74 Pig Build

[DesertLake]

After reading a lot of helpful build threads, I swore I'd return the favor. Then I stripped her down without a writeup, so time to catch up...



This is a '74 that my parents bought around '76. SBC conversion not long after that. Factory air.

My dad set this thing up to tow, and it is STIFF. Added 1 leaf in front, two in back iirc.

This was a daily driver for close to 30 years, my daily driver for about 7 of that. She's been sitting for the last few, due mostly to doors that were ready to fall off. I've been planning this operation for a long time. Planning is too strong a word.

Driver's side front fender is pretty bent up following a collision with an AMC Pacer when I'd had my license for maybe two months. Both front fenders are rusted through. Both back corners are also rusted through. I see just enough rust on the rockers to think they're ready to go - so I picked up a pair of IPOR's rockers. Too bad I don't know how to weld - yet.

I'm starting with the body, as the drive train still works (more or less).

[DesertLake]

A little more history...

At some point my dad added a Vap-r-kool setup, which was a water tank and pump in the back and a sprayer in front of the radiator. Worked wonders while towing a largish boat from Bakersfield to Tahoe in August.

Years later (10 years ago?!) the pump is rusted up, the tank is cracked, the old radiator isn't radiating like it used to, and I need to get up out of the valley and home to Reno in the middle of summer.

This has got to be one of my most inspired redneck improvisations:




Temp gets a little high, stomp the water bottle, instant temperature drop. Yes, it worked.

When I started the teardown, I discovered I'd left the bottle under the seat all this time. Had to preserve the memory before ripping it out.

[DesertLake]

A few months later...



If it's sheetmetal and it unbolts it's off, excepting the gas door.

I gutted the doors before removing them, to keep them relatively light. Lots of worn out door internals, particularly driver's latch and regulator.

Some days it starts better than others - this one was unusually smoky.

I had to cut the rubber to get the windshield and cargo windows out. I tried to preserve the rear door small window rubber, but it disintegrated. I've got replacement rubber for all but those small windows - go Slocruisers go!

[DesertLake]

Around 10 years ago I had to have part of the hitch cut out to pull and repair the fuel tank. I kept the part they cut out, this pic documents the hitch before I cut the rest out to remove the bumper.

[DesertLake]

Here's my cracked driver's side door. Working against the spring in that hinge nearly every day for 30 years took its toll. That and a few uncontrolled wind and slope enhanced swing outs.



My cousin welded up the cracks, and we ground it down smooth, but it has a serious sag between the outer two holes and the outside of the door. The metal is definitely stretched.



I now own one parts rig and another set of doors, but I'm not confident they're any better or would last any longer. Has anyone reinforced their doors here?

[cruiserbrett]

Looks good! Its a hell of alot better start than mine! I wish I could find one with a decent body like that! Keep us updated with pics!

BTW where is washoe valley in relation to Reno. looks like cool country!

[DesertLake]

Originally Posted by cruiserbrett

Looks good! Its a hell of alot better start than mine! I wish I could find one with a decent body like that! Keep us updated with pics!

BTW where is washoe valley in relation to Reno. looks like cool country!

Washoe Valley is just south of Reno, just north of Carson City, and a fun ride west of Virginia City. We took that dirt road you see in the first post when I rode along with the BBCNN last year:

http://williamberry.smugmug.com/gall...9_z2Gwm#P-1-16

[DesertLake]

Originally Posted by cruiserbrett

Looks good! Its a hell of alot better start than mine! I wish I could find one with a decent body like that! Keep us updated with pics!

BTW where is washoe valley in relation to Reno. looks like cool country!

And thanks by the way!

(Where are my manners?)

[DesertLake]

Here's what happens when you slam a sagging door for a few years...




This is how it's supposed to line up:




Back when I lived in an apartment and didn't have anywhere to pull the door apart, I tried hammering the guard down around the shaft. This doesn't help, because the guard isn't what failed. That hole doesn't really support the shaft. The real bearing surface is a punched hole in the larger stamped piece that attaches to the door. A few years of abuse and that hole goes out of round, I doubt there's anything that can be done to repair the part. Between the spare doors and spare door internals hopefully I've got a good one, otherwise I'll figure out how to turn a rear into a front.

[DesertLake]

No progress in a while other than some welding practice, but since I took more photos for another thread might as well put them up here too.

When the original SBC conversion was done, the radiator was moved closer to the engine, I assume to get it closer to the fan. You can also see the VapRKool sprayer up top.



That still didn't get it close enough, so an extra extension was used between the fan and water pump. Every few years, the pump would fail and the fan would happyface the radiator. Back in 92 or 93 I built a fiberglass shroud and got rid of the fan extension.



This time around I think I'll move the radiator back to its original location and run an electric fan - if anyone can give me a comparison of shrouded fan performance vs electric fan performance please let me know.

Also, does anyone recognize the compressor mount? I don't know if it was an off the shelf item, or if whoever did the conversion welded it up.

[rsbcruiser]

Originally Posted by DesertLake

I doubt there's anything that can be done to repair the part. .

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pi...ch-repair.html

Doubter!

[DesertLake]

No measurable progress, no pictures.

Lots of welding practice.

Advice: don't buy the cheapo hammer and dolly set unless you have access to a good benchtop belt sander and a lot of time on your hands. I couldn't get a picture of the low spots, but trust me they are there...

[Eric Ellis]

Originally Posted by DesertLake

No measurable progress, no pictures.

Lots of welding practice.

Advice: don't buy the cheapo hammer and dolly set unless you have access to a good benchtop belt sander and a lot of time on your hands. I couldn't get a picture of the low spots, but trust me they are there...

And the adjusted sales pitch should be? TWICE THE WORK FOR 1/2 THE PRICE!

[DesertLake]

I really haven't had time to do any significant work this summer.

I did get the garage cleaned up, and after taking the Landcruiser for a spin around the yard, removed the seat and started in on the floor insulation.

I'm not sure if I'm doing this the most efficient way, but it's satisfying like picking a scab. Anybody have any tips on how to get the little bits out? The plastic chisel works, but it's going to take quite a while.

So far I've only found one rust-through under there, the small area near the handle of the chisel on the left. The larger rust area in the upper left is probably pretty thin too, not too bad considering.



At some point a coffee stirrer must have gotten between the floor mat and insulation.

[cruiserbrett]

flat pieces of dry ice. lay them on the tar sound deadening for a few minutes, remove them with gloves, and wack the floor with a hammer lightly. It shatters when frozen with dry ice, so it comes up easily, and generally doesnt leave the half moons behind, still stuck to the floor.

[DesertLake]

I'll try that. Maybe it will help with the half moons too.

Thanks!

[rsrai]

Man McDonalds will market their logo wherever they can! That is too funny.

[LC_Hamma]

I didn't have any floor insulation on my . But on the roof, I used small amounts of heat on the glue on the roof & it peeled off *fairly easily. Don't use a wire wheel or it smears HTH!

[DesertLake]

Originally Posted by LC_Hamma

I didn't have any floor insulation on my . But on the roof, I used small amounts of heat on the glue on the roof & it peeled off *fairly easily. Don't use a wire wheel or it smears HTH!

Thanks! I was going to try a wire wheel soon.

[DesertLake]

The dry ice did the trick. Wish I'd spent the $8 to do the front two thirds, but at least the back third came up pretty clean.



Once I had the big pieces out, I used the dry ice to chill the floor and knock off the larger chunks from the front.



Thanks again, CruiserBrett!

[Radd Cruisers]

Wow, Bretts the demi god of FJ40 and FJ55 information.



Great build, background history makes it even cooler.

Rob

[DesertLake]

WD-40 dissolves the small bits of floor insulation left after the dry ice treatment, but its a slow process.

Tried dry ice on the roof tonight to remove the roof insulation glue with the plastic chisel, it seemed to help a little but I'm not sure it's worth it.







Sorry 'bout the focus.

[chicago]

At least youre FINALLY doing SOMETHING to that rat trap!
Glad to see some progress happeneing.

That is a GREAT idea with the dry ice BTW!

Chicago

[DesertLake]

Keep encouraging me like that, and next thing you know you'll be over here welding!

[DesertLake]

Anybody have any roof braces left over from a roofectomy? I'm thinking about adding 3 more braces, and maybe one or two dome lights while I'm at it. And still considering the FRP headliner idea...

[romegadave]

Great to see you making progress. I always laugh at myself when I see your avatar (This is the only forum I've ever been on).When I first saw it I thought "look at this guy driving around on the farm without any doors---he doesn't give a ****....he's putting that pig to work!!!" LOL...little did I know that you were just on hiatus!! (naive)Dave

*on a serious note thanks for the posts....I have some door issues myself that need tending to and will inspect the interior roof asap.

[DesertLake]

Yep, taking them apart is the easy bit. What I should be doing is planning out and acquiring the drive train, etc...but I'm broke so might as well inspect and cut out rust. I also can't stand scraping, sanding, any of that repetitive boring sh-tuff, so procrastination and general laziness have slowed me down a bit.

As for the doors, I think I've figured out how I want to weld the patches where the hinges mount, but my welding skills have only just graduated from ignorant and flat out dangerous to just plain incompetent. In other words, just enough to do floor patches.

[John Smith]

I have found that Ronson liquid lighter fluid lifts the tar residue very easily.