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Boingk's Cleveland Powered LandCruiser

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  • Boingk's Cleveland Powered LandCruiser

    Hey all, long time reader first time writer. I've joined because this community seems to fit how and what I build. I'm from Australia so good advice from people used to working with American-based engines in particular can be hard to find sometimes.

    Anyway, on to the 'Cruiser! I picked her up for $4500, complete with 35" Mickey Thompson Baja MT's on billet aluminium 15" wheels. The rear had a false-floor system I sold for $150 to a friend and under the bonnet there was a great big 351 Cleveland topped with a few nice goodies such as MSD Pro-Billet distributor and Blaster Coil, Holley 600cfm four-barrel carb and a single-plane aluminium intake manifold.

    The bad? She had more rust than body, the aftermarket suspension was riding very stiff due to a load rating mismatch, and both the driveline and engine needed attention big time. Oh yeah, the heater was stuck on, too.

    Picture time:

    On pickup:


    Rear false floor:


    The Cleveland!


    Cheers all, more to come.

    - boingk

  • #2
    Welcome! Looks like a nice rig!

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    • #3
      Cheers Bob! She has her high points for sure. Here were the low ones...
















      There was much more than the above photos, but eventually I figured I'd be better off fixing it instead of photographing it and got stuck in with metal-reinforced fibreglass filler and a flap disc, before repeating the procedure with lightweight styrene filler and throwing some paint over the top.

      - boingk

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      • #4
        Check out the MP&C thread on the '55 Chevy station wagon. It makes us all look like hacks, especially me!

        Guessing those are Aussie dollars? How do they stack up with USD? Just curious how far my meager dollars would stretch down there.

        Dan

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        • #5
          That truck wouldn't exist here in the Salt Land of the US. Namely any state that gets snow and they salt the roads. Good luck with it. Love the Cleveland!!
          BS'er formally known as Rebeldryver

          Resident Instigator

          sigpic

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          • #6
            Originally posted by DanStokes View Post
            Check out the MP&C thread on the '55 Chevy station wagon. It makes us all look like hacks, especially me!

            Guessing those are Aussie dollars? How do they stack up with USD? Just curious how far my meager dollars would stretch down there.

            Dan
            Oh yeah, there are some top builds out there that's for sure. I am by no means a show-finish operator but everything I drive has to be reliable and functional... even if it does mean bringing along a packet of clipties and a spare fuel pump / litre of oil / power valve just to be sure!

            Originally posted by Scott Ligett
            Love the Cleveland!!
            Thanks mate! We got them for over a decade down here in our Fords, and we got a de-stroked 351 Cleveland which was a '302 Cleveland'... they got reworked cylinder heads to keep compression up which had a closed chamber, 2.02"/1.65" valves and 2V ports. Great upgrade to a stock open head and will give about 10.2:1 compression on a stock 351C.

            - boingk

            EDIT: Yes, all figures are in Australian Dollaridoos. One Aussie dollar buys about 72 US Cents at the moment... or looking the other way around, one US Dollar is worth about $1.37 Australian.
            Last edited by boingk; January 9, 2017, 01:22 AM.

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            • #7
              That is a SUNDAY RIG.... Holy!

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              • #8
                the asians are sure known for their ability to rust - fortunately, they put lots of metal there as well.
                Doing it all wrong since 1966

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                • #9
                  Holy alright... especially the passenger's footwell!



                  Nothing tekscrews and a damaged streetsign can't fix though:




                  As for the rest of the rust, I wirebrushed and fibrefilled until I was reasonably happy. I'm glad this was a body-on-frame vehicle or it might've ended up as scrap.





                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Well, after about $100 in filler, sanding supplies and colour matched paint she looks alright. Its only a quick and dirty patch job but seeing as she is a body on frame type vehicle it isn't too much of an issue. The chassis is strong and the rust holes are filled, roll on!





                    By the way, if you get overspray on your windscreen rubbers just colour it in with a Sharpie. Works a treat!

                    - boingk

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      After filling the rust I concentrated on more user-friendly modifications and repairs. I mentioned I sold the rear false floor setup to a friend, and in its place I put a few spare tyres. They aren't the correct size but they will fit and work just fine.



                      The driver's and passengers seats got cleaned up and I stitched the gear-shift boot closed with zip ties as it had a large split and was blowing hot air into the cab.


                      Lastly... she desperately needed drink holders! Some old cans and a few tekscrews put them in place by the handbrake.


                      I swear, nothing beats having a properly placed drink holder, it just makes a drive that much easier.

                      - boingk

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                      • #12
                        Do you mean can can holders?
                        Functional..

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                        • #13
                          Ugly but functional... something its owner can relate to haha.

                          After I got that stuff out of the way I decided to try and improve the snatchy throttle response - it was like a lightswitch, all or nuthin'. Kind of a problem with a 351 Cleveland V8. I started at the carburettor.

                          After replacing the fuel line, filter, and clamps it ran a lot better but was still snatchy. I adjusted the linkage and it got a bit better.



                          Not content, I addressed the issue by installing a stock dual-plane manifold and rejetting the 600cfm carburettor to factory settings, including a much more conservative secondary spring.





                          When I took off the aftermarket manifold, I saw a part of the problem. The intake valley was all but clogged with sealant - it was inside the ports, all over the gaskets, everywhere!





                          It all cleaned up okay and I got back to business installing the intake and retuned carburettor.

                          - boingk

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                          • #14
                            ...and the intake installed:



                            Looks much better with the scoop fitted!



                            Haha, always fun. And, er, never mind the sticks poking out of the manifold. They are plugging vacuum leaks left by once-fitted factory pickups. I have no idea what they were for or where to find original fittings for them... hence the sticks and Sikaflex.

                            - boingk

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                            • #15
                              Intake leaks are a bummer, at least on a clevo you don't have to deal with coolant in the intake. I have found that gray RTV on the front and rear of the block flange work out better than the rubber or cork gaskets for those areas.

                              I have also removed "oversized aftermarket" intakes in favor of a factory intake on a clevo with a mild cam... (292/298, 506"/519" Old crane hydraulic flat tappet)
                              and it ran MUCH better and had better throttle response and street manners.

                              ENJOY
                              There's always something new to learn.

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