83 FJ60 Build up thread (2 Viewers)

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Your work looks really good! soon you will be in possesion of a completely fresh frame, just wait 'till it's galvanized!!! :)
 
Frame Repair

Got 1 hour on the 60 tonight.

I got the passenger side inner frame rail all welded up for good :bounce:. I had to drill holes and weld on two 8mm x 1.25 nuts on the back side of the panel before I could weld it on.

Passenger side inner frame well all welded up:
100_4014.jpg
 
Frame Repair

Spent 1hr 20 minutes on the 60 tonight. I got two more inner frame rail pieces welded in on the driver side this time. One in the rear and one just in front of the rear wheel well.

Just a little Cruiser trivia - there are only nuts welded to back side of an FJ60 inner frame rail for the fuel and brake lines, not the driver side. So if you ever have a need to swap lines, check for threaded holes first! It did mean I didn't have to weld nuts on driver side ;).


Rear inner frame rail replacement on driver side (frame upside down):
100_4058.jpg


In front of rear wheel well on driver side (frame upside down):
100_4059.jpg
 
Frame Repair

Got 1hr on the 60 tonight. I got the last inner frame rail welded into the driver side and all the holes tapped out.


Driver Side inner frame rail complete (upside down):
100_4114.jpg



Drilled and retapped rear bump stop holes that were welded up:
100_4115.jpg
 
Frame Question

Question for those with a truck that still runs :rolleyes:.

I cut off the X-Member and can't remember which way it goes back on. The FSM doesn't show it either. The yellow arrow points to the threaded hole... does this threaded hole go on the driver side/exhaust side or on the passenger side?

100_4116.jpg



EDIT - I asked this question in an outside thread to generate attention. See the thread here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?p=2695029
 
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truly an awesome pile of work you're doing.

again, keep it up!
 
Frame Repair

Got 40 minutes on the 60 tonight. I got the rear cross member welded back into place. I used 10mm x 1.50 x 20mm bolts and nuts instead of the buck rivets. I hit the nut with the welder to keep it from coming loose (would have used lock nuts, but that probably wouldn't go well with the 900°F hot dip in the future).


Finished view from the top:
100_4119.jpg


Finished from the bottom:
100_4117.jpg


Shot of 10mm nut and bolt:
100_4118.jpg
 
Decisions, Decisions...

Well, I talked to the galvaniziers and I am a little concerned. Not only is it going to be $500 by the time I transport, dip and paint the frame, but there is somewhat of a fundamental flow. They originally stated it should be "clean". I called this week and asked how thorough I needed to be with the sandblasting. Turns out that the pre-dip will not remove paint, only oil and grease. That means the paint "burns" off in the galvanizing bath and galvanizing will NOT stick to the painted surfaces.

I thought about electrolysis, but it won't remove paint either. Acid dip is well out of the question at home and I don't want to spend another $100+ on the acid dip ($150 w/ transportation).

So, I decided to split the frame rail and see how bad it was in the middle. Paint on half, rust on the other half. The only way I am going to get this done at any reasonable price and not feel like I have unpainted portions is to split the rails and sandblast the insides... sounds like fun:crybaby:.


Passenger side frame rail in the middle:
100_4137.jpg
 
Sandblaster Wand

Since I am not going to be able to split all the rails (like where the rear x-member is), I made up a sandblasting "wand" to get inside the frame rail. It is a compression fitting with a 2 ft. copper pipe with the end pinched down.

2 foot extension wand:
100_4138.jpg


Pinched End:
100_4141.jpg
 
Frame Repair

Got 2 hours over the last few nights. Cut open the frame rail on the passenger side (see above pics) and started to hang tarps in the garage. Gotta love Harbor Freight! I am going to try out sandblasting in the garage with the tarps, this way I can do it after work when it is dark.

One tarp hung up (12' x 24'):
100_4142.jpg


I used soft steel wire to make "hooks" to hold the tarp so that I can take them up and down:
100_4143.jpg
 
IS the frame going to be safe?


There is not much material missing in the rusted areas (those were already cut out and replaced in previous posts. The rust in the pics is probably in everyones frames. Water gets into the frame and sits with sand/mud and rusts the frame from the inside out.

I am not worried about the safety, just removing the rust so it lasts 15 years, rather than 5 years.
 
Great build thread! I hope your motivation and enthusiasm are contagious!
What would be considered a HUGE project, you sure are making it look like a "walk in the park."
Good luck and may the force not slow you down. You could definetly kick Skywalker's ass.
 
Great build thread! I hope your motivation and enthusiasm are contagious!
What would be considered a HUGE project, you sure are making it look like a "walk in the park."
Good luck and may the force not slow you down. You could definetly kick Skywalker's ass.

Goode, I hope it keeps up too! My plan is to have the frame done by the end of the year... doesn't sound like much, but it's progress. :cheers:
 

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