Gumby's 1973 FJ55 buildup...

Trollhole · 11-11-08, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

I did a bunch of measuring today. I pretty excited. I might just have to break out the plasma tomorrow. What'll slow me down is I want to drill the rest of the roof spot welds back of the B pillar. Then I'll separate the roof in the back to slide the sectioned part forward.

I think how I can make it work is to slide the C pillar forward 26". That'll put the C pillar 10" back from the B pillar. The rear corners will be right at the back of the rear wheel wells. In fact the inner part of the D pillar will be about and inch or so from the wheel arch inside.

Then I'm thinking of drilling loose the B pillar and moving it back to meet the C pillar and filling the gap between the two. I can stretch the door with another pair of doors I have. It'll be a big door, but I measured the door on my Tundra and on a Crown Vic we have at the shop and the new door will still be shorter than those. Maybe then I won't sit with my head looking out of the rear door window all of the time.

If your gonna do that why not just cut the top right behind the B pillar and weld some sheet metal to the top side of the sides and do the same to the top you cut off. That way you could have a removable top.

Gumby · 11-11-08, 08:39 AM

That's a cool idea. I'm gonna have to exo it, but I could make the exo unbolt in the back.

It's tough to wheel hard in the mid west without rain gutter protection.

Trollhole · 11-11-08, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

That's a cool idea. I'm gonna have to exo it, but I could make the exo unbolt in the back.

It's tough to wheel hard in the mid west without rain gutter protection.

Oh I was talking the who top including the side windows. Like the old blazers or 4 runners.

You could leave the rear tailgate window in it and roll it down when the top was off.

k9crazy · 11-11-08, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LC_Hamma

I'd still use the rear doors, cut down, reversing the swing & making them open like suicide doors

Great

Like the FJ Cruiser.

Gumby · 11-11-08, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k9crazy

Like the FJ Cruiser.

ANother cool idea, but really hard to engineer and I HATE those doors on our FJC.

I'm forever trying to access the rear while in a parking spot and shuffling back and forth trapped between the doors and the cars. The rear passenger can't really close their own door and can't get out while the driver has his seat belt on. It's also still a reach to set something on the back seat, the main reason I want a four door DD.

Gumby · 11-11-08, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trollhole

Oh I was talking the who top including the side windows. Like the old blazers or 4 runners.

You could leave the rear tailgate window in it and roll it down when the top was off.

That's what I was thinking too, but if you exo cage the top it would have to be able to come at least partially off to remove the top in the back.

zuluzeugma · 11-11-08, 01:17 PM

Mine turned out just like the one trollhole posted up. I really need to put up a pic of the finished product. Bobed 12.5 inches and choped the rear roof.

Gumby · 11-11-08, 02:11 PM

I saw that.

I broke out the plasma today. I drilled out the spot welds on the roof and started cutting.

We'll see how it goes.

I'm going with the little door window after polling the students who are helping with the project.

edit - it's cut. no pics only because you really don't want to see how the sausage is made. Just enjoy the tasty goodness at the end. 21 inches bobbed. pretty much the rear most floor panel from the sill to the seam in the floor.

weeboo · 11-11-08, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

I saw that.
... it's cut. no pics only because you really don't want to see how the sausage is made. Just enjoy the tasty goodness at the end.

Nice sausage quote - I will remember that one for a long time

k9crazy · 11-11-08, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

ANother cool idea, but really hard to engineer and I HATE those doors on our FJC.

I'm forever trying to access the rear while in a parking spot and shuffling back and forth trapped between the doors and the cars. The rear passenger can't really close their own door and can't get out while the driver has his seat belt on. It's also still a reach to set something on the back seat, the main reason I want a four door DD.

Yeah, I wasn't really suggesting it, just making an observation. I am with you on the doors too. They make me nuts. Try shoving a 7 month old squirmy kid through about a 10X10 opening into a car seat that is jammed into the back seat, and then trying to buckle her squirmy ass into the seat, all within that tiny space you have in a parking space while you are trying not to bang into the next guy's car.

Sorry, but all that was to say that I think that what you decided to do was good.

Gumby · 11-12-08, 06:22 PM

Got it all mounted on the spare frame today. Got everything lined up and started welding it together. I hope to have it in primer by the end of the weekend.

One of the kids suggested welding panels over the window openings. It does look pretty cool as a panel van, but I would hate wheeling it. It would be just like an FJC in the back. No rearward view at all.

zuluzeugma · 11-13-08, 06:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

One of the kids suggested welding panels over the window openings. It does look pretty cool as a panel van, but I would hate wheeling it. It would be just like an FJC in the back. No rearward view at all.

HAHA, be nice! MY FJC rocks for camping/snowboarding trips... But you're 100% right. You can't see a GD thing out the back. Don't close the back in, that would be a bad idea.

Gumby · 11-13-08, 05:52 PM

You kinda gotta squint to get past the Frankenstein scars and imagine it in proper pig colors. It's getting there.

Trollhole · 11-13-08, 07:17 PM

That rocks. I like it.

Lucy_FJ55 · 11-15-08, 01:49 PM

Right on!!!

Gumby · 11-15-08, 04:53 PM

It's not really going to be proper pig colors. I picked up some of Dupli-Color's new Paint Shop laquer system. They don't have a whole lot of colors. It's supposed to be really easy to put on. No mixing and it dries so fast you really don't need a booth. The Fj50 (new model designation for the two door pig) is going to be blue and white like the pic I stole and chopped.

I almost got one side done today. I had to put some time in on the 45LV. I wanted to get them both in primer today, but it didn't happen. Gotta wheel next weekend, but the family is going to visit relatives without me on Turkey day weekend so I'm pretty sure I can have it in paint by December.

The War Pig wheels it's last time for Toys For Tots on Dec 3-5, then the body comes off and the Fj-50 body goes on.

k9crazy · 11-15-08, 07:31 PM

Holy crap that was fast! I like it a lot.

LC_Hamma · 11-15-08, 09:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k9crazy

Holy crap that was fast! I like it a lot.

No sh_t! How many lil helpers you got workin on that

? Since the rear doors won't be active, I would have enlarged the rear wheel wells. You're gonna hafta body lift or spring lift to use *decent sized tires & that raises your COG. How 'bout an interior shot where you grafted it together? Lookin

so far!

Gumby · 11-16-08, 06:07 AM

I'd like to not have to cut off much of the fender lip since they're actually good on this body, but I doubt I'll have a lot of choice. We'll see once the body is on the other frame.

The inside is a mess. Nothing lines up for more than a few inches. It'll be plenty to weld to and I can cover it with a inside panel.

lil helpers are handy sometimes.

other times, not so much

cruiserland · 11-19-08, 06:57 PM

that was fast
looks great

my piglet turned into woodpig

Gumby · 11-24-08, 05:57 AM

Progress! not really in the direction I envisioned, but progress nonetheless. I'm on schedule to be driving it by next spring and I have a big incentive to get there as the wheelin' rig will be down until it's done.

I'm going to merge the two threads and see if it works.

Gumby · 11-28-08, 07:26 PM

Long couple of days. No pics. Both sides are about ready for primer. Hopefully tomorrow. I dug the tailgate out. I needed to replace the bottom three inches or so. It had something mounted to it once and now it's pretty bent. I fixed the rust, but I had had enough of body work. I'm not going to spend 100 hours getting a trail truck perfect only to back into a tree the first trip out. Doors aren't perfect either. I'll fix where the lower hinge ripped out of the driver door, but the dings are staying.

Still on track to have it in paint this weekend.

PhilC64 · 11-30-08, 10:04 AM

The pics you showed me last week didn't do it justice Todd! Amazing work you're doing with it! I'd be more than happy to give you a hand if you need it. Besides, I'll be picking your brain for my 40.

Viva Le' Cochon!

Gumby · 11-30-08, 05:13 PM

Man, am I beat. I don't know how body guys do this all day, every day.

First problem is that I suck at body work. I do way more work than I need to because I'm bad at it.

The second problem is that when you get this intimate with a repair you know where every flaw is. I have to keep telling myself that it's a trail truck. Fortunately, I had enough of body filler before I got too carried away.

The color choices for the paint system I wanted to try were not that varied. I ended up with a pretty dark color that will show a lot of poor work and bent panels I'm not going to attempt to fix.

The tail gate was bent and rusted. I had to fix the rust so I cut out the bottom three inches and added new steel.

primered

painted on the bottom, but not clear coated. Still primer on top

Gumby · 11-30-08, 05:16 PM

Door

Primered

Painted

Mounted

Gumby · 11-30-08, 05:25 PM

I painted the hood, grill area below the windshield, and valence below the front grill while I had the white in the gun.

The fenders need some work to repair a past fender bender on the left side and both sides could use a little work where I patched the bottoms.

The roof seam needs to be ground down and stretched still.

I still have to find out where to cut the bottoms at the rear. I think I'll have to have it on the other chassis to decide.

One corner of the roof still needs a patch panel made. I have the corner from the War Pig top, so it won't be too bad.

The quarters aren't good enough yet for paint, but they're getting close. I need to spend next week getting the wheelin' pig ready for Toys For Tots, then I want to start pulling that truck down so I'm down to two trucks in the shop next semester. I doubt I'll get the rest of the truck in color for a while.

Little Pig and the 45LV

Little pig and the War pig

Gumby · 11-30-08, 07:04 PM

I have to figure out how I'm gonna paint the tail gate letters. I'll get with the Graphic Arts teacher in the morning and see what would be the easiest and cleanest way to mask it off.

It needs have a big giant TOYOTA on the back.

Apparently the three rigs in the shop are a Jeep wagon, a Scout and a Bronco.

BAMF_CT2004 · 11-30-08, 07:04 PM

not sure how i feel about the blue. looks good but doesnt seem war like. what about a brown??

Gumby · 11-30-08, 07:38 PM

Brown is not one of the available colors.

BSP200 Jet Black
BSP201 Championship White
BSP202 Brilliant Silver
BSP203 Performance Red
BSP204 Deep Blue
BSP205 Gray
BSP206 Chrome Yellow
BSP207 Hugger Orange

Orange and Yellow are out. Not big on black and white. Gray and Silver don't have enough contrast with the white.

That leaves Red and Blue. I chose blue.

Gumby · 12-01-08, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby

I have to figure out how I'm gonna paint the tail gate letters. I'll get with the Graphic Arts teacher in the morning and see what would be the easiest and cleanest way to mask it off.

It needs have a big giant TOYOTA on the back.
:

I would have never of thought it, but apparently the easiest way to do this is for him to make a tracing of the letters, scan them, reproduce the thing in Illustrator and send it to the vinyl cutter for a mask.

I hope to get the file from him so I can post it if anybody needs a stencil made.