Landcruisin60s total frame off rebuild

[Landcruisin'60]

Well after driving my cruiser home I took a really good look at the frame and came to the conclusion that it needs replaced. So I bought an almost rust free cruiser frame from cruiserparts.net. I went and picked up my frame on Friday and started running around picking up some tools and stuff on Saturday. Today was the first day I started doing work.

Today I pressure washed the frame and started wire brushing the paint and rust. I had to buy a new grinder because of course with my luck nobody around here stocks wire brushes for a 4.5in grinder. So I had to down grade to a 4in. I was going to get a 5in but nobody has them in stock. I also picked up one of those cheap sandblasters for $15 from Homedepot. I hope that will make the paint/rust removal go faster. But you know Home Depot they dont stock the sand, so whats the point of selling a sandblaster if you dont sell sand? Luckily I know a place that sells sand they just were closed after I bought the blaster.

My plan is also to do some upgrading as I go. I plan to do an SOA custom bumpers.

I will post some pictures after I get my silver star.

[Landcruisin'60]

Here are some pictures of the new frame.

[brownbear]

right on!

be careful with those wire wheels... I had them shoot wires many times. I always wear safety glasses and a shield if possible. with out the shield I have had wires come zinging off and stick in my forehead a few times. If one hit your eye your blind.

If your painting with POR no need to remove all the rust. As the rust will help the por stick better.

Sandblasted is great too for pOR..

Those cheapie snadblaster can really test your patience thou. I have never had luck with a suction sandblaster. They always get clogged.

I used a pressure tank one lately and it was pretty good to use.

If all fails take it to sandblasting business and they will make short work of cleaning it up.

[Landcruisin'60]

Yeah I wear safety glasses, I would use a full shield but they always fog when I use them. I was looking to get a pressure tank sandblaster but everyone was out of stock and the best they could tell me is that they would get more in a couple weeks. I might just buy one over the internet and bring back the suction one. I would bring it to a place to be media blasted but I dont have enough money. I know that POR bonds to rust but does it bond to paint? There is more paint on the frame then rust and that is what I am really trying to get rid of.

[phishincruisin]

this will be quite the project. can't wait to start helping you with this when I get home! this and a '49 CJ3A, should be a fun filled summer.

[brownbear]

Originally Posted by Landcruisin'60

I know that POR bonds to rust but does it bond to paint? There is more paint on the frame then rust and that is what I am really trying to get rid of.

I think you have to rough up the paint pretty good with 36 or 40 grit discs. Then clean it all. Should hold fine. No need to remove all the paint.

In fact since your doing POR, just clean the frame, then rough up the painted areas, knock off excessive rust and spray/brush some Por on. no need to sandblast it all clean. IMOP anyhow.

I think they rust from the inside out more soo. So before you install the frame try to get lots of rust inhibiting oil inside the frame. Spray it in there.

[Landcruisin'60]

Oh thats good I really didnt want to have to clean the whole frame. I was planning on spraying some POR or something else in the frame. I guess I wont bother with the sandblaster.

phishincruisin- cant wait for you to get here, we are trying to do a year of work in a couple months.

[brownbear]

I would sandblast the frame if it was all rusty I guess. Or I was going for a show car look. I dunno.... up to you and your wallet.

POR needs a rough finish to stick(it's a really slippery paint) and rust is a good surface for POR. But heavy sandblasted is good too.

I sandblasted my doors with 100% recycled glass, then painted POR-15 on them. It really did stick well.

You can still you the sandblaster. Just sandblasted the areas that have paint lightly. Then they will be rough enough for the POR.

[Landcruisin'60]

I was thinking of getting a random orbit sander and sanding everything really well. But my brother talked me out of it. Maybe I should still do that. Or at least one of those sanding pads for the grinder and get everything good.

[Chase77]

The thought of going through all that work and not being anal about eliminating the rust completely would drive me nuts. I say its worth blasting and then following up with por or rust bullet. But this is also coming from a guy who laid under his cruiser for way too many hours with a grinder cursing the PO who could have saved me a lot of time if he would have just paid a little attention to kill the rust when it showed up. Ih8rust..... especially on the frame.

[VTCruiser]

there seem to be more and more vermonters popping up. good to see, my parents own the Village Green Gallery in Weston.

good luck, i will be swapping out frames shortly as well.

[Landcruisin'60]

Chase thats my problem. I want to get rid of all the rust but after spending about an hour and only getting about 1 foot of the frame cleaned it would be really easy for me to give up. I am going to stop by HD and pickup a couple sanding discs and try those tonight.

VT, I saw a cream colored 60 in southern VT a couple weeks ago and I saw a grey 62 in Waterbury. I also saw a white 60 parked behind a small used car dealership in Williston, I dont know if it was for sale or what. There seem to be a good bit in VT just nobody knows about MUD.

[cruiser_guy]

I swapped in a new frame in my BJ60 a year and a half ago down in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Do a search if you're interested.

[Landcruisin'60]

Originally Posted by cruiser_guy

I swapped in a new frame in my BJ60 a year and a half ago down in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Do a search if you're interested.

Thanks I think that helped a lot to boost my confidence that my brother and I can do this in a couple months.

I did some more work tonight. I bought one of the flap sanding discs for my grinder. It worked really well for the first 5-10min until it lost a lot of its grit and pretty much stopped working. So I guess tomorrow after I stop by the Toyota dealer to see if my cruiser is really worth doing this to (my parents, dont ask) I will pick up some sand and try sandblasting. If that doesnt work then I have no clue what to do.

[Heartworm]

People who do the frame off restorations are my heros! Saving and salvaging Fj60s! Keep up the good work! I really thing we should change the name of this board to IH8RUST!

[Landcruisin'60]

Originally Posted by Heartworm

I really thing we should change the name of this board to IH8RUST!

Agreed!

[PurpleFJ62]

I would love to do this same thing to my 62. I am lucky and everything is in ok condition, but a few more michigan winters could change that. If I take something apart my goal is to make it better, por is good stuff. Go to the website in my signature and you will see some old power wagons. My uncle and I used por 15 and rust bullet on the various ones. They are very similar products, but I like por more.

As for the rust issue, if you have the frame off, you better blast the hole thing. Por will seal off rust, better to get rid of it and do it right.


Be very carful with your lungs during the blasting. Sand is horrable for your lungs, get a resperator.

[brownbear]

Originally Posted by Landcruisin'60

So I guess tomorrow after I stop by the Toyota dealer to see if my cruiser is really worth doing this to (my parents, dont ask)

Huh....

No Toyota dealer is going to say it is worth it to save an ole FJ60.. they want to sell you new.

BUT IMOP it's not a value thing. Has 0 to with money. Has to do with the truck you want.

I could lump down the money and get a newer SUV. I didn't buy my 60 cause it's all I could afford, I bought it cause I love to classic lines of a 60 and the usefulness.

[cruiser_guy]

Originally Posted by brownbear

Huh....

No Toyota dealer is going to say it is worth it to save an ole FJ60.. they want to sell you new.

BUT IMOP it's not a value thing. Has 0 to with money. Has to do with the truck you want.

I could lump down the money and get a newer SUV. I didn't buy my 60 cause it's all I could afford, I bought it cause I love to classic lines of a 60 and the usefulness.

This is EXACTLY what I was going to say!! There is NOTHING in Toyota Canada's or USA's current lineup that I'm the least bit interested in. If I was buying new I'd be at the local dealer down here in Central America picking up a new turbo-diesel 100 series.

[Landcruisin'60]

It was my parents idea for me to have it checked out. My brother has had really good luck at our dealership and knows a couple people there pretty well. So I dont think it will be a total waste of time and money.

[phishincruisin]

Originally Posted by brownbear

Huh....

No Toyota dealer is going to say it is worth it to save an ole FJ60.. they want to sell you new.

BUT IMOP it's not a value thing. Has 0 to with money. Has to do with the truck you want.

I could lump down the money and get a newer SUV. I didn't buy my 60 cause it's all I could afford, I bought it cause I love to classic lines of a 60 and the usefulness.

Yes and no. I've dealt with the head mechanic Toby at the dealership. He and a couple other guys there really like the cruisers (they were in awe when I first brought mine in), and I have gotten some really good deals with them. Also helps when you went to school with his son. I think the reason for going to the dealership is to give it an overview and see what really needs to be done. They were good and honest with me while I was there. Also, it'll give the parents peace of mind.

[haryv]

I like mine of course for its interior volume, its great fuel economy and most of all ... simplicity. Everyone here in the delta area who knows cruisers says its a wise investment. The cost to take a modern day car into a dealership and have the dealer give you a bill that would be stagering is one of the reasons I Like its reputation for being tough and reliable.
Long before I purchaced my cruiser I wanted to get on the veggie band wagon but did not know what vehicle to buy. I looked at vw,volvo and mazda and one toyota truck diesel. The mazda was in horrid shape so turned it down. The others were in no better shape. The toyota truck was in really badshape with the fuel tank ready to fall off and a big hole under the drivers feet. With the exception of the toyota truck 2LT's reliability record I did not like the reliability record of the other vehicles and discovered the cruiser. Dispite the fact the parts are more expensive so far I have been lucky and manged to keep it going. This summer is the time for me to do some major work on it but need the income to do so. I intend to prepare it as much as possible for the next winter so it does not rust anymore. Other then that goos truck its just that I want to restore it to its former glory

[Fantom]

Wish you luck with the resto, I will be looking into doing the same thing soon enough. I will have to agree with pretty much every other older truck owner out there, I have one and will never trade it in for a new truck because I love the classics, they were built better, stronger and made to last (maybe with the exception of the rust). These days vehicles are made to be recycled with in 5-10 years tops. If I can I will make sure that my truck lives long enough for my grandchildren (if I ever have kids) will get to drive it.

[cruiser_guy]

Originally Posted by Fantom

If I can I will make sure that my truck lives long enough for my grandchildren (if I ever have kids) will get to drive it.

My kids rode home in the BJ60 after they were born and now they are learning to drive it! It's been baby seat to drivers seat already.

[beaufort-fj60]

cool project. Post more pics.

[Landcruisin'60]

I bought some sand and started blasting today. It works pretty well. The only problem is my air compressor isnt big enough for this. I blast for 5min let the compressor sit for 10-15min and blast for 5min and repeat. But I cant buy a bigger one. I started by blasting all the way to metal. Then I decided on areas that arent rusty I am just going to do a quick spray over those areas so that they have a good tooth for the por. I dont know what to do on the rear open C channel frame. It has some flaking I will put up some pictures in a little bit.