Builds BJ-43 restoration (1 Viewer)

[Economist LC76]

Nice project! With my BJ43 1979 I had a lot of issues with the cargo area. It took 6 months to kill the rust. It’s important not to rush on this stage

Good luck!
Here is a bit more about BJ43

Builds - BJ43 1979 “Save the beauty”

Hi, here is a story about BJ43L- KCJW restoration. From very beginning I started the search of the rare examples such as medium wheelbase cars (FJ43/BJ43/BJ46). In addition to the rarity such cars are the best compromise between comfort and manoeuvrability. FJ43 are not common in Europe, so my...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[Mack BJ43]

Nice project! With my BJ43 1979 I had a lot of issues with the cargo area. It took 6 months to kill the rust. It’s important not to rush on this stage...QUOTE]

Thanks, EconomistLC76! Your pics are helpful, too! Post one of the finished project? ...to encourage me!

Yes, good to go slow, as we found plenty of rust underneath what looked like good metal...one of my pics shows (sort of) where PO's welded several patches on top of one another...without removing the rust, first! In the end, we'll replace most of the cargo bed, I think, and quite a bit of the driver and passenger footwells...many of the support beams under the cargo bed and behind /below the seats are rotten, too. We haven't even started ironing out the dimples all over the rear quarter panels, etc.

If I'd known all of this would need work before I started, I probably wouldn't have bought...BUT the madness of these old trucks, I guess, is that replacing so much old rotten metal with new has come to seem pretty much business as usual! When it's all done, I'll have a (nearly) brand new truck! Should last for another four decades and many, many, many miles of driving pleasure!

 

[Mack BJ43]

I just went to your page, EconomistLC76, and viewed your build thread...again...because, as it turns out, I'd viewed it all over a year ago when I was considering buying my own truck! I think, at the time, I skimmed past the bits on the extensive body work you had done and focused more on the finished product! Speaking of the finished product, you did a fantastic job and have a great Land Cruiser! That's a real inspiration for me! Thank you for sharing that with all of us!

 

[Mack BJ43]

Unfortunately, there was a lot of rust under the cargo bed...

...so the body guy cut out the bad metal and fabricated, below, new cross beams.

 

[Mack BJ43]

Body guy is making good progress on the foot wells and cargo area, albeit slowly because his helpers are down with dengue, of which there has been an outbreak here in Paraguay (for those unfamiliar -- it's a mosquito-borne virus, not usually deadly but really miserable...I can say from personal experience!..was called "bonebreak fever" in the US before being largely eradicated there in the 20th century)...

 

[Mack BJ43]

...and the rebuilt engine (B diesel) and rebuilt transmission and rebuilt transfer case are mounted again...chassis has had all rust removed, and been covered inside and out with a protective undercoating, to be followed by a brush-on plasticized paint.

 

[Mack BJ43]

After cutting apart three different badly rusted roofs, the bodywork guy is tacking together the pieces and, where necessary, adding clean new metal...

...still nowhere near done, but it's starting to take shape!

 

[-MaTTi-]

It looked so good before:

Bondo cake.

 

[Mack BJ43]

Test mounting new stainless steel door hinges...

 

[Mack BJ43]

It looked so good before:
View attachment 2225697
Bondo cake.

Yep...careful what you find when you look under all that bondo!!

 

[Economist LC76]

What a challenge!

 

[Mack BJ43]

What a challenge!

Yes, but she's worth it...I think?

 

[Economist LC76]

Yes, but she's worth it...I think?

Sure! Worth to fight!

 

[Mack BJ43]

Despite Covid-19 movement and commercial activity restrictions here, we're making some visible progress! Lucky my mechanic is multi-talented, can work alone, and owns his own shop! Piecing together 43 hard top from various salvaged pieces and new metal...good progress!

 

[Mack BJ43]

With bondo removed, you can see a lot better what PO's did...much to repair here...think we're going to remove much/most of this and replace with new metal.

 

[-MaTTi-]

Why you are welding side panels to the tub?

 

[Mack BJ43]

Why you are welding side panels to the tub?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear...plan is to remove the worst parts of the scarred metal -- those that cannot be ground smooth adequately -- and replace them with new metal. Possible in a place where both raw materials and skilled labor is relatively affordable!

 

[FJ404345]

Why is your body man cleaning everything to the bare metal and then letting it rust up again for many days ? Why he is not treating and covering up with primer or whatever.

If you do it like that you have to keep cleaning up and everytime you will have a thinner sheet metal.

 

[Mack BJ43]

Why is your body man cleaning everything to the bare metal and then letting it rust up again for many days ? Why he is not treating and covering up with primer or whatever.

If you do it like that you have to keep cleaning up and everytime you stay with less thickness of sheet metal.

Most of what's visible in these pics isn't really "clean" yet...he has just removed most but not all of the very thick bondo. The undercarriage has been thoroughly cleaned and painted black, ditto for the engine compartment, painted olive green. Once we get the roof built, the bad parts removed and replaced, all that will be cleaned, primed and painted olive green. p.s. ...except the roof, exterior and interior, which will be some shade of white.

 

[-MaTTi-]

Sorry, I wasn't very clear...plan is to remove the worst parts of the scarred metal -- those that cannot be ground smooth adequately -- and replace them with new metal. Possible in a place where both raw materials and skilled labor is relatively affordable!

Yes, but still no answer to my question. Why you are welding the side panels = hardtop walls to the tub?