[cruiser enthuiser]

First let me say, this is not a frame-off, alas! Purists and perfectionist please turn away now.

I have spent many, many long hours up to now researching and planning my ultimate dream build for my 1968 FJ40. This is the first project vehicle I’ve ever wanted to tackle and I can say that I’ve been inspired by the many incredible and painstaking projects that have been shared here. The IH8MUD knowledge base is vast and I have studied intensely. A complete frame-off seemed like the only appropriate thing to do for my FJ40 that I love. In the process of planning I created spread sheets of the required parts, part numbers, prices, suppliers, time-lines etc. Words like ARB, NV4500, POR-15, MAF, SOR swirled in my mind. As the scope of the project multiplied and the tally continued to rise I eventually came to this sobering and painful conclusion: There’s no f**king way I can afford to do all this!

As this reality sank in that I had neither the money, nor time, to take on my dream build I formulated Plan B. My cruiser runs pretty good. It’s got a low mileage SBC 350 mated to the original 3 speed tranny/transfer (rebuilt recently says the PO). It just doesn’t look good. The new plan: make it look good, minimize down-time, then drive the hell out of it and have a blast. It doesn't have to be perfect -the frame-off resto can wait. Suddenly the pressure was off and I was ready to have fun.

Here's what it looked like before:

[cruiser enthuiser]

Pulling off the diamond plate reveals......


Not too bad .

[MAD40er]

That's an interesting bezel you have there!

[cruiser enthuiser]

Here's a couple of the interior. Hard top is not original to the vehicle. Check out the custom roll-cage. What do you do if you just fabbed up your cage and realize, "uh-oh, it doesn't fit." Grab your BFH and go to town, right?

Pisses me off every time I see it. Still don't know how I'm gonna fix the body damage to the dash...oh, well.

[cruiser enthuiser]

Originally Posted by MAD40er

That's an interesting bezel you have there!

I was gonna get to that. You're stealing my thunder


Yeah, bezel got hacked by PO, presumably to fit the Warn winch. Please note, however, that it is oriented correctly as demonstrated in the following pic. There is a wider hack hole at the top than at the bottom .

[cruiser enthuiser]

Plan was to do some body work - get the worst of the rust cut-out, fix very large dent in the passenger rocker. Fill lots of holes from PO. That guy drilled a lot of holes in the old girl. Anyway, I was going to try and justify this being in tech by showing how I repaired them. I had issues with my camera though and lost nearly all pics detailing repairs.

Probably for the best. You guys would have surely mocked some of my methods. For example, to fill the many small holes left behind by the diamond plate screws I simply taped a penny (copper, after all) behind them, welded them full and ground smooth. I did pick up some 16 guage sheet metal and pathced up the rear sill. It came out pretty decent and I used only a small amount of filler to smooth it out.

Only pic I have of the penny repair, sorry.

[cruiser enthuiser]

The existing paint was really bad. It was peeling all over. I hadn't intended to strip all the paint but when I took a sander to one of the rear quarters I inadvertantly cut a swath of beautiful smoothness right through that crap. "Uh-oh," I thought, "now I've done it."

So, I set about stripping all the paint. I used aircraft stripper, wire-wheel, DA sander, those paint and rust removal wheels and anything else I could get my hands on to take the old stuff off. Very laborious, but also very gratifying.

Here's a few pics for documentation sake:

[cruiser enthuiser]

I used Rustoleum rattle-can primer. Everything got at least two coats. Sanded with 220 before painting. Firewall was tricky. Removed as much as I could and used saran wrap extensively. I hate overspray.

[cruiser enthuiser]

I ordered a few things: new parking lights, tail lights and brackets, new apron emblems. Wow! They are beautiful. Also ordered some gaskets for the barn doors, fenders, kick vents, etc.

[cruiser enthuiser]

Finally, a few of the paint. It's on olive green type color. We call it "orc-hide" 'cause it's a dead ringer for my son's paint for one of his models. I know some are thinking I should have got an HVLP gun and done this "right." My goal was to keep it simple, and affordable. Spray paint doesn't have to look crappy. I've developed a decent hand for it. I used a wax and grease remover and carefully removed dust with a tack cloth. It's critical to work that wet edge while painting and have decent lighting. Everything got at least three coats, sometimes more. When neccesary I wet-sanded with some 400 grit between coats. I think you'd be surprised.

I still have a ways to go on this before its roadworthy but it is looking soooo much better. I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Anyway, last pics for tonight.

[MAD40er]

Man, it is looking good! As for the hard top, it looks like you have footman loops on the tailgate. Originally a soft top?

Love the color, are you going to clear coat it, or is this more of a trail rig and your wanting to touch up as you go? It looks like your 60 is the same color?

As for the replacement parts, what is your source? The infamous Dan?

I will be following this one closely, as I am considering buying a 63.

Good work!

[MAD40er]

As to the dash, I would most likely cut out the offending parts and weld new metal in.

[Ron B]

Looks good! I love love low budget builds. In the same boat here.

[RichardsBJ]

Dont worry about frame off. If the frame is good it should not be a worry. looking good so far...enjoy the process!

[lostmarbles]

Magnificent transformation

[subzali]

Very nice! Next thing I would do is hack off the front bumper and get a proper installation of that winch so you can sport a nice shiny bezel again!

[cruiser enthuiser]

Originally Posted by MAD40er

Man, it is looking good! As for the hard top, it looks like you have footman loops on the tailgate. Originally a soft top?

Love the color, are you going to clear coat it, or is this more of a trail rig and your wanting to touch up as you go? It looks like your 60 is the same color?


Good work!

Thanks! Not sure about the top. I was under the impression that all barn doors had the footman loops. There weren't any signs of the loops on the body - but maybe I missed it . And the 60 is actually beige. Just a weird late afternoon light in that pic.

Originally Posted by subzali

Very nice! Next thing I would do is hack off the front bumper and get a proper installation of that winch so you can sport a nice shiny bezel again!

Amen! Shopping for a new (used) bezel now.

Thanks for the kind words guys!

Ed

[Combat Chuck]

I'd just like to say that rattle-can restos are totally worthwhile. Honestly, a professional job is nice, but you end up kicking yourself every time a rock chips some paint off, or trees scrape it up. If you take your rig out to the trail, and throw some gravel around, and need cosmetic repairs later, just about any hardware store in the 'States carries Rust-oleum. I call it a win.

Great job so far, Cruiser Enthuiser, I folowed your TBI swap, and am looking forward to seeing just how awesome your 40 shapes up to be.

[Copenhagen1]

The truck is looking great. You and I are taking our trucks in the same direction. Keep up the good work.

[My wife said no FJ!]

Looks great!

Can't wait to see the end product

[FR3533]

what brand rattle can are you using, looks great im a big fan of the rattle can

[tglaser]

That looks awesome! I really dig the rattle can mentality myself.....my '69 is about to undergo a similar surgery. Didn't start out in the red like yours, man you've done a hell of a turnaround job with that one!

Bueno suerte amigo.

[greencruiser]

looking sweet liking the colour

[nicholastheczar]

Looks really good. Keep the pictures going. I've just started "resto-ing" my 1970; had the wire wheel and rustoleum primer out today as a matter of fact. Keep up the good work!

Nick

[jsuthey]

Looking good,nice job on the painting! Love the new emblems,signals,prk.lights,that was a nice little package there! I am doing alot of the same stuff on my truck.Just finished doing the Hurculiner over the weekend,came out nice.That stuff covers alot of imperfections,it's a good DIY job.I am also a big fan of the rattle can resto! I am using rust-oleum tan color,comes out nice painting a little at a time.I must confess,I used a little bondo on some spots I will end up fixing later(but it looks ok now!)
John

[Ron B]

Have the same winch. Went with this bumper and a few others here did also. not bad for the price. HD Front Winch Channel Bumper Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40:eBay Motors (item 270394488036 end time Aug-18-09 19:12:03 PDT)

[camcruiser13]

looks good

[4x4 Station Wagon]

It amazes me each time I see something like this done. My hat is off to you!

[cruiser enthuiser]

Originally Posted by FR3533

what brand rattle can are you using, looks great im a big fan of the rattle can

Originally Posted by Copenhagen1

The truck is looking great. You and I are taking our trucks in the same direction. Keep up the good work.

Originally Posted by Combat Chuck

I'd just like to say that rattle-can restos are totally worthwhile. Honestly, a professional job is nice, but you end up kicking yourself every time a rock chips some paint off, or trees scrape it up. If you take your rig out to the trail, and throw some gravel around, and need cosmetic repairs later, just about any hardware store in the 'States carries Rust-oleum. I call it a win.

Great job so far, Cruiser Enthuiser, I folowed your TBI swap, and am looking forward to seeing just how awesome your 40 shapes up to be.

Thanks everyone for the positive feedback...obviously a lot of like minds around here. Seriously, the kind words are very motivational!

Copenhagen...I've really enjoyed following your build - it definately inspired me to go this direction.

Chuck...thanks!

I have some work to finish up on the interior but I promise to share more pics soon. I'm gonna take a lot of poser shots for sure.

For reference, here's a pic of some of the products I have been using. The rustoleum color is officially called "oregano" but I prefer "orc-hide." The gloss black is for the bumpers/roll bar, hood hooks, etc. I also used a flat back (not in pic) in the engine bay and underside of the front fenders.

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Excellent job on the bodywork and painting!

Regards,

Alan