Go on, buy it. Then I don't have to.
79er Resto the Lazy Way (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Cougar Cruising
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- Thread starter
- #62
Just an update, I bought it about a week and half ago and freaking love this thing. Soooo much fun to drive, my kids think it's the coolest thing ever as well even if they call it a Heep at times. So after calling basically every body shop in town I finally found a guy that works on old cars like this one. Luckily he needs some of the trade work that I provide so we're swapping. I'm doing a bunch of work for him and his wife and he's going to completely sand and de-rust the frame and spray it with a couple of coats of chassis saver. Then he's going to cut out all the rusted body work and weld in new panels that I'll be providing. Then he's going to do sand, prime and paint with PPG 2 stage bc, cc. All I'm paying for is cost of materials including paint, chassis saver, and body panels, around 2k. I'll post pics as it's being restored, but I can't wait. The only thing that sucks is that I won't be driving it for the next 4-6 weeks as it's getting restored. Everything still works btw, even the windshield wiper fluid sprayer thing. My 2004 Corolla had more things that didn't work than this original fj40, Toyota did a damn good job building these beasts.
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Sounds awesome. Post up pics
That's a lot of work to be done in six weeks but it should last a long time. I dropped my cruiser off at the welder last June or July I forget and was suppose to be a 2 week job I got back about two weeks before Christmas. He did do a lot more than originally planned It is worth the wait though getting the body rust fixed makes you appreciate how much goes into keeping these awesome vehicles on the road . Take before and after pics so you can see how far it's come and if you did ever decide to sell it show that it was done right.
I used real steal rockers on mine. After researching I kept seeing good things about how they were good quality. My welder enjoyed working on mine I think, maybe that's why he kept it so long.
Good luck
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Welcome to the experience! You basically have the same rig as mine (mine is an early '80), and I know exactly how you feel!
ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
Yes the madness ends... And is just starting too! Congrats!
- Thread starter
- #67
Yeah I don't know why I was so gun shy. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for it to get fixed up. One reason that I think it's in such good shape mechanically is it was regularly taken to a mechanic that's passionate about old FJ40s. I had no idea NM even had such a shop.
http://www.aztecautomotive.com/about/about.html
Random question but most FJ40s are painted with the hard top removed as two separate pieces right? I guess I was planning on bringing the guy my fj40 with the top and doors off.
So, who gave in on the price? Either way, congrats and welcome to the cuckoo's nest. When you pull the top, you,'ll see the rim of the tub has no paint, probably because they were painted with the top on.
- Thread starter
- #69
We met in the middle. He did throw in those ccot covers and a retro Thule rack. Can't wait to see it restored to it's stock glory.
sweet ... I think you got a good deal for a complete truck, with a known history ... sounds like you have a good plan for refurbishing it, and the best news is you can drive it ... that rust is nothing compared to trucks I looked at up here ... good luck ...
- Thread starter
- #71
So I got all the needed body panels in the mail on Saturday and am going to drop it off at the body shop on Thursday. I pulled off the original Toyota cargo mat and most of the bed has never seen the light of day. Pretty annoying that the cargo mat has foam underneath it, couldn't have helped the rust issues at all back there. Anyway is the mat worth anything? It doesn't have any tears or holes, but it's pretty grungy and I was planning on just bedlining the tub once all the exterior paint and body work is done. If it's valuable I guess I'd keep it just in case.
Pictures?
ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
I have forgotten what your plans for restoration are, but if you want it all original (and yours is in good shape to start) I think people will tell you here to not use bedliner. I think the concern is what is the owner hiding? If you don't ever plan on selling it then have at it. Of course no one knows what the future holds. The advice given to me was if you're going to make upgrades/changes keep the old stuff and then install stuff that can be easily removed. Bedliner isn't easily removed.
Again your call. Have seen plenty of cruisers done that way. I do like the idea of tinting the liner the same color vs. black.
Again your call. Have seen plenty of cruisers done that way. I do like the idea of tinting the liner the same color vs. black.
- Thread starter
- #74
I want it close to stock with some mild upgrades including OME lift, mini-truck PS, 33x10.5r15 MTs and possibly the red roll on monstaliner in the tub. I take it to the body and paint guy tomorrow, can't wait. Also I know this may be frowned upon, but I'm not going Cygnus for the bezel or hard top. I just don't think a beige white will look as good as a whiter white on freeborn red imo. I'm thinking Toyota 056 Natural White. Here's some pics of the oem cargo mat. I haven't cleaned it or anything.
It looked like the mat had never been removed in 36 years, pretty cool. Too bad that foam crap caused some rust in the bed.
- Thread starter
- #75
Well there's been some progress over the last month or so. Here's some pics of my 79er looking all primed up.
This was the fender with the big rust spot. He patched it with metal and smoothed it out pretty well.
The quarter panels and rear sill were a disaster. Replacement sill, corner channels and quarters were ordered from Real Steel and I think he's done a pretty good job.
Pretty happy with his attention to detail so far. He said he'll put 2 more coats of primer and sand. Then two basecoats and two clears on. I'm out about $1500 for all the body and paint work ($2200 if you count the cost of the metal), but I think it'll be worth it in the end. He still has the hard top, rear doors and half doors to do, but I can't freaking wait. Quick question, can I replace all the hinge bolts with SS stuff from Home Depot? The kits from CCOT and SOR seem crazy expensive.
This was the fender with the big rust spot. He patched it with metal and smoothed it out pretty well.
The quarter panels and rear sill were a disaster. Replacement sill, corner channels and quarters were ordered from Real Steel and I think he's done a pretty good job.
Pretty happy with his attention to detail so far. He said he'll put 2 more coats of primer and sand. Then two basecoats and two clears on. I'm out about $1500 for all the body and paint work ($2200 if you count the cost of the metal), but I think it'll be worth it in the end. He still has the hard top, rear doors and half doors to do, but I can't freaking wait. Quick question, can I replace all the hinge bolts with SS stuff from Home Depot? The kits from CCOT and SOR seem crazy expensive.
wow, thats coming out great, price for the paint and body work seem really good
Dang it's looking good. And it sounds like you're getting a bargain on all that body work. Concerning your question, I personally try to get original nuts, bolts and screws. However, that isn't always realistic. If you can find the correct sizes at Home Depot, go for it. My two cents...
- Thread starter
- #78
Thanks, I can't wait to post up pictures of what he's done to the undercarriage. He completely wire wheeled everything to metal and then put on three coats of chassis saver. Looks a million times better than before. Still not as good as a frame off, but at least this work fits my budget and I'll be able to drive my truck around this summer.
Looks awesome. Way to resist the frame off temptation. I did not....
- Thread starter
- #80
Yeah I know what you mean. This project has already gotten way bigger than I thought. I'm already considering having him rip everything out in the front to paint the dash and floorboards. My passenger floorboard is like new, but the driver side has a little rust. Must resist.
