76 FJ40 Resto advice needed (now a documentation)

[thebigredrocker]

Bought a welder, welding mask, tube notcher and a bundle of tubing MetalTech. Always wanted to learn to weld

Paid someone to blast and powder paint the rollbar. Color is lighter than hoped, oh well

 

[thebigredrocker]

Approaching the 5 year mark since project was started. I threw the top on, as is, a few years ago cause I didn’t have it in me to rehab it. Wife has asked if I’m ever going to paint the top and has also said “you need to paint the top”)

Pulled the lid today

Ambi header is on loan from a Cygnus 71. I’ve often wondered what happened to this 76’s header.

Removal. The Home Depot strap pullers came in handy again today.

Bezel is 033 white 2K epoxy shot from a spaymax can.

Door limiters are wearing Omni 2k epoxy from my HVLP gun. The omni has a bit of a greenish tint to my eyes.

Other two peices are front door headers off a Cygnus 71. Headers were seperated to expose paint untouched by sunlight.

I kinda like the 033

 

[thebigredrocker]

March 2015ish projects

Awesome battery tray for SBC folks. Produced by 4plus Products. Thank you @lcwizard

 

[thebigredrocker]

Luckily the headliner is intact.

Papered and down to bare metal

Worst of the rust

Code found in rear corner passenger side 40 1757

Also a C stamped over both front doors

 

[thebigredrocker]

PO traded front seats for a Saginaw gear box and pump in 1987. Condition of box was unknown to me so I figured out how to rebuild it. Time consuming but satisfying.

Disassembled and baked on POR-15 header paint

Rebuild kit

4x4 labs Sag kit. My first welding project.

Built lines, added a cooler and filter. Glad it’s done.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Used 4x4labs frombe steering kit

$500 mud winch. Full of water

Gears cleaned up fine. Polished aluminum, painted stripes with nissen fine tip paint pen, spraymax epoxy clearcoat on aluminum, awl_tec solenoid cover. New stickers

Added a billet clutch knob

Flintnapper zirc mod.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Sprayed UPOL system 20 high build primer did the 4:1:1 mix because I don’t have the recommended 2.0 HVLP tip. Used my 1.8 tip.

Added LED’s. Hogged out the shield for the buld to fit

Definately brighter

 

[thebigredrocker]

Turn signal switch was missing the plastic handle on the end. Bought this used replacement thinking I could just drop it in. Turns out the unit was really rough so I just stole the arm off it and installed on my original unit.

Most of the spot welds on the dash pad structure had failed. So I ground the old welds and tacked it back up.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Ready for sanding high build

Unfortuately orange peel happened

First time using guide coat

Almost done sanding. Hope to finish sanding tomorrow night and lay down the SEM self leveling sealer.

Notes: I used 1litre of U-POL System 20 high build urethane primer on the lid and underside of the gutter. U-POL’s recommended HVLP tip size without reducer is 2.0. Recommended tip size when reduced 4:1:1 is 1.7. Since my largest tip is 1.8 I opted to use the 4:1:1 ratio with medium reducer. On the next lid I do, I will buy a 2.0 tip and shoot 2L’s non reduced. Now that I am sanding with guide coat, I am discovering more primer would be best. Also, I made the mistake of shooting guide coat without masking off the gutter. Even though I didn’t intentionally spray in the guttter trough, overspray happened and now I am tediously hand sanding around the rivets and the gap between fiberglass and metal gutter. I do not want to risk poor adhesion of the SEM sealer I will be dispensing in the gutter.

 

[thebigredrocker]

High build is smoothed out. Did sand through in a few spots. I’ll be applying primer sealer, so decided against additional high build that would likely turn out orange peeled. Used SEM dual mix self leveling sealer. Probably added a bit too much. Went through 2 2/3rds cartridges. A heat gun is essential to remove air bubbles. Bubbles must get heat within a couple minutes or else they set and won’t dissapear.

Here is the Chromabase sealer. I screwed it up. To much fluid and moved gun to slow. Plan was to lay down sealer and chemically bond single stage after 40 minute flash time. Wasn’t in the cards, so nibbed the big drips a couple hours afterwards. Sanded sealer for hours the next day. Not fun to sand 2K urethane sealer

Got the sealer dang smooth and applied 4 coats LIMCO Supreme Plus single stage in 033 white. So far very pleased and relieved how it turned out. Do have a few small spots that ran, nothing bad though. Hope to try my hand at sanding and buffing next week or so.

 

[65swb45]

The suspense!

 

[thebigredrocker]

All 3 people who have ridden in this rig have opened and questioned the neglected glove box

Scrubbed, POR-15, epoxy primed, single stage body colored. Slopped on with a brush

Couldn’t bring myself to reinstall a scratched steering column clamshell.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Installed the stock dash pad and defrost vents that have been off the rig for about 30 years

Gussied up

 

[thebigredrocker]

Polished up

Foamed and polished

Had to heat gun and scrape this tar-like gunk

Wetsanded and polished. Blower plastic is the toughest I’ve sanded. Actually wore out sandpaper quick.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Now to today’s project. Fresh foam and polish for the heater. I’m constantly amazed at the condition of theses parts.

Started with 220 grit wet, ended at 5000 grit wet

 

[Jdc1]

Now to today’s project. Fresh foam and polish for the heater. I’m constantly amazed at the condition of theses parts.
View attachment 1683694 View attachment 1683695

View attachment 1683696

View attachment 1683697

Started with 220 grit wet, ended at 5000 grit wetView attachment 1683698

Great transformation.

 

[BeerM3]

I'm curious how you got those plastic parts looking so good. Obviously wet sanding working up to some very high grits was part of it, but did you do that all by hand? And what kind of polish were you using on the black pieces? Much appreciated!

 

[thebigredrocker]

I hand wetsand. I choose the starting grit depending on how deep I want to go. E.g. the top of heater box had deep scratches so started w/220. But the sides I just used 3000 & 5000. I tried using a rotary sander to speed up the process, that didn’t work for me. Been using Mother’s plastic polish on most of the smooth plastics. Did end up using some Meguires 17 on the heater box, Mothers wasn’t glossing up. I’m sure a better plastic polish exists, I haven’t researched that yet, just using what FLAPS stocks.

Bigtime key on the liquid polish step is using a soft cloth. Optics cloth seems to work good. I need to find a bulk roll of it, been using goggle & sunglass pouches. Tried a high dollar terry micro fiber towel last night, damn thing added visable scratches. I’d choose soft cotton over that POS anyday

Obviously I didn’t sand the textured defrost vents. Experimented and used rhino shine on them. Also rhino shine on the dash pad and steering pad. It has dye in it. Supposed to be used for weathered rhino liner.

 

[BeerM3]

I hand wetsand. I choose the starting grit depending on how deep I want to go. E.g. the top of heater box had deep scratches so started w/220. But the sides I just used 3000 & 5000. I tried using a rotary sander to speed up the process, that didn’t work for me. Been using Mother’s plastic polish on most of the smooth plastics. Did end up using some Meguires 17 on the heater box, Mothers wasn’t glossing up. I’m sure a better plastic polish exists, I haven’t researched that yet, just using what FLAPS stocks.

Bigtime key on the liquid polish step is using a soft cloth. Optics cloth seems to work good. I need to find a bulk roll of it, been using goggle & sunglass pouches. Tried a high dollar terry micro fiber towel last night, damn thing added visable scratches. I’d choose soft cotton over that POS anyday

Obviously I didn’t sand the textured defrost vents. Experimented and used rhino shine on them. Also rhino shine on the dash pad and steering pad. It has dye in it. Supposed to be used for weathered rhino liner.

Good stuff. Thank you sir.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Heater duct had a chunk broken off and a small chunk long gone. Someday perhaps I’ll get lucky and find a OEM replacement. Til then, out comes the JB weld putty