Build 1977 FJ40 - USA Spec Restoration - Father & Son Project - AKA "Blue"

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More pics...

The one on the left is the one that was covered in diff fluid.

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Step 2 - Blast (scrub again)

You can see the zinc phosphate finish as it dries

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OK... Here are my thoughts so far....

This was a lot of work!!! It would obviously have been a lot easier to drop it off at the sandblaster and have them blast and paint it like I did with the frame. The end result would have probably been a little better as well.

but...

This cost me about $30 opposed to around $300 and there is a real sense of satisfaction that I did it myself!!

As far as the results... So far so good! It looks great.

My only negative right now is that this stuff takes FOREVER to dry. It is about 65 degrees and pretty low humidity and I waited 2 hours before I did the second coat. It was still pretty wet. I put a fan on it in my shop. Gonna leave the door open and check it in the morning.

I will update tomorrow.
 
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I just walked out to the shop and checked it. It is almost dry :) (About 5 hours so far)

It looks good!
 
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Checked it this morning and it is dry and "hard as a rock".

- So far it gets a "Thumbs up" from me. We will see how it holds up as I am moving things around and bolting stuff on.

- Next I will put the break cylinders back and shoes on (need to buy two new cylinders), finish the the leaf springs and move on to the front end. Time to start on the fun stuff :)

MM
 
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No school today so I got a little work done.

  • Finished painting the other rear leaf spring and reassembled it.
  • Started installing the rear end back on the frame
  • Cleaned the rims and started painting them

It is exciting to see it start to look like and actual vehicle and not a pile of parts.

Still need to order drum break cylinders, pads, and reinstall the solid break lines. After that the rear end will be done and I can move on to the front end.

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Update...
  • Bolted the rear end to the frame
  • Installed some beefed up shackles that I got from a friend. It should add about 1 1/2 inches of lift (This was free and good for now. I will install a 2.5 OME lift in the future)
  • Finished painting the rims (installed them)
  • Installed the diagonal support braces on the back (I will sand the letters off the bolts and paint them so they look like factory rivets)
  • Removed the leaf springs from the front end to get ready to clean and paint.
  • Polished the center caps (Look at the before and after... wow) - More on this later
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I wanted to update you all on some of my goals with this build.

Along with spending time with my son and doing something I love... "wrenching" ...

My goal is to get this thing on the road. In the famous words of David Freiburger on "Road Kill"... my main goal is to

"Get it running, and then I can get it right"

That being said, I am GETTING IT RIGHT in some ways, but not all....

  • I will replace all parts that are maintenance oriented as I go (bearings, bushings, seals, clutch, tie rod ends, breaks, etc.), so these parts I am "getting right"
But some other things I am not spending a ton of time (OR MONEY $$) on, but just cleaning them up and getting it "running".
  • I plan to put a OME lift and new rims and tires on it eventually, but not right away so I am refurbishing what I have (springs, rims, etc.)
If I was going to keep these rims as my main rims, I would remove the tires, have them sand blasted, and power coated, etc...

I just wanted you guys to know the method to my madness... and as always, I am open to suggestions.

Thanks guys for all your encouragement and advice!
 
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DirtDauberGarage said:
I wanted to update you all on some of my goals with this build.

Along with spending time with my son and doing something I love... "wrenching" ...

My goal is to get this thing on the road. In the famous words of David Freiburger on "Road Kill"... my main goal is to

"Get it running, and then I can get it right"

That being said, I am GETTING IT RIGHT in some ways, but not all....

  • I will replace all parts that are maintenance oriented as I go (bearings, bushings, seals, clutch, tie rod ends, breaks, etc.), so these parts I am "getting right"
But some other things I am not spending a ton of time (OR MONEY $$) on, but just cleaning them up and getting it "running".
  • I plan to put a OME lift and new rims and tires on it eventually, but not right away so I am refurbishing what I have (springs, rims, etc.)
If I was going to keep these rims as my main rims, I would remove the tires, have them sand blasted, and power coated, etc...

I just wanted you guys to know the method to my madness... and as always, I am open to suggestions.

Thanks guys for all your encouragement and advice!
Click to expand...

It's looking good man! As long as you're getting progress made it doesn't matter what your program is.

Keep up the good work! :cheers:
 
yotadude520 said:
It's looking good man! As long as you're getting progress made it doesn't matter what your program is.

Keep up the good work! :cheers:
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Thanks yotadude520

Sometimes my OCD keeps me from moving forward because everything has to be 100% "right". So I have to keep reminding myself to get it running, and then I can get the secondary things "right". The goal is to be driving and enjoying this thing!!!

Hopefully it will be SOLID mechanically, with some cosmetic ends to tie up once I get it on the road.

Thanks for all the encouragement!!
 
DirtDauberGarage said:
Thanks yotadude520

Sometimes my OCD keeps me from moving forward because everything has to be 100% "right". So I have to keep reminding myself to get it running, and then I can get the secondary things "right". The goal is to be driving and enjoying this thing!!!

Hopefully it will be SOLID mechanically, with some cosmetic ends to tie up once I get it on the road.

Thanks for all the encouragement!!
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Absolutely man! The icing on the cake is that you're passing on your knowledge to your son, and having a great time with him doing so! That's what makes this build 10x cooler.

Get it running, and mostly right, and fix the bugs as you drive it. That's the only way it'll be 100% right.
 
Guess I'll get started on the front axle this afternoon or tomorrow. I'll have to fit it in between two of my kid's lacrosse games today and another game tomorrow.

More cleaning, scrubbing, sanding, painting, packing, etc. It's a good thing I love doing this stuff :)

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Simcoe said:
What paint did you use on the wheels?
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I just rattle canned them with Rustolium. Not the best, but these wheels are temporary :)
 
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