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

[WarDamnEagle]

Wow @sloanstavern Great job on the KSA Troopy. After looking for 3 years I just pulled the trigger on one a week or so ago. I've been ordering parts non-stop ever since.

 

[sloanstavern]

Wow @sloanstavern Great job on the KSA Troopy. After looking for 3 years I just pulled the trigger on one a week or so ago. I've been ordering parts non-stop ever since.

Congrats on the Troopy - Good luck on the build.
( ordering parts is fun..... paying for them....meh!)

 

[sloanstavern]

Time for a mid summer update. The troopy is on hold until I return to Arizona this fall but the cabin is making good progress I put a shovel in the ground early June got the footings and piers in place the decking down the walls second floor and now I’m working on the roof. The weather‘s been good for building but unseasonably warm.
Lumber prices have been ridiculously high, but luckily I found a local sawmill and picked up some beautiful Rough sawn dimensional lumber and floorboards for the second floor and rafters

I hope to have it weathered in in a couple weeks and then I can slow down and enjoy some R&R.

 

[sloanstavern]

Well the building season came to a close in The Tetons. I accomplished more than I expected got the cabin all weathered in and utilities in place. I moved in in mid August and started chipping away at the deck and finishing work until the weather drove me out last week.
It was a great summer but I am getting a bit concerned about some of the local residents. In late June I discovered a fresh mule deer kill 100 yards from where I sleep and the week before I left this dude walked right through my yard, 5 feet from my deck. When I walked out to shoe him away he just looked over his shoulder shrugged and then kept on strolling.
I’m pretty sure the rule of thumb is for every one time you see a lion in the wild one has seen you undetected a dozen times or more

 

[sloanstavern]

So break time is over time to hit the ground running. I got most of the rust repair done last season and a quick coat of Epoxy primer on most of the vehicle now it’s time to tackle the floorboards first I need to scrape off the old patching material just to see what I’m working with. I would like to buy replacement floorboards but I can’t seem to find them for a 1982 troops. I will also need to fabricate those underfloor brackets for the Body mounting points.

 

[sloanstavern]

As I have shared before, my fabrication and welding work is truly beginner status and I’m treating us as O.J. T.
The floor pans were the worst and I searched and searched but could not find replacement panels for a late model troopy. So I assumed I had no choice but to try and fabricate them myself. The passenger side was the worst and I felt pretty good about the general shape but then I butchered it up when I tried to put it in the beads. Frustrated I went online one more time to search and lo and behold at Land Cruiser Heaven I found late model FJ 40 pans post 1979 and they look like a perfect fit. Ordered them on Wednesday and they arrive today.

I was able to fabricate patch panels for the rest of the rusted floor area now I’ll cut out more steel and try and fit it all in

 

[sloanstavern]

Looking down the road to my finish on this beast I plan to use lizard skin heat shield and sound deadener on the floor inside and out. Then I will topcoat with the factory color. My question for the group is this should I go single stage or two stage with the clearcoat?
For some reason I think clearcoat on an old truck like this just looks too shiny and new. Would love your thoughts, thanks

 

[Michael B]

Single stage.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I would go single stage.

 

[sloanstavern]

Thanks for the confirmation, single stage it is.

After 40 years on her belly she is now perpendicular. I realized working on my back was not an option to get those floor pans in. So I incorporated a poor man’s rotisserie. If all goes as planned I can finish all the metal work prep it get the heat shield on and even the topcoat before I put her right side up.

The replacement floor pan it’s not an exact fit, obviously so I’m chipping away a little at a time. So far I believe I’ve only “over cut “ one little section. And if anything this replacement pan will provide more clearance then the factory which is the side I want to error on.

 

[sloanstavern]

Well she ain’t pretty but everything fit. Had to do quite a bit of trimming and pounding to get that floor pan to line up but I think it’ll be OK. I also had rust on the lower portion of the firewall, and a portion of that Front transmission hump panel, if there is a replacement for that I couldn’t find it.

With a little creative origami I was able to finish the repair with one patch, fewer seams the better.
With all the pushing and pulling to make it fit there was no way I could get butt joints around the entire patch so many of them are lap joints with a combination of roset welds and stitch welds.

I think if I Lay down a half inch of lizard skin it should look beautiful

 

[sloanstavern]

I am going to call the fabrication portion of this job done. All the floor pans are in and brackets replaced. I still have a few days of dressing the welds and touching them up. The driver side mounting bracket could have been reused, however it would not have matched my passenger side replacement and I thought it best that they match exactly.
I should have stated at the beginning my goal is not to have a concourse restoration, I just want a rust free reasonably straight reliable vehicle. I think this will work.
The second floor pan was much easier since I had some practice. I still used a combination of lap joints and butt joints. The lap joints are secured with roset welds and some stitch welds on the overlap

After I get everything cleaned up I will lay down some epoxy primer on the bottom then the lizard skin heat barrier, and some single stage final paint

 

[sloanstavern]

I laid on a full coat of epoxy primer, then some light filler (aka lipstick on the ). I only needed about 1/2 a quart, for inside and bottom of the tub combined.
Today I applied the lizard skin heat barrier on the belly. It’s expensive but it comes highly rated and you can put a top coat over it. I’m doing the lizard skin sound deadening on the inside of the tub. A nice benefit is that it conceals many sins of the body guy
It should be like a milk shakee, but mine was like marshmallow cream . The first coat went on quite slow and dry so I dropped in some water (10mls) and the remaining coats went on much better

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I like the finish. Considering using the same on my 55. Any reason you left some of the body mount cushions on for paint? Just curious. Thanks.

 

[sloanstavern]

I like the finish. Considering using the same on my 55. Any reason you left some of the body mount cushions on for paint? Just curious. Thanks.

Thanks. The mounts or "cushions" I left had captive, phillips screws holding them in. I tried one and it was not going to budge. Rather than fight them I left the in. If I am feeling motivated, I will hit them with a wire wheel and strip the coating, or maybe some black satin.....

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Thanks. The mounts or "cushions" I left had captive, phillips screws holding them in. I tried one and it was not going to budge. Rather than fight them I left the in. If I am feeling motivated, I will hit them with a wire wheel and strip the coating, or maybe some black satin.....

Makes sense. I asked because it took me a long time to track down all the replacements for my '83 FJ45. I finally got them all in hand but I think they came from about 5 different sources.

 

[sloanstavern]

Makes sense. I asked because it took me a long time to track down all the replacements for my '83 FJ45. I finally got them all in hand but I think they came from about 5 different sources.

Same here I could not find exact fits, so I’m using Energy Suspension pucks. At least they’re the correct height and color.
What are you using?

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Same here I could not find exact fits, so I’m using Energy Suspension pucks. At least they’re the correct height and color.
What are you using?

Many are still available. For example: CUSHION ASSY, BODY MOUNTING, UPPER 5220190300 | Toyota Parts | PartSouq - https://partsouq.com/en/search/all?q=52201-90300

Others I had to find as NOS (new old stock). Took about 2 months or so but I finally found all new Toyota cushions.

 

[sloanstavern]

I just finished putting down the lizard skin sound deadening liner on the inside of the tub.
This batch was nice and creamy, not dry like the heat shield, sprayed on much better. It is a must to tape plug all bolt holes and pull them right after spraying, this stuff is thick. I bought 2 gallons of each, I got two nice coats, it might be a bit thin but Definitely met my expectations. I think 2 gallons would be perfect for a 40.
I did a knuckle knock test all over and it sounds like you’re knocking on a wooden desk rather than an empty steel drum……winning

 

[sloanstavern]

I lay down a couple coats of factory 464 pin code. On the belly and inside the tub as well as the firewall. It came out a bit yellow but as it cured it darkened and when I got it in the direct sunlight I think it’ll be OK. I am very pleased with the way the factory paint sits over the lizard skin liner.

Today was a big day since she was on her side I went ahead and put the fuel tank and this is the first reassembly on the body. Interestingly enough it was exactly 2 years ago tomorrow that she drove into the workshop to get started on teardown