Two 62s Become One - Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[diesellibrarian]

With the inner fender repair complete, I started work on the wheel arch. Only the very bottom section of the driver's side wheel arch was rotted, so this wasn't a huge undertaking. Here's the small patch ready to be welded in place. This patch will also serve to tie the wheel arch into the recently-installed rocker panel.

And here's the patch welded in place:

I still need to weld the inner lip, but I will do that when I burn in the piece that caps off the rocker panel, which is pretty much the last piece of rust repair I need to do on this truck. I think I'll take a break from working on the body to try and get some of the mechanical stuff sorted out. Next steps there include:

- installing fuel tank
- installing fuel lines

Maybe I'll be get this thing to fire in the not too distant future? Here's hoping.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Oh yeah! I forgot to mention that I also completed the cross member repair. This close-up shows some pinholes that I've since gone back and re-welded, so don't judge too harshly:

Still looks a lot better than it did before!

 

[MarkBC]

Great. My BJ60 has minimal rust compared to yours but the wheel wells do have that swelling from rust in between the two layers. I have started to remove the outer layer like you did and was also contemplating how to prevent the rust from coming back later once a patch has ben welded back on. My plan was to add some rust inhibiting oil from above (inside the cabin) via a crevice that connects and allow it to seep through. I'll probably have a few small weep holes along the bottom somewhere to allow for it to seep by gravity. Mine was rusting from the inside out because of holes in the roof allowing the interior to be soaking wet so it is impossible to remove the rust between the different layers now, it has gone through the entire truck. But it was from distilled rain water so the rust has barely advanced like from road salt. So I think just pushing oil through all the crevices, and ensuring the interior cabin stays dry should prevent it from ever coming back.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Great. My BJ60 has minimal rust compared to yours but the wheel wells do have that swelling from rust in between the two layers. I have started to remove the outer layer like you did and was also contemplating how to prevent the rust from coming back later once a patch has ben welded back on. My plan was to add some rust inhibiting oil from above (inside the cabin) via a crevice that connects and allow it to seep through. I'll probably have a few small weep holes along the bottom somewhere to allow for it to seep by gravity. Mine was rusting from the inside out because of holes in the roof allowing the interior to be soaking wet so it is impossible to remove the rust between the different layers now, it has gone through the entire truck. But it was from distilled rain water so the rust has barely advanced like from road salt. So I think just pushing oil through all the crevices, and ensuring the interior cabin stays dry should prevent it from ever coming back.

Yeah the way Toyota designed it, if the seam sealer fails, the joint serves as a funnel, directing water down between the two panels. Water can also seep up from below, which is clearly what was happening with mine. Either way, a perfect rust trap. Oil or something like Fluid Film should displace that moisture, as you say, and keep it from getting worse.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Didn't get a whole lot of time off over Christmas, but still managed to check a few items off my "to-do" list.

The first item was this small section on the rear hatch jamb. A pretty simple repair, for a change. Before:

After:

I got the inner fender repair all buttoned up. Here are a couple of pics of the rocker cap, all seam sealed and undercoated:

I also finished undercoating the underside of the cargo floor. I'm pretty much ready to zip the fuel tank back into the truck, which is a pretty exciting development. I spent some time inspecting the two sets of fuel lines that I have, and unfortunately they are both marginal, so it looks like I'll be bending fresh lines from front to back...oh well. Short term pain for long-term gain, I guess.

The weather has been much warmer these past few days, so I was able to finish undercoating the fuel tank in preparation for installation:

I think I'm going to spend the next little while focusing on mechanical stuff. I'd like to see if I can get this engine to fire. I also plan to do a Rodney flush and drop the transmission pan. While I'm in there I'll make sure the kick-down cable is adjusted to spec and plumb in my auxiliary trans cooler as well.

Hope y'all had a good Christmas. More updates in the new year!

 

[kirvesmies]

man, my work looks slip shod along side yours
i'll try to keep the dragonship thread away from yours so as not to detract from your work
what product did you use on the tank? n how do you like it?

 

[diesellibrarian]

man, my work looks slip shod along side yours
i'll try to keep the dragonship thread away from yours so as not to detract from your work
what product did you use on the tank? n how do you like it?

Haha, well I think we have different goals for our trucks. I'm trying to keep mine stock, and you're doing some pretty cool fab work and mods. So it's hard to compare! I enjoy following your thread! Plus we Canuck Cruiserheads gots to stick together, since we have a common enemy (rust).

For undercoat I use Duplicolor UC102 Undercoat and Sound Eliminator. Used the same stuff on the wheel wells, and also used it on my Samurai. I like it because it's paintable, seems to hold up well, and is relatively cheap.

 

[BittersweetInfamy]

Thanks for following along! I'm in Lethbridge. As far as I know I'm the only Cruiserhead within a 200km radius. Would love to meet up with some of you Calgary guys at some point.

It would be great to meet up! The work you are doing is fantastic and it wont take you long to finish up!

 

[kirvesmies]

thanks for the info, n the verbal thumbs up. true, our end goals are different. mine will probably get a rash before your's does

 

[cholznag]

Strong work and very inspiring! I am contemplating ripping my cruiser apart piece by piece as you have done. Im in Bozeman, MT and I had a tree fall on my 89 FJ62. It damaged or crushed my driver side A pillar, windshield, part of the roof above the driver side door and the door, both front fenders and the hood. I pulled off the driver side front fender today. I'll be looking for a doner A pillar and about 18 inches of the roof. You will be totally jacked when you get done with your rig!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Strong work and very inspiring! I am contemplating ripping my cruiser apart piece by piece as you have done. Im in Bozeman, MT and I had a tree fall on my 89 FJ62. It damaged or crushed my driver side A pillar, windshield, part of the roof above the driver side door and the door, both front fenders and the hood. I pulled off the driver side front fender today. I'll be looking for a doner A pillar and about 18 inches of the roof. You will be totally jacked when you get done with your rig!

If that had happened 6 months ago, i would have had a donor roof cut for you! Too bad. I'm in Canada but only about 50 miles across the line north of Great Falls.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Spent way too much time over the weekend trying to persuade these shackles to squeeze over the new bushings. This is a job that I'd been procrastinating on, because I am just generally not a fan of suspension work. If I had to do this all over again, I would have bought some two-piece anti-inversion shackles. That would have saved a lot of time and hassle and pounding and levering and jacking etc.

Anyway, they're in...and unfortunately, the bolts are just a little too short, which means another trip to the hardware store. Replacing the bolts is no big deal. The hard part is done!

These Terrain Tamer bushings seem to be very well-made.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Continuing to pick away at some of the little details on this project. Last night I broke out my el cheapo bead roller to fabricate some replacement covers for the rear body mount access holes. One of the original covers was completely gone, and this one was in pretty rough shape:

I'm using some scrap steel that I salvaged from a washing machine that I found in an alleyway. Thanks Maytag for the free metal!

Anyway, I'm a rank amateur with the bead roller, but for a panel that no human eyes will ever see, this seems perfectly adequate:

I made up two of these and bolted them in. On the driver's side I'd replaced the whole panel that they attach to, so I used nutserts to mount that one. The passenger side was in better shape, so I used some hex head sheet metal screws to mount that one. Also reinstalled the body mount protector flap, again using nutserts. To try and keep water out, I put some self-adhesive weatherstripping on the back side of the covers before installing.

Also took the opportunity to re-wrap the wiring harness that hangs out in this area, so that's ready for re-installation too! Just trying to get all of this finicky stuff done before installing the fuel tank.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Finally felt ready to strap the fuel tank in place, but not before making some repairs to the fuel pump/gauge sender harness. I spent more time than I would have liked with my soldering gun, but you don't want an intermittent connection to your fuel pump, so I guess it's time well spent.

Before hoisting the tank into place, I affixed a 5/16 compression fitting to the fuel send line (the original send and return lines had been cut short by a previous owner). I'll add another short section of hard line that will tie into a piece of soft line and then into the stock hard lines that run along the frame rail. I flared the end of the return line, and will simply connect the soft line directly to it:

Looking down from above, I can already tell that his fuel pump access panel will be super handy:

A word to the wise on tank straps: should you find yourself in a situation like me, where you have 4 tank straps to choose from, don't just keep the 2 "best" straps and junk the rest. Turns out the left and right straps are different, and the two straps I'd kept were both rights. After fighting with the stupid thing for an hour, I finally googled it and learned that there are two part numbers for 60-series tank straps. Crap. Anyway, my workaround was to extend the left strap by 1.5" by welding in a piece of 16ga steel. In the meantime I may see if I can find a used strap locally. I don't have any concerns about the strength of the modified strap, it's just kinda janky.

I'm also very excited to install this beauty:

New OE filler neck hose. This had to be brought in from California, and the parts guy said there were only two left in North America. Some vendors on the forum (like @cruisermatt) are selling them, but buying from the dealer saved me a ton on shipping and duty, etc. Unlike the one I removed, this one is super pliable and should be relatively easy to install.

One final note: went back to the hardware store and bought longer bolts for the shackles. The nuts now fully engage the bolt threads, and I'm able to run washers behind the nut and bolt head:

My next step is to install the fuel lines the run along the passenger frame rail, then get them tied in at both ends.

 

[cruisermatt]

New OE filler neck hose. This had to be brought in from California, and the parts guy said there were only two left in North America.

Maybe there were two left in North America that day, they are certainly still an active part number. I just re-stocked and have 25 on my shelf. Maybe time to find a new parts guy. Make sure you also replace the filler neck grommet.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Maybe there were two left in North America that day, they are certainly still an active part number. I just re-stocked and have 25 on my shelf. Maybe time to find a new parts guy. Make sure you also replace the filler neck grommet.

I do sometimes wonder about the parts counter at my local Toyota dealer...but they're the only dealership within a 2-hour drive, so for the amount that I deal with them, I'll put up with a bit of misinformation here and there.

Already have a fresh OE filler neck grommet waiting on the shelf!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Got the fuel tank and lines installed over the weekend! The OG hard lines were in decent shape, except for the last 18" or so of the return line, so I deleted that section, put a new flare on the end, and ran a soft line back to the tank:

Also bent a new section of 5/16" hard line to reconnect the send line, again using a short length of Gates fuel injection hose to connect the tank to the hard line. I think it looks pretty tidy!

Installed all new hoses between the tank and the fuel separator, along with my new filler hose and grommet:

A lot of the fuel line brackets were rusted out, so I decided to make my own. I simply found one that wasn't too far gone, pounded it flat, and used it as a template for the replacement bracket, which I cut out of some scrap sheet metal I had laying around.

Then just bend to shape around the rubber grommet:

Still need to add once piece of evap line, and then the fuel system should be ready to go. Getting closer and closer to trying to fire this thing!

 

[diesellibrarian]

Also, does anyone happen to have a pic of the splash guard that bolts to the inner quarter and protects the fuel lines? Mine is long gone, of course, so I'll have to make my own, but I want to get a sense of what the OE part looks like.

 

[kirvesmies]

i've said it before, n i'll say it again, way to get after it @diesellibrarian .
that guard you speak of, i didn't even know there was one there. mine's obviously nfg n gone awol. would you mind posting a pic of the remains of yours plz.

 

[kirvesmies]

never mind, just reread your post about it , d'uh