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DirtDauberGarage
SILVER Star
Agreed!! The key is to make sure all the doors line up. The tolerances on these things were pretty loose. Even from the factory they didn’t always line up. I would put the hinges and doors on and see how everything fits, You can make some adjustments before you do all your final welds and paint. I spent an entire day tweeking and testing everything before I moved on to paint
Builds - 1977 FJ40 - USA Spec Restoration - Father & Son Project - AKA "Belle"
I only had one rear door hinge bracket and I need two of them so I fabricated a second one out of an old fender and a used hood from a Honda Accord. I am pretty proud of my fab skills :) MM Very nice indeed. Keep up the great work.
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EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #383
Yes! Thanks.Agreed!! The key is to make sure all the doors line up. The tolerances on these things were pretty loose. Even from the factory they didn’t always line up. I would put the hinges and doors on and see how everything fits, You can make some adjustments before you do all your final welds and paint. I spend an entire day tweeking and testing everything before I moved on to paint
Builds - 1977 FJ40 - USA Spec Restoration - Father & Son Project - AKA "Belle"
I only had one rear door hinge bracket and I need two of them so I fabricated a second one out of an old fender and a used hood from a Honda Accord. I am pretty proud of my fab skills :) MM Very nice indeed. Keep up the great work.
EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #384
It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post. Work, family, Land Cruiser… At the end of the day I just don’t have any energy left.
So some pretty cool stuff happened this last couple weeks. Finally decided I needed to make a push to get at least primer on so that I wouldn’t deal with surface rust again this winter. Got a little carried away and went primer, body filler, and then color on the tub. I think it all turned out really nice for a first timer. Watched hours of YouTube on painting. I took a lot of parts (hardtop, doors, hood, small parts) to the “acid dipper”. All the parts came back really clean and more rust areas exposed of course. Anyway I wasn’t able to get to them right away to get them sealed up so now it’s taking me hours with the wire wheel because they have begun to rust again. Frustrating. Anyway, I have some time in a hotel tonight so just going to catch up with the photos.
So some pretty cool stuff happened this last couple weeks. Finally decided I needed to make a push to get at least primer on so that I wouldn’t deal with surface rust again this winter. Got a little carried away and went primer, body filler, and then color on the tub. I think it all turned out really nice for a first timer. Watched hours of YouTube on painting. I took a lot of parts (hardtop, doors, hood, small parts) to the “acid dipper”. All the parts came back really clean and more rust areas exposed of course. Anyway I wasn’t able to get to them right away to get them sealed up so now it’s taking me hours with the wire wheel because they have begun to rust again. Frustrating. Anyway, I have some time in a hotel tonight so just going to catch up with the photos.
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EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #385
These are the products I used. I really like the guys at our local auto paint store. They worked hard to match the Freeborn red. It’s not exact but it looks good and I’m going to be OK with it. They got the code from PPG but apparently there are some issues with the lack of lead in the paint nowadays and also the lack of certain supplies right now that they haven’t been able to get.
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EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #387
The primer went on really well. I was unpleasantly surprised at all the imperfections that showed once it was down. Things you don't notice when it's bare metal. Went to work with the filler and it all turned out decent. The black lines are the seam sealer I used. Nasty product. Like using black tar. I really wanted the nice little beads that come from the factory but that didn't happen. Such a mess. once I got everything sanded down and looking pretty good I put on a light seal coat of epoxy and shot the paint a few hours later. Decided to go with Epoxy for the whole thing instead of the high build primer then seal coat. It was recommended by the autobody shop so I figured it would be less work and less product.
EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #391
One of those photos looks a little orange pealie but to be honest, there really isn’t any if at all. Not sure why it looks that way. I was definitely worried. Put the first coat on a little thick and it started to run in quite a few places which sent me into a panic. Called my buddy who’s done this a few times and he said just let it flow out and keep putting more coats on. Most of those spots fixed themselves. Phew. Ended up putting on three coats. Really wanted to do one more coat but I was worried that anymore and it might start sagging.
Looking good! Yep lead paint was more durable and longer lasting than almost anything that is “modern”, progress? I sometimes wonder…….
Looking good! Yep lead paint was more durable and longer lasting than almost anything that is “modern”, progress? I sometimes wonder…….
I mean, besides the side effects...
That looks done quite well....but if you want to put the bead on any seam sealer or caulking for that matter....put two lines of painter tape on either side of the joint. Then apply caulk / seam sealer...and "do not let it dry" but rather quickly pull up the side tape. It puts a nice clean edge on those seals.
EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #396
Yeah I taped off every seam. I think where I screwed up is once I put the bead down then I smoothed it with my finger and then immediately pulled off the tape but it left a sharp raised line so then I smoothed it down again with my finger. It turned out OK but not what I envisioned. The sealer set up really fast.
BTW.... I think the freeborn red color match really pops. Yes it looks brighter than the deeper weathered original I've traditionally seen but it reminds me why I love the toyota colors from that era. I think you have a winning match there that is really eye catching.
Its perhaps a wishful perception ... but to me it appears as if colors are making a comeback in newer models. I dig Toyota's "voodoo blue" as well as the neonish green....which I'm not sure its name.
Its perhaps a wishful perception ... but to me it appears as if colors are making a comeback in newer models. I dig Toyota's "voodoo blue" as well as the neonish green....which I'm not sure its name.
EStein
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #398
Thanks! Yeah agreed. Also once everything is put back together it won’t be so “bright“! it’s maybe better than a 10 foot paint job but not closer than a 5 foot! I pushed it out of the garage today into some better light. Found a few spots that bummed me out but trying not to be too critical. This being one of them…..doh! Haha. (The one hinge I couldn’t get removed.)
These would look great with a red interior. I added 1/2" thick cushion foam to bring the padding back to life:
