Builds ‘82 FJ45 build thread..... no name yet (1 Viewer)

[sloanstavern]

16 done 17 to go........ kind of a pain but it’s a great place to practice plug-in welding and dressing. After I’m done with these I’ll get started on the braces and the sheet metal repair each of those will be a unique patch I don’t think I can make universal replacements for all seven.

I modifying my workflow to do the plugs in batches of six I bore out the holes to the right diameterI and make sure the plugs fit properly, and each is held in place with four tack wells. Then I move on to something else for a few minutes to let things cool go back and burn all six again and do that till they’re done. That’s a lot of heat going into a small area. Then I dress all six clean it up and repeat. To dress the welds I start with a quarter inch grinder wheel on my angle grinder to knock most of the bulk off then hit it with the lap wheel. The more I look at this bed the more I realize I can only get it so nice. It’s still a 40 year old pick up truck bed that’s had a rough life maybe a good rubber mat is in order

 

[sloanstavern]

I plugged all 33 holes and now I’m starting on the bracing. As near as I can measure the factory brace was between 16 and 18 gauge sheet metal. I tried making one out of 16 but simply couldn’t bend it satisfactorily in my break. I’m trying one out of 18 any it bends much nicer. The prototype turned out OK so I’ll try and make one fit for use and see what happens. I did notice the factory brace is not a true 90° the top sheet metal is gently sloped towards the center of the tub once I build a permanent brace I’ll try burning it in to see how it fits and then make up the rest. Since I’m using a slightly thinner sheet metal I’m bending the side arms longer to give it a little more rigidity

 

[sloanstavern]

Now I am moving on to the other brackets replacement. I pre-measure and fabricate the replacement body sheet metal. I realized the bend is not a pure 90° from a metal break so I have to tweak it by hand to match the existing radius better. I lay that over the affected area and trace out the rough outline. There is so much distortion in the rusted metal I can’t make a final cut until I remove that material.

A key learning from the first attempt yesterday, have you heard that saying you can pay me now or pay me later? I learned the hard way the importance of taking the time upfront to make sure the patch fits perfectly. 30 or 40 minutes spent doing that versus a whole morning trying to fix a poorly matched patch and opening. I think I will do three or four sheet metal repairs and then start installing the braces.

 

[sloanstavern]

I’ve got the three worst cut out and patched, i’ll weld in the new braces when all the patching is done.

Moving onto the lesser damage ones I found a better solution I got a spot weld cutter and I remove the brace then I only have one or two small steel patches to burn in rather than the big 4 x 16“ with a 90° bend . Stitching this sheet metal is taking forever, I went online and studied as much as I could to find out why half of my stitches are OK, they look like a Fried egg and the others either punch through or look like a BB sitting on top. Based on all the how-2 videos I watched I think that’s just the way this process goes. Sometimes when the metal is thick enough I can actually run an inch long stitch and just gradually connect them that definitely goes much better but it doesn’t work all the time.

I tried that trick of tackling the patch over the hall and then cutting through both sheets with a thin cut wheel at a 45° angle. So when you’re done the whole will match the patch exactly it kind of worked but I think it’s more difficult than just cutting the patch then marking the opening and making the cut

The good news is the pile of damage parts is getting bigger and the pile of new steel is getting smaller.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Make your marks for your patches with something super fine, like a scratch, I used an old sharp awl that I had laying around.

The welds should be simple spot welds, move around a lot, eventually you'll start stacking spot welds so that you create a long bead, one spot welds at a time. Jump around onto opposite sides of your patch, and about every 6" or so from your previous spot welds.

Use a backer that will help dissipate the heat from the weld and metal, something like a copper plate,or pipe hammered flat, it will also help your welding.

 

[sloanstavern]

Hi Tom, thanks for the tips.
I’m learning as I go but the biggest challenge has been getting consistent stitch weld’s. About 1/2 are great, 5/16-3/8” nice and flat with good penetration, and 2 inches away at the same settings I get no penetration and a big ole BB sitting there or it burns through. I clean everything good and have a good ground so it’s kind of perplexing.
I use some old copper pipe I split to make a sheet and hold it I’m place with an old body dolly. Frequently I can’t get my arms on both side so I have to improvi. I made a scribe tool out of an old jig saw blade the works nice for right marking ( my old eyes can’t always see the marks though )
Its getting there

 

[Honger]

Just caught up on this one. Loving the progress. I just bought a welder... need to start practicing. I'm encouraged by how you just jumped into this fab work. I need to come visit sometime and have a look-see.

 

[sloanstavern]

Just caught up on this one. Loving the progress. I just bought a welder... need to start practicing. I'm encouraged by how you just jumped into this fab work. I need to come visit sometime and have a look-see.

Thanks! I learned a long time ago not to be afraid to try new stuff. Good luck with the new welder. You are welcome anytime ( I am in Casa Grande)
Cheers!

 

[sloanstavern]

I don’t know if this happens to you guys, but if my hearts not in it I just can’t work on the cruiser. The quality of my work suffers and it becomes drudgery so I’m stepping away for a little bit and decided to give some love to my 20-year-old suburban. She’s held up real good cosmetically and mechanically but I did some serious damage last fall when scouting our elk hunting trip. Got all the filler work done and the donor doors from the boneyard ready. If the weather cooperates I’ll put down some color tomorrow morning.

I also have a new favorite tool. A reloadable pressurized aerosol dispenser that can accommodate any solvent. I put in two dollars worth of grease and wax remover pressured it up and it took the entire suburban I can see getting a lot of miles out of this addition to the toolbox

 

[flee]

I don’t know if this happens to you guys, but if my hearts not in it I just can’t work on the cruiser. The quality of my work suffers and it becomes drudgery so I’m stepping away for a little bit and decided to give some love to my 20-year-old suburban. She’s held up real good cosmetically and mechanically but I did some serious damage last fall when scouting our elk hunting trip. Got all the filler work done and the donor doors from the boneyard ready. If the weather cooperates I’ll put down some color tomorrow morning.

I also have a new favorite tool. A reloadable pressurized aerosol dispenser that can accommodate any solvent. I put in two dollars worth of grease and wax remover pressured it up and it took the entire suburban I can see getting a lot of miles out of this addition to the toolbox
View attachment 2630091View attachment 2630092View attachment 2630093View attachment 2630094

Sure-Shots are very handy! They used to be available in a SS version that holds up pretty well to whatever you put into it.

 

[sloanstavern]

I can’t put it off any longer got to get some more work done before I bug out for the summer. While I won’t finish the bodywork I can at least get the primer down before I go. This morning I welded in three of the eight replacement brackets on the side walls. Going pretty good but I have some key learnings.
1. welding overhead stinks- I’ll weld top down on the rest.
2. Primed all hidden surfaces before I welded them in
3. While the replacement brackets do not match the factory with that sweeping arch as you can see in the photo it does illuminate a nasty pocket for dirt and moisture to collect.
4. I dug out my angle die grinder and ordered some 24 grit sanding discs from Summit racing, a real lifesaver in dressing my crappy welds. Cleans them up much faster and a more surgical process plus it does not put as much heat into the steel as a big electric grinder did.
5. From the factory there were only two spot welds at each end of the bracket I’m replicating that but adding one or two more at the midpoint just for more stability

 

[sloanstavern]

I’m glad I stepped away a while now I’m feeling more motivated to make some progress. Got the driver side four brackets fitted and burnt in, and this afternoon I fabricated the last three brackets for the passenger side got them primed and wi install them tomorrow morning. The dimensions arent critical on these things I just want them all to look the same. It’s not a true 90° so I used my gauge to make sure they matched properly. It would’ve been nice to have a sheet metal sheer for cutting these repetitive pieces but I doubt if I’ll use it again. The metal break is a must have however.
I forgot to mention after priming I plan to use seam sealer on the sides of these brackets to limit the moisture that can get in but I’ll leave the top and bottom open so if he does get in there it has a path out

 

[Michael B]

Nice vice!

 

[sloanstavern]

Nice vice!

It’s got a lotta miles on her but she does the job..... i got it in Miami.....Vice..

 

[sloanstavern]

I have the last three brackets welded in place and moving on to the rear sill.

question how many times in recorded history has there been less rust than you anticipated?
Answer not one single time.

I opened the previous owners patch and the can of worms spilled out.

I got the sill and cut away the corners and since I am a slow student I forgot it’s OK to drill the spot welds from above. Luckily I only did three or four from the bottom. They weren’t visible on the top so I drilled a small pilot hole all the way through and then I could get out them with the spot weld cutter.

 

[sloanstavern]

Good day! I got the rear sill out patched and treated for rust. It is tacked back into position. I just got started fabricating the lower rear quarter panels and working on the fitment for those so far it’s going pretty well.

Anything I take apart that didn’t see the media blaster I scraped it the best I can and then hit it with that rust converter stuff it won’t be perfect but at least it’s taking a shot at protecting it in the future. My plan is to finish up the sale and rear quarters then work my way up both sides to the foot wells- That’s where the real challenge

While laying out the template on paper I did not have the original quarter panel to copy so to borrow the quote from teddy Roosevelt “do what you can where are you are with what you have” so I used two different spray can tops to match the radius I think it’s close enough

I know I can buy some of these replacement panels but to be honest I just can’t justify spending that much money and you still have a lot of work to make them fit right when you’ve only got a few square inches of rust that needs to be cut out. Plus I am a member of the more time the money club so that makes my purchasing decisions for me

 

[sloanstavern]

I have both rear quarter panels roughed into shape. I’m getting better with the stitch welding just in time for the more visible repairs. The biggest challenge was the radius along the bottom of the patch. What worked best was to mark out the bend line and then use a vice grip to slowly start the bend. . Coming at it from both sides when I got to the curve the steel would tell me where to put the relief cuts. Once I have it roughed in I tack welded the relief cuts and started grinding. Still have some work to do but so far so good

 

[sloanstavern]

When I bought her, I knew the floorboards needed replacement but on first inspection I thought the tub would just need some minor rust repair. So I started in the back to get some practice only to discover how much work needed to be done. Now that I am out of the tub working along the sides it is much more satisfying
I thought I was never going to get out of that rust infected tub!
The rust and repair on the side skirt wasn’t that bad and actually quite fun to replace however I think I made a bad call regarding the panel seam. . My logic was one continuous piece would strengthen that union but now I have the cosmetic issue to deal with. I’ll give it some more thought before I do anything but I can either fill and mask all the panel joints or I can place a small patch on the inside and cut a “fake” seam on the out side

 

[Honger]

When I bought her, I knew the floorboards needed replacement but on first inspection I thought the tub would just need some minor rust repair. So I started in the back to get some practice only to discover how much work needed to be done. Now that I am out of the tub working along the sides it is much more satisfying
I thought I was never going to get out of that rust infected tub!
The rust and repair on the side skirt wasn’t that bad and actually quite fun to replace however I think I made a bad call regarding the panel seam. . My logic was one continuous piece would strengthen that union but now I have the cosmetic issue to deal with. I’ll give it some more thought before I do anything but I can either fill and mask all the panel joints or I can place a small patch on the inside and cut a “fake” seam on the out sideView attachment 2648172View attachment 2648173View attachment 2648174View attachment 2648175

Yeah... only concern with that panel seam being stitched like that is eventual fatigue of the solid piece. The two panels are otherwise not stitched together and likely to have some movement independent of each other. That single point of continuous connection may end up cracking at some point.

 

[sloanstavern]

My goal was to finish the
tub and work around both sides up to the firewall before I called it a season. My welder ran out of wire on the last patch on the last side so I guess that was a sign. Since I still have some time I wanted to get some epoxy primer on the tub and roof ( not the underside yet not sure how I’ll get that done yet) So I didn’t leave all that raw steel exposed over the summer. I also started a little mock up on the front end to make sure everything aligns before I do finish bodywork on it.


this is a good time of year in Arizona for a driveway paint job. The mornings are very calm and mild temperature however you have to get it done before the sun pops up too high in the sky I started this morning at about 60° and finished just short of 80°. I use the medium catalyst and just let the early coats flash a little bit longer and it seems to work OK.

I’m using my new HVLP gun and so far so good. Very little overspray and really good to fine-tune for whatever material you’re laying down. The only reason I put plastic under the roof was because I was so close to the driveway I did not want to kick up dust or get the limited overspray on that new slab. Before I started I hosed down the driveway and surrounding dirt to keep the dust down.