Builds Build thread - Japhy the Canadian FJ62

[diesellibrarian]

Nice work. That area around the drain hole is double sheet isnt it? Mine needs some work, and there is swollen blisters in various places in the wheel well from rust starting between the two metal sheets.

Are you referring to the large hole in the last photo I posted? That's not a drain hole, it's to access the bolt for the body mount. Definitely just a single layer of steel in that area. Sorry if I misunderstand your question.

 

[MarkBC]

Right, that hole. I got confused. I just went out and checked and I have a rust hole halfway between that shock mount hole and the fender. I started drilling it out and found 2 layers. the lower layer is the wheel well before it separates and goes down before it reaches the body mount.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Last update of the year, I guess. Happy new year, fellow Cruiserheads!

I closed the office early, at least in part because I wanted to finish up this floor patch. I think it turned out pretty ok. Definitely a step up from what was there before!

I also took a few minutes to add a little more filler to the outer quarters: I think I can call these done, pending eventual blocking, epoxy primer, and paint:

2021 will be Year of the Dog(leg)

 

[kirvesmies]

@diesellibrarian , happy new year from one hoser to another. you're coming along respectably with those repairs. keep at 'er, it'll get done.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Finished up the driver's side lower quarter today. It was actually a pretty tricky panel to shape. but considering my overall goal of making the thing watertight and passable-looking from 15 feet, I'm reasonably satisfied with it.

I welded the top and bottom of the panel, but used adhesive to glue it to the inner fender.

There are still some imperfections that will require a bit of filler, but at least it's finally solid. Looking forward to driving without smelling exhaust in the cab.

Actually, I guess I still need to rebuild the bottom part of the bumper indent. That should present an interesting challenge. Hope to tackle that tomorrow.

 

[kirvesmies]

Finished up the driver's side lower quarter today. It was actually a pretty tricky panel to shape. but considering my overall goal of making the thing watertight and passable-looking from 15 feet, I'm reasonably satisfied with it.

View attachment 2543513

I welded the top and bottom of the panel, but used adhesive to glue it to the inner fender.

View attachment 2543514

There are still some imperfections that will require a bit of filler, but at least it's finally solid. Looking forward to driving without smelling exhaust in the cab.

View attachment 2543515

Actually, I guess I still need to rebuild the bottom part of the bumper indent. That should present an interesting challenge. Hope to tackle that tomorrow.

h3ll, you've got this far, that little corner shouldn't be an issue

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

All this is really not helping w/ my already barely into winter in NE impatient hurry up spring itch!

 

[diesellibrarian]

All this is really not helping w/ my already barely into winter in NE impatient hurry up spring itch!

Honestly, I've been crazy lucky with the weather. It could easily have been well below zero for weeks now, but mostly the highs are around 6 or 7*C (about 45*f I think), which is totally doable for me haha. Still, I'd kill for a garage. I'm sure my neighbours wish I had one, too. Instead, they all get to listen to my grinding.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Can I just say that it feels SO GOOD to walk out of my favourite vietnamese sub joint to see all that SOLID sheet metal where before there was just ragged rust and a bunch of giant holes?? (rear quarter) And to know that I made every patch and panel from a flat sheet of cold-rolled steel? It's pretty damn satisfying. Still need to do the dogleg but that's next on the agenda.

Also. the old beast hit 333333.3 km today. To celebrate, I've ordered all new tie rod ends, a OME steering stabilizer, and some rust-free rear spring plates.

 

[kirvesmies]

so, let's see that corner by the bumper!!

 

[diesellibrarian]

so, let's see that corner by the bumper!!

It's getting there! lol

What a pain in the ass, though.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Yesterday my little Mazda had a fun roll over.... not nearly as cool as all threes but close.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

And you should be proud, those repairs are kick ass!

 

[kirvesmies]

It's getting there! lol

What a pain in the ass, though.
View attachment 2546044
View attachment 2546046

that's lookin' good from 32,000 metres away n you were worried about 5m. i assume the passenger side is needing the same attention?

 

[diesellibrarian]

that's lookin' good from 32,000 metres away n you were worried about 5m. i assume the passenger side is needing the same attention?

The passenger side is in about the same shape, yes. I'm hoping it'll go a little faster, too, since in theory I'll know what to do haha.

 

[diesellibrarian]

The weather continues to be unseasonably warm, which has been so helpful for moving this project along. Today I finished up the corner piece on the driver's side quarter panel (the bumper indent). It's actually a pretty complicated shape once you start to look closely at it. After mulling over several potential angles of attack, I decided to start at the top and work my way to the bottom.

Here's the first patch going in. Not the best fit, but it gave me a chance to practice bridging gaps with weld.

I forgot to take any other pics until it was all sewn up. Relied on filler a little more that I would have liked, but since I am a total newbie at this stuff, i'm cutting myself some slack.

I ended up welding in three separate pieces to more or less reproduce the facets of the original quarter panel. After a couple coats of primer, I think it looks "good enough."

I think this completes the driver's side rear quarter! It's been a journey.

Since this truck is slowly moving out of the "one step from a parts rig" category, I'm treating it to some upgrades: new Terrain Tamer tie rod ends and steering stabilizer, and some non-rusty spring plates, all from 4 Wheel Auto in Edmonton, Alberta. Excited to get the front end tightened up a little!

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

I like the black and yellow of that stabilizer.

 

[diesellibrarian]

I've started work on the dogleg on the driver's side. Because I don't have a shrinker/stretcher, I'm fabricating the panel piece by piece. I've been thinking about how to approach this, and this is how I'm going to do it:

1) fabricate the outer dogleg, using the existing sheet metal (or what's left of it) as a guide.
2) cut off the rusty outer dogleg (or what's left of it) to gain access to the inner fender.
3) rebuild the inner fender lip
4) weld in the new outer dogleg that I made in step 1

So anyway, over the weekend, I got started on step 1. In doing this project, I figure that the most important line is the top edge of the dogleg, because if it is wrong, it will be quite noticeable in the door gap. So I've left that part a little long, and will grind it down to match the existing line once it's tack welded in place.

I started out by making a cardboard template of the fender arc, which I transferred to the sheet metal and cut out, making sure to leave a little extra. Then I clamped it to the existing outer dogleg and ground it to the correct profile with my flap disc.

I then used a couple of sheet metal screws to hold the first piece in place, then made another template out of masonite, and held it perpendicular to the first piece, tracing onto it the horizontal profile of the fender (i.e. where it swoops in to meet the rocker). I then cut out a piece of steel based on the template, again leaving a generous amount on both sides.

I just held this second piece in place by hand as I tack welded it, starting in the middle and working my way to the edges.

Once solidly tacked, I removed the sheet metal screws and pulled the whole thing off, and continued welding both sides of the join:

Once I had it mostly welded on both sides (still a few spots to touch up), I ground down the outer face to match the vertical face of the dogleg. Later, once fully welded and ground, I'll cut out the excess material from the inside, but for now, it helps to add stability and reduce heat warping.

Here's the test fit of the new outer dogleg. Again, this won't be welded in place until I've repaired the inner fender. So far, so good!

 

[kirvesmies]

get after it!

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

You didn’t show how you got that inner curve?