Quick Update:
The recent snow slowed my progress down a bit, but I still managed to get a few things done. There was an upside to all the snow. It allowed me to thoroughly test the transfer-case and hubs. The transfer case shifted great and ran smooth. The hubs locked in like they were supposed to, but they refused to unlock. I tried backing up for long distances, backing up and pulling forward multiple times, jacking the wheel up and rotating it back and forth, but nothing worked. I eventually had to disassemble the hubs and unlock them by hand. On the plus side, I’m now great at quickly removing the hubs! So, manual hubs have become a main priority before our trip. Unfortunately the Toyota yards want $75-$100 for a pair of used Aisin hubs. You can pick up a whole axle for that much at the regular junkyards. I’m going to scour the local yards and if all else fails I’ll buy the $75 set.
Removing the hubs:
The two front end collisions left the bumper brackets mangled and partially torn off. I removed the damaged stock mounts and built new mounts using a few pieces of scrap metal. I still need to add gussets, but the new mounts are substantially stronger than before. The ¼” L brackets are going to be used to mount my Dad’s old TJ bumper. Surprisingly it’s almost the perfect size! It should also provide decent protection since it protrudes a bit more than the stock bumper and it’s free!
Here are the new bumper mounts and brackets:
I also received my timing chain kit, oil pump, and valve cover gasket set from engnbldr.
Hopefully the disassembly and installation goes smoothly. I’m going to hit the junkyards tomorrow morning and then start digging into the engine.
