1966 FJ45v budget "resto" begins........

[40Flipper]

FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE

1966 FJ45v bottomless pit of money and fun begins......

Finally it's here! Some insane Russian guy dropped it off at 6am this morning. The trip from Australia was uneventful and delivery was a day early. I might actually have this shipping thing figured out finally.

Very happy with the condition inside and out. It's primered with some finish sanding needed on some small bondo spots but nothing major at all. Frame is spotless, floors are surface rusted but zero rot and no funky welds. Needs a battery and tires desperately. Going to get the plate today so I can drive this weekend.

Interior is a bit tough. The beautiful tint on the windows is actually black paint that was brushed on. The back seat upholstery is junk but the front seat in good although not original material. The floors are surface rusted but not bad. Headliner is shot. Door panels are beat up but that will be one of the last things done anyway.

Mechanically I don't know yet. Need to buy a battery. Carb is not original. Engine has the usual oil leaks. Haven't really looked under the truck yet. Needs new springs. Doors don't close properly and the tailgate is loose.

I'm not doing a frame off or anything. My budget is tiny and I will try for rust prevention as my first priority with the snows of New England on the way someday soon. Paint will be in the next couple weeks. Sand and prime the interior. This is not going to be showroom until my company starts making big money so that'll be a long time.

I will be cutting corners on some stuff. I will stray from originality in other areas. I plan on never selling this so I'm doing it up to my tastes without destroying the flavor and style of the original.

Hopefully the cruiser gods are smiling.....

John

 

[40Flipper]

pics added

Just gave myself a crash course in resizing pictures...

 

[40Flipper]

more pics

 

[40Flipper]

Out of memory but have more pics.

 

[fogblanket]

very very nice. congrats you got to be excited about it. that is goign to be a sweet ride. i'd love to check it out when it is at the paint dude's
Jason

 

[40Flipper]

It's going to be tough to go to work today.......

 

[SteveH]

Sweet truck - quick, get it inside before it rusts!

Steve

 

[ColoCruiserJeff]

Glad to see another LV in progress! I'll be asking you a bunch of q's about it, as I've never seen mine fully assembled! Looks great! Awesome find!!

 

[40Flipper]

Garage dilemma- I have a mint condition 1963 Olds in the garage that I need to move to get the inside space. I'm trying to sell it but no one wants a muscle car in Boston in Jan.
I have a friend's garage I'm going to try to move the Olds to this Sunday.

The wife is out of town next weekend so I'm going to start the sanding of the rust spots this weekend and hit it with primer to keep the rust from starting. Next weekend will be a 24-7 sand and primer marathon sponsored by Anheuser Busch. Trying to save $$$ on body prep before the paint guy gets it.

The headliner is shot so I'm going to pull that out. Since the roof is metal, I was going to prime and paint it inside with Rustoleum then install an SOR.com headliner once the inside is done. I want to stop any rust from going inside out. Is this the best way/ product to use? Any suggestions? It's not going to be seen so perfection is not an issue.

In the daylight the body has some more bondo than I thought but not much. The edge of the wheel wells are basically bondo so I'll be sanding them to even them out.

Basically my goal is to have a "20 footer" when I'm done. The CCOT resto will be a few years down the road.

 

[Sporin]

Nice.

 

[treerootCO]

Nice score. I added the pics to my gallery.

Garage dilemma - sounds familiar. I have a 1963 Mercury Monterey that sleeps outside under a tempory garage and cover.

 

[SteveH]

On the rusty roof of my FJ55, I had metal welded in to fix the missing areas, and when he was all done, I bought two aerosol cans of spray cold galvanizing compound and hosed down the inside gutter area of the roof (the area where the headliner bows plug in - underneath the headliner). You don't want to use grease in a roof, so I figured this galv compound would slow the rust.

I had a perforated headliner installed (not OEM material), which allowed the condensate to evaporate from inside the roof.

Steve

 

[40Flipper]

Garage problem solved!
My buddy has a garage filled with with shizzle so we're goint to re-arrange it Sunday before the Pat's game when they will kill the Jets. One case of Busch bar bottles and the Olds is out of the way for a few months.

Galvanized stuff scares me. Galvanized drain pipes I had in my old condo crushed in my hand and not because I have any strength. Basically it rusts the metal from the inside out.

Durabak has a new, smooth textured coating that I'm considering for the floors and possibly the roof. I've heard great things about Durabak in general but the regular stuff is a bit rough. I'm more concerned about rust prevention then originality.

I need to coat the interior next weekend before it goes to the paint guy. I'm thinking light gray to match the SOR.com carpet and door panels (both gray)

 

[40Flipper]

Need paint color ideas

I need ideas for paint colors!!!!

Feel free to throw out wild suggestions. The original color is the off-white "Fawn" color and it's too boring for me. I was thinking red but it might highlight the imperfections in the body.

Interior will be gray and white. Top outside will be white. Rims, bumpers and kangaroo killer bull bar will be gloss black.

Other ideas people have had are metallic green and painting it like the General Lee. Both tempting....

Anyone have any cool photos or have a dream color that they always wanted to do?

I'm color-blind so asking is the only way I'll have something nice!

 

[Sporin]

I like the idea of white over red, like this....

 

[JohnnyC]

I second for red and white....but ....the red top, white middle, and red bottom...classic

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

I need ideas for paint colors!!!! I was thinking red but it might highlight the imperfections in the body. Anyone have any cool photos or have a dream color that they always wanted to do?

If you're worried about seeing imperfections in the body, you can always go with a low-gloss or eggshell finish. Whatever you do, go with the classic look and keep the roof and lower body color the same.

Here's a pic of my LV with low-gloss paint. Not 'cause the body's in bad shape, just 'cause the lower paint is olive-drab. If you're gonna go with a stock color, I like the red/white combo. It's the factory color of my LV. If you want a more vintage look, make the white a color like Ford Wimbleton white rather than a true white.

 

[fogblanket]

i am partial to the stock paint lines but not necisarily the stock colors. if you are color blind maybe you should go with a gray and white combo it is one of my favorite lv color schemes.
jason

 

[40Flipper]

What about a darker red?
Will red show up any imperfections in the body like a black paint would?

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

I think the darker you go, the more they'll show.
You must have seen this pic by now, but just in case you haven't . . .