I keep getting requests for a "review" of Kelly Saad's work, or at least a thread on my HJ75, so I figured I'd start one now that I have some time off this Holiday season.
Never, ever believe it when someone says a Cruiser is "rust free." Just because there is no visible surface rust doesn't mean there isn't rust behind your a-pillars, cowls, and rockers. These are old cars and metallurgy wasn't the best in the 1980s. I've seen spotless 70 series, without any rust visible, only to watch the owner go through similar issues with the a-pillars. If you have a rust bubble around your windshield, chances are your Cruiser is rusted out around the cowl and a-pillars. The a-pillars are fillet brazed to the roof line. Over time, this can develop cracks and capillary action pulls water into the pillars. Same with your cowl. Water gets everywhere.
A brief rundown on my HJ75. I bought it from an importer. It had horrible bodywork done to it. The bodywork included bondo over rust that hadn't been properly sealed. After we spent a month in the Mojave desert wheeling our favorite trails and camping, we came home to Santa Fe with cracked a-pillars and rusty water coming out from under the paint, rust bubbles forming in the rockers, and it didn't look good. I called around to friends of mine, and they all recommended Kelly Saad in Flagstaff.
It just so happened that day Kelly announced his queue had opened. I messaged him and got in the queue. I spent the next few weeks buying all the body panels from Toyota direct, thanks to @OGBeno and Dave in Japan for the part numbers. I ordered outer a-pillars, inner and outer rockers, rocker brackets, rain rails, rain rail caps, cowl caps, a windshield gasket, and a windshield.
We dropped the Cruiser off in Flagstaff after a backpacking trip in the AZ Strip in May. He and Spenser got to work cutting the shoddy bodywork out and assessing the damage.
Back in November, I picked the Cruiser up, and the work Kelly and Spenser @orikawa did was phenomenal. I had prepared for the worse, not because I doubted their abilities, I just thought the Cruiser was too gone to be resurrected. The work they did was thorough. Their communication was professional, and they were transparent with the expectations.
I told Kelly to use single-stage 045 paint, which the Cruiser had been painted at some point in its life. He explained that the body isn't a perfect match, and we talked about how this isn't a show pony. It's a tool for me. I just wanted it to be rust-free.
These guys do great work. Their service is premium and I can't say enough about how well the 75 turned out.
Thanks to @kelly saad for doing such a solid job!
Never, ever believe it when someone says a Cruiser is "rust free." Just because there is no visible surface rust doesn't mean there isn't rust behind your a-pillars, cowls, and rockers. These are old cars and metallurgy wasn't the best in the 1980s. I've seen spotless 70 series, without any rust visible, only to watch the owner go through similar issues with the a-pillars. If you have a rust bubble around your windshield, chances are your Cruiser is rusted out around the cowl and a-pillars. The a-pillars are fillet brazed to the roof line. Over time, this can develop cracks and capillary action pulls water into the pillars. Same with your cowl. Water gets everywhere.
A brief rundown on my HJ75. I bought it from an importer. It had horrible bodywork done to it. The bodywork included bondo over rust that hadn't been properly sealed. After we spent a month in the Mojave desert wheeling our favorite trails and camping, we came home to Santa Fe with cracked a-pillars and rusty water coming out from under the paint, rust bubbles forming in the rockers, and it didn't look good. I called around to friends of mine, and they all recommended Kelly Saad in Flagstaff.
It just so happened that day Kelly announced his queue had opened. I messaged him and got in the queue. I spent the next few weeks buying all the body panels from Toyota direct, thanks to @OGBeno and Dave in Japan for the part numbers. I ordered outer a-pillars, inner and outer rockers, rocker brackets, rain rails, rain rail caps, cowl caps, a windshield gasket, and a windshield.
We dropped the Cruiser off in Flagstaff after a backpacking trip in the AZ Strip in May. He and Spenser got to work cutting the shoddy bodywork out and assessing the damage.
Back in November, I picked the Cruiser up, and the work Kelly and Spenser @orikawa did was phenomenal. I had prepared for the worse, not because I doubted their abilities, I just thought the Cruiser was too gone to be resurrected. The work they did was thorough. Their communication was professional, and they were transparent with the expectations.
I told Kelly to use single-stage 045 paint, which the Cruiser had been painted at some point in its life. He explained that the body isn't a perfect match, and we talked about how this isn't a show pony. It's a tool for me. I just wanted it to be rust-free.
These guys do great work. Their service is premium and I can't say enough about how well the 75 turned out.
Thanks to @kelly saad for doing such a solid job!
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