#5 Green 60, bodywork and paint (Princess)

[cruisermatt]

My back says 35's are not small. I had to swap one of those tires out after a blow out on the freeway and it sucked!

I’m talking about as it currently sits with the 80 rollers on it.
Do you know what that rear spring pack is? It look super long, like my Chevy 63’s, but looks like it’s in the stock mounts?
@MyCruiserisaHogBeast ?

 

[kelly saad]

I’m talking about as it currently sits with the 80 rollers on it.
Do you know what that rear spring pack is? It look super long, like my Chevy 63’s, but looks like it’s in the stock mounts?
@MyCruiserisaHogBeast ?

The springs say "Atlas"

 

[kelly saad]

Yesterday, door skin repair panels were coated in filler.

 

[kelly saad]

Quarters. Not easy but the fit is near perfect.

 

[mongoose2231]

This be real good work!!

 

[kelly saad]

Other side quarter.

 

[Jaric00n]

Mine finally going out to Kelly.

really amazing work

Keep at it !

 

[CardinalFJ60]

Trimming up those rear quarters is a sweet mod! (I had mine done after squishing them on a ledge).

 

[diesellibrarian]

If it's half a quarter, are we to call it an "eighth?"

 

[KTP]

Again, After seeing your attention to detail, I can't wit to have you work on my 80 and my 40

 

[bj70_guy]

Sub'd, great to see a legendary cruiser getting some serious love. Great work

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

Wow everyone! I've been MIA dealing with a big move, Covid and life stuff. @kelly saad I am so incredibly happy to see Princess getting the treatment she deserves!

Just so we're clear: Princess was a dried out corpse that hadn't run in several years, rotten on the side of a previous owner's house. I had met her years ago when she still had paint and a nice interior... the condition I found her in years later was shocking, but I bought her to be the ultimate no f's given daily driver/overland trail machine. I had plan to paint and fix all the rust and electrical, but I ended up blowing my budget on 5 grenaded drivetrain instances that included a new rear diff, 2 H55F rebuilds, Toybox rebuilt by Marlin and multiple attempts to make the combo hold together. If I had just swapped in an NV4500 and 4:1 t case gears I'd probably still have the truck. The 4BT/Toybox combo was the reason I took the project on, but it what the Achilles heal that forced me to make the tough decision to sell her and start over on a new rig that didn't have so much baggage attached to it. Damn near every time I packed my family on an adventure after thinking the truck was ready to go, I'd have some sort of catastrophic failure. The final failure was the last straw, loaded up for a surprise camping trip with the fam after spending every single penny I had on a complete front axle and steering rebuild and some new 37s.... my family was traumatized and my wife got to the point that she never wanted to sit in a Land Cruiser again....

For anyone who wondered, despite her condition she was one of the best driving Cruisers on the pavement, and when she wasn't breaking down on the trail, she was probably the most capable full bodied FJ60 you would ever see, so mission accomplished in that area, I just couldn't get the drivetrain to hold together. Going back to the H55F/Split case sans Toybox was a solid move. It'll hold together, especially since she isn't going to be rock crawled.

I'll be subscribing to the thread and doing my best to follow along. Good to see this truck getting the attention she deserves.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

I’m talking about as it currently sits with the 80 rollers on it.
Do you know what that rear spring pack is? It look super long, like my Chevy 63’s, but looks like it’s in the stock mounts?
@MyCruiserisaHogBeast ?

The springs say "Atlas"

They are custom springs that I designed with Fernando from Atlas springs to give full shock travel and a nice ride. They ride and drive like a dream and the suspension will flex like a coilover. I wanted to prove that you don't need coilovers to party. It works awesome.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

I'veseen this rig before i think a guy I'm following on Instagram had it for a while then sold it he was having major problems with it

That was me.... still my favorite Land Cruiser of all time, although I've never had such bad luck with a vehicle at the same time.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

37s.... 3.70 gears, the toybox was removed and a 5 speed installed.

EGTs pulling a pass must be through the roof or a 30mph 3rd gear execution.

Not too bad, around the 1250 mark giving it all the marbles.

She definitely cooked during long pulls up steep grades, but I never had any issues, just let off the accelerator and let it eat in 4th. Other than that she ran cool as a cucumber, even on the hottest LA days. Ran plenty cool on the trail. Long term solution was going to be a mechanical fan and a new shroud.

 

[kelly saad]

Lots of bodywork/sanding filler happening now. We are trying to determine the best repair solution for the rusty roof. There was moisture trapped in the carpet padding, and rear quarter panels. The floor padding is still wet?! After removing the headliner, the roof insulation was most likely the cause of rust in the rear corners of the roof. My guess is the insulation held moisture and kept humidity in the headliner/roof area. It settled in the corners and was unstoppable. Doesn't really matter now, but it will be repaired. All the metal work is complete on Princess now, with exception of the roof.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

Lots of bodywork/sanding filler happening now. We are trying to determine the best repair solution for the rusty roof. There was moisture trapped in the carpet padding, and rear quarter panels. The floor padding is still wet?! After removing the headliner, the roof insulation was most likely the cause of rust in the rear corners of the roof. My guess is the insulation held moisture and kept humidity in the headliner/roof area. It settled in the corners and was unstoppable. Doesn't really matter now, but it will be repaired. All the metal work is complete on Princess now, with exception of the roof.

It had spent the last decade in CA where rust progresses really slowly. There was water damage to the interior when I got it and I knew there was rust here and there, but I did not know the extent of it. I suspect bringing it to a more moist climate work up the rust demons. Really stoked to see it being handled like this!

 

[kelly saad]

It had spent the last decade in CA where rust progresses really slowly. There was water damage to the interior when I got it and I knew there was rust here and there, but I did not know the extent of it. I suspect bringing it to a more moist climate work up the rust demons. Really stoked to see it being handled like this!

Thanks! It is an exciting project for sure. It has rust in odd areas when some common rust areas are clean. It is turning out nice, and I am excited to get it in the paint booth!

 

[kelly saad]

I would prefer to not upload photos of filler being sanded, but here you go. Also, I will say this again, The filler is thin, so don't start the critique yet!

 

[kelly saad]

I keep meaning to post new pics but I never have time. I have been block sanding and priming, and block sanding. It’s almost ready for the booth, but I’m timing it with the temps here this week. Photos attached, new A pillar gutters, epoxy primer and high build primer.