4 door Fj45 on 80 series chassis (2 Viewers)

[Blackknight1]

Today we got back to work. We had not done anything at all to any of the projects so we had to reassess things before we could do anything
So we decided to tackle the B pillars.
I was hoping to make it a removable to truck. When we looked at it bettering would be impossible to have a B pilar in 2 sections..... the rear door's hinges would end up one on the top section and the other on the lower. So if I took the top off the door would be held only by the lower hinge. We clearly can't hVe that so we are building and installing 1 piece B pillars. Enjoy the pics

 

[Blackknight1]

We kept working on B pillars and got them installed. We then took up working on the rear doors . We had already made them smaller and re shaped the windows. We added a piece of 16 gauge sheetmetal to the door so that it would match the B pillars. That worked just fine.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

How did you reshape the glass windows?

 

[Blackknight1]

We then had to address issues with the hinges.
Because 40 series cab gets wider as you go from the front of the door to the door frame post, we had to modify the rear door hinges .
If we kept them the same length they originally were, the bolt holes simply would not match the ones on the doors.
Easy fix. We simply chopped off the hinges and added a 1/2 " to them. Perfect. All we need to do is grind off the welds. Perfect !

 

[Blackknight1]

How did you reshape the glass windows?

We reshaped the window frames. We'll get new glass cut as soon as we're done with fabrication.

 

[Blackknight1]

So, today we worked on the passenger side . That door needs lots of help. I wish I could find a better one. If not we'll have to do the best we can with it.

 

[Blackknight1]

Okay. Today we tackled more rust repairs. We are now giving attention to the rear cab corners. Those too had been repaired multiple times in a manner that is shady , to say the least.
Thick coats of bondo.... multiple layers of rusted metal.... those gotta go.
16 gauge sheetmetal is the answer. Let's go !

 

[Blackknight1]

And a few more .

 

[Blackknight1]

And a few more .

 

[Broski]

The fender skirts post 146 third picture look pretty good

 

[Blackknight1]

Weird .... I'm having to post pi s 1 by one now..... there's always a problem

 

[cruisedeisel]

I love the old school way. So many people are forgetting that blood, sweat and tears create the most beautiful creations.

 

[Blackknight1]

Today we kept working on the rear cab sides.
Both sides are done. We tried to fit the glass intol them to make sure that they're properly bent to shape . Glass fits in place like a glove. Tomorrow, we'll cut out the old ones and install these new ones.

 

[Blackknight1]

We made more parts for the truck . I wish I had started with a cleaner truck now ,lol . It's a bit of a pain to have to redo everything. Anyway, no complaining. Let's go....

 

[Blackknight1]

This normally goes horizontally above the door and right below the roof . The ones for the front doors were rusted beyond repair and of course there never were any for the rear doors . We built 4 of them. All in all, looks like the only thing we won't have to mess with are those fender squirts a member here graciously donated (Thanks again !)

 

[Blackknight1]

Work continued on today, we had to take the roof off to address more rust repair

 

[Blackknight1]

Here are some pics

 

[Blackknight1]

We kept going yesterday. We installed parts we made. Not moving very fast but going steadily.

 

[Blackknight1]

The doors open and close properly. They're not perfect yet but seems like we're on the right track.

 

[Blackknight1]

More work got done today. While the top is off, I took a better look at it and realized that it would not work. The danm thing is rusted deep and had been the victim of shoddy repairs.
I am now absolutely sure that the old 45 had been in some sort of roll over..... That damaged rear window frame told the story. The roof confirmed it.
I was gonna have to build a completely new one out of 16 gauge sheetmetal. That was gonna take lots of my time and I recognize that it would not have been easy.
I have an old fj40 fiberglass top. The rain gutters are rusted to s..t.
I tried the fiberglass top on it . It's a bit longer than the 4 door cab but it looks like if I cut the 4-5 extra inches it will work !