BigMike's "Return of the Project" [Updated 7/11]

[BigMike]

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BigMike's Build Navigation

		Pages	Active Date Range
First	BigMike's Big Project	38+	July 2004 - April 2005
Second	BigMike's Big Summer Project	19+	May 2005 - Sept 2007
Third	BigMike's "Return of the Project" (currently viewing)	12+	May 2008+
	Picture Gallery Thread

Project Thread Navigation Links:
This page - Installed Hood Vents, Troubleshooting SC issues, header heat shield, changed to 37" MTRs, installed new windshield, more progress on OBA system
Page 2 - Installed Mud flaps, shackle bolt lock-outs, BLEW HEAD GASKET, New valve job
Page 3 - Installed Tacoma rear end, discussed Pivot Block Lock-out
Page 4 - Mounted rear shocks to new axle, removed interior carpet, W56-HD transmission + short throw, Oil sight tube, New crossmember, installed fans to hood vents, single front blinker mod
Page 5 - Removable door hinges, front shock bump stops, repaired e-locker controller
Page 6 - Installed new Diamond Front Axle, replaced oil pan + modified drag link, installed Bead locks
Thread went stagnant July 2008 - February 2009
Page 8 - Accidentally ran front diff dry + broke custom length axle
Thread went stagnant March 2009 - July 2010
Page 10 - Mounted RV2 Compressor
Thread went stagnant July 2010 - July 2012
Page 12 - Started lowering truck, Installed Trac Bar, Replaced wheel bearing, More BB balance experimenting, Installed Line lock Cutting Brakes, Mounted proper and even smaller serpentine pulley to RV2 compressor, changed front 14" shocks to 12", smaller front shackles, and discussed my previously (but not documented) front bumper-to-shock hoop integration, under the bellhousing cross member, front sway bar additions, and discussed the two Pivot Blocks I've used.


Welcome to the 3rd installment of my build threads!

Well


A LOT has changed, where should I start?

[OOPS]

Well


A LOT has changed, where should I start?

From the beginning of the changes!!!!!!

[MiniSimp]

Doesn't really matter where you start, just start already...

[ajordan1975]

what?   i don't get it.  

[79coyotefrg]

[Duffil]

In thanks for the chance.

[Wermz84]

Hmm, How about with everything you plan on doing. 

[jmsdad]

wider taco rear axle and diamond front?  btw, where was the pic taken?

[BigBs84]

wider taco rear axle and diamond front?  btw, where was the pic taken?

I'm thinking the pic was at Jose Basin from this weekend but I didn't see him there. And yea it was a muddy mess

[slabcs]

Wider axles and those look like 40's.

[jonathan82toy]

I Know he went above bass lake this weekend... only because I was supposed to go with him and show him the trails.

[welder2000]

He's only teasing.

[Reynolds]

Wider axles and those look like 40's.

Definitely not 40's

[crawlerdan]

i spy diamonds

[SolidAxle]

SWEET, Big mike got mudflaps

spill the beans already, word on the street is you've got a special crossmember under there.

[Jud]

Whats happening? lol

[slabcs]

Definitely not 40's

Camera angle and my eyes playing tricks on me then.  I suppose it will be a while before we find out though.

[89toy]

 

[Inittowinit]

 .

[BigMike]

The best I can tell from my Summer Project was that I last left off sometime between my hood vents and the removal of the Supercharger, or sometime last June.

June 18, 2007: Installed Hood Vents & Tested Fuel Pressure (more SC troubleshooting)



Hood pulled



Here I am testing my Fuel Pressure:



My truck registers:
Idle Pressure: 38.5 psi
Full Throttle Pressure: 46, dropping to 45 psi at red line.

Now here is what the book calls for:

1995 Toyota T100 2WD 4cyl 3RZ-FE:
Idle Pressure: 31-37 psi
Full Throttle Pressure: 38-44

And I am using a 7M-GTE Supra fuel pump, which calls for:
Idle Pressure: 23-30 psi
Full Throttle Pressure: 33-40


So clearly a lack of fuel pressure is not causing my Supercharger to run like crap. At this time I was totally running out of ideas and was getting closer and closer to throwing the whole thing out the tail pipe.

[BigMike]

Begin work on the vents...



Hmmmmm



Yup.



Looks good here...

[crawlerdan]

ah yes...lebarron gts hood vents...i put those on my last scoobie doo-looks good

[BigMike]

Here are the measurements I used..

From the corner of the hood where the hinge is, units are in inches:


And here they are installed They turned out like I had hoped





I just used some super simple aluminum angle pieces drilled and tapped for some machine screws

[crawlerdan]

looks great mike!! that is exactly how toybuilt mounted those to his bigblock.

[BigMike]

ah yes...lebarron gts hood vents...i put those on my last scoobie doo-looks good

They were cheap and I am very happy with them.


Since we are on the subject of hood vents, fast forward waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to April 22, 2008, and I installed 5" Aluminum home theater cooling fans on each vent:


( April 22, 2008 )

I bought 4 of these fans and so far have only installed just 2 (1 per vent). They only draw 0.3-amps each and are SUPER quiet. I believe they are rated at 150 CFM or something crazy like that for such a little fan. I installed them near the highest point in the engine compartment.

And I'll tell ya what, I just turn these on and leave them on the whole time on the trail. And while my truck is sitting with the engine off waiting in line for the next trail obstacle, by the time I hop back in the drivers seat and fire up the engine, it is on cold idle!! If adding the vents made a 100% difference in engine bay cooling, then adding these fans to the vents made a 500% difference.

And before you ask: I've NEVER had over heating problems with the 3RZ. I run a 3-core V6 radiator with 2 bottles of Redline Water Wetter. It is just that when Rock Crawling as slow as I do, there is hardly any air flow. And I know that engine is working very hard and not getting very far, so I just like to keep things as cool as possible under the hood. I like to believe the engine appreciates it.


EDIT: I had the date wrong here. I installed these fans April 22, not April 4.

EDIT: Please see Reply # 118 for more info and where to buy these fans.

[BigMike]

Continuing with engine bay cooling..

June 20, 2007: Built a sweet Downey header heat shield



Remember that the Supercharger IS like having another exhaust manifold. Not exactly, but because TuRD is silly enough to run a M62 1.0 liter Supercharger on a 2.7 liter engine, they have to spin the silly little tiny blower at 15,000-something RPM to get the boost out of the engine.

I wrote down what the exact RPM of the Supercharger is at engine redline, I'll have to dig through my notes for these numbers. My engine redlines just like a 22R-E at 5,750 rpm, but the Supercharger exceeds the manufactures speed rating around 5,300 rpm.

So that poor poor Supercharger is just spinning it's head off trying to keep up with the big block Toyota 4cyl, and it really generates a LOT of extra heat under the hood:



Trim around the upper radiator hose and engine temp gauge:



A shot from beneath looking at the Downey C.A.R.B.-legal header:



And here is my digital temp probe I use to monitor engine bay temps:




Again, the engine never over heats, I've never seen it go past 40% gauge. I just like keeping things cool is all.

[BigMike]

And that was around the time I came across a sweet deal on some 37" MTRs that I couldn't pass up.

July 12, 2007: Changed shoes


(front tire comparison)


I know what you're asking: But why?

I've gone over it before, just in a nut shell, the Rockers are great. I enjoyed them off road. But on road, they SUCK. I know they are not intended for daily driving, and so I needed something that fit this trucks life style better. I guess you could say I took a step in the "less hardcore" direction, and certainly "less exotic", but the MTRs are just too practical and are the Rockers just didn't make up in other departments what they lacked in practicality, and also, height:



I always complained that the 37" ROCKER was more like a 35" MTR and I believe the comparison above really drives this point home.

And if that is not enough to discourage one, daily drivers close your eyes:




So yeah, 23 lbs lighter on aluminum wheels. I know its not a straight across comparison, but that is a lot when you have to drive every day.

Granted my truck is becoming less of a "daily driver" as it used to be, I am just looking to make things more reliable and more practical. I have to have a truck that is ready for anything at any time. That could mean a road trip to Moab, UT, who knows..

[BigMike]

Moving right along...

September 9, 2007: Installed new bug splatting device



The original one I had when I got the truck had a crack in it, so it was time to go



Here blane525 and Marlin help me out




Fresh from the wrecking yard Even has the nice blue tint up top:

[BigMike]

Next, I really GOTTA get some on board air.

I believe I bought this RV2 compressor back in 2005 and I STILL have not installed it. Heh.

September 10, 2007: Getting closer to having on board air

First step was to open up the intake port. The exhaust is 1" in diameter, so why not make the compressor's life easy and give it a bigger mouth:

Intake Before:


Intake After:

[BigMike]

Next is to get rid of the 1972 Dodge Newport ridiculously heavy triple? v-groove oversized, low RPM pulley.

So I took a trip to the wrecking yard and snagged some Ford serpentine A/C pulley, clutch, and magnet assembly.

And let the fun begin:







Got the proper spacing


Set of shims used


Sleeve needed for clutch