1966 FJ45LV restoration/buildup project

[66LV]

On my LV I went to a business called Fastenal and bought much of my hardware from them. If they don't have it in stock they will order it for you.
On using stainless steel bolts going into standard welded on nuts in the body a friend of mine who works at Advance Adapters said they will freeze up and cautioned against it.
On stainless steel brakelines;I used the standard hardlines from NAPA. Also get a double flair kit from them to make custum lengths.
For flexible brake lines I went with steel braided lines. On the front brakes I bought a custom brakeline from Downey Offroad that allows you to remove the backing plate and attach the brakeline directly to the caliper. Looks more bling and maybe keeps gravel and mud from being trapped against the rotor.

[merbesfield]

Originally Posted by 66LV

On my LV I went to a business called Fastenal and bought much of my hardware from them. If they don't have it in stock they will order it for you.
On using stainless steel bolts going into standard welded on nuts in the body a friend of mine who works at Advance Adapters said they will freeze up and cautioned against it.
On stainless steel brakelines;I used the standard hardlines from NAPA. Also get a double flair kit from them to make custum lengths.
For flexible brake lines I went with steel braided lines. On the front brakes I bought a custom brakeline from Downey Offroad that allows you to remove the backing plate and attach the brakeline directly to the caliper. Looks more bling and maybe keeps gravel and mud from being trapped against the rotor.

Dave, good to see you are back, hope you are feeling well. Thanks for the advice. Any more info on why SS bolts would freeze up? Here are some more pics of the frame. We will have to do a little straightening to the front horns. Once the bumper was cut off you can really see how bent they are. We put the Porta-ram on it real quick this afternoon and I am really surprised at how easily they move. With just a few quick pumps it was moving back into position. Is there anything wierd I need to know with regards to bending a frame back into position? I have included some pics with red lines drawn to show how far the driver side has to go.

[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

can anyone tell me what might have been bolted to the frame in this spot? it appears as tho something was here and it is on both sides of the frame. just curious?

[merbesfield]

removed the old steering gear box mount in preparation for new custom PS bracket.

[treerootCO]

The mold that Karr Rubber was using for the LV wing vents is owned by someone else and any more orders have to go through them. Karr isn't selling them direct anymore. I am pretty sure the rubber vents TLC was selling were also from this mold. Busvroseau bought his from them so he can chime in if they look the same as yours.

[merbesfield]

Originally Posted by treerootCO

The mold that Karr Rubber was using for the LV wing vents is owned by someone else and any more orders have to go through them. Karr isn't selling them direct anymore. I am pretty sure the rubber vents TLC was selling were also from this mold. Busvroseau bought his from them so he can chime in if they look the same as yours.

why the change in sales procedure? the guy at Karr said he thought had extras already produced when i ordered mine? I did talk to the person that had the molds produced (can't remeber his name right now) by Karr and he did not say anything in his email about Karr not being allowed to produce more? change of mind i guess?

[66LV]

Mark
On the use of stainless steel hardware. I continued to use some stainless steel bolts mainly the 6mm, I''l just wait and see if something happens. I had stainless bolts on my door hinges and changed them back to my stock bolts. I also get a lot of my nuts & bolts at ace hardware stores and recycle the good ones from several landcruisers I've stripped.
I could not find a use for the holes on the frame you highlighted on the LV.
I'll see if there used on my swb or lpb.

[fogblanket]

for screws and bolts i always hit either Ace hardware or Napa. napa if it's big enough usually has an excelltent selection of automotive nuts and bolts. I would stay away from Stailess steel bolts for the most part they don't have the right type of strengh in most cases
HTH jason

[arthog]

Originally Posted by merbesfield

why the change in sales procedure? the guy at Karr said he thought had extras already produced when i ordered mine? I did talk to the person that had the molds produced (can't remeber his name right now) by Karr and he did not say anything in his email about Karr not being allowed to produce more? change of mind i guess?

karr was never given the right to produce the piceses from the mold rick d and I paid for. we were told that the molds would produce about 25 to 30 sets and that was all. now he is selling parts from our mold that we paid over $800 for. thats not right. I havent talked to anyone about karr selling parts. and I was never asked if they could buy direct from karr. rick and I would have said NO. we can get them made and you go through us. Sorry to be a dick about this but we worked hard to get them made. and I don't think it is right for a manufacture to sell direct behined our back.

terry

[merbesfield]

Originally Posted by arthog

karr was never given the right to produce the piceses from the mold rick d and I paid for. we were told that the molds would produce about 25 to 30 sets and that was all. now he is selling parts from our mold that we paid over $800 for. thats not right. I havent talked to anyone about karr selling parts. and I was never asked if they could buy direct from karr. rick and I would have said NO. we can get them made and you go through us. Sorry to be a dick about this but we worked hard to get them made. and I don't think it is right for a manufacture to sell direct behined our back.

terry

I totally agree with you. You are not being a dick at all, they should have been up front and honest. To tell you the truth, the guy that I dealt with at Karr was a total DICK and was very rude. He would barely give me answers to my questions and had a higher than thou attitude. He acted like they were the only rubber molders on the planet. Even if they are, it is no reason to be a DICK. Sorry for any confusion I caused, I was just reporting what I was told by Karr. Are there any other companies that do what they do? Mark

[merbesfield]

On a lighter note, we got some good work done on the frame. It is now totally striped of all pieces and is ready to be media blasted. We are going to try it ourselves first to see how it goes and if it sucks we will out source it. I was quoted $250.00 for the frame and axles which seems cheap to me, but I just want to try it and see how suckie it really is and make sure that all the little knocks and crannies get blasted well. Our next job will be to bring in the FJ55 and pull the engine and tranny. Once they are out, we will roll it out of the shop and pull the two axels from under it. Once we do that, the buzzards (FJ55 owners) can come strip the pig carcass clean. I tried to take pictures at every step, but I am sure I missed some things. I hope when it comes time to put all this back together I can remember. I am sure I will get some help from all you other owners as needed.

[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

does anyone know what this bracket is? the L shaped one.

[66LV]

if that bracket is on the left side i think it was for an exhaust hanger

[Trollhole]

Originally Posted by merbesfield

Once we do that, the buzzards (FJ55 owners) can come strip the pig carcass clean.

Hey! I'm circling from above.

[merbesfield]

Originally Posted by 66LV

if that bracket is on the left side i think it was for an exhaust hanger

yes the bracket is on the left side close to the drivers door if i remember.

[merbesfield]

We spent the day building body panel sawhorses so we would be better able to work on the doors etc. I looked at buying the typical ones that body shops use and just could not bring myself to pay $40-50 bucks for the crap they sell. I went to HD and spent $80.00 on wood and misc. hardware and 4 hours of time and now I have 4 sturdy stands. I built 2-36" wide and 2-48" wide. We used some old strapping to keep them together and them added some foam along the edge. When not in use they will fold up for storage. They are very stable and I think they are going to work out really well. Only had time to throw one door up and take a little bit of it apart. Just enough to see the sh!t that the PO had done to "fix" things as they broke. Now I will have to go back and rework the crap from PO. Notice the brazed nut on the door release bracket, that is a real nice job. Also I guess at some point the lower window support came loose so the welded it back, nice work. Then there is the fender washer holding the door panel to the door. At least all the parts are original so I get to use them as patterns for replacements. Can anyone tell me what the round rubber thing is with a hole in the center?

[merbesfield]

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