Trigger Pulled

[spectre6000]

Due to my VW collection, I am flush with metric tooling. I have duplicates of essentially everything one might need in a metric car. After much wrenching yesterday, I discovered I must have loaned/lost all of my 12mm wrenches... Can't find a single one. I have duplicates of duplicates of everything 13mm...

Sounds like I have a choice to make here... Maintain originality all the way down to the hardware, or opt for ease of maintenance (same tooling as my other vehicles) and convenience... I'll probably be swapping all non-load bearing hardware for stainless, and most else for hardened anyway... Additionally, I'm not a huge fan of the soft hardware grade I've found in a number of OE screws (both on my former-4Runner or in the few places I've encountered it on my 40) to boot... Are there any reasons aside from originality (assume tooling doesn't enter the calculation) to stick with JIS? The only reason I can think of is the use of some JIS-specific tool in some specialized piece of hardware that can't be otherwise manipulated, but that seems counter to the engineering philosophies employed in the design of the vehicle...

 

[SteveH]

You can buy packages of JIS hardware at O'Reillys. Not a huge assortment, but a good start.

The JIS fasteners (in some locations on an FJ40) provide critical wrench clearance you won't get with non-JIS head bolts.

 

[wesintl]

whatever works for you but I loathe 13mm.

I only carry 8-10-12-14 etc much better than having to carry the full assortment to to maintain a truck with standard metric.

 

[spectre6000]

What specifically? My 40 wrenching started day before yesterday. I noticed the nuts on the carb were a tight fit... I have a metric hardware collection for my VWs where I just bought bulk quantities of the most common nuts and bolts in either stainless or hardened (I like new hardware on my rigs). So far the majority of what I'm dealing with has been larger gauge stuff and smaller gauge stuff.

 

[Uncle Ben]

whatever works for you but I loathe 13mm.

I only carry 8-10-12-14 etc much better than having to carry the full assortment to to maintain a truck with standard metric.

You mean 1/2" right.....works fine on the Chevy but has no place on a Toyota!

 

[subzali]

Toyota made it easy for you - 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 24mm. Why make it more difficult on yourself? Go buy a couple 12mm wrenches and stick with JIS hardware. You're not going to change everything out all the way down to the rocker arm studs/nuts, piston wristpin bolts, etc., so if you start going down the path of 13mm h*ll your rig will end in misery.

Yes the JIS hardware is a little harder to find, but if you think ahead and place orders with AAA for larger quantities of what you might need, then you should be covered.

I've never run across someone who makes a big deal about the softness of OE hardware, so I guess your pet peeve is something new to consider, but I still have to believe that sticking with JIS has got to be easier, and possibly trump the desire for harder fasteners.

Your rig, your call. Just know that the cruiser gods will look down on the use of non-JIS hardware on not be happy...

 

[rover67]

I had the same issue switching from Porsche to Toyota.

Just get the right tools. I like the Japanese way better honestly, the splits make more sense to me. you'll end up with a weird mix of stuff if you start switching, then you'll have to carry all the tools.

 

[wesintl]

You mean 1/2" right.....works fine on the Chevy but has no place on a Toyota!

yeah.. 1/2 or non metric jis. just use a crescent wrench, channel locks and a BFH.


I loathe my vw too. regular metric so you don't know what you'll need. in addition to torx and allen heads.

 

[spectre6000]

Old VWs are the same way with the tooling. 10, 11, 13, 17 and all are easily picked by sight. I'm talking older stuff here. We sold off a LOT before moving up here. I tried to keep my '62 bus but it kept getting stuck in the driveway so it had to go too in favor of something with 4 wheel drive. I still have my '58 Beetle, and a '57 Karmann Ghia will be joining the stable soon. Both are still in Dallas...

I'm contemplating pickling the F/3-speed/transfer case for long term, and plugging in a Cummins/5-speed drivetrain for DD duty. That won't happen until probably summer after next... I need to finish the body-off on my Beetle before I can break the 40 open.

Meanwhile, the dash is fully together (one screw refused to install without cross threading, and I didn't feel like removing the rest of them in the dark to see why), roll bar installed (two or three captive nuts feel like the threads were poorly chased and enlarged in the process), lights installed and I THINK hooked up correctly (three solid green wires on the DSF marker/turn signal instead of what I think should be two green/yellow and one solid green as on the other side), license plate bracket installed, carb phase one (little bits and horn) is out of the cleaner and dry, carb phase two (bowl and base) is soaking. Assembly of the body, etc. should be finished tomorrow. Carb MAY be assembled tomorrow evening. Sunday may be running driving.

Tomorrow I'll have to rotate the phase two carb cleaning (too big to fully submerge in the cleaner), install the emissions covers behind the PSF seat, install the jump seats, install the tire carrier and latch, install the hood latches, install the one side of the rear bumper I have, and straighten out the upper tail gate/adjust the latches, install the mechanism cover and handle, and the little brackets for jacks and such... Carb assembly will be the last thing I do because I'm doing it at the coffee table and am thus not constrained by daylight hours.

Sunday, I'll install the carb, get it tuned as best I can with what I have, and make a list of missing/unacceptable parts. Then maybe tool around a bit to see how she's handling (not much though... no plates).

 

[spectre6000]

After turning wrench on this thing for a few days, I noticed that a lot of the hardware has numbers on it (4 and 7 being common). A lot of this hardware is in coffee cans and I didn't think much of it until I was fiddling up under the dash and noticed the hardware there had the same numbers. Is this part of the JIS system? Is that what was referred to when someone said something about being able to know what tool you needed at a glance?

 

[Jacket]

The bolt head numbers tie to a standard torque value based on the size of the bolt. So if a particular fastener location does not have a documented torque spec, you can refer to the manual to get the standard torque range - for example a M6 bolt that has a "4" on the cap will have an torque range of X - Y. Generally speaking, as the number on the fastener gets larger it has a higher torque value.

 

[spectre6000]

What are the odds anyone has a spare glass float sight they'd be willing to part with for cash, beer, wrench exchange, what have you? Also maybe lend some sage cruiser experience to a cruiser noob in terms of an initial tune up? Great way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon up in the mountains!

 

[nuclearlemon]

I've never run across someone who makes a big deal about the softness of OE hardware, .

i'll join the 'hate the fact that toyota hardware is made of butter' group. they should never have been allowed to use phillips head screws, but sometimes even the bolt heads suck

although, the bolt heads don't suck as much as finding that one "1/2 inch" (as uncle ben says) bolt when you've got all your 12mm wrenches out. (the phillips head screws, however, are far worse than that 13mm)

 

[spectre6000]

Are there any local places I might be able to pick up a sight glass? What's the story on the plastic ones? Different vintage or just aftermarket replacement?

 

[nuclearlemon]

Where are the date codes, and what is the format? Is there a VIN/serial number database somewhere that documents production dates? I'm told there is a book that details some of the more trivial year to year changes; anyone know what that book is called?

best book for trivial changes is all in japanese

 

[RicardoJM]

Are there any local places I might be able to pick up a sight glass? What's the story on the plastic ones? Different vintage or just aftermarket replacement?

I pretty sure I don't have one in my spare parts cache. That said, you should be able to use one from most any Toyota carb - apperantly in a pinch you can bet buy with 15 cents. This post will be helpfull.

 

[MDH33]

I have one of those yucky plastic ones that's hard to see through if you're in a pinch, but that nickel trick sounds interesting too.

 

[spectre6000]

I'm trying to get a hold of Rocky Mountain Cruisers to see if they have one on hand. What are some experiences/opinions of RMC? It sounds like they're a service shop versus a parts store...

 

[spectre6000]

Jim's! Core for $25! A Good glass sight AND the start to my spare parts collection! Huzzah!

 

[subzali]

I'm trying to get a hold of Rocky Mountain Cruisers to see if they have one on hand. What are some experiences/opinions of RMC? It sounds like they're a service shop versus a parts store...

That would generally be correct...they do sometimes sell excess parts though.