[44hunter45]

My first truck was a 79' Toyota pickup. That was the first year they put 4WD in their trucks. I bought it when i was a senior in HS in 91' and it had 150k miles. I drove the heck out of it for about 10 years and sold it when the transmission went out in it. I really wish I would have held onto it and fixed it up.

Red Green had a "transmission failure" once. It got stuck in 2nd gear. Turns out the shifter on the RN38 truck is connected to the transmission via a horizontal shaft. There are fore and aft sections of that shaft, each rabbeted half though. So imagine an "L" shaped cut halfway through the shaft at the end. Two of these. Flip one over and they meet to form a complete shaft. Now drill through the long part of the "L" and tap it for a M6x1.00mm bolt.

If that M6 bolt backs out, your shifter will go floppy. We all know a floppy shifter is not a desirable condition.

Tighten or replace the bolt.
Easy fix

 

[Beignet]

Oh, and I’m sure you’ve already got it figgered, but you’ll need one of these to route the hose out of the rear pumpkin.

 

[44hunter45]

Oh, and I’m sure you’ve already got it figgered, but you’ll need one of these to route the hose out of the rear pumpkin.

View attachment 332802

Went with the 90° version. Expecting the hose from Amazon any day. I have old power steering line brackets hoarded from another old Toyota to secure the two lines to my firewall.

 

[44hunter45]

Spend too long on the ARB website yesterday dreaming about locking diffs. Not ready to go there yet, but will someday. Baby steps. There are are several local shops that will install a full boat ARB system if you are willing to pay.

The Achilles' heel of these trucks is they don't have posi or limited slip diffs in them. The torque always goes to the wheels with the least traction. A time or two I've had to air down and find rocks to stack in a corner of the bed to get the other rear tire to bite.

I have a picture somewhere of a pile of rocks stacked in the back and two of my boys sitting on it. When I took the picture, it wasn't clear if we were going to be sleeping in our own beds or the back of the truck that night. I kept letting air out of the strong side tire until it was barely holding in the rim and the truck finally crawled out. Then I had to change out the spare to drive home.

It sure would be nice to just hit that locker button.

 

[p_ham]

Spend too long on the ARB website yesterday dreaming about locking diffs. Not ready to go there yet, but will someday. Baby steps. There are are several local shops that will install a full boat ARB system if you are willing to pay.

The Achilles' heel of these trucks is they don't have posi or limited slip diffs in them. The torque always goes to the wheels with the least traction. A time or two I've had to air down and find rocks to stack in a corner of the bed to get the other rear tire to bite.

I have a picture somewhere of a pile of rocks stacked in the back and two of my boys sitting on it. When I took the picture, it wasn't clear if we were going to be sleeping in our own beds or the back of the truck that night. I kept letting air out of the strong side tire until it was barely holding in the rim and the truck finally crawled out. Then I had to change out the spare to drive home.

It sure would be nice to just hit that locker button.

My wife has a locker on her truck. I keep threatening to pull the ole switcheroo and swap axles with her. There's only been one time where it would've really helped me get out of a f@$% up. 9 hrs of stacking rocks to get back out.

 

[44hunter45]

My wife has a locker on her truck. I keep threatening to pull the ole switcheroo and swap axles with her. There's only been one time where it would've really helped me get out of a f@$% up. 9 hrs of stacking rocks to get back out.

View attachment 333171

I've spent the whole day going through the expenses for this moose hunt. Not going to be looking at lockers until the column labeled, "358 Norma expenses" is closed out.
Then if there is any luck I will have to start a new column for taxidermy...

 

[p_ham]

I've spent the whole day going through the expenses for this moose hunt. Not going to be looking at lockers until the column labeled, "358 Norma expenses" is closed out.
Then if there is any luck I will have to start a new column for taxidermy...

Ya, you'll have a couple years of "honey do's" to balance things out again.

 

[44hunter45]

Ya, you'll have a couple years of "honey do's" to balance things out again.

She likes restoring old things as much as I do. She is happy to see these trucks coming back to life.
She is happy the lever gun will be fully functional again.

She's not too sure on the logic of taking a good rifle out of a safe full of good rifles, then turning it into a "better" rifle.
Today was about making sure none of the shared funds wandered over into the projects bucket.
Some discussion was held regarding the meaning of the term "mission critical."

 

[elkduds]

My wife has a locker on her truck. I keep threatening to pull the ole switcheroo and swap axles with her. There's only been one time where it would've really helped me get out of a f@$% up. 9 hrs of stacking rocks to get back out.

View attachment 333171

Lesson learned. Never go offroad without a skyhook.

 

[el unit]

Spend too long on the ARB website yesterday dreaming about locking diffs. Not ready to go there yet, but will someday. Baby steps. There are are several local shops that will install a full boat ARB system if you are willing to pay.

The Achilles' heel of these trucks is they don't have posi or limited slip diffs in them. The torque always goes to the wheels with the least traction. A time or two I've had to air down and find rocks to stack in a corner of the bed to get the other rear tire to bite.

I have a picture somewhere of a pile of rocks stacked in the back and two of my boys sitting on it. When I took the picture, it wasn't clear if we were going to be sleeping in our own beds or the back of the truck that night. I kept letting air out of the strong side tire until it was barely holding in the rim and the truck finally crawled out. Then I had to change out the spare to drive home.

It sure would be nice to just hit that locker button.

I installed the Lock-Right locker in my old 79 Toyota pickup. It was easy to install and worked great. But it's noisy going around corners in town. It got me up and over Heart Attack Hill and The Keyhole on Kelly Flats long ago.
An ARB locker would be awesome.

 

[Benfromalbuquerque]

Keep yer stick on the ice.

 

[44hunter45]

The axle bearings are finally arriving this week. I hope to have that done by the end of the week. If I'm really lucky, I will have the brakes done by then as well.
New rims and Milestar Patagonia M/T-02 tires arrive this week as well. Decided to stay with the OEM 15" size rim and 31 inch tires. I went to a higher negative offset rim for a little wider stance.

This weekend felt like I was lighting $100 bills on fire, and no cigar.