1976 HJ45 pickup project.

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Not planning gearbox work but while the access is so easy, and I had an experienced mechanic with me, we decided to take the gearbox off and have a look at clutch/pressure plate/bearings and input shaft/bearings.
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While my HJ45 and BJ40 are off the road, I´m borrowing the 1977 HJ45 pictured below. The trail shown in the pics is my drive to work, and the reason I have found myself with a 4x4 "collection". I´ve ended up preferring the 45 to the 40 for offroad driving.
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Very nice ute
 
havin a nice one on loan to drive really does give me a kick up backside to get on with finishing mine. Next up (tomo) is removing pulleys, fuel pump, starter to get them and the engine cleaned up further and prepped for painting.

Not decided if gonna take water pump off or try to paint block with it in place. Also dunno whether to paint engine while mounted to chassis or take it off first. It´s coming off anyway as chassis due for rustproof and paint but chassis looks like a pretty good way of supporting engine while painting it.
 
just read thru the whole thread. very nice 45, reminds me a bit of mine. not a 100% sure, but is that a 2H? if so, great engine. best move i ever made was rebuilding mine and not changing it out to something else
 
it has its original H engine. I have a 2H lying about and a source for 1KZ-T engines but i want to keep this pickup original
 
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Engine ran fine when I picked it up the day I bought it, after it had been standing for several years. Noticeably more power than the B engine in my BJ40.

Today made some progress on the spring refurb work. Got the fronts disassembled and the leaves are now in various stages of prep n paint.

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Steering now on the bench. First.. clean up, inspect and measure, see what needs replacing and what is to be derusted and painted.

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With the chassis almost bare I am planning how to rustproof it. There doesn´t seem to be a concensus of a "best" way to do it. My main concern is how to make sure the inside of the chassis rails remain free from rust for another few decades. I´m a big fan of rust converters (iron oxide --> iron phosphate), especially in cases like this where I´ve only found a very small amount of surface rust and nothing at all that could be described as structural rust. Perhaps the biggest challenge is going to be removing the existing paint. I´m experimenting with paintstrippers. Thought about sandblasting but not convinced it´s the best way to absolutely remove all paint from every nook and cranny. Mind is open, would love to see some suggestions and discussion.
 
Steering damper gives no resistance to being compressed so must be replaced. Is it specific to the 45 or the same as the one for the BJ/FJ40 ?

Do the steering dampers come with a ball joint at each end or do I need to buy the ball joints separately?
 
Steering damper gives no resistance to being compressed so must be replaced. Is it specific to the 45 or the same as the one for the BJ/FJ40 ?

Do the steering dampers come with a ball joint at each end or do I need to buy the ball joints separately?

The part number is 45700-60013 SUBS 45700-69015 and it's the same as used in FJ4#, 55, BJ4# and HJ47 models from Sept 77 to April 1986.

The genuine article comes with balljoints either end but some aftermarket ones don't.

:beer:

PS. Does it have resistance to being extended?
Because maybe it is SUPPOSED to have resistance in only one direction (after all, it is simply there to stop steering shimmy).
 
Hi Tom, it does have some resistance to being extended but nothing like a suspension shock absorber has and doesn't seem very smooth. Most of the steering links and ball joints are not in such a bad condition but the damper and its joints look pretty bad. I only drove this truck a couple of times before starting to tear it down, and it drove OK so maybe I should check it against a good one. I found an OEM damper for under 50 euros including joints but its on 2 month backorder. Found a couple of 2nd hand ones for similar price but that defeats the object so will keep looking.
 
After suffering from a massive workload I've picked this project up again and have a quick update....

Chassis painstakingly depainted with degreaser, paintstripper, jet wash, compressed air and days of power and hand sanding.
Chassis prepped and painted inside and out and now working on disassembled axles and springs, checking diff/axle bearings and seals, replacing where necessary and part way thru painting axles, shackles/springs/wheels.

Still got a heavy workload away from this project, but aiming for a rolling chassis asap.
 
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