clay Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hello out there, just picked up a '77 Chinook two weeks ago after daydreaming about a camper for a few years now. Always liked these old chinooks- good size, looks, and a chassis platform that i'm kinda familiar with (owned 6 land cruisers over the years, two 1980 4x4 pickups [one of which i traded for the chinook]). my new rig runs but needs some help, and the PO gutted the interior (saved me the time and probable hanta virus). spent last weekend scrubbing down the exterior and cleaning up the interior. Then moved on to the initial mechanical work- engine oil, flushed the coolant system (nastiest brown coolant i've seen), fixed a leak in the radiator, and new belt and alternator. - My first question of many: The oil light on the dash is on, despite reading full on the dipstick. looking around under the hood, is the oil pressure sender on the side of the oil pan? there looks to be a sender or something there, but the wire is cut. would a lack of connection to the sender cause the light to come on? seems like if the connection was gone, the light wouldn't come on. the oil pan also looks to have been pretty well dented up, maybe messing up the oil pick up/ pump? had thought of pulling the pan, bashing out the dents, and resealing, but didn't want to dive into that if not needed. -2nd question: despite a new alt, the charge light is usually on. i did have napa test the old alt, which was indeed bad. i see these have an external voltage regulator and i've messed about with it, but the haynes manual is pretty light on details about adjusting it. i can't get it above 12.3v or so, regardless of RPM. also voltage starts at 10 or so and rises to 12ish as RPMs go up. is this normal? i thought voltage stayed nearly constant while amperage went up with engine speed. as you can see, i like to think i'm kinda mechanical, but maybe have just enough knowledge to get myself into trouble and not enough to get myself out of it. i do plan on bringing it to a real mechanic at least to get an idea what it will need to be fairly reliable and safe. i'd like to not spend too much money on it and instead save for a future 4x4 swap and maybe a modern engine (tacoma 3rz would be sweet in one of these i'd bet. i'll start with this, hope to get some ideas on interior rebuild from the community here in the future. thanks for your interest. clay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 On a 22re the oil sender is in the vicinity of the oil filter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Yep. Wouldn't make sense to put it in the oilpan. Pressure is zero in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 You might find some interesting info here:- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/17506795/Toyota_Pickup_Idiot_Book.pdf Kind of basic, but you never know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 that makes sense, i've just never seen anything on an oil pan before. these pre '79 models are new to me. had a heck of a time getting the old filter off, maybe i bumped the connector loose. also the electrical on this thing looks like my 3 yr old did the work! few wires under there look to have been left unmolested. hard to trace a wire that changes color with every splice. quite a few places where the insulation has worn through as well. thanks for the link derek, i've seen that authors VW book, didn't know there was a toyota one. i'm a big fan of having as much knowledge as possible, no matter how basic. my self taught wrenching skills can use all the help i can get. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Unfortunately, it's never been updated to cover my V6. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 Some day i'll learn from my past mistakes, such as checking fuses before i get any deeper into a problem! Engine fuse was blown, i think i shorted it when i messing with the voltage regulaor earlier. now the oil light is off, and i'm back to overcharging. i'll go back to tinkering with the regulator, maybe now the adjustments will do something to the voltage level. derek- that book is so much more helpful than haynes/chilton crap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I didn't read the whole thing, word for word, but what it covers, it seems to cover all the bases. I wish there was an equally clear write-up about changing the V6 timing belt and valve adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krj Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Hey Clay I found a Factory Service manual for the '84 pickup I'm rebuilding on Ebay. Think I paid about $50 and its worth every bit of $100. Covers everything in great detail. Didn't you tell me your Chinook had a Japanese surplus engine in it, not the standard 20R? Good luck, keep us posted. Looks like the weather for the next week is well suited for shop work. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 yeah, i have a FSM for my '76 land cruiser project- very helpful with great in depth knowledge for a single, stock model. the book linked to above just seem more helpful with general repair and diagnostics as well as explaining a bit better in layman terms. was able to get it charging at the correct voltage this morning, now onto tuning the carb a bit better (runs really smooth when cold, then rough at idle when warm), then tackle some of the leaks and floor rot issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Toyota Posted May 8, 2011 Share Posted May 8, 2011 i have a 1978 20r minimax have had 1978 2wd pu and staion wagen all20r some of those direct from japan replacement moters are 21 r never used here as new irecmend replace voltage regulator also and yes oil pressure switches is down by oil filter it was also wired throug eletric fuel pump to confirm oil press to protec moter i mould conferm your oil pressure with a gage as you are new to unit there are no cam bering inserts in the head bad oil pressure you will buy a head in those days the fact toyota books where all seperat i have mine for the 20r more for diff body and eletric they used the 20r in pu and celica and corona cars moter all same after 1978 a mechinal fuel pump on left side of head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 thanks 5toyota. i've had a couple of trucks with the 20r too. i have most of the mechanical issues under control now, also have an appointment with a real mechanic to go over it, do the fine tuning on the carb and let me know if i missed anything or safety issues. now i'm getting some cash together to start work on the floor rot. i've found the drivers side behind the wheel well and in front of it near the metal support leg are the only rotten places. not sure if it would be easier to replace sections of the floor that are bad or just lift the coach off the chassis and do the whole floor at once and be done with it. my father in law will help (well equiped wood shop, even has some epoxy i can use). i assume the lower layer of ply will be bad too. while i'm at it i was planning on improving the coach-chassis connection with some 2x2 angle across the width of the floor as well. any tips or thoughts from anyone who has done floor work would be great. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 23, 2011 Author Share Posted May 23, 2011 Demolition day! Drove down to the in-laws today and lifted the coach off. the coach removal went far smoother than i had planned, no bolts were rusted in place (maybe a first for me), found almost all the cab-coach attachments quickly (didn't know about the sheet metal screws on the top of the pass thru). between a floor jack and wood blocks and a few ratchet straps it lifted right off and i drove the truck out. we decided to replace the whole floor and will be doing it in two segments and a third for the "basement" in the way back. using an old wood chisel we cut the glass tape at the wall/floor junction all the way around the front half then sawzalled down the middle- out it came. my father in-law is an incredible wood worker and all around handy guy, over the next few days he is going to recreate the floor with 1/4 ply on top and bottom, some stick framing and filling the voids with 3/4 inch foamboard. i have wednesday off and am planning on heading over and hopefully installing the front bit of the floor and working on demo'ing and building the back part. now some questions: -i assume the garden hose between the cab roof and cab-over of the camper was not the stock seal. any tips on what to use when it goes back on? -am currently planning on using 2k epoxy primer as my seal on the bottom of the floor, not going to put sheet metal back on. also thought about spraying a 2 part bedliner over the primer, but not sure if its in the budget. any thoughts appreciated. pics here http://www.flickr.com/photos/claymorrison/sets/72157626659420283/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted May 23, 2011 Share Posted May 23, 2011 Thanks for posting the update and pictures. I quickly skimmed the thread and didn't notice mention of what you're going to mount your 'new' Chinook on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 24, 2011 Author Share Posted May 24, 2011 i'd love to put it on a 4x4 chassis down the line, but for now its going back on the '77. it'll stay toyota either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiChiNooky Owner Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 congrats on the chinook purchase and good luck on the restore. Bought my 77 last fall and beginning to tinker with it now. My two cents is to bypass all the issues and future issues you will have w/ the stock carb and put a weber in it. wish I would have last fall. getting ready to hand mine over to a mechanic any day. toyota mini's is a good site for toy motorhead feedback, btw, not to ad for another site, but its all good. I am getting water in throught the drivers side engine compartment near the firewall thought I had it figured out just bought a set of rubber for it cheap on CL as the rear tires were weather checked (great tread...but '04s left to rott) we owned a 76 chinook when I was a teen and always wanted one. Mine is becoming more of a project then I thought when I bought it. need to get out in it soon! good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted May 30, 2011 Author Share Posted May 30, 2011 got some work done this week, today i glassed over all the misc. holes in the coach. left the two big ones on the drivers side, planning on those being slide out tables/kitchen stuff. the rest i covered up. i plan on keeping it pretty simple and modular. no shore water, heater vent (may go catalytic propane someday), etc. father in law has been rebuilding the rear door. we've been waiting on our marine plywood order so we can get the floor rebuilt, missed the truck this week, should be in on thursday. plenty of other stuff to do, but would be nice to get that floor in and remount the coach. tomorrow going to tackle some more 'glass work and put some LED tailights in the bumper- glassing over the stock light holes- fewer holes in the coach to let water in the better as far as i'm concerned. any one need a left tailight for cheap? right one (i think) is busted up a bit. hey chichi, thanks for the thoughts. i put a weber in one of the 1980 4x4s i've had... didn't really see much improvement, same with headers. from my experience, i like the stock stuff when its in tune. it just works. no matter how much $$$ you put into them, they're still a carbed cyl. a 3rz-fe out of a tacoma however... more pics soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george101 Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 Oh man, the alternator light! haha. I was having the same problem with my chinookster. I put in two new alternators trying to fix the problem and had the guy down at advanced auto parts pull out his fancy machine to check to see if electricity was getting drained. Eventually I came to the conclusion that the alt light just kind of glows all the time. haha. I guess you can fix that with a bit of electrical tape. The other problem I was having was with the water coming in on the driver's side. Whenever it would rain you'd feel a methodical drop of water hit your big toe. The fenders seem to get plugged up with leaves and stuff, but you can unscrew them pretty easily and remove the built up waste that has accumulated over the past 30+ years, and that at least "helps". It didn't entirely fix my problem, but it doesn't seem to leak quite as much any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 Been getting a few hours a week in on the chinook project, finally sitting on the chassis again, ready to be bolted down. Still not entirely sure what my plan is with the cab-camper seal and attachment. In the pics you can see the new under camper supports: 2x2 angle boxed where the chassis mounts are. For the floor rebuild we used 1/4" ply for the top and bottom, with either 3/4" foamboard insulation or 3/4" plank where bolts will pass through or extra strength is needed. i ended up putting two coats of epoxy on the floor bottom as my coating- easier to repair/add to later, same price as 2k epoxy paint/cheaper than bedliner. Hopefully by next weekend i'll have come up with some seal ideas and the camper will be bolted back on the truck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morox Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 Looking great! I'm going to be replacing the floor in my '76 Chinook and your pictures have been super helpful. Any updates? ~Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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