Big T's 77 FJ40 resto thread

[customav]

This an awesome build and can't wait to see the finished product!

As for the top is Clarence talking about doing a coat of gel coat on it? While I am perfectly willing to admit that metal work is not my thing I do know a bit about fiberglass work and my hard top needs a full rehab.

I have been thinking about doing a full gel coat spray on it that way I can get the color I want and the durable finish. If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about then think of the exterior finish on any fiberglass boat. You can tint the gel coat any color you want really and that is your finish.

You can use fiberglass epoxy to fill in the cracks (or bondo if you want) and then spray the gel coat as your final coat (ok maybe multiple coats of it) with the color you want and then buff and polish and you are good to go.
Repairs are done much easier in the future because if anything chips or cracks then it is a small dab of gel coat and some wet sanding and you wouldn't know what happened.
The finish is a lot stronger and more durable this way too.

Can't wait to see the finished product

 

[Big T]

This an awesome build and can't wait to see the finished product!

As for the top is Clarence talking about doing a coat of gel coat on it? While I am perfectly willing to admit that metal work is not my thing I do know a bit about fiberglass work and my hard top needs a full rehab.

I have been thinking about doing a full gel coat spray on it that way I can get the color I want and the durable finish. If you are unfamiliar with what I am talking about then think of the exterior finish on any fiberglass boat. You can tint the gel coat any color you want really and that is your finish.

You can use fiberglass epoxy to fill in the cracks (or bondo if you want) and then spray the gel coat as your final coat (ok maybe multiple coats of it) with the color you want and then buff and polish and you are good to go.
Repairs are done much easier in the future because if anything chips or cracks then it is a small dab of gel coat and some wet sanding and you wouldn't know what happened.
The finish is a lot stronger and more durable this way too.

Can't wait to see the finished product

I cant say that I have herd of the gel coat....sounds interesting though. I can see why it is good for future damage to...wich may accor on a trail or something. I will have to do a little more research on it becuase like I said im clueless when it comes to fiberglass. Thanks for the tip.

 

[customav]

No problem! Not sure where you are located but see if you have a local West Marine nearby and they will have everything you want. I tried to go to their website and get you the link but of course the site is down for some reason today!
Now you have to be careful about the epoxy use with gel coat. There are certain things you can and cannot use together in this case and I would ask to make 100% sure.
The thing is you can mix the gel coat with its hardener to get it a little thicker if you want and then use it like an epoxy to fill in the cracks and areas and then sand it down smooth.

The beauty of the gel coat is that it will actually work like a filler for you in some ways and you will end up wet sanding it, and depending on the type you get and finish you desire, to a very nice gloss. Think of it as a paint and clear coat all in one with a nice hard candy shell coating that will hold up to some abuse!

Good luck. If you are close to me I'd help you out with it in a heart beat! It's actually easier to setup and do multiple at once!

 

[Big T]

what about epoxy primer and a good marine paint for the top? they exclusively use Awlgrip on 100'-200' yachts around here - not cheap but very durable.

No problem! Not sure where you are located but see if you have a local West Marine nearby and they will have everything you want. I tried to go to their website and get you the link but of course the site is down for some reason today!
Now you have to be careful about the epoxy use with gel coat. There are certain things you can and cannot use together in this case and I would ask to make 100% sure.
The thing is you can mix the gel coat with its hardener to get it a little thicker if you want and then use it like an epoxy to fill in the cracks and areas and then sand it down smooth.

The beauty of the gel coat is that it will actually work like a filler for you in some ways and you will end up wet sanding it, and depending on the type you get and finish you desire, to a very nice gloss. Think of it as a paint and clear coat all in one with a nice hard candy shell coating that will hold up to some abuse!

Good luck. If you are close to me I'd help you out with it in a heart beat! It's actually easier to setup and do multiple at once!

Ok so I just finished speaking with Clarence for a little bit about what he has used in the past and some of the ideas posted from you guys. I appreciate the help on this by the way because like I said I am the last person to ask when it comes to fiberglass. Maybe when this is all said and done I will be much more knowlegable when it come to this topic.

Now about the epoxy primer...Clarence said that it is a good primer but for the price of it and on such a little surface(compared to boats) he recomends using a polyester primer because of the feather fill that he ends up using on it rather then the gel coat.

For the gel coat he said it is pretty good stuff to use as well however he said there is pros and cons to everything. The only reason I told him not to use the gel coat is because the tops of the FJ's came from the factory with a thin coat of gel coat. Clarence said that it works great for retaining color(this is why you dont see many faded paint jobs on boats) but over time it will still get stress cracks and put us back to were we currently are. But like I said Clarence does like the gel coat it just dosent last as long as it should.

So Clarence said is first thought on it was to use a 4-1 mixture of Super Build Feather fill (its a Evercoat product) over all of the stress fractures and fill the holes from the PO with some body filler. With the feather fill you can not only use that to fill some of the smaller holes and cracks but you can also wet sand it down to a smooth finish and then he shoots it with the plyester primer. Now the only reason I am leaning this way is because Clarence has been using this method and product for over 30 years he said.

With all that being said I still want to do a little more research on the gel coat. I still want to hear what everybody else has done in the past???? The reason for me taking so much time on this to is that you have to admit the top is one of the biggest things on a FJ 40 that sets it apart from any other 4x4. It is just a cool part on the rig.

Thanks again for the help.....let me know thoughts????????

 

[customav]

The only thing you have to be careful with is there is a general rule of thumb that you should not gelcoat over epoxy as it will not bond and will peel over time.
The thing you have to think about in the end is if you do not do the gelcoat option and choose to use an epoxy system and then paint you may not be able to go back to gelcoat in the end.
Just something to keep in mind.

I never did think about the stress cracks issue because I am so used to it in boating and the flex on a hull is going to be much less than on the top of an FJ40. I can imagine that off road with the top on you get quite a bit of play and flex in the body which would lend to the crack issue.

Now I would be curious if there is some type of additive (I am going to have to do some research on this to see) to make it a little more flexible and stand up the abuse. I also wonder how multiple thinner coats would help the situation? I will check with a buddy of mine who restores boston whalers and see what he thinks! I'm out of town right now and won't be able to check with him until Tuesday though. I was planning on having one of his guys spray the top in their booth since I don't have the right space to do it and I refuse to brush/roll it.

 

[Big T]

Cool, thanks chris for the help on this. Let me know what your buddy says.

 

[Big T]

So this weekend I went out and checked on the progress of the roof and Clarence had to remove the mounting lip of the roof to not only replace some of the rivits holding it on but to also remove alot of rust that woas forming on the lip as well. So just a quick update of where we stand.

 

[subzali]

Thomas, I'm no expert either but my dad and I repaired my top a few years ago (4 to be exact). With just a little sanding and shooting some primer, paint and clear (from Painter's Supply on Santa Fe and Hampden), the top looks great, almost all of the stress cracks got filled in, and it's been holding up for 4 years and still looks great! I know you're going for full resto though, and my way probably doesn't fit into that category. I'm not sure what the factory arrangement was, and I'm no fiberglass expert either...

 

[Big T]

Thomas, I'm no expert either but my dad and I repaired my top a few years ago (4 to be exact). With just a little sanding and shooting some primer, paint and clear (from Painter's Supply on Santa Fe and Hampden), the top looks great, almost all of the stress cracks got filled in, and it's been holding up for 4 years and still looks great! I know you're going for full resto though, and my way probably doesn't fit into that category. I'm not sure what the factory arrangement was, and I'm no fiberglass expert either...

Thanks Matt.

Do you remember what kind or what brand of primer you shot it with. l Know that has a lot to do with how well the paint and the fiberglass is kept. Im guessing it was some good stuff if its still looks good after 4 years in our dry climate and hot sunny days to. Just let me know if you remember what kind of primer and even the clear was you put on. Thanks again.

 

[subzali]

I think they were all PPG products for automotive use.

 

[Big T]

Cool thanks Matt

 

[Big T]

Ok guys getting into this electrical nightmare here and already have some questions. This was mounted onto the fire wall and im not sure if it is factory or not.....the way it is mounted looks factory how ever the part itself does not.....im guessing that it is also a regulater of some sort to????? Again thanks as always for the help.

 

[bj40green]

Hi Big T,

Those wires...... where do they come from or go to?
How does the back looks?

Rudi

 

[waiting for time]

Ok guys getting into this electrical nightmare here and already have some questions. This was mounted onto the fire wall and im not sure if it is factory or not.....the way it is mounted looks factory how ever the part itself does not.....im guessing that it is also a regulater of some sort to????? Again thanks as always for the help.

Looks like a +power connection block for 2 fuse circuits.

 

[Big T]

Hi Big T,

Those wires...... where do they come from or go to?
How does the back looks?

Rudi

Hey Rudi,

When I get home tonight I will shoot a picture of the back of it for you.....its just smooth.....I will have to look at were the wires ran to....im sure you can tell but that was a picture from back when I first started the build. Thanks again and I will get that info ASAP.

 

[Big T]

Looks like a +power connection block for 2 fuse circuits.

So is that a factory two fuse circuit or something the PO added?

 

[waiting for time]

So is that a factory two fuse circuit or something the PO added?

Looks like a PO mod. It's just connection points where you can easely get positive electricity to power gadgets. I bet the 2 red wires come from the fuse box. I wouldn't use it under the hood withouth a cover.

 

[Big T]

Looks like a PO mod. It's just connection points where you can easely get positive electricity to power gadgets. I bet the 2 red wires come from the fuse box. I wouldn't use it under the hood withouth a cover.

Awesome....thanks for the heads up. I will locate were the wires ran to exactlly just to make sure......like I said to Rudi it has been so long since I pulled that off I dont remember were they went.

 

[Big T]

Quick update on what I was able to accomplish yesterday....wich is my day off. When you work in sales you have to work strange schedules. Anyway I was able to accomplish alot.

1. I was able to spray feather fill on the rear doors, hood and roof. (Clarence lets me shoot those because there is no way you can mess up feather fill)

2. Welded the holes and removed the rust on the rear window seals.

3. Finished the rim on the roof and removed the rust off it as well and again feather filled it.

4. I was able to mount and run the master cylinder/booster and brake lines and also the master cylinder and lines for the clutch.

5. I was able to mount doors on and get them adjusted so that I can mount the hardware and latches. I also can now seam seal the jams and also paint and clear those.

Looks like she has wings!!!

It is coming along and it always helps to have an actual day off to acomplish this stuff.

 

[FJsnoozer]

paint the valve cover while you have it down. That is an easy kitchen project that you can work into your schedule.

trust me, I understand your scheduling. Add to that our company tailgate during the football season and time is pretty limited!


are those doors and body the same paint as in from the same batch?