'77 BJ40 engine removal - need to break paint seam?

[Aaroneous]

The previous owner painted the truck, and it looks like they painted over pretty much all of the seams.

Painted seam

• Aaroneous
• Feb 5, 2017

I need to pull the engine and replace it, and everything I've read shows folding down the front grill. I don't see any way of doing this without breaking this seam. Any sneaky ways to get this done without removing the grill? I don't need to remove the bellhousing or transmission since I'm replacing a B block with a B block. If not, any suggestions on the best way to break those seams without chipping paint and causing collateral damage?

Thanks!

 

[Tin basher]

Only thing you can do is cut the paint with a razor blade
No guarantee it won't chip or peel anyway though
And have a feeling your going to find out that's body filler not paint bridging the gap

 

[Aaroneous]

Only thing you can do is cut the paint with a razor blade
No guarantee it won't chip or peel anyway though
And have a feeling your going to find out that's body filler not paint bridging the gap

I hit it with a fresh razor blade and found that they filled the seam with soft white caulk and they painted over it. I'm guessing they did that everywhere on the truck, which explains why the paint is cracking in all of the seams.

Once I have the bib off, I think I can sand the surfaces clean in a way that it will be fairly easy to touch up the paint before re-assembly. Really wishing I knew what they used so I could match it!

Thanks for the input.

 

[Aaroneous]

Now that I've got the bib off, I'm thinking that the PO must have re-assembled the front-end and used seam sealer between the bib and the fenders. This seems like a poor choice for maintenance purposes...

Seam sealer(?) on fender/bib

• Aaroneous
• Feb 5, 2017

For my CJ7 I used some rubber mat between fenders and tub and grill to avoid rubbing and rusting. Do you guys recommend putting something other than seam sealer in between there to protect from rust but allow for removal for maintenance?

 

[FF LC FREAK]

Yep, poor choice. I would not use any sealer between those seams. They didn't from the factory. The grill is supposed to be independent of the fenders/aprons. You should not need any caulk sealer between them. They don't rattle around unless the bolts are loose. Once painted, you should be good to go.

 

[Tin basher]

If you wanted to you can buy fender welting like they use on vw Beatles
But they didn't use anything originally
And the rubber. Can hold moisture easier than just the metal

 

[Captn Conch]

I would say it's a good thing you took a look at that. I think some basic dissassembly is warranted to get the old crap out and off. cleaned, sanded, rust preventative applied and painted individually or reassembled and painted. The 40 is so simple to take the bib, aprons fenders, hinges, hold downs, running boards etc off. It's a good feeling to know those hidden areas are now protected.