destins 1964 fj40 FST restore thread
- Thread starter destin
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- #1,082
Supposed to have the tub and most parts painted and ready for me to pick up in 2 weeks 
not so perfect alignment on the tailgate...
But i can live with it i guess. Maybe shim a few things and adjust it.
sorry for crappy cell photos
not so perfect alignment on the tailgate...
But i can live with it i guess. Maybe shim a few things and adjust it.
sorry for crappy cell photos
someone else please chime in with more details.. but i believe you are missing a couple of spacers that will enable the gate to close more flush.. 
maybe between the latches and the gate.. sorry for the vagueness but i'm sure someone in here will know what i'm talking about.
ALSO do you have the OEM tailgate weatherstripping to go with it?
LOVING this build by the way!!
maybe between the latches and the gate.. sorry for the vagueness but i'm sure someone in here will know what i'm talking about.
ALSO do you have the OEM tailgate weatherstripping to go with it?
LOVING this build by the way!!
- Thread starter
- #1,084
someone else please chime in with more details.. but i believe you are missing a couple of spacers that will enable the gate to close more flush..
maybe between the latches and the gate.. sorry for the vagueness but i'm sure someone in here will know what i'm talking about.
ALSO do you have the OEM tailgate weatherstripping to go with it?
LOVING this build by the way!!
Thanks man
might need spacers... dunno, i had a crappy real sill replacement that happened along time ago, before they put the new on it.
Spacers meaning washers behind the bolt of the tailgate hinge that bolts into the rear sill?
Did the 64's have a OEM tailgate weather stripping?
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- Thread starter
- #1,085
but you guys think this is good enough for a utility truck?
I mean it is a little off, but I just want it painted and start putting it together.
Or should i be all upset?
So worn out ugh.
I mean it is a little off, but I just want it painted and start putting it together.
Or should i be all upset?
So worn out ugh.
Not sure if there were spacers originally, but I've got 1/8" rubber pads between my hinges and sill to make it work. No weatherstrip originally, I use some stick on neoprene on the tailgate to keep the paint from chipping.
Biggest thing to worry about is if the pillars are square with the floor and sill. If not, you'll be kicking yourself later. Easy fix with a porta-power. If the opening is square and still to big, widen the tailgate a hair to get a good overlap (seriously).
Biggest thing to worry about is if the pillars are square with the floor and sill. If not, you'll be kicking yourself later. Easy fix with a porta-power. If the opening is square and still to big, widen the tailgate a hair to get a good overlap (seriously).
HELLZ YEAH paint it up.. you won't be doing any major reconstruction to make it fit better.. just a little fine tuning.. NOTHING to get bent over.
OKAY after further investigation i don't believe spacers came factory.. but i know from a couple buddies who did put some in and it closed a lot more snug. The spacers went between the latches and the tailgate.. he fabbed them to match the shape of the latch (the part with 3 bolts going thru it). They were about 1/4"-3/8" thick. Sorry if i don't make perfect sense.. mods you can kick me out of this forum at any time..
As far as the weatherstripping it will be a lot quieter with. The parts manual shows weatherstripping with the OEM tailgate.. not positive about '64.. G'NITE!!
OKAY after further investigation i don't believe spacers came factory.. but i know from a couple buddies who did put some in and it closed a lot more snug. The spacers went between the latches and the tailgate.. he fabbed them to match the shape of the latch (the part with 3 bolts going thru it). They were about 1/4"-3/8" thick. Sorry if i don't make perfect sense.. mods you can kick me out of this forum at any time..
As far as the weatherstripping it will be a lot quieter with. The parts manual shows weatherstripping with the OEM tailgate.. not positive about '64.. G'NITE!!
The 64 parts book shows weatherstripping on the 3 sides of the tailgate for the standard type (which is the tailgate) Same as the barn doors type B and hardtop. The 25 and 61 book shows no weatherstrip.
There is also a spacer between the hinge and sill in the 64 parts book. The 25 and 61 book does not show a spacer.
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- Thread starter
- #1,089
cool guys
I will check if it is square tomorrow ( i told them to make sure it was square before welding, but who knows ) Hopefully it is not totally jacked
Will look into the spacers to sim as needed for a better fit later.
But if it is square I should probably leave well enough alone.
oy, next time around I need to learn to do this s*** myself.
I will check if it is square tomorrow ( i told them to make sure it was square before welding, but who knows ) Hopefully it is not totally jacked
Will look into the spacers to sim as needed for a better fit later.
But if it is square I should probably leave well enough alone.
oy, next time around I need to learn to do this s*** myself.
Supposed to have the tub and most parts painted and ready for me to pick up in 2 weeks
not so perfect alignment on the tailgate...
But i can live with it i guess. Maybe shim a few things and adjust it.
sorry for ****py cell photos
I`m pretty sure your tailgate is bent.
The reason is sandblasting !!!
If the sandblaster blows with too much pressure sheet bents.
That`s the reason I would never blast a whole tube !!!
Only the parts which are necessary to blast ( rust spots)... but if I would write such tips before nobody will follow, always the same
Cheers
Peter
dmaddox
SILVER Star
Destin,
Yes, the tailgate may have a slight "bow" or "bend" in it. Recall however - you have three gaskets to go around the tailgate to make a seal.
On another note, I traced the hinges and latches on a piece of inner-tube, cut out, and used a paper-punch to make a perfect bolt hole, effectively making my own gaskets. It is easy and worth the effort. Cuts down on rattles, and will not destroy the paint during installation. Of course when I installed any component onto my 45 I had a blanket down, and then removed after the item was bolted into place.
You got this bro....don't worry. Take is slow, get the gaskets for the tailgate "50" as noted in the image below, make your own for the latches and hinges, and enjoy the process.
Looking forward to more.....
later - dallas
Yes, the tailgate may have a slight "bow" or "bend" in it. Recall however - you have three gaskets to go around the tailgate to make a seal.
On another note, I traced the hinges and latches on a piece of inner-tube, cut out, and used a paper-punch to make a perfect bolt hole, effectively making my own gaskets. It is easy and worth the effort. Cuts down on rattles, and will not destroy the paint during installation. Of course when I installed any component onto my 45 I had a blanket down, and then removed after the item was bolted into place.
You got this bro....don't worry. Take is slow, get the gaskets for the tailgate "50" as noted in the image below, make your own for the latches and hinges, and enjoy the process.
Looking forward to more.....
later - dallas
The first pic doesn't bother me. I've seen enough body work to know that sometimes a good 2x4 is the best tool for aligning old doors. Yours looks like it will need a bit of tweaking here and there, but not much.
The bottom picture bothers me. If you are "just just" on the driver's side of the tailgate to make it fit, and still have this gap on the passenger's side, then I agree with Jim...you will need to have something welded in to act as a filler, or make the tailgate that much wider. This will be followed with some fair amount of grinding of make it all smooth, but I do not see any other way to add some metal to fill that gap.
I say this because the gap seems to get much wider on the bottom, so I would add some meat to the tailgate, as adding it to the tub will create an odd lip. Do it now, and it will never show once it is painted
There is always the option of having them take it apart again, and square it up properly, but that will take longer. Needless to say, for the cash you are spending, and the time it is taking, I would have thought they would have mocked it up better before welding it back together.
Hang in there Destin...she is almost home
The bottom picture bothers me. If you are "just just" on the driver's side of the tailgate to make it fit, and still have this gap on the passenger's side, then I agree with Jim...you will need to have something welded in to act as a filler, or make the tailgate that much wider. This will be followed with some fair amount of grinding of make it all smooth, but I do not see any other way to add some metal to fill that gap.
I say this because the gap seems to get much wider on the bottom, so I would add some meat to the tailgate, as adding it to the tub will create an odd lip. Do it now, and it will never show once it is painted
There is always the option of having them take it apart again, and square it up properly, but that will take longer. Needless to say, for the cash you are spending, and the time it is taking, I would have thought they would have mocked it up better before welding it back together.
Hang in there Destin...she is almost home
- Thread starter
- #1,093
ok went down with a square ruler.
passenger side is square:
driver side not so much.
They have to fix this I think, no excuse for it being not square ( I even mentioned make sure it is square before hand. )
They should have checked this s*** before they primed and skimmed in my book. Disappointed. I guess they can anchor and pully it in? ( not sure the best method at this point.
more photos closed
passenger side is square:
driver side not so much.
They have to fix this I think, no excuse for it being not square ( I even mentioned make sure it is square before hand. )
They should have checked this s*** before they primed and skimmed in my book. Disappointed. I guess they can anchor and pully it in? ( not sure the best method at this point.
more photos closed
JohnnyC
Long ago TLCA# 2231
- Thread starter
- #1,095
yep thats what i would do...been done to mine infact in some places
Hopefully I do not get a bunch of static from the owner.
I honestly do not feel like i should pay for anything extra as a result of them not checking s*** before they proceeded.
Man seems like no one has attention to detail any more.
I would assume making s*** square is high on a list of items
Blasting the whole empty tube made this result.
Hope your front doors and the other parts will fit better, but I´m sceptical.
Cheers
Peter
Hope your front doors and the other parts will fit better, but I´m sceptical.
Cheers
Peter
- Thread starter
- #1,097
Well...the good news is that if they can square this up, then your tailgate should center better, and most likely you will no longer have a gap on the passenger side......hopefully
- Thread starter
- #1,099
Well...the good news is that if they can square this up, then your tailgate should center better, and most likely you will no longer have a gap on the passenger side......hopefully
def
If they pull it out all should be perfect regarding the tailgate.
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
I'm thinking a big part of the problem is the fact the rear sill has been replaced twice now. I have a 61 hard top with a rusted rear sill. The back is nowhere near square. When I replace the sill I will get measurements from a few other tubs to make sure it's back to stock. I know Destin's vehicle was a soft top which doesn't carry near as much weight on the outside of the tub as the hard top does. But the way Destin looked when he bought I have a feeling it may have been used for more than just simply four wheeling which may explain why the tub was out of square. Just to bad it wasn't corrected when the rear sill was replaced this last time
