1978 FJ40 - Ugly but not too rusty - Refresh Thread

[POPO AGIE]

Last week I was sitting at a stop light and looked down where the center console sat and saw a piece of paper sticking out of the grime. It was an insurance card from 2002 or so. Yesterday I emailed the person hoping to get a response. Later in the day, I received an email and after a little back and forth, Rex confirmed he was the original owner purchasing the vehicle brand new in 1978! Pretty cool. I look forward to getting some more information about the rig but in the meantime, here are some photos he sent.

Original color...

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San Rafael swell in southern Utah...

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How she looked when it was sold...

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I guess the lesson learned here is that if you sell your FJ40 and you want to know where it ends up, stash some contact information under the gas tank so the future owner can contact you!

The license looks like County 19. I have lived in 6, 4, and 10 counties.

 

[draker3838]

Great project!

I'm curious how you solved the issues with the half doors?

Well, I didn’t. I cut a notch for the latching mechanism which fit fine, but the front end of the door hit the pillar before it was closed. I think what I will have to do is cut a strip out of the front of the door on the inside panel to tighten the belt a bit. I decided to move on with the rest of the build first.

Check back next year!

 

[draker3838]

The license looks like County 19. I have lived in 6, 4, and 10 counties.

If I recall, you are in Fremont County. I grew up in 15, and lived in 5 and 1 before relocating to Idaho. I miss everything about it, except the wind.

This Fj40 spent its life in Southwestern Wyoming.

 

[POPO AGIE]

Yes I am in Fremont, CO. I miss Sweetwater CO but it is greener up here because of the irrigation then Green River or Rock Springs. But there is more private land around here then down in Sweetwater CO.
Mine spent it life also in Southwestern Wyoming. That is why the rust is not bad for a rig 46 years old.

I have driven it up to Portland, OR and in those days it took 2 day and I was tired not to mention all the stops for gas.
It was in storage in PA and now I have the room and some time and make enough money to work on it now.

With the R2.8, H55F and a 29 gallon tank I should not have to stop every 150 miles to fill it up.

 

[draker3838]

How does that look? Looks much better to me.

 

[draker3838]

Alright, everything is reassembled. I have a handful of hoses to replace but otherwise wil be getting back to the tub.

As she sits now:

This tub was rebuilt at some point. I was rolling around under the tub a while back and noticed a gap between the rocker and the floor pan. What is this supposed to look like?

And this joint between the back and front halves will need some help.

 

[csnoke]

The door patches turned out pretty decent. The patches weren't exact fits but a few blows with a BFH made them fit better. Mind you, I am not a welder, but with enough time and patience it can be done.

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I didnt get photos of the 2k primer but will pick up finish painting those parts when the temps increase.

This thread is inspirational. Thanks!

I'm working on door patches now and am a bit concerned about welding the patches on and the finding they don't fit well when the doors close. Did you have them on the truck, place the patches in the approximate location, mark and then cut.. or did you just go off the existing bottom of the doors?

Also, my welding skills are quite poor and I only own a stick, what type of welder did you use and do you think its easier?

 

[draker3838]

My patches seemed to line up great so I just patched them in where they lined up. There’s a bunch of good info on mud for doing these patches. The most useful hi t was angling your cutoff wheel at a 45 right where the new metal meets the old and you end up with a perfect fit.

My welder is a Harbor freight POS. I wish I would have got a nicer one when I started but it’s what I had. Just practice and you’ll figure it out.

 

[draker3838]

Dropped off the body on Wednesday ready by Friday. $750 and a case of Coors tall boys. Not bad. Minimal repairs needed which is nice to see.

 

[draker3838]

It’s been a while since I posted, but I’ve been making good progress on the paint job. The paint has laid out much better than I could’ve expected, despite my paint booth falling apart!