1978 Restoration (the best I can...)

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:25 PM

Well, I've been wanting to do this since I bought my 78 almost 2 years ago, so I've finally decided it was time. I really hope you guys help me out a lot; I'm going to need it. I know vertually nothing about cars and trucks, so I think this is going to be a GREAT learning experience for me. So here goes nothing!

This is definately intimidating.
Before pics:

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:42 PM

Now, to take it apart. Don't worry, I'm documenting where everything went with pictures (tons) and i'm also writing down notes.
Here are a couple pics so far:

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:48 PM

A couple more:
I found that the PO used nickles, dimes and pennies to cover up small holes in the tub before he layed down the bed liner. ha ha ha. By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money!
In the picture of the fresh metal, do you think that could be the stock metal? I just peeled up the bed liner stuff by hand (I guess I'm pretty lucky to be able to do that) and found it looking pretty new.

freightdog · 03-11-07, 09:51 PM

I am enjoying the pic's

Great job!

rockcod · 03-11-07, 11:13 PM

"By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money!"

HAHAHA, Right, cuisers are money sponges!!!!!

I like the gas tank you have, how many gallons and who makes it? I am in the process of doing the same thing, looking good keep after it.

90 Weight · 03-12-07, 01:26 PM

sweet man. im looking forward to watching your project progress..... Looks like you have a nice clean cruiser to start off with!

So whats the plan? Trailer rig? DD?

CruiserFetish.com · 03-12-07, 03:49 PM

Mike, must have gotten moved alright and HI looks a might bit warmer than the last pic. I look forward to seeing your progress, I too am working on a 78 so I will be following your thread!

ProvoCruiser · 03-12-07, 04:36 PM

mike, great looking cruiser. been working on my 78 for a few months now. lots of money, time, frustration and yes lots of fun. but i dont regret it. good luck!

apeterson · 03-12-07, 06:51 PM

keep it up... keep the pics coming... wish I had a 78....

mikedickbek · 03-13-07, 12:50 AM

Thanks guys.
Eli, my plans are to make it basically a daily driver that do some wheeling when I've got the time. I'm a half hour walk from work, so since I don't NEED a car I'll have the time (probably not the money) to do it decently well. The wife uses the Tacoma for work, so I'll need a good pair of flip flops for my commuting.
Another reason I'm doing this is to be able to pass the safety inspections here. They're brutal. When I got the truck here, I took it to a local place to get the inspection done, and upon seing the truck and the half assed body lift the po did, I got laughed off the lot. So with that and some strange noises the front axle's making, I decided that now's the time to tackle this. I know it's going to take a long time though... no speed records like you did with yours. You definately inspired me to do this though. I'll make sure to tell my wife that so she can tear your ass. ha ha ha ha ha.
Cruiserfetish, thanks again for the shirts. Still wear them all the time.
Well, back to the garage...

TLCHopII · 03-13-07, 02:02 AM

Hello Mike,

My shop is at your disposal! Migs, tigs and stick welders; metal formin equip up to 16ga.; torches; some structural steel shapes (no DOM at this time); sources for all; lots of low end hardware (light on the grade 8 stuff - bought for jobs only) Lots of flat concrete and layout tables. Have a couple really savy freinds who would likely jump in if allowed!

Let me know what you need. I'll be makin some rock sliders for MikeHI H2 soon . If box tube, angle & shaped steel are what you need maybe we could get some of yours outa the way at the same time!

Dave

rabid · 03-13-07, 06:23 AM

to the above shop owner.

I love this board for that very reason.

Good luck with the build, she looks to be in great shape.

Suarez0523 · 03-13-07, 09:06 AM

Cool pics man, looking foward to more.

BTW, if you ever want to get rid of your Bull Bar I am first in line. I have been looking for one of those suckers for a while and no luck.

mikedickbek · 03-14-07, 03:30 PM

Rockcod I'll check on those tank specs for you when I get home tonight.
HopII, thanks so much for the offer. I've never welded before, but would love to learn.
As for the project, I've been keeping myself busy taking it apart. My wife is hating that thing more and more every day. It seems like it's been taking forever... each bolt I try to remove presents a whole new set of challanges. It'll be nice to put it back together and at least be consistant with things unlike the po.
Thanks for the comments and help guys,
Mike

90 Weight · 03-14-07, 05:17 PM

Its good your taking your time while taking it apart.... I remeber (or lack of memory) the night we tore it down....we all got pretty hammered and then just took everything apart....with no order to it whatsoever! that was probably the biggest mistake of my whole build! Also another thing....im sure alot of people have told you this....but dont throw away anything until you have the replacement part in hand...I threw a bunch of "simple" stuff away thinking it would be easy to replace...apparently I missed the "Landcruiser" emblem on the side of the cruiser!

73fj · 03-14-07, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedickbek

My wife is hating that thing more and more every day.
Mike

Welcome to my world dude!

TLCHopII · 03-15-07, 01:46 AM

Did I mention my previou s three cruisers?

18 years ago

New wife + new baby = bye bye land cruisers!
Regret it to this day! But we all make consesions. Still got the baby (18+ yrs old) and the wife just paid for my latest LandCruiser!

As for welding I'll U2U you on the next fab day/night.

TLCHopII · 03-15-07, 01:48 AM

FYI: Cruiserboy joined up on 4x4Boyz: he is great source for a plethera of used parts; he has three 40's of varying customization/condition. Did I mention he has allot of spare parts?

mikedickbek · 03-16-07, 01:58 AM

Small update. Tonight I've been removing the wiring harness. Not too hard considering I just installed it a couple months ago. Got the ventilation out and that allowed me to ge the tranny hump out... and to see how badly the hump was butchered to install.
In the picture of the tube type bar, you'll see one of the main reasons for this restoration: this was the body lift. On some of those tubes, the body was actually starting to lean forward off the frame. wtf.
in the other picture (with my hand) what's that little mount for? It's attached to the aft end of the battery tray where it attaches to the frame. Nothing was mounted on it.

mikedickbek · 03-16-07, 02:04 AM

OH yeah! Rockcod, I'm not sure of the size of my tank, but it looks just like this one http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.p...ank+long+range and it has LRA welded to the side of it. Don't know anything else about it. Hope that helps?

Trollhole · 03-16-07, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedickbek

in the other picture (with my hand) what's that little mount for? It's attached to the aft end of the battery tray where it attaches to the frame. Nothing was mounted on it.

Fuel filter mount.

TLCHopII · 03-17-07, 01:43 AM

Mike

FYI:
recieved my cruiser today! It arrived a week early!
Do you need any help?

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:30 PM

Got the tub off the other day. It's starting to get crowded in that tiny ass garage. Here are a couple pics. Can you guys spot anything that's not normal with 40s? I was wondering about the rear shock location.
This is where the "(the best I can...)" part of my title comes into play. I've got it stripped down pretty good, and I know this is going to piss a lot of you off, but I'm not going to pull the engine. I don't have the facilities here to do that, so I'm going to just strip down the frame and engine, degrease it all, sand it and repaint everything. My budget for this build is really small, so I'm trying to do everything myself. I can't afford to take it to get sandblasted and such, so i'm going to have to buy a hefty resperator for sanding dust. ha ha.
I'm going to remove the axles and suspension and hopefully be able to get a 4" lift. I'll dig into the axles to find out what's wrong with the front passenger side also.
Well, here are some pics of where I sit now, so let me know if you see anything that's way out of place.
Thanks a lot.

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:31 PM

more

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:32 PM

last two

KOOTENAY KRUZER · 03-23-07, 09:19 PM

I've never had a body off the frame so I can't comment on most of this, but the rear shock mounts appear to be 100% stock - at least if the bottom mount is part of the spring mounting plate

n2dirt · 03-23-07, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rabid

to the above shop owner.

I love this board for that very reason.

Good luck with the build, she looks to be in great shape.

i couldn't agree with you more!!! i'm in the process of removing the body also my frame is in need of a serious makeover. here's a couple of pics of what i got done tonight (not much). i plan on hitting it hard this weekend. i dont plan on removing the engine either. goodluck!!!

mikedickbek · 04-04-07, 08:39 PM

So there I was, in the garage. I decided it's time to remove the wheels so I can start getting into the axles. I got my hi-lift jack and lift up the front of the truck after removing all the front lug nuts. I take off the wheels and put the two jackstands in the front, and lower the jack. Good so far. Then I go to the back of the truck and start jacking it up (again, after removing the lug nuts). mid pump, the whole damn truck starts rocking forward on the two fwd jackstands. I grabbed the rear bumper and start pulling. It stopped shifting forward, but I couldn't pull it back. Then, it started wobbling side to side; and yes, my bike was were it is in these pictures!! I lowered the jack back down, then went to the front of the truck to see what happened. The forward jackstands were at about a 45 degree angle to the ground!! I was shitting myself by this point, so I run back, get the jack and re-lift up the front to straighten out the stands. I got that all set, but then decided that I was going to play it safe and put the stands the closest place possible, which was pretty much mid-frame. So there it now sits. It's stable now, but i'm deffinately going to have someone else there when it comes time to put the new wheels and tires back on!
Pics of my status:

mikedickbek · 04-04-07, 08:41 PM

90 Weight · 04-04-07, 09:06 PM

lookin good mike!

Yes the shocks are in stock location.

If your on a budget rebuild..then dont worry about takin out the engine....as long as the mounts are in good shape..

If I were you (because I started off on a "very tight budget" and ended up in debt with a full frame off) I would do a bunch of research into EVERY part you plan on replacing...and the cost of that...and STICK TO IT. I didnt have the self controll to do that..but if a budget build is what your going for then thats what I would reccomend..

Thats awesome if you can strip the frame down to bare metal yourself...

You should make that list and then post it up...so we can chime in with stuff you might have missed...

If you need any help coming up with a list let me know...

Nice R1...hopefully your gonna move it before any other misshaps can happen in the garage! I actually had the same thing happpen when I put my frame on Jackstands... Luckily I had a few extra hands to help stablize it...and my R6 was outside of the garage that time!

PS.. looks like someone tried to Hijack your thread (the post before your last)!