Builds 1965 FJ45lv build up/resto thread

[buckroseau]

Got the lv in the shop tonight. Plan was to just get it in the shop, clean up, get all the parts in order and ready for Friday night.

My buddy Chad and I got a little ambitious and spent about an hour and unbolted, busted and torched body mounts and misc. fittings off.

Got the body off and up in the air sitting on the hoist. Have a few more things to get off the fram and cleaned up ready for welding. Might have the motor and tranny mocked up by Friday night. I think we should have all mounts welded in sometime Saturday afternoon???

Matt

 

[buckroseau]

1 more

 

[cruiserbrett]

Holy crap, you werent kidding when you said you'd have it apart in no time. Looks good!!! Never noticed the frame or the shock tower, sorry about that.

 

[JasonH]

Cool shop! Nice work.

 

[cruiserwanted]

Looks Awesome. Extremly Jelous. What is the goal time for completion? Was it Memorial Day? Making nice progress. Keep the pics coming.

 

[buckroseau]

Looks Awesome. Extremly Jelous. What is the goal time for completion? Was it Memorial Day? Making nice progress. Keep the pics coming.

I've got a buddy that I am/was helping with a 75 Bronco, the goal on that was memorial day. But, he's lazy and quit working on it, even though he just got a new fiberglass body for it 3 weeks ago.

I won't go so far as to commit to a date, if I miss the completion date the dreamstompers will be all over me telling me how the world is flat.

I spent a good month and a half sourcing parts and getting my chit together before I even touched a bolt on the lv. Now that I have the majority of my parts, I probably will bust ass and try to hammer it out as fast as I can. I have been building my own house for several years now, and I have to keep the wife happy by working on that once and a while. Should be able to sneak the LV in there quite often though.

I had an extra hour before work this morning and I pulled the driveshafts in the 79 donor vehicle. I want to have the front and rear axles pulled out of the 79 by Tuesday and try to get them de-greased by Wed. If all goes as planned this weekend with motor mounts and saginaw plates welded in and then disassemble everything off the frame: I plan to drag everything down to Fargo, ND on Saturday, April 9th and have it all sandblasted. Spoke yesterday with a buddy of mine who does comercial powdercoating locally for Polaris ind. He is going to order up black in 100% gloss today, frame and some other misc. parts are scheduled to be powdercoated Monday, April 11th, 2 days after they will be sandblasted. I am going to paint the axles after blasting with PPG DP90LF and topcoat with PPG's/MTK single stage urethane in black. I just don't want to pull the axles apart if I don't need to.

What is going to slow me up is Parabolic springs. I ordered them in Febuary and supposedly they are just now somewhere over the Atlantic? I have a strong suspicion that I won't see those for another 3 to 4 weeks, we'll see I guess? If I had the springs in the next week, I think I honestly could have the frame, axles, entire driveline and other misc. chub bolted in and ready for a tub in 3 weeks. Without springs, I'm dead in the water.

If I'm waiting for springs I will start on the tub. Should be bolted onto the rottisseri this weekend and ready to be spun anytime.

Pics will be coming shortly.

Matt

 

[treerootCO]

I was wondering about gloss vs semi-gloss on the frame for LVs. Gloss is nicer but I was thinking Semi-gloss might be closer to stock. What is your opinion on that?

 

[buckroseau]

I was wondering about gloss vs semi-gloss on the frame for LVs. Gloss is nicer but I was thinking Semi-gloss might be closer to stock. What is your opinion on that?

All things shinny !!!!

Just kidding not all. The guy doing the powdercoating actually has 45% gloss that they use right now all the time. I would say fresh out of the oven it looks semi or satin as far as gloss. Here's an example of a 75 Bronco frame that we powdercoated about a month ago.

http://www.crustycruisers.com/b38.jpg

It looks a little shinnier in the pics than it actually is.

That is fresh out of the oven. What I have noticed, for example on my 77 FJ40 that I restored. I used singlestage ureathane on the frame in black, which was like a mirror when I was done. A year later after going up and down my gravel road every day and what ever road grime on it over the course of the year, kinda satin/semi-gloss now. Not chipped or rusting, just not as shinny.

I would say if a guy was going to leave it in the living room in an auto caccoon for ever probably semi-gloss. If your going to drive it, as shinny as possible, because it will dull somewhat.

Matt

 

[Chef]

Springs are *supposed* to be about 2 weeks out. Then they gotta get cleared thru customs and re-shipped. So 4 weeks to your door might be right. Not real speedy. If you had ordered 40 springs, you'd have 'em by now

 

[treerootCO]

gloss it is then


Keep up the good work, and take lots of pics. I never get tired of them.

 

[Mikesta]

great thread!

 

[buckroseau]

Took exactly 50 minutes to take the pile of steel you see on the cart and turn it into my body rottisseri. Took about another 20 minutes to cut it up. Total time, 1 hour 10 minutes, total cost about $150 steel and I had the castor wheels.

Adjustable in length. The rottiserri's I have seen for sale are also adjustable in height at the pivot point, I imagine to find the center of gravity so it rotates easily. I am going to make an educated guess on the C.G. , so my pivot point will be fixed. Bolt one x-member to the firewall and then weld to that. I plan on bolting 2 pieces of Angle iron in the hinge bracket holes where the tailgate fastens, then weld the x-member to that.

What you see in the pics is 14' long at the longest point and 4 ft high. and 6 feet wide.

Should work and I think I can get somewhat close? If it's a little heavy on 1 end when it rolls, I still should be able to roll it.

Matt

 

[Poser]

Lookin' good Matt.





Get your goodies?

 

[buckroseau]

Lookin' good Matt.





Get your goodies?

Thanks, yes I did. Did you get the funds?

Matt

 

[buckroseau]

It's late and I just walked in the door from the shop so I will have to fill in the blanks later. Pics from this evening.

Before you pass judgement, try to share the vision.

Things I am concerned about, but most will read this tomorrow after I have completed them. Motor mounts a little high, Bob Firestein mounts. I'm pretty sure I'm going to weld them instead of bolt them through the frame, although some people have said they have welded them.

T-case as high as I think as I can get it.

More later

Matt

 

[buckroseau]

more

 

[buckroseau]

couple more for now

 

[Landpimp]

dang thats cool to watch

question, in this pic, whats the "stuff" on the bottom of the floor pan? is it bondo or ? because from the inside the floors look solid(ish)

 

[cruiser_guy]

Not using a "T" case saver? There's going to be a lot of torque on that case!

 

[buckroseau]

dang thats cool to watch

question, in this pic, whats the "stuff" on the bottom of the floor pan? is it bondo or ? because from the inside the floors look solid(ish)

Undercoating flaking off. Floor's pretty solid, although I'm finding bondo all over the vehicle from what looks to be like fender benders.

Matt