Builds complete BJ45 rebuild start next week in Bolivia (2 Viewers)

[Sno Dawg]

Wonderful pics and story!

I always look forward to your posts, pictures and your adventures in your Cruiser. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful story with us and allowing us to "travel" along. I teach Latin American History in a private Friends school in Philadelphia and I have shared some of your insights and stories about the culture with my students. The way you document your travels with pics of locals, food, architecture, animals, countryside and life on the road is inspiring.

Take care - safe travels
and
Teeth to the Wind!
Jeff - Sno Dawg

 

[Chamba]

I bet your love for your new tyres grew along with your love of dirt roads. Not sure how well your Indian tyres would have dealt with that chewed up bitumin.

 

[mailking]

Well guys, thank you for keeping this thread alive. I will do the same. Keep the comments coming!

Karin-Marijke is making sure the Land Cruiser and I get over this bridge in one piece. Isn't she the greatest!

The real wild west is passing us by. Time stood still, it's like watching a movie. Where did you have this feeling?

No road signs needed, just paint it on the road! And no, this is not the Tour de France

Karin-Marijke working hard getting us across some planks in style with a SackWear t-shirt! Did you order yours?|


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[goneloco]

Just Awesome! We really liked the calendars we got before Christmas and will be back for the BR319 next Christmas. You guys take care and keep adventuring. Can't wait to get down there and do the same!
Cheers!
C

 

[mailking]

Thank you for your nice comments and your Calendar and T-shirts orders!

More and more:

Enjoying a few days on some of the most beautiful sandy river beaches we have ever seen. #Tapajos #Santarem #Brazil

The wild west still exists! Cattle drive old skool, walking 1370 cows for 8 months on the Transamazônica.

Home brew cars in the wild west of the Amazon. Engine used for a generator as energy supply was doggy lately he said.

This looks like a set straight from an old western movie. But it's not, it's a fully functional saw mill...

Never seen this before. An automated saw sharpening machine. Very cool to watch. Have you seen one?



Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[goneloco]

Are you heading to Pando , Bolivia? What are you plans. Showing my wife where you are (she's Bolivian) and we both really want to go to Pando. Love the pic's. Strap on your six shooter and enjoy the wild west!

 

[mailking]

Are you heading to Pando , Bolivia? What are you plans. Showing my wife where you are (she's Bolivian) and we both really want to go to Pando. Love the pic's. Strap on your six shooter and enjoy the wild west!

We drove this time from the east into Bolivia. But we did drive the northern route in the rainy season a few years ago...



On with the show!

new calendar LegendaryRoads. This is a sneak peek of the cover for the Transamazônica. Like it?

Imagine. the middle of the Amazon. You see a river. Water level drops and white sandy beaches appear.. camp or move on?



And then all of a sudden we find ourselves in Belem where we decide to take the top off the Land Cruiser to do some alu welding...

Driving topless for the time being!

Coen in action in yet again an empty Land Cruiser.

Getting the roof off requires awesome power and some tools.


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[89s rule]

Sorry to hear you are having to repair the top again, looks like a good place to be for a little extra time. Keep up the awesome updates!

 

[mailking]

more repairs:

You can see clearly through to the other side.

Super tools have been lend to us.

Really speechless to see this kind of wear so short after a complete body work job in Bolivia!

Using brains not power, makes us who we are.

Preparing the Tig welding equipment. This is the first time ever in a workshop I have seen people using a earth for welding like this!

Getting the reinforment in place and opening the original piece to "pull" in the new aluminum.

Tig welding is an art and Carlos is a master!

Immense heat is produced with Tig welding. Protective gloves and leather jacket are a must.

This is the finished weld. Looks great!


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[Weber Sarge]

Aluminum is a tricky partner - it doesn't like flexing or twisting over time . Make sure it's well isolated away from steel parts as the two do not like each other and will cause a bad reaction which will eat the metal over time . Use stainless bolts and some sort of plastic as an insulator .
Sarge

 

[waiting for time]

I think it would be better to cut the front part of the extension off and bolt it on with a peace of rubber between. That way the front can move with the windshield.
The aluminium is stiff while the body, especialy the upper body of the 45, is flexible. In other words you are putting a light rigid structure on a heavy flexible and omving object.

The stronger you make the corner the sooner it will break at it's weakest point nearby.
You only create more force on the peace next to it, the cruiser's forces are stronger then the aluminium.

When you cut it on both sides just behind the front and use thick rubber in between it gives you the flex you need.

 

[No. 3]

I would second the rubber isolator recommendation, 20+ years of building weird things for clients has taught me that isolating rigid loads and transferring that load to a solid foundation is ideal and in absence of that ability, for whatever reason, isolating parts is crucial.

I am no engineer but I would start by inserting a 1/2 inch of low durometer (65- 75) rubber in as continuous a piece of material as is possible between the top & the car. The long straight edges would be strip/ roll material and the corners would have to be cut from sheets. We use a product called Sikaflex a lot as an adhesive, it is a heavy polyurethane adhesive that comes in a caulk tube- it would be a good solution here. The company manufactures many products, be sure to use the adhesive. Reinforce & oversize the mounting holes (start @ diameter plus 30%) so that the bolts have some room to move in both the steel and the aluminum top. This way the load is held in compression and yet has room to move with the rubber.

The tough part will be getting the parts where you are. McMaster-Carr may be able to ship to you & would be the best bet for the rubber if that can't be gotten locally. They will also be abl to supply new SS hardware, I am not sure about adhesive. Be sure to use a flexible material that won't be compromised by the polyurethane (solvent-based) adhesive. Sorry to see the failure after so much recent work. Good luck!
Jeff

EDIT: Sikaflex as adhesive/ sealer between joints in flexible material. You wouldn't likely want or need to adhere it to the top. I suppose adhering it the steel body would make install easier.

 

[waiting for time]

I would second the rubber isolator recommendation, 20+ years of building weird things for clients has taught me that isolating rigid loads and transferring that load to a solid foundation is ideal and in absence of that ability, for whatever reason, isolating parts is crucial.

I am no engineer but I would start by inserting a 1/2 inch of low durometer (65- 75) rubber in as continuous a piece of material as is possible between the top & the car. The long straight edges would be strip/ roll material and the corners would have to be cut from sheets. We use a product called Sikaflex a lot as an adhesive, it is a heavy polyurethane adhesive that comes in a caulk tube- it would be a good solution here. The company manufactures many products, be sure to use the adhesive. Reinforce & oversize the mounting holes (start @ diameter plus 30%) so that the bolts have some room to move in both the steel and the aluminum top. This way the load is held in compression and yet has room to move with the rubber.

The tough part will be getting the parts where you are. McMaster-Carr may be able to ship to you & would be the best bet for the rubber if that can't be gotten locally. They will also be abl to supply new SS hardware, I am not sure about adhesive. Be sure to use a flexible material that won't be compromised by the polyurethane (solvent-based) adhesive. Sorry to see the failure after so much recent work. Good luck!
Jeff

EDIT: Sikaflex as adhesive/ sealer between joints in flexible material. You wouldn't likely want or need to adhere it to the top. I suppose adhering it the steel body would make install easier.

They already used Sikaflex between top and cruiser. What I mean is that the aluminium construction in one pièce is to stiff on the flexing body of the cruiser.

 

[No. 3]

Hi Michael,
I was recommending Sikaflex as an adhesive & sealant- the rubber recommendation is the isolating material between the aluminum and steel and perhaps tough to get a hold of for them. In rereading it it may be not tall enough depending on the flex of the body, certainly the softest material possible that won't deform out of place and as tall as is practical. How is progress Coen? I hope well! Best,
J

 

[mailking]

You guy's must know by now, that SikaFlex is my favorite fixing tool

Really fat long stainless steel rivets shortened by hand to fit the roof top tent rails.

The topless Land Cruiser posing.

My favorite adhesive: Sikaflex.

Apply freely to glue rubber on the roof exstension.

Press lightly and let it cure for 12 hours.


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[No. 3]

I hope this is a permanent fix Coen, best of luck.
Jeff
PS: I think Sikaflex is great too, what would we do without it?!

 

[mailking]

Yes Jeff, SikaFlex is the best!


Some more fabbing to be done!

Taking care of some rusted taillights.

Talking about quality products. This Engel fridge is produced in 1982 and still running strong! We like quality products!

At night the Land Cruiser sleeps alone :-(

As there are some aluminum specialists here, we take the opportunity to repair the aluminum rear bumper and enhance it a bit.

Soldering new connectors with the handy gas soldering kit we bought a few years ago in Argentina.

The soldering kit also has a nice blow torch!


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[89s rule]

Great update as usual. Be safe and know that we all look forward to your updates and adventures.

 

[mailking]

and on we go:

Carlos, the aluminum welder fabbing up nifty taillight protectors!

A little touch up is in order here. Would you believe us if we say we had a total rebuild just over 2 years ago?

New heavy duty steel has been put in place a few days ago! 200% improvement. All those curves, takes skill.

Luis fixes some little holes on the rim of the side panels, now the roof is off, it's simple to attack these places.

We've got a looker again Shiny and new! It pays to get your car painted every 2 years :-0


Adventurous greetings,
Coen

 

[lostmarbles]

I think I'd top myself if my BJ40 deteriorated that fast Coen.

It's hard enough to keep on top of new rust as it is.



(I'm still dreaming of getting my BJ40 garaged one day. It's been permanently out in the weather ever since I bought it back in 1981.)