1970 FJ40 restoration

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thecrazygreek said:
I have shot some Fashion Green on a fender of mine. It is the bees nees! Go with the fashion. You wont regret it. I "Almost" went that way on my 69 build, but its going to be sold and I had to consider resale value and pleasing a wider audience.

Fashion will look dope!
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After seeing your test fender, I shot this color myself because colors vary so much in digital pictures. I had my daughter, the digital artist, adjust the color in the pictures to look right on a couple of the monitors at our house, as they looked too blue. The pictures still don't do the color justice. I really like this color and have settled on it for my FJ40.
Thanks!
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zags said:
After seeing your test fender, I shot this color myself because colors vary so much in digital pictures. I had my daughter, the digital artist, adjust the color in the pictures to look right on a couple of the monitors at our house, as they looked too blue. The pictures still don't do the color justice. I really like this color and have settled on it for my FJ40.
Thanks!
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Great to hear! You'll be the first one I've seen on this forum.

:beer:
 
I was playing with the front bumper some. This is how I planned it when I started, but now I am not so sure if I like it. I am committed on the winch location, I built the mount and welded it to the frame before it was powder coated. Maybe narrow the bumper and have it powder coated again? I want a stock-ish look, but.... :hhmm:
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you could say i like that color ...
a lot
:bounce:
<not the exact color but close enough to show??>
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zags said:
I bought a CSF 4 row radiator from Radiator Barn so I thought I would go ahead and install it. I had the O.E. hose clamps replated back when I did everything else. I also ordered seat belts and picked up some 2"x.120 steel tubing so I can get the roll bar built.
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1.75" is the new 2"...
 
I fired up the tubing bender and built a roll bar. I had bought a stock roll bar for it from a friend, but I was just not happy with how it looked. So I cut out some pieces of 1/4" plate with a plazma cutter, cleaned them up on my home-made belt grinder and drilled them to match the plates I had built in to the tub.
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I built this tubing bender years ago before you could buy ones designed for home hobbyists. I copied a Hossfeld bender that a friend had in his race shop. Over the years I have collected quite a few sets of dies for it, and bent a lot of tube.

I used 2"x.120" HREW for the roll bar and supports. The corners of the main hoop were bent to just under 90* then I added just a little hump in the center to bring it all in to square, similar to a stock one.
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The supports were next. The bends on the supports are not the same angle top and bottom, so to figure it out I drew a full-size pattern on the floor with soap stone then took measurements from that.
I use this Williams Lowbuck notcher for simple 90* joints, it is fast and easy with no need for de-burring. I use a hole saw nocther for mitered joints though.
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I had some seat belt tabs laying around, so I tacked those in place. I tacked everything good, and will finish-weld it and get it powder coated when I tear the body back down for paint. :bounce2:

Remember to always wear appropriate attire when welding and working with with steel. Safety First! :D
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Demon061 said:
Wel you've fabricated half the vehicle so far, well done haha. If you don't mind me asking, how much did having it stripped and PC'd cost?
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The stuff in post #28 was stripped and powder coated by Glendale Powder Coat in Glendale. AZ and cost $1000

I had the body stripped at Stripping Shop in Peoria, AZ and I think it cost $600 or $700 to have all of the sheet metal plastic media blasted. A friend at a body shop epoxy coated the body for free for me.
 
I can't believe how much this project has snowballed since I first bought this rig. I started out looking to build a DD / trail rig, and soon realized that most of the ones I looked at were so butchered by their POs that I needed to find a stock one to start out with. The plan then was to do a lift, winch, rear locker and get it mechanically sound, then wheel it. When I brought this one one home, I started taking it apart , and thought "Well. since I have the motor out, may as well go through the trans and tcase" Then it was "Since I have the front clip off, I may as well go through the knuckles and steering!" I think you can see where I am going with this. At some point it became clear to me that I was only going to be happy with a full restoration.

Although I do plan to show it a few times when it is done, this will NOT be a garage queen and it will get wheeled! I look at it this way: When I am done I will have as close to a new FJ40 as i can get. Compared to the cost of a brand new truck these days, this is a bargain, plus I got to build it myself.
 
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you have no idea how many times i have heard the same words:
The plan then was to do a lift, winch, rear locker and get it mechanically sound, then wheel it. When I brought this one one home, I started taking it apart to replace the engine because of a thrown rod, and thought "Well. since I have the motor out, may as well go through the trans and tcase" Then it was "Since I have the front clip off, I may as well go through the knuckles and steering!"
 
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