The Sancha Rebuild Project (1 Viewer)

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Scott68FJ40

SILVER Star
Joined
Mar 16, 2003
Threads
156
Messages
1,033
Location
Olympia, WA
Website
www.myblueheaven.com
I have been reading some great project threads here on Mud over the last 24 hours or so, and it has inspired me to start my own.

My cruiser is a 1968 factory softtop. I have owned her about 10 years now and I have all the registration paperwork since she was purchased new. I bought her after she had sat in a Phoenix garage for 10 years.

She was pretty much stock when I bought her with the exception of a Weber carb, an after market distributor and a header. I did a few mods to her along the way, I switched both the transfer case and transmission to floor shift and I changed to more comfortable bucket seats.

Due to my work, she got parked sometime in early 2007 and lived in a garage until we moved to the Phoenix area from Tucson. I spent a few days getting her back on the road, and we took a really nice day trip in her to Roosevelt Lake a few weeks ago. I had been having trouble with the crank pulley when I parked her in 2007 and it got a lot worse on that trip to Roosevelt. It actually split the pulley at the keyway.

This all brings me to now, and the realization that it is time to start the project to get her where I have always wanted her to be. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have moved though the following.

1. Engine swap. I am going with a 350 conversion. No need to try and get me to change my mind and stick with a Toyota engine, my mind is made up. :) Not so made up when it comes to transmission/transfer case. My initial plans had been to go with a 4 speed, which I have one of in my garage and a 3 speed TC. I am now considering 2 other options. One is to go with a 4 speed and a split case and the other is going the H55f/split case route. I am not sure what I will do here.

2. 4 wheel disk brakes. I will do the bracket mod to the rear and I have a disk axle from a 78 FJ40 in my garage. I do plan on rebuilding the axle before going in.

3. Shackle reversal and 4 inch lift.

4. Saginaw power steering.

I will be making a few more posts over the next day or two to show where I am already at, but thought I would start all of this off with the background/plans and a shot from her last trip.
Sancha-5.jpg
 
Sounds like a great project! having a plan is a great place to start...

I would recommend you look into mini-truck power steering, a really clean install.

just my .02
 
The first step was getting the old F engine out. Typically just wrapping a tow strap around an engine and hoisting it out wouldn't be all that great of an idea, but we were reduced to that, and it worked fine, even if it came out at a bit of an odd angle.
Sancha1.jpg
Sancha2.jpg
 
Today's task was getting odds and ends cleaned up. My initial thought was that I was going just clean up the engine compartment and front section of the frame, but now I am toying with the idea of pulling the tub off and doing all of this the right way. It seems that I have it so far already that it would be a shame not to just go all the way.

I am going to sleep on this decision tonight and go from there.
Sancha3.jpg
 
I would not even think about it. You can get all the junk out of the frame members. Even if you just clean it and spray can it. It will make all your future work so much more fun. Everything will look good. Personally I hope to do the same next year, going to sandblast and paint with ZRC (galvanizing compound) paint.
 
Sounds like a great plan ! And, after all, you need a plan so you can tell when the plan goes to s**t !!:beer:
 
Sounds like a great plan ! And, after all, you need a plan so you can tell when the plan goes to s**t !!:beer:

Ain't that the truth.
 
Food for thought: My plan went to schitte ... Murphy was on duty. On further reflection I changed direction, but my rig was already down to the frame. My options were a little different than yours. I decided to do all work to the frame (rollcage -tie-ins, rear receiver, support channel replacement, whatever it needs) then send it off to the sandblaster before painting/refinishing. If my rig was as solid as yours, I'd probably just rattle can the frame, build it, and enjoy before blowing it all apart again to refinish if I still had the urge to "do it right". It seems like more work that way, but you end up with a better, longer lasting result. Just hoping my rough experience saves you the hassle. Rust isn't nearly the issue where you are that it is here in the rustbelt ...
 
I still haven't decided how far I am going to go into it, but I am leaning towards taking it down to the frame. The wife has been out of work for just over a year now, so I have more time than money, and a lot of the stuff I want to do to her just takes time.
 
this is what i woods do...:0

:cheers:body on your rig is awesome...no need to separate.

ground up:

1. you need axles...and you have a couple. put this disk brake axle under it now. match the 3rd rear member to the front and get some poser disk conversions now. that is prolly like 4 half days of work.

2. rent a 4500 psi water compressor...spray the s*** out of that tub...put some zero rust on it and everything else.

3. buy the v8/trans/transfercase

4. install the v8/trans/transfercase

ok now that you are here....you have just spent like 80-100 hours. we will re-convene at that time...


ps. i'm hear to help....just want to get you off the ground...
 
That's how it all starts... you think it "while I'm here I ought to ... (fill in the blank)" Before you know it, you'll be like me and will have touched every bolt, every bearing and every seal in the thing. The budget and schedule I shared with my wife at the beginning is about double what I thought it would be. But hey, in the end you'll have a vehicle that you know everything about.

Good Luck.




Today's task was getting odds and ends cleaned up. My initial thought was that I was going just clean up the engine compartment and front section of the frame, but now I am toying with the idea of pulling the tub off and doing all of this the right way. It seems that I have it so far already that it would be a shame not to just go all the way.

I am going to sleep on this decision tonight and go from there.
 
Still a little undecided about taking the tub off or not, part of me really wants to and the other part of me really doesn't. It's not like I am doing it to remove any rust, just to clean things up and make it really pretty.

Check your PMs mikeob1 BTW. :)
 
If you are not going to do rust removal and your tub doesn't need metalwork, I think you are better off leaving it on the frame. If you are doubtful because of the hassle, don't. It takes less than an hour to remove once you are at it and with 12 beers (3 for each one of your friends) it will be off the frame with little pain.
 
I have been going over the list of things that I need to do, and pulling the tub off just doesn't seem all that practical at this point. It's not like I really need to anyway, I don't have any rust issues, and everything is very solid. I will clean up the firewall and the frame from the firewall forward, but leave it at that.
 
I really wish I could report on a lot of progress over the long weekend, but to be honest, I really didn't do much. Partially due to having a few things come up that sucked away some of my cruiser money, but to be really honest, I spent a lot of time around a grill with cold beer in hand.

One thing that I can report is that I have the transmission/transfer case sorted out. I picked up a 4 speed/split case combo out of an 87 FJ60 from a fellow mud member. Looks to be in really good shape, other than being a little dirty. I did get it cleaned up a little, but I need to find a way to get it mounted to my engine stand to finish cleaning and possibly giving it a coat of paint.

My next task is to find some sort of portable swamp cooler for the garage. It is supposed to be 109 this weekend, and it gets hot in the garage very fast.
newtrans-1-2.jpg
Cleaner-1.jpg
 
Dang! looks exactly like my '68 40, color is close too, but mines primer grey!
 
Mine was the light brown color when new, but somewhere along the line it got painted, and poorly, to the light blue primer color it now is. I honestly don't know why it happened, there was no real damage that needed covered, with the exception of a few dents on the rear drivers side, the body of mine is almost perfect.

Eventually, I think mine will end up a metallic gun metal color.


Dang! looks exactly like my '68 40, color is close too, but mines primer grey!
 
I haven't done much of the last few days. Mostly been sorting out stuff and getting some parts orders ready. I have come to a realization this morning though that this project has come to a complete stop until I find some way to get some cool air into my garage. Looks like we are going to be between 110 and 112 today and the garage is an oven.

Hopefully I can find a decent portable Mastercool that will fall into my budget real soon.
 
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Tha sancha,
I get it now. Wow, talk about delay.
 
Was able to get out over the weekend and do a little more tear down. Nothing really dramatic and any pictures posted would pretty much look like the pictures that are already here. I got the brake and clutch master cylinders removed and some of the brake lines from the engine area removed. I also got the windshield frame, trailer hitch and spare tire carrier removed. The windshield frame was easy, I have had it off before, but the trailer hitch and spare tire were a real bear. LOTS of PB Blaster and breaker bars to get them off.

I spent a lot of time under her today with a flash light and have changed my mind yet again. Even though there isn't any rust to speak of, there is 42 years of dirt and grime, as well as some really iffy body repairs from my PO in the drivers side rear quarter. I have it this far, and would really hate myself if I didn't just pull the tub off and do all of this right.

With the tub off, I will be able to get to everything and will be able to sleep well knowing that I shouldn't have to do this again any time soon.

If I am able to find a portable shop cooler soon, that I can afford on a very limited budget, I should have the tub off very soon after that.

Stay tuned.
 

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