Builds 1977 FJ40 - USA Spec Restoration - Father & Son Project - AKA "Belle" (1 Viewer)

[DirtDauberGarage]

Since you are in the South and away from road chemicals, I wouldn’t undercoat it.

But, I am a guy who hates the collateral damage of nuts and bolts covered in that crap from previous owners. With the values of these things climbing, no one drives them in environments that dictate the need for it anyway. #ih8rhinolineronfj40s

Yeah... after spending 8 hours today scraping off the rest of the undercoating, I have decided NOT to use it on this build. I am going to save some poor guy like me in 30 years the trouble of scraping it off again

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

Here is a pic of the "fruit of my labor" today... 8 hours of scraping About 12 hours total to get to this point. The wheel-wells took a long time. It was very thick and the support braces have rounded angles that made scraping harder.

I now need to spend a few hours with a Scotch brite pad, some paint thinner and some rags cleaning up what is left on the tub. The second pic is what the final product will look like.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

In hind sight... I should have put the tub outside and upside down in the sun this summer, coated it with some oil, and let it bake. We had a couple weeks in a row this summer where it was 98 degrees every day. I think if I had let it bake for a week or so and keep coating it with oil or some sort of solvent, it would have come off easier. All in all, it wasn't too hard, just tedious and boring. Here are a few "in process" pics.

I guess you could say that I was literally and "shade tree mechanic"

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

OK... in all fairness, I believe the work on the tub was not the previous owner, but the PO before him. He told me he bought the tub from a guy in Alabama. The more I look at it the more frustrated I get. I will ABSOLUTELY have to remove the quarter panels and reinstall them. My fear is that it looks like he used some sort of panel bonding glue and it is going to be a beast to get them off without tearing them all up. He didn't even completely remove the old panels before installing the new ones.

I am not sure that I can fix them correctly without starting completely over with new ones. My OCD will have to be OK with the "best I can get them".

I believe these are pieces of the old quarter panel that weren't removed.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

Frustration number three. I guess 2 mins was too long for PO-PO to take the time to actually unbolt the roll bar to remove it, so he just cut all the bolts. So instead of 2 mins, it took me about an hour to take all these cut up bolts out with a pair of vice grips. Every one of them was cut except one

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

Frustration number "whatever"... I have lost count

The gas filler is glued on crooked. I don't think I can get it off without destroying it.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

All that being said...

I spent the day with my kids, working on my FJ40, in 75 degree weather, listing to some good music, etc...

I call that good day!!

 

[samc2447]

Frustration number three. I guess 2 mins was too long for PO-PO to take the time to actually unbolt the roll bar to remove it, so he just cut all the bolts. So instead of 2 mins, it took me about an hour to take all these cut up bolts out with a pair of vice grips. Every one of them was cut except one

If you have a welder just weld nuts onto the cut off bolts and then unbolt them. The heat from welding will loosen the rust and they should come out easily.

 

[SergP]

I always look back to your thread for the reference. I may be missing this, but what you planing to do with brake lines?

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

I always look back to your thread for the reference. I may be missing this, but what you planing to do with brake lines?

I am going to buy some stainless steel break lines from Cruiser Corps. I have bent some in the past and it is not too hard, but I don't have most of the old ones to use as a pattern. The old ones were is such bad shape that the PO threw them away or he bent them all up taking them off.

Brake Lines - FJ40 - 1975-1980

toyota land cruiser fj40 steel hard brake lines

cruisercorps.com

Cruiser Corps seems to have good ones at a fair price.

Any suggestions?

 

[SergP]

I planing to do it by myself, but I never done this before. I will try,.. if I can't.. I will go to Cruiser Corps as you.
My only point.. maybe install it before the tub.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

I planing to do it by myself, but I never done this before. I will try,.. if I can't.. I will go to Cruiser Corps as you.
My only point.. maybe install it before the tub.

thats the plan

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

My son and I spent a couple hours tonight cleaning off the undercoating residue. We used paint thinner, a green scotch brite pad, wire brush, and a pick to get into the small places. It is cleaning up nicely! Were about 1/2 done.

Pics...

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

Almost done

 

[George Amonette]

I watched you go from hauling a piece of not so good and now its going to be fantastic. I gave up and stopped shopping, but have the fever again. Watching your progress just helps remind me how much work goes into to any rebuild and repair. I'm a Walmart budget looking for a FJ diamond. The one thing I say is do it once, do it right and do it the way you want it. You're putting too much into it to go back and adjust something later, more time and more money in the long run. Again Congrats!

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

OK... I am lost for words... I started trying to take the quarter panels off to clean them and install them correctly and found... you guessed it BONDO covering up a CRAPPY job of attaching a panel. Shouldn't this panel have been "butt welded" and not "over lapped"?

I don't know what to do. There is surface rust behind everything and the quarter panel needs to be removed to clean and put back on right. The quarter is not going to come off without cutting this weld out (which probably means buying new quarters, or taking out the entire thing with the top rail, door rail, etc.

I know I could just clean things up, re-bondo and paint it, but I am not sure that my conscious will let me do that.

What would you guys suggest. I need help!!!

Here is the overlap seam on the quarter panel...

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

more...

Here is the underside where he didn't attache the wheel wells or anything. The PO didn't prime anything, and everything is rusted.

 

[DirtDauberGarage]

This is the inside of the tub where he also did't seal and thing and there are pieces of the old quarter panel hanging down.

 

[thecrazygreek]

Looks like a do-over situation to me.

Get a new set of quarters and install them correctly. Will also be a chance to fix any other mistakes the PO made.
You might be able to get away with re-using the quarters you have, but that would depend on what condition they will be in when removed. If you are going to re-use, I would get them blasted, then prime with some epoxy, then when you go to weld them up, wire of the areas of epoxy you will be welding through, and shoot some weld through primer.

 

[SergP]

+1 for new panels... good advise from thecrazygreek