Progress on my FG

[ctane]

Put in 8 hours from concept to paint on this bumper build today. What say ye? I'm happy with the outcome as it utilized material on hand as rems from other projects. Only thing I had to go out for was paint and of course a sandwich. I will be adding a front receiver to this at some point. I have some hitch stock and was going to get it done but then I couldn't decide on how I wanted it located so I held off for now.

Excited to get down to Bend and pickup my new wheels so I can single this baby out. Next step after that is to pull the service body and build a flatbed/ work box for it. Front axle is still gutted while the Fuso shop in Portland rebuilds my front Differential. In the meantime I've pulled off some shenanigans getting to/from our burn pile despite being limited to 2wd. Praise be for LSD...

I did fix sloppy shifting issue by manufacturing a bushing to replace the one I noticed was missing from the end of one of the cables. It made a huge difference but I feel like I might need to do some cable tension adjustment to really finish the job. Time to read up on that I guess. Any pointers there?

I also got my exhaust brake working which is awesome as I live 1200' above town and regularly drive a steep windy road when I leave my house. It is sticking in the closed position sometimes though so I guess I'm not quite done with that. The issue was twofold. Firstly I'm glad somebody here mentioned having to bump the gas pedal to get the position switch to fully close. That hot tip got my dash light working off the warm up switch and the brake switch(stalk). With the cover off the brake I could see that the butterfly was not moving even once I got the dash light to start coming on with the switches. I then disconnected the vacuum solenoid from the butterfly by pulling the pin connecting them, Once disconnected from the butterfly I could see that the actuator was functioning properly in response to the switches so I separated the exhaust pipes to provide access to the butterfly and began soaking the pivots w/ penetrating fluid and working the flap open/close a bunch. After a bit of this it started to feel pretty smooth except at full close there was a little bind, so I guess its not a shocker that its sticking closed. Works great all the way down to town, just have to jump out at the bottom of the hill and give it a little tap and it pops open. I'll go back in there soon and see if I can finish the job.

Here's a few pics of todays bumper build.

 

[SkiFreak]

If the exhaust brake is adjusted correctly, there should be a small gap between the butterfly valve and the body when closed.

 

[kerry]

There's a switch for the exhaust brake connected to the clutch pedal. It shuts off the exhaust brake if the clutch is engaged. If that is not adjusted correctly, it thinks the clutch is engaged and won't allow the exhaust brake to work. Occasionally I have to pick up on the clutch pedal with my toes to convince mine that clutch is not engaged. Your service body appears identical to mine. If you are not going to use it, you might find someone else with an FG who wants it since it accepts a slide in camper with very little modification necessary. Did you ever figure out why the front hubs weren't unlocking?

 

[kerry]

Got any pictures of the bushing which firmed up the shifting?

 

[ctane]

Thanks Kerry and SkiFreak for the tips. The hub issue is still unresolved as I haven't attempted to reassemble them until I get my Diff back and go to it putting the whole axle back together. I'm assuming it was the result of corrosion on the sprocket surfaces due to non-use.

I don't have a pic of the bushing, It wasn't particularly exciting looking. Just a piece of fuel line that was the correct O.D. and I enlarged the I.D. to fit shift cable end. Service body is certainly available. I've got it posted on craigslist but no bites. Would love to sell it.

 

[ctane]

Well I finally got my differential back with its new ring, pinion, and bearings installed. If your in or near Portland,OR and need drivetrain work I highly recommend Six States. They crushed it. brought them the diff and parts the dealer had finally ordered and they had it rebuilt within 24 hrs.

I had a good window between jobs to get to it on rebuilding the front axle and getting my new rims shod for the SRW conversion. One of my hubs is kind of messed up, which I think may have been why it wouldn't unlock. My manual doesn't have a break down for the manual hub bodies, does anyone happen to have such a diagram? Need to figure out what parts I need...

Anyways got the knuckles disassembled and the kingpins out. Repacked trunnion bearings, repainted knuckle housings, failed to have new axle seals on hand so I know I will be back in here at some point but there wasn't gear oil in the knuckle when I opened them so hopefully they're good for a bit.


Given the issue with the one hub It doesn't look like I'll be able to test out my 4x4 quite yet but at least I can rest easy that I'm rolling smooth and looking good on some fresh rubber. I've got a job later this week I will need the truck for so getting it rolling will be satisfying enough.


It was pretty interesting getting those big meats home in one trip in my errandmobile... the 1988 Nissan Stanza wagon. Guys at the tire shop thought I was hilarious.


I capped things off by enjoying a cold one and watching our MowKrew get after it.

 

[DzlToy]

Bumper and tires look good (size?)

I am usually not a fan of utility bodies due to their width and mass, however a pair of transverse Maggionlina's mounted atop the box on a "roof rack" and some careful packing and you would have everything you need in that truck for at least a week on the dirt roads.