83 FJ60 Build up thread

[Christian]

My cowl was much worse, the holes had grown to triple size :( so I ended up buying a new one from TOYOTA, it might be worth for you too!

Love your work mate!

[Project60]

Picked up some patch panels today locally. They weren't perfect nor did they cover the entire area... but they were free!




Free patch panels:

[5280Hawk]

Used some 80 grit sandpaper on the door to see how well it would strip paint using my new Dual Action sander. Did ok, but I think I will stick with wire wheels or sandblasting for stripping as it will take forever using this method.

Are you trying to get all the paint off (to bare metal)?

I've been using the same type of sander - a Black and Decker 5" round Orbital with 150 Grit pads, It takes a while, but I'm not sanding every bit of paint off either, I think a wire wheel might be too rough......

[thebludger]

This is a top thread and buildup and you got some good pics

i'v got the same sticker on my door of my hj 60 and mine is the same colour

[Project60]

Originally Posted by 5280Hawk

Are you trying to get all the paint off (to bare metal)?

I've been using the same type of sander - a Black and Decker 5" round Orbital with 150 Grit pads, It takes a while, but I'm not sanding every bit of paint off either, I think a wire wheel might be too rough......

That's funny! I just got done asking in your thread how long the sanding took.

I am going to go down to bare metal, most of the panels will require it anyway. Right now I am going to go with a combination of the 4-1/2 inch 3M "sand blasting" pads on the flat panels and a wire wheel in the hard to reach spots. I would love to sandblast, but my setup it would take a year...

I will let everyone know how that works. I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel for the right now and I won't be done for at least another week.

[5280Hawk]

Just for an idea of how long,

The First door i just finished, That took me about an hour to sand.

So really, its not too bad,

The front fenders took a while because of all the ridges and the awkward shape of them.

[PhilC64]

I spent the last 90 minutes reading the entire thread! Amazing work! I'm looking at tackling a 62 project and all your hard work and effort has really inspired me! Keep it up and you'll be riding in that "new" Cruiser in no time!

[trekker]

I don't know what to say... except that I've been there - and done that. And never again! However the satisfaction you will get during this build and when you wheel it out under power for the first time, the tremendous feeling of pride you will have for a job well done.

I salute you sir.

[Project60]

Thanks for the inspiration guys!

I am working on re-doing the wife's kitchen right now... then 6 weeks of travel... then back to the cruiser.

[Project60]

Alright, finally got some time again on the cruiser. I had to finish the wife's kitchen and clean up the garage before I could start working again.

I got 4 hours on the 60 yesterday. I got the tailgate and the upper hatch pulled and completely disassembled. The window was a pain to get out.... can't imagine trying to do that without scratching up the paint.


Doors:


Back of truck from poor angle:

[ColoradoLC]

Great thread! I'm looking for some good ideas on patching a couple rust spots at the wheelwells as well, so I'll be interested to see how you tackle that.

Keep em coming!

Winston

[Project60]

Got 4 hours and 20 minutes total this week. Sorry I didn't post as I went, but I didn't get a chance to shoot any pictures until today. I am anxious to get the body stripped down, but I have to go out of town again this week... .


I got a gable vent fan to help exhaust the fumes when I paint here soon. Figured it is not perfect, but it does pull the paint and fumes out when I shot spray paint into the air. It doesn't meet OSHA regulations... but I can't afford it!


Holes in the house for vent fan:



2x 6" dryer vents to go into holes:



Box on other side of wall to hold fan:



Fan mounted in box, blowing through the 2 dry vents:



For the back, I used a jig saw and cut slots in the plywood. Then I used an extra door hinge to make a "clamp" to hold two 16"x20"x1" air filters on the back side of the box. The black mark is from the spray paint test I did... sucked it right out of the air .



Got a new light (was a hand-me-down from our recent kitchen remodel):



Finally got all the stuff out of the inside of the truck boxed up, so the interior can come out now:



I must admit, this is one of the hardest things about doing this in a two car garage... where to put all the stuff!

[PhilC64]

You should see my garage! Between landscaping tools, motorcycles, bikes and regular tools, I have barely enough room for the LC! Keep up the good work! I like your exhaust fan solution! Just keep a supply of filters on hand!

[Project60]

Thanks all for the kind words!

I got back from my business travels on Friday and got 3 hours in today on the 60. Most of the work was interior disassembly as you can see in the pictures. I also drove my stack of boxes to an off site storage site (aka - someone elses basement! ).


Here you can see the driver side rear quarter panel where the emblem goes. I am going to have to cut that out and weld in new metal. I think I am going to skip re-installing the badges.



Driver side tail light removed:



Passenger side tail light - this one is going to need some work. Hard to tell in the picture, but it is dented above the taillight on the left:



Rear body vents - missing in the picture is the plastic tube that runs up inside the body to the interior vent:



Gotta love the previous PO . There were like 6 layers of carpet and padding... must have been hauling stuff as there were lots of spills too.. wonder why the springs were sagging in the rear!



For those who are wondering how to remove a head liner the sequence goes as follows: Remove all glass, a bazillion metal clips and the glue holding it in! Looks like fun!



Driver side rear quarter panel from the inside:



Interior almost cleared out !



Oh, I found another goodie too! After I remove the rear seat I saw more rust! Best part is that it's on both sides!

[SKINNER]

Assuming that all glass is removed, does it look like the headliner can be removed and reinstalled with no major snags?

[Project60]

Originally Posted by SKINNER

Assuming that all glass is removed, does it look like the headliner can be removed and reinstalled with no major snags?

I must admit, that removing the side glass is WAY tougher than the tailgate glass. That is most likely the fact that the tailgate was laying on the floor. In the end, I decided to cut the weather stripping around the rear windows as I was scratching things up trying to pry it out.

I will have to say no right now, you can't reuse the headliner. It is held in place by metal clips around the doors and it is wrapped over and glued into place down the A-pillar and door pillars. IF you can remove the glue without ripping the headliner, then you could possibly re-use it.

If the windshield comes out nicely, I will be ready to remove the head liner this week and can give you a firm answer.

[Project60]

Got 45 minutes on the 60 yesterday. I got the rear windows yanked out as well as the interior grab handles and dome lights... no pictures today.

[5280Hawk]

Good to see you back! So, do you HAVE to pull the back windows the get the Headliner out? I really don't want to if i don''t have to.

BTW My 60 had rust on the Rear Wheel wells in the exact same place.

[Project60]

Originally Posted by 5280Hawk

Good to see you back! So, do you HAVE to pull the back windows the get the Headliner out? I really don't want to if i don''t have to.

BTW My 60 had rust on the Rear Wheel wells in the exact same place.

I'll take a picture of the back windows tonight to show what I am talking about. The headliner is actually wrapped around the window frame and glued down/clipped down. You might be able to cut it to remove the head liner, but getting it back in would be next to impossible!

[cfdlighthouse]

I don't envy the body work. i hate sheet metal work. very tedious which is why i have not messed with mine very much. what your doings looks great.

I find it cool that we have the same exact trucks, even the color.....Hey do you have a pic of the top of your transmission since its out??? i am fighting my reverse lights and would like to see where the back up switch is mounted.....

[Project60]

Originally Posted by cfdlighthouse

I don't envy the body work. i hate sheet metal work. very tedious which is why i have not messed with mine very much. what your doings looks great.

I find it cool that we have the same exact trucks, even the color.....Hey do you have a pic of the top of your transmission since its out??? i am fighting my reverse lights and would like to see where the back up switch is mounted.....

Yeah, I will get that tonight.

[Project60]

Got 1.5 hours on the 60 last night. I started by removing the windshield. It had a lot of cracks in it already and I tried to save the weatherstripping, so... I got out a BFH and took out some frustration. Took just a few minutes... and then 20 minutes to vacuum up the mess . After the effort to save the weatherstripping, I realized someone had glued it in and upon removal I tore it!


Windshield in the trashcran:



Windshield out:



I took some pictures for Skinner and 5280Hawk on how to remove the headliner. I removed the steel retaining clips with a screwdriver and then cut carefully along the headliner. I have to vote you cannot reuse a headliner. The biggest problem I see is that the fabric is very brittle and it would be hard to stretch it back into place and re-glue it.


Headliner folded over rear window and glued down:


Headliner folded over rear door, glued and clipped:


Rear door pillar close up:


Closeup of foam under door pillars and headliner:


Headliner folded over and glued on front windshield:


I marked my headliner to show where I needed extra material for glueing and trimming when I make a pattern from it:


Headliner removed:

[SKINNER]

Ah man...don't tell me this!! Just kidding, thanks for the detailed photos.

One question, The reason for my needing to drop mine is to repair 6 holes that are present from a PO roof rack. Of course, there are 2 in the front, 2 in the middle, and 2 in the rear. In your opinion, could I potentially pull the headliner down in sections to repair a single hole and then reattach before moving to the next hole? Or am I going to be pissing in the wind?

Thanks again!

[Project60]

Originally Posted by SKINNER

Ah man...don't tell me this!! Just kidding, thanks for the detailed photos.

One question, The reason for my needing to drop mine is to repair 6 holes that are present from a PO roof rack. Of course, there are 2 in the front, 2 in the middle, and 2 in the rear. In your opinion, could I potentially pull the headliner down in sections to repair a single hole and then reattach before moving to the next hole? Or am I going to be pissing in the wind?

Thanks again!

I am not sure where your roof rack holes are at w/ respect to the doors, etc. I am not saying you can't be careful and get it "peeled" back for patches, but you will need to be very gentle. My headliner is shot and it is brittle which would make re-installing it difficult. If you are going to have it almost all the way out, you should just replace it.

If you are worried about the cost (especially buying from SOR or others), try pricing out a local upholstry shop. If you already have it out of the car, they can probably make it for cheap. I am going to sew one up myself using stuff from : Your Auto Trim Store

[Project60]

Originally Posted by cfdlighthouse

I don't envy the body work. i hate sheet metal work. very tedious which is why i have not messed with mine very much. what your doings looks great.

I find it cool that we have the same exact trucks, even the color.....Hey do you have a pic of the top of your transmission since its out??? i am fighting my reverse lights and would like to see where the back up switch is mounted.....

Sorry, I forgot until I went to take a picture the tranny is buried under the box of parts shown above... if you wait a week or so I can get a picture.