Blue Mule resto in Malawi (1 Viewer)

[watrob]

You would propably get away with that in outback Australia as well but I would not like to try it in the suburbs.

What's the time estimate on the FJ restore?

 

[M5driver]

You would propably get away with that in outback Australia as well but I would not like to try it in the suburbs.

What's the time estimate on the FJ restore?

And a few other places. This was actually downtown Lilongwe!

Since the RB arrived, the panel beaters will start final surface prep of all those parts I took off on Monday. I'm estimating +/- 4 weeks to get everything back, then 2-3 months to bolt it all back together, cause I work slow and recheck everything. I also do one bit at a time, since I work on it evenings and weekends.

Maybe by June-July, it'll be running again.

 

[Pauciflora]

G'day M5Driver,

I realise this thread is about restoring an FJ40, and I don't want to distract you from this important task. But everyone seems to have missed the most obvious question and the thing that separates this build from every other build on this forum.

Where the bloody hell is Malawi and why are you there?


Cheers,

Ben

 

[M5driver]

The silver bullet

I wasn't prepared for the silver bullet to be silver puddin'... or yogurt.

I had to take the industrial version of Rust Bullet, because that's what I could get out of S Africa, so I expected it to be a little different, but I was expecting something more paint-like. The panel beater says they should have no problem thinning it make it sprayable, and I got instruction from the RB people on how to thin it for spraying, so I think we'll be fine, as long as there is xylene or toluene available somewhere in Malawi. If the panel beater has any when I go down tomorrow, I may get some to bring home, so I can thin this stuff a little for some things I want to coat using a foam brush. I also scored 3 1/4 pint cans of the RB Black Coat, which is more like what I was expecting - paint like. The Black coast seems to go on well, easy to control runs, and should be great for the small parts I'm making black again. Might glossy, but it should shed dirt and mud well.

More pics after I gets some bits painted up. Can't use that stuff when it's raining, or the humidity is around 100%.

 

[Tvaldriz]

Pretty amazing work. This tear-down is instructional and inspiring.

 

[lostmarbles]

I wasn't prepared for the silver bullet to be silver puddin'... or yogurt...........

I've never used Rust Bullet but I use POR15 all the time and I suspect they are similar.

I was once supplied with a can of POR15 that was thick like that and I assumed it was old stock. (It annoys me that the manufacturer doesn't print a "use-by date" on them.)

I buy POR15 only in 500ml cans (and they cost me $50 each!!!!).

To use some - I mix the stuff in the can and then dispense the amount I want into another container (like an old jam jar) and then immediately close the can (using cling-wrap under the lid or else I'll never get the lid off again).

If I were to paint "from the can"-----The paint in the can would probably still look OK (nice and FLUID) afterwards -- but next time I open it it would likely be "set solid".

It is amazing stuff. It creeps into crevices and even expands as it sets. (Both VERY desirable qualities.) And it "goes off" in a different way to conventional automotive paints. It stays fluid much longer before setting - And even then - it doesn't seem to set by "evaporation of the solvent/thinner". It is almost like "chemical reaction with something in the air" although when it is on the metal this "setting time" is hastened (so the stuff in your jar remains fluid while stuff you have painted can be set). And once it is set - thinners won't tend to get it off again like they would with ordinary paints!

And I keep my POR15 in the fridge (Sandy - my wife - doesn't like it being there of course) to increase its shelf-life. (The manufacturer recommends this for opened cans but I do this even with un-opened cans.)

To date - I've always brushed on the PO15 rather than sprayed. This is because the stuff is so expensive and brushing allows me to get a thick coat everywhere I want without wastage. And the POR tends to go on VERY SMOOTHLY. But I hasten to add that I'm not fussy about the overall paint finish. A professional spraypainter would be ASHAMED of my type of finish. But I aim for corrosion protection rather than "showroom finish".

The solvent/thinner for POR is about as expensive as the paint too!!!!!! (Brushes can clean up in ordinary thinners but I prefer to discard them instead.)

Sorry - All this "blurb" is really just to explain the type of paint I think you're dealing with.

It will be interesting to find out if that "industrial RB" is supposed to be so thick or whether it has partially "gone off". But even if the latter is the case - I think you'll still achieve a better result than conventional primers (by using it with additional thinners). It's probably just another case of life being made just that bit more difficult by living in Malawi!

 

[M5driver]

G'day M5Driver,

I realise this thread is about restoring an FJ40, and I don't want to distract you from this important task. But everyone seems to have missed the most obvious question and the thing that separates this build from every other build on this forum.

Where the bloody hell is Malawi and why are you there?


Cheers,

Ben

Malawi is in east southern Africa, south of Tanzania, north and west of Mozambique, and east of Zimbabwe and Zambia, long and narrow, bordered on the east by Lake Malawi.

I am the general services officer at the US Embassy in Lilongwe, and have about a year left on my posting here. No idea yet where I will go next.

I'm doing the resto here because I finally saved enough money to handle it, and have the time to do the mechanical work myself.

Thanks for asking

 

[M5driver]

Pretty amazing work. This tear-down is instructional and inspiring.

Thanks, Tom. Since I couldn't get the airplane down here from Scotland at a time that would have made sense (2-year assignment), this is my "sanity project". I would say it keeps me off the streets and out of the bars, but there's only two bars here, and I've already been to both

 

[M5driver]

Marbles,

RB is moisture cured, and supposedly dehydrates the rust as it cures. They recommend not using it while it is raining or threatening rain, and not dripping sweat in it I would have to agree with this - when it is humid, the black stuff sets up hard in just a couple hours; otherwise it take 4-5 hours to be completely dry to the touch. On humid days, I sweat like a horse, so I've had to be careful about where I drip

My , Sandy, doesn't mind if I keep the RB in the fridge - as long as it's the one in the garage. Beer and Rust Bullet - who needs anything more?

At least I feel like I am starting to move again, in the right direction. It will still take a lot of time to finish the paint work and get this beast built back up, but it's moving. Still waiting for a few more parts to arrive, but I don't need them immediately, so I'm happy with where I'm at with the project.


Dan

 

[blago4x4]

I's nase to find some one (or two or more)with same diagnosis -love J 40 toyo.My writing i's so long time nead if I wont say something.We can tock mutch easily by SKIPE blago4x4 when is possibly .
Between 20 00h 24 00h I will in SKIPE .

P. S. World i's not so big Ñëó÷àèíè ñíèìêè - OFFRoad-Bulgaria.com

 

[M5driver]

I's nase to find some one (or two or more)with same diagnosis -love J 40 toyo.My writing i's so long time nead if I wont say something.We can tock mutch easily by SKIPE blago4x4 when is possibly .
Between 20 00h 24 00h I will in SKIPE .

P. S. World i's not so big Ñëó÷àèíè ñíèìêè - OFFRoad-Bulgaria.com

Svetut e maluk. Thanks for the invitation, Blago, but we don't have Skype here. Most days I'm lucky to have an internet connection, and it usually runs between about 28 kbps and 50 kbps. This is laughingly misnamed "broadband" here and it is very expensive.
brat!

 

[M5driver]

Murphy

I'm sure everyone on this forum is acquainted with Murphy.

He struck again here just after the Rust Bullet was finally delivered from S Africa. I got the industrial version of RB, because the automotive variety was not available anywhere on the continent. No problem - just have to thin the industrial version in order to spray it. I also wanted to thin it a bit for brushing, since it is like silver puddin' right out of the can. Just need a little xylene... no problem.

Turns out there is not a drop of xylene anywhere in the country The panel beater was wrong. So we start looking around, and finally find a chemical plant in Blantyre (a good one - subsidiary of BP) where they will MAKE the xylene we need. 3000 kwacha (approximately $20) per liter, minimum quantity 5 liters. OK, I'll take it. Took two weeks to get it made up and delivered to Lilongwe from Blantyre, but at last we have it.

I experimented a little this weekend and found that the xylene does a great job thinning this pudding out and making a very nice paint out of it. Goes on nice and smooth, and has a great subtle silver color to it. Sands nicely if needed, too. It's not glossy - make that GLOSSY!!! - like the black variety, but that makes it coatable without sanding (up to 72 hours). So tomorrow (today is a local holiday) I'll be spending some time at the panel beater to see how it sprays. We'll use the frame as the canvas for the experiments, since it can be cleaned up and/or hidden later if we mess anything up. If all goes well, I should have parts to start hauling home in another week or so.

More pix after we figure this out and shoot some RB!

to all.

 

[tmarx]

Good luck for tomorrow

 

[M5driver]

Good luck for tomorrow

No surprise - they really weren't ready yesterday. I'll be down there again this afternoon. The have several panels almost ready, but not the chassis. I really want them to shoot the frame first, since this is the best place to make mistakes and clean them up. There are several body panels ready though, so if the proprietor thinks they can clean up any mistakes on those panels, I'll let them start today. I want them to shoot the first coat while I'm there. I'll be in every day to inspect and insure the RB is working as it should. Then I'll sort parts into lots for them - black parts, blue parts, silver, etc. so when they shoot color, they should not have to re-do things because they were painted the wrong color. Right now, the parts are in one big pile. I think the shop foreman is astonished that I can point to any part and tell him what color it should be and where it goes on the vehicle

So far, only one part missing - wiper motor cover. It's on the parts inventory I had them sign, and several of the guys remember it when it came in, but they can't find it. The boss told 'em to tear the shop apart and find it, so we'll see... I may be in the market for a decent used one soon

More as it happens.

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Great build thread!

If this is the only part missing so far I'd count myself lucky!

Regards,

Alan

--------------------------------------------------------------------

<snip>
>So far, only one part missing - wiper motor cover. It's on the parts inventory I had them sign, and several of the guys remember it when it came in, but they can't find it. The boss told 'em to tear the shop apart and find it, so we'll see... I may be in the market for a decent used one soon

 

[M5driver]

Hi All:

Great build thread!

If this is the only part missing so far I'd count myself lucky!

Regards,

Alan

--------------------------------------------------------------------

My lucky day, Alan. Turned out the painter who will be shooting this project had squirreled that piece away, so he would have a blue piece to do the color match from. Not a bad idea, but he didn't tell anyone he did it.

Probably won't get down to the shop today - I have a lot of running to do today - meetings, etc. - and I have to go out of town this afternoon to talk to some folks who just got a new biohazard grade incinerator installed to see if we can contract with them for waste disposal. Only about 40-45km away, but that drive will take an hour or more, since there is no road - only a dirt/mud track. Too bad I don't have the mule done, or I'd be getting it dirty ;p. I'll have to settle for mudding an embassy 4x4 today.

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Just out of curiosity, what are the "embassy 4x4" choices?

Regards,

Alan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

<snip>
>Only about 40-45km away, but that drive will take an hour or more, since there is no road - only a dirt/mud track. Too bad I don't have the mule done, or I'd be getting it dirty ;p. I'll have to settle for mudding an embassy 4x4 today.

 

[M5driver]

Hi All:

Just out of curiosity, what are the "embassy 4x4" choices?

Regards,

Alan

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since roads here are ummm... unimproved or in poor repair, our motor pool is mostly 4x4s. Current stable is late model Cruisers, Nissan Patrols, and a handful of Prados and Pajeros. I drew a Prado, which is usually okay for muddy tracks, but this one had highway tires, so the trip was a little more of a problem than it normally would have been. Took about 2 hours each way, and I had to stop and get the shovel to scrape the tires clean a few times when traction disappeared completely. This one didn't have a winch, either, but it wouldn't have mattered - the only thing close to this track except right at the end was corn/maize. Can't use that to hitch a winch to

FWIW, it is possible to "off roading" right here in downtown Lilongwe; a lot of the residential areas are still unpaved.

 

[M5driver]

Meanwhile, back at the panel beater - there is a lot of activity, but little progress. The frame is still not ready to prime. The proprietor was not in the shop today and the foreman was in his office reading, so the workers had stopped work on the frame and taken on easier jobs - like re-sanding what was already shiny.

 

[M5driver]

The work is good, but unfortunately, these guys don't have the vision of what this will be when it's done. They've never done a job like this before, and I think they think I'm nuts. They may be right