Build thread: Project rusty 75

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hedgehog23

hedgehog23

10 Year 15 Year
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Feb 19, 2008
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Location
Ontario Canada
Build thread: Project rusty 75

Been putting this thread off for a bit. Found this guy locally and got it home for 400$
1975 fj40 with tons of rust. very few panels that wont need replacing or at least some work. Was looking for a project and i found one.

Plans are

3b motor (found and on its way)
turbo , ct26?
repair/replace all sheet metal
2.5" lift.
33" tires, bfg's at's i think
front disks
rear disks?
manual steering for now. might change my mind real soon

most of my inspiration comes from coolermans build. many say this sort of thing cant be or shouldn't be done.


PO did some "body work" before i got her. this included trimming the rocker panels with an axe , 1/4" diamond plate quarter panels, and trimming some of the body with a free style cut off disk. It can all be fixed, with time and some money.
Picture 031.webp
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removed the top , sides and unbolted what was left of the rear body. it now resided in the recyclers

the gussets for the bumper are toast, so i removed them and ordered new ones. was going to make a set but with all the rest of the fab work to do i dont want to burn out making stuff.



new set of ambi doors from CA came in a few weeks ago. look nice with very little rust.


and in the third picture i welded in a new rocker panel that i fab'd up from 16g sheet.
Rear tare down 003.webp
new ambi doors (1).webp
floor patch 001.webp
 
did some patch work on the passenger floor too. not done yet but couldn't wait to hit it with a bit of primer. when the floor is complete ill be removing this primer and prepping the entire floor properly and giving it an epoxy coating. then i think a bed liner coating.
floor patch 002.webp
 
WoW! :eek: That looks like a project! However, you seem to be making good progress, so you must be the man for the job! Keep up the good work, and I'm glad that there are people who have the skills to bring such a thing back to life! Makes it so there's one more ol' 40 saved from being sent in it's entirety to the scrap heap, and I'm in full support of that! :cheers:
 
Looks like you need a bezel. I have one for you that comes with the proper installation instructions if you're interested.
 
small update

Found a Local Mudguy to make up a rear sill. Its in the mail but i thought id share some of the fab pics. check them out. they are not correct for my 75 but i will adapt them to work. also looking for a few measurements , if some one could get out a tape, id appreciate it.
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Just about finished the passenger floor. i think it came out nice, only a few small holes to fix. one you can see up by the foot well.

Im using 3.5" square tubing to replace the mid bed channel. we will see how it works out but it looks promising. You can see two cut out for the body mounts at the rear of the tube. i will cut a few more for the seat mounts.

pulled some of the dash apart , and i get to work on the cluster. there was some rust along the top edge of it so i media blasted it , sealed it and glazed it. you can see some drying in the third picture.
passenger floor 002.webp
passenger floor 004.webp
passenger floor 010.webp
 
thought id post a picture or two of under the hood. the 2f is headed to the scrapper and im picking up the 3b Tuesday.

anyone know of a good paint to re-due the needles on the gauges? im thinking florescent orange is the right color but i wanted to see what others have used. mine are just sun faded a bit.
passenger floor 012.webp
passenger floor 011.webp
passenger floor 008.webp
 
hedgehog23 said:
small update

Found a Local Mudguy to make up a rear sill. Its in the mail but i thought id share some of the fab pics. check them out. they are not correct for my 75 but i will adapt them to work. also looking for a few measurements , if some one could get out a tape, id appreciate it.
Click to expand...


Nice Start! Mind me asking who made the rear sill for you and how can I get one made?

Thanks in Advance!
 
Very interested in the sill work. If you dont mind sharing who performed the "artwork" and how much did it cost you. You can PM me with the details if you like. I would like to buy one for myself.
 
That is rusty. Sometimes its best to scrap the parts. I had a similar degree of rust. I cut the tub off and had a local shop build a tube bed and then I put sheet metal on it. the rest of the body was sand blasted then I patched the large holes with sheet metal. the floor was pitted with small holes clean through, I put por-15 with metal flakes in it then rhino'd the inside and por-15 underside. Its been 10 years and still no sign of rust.
 
thecrazygreek said:
Very interested in the sill work. If you dont mind sharing who performed the "artwork" and how much did it cost you. You can PM me with the details if you like. I would like to buy one for myself.
Click to expand...

Awl_TEQ is his mud handle . sounds like he will be asking around 250$ for them. he is still in development stages right now i got one pre production to help him test them. again his sill is designed for a late model cruiser but i had him burn one with some changes for me. I will still have to modify it slightly for my intended use. His Late model sill is Plug and Play just like CCOT's but a lot cheaper.

He is Canadian, very fair and fast to deal with. no hassles.
 
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