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The Buyer's Remorse is Strong in This One, Today.

I'm afraid these trucks are a constant 'labour of love' (AKA a 'Money Pit') but we continue to persevere with them (unless its a RAV4 :whistle:). Treat it as a 'Hobby Job' and do a bit at a time but realise it will never be finished :icon-wink:.

The front-end problems are nothing but an annoyance to you - they can be fixed as and when while the car is being used.

The chassis hasn't collapsed so you can still drive it until you have time to get it plated.

Swapping the LSV should be straightforward in a garage with a car lift. Some brake pipe, in-line connectors and a new valve is all that's required (plus bleeding the wretch !).

Stick with it - you won't regret it (much) :lol:.

You will find more things to investigate and discuss - we all do.

Bob.
 
Guess what my next job is?..
IMG_20210804_151135.jpg
 
That's so puuuurdy
 
You breathe one breath at a time so do one job one job at a time learn as you go along then sleep soundly at night with the knowledge that all that glitters is not gold its a DIAMOND
 
Dear Volkswagen.

I'm sorry. I take everything back.

Yours apologetically,

stuzbot


My new LSV arrived today and I've just spent a couple of hours wrestling with the old one, trying to get it off. Boy! I don't think I've never been so pleased in my life when 'Rain stopped play' and I had to retire to the pavilion.

I used to regularly return to the house, after working on my VWs, covered in oil and swearing that they were Germany's revenge for losing the war. But, after tackling that LSV, I'm beginning to think that the Japanese reputation for cruelty is even more well-deserved.

Jeebus! --could you have designed a more wall-head-buttingly frustrating piece of kit to dismantle, if you'd tried?

* three delicate brake pipes attached, one of which is hidden from view

* two bolts holding the LSV to its bracket where the tops are hidden from view and the bolts free to spin

* bracket itself held on with two bolts also hidden from view

* fuel tank in the way of getting access on one side

* chassis rail getting in the way of access from the other side

* rubber boot and swing arm of LSV getting in the way from underneath

* no access from above

And then, for good measure:

* make sure all nuts and bolts are made of cheese

* encrust the whole area with 20 years of corrosion

And, although I admit this will doubtless be down to the aforementioned corrosion:

* make all the nuts a slightly annoyingly unusual size which seems to lie somewhere between 11mm and 12mm.

This last one was a real pisser. Back when I arrived home in the Land Cruiser after buying it, one of my neighbours came up to me and said "Oh. You've gone Japanese this time" [I'd previously had 3 VWs in a row].

"Yep!" I replied handsomely and then added "At least all my spanners will still fit!"

You can practically dismantle an entire VW with 9mm, 13mm and 17mm spanners. And I have so many decent quality spanners, sockets, etc in those sizes built up over the years. Then, I get working on my Land Cruiser and find those sneaky Japanese have decided to make everything 11mm or 12mm instead. Sizes which seem to be strangely rare amongst all my tools. Obviously the Axis powers bought one set of spanners before the war and then divvied it up between them.

So many spanners & sockets. So few the right size!

20210804_161009.jpg


Anyway, I digress.

After two hours wrestling today, I have managed to:

* remove one bolt on the LSV bracket [which didn't actually seem to serve any purpose]

* loosen one visible brake line without breaking it

* dismantle the swingy arm on the LSV to try and get better access

* round off the other visible brake line nut

* turn one of the nuts holding the LSV to the bracket --only to find it was actually spinning the unseen head of the bolt as well

* round off the other nut holding the LSV to the bracket

* fail to turn the slightly visible bolt holding the bracket to the chassis, due to lack of access

* try to split the nuts on the LSV holding it to the bracket with my smallest nut splitter... only to find it wasn't quite small enough, so it just slid off, mangling the nuts and the ends of the bolts

* decide I needed to get my Dremel wannabe and cut the nuts off, which involves trailing my 10m extension lead down from my 1st floor flat and across the carpark

* crawl out from under the motor to go and fetch it and find it had started spitting with rain

I've got to say, I think I've had days were I felt slightly more sense of achievement!

I do love an inaccessible rusted solid bolt or five!

20210804_160746.jpg


The sum total of two hours attempted dismantling today

20210804_160915.jpg



PS: Does anyone have a part number for the three brake lines which run into the LSV? I'd say the chances of me removing them without cracking them is less than zero. And they're so crusty, I should replace them anyway. It's hard to tell where they go, as they disappear up above the suspension mounting. But it looks like they might be the same lines as emerge and run about halfway forward along the chassis rail, where there are joins.

I'm just wondering whether it would work out cheaper [in both time and money] for me just to buy the lines, rather than fork out for flaring tool, pipe cutter, pipe bender, etc.... although buying all the tools would have the advantage of allowing me to make up other pipes in future.
 
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Guess what my next job is?..

I forgot to take a pic of my shiny new one. Was too busy swearing at the old crust-bucket to lose myself in such idle frippery.

EDIT: Oh go on then. Can't beat a bit of 'Shiny New Parts Porn' --although yours is a much nicer colour. Mind you, give it a year or two and they'll both be clad in a fetching 'Angel of The North' orange.

20210804_181454.jpg


One good thing about having the new part in hand is that it gives you an idea what all those encrusted lumps are that you can feel on the side that's hidden from view.
 
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The front-end problems are nothing but an annoyance to you - they can be fixed as and when while the car is being used.

The chassis hasn't collapsed so you can still drive it until you have time to get it plated.

Yep. this is what I'm telling myself.

The motor is MOT'd til January next year, so [even allowing for the beautiful British weather] there's plenty of time to sort things out or at least get some months' use out of it.

I just felt really down, like I'd had a kick in the teeth the other day as, when I bought the motor, for a few grand less than I sold my previous one, I laid in probably about a grand's worth of spares for a mighty preventative maintenance programme, thinking "I'm really going to look after this baby!"

And then, before I even got to drive the thing more than a couple of times, some sh*tty and expensive wee component [that won't even ever activate for my intended use of the motor] decided to break that; not only wasn't on my list of planned jobs, but is going to be a complete bugger to remove and [as an added bonus] I found that piece of chassis rot while scoping out that area.

So, all in all, it's not been a great week.
 
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Yes. It's had its chance to play nicely. Tomorrow it's getting the Dremel wannabe unleashed on it. And I've got a good stash of cutting wheels. So, it's coming off one way or another!
 
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What happened to the BFH amongst your tools, or is it being held in reserve ?
Seriously though, you seem to be coming to some agreement with the lc, and keeping good humour on here, if not on the job. Not easy at all mate, when everything is against you, and then more. Keep at it, it will get better !
 
the nuts will appear to be an odd size due to the corrosion.

if you are keeping your existing brake lines heat the fittings first, they dont usually take much. doesnt need a full on oxy set up. plumbers torches work well, i also use a small screw on gas canister thing that i cant remember the name of. it wasnt expensive, good for tight spaces and has a nice direct flame.
 
A set of Irwin sockets are a good investment for Cruiser mechanics as the corrosion makes even numbers into odd numbers. As CG says, heat is your friend, when I took the one off the 80 ( a 97) it turned out to be my best friend. All the bolts came out and the pipes came off. All in all it was a Bast**d job, and I had the use of a ramp.
 
Well, I've already got a couple of mini blow torches but was a bit wary of using them near brake lines in case boiling brake fluid was a bad idea. But I'll give it a go.

I'd seen those fluted sockets before but didn't know they were generically referred to as Irwin Sockets. I've never had any luck with any of the bolt / stud extractors I've tried before. But those were the kind where you drill into the bolt first and then insert the extractor, which then promptly snaps off inside the bolt. These Irwin jobbies look a bit tougher, so I've ordered the base set and the expansion set.

Hmmm... I wonder if there ever comes a moment in your life where you realise you've actually acquired enough tools and don't actually desperately need "just this one last thing"?
 
A guy can never have enough tools.

Watching you-tube vids is a sure way of spotting something you don't have, then it gnaws away at you brain until you just have to have one too :angry-screaming: .

That, and visiting neighbours' garages and saying "Ooooh - where did you get THAT from ?".

Its a downward spiral with no bottom.

Enjoy :thumbup:.

Regarding bolts - Toyota love the odd size M12, M14-headed ones with the conical, hollow tops, that collapse under load.

I replace them with stainless M13, M15-headed 'normal' bolts with loads of Optimol anti-seize paste.

A MAP-Gas torch is a must (with fire extinguisher or garden hose).

Wait 'til you start getting into welding - that's a hobby all on its own !

Bob.
 
Did have a King Dick Speed Wrench along with several Footprint tools from time served a Draper socket set which was bloody good circa 1981and my prized possession was a 1941 German jerry can with markings now worth dunno how much all stolen and then start down the financial filler neck of I Did Not Have One Of Those Last Time then get a job doing breakdown and recovery see where this is going now got small roller cabinet two tool boxes and kit stored on top of cabinet and you know you really NEED the next gen or power tools with batteries but as the years go by it works out cheaper than a pint a day well thats what I tell myself
 
I love the cerebral contortions that I go through to justify the expenditure to myself. It must be the same gene in men that, in women, results in them "needing" several dozen pairs of shoes.

Most recent example:

Last week I ordered the LSV valve, then read a thread where someone had deleted and added a T-junction in the brake lines and I thought "That's a good idea". So I cancelled the order for the LSV.

When the PayPal notification that I'd been refunded came through, instead of my brain thinking "OK. We're back to where we were again", it immediately thought "WooHoo! I've just made £150!"

Then I thought better of trying to delete the LSV, so I re-ordered the part again. With my brain, this time thinking "It's OK. we're no worse off than before. We've already paid for this once. We're just doing it again"

Then, last night, some irresponsible people on here, who shall remain nameless, mentioned Irwin Sockets to me. So I "had" to order a set of them, justifying it to myself by.... you guessed it... conniving with my brain to convince ourselves, we were buying them out of the £150 I'd got back from cancelling the 1st LSV order and were still £100 up on the deal.

I tell you, if mental gymnastics was a recognised sport, I'd be standing on a podium in Tokyo about now.
 
Then, last night, some irresponsible people on here, who shall remain nameless, mentioned Irwin Sockets to me. So I "had" to order a set of them, justifying it to myself by.... you guessed it... conniving with my brain to convince ourselves, we were buying them out of the £150 I'd got back from cancelling the 1st LSV order and were still £100 up on the deal.

Don't forget to post the link, if you think they're any good!!! :clap:
 
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