74FJ40newbie
SILVER Star
Can anyone tell me what caused or causes the dimples in the rear fender wells. Of my 74 FJ 40. They seem to run along the seam where the top of well meets the fender?
Dimples in rear fender wells?
- Thread starter 74FJ40newbie
- Start date
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Standard OEM fabrication for FJ40's
They are factory installed corrosion initiation locations......aka spot welds.
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
Common practice on how vehicles are put together. Being a utility vehicle Toyota didn't bother to fill and sand before paint. Usually can find spot welds on cars in less visible areas like the trunk.
The deeper the dimples the more the rust that is behind them.
1MOA
SILVER Star
glad they did that. It makes the bondo work much easier to see on the "restorations"
reddingcruiser
Practicing for retirement
Embrace the dimples. They are a good sign some PO didn't slather bondo all over the rig.
Dimples (or bumps, if you prefer) are a part of what makes a 40 a 40. Just like Cruiser Lean. It wouldn't be a 40 w/o 'em.
Imagine Starsky w/o Hutch. Or Rudolph w/o his trick nose. Or a shopping cart w/o a broken wheel. Well, you get the idea.
Imagine Starsky w/o Hutch. Or Rudolph w/o his trick nose. Or a shopping cart w/o a broken wheel. Well, you get the idea.
74FJ40newbie
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #11
Looking at the seams from both sides and doesn't look very rusty on either side. Can see the welds from the interior above the wheel well behind the rear seat and see slight gaps, or bulges between the spot welds. Is there a way to slow or stop the rusting or bulging from getting worse. Very little rust on entire rig, but trying to stop what little there is. Thanks for all the input, this site is an awesome resource!
74FJ40newbie
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #12
Lord I hope not! Dimples are pretty deep, but very little visible rust on entire rig.
I've used the "rust converter" slathered into the seam and then used my nozzle on the air compressor to kinda blow the converter down into the seam, and then wiped off the excess. No rust through...…….yet.
Had some training at work regarding manufacturing process engineering. This was back in the 80's. The instructor said Japanese automakers did sheet metal differently than Detroit. Detroit liked to stamp out the biggest part possible. In Japan they preferred small sheet metal forming dies and correspondingly small presses. The belief was doing so reduced set-up time and scrap rate. There were some other reasons as well but that was way too far back to remember.
There will be some welds in body work. But it seemed to me my FJ40 had way too many spot welds. Maybe that instructor knew what he was talking about.
There will be some welds in body work. But it seemed to me my FJ40 had way too many spot welds. Maybe that instructor knew what he was talking about.
/indeed\
Gotta stop reading these posts.
Now I am going to have to go out and look over the welds again.
Up until I signed on to this forum, ignorance was bliss.
Now I am going to have to go out and look over the welds again.
Up until I signed on to this forum, ignorance was bliss.
Rust converter should slow it, but replacing the quarters is the only way to get rid of it. I would think about doing it sooner rather than later because u can catch it b4 the inner fenderwells need to be replaced.
Living in the Past
SILVER Star
Toyota moved from a hood made from two pieces to one piece with the 72. Believe I seen where the early rear quarters were two pieces butt weld together. One solid weld ground flush. 72 the plate was stamped for the spare tire out of thinner metal. Added ribbed which allowed them to use thinner metal. That saved metal. Think it was because they were behind in technology more than less scrap. Do not know a way that anyone could make a T like where wheel well attach to the side as a single piece. Japanese had a single wall pickup beds when American auto makers had switched double wall. Double wall allows the outer skin to roll over and hide all seams on the inside. Toyota wasn't concerned about things like exposed spot welds on the vehicles built to be used as utility vehicles.
