Builds 1979 FJ40 Old School Overhaul

[oldschool4wheeling]

As I mentioned a few months back, I have been kicking around the idea of using a passenger side tire carrier to haul my gas cans.
Dual tire carrier 79 tube style on driverside and 74 flat style on passenger side.

So today I cleaned them up and replaced the bushings and installed grease zerks.

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

I'm in a conundrum. So, I'm asking the panel of experts for their advice.

I am almost done with rust repair. Well, I'm close enough to start thinking about paint.

That thought lead me to think about should I tear down my rig even further and get the front fenders, hood, aprons and bib sand/glass bead/wet blasted?

If I did that, I would have to have windshield frame, front and rear doors, tire carriers blasted.

Then If I went that far, I might as well disassemble the top and have the sides and all that hardware blasted.

And I would hope that would be enough.... but hell, I'm scared I'll wind up talking the body off the frame and blast it too.

And now, I'm thinking about having to buy 80 gallon air compressor. I so can prime all my parts.... and possibly paint....

At this point.... in my thought process I'm probably another $3000 in blasting and priming... not including paint

Should I spend all this extra time and money blasting?

Or should I just go with what I have and not worry about it. Fix it up, sand and prime and paint?

I'm falling down this rabbit hole and I don't see a branch to grab on too?

What say the experts??

 

[joyRidaz]

Is there a way to get it in good driving shape for the summer, enjoy the heck out of it while you contemplate what to do during the cold winter months?

It's a shame to not enjoy it while the weather gets nice.

I do see how this slippery slope gets even slipperier(sp?) once you get this deep. Interested in seeing how this turns out, all good pathways.

BTW I'm no expert, but I'm personally doing everything to get my forty in driveable condition for the topless months. It's amazing how a couple winter projects can snowball

 

[Jdc1]

It's up to you, but I'm going to try to never do another frame off again. Driving your 40 is probably alot more fun than looking at pieces.

 

[MOTOV8R]

With the effort you put into fixing the rear door gaps and repairing the carrier hinges it seems like you care about the details. It will probably bother you if you don't blast it all. It is a bit of a rabbit hole but you seem pretty committed to this and your resto is going at a good pace. Go full Monty.

 

[samc2447]

I'm struggling to stay out of this rabbit hole too. Mine was slightly torn down this winter and it killed me to see it in pieces when I didn't have time to work on it, now that it's back on the road I'm glad I didn't go further with a restoration - at least for now.

I agree that you should enjoy it for the summer at least while you decide what you want to do in the end.

 

[Rainman]

I'll chime in. Look at this a little differently.. Will you be keeping this truck for "ever"? 5 years? 10 years? Do you want to end up selling it for tons more than you bought it for? All that said, are you planning on painting it yourself? Are you a good painter with experience? (there are layers to this equation.)

Consider all that and look at it from the other side. If all you REALLY want is a good looking Cruiser to drive around and maybe do some "old school 4 wheeling'", then blast what HAS to be blasted, save some time leaving some of it alone and paint the damn thing already. Fall will be here soon and you'll get a few months of driving it to the monthly beer drinki... I mean meetings.

If you want the cleanest Cruiser around, and you are on the path for that possibility now, and you CAN afford to do it "right"... Take a deep breath and get out your wallet. Then throw your watch and calendar away. The pain of time will be a little less noticeable.

So flip a coin and tell us what your plans are. I'm hungry.

 

[erics]

pick up a fun beater/driver to enjoy while you finish this one out right, then sell the beater for what you have in it...

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

Thanks guys!! As is life...there are no short cuts and no short answers.

Will you be keeping this truck for "ever"? 5 years? 10 years? Do you want to end up selling it for tons more than you bought it for? All that said, are you planning on painting it yourself? Are you a good painter with experience? (there are layers to this equation.)

There are multiple "layers to this equation", there couldn't be a truer statement... it is like a go no go chart. I plan on keeping it for years, lots of years, my oldest daughter has laid claim to it. With that said, I can always finish tearing it down in years to come. Plus Ill be "more wiser" and maybe have "more ability".

s there a way to get it in good driving shape for the summer, enjoy the heck out of it while you contemplate what to do during the cold winter months? It's a shame to not enjoy it while the weather gets nice. I do see how this slippery slope gets even slipperier(sp?) once you get this deep. Interested in seeing how this turns out, all good p

Refreshing...... get it on the road!

I'm struggling to stay out of this rabbit hole too. Mine was slightly torn down this winter and it killed me to see it in pieces when I didn't have time to work on it, now that it's back on the road I'm glad I didn't go further with a restoration - at least for now. I agree that you should enjoy it for the summer at least while you decide what you want to do in the end.

The rabbit hole is big, deep and vertical!! And thinking I'm going to step off before I get any deeper. I'm ready to enjoy it.

With the effort you put into fixing the rear door gaps and repairing the carrier hinges it seems like you care about the details. It will probably bother you if you don't blast it all. It is a bit of a rabbit hole but you seem pretty committed to this and your resto is going at a good pace. Go full Monty.

It's up to you, but I'm going to try to never do another frame off again. Driving your 40 is probably alot more fun than looking at pieces.

pick up a fun beater/driver to enjoy while you finish this one out right, then sell the beater for what you have in it...

You guys are appealing to my "don't quit" attitude...don't stop until it's done and done "right". And y'all are correct, I will completely "restore" my rig, but I think it is going to be in a few years. Hopefully, I have done enough to preserve her for years to come. Then when the time comes I'll finish where I left off!

 

[adistler1]

I'm in a conundrum. So, I'm asking the panel of experts for their advice.

That thought lead me to think about should I tear down my rig even further and get the front fenders, hood, aprons and bib sand/glass bead/wet blasted?

If I did that, I would have to have windshield frame, front and rear doors, tire carriers blasted.

Then If I went that far, I might as well disassemble the top and have the sides and all that hardware blasted.

And I would hope that would be enough.... but hell, I'm scared I'll wind up talking the body off the frame and blast it too.

And now, I'm thinking about having to buy 80 gallon air compressor. I so can prime all my parts.... and possibly paint....

At this point.... in my thought process I'm probably another $3000 in blasting and priming... not including paint

Should I spend all this extra time and money blasting?

Or should I just go with what I have and not worry about it. Fix it up, sand and prime and paint?

I'm falling down this rabbit hole and I don't see a branch to grab on too?

What say the experts??

I'm on the fence with you Doug. On one side, I think you've put so much effort into making this perfect, why stop there? However, there's got to be some middle ground. I think that if you're going to paint it, you might as well remove the fenders, hood, aprons and bib. I think that if you paint it all assembled there are so many nooks and crannies with those parts, it might drive you crazy. Instead of blasting it, have you thought about airplane stripper? Might save you some money. Also, I have a friend who has a nice, big professional paint booth at home and we were talking about compressors and he said you can get away with using a Harbor Freight 21 gal. compressor if you're doing the painting at home and just take your time. I think I'd still want at least 30 gallons. I've been tossing around the idea of daisy-chaining my two compressors together and getting an auxiliary tank which would put me over 30 gallons. Anyhow, your thread has inspired me to bite off more than I can probably chew, but it certainly feels good doing it! I think I'm going to pick up that welder and start on patching what I can afford and then trying my hand at doing a DIY paint job at home. It's enough to tide me over for a few years, I think.

 

[Rainman]

If you haven't checked under the bib yet... That may push you over the hump. 82.7% chance says the two layers on the bottom are peeling apart. You'll HAVE to address that because it won't stop just because you didn't get it wet.

something to consider...

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

I got a delivery today.

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

I did some research on these jerry cans and was amazed at all the engineering that went into the design!!

Got to hand it to the germans

 

[SW20]

I'm in a conundrum. So, I'm asking the panel of experts for their advice.

I am almost done with rust repair. Well, I'm close enough to start thinking about paint.

That thought lead me to think about should I tear down my rig even further and get the front fenders, hood, aprons and bib sand/glass bead/wet blasted?

If I did that, I would have to have windshield frame, front and rear doors, tire carriers blasted.

Then If I went that far, I might as well disassemble the top and have the sides and all that hardware blasted.

And I would hope that would be enough.... but hell, I'm scared I'll wind up talking the body off the frame and blast it too.

And now, I'm thinking about having to buy 80 gallon air compressor. I so can prime all my parts.... and possibly paint....

At this point.... in my thought process I'm probably another $3000 in blasting and priming... not including paint

Should I spend all this extra time and money blasting?

Or should I just go with what I have and not worry about it. Fix it up, sand and prime and paint?

I'm falling down this rabbit hole and I don't see a branch to grab on too?

What say the experts??

I have been watching your build for a while now. I also have a 1979 Rustic Green FJ40, and it seems like you are already down the rabbit hole. The fact that you re-did your quarter panels when it was off, shows that you have great attention to detail, and a full paint job at this point might be the icing on the cake. Just my honest opinion.

 

[BretwithoneT]

I've been following your thread because of your attention to detail and these are the kind of builds I want to emulate. Having said that, I have never driven mine because I got it as a basket case and trying to get all those pieces back together the right way is taking lots of time and then there is always the fact that life sometimes has me doing lots of things besides working in the garage. IF you can get it together and drive it, that's what I would do for now. I've test driven one and can say for sure, it's more fun driving one that putting one together. You can always do the small things over time until you're ready for the full frame off.

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

@SW20 , @BretwithoneT

Thanks guys!! I'm like the wind, changing directions all the time. I want to drive it in a bad way. But then I'm kind of almost done with the body work.

So today, I want to finish breaking it down, get it blasted then prime and paint.

Tomorrow I'm probably going to change it back ...

 

[little_joe]

I'm in a conundrum. So, I'm asking the panel of experts for their advice.

I am by no means an expert, as I only got my first 40 a month ago or so. Mine is in very good running condition, and it needs some work - however, taking it down for months on end is wholly unappealing. I'd say get it primed, get it in good running condition, and drive the damn thing for a while - enjoy it and your work!

This has been a great thread so far, @oldschool4wheeling - very helpful and a fun read!!!!!!

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

@adistler1, look what came via UPS..

 

[Vae Victus]

pick up a fun beater/driver to enjoy while you finish this one out right, then sell the beater for what you have in it...

Tried that. It now looks like this:

Too busy working on this one to bother putting the seats and gas tank in the beater.

Doug, I agree with do the full thing - but you know my personality. I almost said drive it for the summer, but will you really tear it down again?