1970 FJ40 restoration

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I patched up 42 years of dings and scrapes on the fiberglass top. I ordered rivets and sealer from CCOT so I can reassemble and paint the top.
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This is a great thread... keep the info coming. I have started work on my '67, recently. pulling off parts and PO patchwork to get down to what I need to repair. It's not quite as bad as I thought, but still a lot of work. The engine seems to be good. I'll know more once I finish the carb rebuild and put fuel and spark to her...
 
The rivets I got from CCOT are 3/16" x 3/8". The heads were nice and big to create good surface area on the fiberglass. I used Clecos to keep everything aligned while I drilled out the holes from 1/8" to 3/16". I then laid a bead of 3M 08585 seam sealer on the fiberglass top.
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We placed the rain gutter back on and secured it with Cleco fasteners and C-clamps. I had modified a pair of vice-grips, copying one that Splangy here on mud had made, to buck the rivets. It worked, but not well for me. I think that the 3/16" rivets were just too big. It was taking a long time for each rivet, as I would have to squeeze the jaws, then readjust the vice-grips several times per rivet. After 7 or 8 rivets, my hands were shot. I cut a piece of 5/8" round steel bar, and after recruiting my kids to help, used the method recommended by CCOT. This method was fast and easy, and the flattened ends spread more and looked much better.
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Once everything was riveted, I cut a bondo spreader to the correct width to smooth the seam sealer. My daughter, the artist, very neatly did the smoothing as I applied the sealer with a caulking gun. I am glad she was there to help, because I know from previous experience that I would have made a mess of it. One thing we learned right away is don't try to fix mistakes until it dries, you'll just make it worse.
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zags said:
Once everything was riveted, I cut a bondo spreader to the correct width to smooth the seam sealer. My daughter, the artist, very neatly did the smoothing as I applied the sealer with a caulking gun. I am glad she was there to help, because I know from previous experience that I would have made a mess of it. One thing we learned right away is don't try to fix mistakes until it dries, you'll just make it worse.
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Nice fingernail and toenails!
 
I decided to put off painting the body for a while. I plan on doing it myself, and we will have 100+ degree temps here for a few months yet, too hot for an amateur painter without a proper booth. So I will handle some other remaining projects in the mean time. Some of the bigger things left are restoring the seats, the heater, the wiring harness, the instrument cluster and the dash switches. So I started on the switches. I used loose string buff in my drill press turning 800 rpm, and plastic polishing compound from Eastwood to clean the knobs up. So below is a picture of me polishing my kno...... wait, oh.. Anyway, I have been disassembling the switches, cleaning the contacts and putting in new electrical grease.
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Thanks for the compliments guys. I am still waiting out the heat before continuing on the body, so I am working on cleaning and stripping the rest of the smaller parts. I am anxious to lay down some paint, so bought some pewter paint from CCOT and am going to shoot all of that stuff early one morning as soon as i have it all prepped. :steer:
 
Awesome build/restoration! Thanks for sharing all the pics and restoration process. I look forward to future work and pics. Great job!!!:beer:
 
I wanna do some of the smaller stuff as well, the ccot paint I was curious if it was a good match. You say stripping what are you using?
 
nelsonjm624 said:
I wanna do some of the smaller stuff as well, the ccot paint I was curious if it was a good match. You say stripping what are you using?
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I am hoping to paint the pewter soon, possibly Monday. I was getting some vacation and family time in lately as well as spending some quality time in front of the blast cabinet. Absolutely every metal part that has not been replaced on this vehicle so far has been stripped to bare metal and been repainted, powder coated, polished or re-plated. I have not opened the can, but CCOT uses this paint for their restorations, and I am repainting absolutely everything, so I am not too worried. I am stripping the smaller parts in my blast cabinet and the seat frames with the blasting setup I used for the roof rain gutter in post #160. I am using glass beads or aluminum oxide, depending on the metal thickness. I have tried chemical strippers on previous cars and it was just too messy, nasty and slow.
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Went through this entire thread in one go...and it makes for an awesome read. The exacting, meticulous manner with which you've done literally everything, makes this a very special thing to witness.

Thank you.
 
I too just read through the ten page thread. It was actually heartbreaking because although I am also undertaking a total frame off restoration of my '73, I know I will not be able to replicate the insanely detail oriented work you have performed on yours. Congrats!
 
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