Where things stand now- fj60 rehab. (1 Viewer)

[doublehaul]

Hello everyone. I just posted a thread about the major intake leak I found today- so that's the latest big development in the saga. Figured I would post a progress report, so here's what's been done in the last month or so: full OME kit, all new tie rod ends, knuckle rebuild, some new wheel studs, new thermostat, all new vac hoses, new plugs, changed out both diffs fluid, transer case and tranny fluid change, oil change, coolant flush/change, new air filter, new fuel filter, greased driveshafts/Ujoints, replaced diff breathers, several days worth of body work (large rust holes in the rear wheel wells and drivers side door frame and misc. rust spots all over) painted grill, sealed windshield leaks, fixed missing window trim, cleaned out and resealed gutter on roof, etc, etc.- I'm sure I forgot some stuff.
Wow, my wife is totally bent, I'm mentally strained and way over budget (I'm sure that's a first on here). I always liked cruisers and though, hey, that would be cool, I want it! Then reality set in and it's been baptism by fire ever since. A lot of friends over the years have had cruisers and now memories of them with grease on hands and wild eyes are coming back to me... Have to say though, I love this truck and I've learned a lot so far. I don't suck quite as bad at wrenching as I did a month ago. Also, massive thanks to everyone on here that's been helping me along the way, I'd be lost without this forum- HUGE, HUGE help. With the lift and body work done she's looking tight, going to post pics when I get tires...$$$$$$$

 

[Dynosoar]

And the fun begins..........!


Dynosoar

 

[klinetime574]

Nice progress!

We'll accept pictures no matter what your 60 looks like, we like pictures a little bit

 

[doublehaul]

I'll post some of the in-progress pics as well, did a half-ass job of documenting the carnage... I'll get them together.

 

[csd4682]

I have learned that owning a 60 is complete madness. You will name her, you will lose sleep over her, you will get into fights with your wife over her, and if it came down to it, you would probably do way more than you should to keep her. Well, this is the 60 madness for me anyway.

I have done much of what you have done. I am actually replacing the motor this weekend, and still have to do the knuckle rebuild. I had allways been fairly mechanical, but I mostly had worked on motorcycles, and now I know way more about vehicles than I ever thought I would.

I am the type of person who will find a good deal on a bike or truck, and sink a little money into and sell for a profit. This is the first truck that I have owned that I know will never be sold unless I am forced due to reasons behond my control. (I hope that never happens) I have done so much work already, and once my new motor is in and axle is rebuilt, it will be almost a new truck. My interior is near perfect and body and paint are pretty dang good as well. No rust (thank goodness) Anyways, its good to see I am not the only one with a mad wife due to my 60 obsession. Good luck, they are worth it. By the way her name is Else... get it....LC

 

[doublehaul]

Same here, just worked on bikes before this. My interior is almost flawless as well, looks amazing for the age, body is good now, but inner c channels on the rear of the frame are going to have to be addressed when it gets a bit warmer. Like I said, a few friends had 60s and 40s when I was younger and we used 'em all over the west, I've always wanted my own, so it was pretty easy to get deep into it...especially living in UT and being heavily into big game hunting, fishing, exploring/camping etc. The wife doesn't understand at all, but is actually being fairly cool considering the major disruption. She's pissed and we have had some words, but luckily she's awesome in general so I can get away with it. Running out of parking spots, but (and this is very, very evil) I have actually had tiny thoughts in the back of my head about getting another one. What is wrong with me? Is this normal?

 

[doublehaul]

Going now to tear apart the intake, I'll get some pics as well. And so it begins again...

 

[doublehaul]

here's some before shots of the wheel wells in the middle of the grinding process:

 

[doublehaul]

Some more quick Iphone shots. A couple after shots of the wheel wells (truck is dirty) and full view. The tires are worn to about 28", looks like a bull with ballet shoes on, that will change soon.

 

[doublehaul]

And no, the oil on the pavement is not from the cruiser, there was an old Pontiac there for a few years...

 

[doublehaul]

Well, there is now a giant void where my I/E manifold used to be and to be perfectly honest...I'm pretty stressed about it. Being the forward thinking and patient person that I am I went ahead and took all this out with very little experience and NO FSM. It was just out there calling to me from the garage, I couldn't resist.
So it went pretty well as far as bolt removal etc. all came out without breakage- the infamous firewall bolt is extremely lame, it was the tightest by far, I think the factory workers probably had a good laugh tightening that bolt down a little extra. Anyway, going to have it milled and was wondering if anyone has any recommends for a machine shop in SLC UT that is any good? Also wondering if anyone on the Wasatch front would be willing to let me use a 2F manual for a couple days?? I have the other two manuals and will be ordering this one as well, but would really like to get this done sometime in the very near future... Will the Haynes suffice as a short term substitute?

 

[SAS]

Good looking Cruiser. I'm curious about your rust repair--did you cut out and weld in new metal? Your lines in the close-up pictures look very clean.

Make a trip up to NoVA sometime and visit us at Capital Land Cruiser Club (CLCC), or come to a tech day. We're down in your area tomorrow (GW Forest trail ride on FEB 26th) but sounds like you've got plans for this weekend already (understatement)!

 

[doublehaul]

I'm in Utah, not anywhere near DC- have some friends there that I spent thanksgiving with though.
I was going to weld steel in, but my dad who welds a bit didn't feel confident welding the thin stuff so I just JB welded steel in place with bondo to finish. We have some nice adjustable body files so can get it pretty accurate.

 

[SAS]

I'm in Utah, not anywhere near DC- have some friends there that I spent thanksgiving with though.

Oops, sorry! I confused a response in post #5.

All the same, your rust repair looks good. Was the metal from cut-outs on a parts truck or did you/your dad shape flat stock. Great skills. Clean lines.

 

[doublehaul]

We used plain sheet steel for backing and then finished with bondo.

 

[doublehaul]

I probably should have bugged my dad a bit more and had him weld it, but hey, whatever. Guess I'll find out how long the JB Weld will hold.
I ground off all the rust while leaving as much of the contours as possible to later use as a guide when forming the bondo. Sanded all the mating surfaces with 60 or 80 grit and then cleaned it all with acetone. Here's some pics of the process:

 

[doublehaul]

Well, I finished the I/E manifold gasket replacement. I did new gaskets all around, EGR, downpipe, between manifolds (they were totally blown), new fasteners etc. Got it all back together and fired her up, let it come up to temp and had some black smoke and idle was at 250 rpm, at 250 it was idling smoother than it used to at 690. Doing the lean drop I ended up adjusting the idle mixture screw way in to get it where it should be. I took it around the neighborhood for a bit and wow, major improvement in acceleration and idling. No more rough, skipping idle, no more stumbling acceleration. Exhaust smell went WAY down. I'm really hoping this condition stays around for a bit.
Huge thanks to the people on here that have helped me through all this. Learning a ton. Next is cap & rotor replacement, timing and then carb rebuild. Here's some pics of the old manifold gasket...leaking a bit??

 

[haryv]

amazing work. Dam if I did not have a welder I could do the same.

 

[scrowley]

I am interested to see how long the jb weld will hold for....cracking, pealing, etc. looks good.