84 FJ60 Resto,

[SKINNER]

Hey guys - after 2.5 months in Japan, we're back home!

As I had posted prior to leaving, I had hoped to get the 60 into the body shop prior to leaving. While I was very pleased with how my body work had turned out, I have never been happy with the paint. As a result, it's been tough for me to get motivated to work on getting it done. Every time I would try I would just see how much work was needed. . . so, I decided it was best to leave it to the pros. One thing led to another, and a friend of a friend agreed to repaint the 60.

Unfortunately, we had a couple of nasty hail storms blow through & his shop didn't have space for my truck prior to my leaving. But, about a week before getting home (we were in Hawaii on the way back), he called and said that if I could get the truck to him, he could have it done before I got home. Lucky for me, a couple great friends offered to tow it down for me.

Well, they got it done as promised & I picked it up last night. Let me tell you, I can't even put into words how amazing the truck looks! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out!! I'm not too proud to say that it was a real emotional experience for me when I saw it. It was so amazing to see all of my hard work come together. It also felt great that the guys at the shop were very impressed with the quality of the body work (they also gave me a little ribbing for my paint "attempt" LOL).

Good news for anyone that enjoys following this thread - this was the exact thing I needed to put the wind back in the sails of this project!

Now - on to the pics. I've tried hard to show how well it all turned out in the pics. Hope you guys enjoy!

 

[MiketheGuide]

Man, this truck is looking incredible. I've been lurking since I discovered this thread. I'm very excited to see the progress on the home stretch!

 

[gregnash]

Wow dude just wow! The truck looks incredible. Can't wait to have mine look like that some day.

 

[Mikesta]

The first scratch is going to be painful. Its better than new.

 

[SKINNER]

Spent a good portion of the day taking inventory of my parts & finalizing my order. . . looks like a FJ60 warehouse in the shop:

Good news is that I have a couple totes full of parts that will be going up for sale. Stay tuned.

 

[IndianDoc]

Shop may look like a 60 warehouse but there's not a speck of rust. Glad to see that wonderbar paint on the rig. You and this thread have been and still are inspirational to us all fighting the rust monster, all hail the re born 60.

That thing is so nice on the eyes make me think about getting rid of my liner paint, naw but shiny and smooth looks soooooo good.

 

[mot]

Hey, it looks AWESOME!!

Hope Japan treated you well!

Congtats!

Now you're on the final stretch.... right?

 

[Delancy]

Just Wow... Now I'm going to sit on the floor and put my head in my hands and re-evaluate my life.

My sentiments, exactly.

Another reason I shouldn't stray from the 80 forum. Incredible.

 

[SKINNER]

Now you're on the final stretch.... right?

Man, I sure hope so!

I'm not going to lie, I still have a lot to get done (especially with taking on an oddball engine swap!), but this has really put the wind back in my sails. Within only days, I've inventoried all of my "stock", reassembled the doors, and ordered another truck load of parts.

I can't wait to get it done.

 

[cruiserjunktion]

It seems like I do more reading than posting on Ih8mud, but I thought I might share a couple photos of my 1984 FJ60. I pulled the body this weekend with plans to complete an overall freshening (hopefully a quick one at that) in time for paint this spring.

Holy crap! Fantastic work, congrats.

 

[Welltech]

What an amazing thread. Not sure what I am more impressed with, your skills or your persistence. 5 years and going on a project is a statement. Well done.

 

[SKINNER]

I had to work over Thanksgiving, but I still managed to get all of my parts cleaned & sorted. Tonight, I had a few minutes to work on the 60, so I got 3 of the 4 doors put back together. New runs, belt molds, etc. Loving the blacked out look!

Next step is to get the roof insulated, the headliner in, and then the glass installed. Ordered all new glass "gaskets" for the windshield, 1/4 glass, and hatch. Ouch. Even with my discount, 4 gaskets were $250.
I have a feeling the nickel & diming is getting ready to hit full swing. Bring it on. I can't wait for this project to be done!

 

[Joe_E]

Looking good man!

I too had mine painted. Now i have to figure how to lift it off the old chassis on to the new one the easiest way.

 

[ashack2004]

Man this is an awesome build cant wait to see it finished!

 

[effjaysixty]

Looking good man!

I too had mine painted. Now i have to figure how to lift it off the old chassis on to the new one the easiest way.

Hey man, you may have already seen this, but I thought it was a pretty nifty way to get the body up!
https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/552977-rusty-wagon-rebuild.html

Skinner, absolutely amazing thread! I'm fairly new to cruisers, and this build has inspired me so much, though I think it might be a bit dangerous to dive in as deep as you did haha, I'm only an amateur!
Massive kudos on the lc though, and if you ever make it to aussie I'll pay you in beer for a few pointers!
Keep the good work coming man

 

[Toyota addict 62]

Hey man, you may have already seen this, but I thought it was a pretty nifty way to get the body up!
https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/552977-rusty-wagon-rebuild.html

I used this method too, and it works great. But you really need to lighten the pay-load as much as possible. It places a lot of stress on the bolt holes, and I bent the floor pan a little around the bolt holes - but nothing the big hammer couldn't fix.

 

[SKINNER]

Time for an update - been making some progress in the background. . .

First, apparently $800 worth of parts will fit into these two little bags; amazing how "old & worn out" some stuff looks after a new paint job:

Grips, grab handles, emblems, D-Pillar grilles, license lamp/garnish, dome lamp,rear view mirror, driver side regulator, strikers, etc:

Had last Friday off work, was able to pick up my donor axle. 8.8" Ford w/factory disc & 4.10 ratio. 6x5.5" axles are on the way from Dutchman as we speak:

Had yesterday & today off also. Between customer jobs I took a run to Louisville & picked up another LS400. Couldn't pass up the deal; 110K miles & a real cherry car. The way I look at it, I'll use this drivetrain & have an entire 2nd set of spare parts. . . LOL:

Seats anyone?

 

[jaxonm]

Wait,
You can still get some of these parts... NEW? Specifically, grips/grab handles, d-pillar grills and license plate light? Add all that together and add in a regulator and honestly $800 is sounding pretty good, considering I thought half of that stuff was NLA. Where are you getting parts?

Beautiful truck!

Time for an update - been making some progress in the background. . .

First, apparently $800 worth of parts will fit into these two little bags; amazing how "old & worn out" some stuff looks after a new paint job:

Grips, grab handles, emblems, D-Pillar grilles, license lamp/garnish, dome lamp,rear view mirror, driver side regulator, strikers, etc:

 

[SKINNER]

Wait,
You can still get some of these parts... NEW? Specifically, grips/grab handles, d-pillar grills and license plate light? Add all that together and add in a regulator and honestly $800 is sounding pretty good, considering I thought half of that stuff was NLA. Where are you getting parts?

Beautiful truck!

I too found it hard to believe some of the parts are still available. I get all of my parts through my local dealer - being a Toyota employee, I get a fair discount.

 

[djoneab]

More pictures with part and part numbers would be really nice.