Front Sway Bar installed – Survey Says?!

Survey says: “Awesome.” Survey says: “don’t drive your lifted 60 on the road without one.”

True, I’ve no honest notion of the state of my shocks, my springs or my steering joints, but installing the front sway bar has made an enormous difference in my truck’s handling.

Used to be the truck felt like the front wheels were tucking under the front of the car. The truck would dive and lean to the outside of every corner and that feeling limited my speed. Truck didn’t feel like it would tip but I was definitely losing grip from the lean.

Now the truck is tastefully flat in the corners, the truck handling really is transformed. Amazing. Amazing.

To any doubters I say: try this! $60 for extended links, $6 for bottle of epoxy spray, its a huge value. I’d have paid $1000 to have the handling this much better.

Installation Process:

Hardened Steel Tap for Chasing Threads

First thing the brackets bolt onto the frame, there are holes waiting with threads. The previous owner had coated the frame with some rust preventative coating so bolts wont’ go in, first every threaded hole must be chased with a tap. If you don’t know, a tap is a special hardened steel screw that cuts threads into metal. But running the tap through the threads I clean them out so bolt will not be damaged.

Tap with Tiny Wrench. Gently spin tap in and out to clean out the existing threads. Idea is to clean, cut as little as possible. Avoid cross threading!

Holes tape about 5 minutes each to tap. After chasing the threads my precious new Toyota bolts thread cleanly.

Tapping frame on passenger side.

Bolt bracket into place.

Sway bar bracket bolted into place on passenger side.

I pre-installed the Man-A-Fre extended sway bar links to sway bar. This was a mistake:

1) No way to thread the sway bar into place with the linkages in place.

2) I installed the linkages the wrong way.

Stock BJ60 Sway Bar with Man-A-Fre extended sway bar links installed pointing the wrong way!

Don’t be stupid like me – the front diff hump is on the passenger side.

Next steps were very simple. These steps should be done for each side before moving to next step:

• Chase threads where brackets bolt to axle housting (there are only 2 of these)
• Thread the sway bar through springs so it lies in front of bracket mounts.
• Apply grease all over the rubber bushing, wrap it around the sway bar and insert it into metal bracket.
• Insert bracket tab into axle housing.
• Bolt other side of bracket into axle housing.

Now you have a sway bar that can be rotated on the axle housing. Next:

• install linkage between frame bracket and sway bar end. You’ll need two wrenches for this.

Now take a victory lap and enjoy the new responsiveness and non-scary turning.

Back home and hose it all down with Fluidfilm. You’ll not be touching it for a while except maybe to check that bolts are still torqued tight.

Sway Bars installed, looking back at passenger side.

 

Frame, frame bracket, man-a-fre linkage an sway bar on passenger side.

Drivers side bracket.

 

Front Sway Bar – A Nasty Rusty Caterpiller into a Epoxy Coated Butterfly!!!

Stock link next to man-a-fre 2.5″ extended link.

My cruiser came with a front sway bar. Well, it was on the burnt hulk that I was able to pick parts off, I got it myself and it came home with me in the back with all the other old rusty parts.

A few weeks ago, after finally installing the transfer case shield, I went to mount it up and found that the links between the frame and the bar were too short. I sort of expected this since the rig is lifted 2.5″ compared to stock.

I can’t install the sway bars because the link between the bar and the frame are too short. I need longer ones. I did a little research and found a recommended place that makes “heavy duty” ones. Man-A-Fre. The alternative is to buy a long bolt and sleeve, make my own as the link itself is very simple:

 

Stock sway bar link disassembled. Simple.

Order off the internet and they arrive 3 days later. They were $18 each, postage was $17. Dang. They are quite nice though.

Sway bar with stock link installed next to pair of man-a-fre 2.5″ extended links.

Purpose of Sway Bar:

Front sway bar attaches to the car at four points:

1) Left outside of differential near the leftwheel.

2) To the left frame just above and forward of where it attaches to (1).

3) To the right frame just above and forward of (4)

4) Right outside of differential near to right wheel.

The important part of this is that the differential (the wheels) and the frame, are connected by… the springs! The wheels are unsprung, the frame is sprung. The wheels move up and down relative to the frame of the car. The sway bar gets in the way of that motion.

Sway bar is very simple. The way the bar is connected to the frame allows it to rotate. That means that if I drive straight over a speed bump the sway bar will rotate and have no effect on the motion of the differential and the wheels. However, if I drive over a speed bump at an angle, say left wheel onto the speed bump before the right wheel, that will cause the sway bar to resist the upward motion of the left wheel. The sway bar acts as a “torsion spring” a twisty spring.

So I’ve just described something the sway bar does, but why is that good? Actually, the case I describe above is not good. You don’t want to limit independent wheel movement in rough terrain. That’s why many off roaders detach their sway bars. But there is a pretty common case where sway bars are good:

Its called “going round corners”. When you go around a left hand corner the car body sways and places more force on the outside wheels. That force depresses the springs on the right side, which causes the vehicle to sway more, etc. This sway is disconcerting and bad for handling. When cornering its best to keep the vehicle flat at it keeps more weight on the underweighted inside tires. This problem is more severe if you carry lots of stuff on the roof.

So, I’m hurting the offroad ability of my vehicle in order to improve the on road handling.

Stock link

Stock link and bracket that attaches to frame.

Comparison of stock link and Man-A-Fre Heavy Duty 2.5″ extension link.

My nasty sway bar with link removed.

Stock brackets and links.

New Links Arrived!

This morning my new fancy expensive Man-A-Fre heavy duty sway bar links arrived. Nice! Very pretty. I hold them up against my sway bars and realize they are really nasty, all rusty, and need to be cleaned up before installation.

Sway bar and rotating attachment that bolts to differential housing.

Link and bracket and sway bar.

Call my friend whose place of work has a wonderful machine called a “media blaster” and he lets me use it. This is a wonderful box, you put dirty stuff in it, put your hands into rubber gloves bolted through the walls of the machine, head up to the glass. Pick up the gun, press the pedal on the floor and high pressure air and sand comes blasting out. This wears though grime, grease, rust, and leaves the metal shiny and virginal, a perfect prep for paint. I wrap it in plastic to keep it clean of oil from my hands.

After 60-70 minutes I have the pieces cleaned off pretty well. Good enough. Coming home I pick up a can of VHT Epoxy Suspension Paint which I used previously on the Porsche sway bars. Excellent stuff.

Wow

Home with a bag of clean metal.

Really is amazing. The blaster works so well, its hard to believe the same pieces went into the enclosure. I’m a huge fan.

Ready for paint

Propped up and ready for paint.

Cleaned brackets!

Cleaned Swaybar End

Cleaned bits.

Silver sway bar

Lay everything out on the driveway and hose it down with VHT. This is terrific stuff. $7 a can, easy to apply and super durable. It doesn’t tolerate UV light, but sway bars are hidden pretty well from the sun so should be ok?

The VHT must all be applied in 3 coats over 1 hour. After an hour you leave it. Can be handled in 3 hours, fully cures in 7 days, so I can install it next week. Cool!

One might wonder why I use this instead of POR15? Por15 is quite brittle feeling, its harder to the touch and I don’t think it will handle abuse as well as this VHT. Also this stuff is much less expensive and easier to apply.

Anyway, 3 hours later I move the pieces into the garage. They’re dry to the touch.

This piece was so badly rusted that media blasting put a hole through it. Still strong at the edges though.

Once nasty bracket now looks good. Eventually this will have its very own coat of fluidfilm.

Arakawa Auto Body

Door sticker. Wonder if its the original?

This is on the passenger door. Original? That factory was founded in 1947 and has made most land cruiser bodies. I suppose we can blame them for the rust?

Door Latch No Worky and the Secret of Releasing the Window Opener

Getting out of the car yesterday, dang, the drivers inside door latch doesn’t work! Roll down the window and fortunately the outside latch works.

Gotta get it fixed!

Clearly I need to take off the inside door panel, something I’ve not been able to do before. Well now I need to.

How to get that panel off to check the opener mechanism?

 

I undo the door handle by releasing two Phillips screws.

I undo the plastic piece that fits behind the inside door latch, that’s one more Phillips screw.

Now I need to get the window roller arm loose! Shoot! There’s no Phillips there to undo. I gently pry at it with some flathead screwdrivers. It seems like its stuck!

I check my factory manuals, but I don’t have anything covering the interior. Dang!

Search the internet!

• One guys says to crush the window opener handle with vise grips and buy a new one.

NO!

• Several folks say to use the special Toyota tool (which looks like a pry bar.)

Hmm. Well.. there needs to be a better way.

• One generic internet help site suggests:

“If you don’t have the special Toyota tool then gently thread a clean shop towel between the handle and the plastic washer. Move it all around and eventually the handle will pop loose.”

Hmm, the description is for a 2005 Toyota but maybe it works here too. I’ll try that.

I find an old T-Shirt in the rag box, gently thread the edge through, wrap it around and start flossing. After about 4 seconds I hear a click and the handle pops loose! Wow! Magic!

Who would have thought this? I bet a lot of people destroyed a lot of stuff before the internet. I take it out along with a little gold colored clip in the shape of an Omega. By flossing this clip was pulled free of the groove in the arm, and of the groove in the splined metal window opener post inside the door. Cool!

Window Opener Handle with the magic “Omega Clip”

 

I gently pry the clips free from round the panel, then unhook the panel from the door (It hangs from the top of the door).

Revealed is a pretty decent job sealing the car from the door. This is a good thing as it keeps the door panel from disintegrating due to moisture.

Door is sealed with cloth tape, silicone and plastic. Good job PO!

Close up of wire going into door. Since the wire moves I know the problem is where the wire meets the mechanism.

I gently peel back the plastic and tape until I can access the mechanism.

And there I can see the wire has popped out of the mechanism.

Wire loose from the mechanism.

 

1. I click the wire back into place with my fingers
2. hose down the inside of the door with Fluidfilm (because I couldn’t reach well inside the doors when I used the sprayer)
3. Gently replace the tape and plastic
4. rehang the panel
5. bang in each clip with the heel of my hand
6. Now, to replace the window roller handle I slide the omega clip over the handle’s slot, then press the handle onto the splined post. Click, the handle is locked in place again.
7. Screw on the handle and that piece of plastic that goes behind the latch.
8. Climb into drivers seat, close the door and…
9. I can open it again!

Hooray for the internet, couldn’t have done it without you.

 

Child Labor: Installing the Transfer Case Skid Plate

Cleaning in the garage, wife asks what this pile of metal is doing in the corner.

Well hon, its like this… uh… yeah… they go on the truck? Yeah, sure, I’ll get them out of here. No problem?

I have the bolts, I guess its as good as time as any to put the sucker on. Hey, and an opportunity for my little one to make some money helping dad with the truck.

This skid plate bolts to the frame right below the transfer case. It protects the transfer case from debris. I’ve already painted it with POR15, only thing left is to install it.

The first step is to paint the entire top side of the skid plate with Fluidfilm, since I won’t be seeing that surface again for a while. Little one does a fine job.

Second, we chase the threads in the frame with a tap. This because the previous owner had coated the frame with epoxy. Without doing this it was impossible to screw the bolts into the frame.

Skid Plate held in place with car jack, little one tightens the bolts.

Third, we hold up the skid plate with a car jack and screw in the bolts. Little one is good at this.

Finally we go over everything again with fluidfilm.

The smile of someone earning cash-money.

Skid plate in forground

 

BJ60 Battery Replacement

Yeah, I left the lights on:Mountain biking at some distant location last weekend. Arrive back to the frankencruiser in the afternoon, load the children into the car and lo, the car doesn’t turn over, just a “Click!”

 

Oh jeese. I left the lights on. Couldn’t see them shining in the morning light. Good thing this car doesn’t need electricity to run and that I parked on a good slope. Release the brakes, back the truck out, then roll forward under the courtesy of gravity. Pedestrians walking side by side up the parking lot are loath to give way to a silently accelerating land cruiser. Shift into 4th, pop the clutch and engine catches instantly. I suppose startup was helped by being warmed all day in the blazing sun.

Drive 2 hours back to seattle and put the batteries on the charger. Batteries accept the full 6 amps. 3 hours later its still taking 5.5 amps. Oh boy, maybe the batteries are toast.

Next morning the batteries are taking 3 amps. On starting the voltage is very low, like 10.5 volts but dropping to 6 when I hit the glow button. Such low voltage after charging all night is a bad sign. I notice that the left battery has a crack in the plastic near the positive terminal, oh man, wonder if its leaking? Out comes the baking soda, distilled water. I fill the 2 cells that are low, scrub the batteries down with water and baking soda. The baking soda boils ominously, especially down the side of the battery and into the battery tray. Boilage means there is acid all over the thing. Not a good sign, its leaking…

I leave the charger on all the next day but signs are not good, looks like I’m in for a new pair of batteries.

Sure enough the engine starts right up the next morning. I drive to work and back home. That night I attach the charger again. 2 minutes later, walking past the rig I hear an odd hissing or buzzing. Hmm. Scan around with the ears and zoom in on the left battery, the one with the crack in it. The battery sounds like its boiling or off gassing something serious. Smells bad. This is not good, not something that should happen when only 2 amps are applied. Now I’ve no doubt. I disconnect the charger with plan to get a battery the next day.

The old batteries:

For the record the batteries in the truck were 3 year old Energizer Deep Cycle 27DC. The side of the battery said “Marine Deep Cycle” but I doubt they were truly deep cycle as they listed 850 CCA each which is high even for a starting battery. Also amazing they list 180 reserve capacity, which is huge and probably optimistic. These batteries are both dated 1/10, so dead after only 3.5 years and they did not age well, I suspect the high CCA came from thin plates and they didn’t survive the deep cycling that previous owner applied.

Cracked case to the right of the positive terminal, leaking acid all over everything.

The new batteries:

First temptation is to get the super awesome excellent batteries that the previous owner had installed. Searching old messages they were Optima D27M, “Blue Top” deep cycle batteries. “Spiral Technology”. They’re also $215 each. I search a little more on the internet and learn something about batteries. First that the optimas are really expensive and don’t seem to last longer than regular batteries. Really the longevity of batteries depends upon their usage.

Research online, perhaps the best overview of batteries is this solarpower web site:

http://www.solar-electric.com/deep-cycle-battery-faq.html

By Wikipedia CCA is cold cranking amps, means (from Wikipedia):

Cold cranking amperes (CCA) is the amount of current a battery can provide at 0 °F (−18 °C). The rating is defined as the current a lead-acid battery at that temperature can deliver for 30 seconds and maintain at least 1.2 volts per cell (7.2 volts for a 12-volt battery). It is a more demanding test than those at higher temperatures. This is the most widely used cranking measurement for comparison purposes.

This value matters as a starter needs sufficient current to turn the engine over. There is not much benefit to actually having huge CCA, but often a higher valued battery will be able to deliver more current when the battery is drained. The CCA has to do with the amount of surface area of the plates in the battery.

Downside of CCA is that the plates will be thinner, will corrode and wear more quickly, so there is a tradeoff.

Another orthogonal measure of battery performance is Reserve Capacity (again from Wikipedia):

Reserve capacity minutes (RCM), also referred to as reserve capacity (RC), is a battery’s ability to sustain a minimum stated electrical load; it is defined as the time (in minutes) that a lead-acid battery at 80 °F (27 °C) will continuously deliver 25 amperes before its voltage drops below 10.5 volts.

This matters if you are drawing current over a longer period, for example running a fridge in the back while the engine is off.

These two battery properties are balanced against each other to form 3 categories of battery:

Starting Battery: used for starting, short draws of high amperage. These batteries will be quickly ruined if they are discharged more than about 2-5%.

Deep cycle battery: used for continuous low power draw these generally tolerate a 50% draw without damage.

Marine battery: these are a balance of deep cycle and starting. They provide sufficient CCA to start a motor, but otherwise are built with thicker plates or lead sponge to survive a deeper draw.

Replacing the batteries:

End of the day I was convinced by a set of posts I saw that generally suggested:

Get the biggest heaviest battery you can find that has the Lowest Sufficient CCA

That is, CCA must only meet your needs, unused CCA compromises durability. An example is Golf Cart Batteries, or forklift batteries, which have CCA of 30-40 and which weigh 100 pounds. Those batteries tolerate deep discharge to almost 20% because their plates are so thick.

I see Costco sells the Interstate 27DC under its own Kirkland brand. They’re $88 each, rated much more conservatively at 600CCA and 115 amp hours. Seems a good price compared to the other stores I visited and both Interstate and Costco have a fine reputation. It seems to meet my “heavy and low cca” requirement.

New batteries from Costco, made by Interstate.

Canadian BJ60 with Arctic Package comes with two batteries. As a 1984 it is still 12 volt, same as nearly every other car on the road. The two batteries are connected in “parallel” meaning that the batteries are connected: positive to positive, negative to negative. By connecting the batteries in this way the voltage remains at 12 but the capacity is roughly doubled, double the CCA, double the reserve capacity.

I put on my gloves and disconnect the batteries, pull them out of the truck.

View of the two batteries, one on each side, with connector cables.

Out with the old, in with the new.

The new and old batteries

Once the batteries are out its an opportunity to inspect and clean the battery tray. They look amazing and new, until I tapped the base with a screwdriver. Uh oh, looks like the rubber coating has detached from the metal, no doubt there is rust underneath:

Oh yeah! Classic Rust in battery tray. Battery acid is nasty stuff! This is right before I peeled that rubber coating off the metal.

Turns out they are both pretty rusted, the one with the leaky battery maybe a little more so. I peel and scrape, then sand. Then clean with degreaser. Even scrape from underneath. Let the water dry and then apply a coat of zinc galvanized repair paint:

Galvanized paint to the battery tray.

Yes, this is not a professional job. I should take the trays out and media blast. That would take days though and I need this done by the weekend.

After an hour for the first coat to dry I pull up any remaining loose rubber coating and apply a second coat.

Coat of zinc galvanized paint.

Later that evening the paint is dry to the touch. I find some awesome black epoxy suspension paint and recoat everything, also sand down and repaint the battery hold downs. Let it all dry overnight.

I also put the new batteries on the charger.

In the morning the epoxy paint still smells toxic but is dry to the touch. I pull out the pail of Fluidfilm and coat the battery trays top and bottom, all over everywhere including the frame where the washed out battery acid had dripped.

Connectors are shiny after buffing

I also take out the sander and buff all the cable connectors in the car (seriously corroded and nasty) so they’re all bright and brassy.

Install the new batteries, recoat the terminals and everything with more Fluidfilm.

Fluidfilm caked onto battery terminals. Prevents corrosion and arcing.

Result:

Holy moly! Since I first laid eyes on this truck the voltage has dropped from 12 down to 7 or 8 when the glow plugs are activated. Even when the engine is running the glow plugs would drop the voltage. Now I turn the key, voltage meter rises to 12. When I hit the glow plugs – The Voltage Doesn’t Move! Man that is some additional capacity. I’d no ideas those batteries were so dead.