1966 FJ45LV restoration/buildup project

[merbesfield]

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more. In these pics you can see the bends and the pieces starting to come together. The first piece I did was not correct, at 22mm wide, I redid it at 22mm with 9mm angles and it turned out great.

 

[merbesfield]

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[Marcfj-45]

more. In these pics you can see the bends and the pieces starting to come together. The first piece I did was not correct, at 22mm wide, I redid it at 22mm with 9mm angles and it turned out great.

How did you bend it ? And for the round end you cut it and then you hammer it?

Realy nice re-built

 

[merbesfield]

More Frankenstein

There rear end is coming together. Fabricated the curved lower qtr corner and stitched it together with part of the original. Next step is to tie all the pieces together. A few more pics for the viewing audience. First pics show the raw sheet metal being curved and fitted. Later pics will show it actually welded to the upper qtr corner. It is amazing how many little pieces there are to this puzzle. They built a strong truck, just should have paid more attention to rust prevention. If I were ever intending on wheeling this thing, I would have to come up with a way to seal off all the little holes and openings. I have no idea how that could be done as there are so many nooks and crannies for mud and dirt to get up inside this area.

 

[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

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more 4. Here you can see the piece actually welded to the upper. Next step will be to fabricate the corner lip to tie it all together. That piece was a real PIA on the other side.

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

man Mark you are doing some incredible metal work!!! I'll be calling you when we get to that point in our resto.

 

[merbesfield]

man Mark you are doing some incredible metal work!!! I'll be calling you when we get to that point in our resto.

Thanks man. Worked on the LV most all of today. Got the last of the corner/qtr done. I was thinking today that I probably have the only rust free LV in the world. Justification for all the time spent, ha ha. Will post pics tomorrow. I think I am actually almost ready to weld the entire rear end back together. I can see why they rusted so badly now that it is all back together. There are huge gaping holes in the panel design that allowed mud to just pack in. I was thinking about how to make it a better design. I don't want to change it from original but the way it is designed it will just rust again even with just street use.

 

[merbesfield]

Here are the pics. As you can see, I don't have a shrinker-stretcher so I have to make the curves the crude way of cutting lots of slits and welding it back together. PIA. Even if I had a SS I would still have to weld the two pieces together bc this piece has two 90 degree bends in opposite directions. I am sure that would still be easier than this though.

 

[merbesfield]

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[merbesfield]

Rear sill ready to be final welded. Still have to insert the hinge blocks and rust proof the insides before welding back together tho.

I wanted to give a big thanks for the help from my buddy Scott who motivated me to bust butt on this project. He is leaving for the middle east for a one year employment gig. I wish him all the best and a safe return. I hope to be able to pick him up at the airport in this thing. Or maybe even the Porsche, but that may be too optimistic.

 

[Jacket]

Impressive! Looks great. What are those copper-looking tools in the second to last picture (on the body panel seams)? Is that a magnet of some sort?

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Here are the pics. As you can see, I don't have a shrinker-stretcher so I have to make the curves the crude way of cutting lots of slits and welding it back together. PIA. Even if I had a SS I would still have to weld the two pieces together bc this piece has two 90 degree bends in opposite directions. I am sure that would still be easier than this though.

The ends justify the means

I wanted to give a big thanks for the help from my buddy Scott who motivated me to bust butt on this project. He is leaving for the middle east for a one year employment gig. I wish him all the best and a safe return. I hope to be able to pick him up at the airport in this thing. Or maybe even the Porsche, but that may be too optimistic.

It's important to set realistic goals. One year sounds like a long time until it goes by but you could also get a lot done in that time with steady, consistant progress.

Thank Scott for us if you get the chance

Kevin

 

[subzali]

... I was thinking today that I probably have the only rust free LV in the world...

What about Matt's (ex) LV?

Your work looks amazing!

 

[merbesfield]

Yep Matt's does come to mind. What did he do with that one? Did he sell it?

 

[subzali]

Impressive! Looks great. What are those copper-looking tools in the second to last picture (on the body panel seams)? Is that a magnet of some sort?

Clecos:
SHEET HOLDERS CLECO FASTENERS from Aircraft Spruce
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleko

 

[merbesfield]

Clecos:
SHEET HOLDERS CLECO FASTENERS from Aircraft Spruce
Cleko - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yes, Cleco's. Look around they vary quite a bit in price depending upon where you find them. Don't go to someone like Eastwood, look for more of a tradesman type supplier. They work very well and are very inexpensive. Can be taken on and off quite rapidly.

edit, the size I use requires a 1/8" hole to be drilled. They are copper color coded. They also have other little clamps too.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

It's important to set realistic goals. One year sounds like a long time until it goes by but you could also get a lot done in that time with steady, consistant progress.

Exactly.

Merbes: watching you bust out the sheet metal work almost makes me miss the rust repair on our 40. It's seriously making me want to rip into the rust repair on my 45 right now too. Yours is coming along very, very nicely.

If you keep on busting butt on the sheet metal when you feel like it, and methodically chip away at it when you aren't feeling quite as motivated, you'll be driving it sooner than you think. Of the nearly 3 years we tore ours down, I'd estimate than only 3 actual months were actual mechanical work. Once we got the body back from paint, I think I have 10 full days of work before it was on the road and turning heads. The rest of it was bodywork, and a lot more thinking and puzzling about how I was going to do the bodywork.

Dan

 

[merbesfield]

Dan, yea I try to stay motivated. It is hard sometimes. One day you look at the project and think, "I am never going to finish this" and then some days you just click. The one saving grace about these cruisers vs. my 68 Porsche project is exactly what you said, once the metal work is done, the hard part is over. These cruisers really are simple with regards to the mechanical elements. Hopefully, it will go back together nicely, fingers crossed. My trouble is that I am not a mechanical guy and have never worked on a cruiser so I am sure the mechanical part will be harder for me than the rust repair.