Spectacular
Builds Doc's 1978 FJ40 Rebuild
- Thread starter TractorDoc
- Start date
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Careful Doc... you might be giving @pngunme some serious competition for outstanding western scenery pictures!
Oh, Doc's are better, hands down!!
- Thread starter
- #505
No, no, no. . . not better.
In fact, Id say that Danny's hold the advantage because they feature "44" and Chester from time to time. There is just no competition when it comes to 4X4 and charming canines. I love looking at his posts and reading about his explorations. . . wish there were more wide open spaces in my neck of the woods to have similar experiences.
I enjoyed my week out west but there is something to be said about being home as well. Back to work and the daily routine today. . . but I will admit to starting to plan my next adventure as often times lodging needs to be planned a year in advance!
Thanks everyone for enduring the vacation slideshow and glad you enjoyed some of it.
Dave your slideshow was spectacular! The other half and I are are going to North Rim of the Canyon Friday to see it before the road in closes Oct. 15th. However, we will be taking her new 4Runner but will post up pics on my Sideyard '78 thread, probably wont be as nice as Yellowstone was though. Man your pics were amazing, loved seeing them!
- Thread starter
- #507
Amazing how much catch up work there is when you've been gone for a week. . .
For the most part I have been outside the shop and have focused on tasks at the office/work and here at home.
A number of post/pages back I had commented on how the Mrs. had found a turkey in the road while driving home and I was commandeered to pick it up. Theodore, as he was named, did very well at our place with the ducks and chickens. . . too well in fact. He grew and plumped up to the point that he was no longer able to fit thru the door that allows passage in/out of the feathered housing area. Of course the wife felt bad about this so she ended up finding a turkey sanctuary to take him to (I really cannot make this stuff up.). That is how I spent Friday afternoon -- driving several hours to take Theodore to the Turkey Sanctuary. I will admit, when I turned him loose he headed straight over to the she turkeys and looked rather pleased to be there. Best of luck to you Theodore!
I spent today practicing my karate moves. Wash on, Wash off. Wax on, Wax off. (Karate Kid, the original from back in the day). After the church picnic a couple weekends back it was time to move the tractors and dad's other cars back into the community building for the winter. A bit ironic considering it was about 90 degrees today, but I am sure it will get colder. Each received a bath and coat of wax before going into hibernation. I also took the time to give the 40 its first bath and wax. . . I wanted to wait a decent amount of time for the paint to cure before that first waxing.
I am also turning my attention to the backside -- in particular the tailgate area. With the top off Ive decided to fab up a little tailgate out of some bar stock as a way to utilize the tub hinges/give the hinge bolt holes purpose and provide the backside a more complete look. I will also be able to secure my license plate assembly to the gate vs. just randomly bolting the plate in somewhere.
I have seen all types of solutions for the back when the ambulance doors are removed -- barn doors fabbed in the way they would be on pre '75 40s, bolt in tailgates that have the barn door stamping, and even a piece of plywood secured there to keep your cooler full of beverages from sliding out. I do not yet know if my bar-gate will look right but it should not take me long to put something together full scale. Ive drawn up a couple designs, this is one I am leaning towards. Picture is not to scale. . . as is usually the case with most of my drawings.
If my gate idea is not looking right as I move along I may elect for the solid insert stamped to look like barn doors. I like the challenge of trying to make something though and because my sill was wonkered by the PO I may have no choice but to try a custom approach. I hope to get after it a bit more tomorrow, as long as Mrs. TractorDoc does not find any more critters along the roadway.
For the most part I have been outside the shop and have focused on tasks at the office/work and here at home.
A number of post/pages back I had commented on how the Mrs. had found a turkey in the road while driving home and I was commandeered to pick it up. Theodore, as he was named, did very well at our place with the ducks and chickens. . . too well in fact. He grew and plumped up to the point that he was no longer able to fit thru the door that allows passage in/out of the feathered housing area. Of course the wife felt bad about this so she ended up finding a turkey sanctuary to take him to (I really cannot make this stuff up.). That is how I spent Friday afternoon -- driving several hours to take Theodore to the Turkey Sanctuary. I will admit, when I turned him loose he headed straight over to the she turkeys and looked rather pleased to be there. Best of luck to you Theodore!
I spent today practicing my karate moves. Wash on, Wash off. Wax on, Wax off. (Karate Kid, the original from back in the day). After the church picnic a couple weekends back it was time to move the tractors and dad's other cars back into the community building for the winter. A bit ironic considering it was about 90 degrees today, but I am sure it will get colder. Each received a bath and coat of wax before going into hibernation. I also took the time to give the 40 its first bath and wax. . . I wanted to wait a decent amount of time for the paint to cure before that first waxing.
I am also turning my attention to the backside -- in particular the tailgate area. With the top off Ive decided to fab up a little tailgate out of some bar stock as a way to utilize the tub hinges/give the hinge bolt holes purpose and provide the backside a more complete look. I will also be able to secure my license plate assembly to the gate vs. just randomly bolting the plate in somewhere.
I have seen all types of solutions for the back when the ambulance doors are removed -- barn doors fabbed in the way they would be on pre '75 40s, bolt in tailgates that have the barn door stamping, and even a piece of plywood secured there to keep your cooler full of beverages from sliding out. I do not yet know if my bar-gate will look right but it should not take me long to put something together full scale. Ive drawn up a couple designs, this is one I am leaning towards. Picture is not to scale. . . as is usually the case with most of my drawings.
If my gate idea is not looking right as I move along I may elect for the solid insert stamped to look like barn doors. I like the challenge of trying to make something though and because my sill was wonkered by the PO I may have no choice but to try a custom approach. I hope to get after it a bit more tomorrow, as long as Mrs. TractorDoc does not find any more critters along the roadway
.
What I like about the barn doors when topless is I don't have to unlatch the spare to get access to the bed. With your paint skill, if you scored a set and painted them, they'd look like stock. Could be a Plan B!
I miss the lazy chair smiley
- Thread starter
- #510
I really do like a set of barn doors on the back, but I really don't want to drill new holes in the tub for the hinges. I thought about using barn doors with just the upper hinge, but I think hinge placement (and the hinges themselves) are different between barn doors and ambulance doors. I do not see myself loading much in the back for the foreseeable future and passengers should be able to step over my gate(with a little vertical help!).
I used the justification that it was too hot out to do anything in the outdoors today, so I was able to work on the rear barrier (cannot really call it a tailgate when it will be in a fixed position with no "gating" ability).
I started by cutting rubber cushions for the rear hinges from my inner tube, installed the hinges, and clamped the vertical ends in place to get measurements for the horizontal pieces.
I used the chop saw to cut most of the bar stock, although the hacksaw was used later on for more intricate work.
My mediocre welding ability soon had a rough framework in place. I was proud that my angles were all straight and square. . . until I test fit the assembly in the tub only to find out the tub is less than square. There is a slightly larger gap at the bottom on the spare tire side -- but that should be hidden by the tire so I carried on. I elected to put the upper horizontal bar in this position so I could catch it with the outermost bolt hole on the hinges.
The level says we are dead on. . . as long as the floor and tires are flat/even we should be good.
Instead of angled pieces in the middle (from my drawing) I kept things simple with another single horizontal bar. This was for ease of mounting the license plate holder. Not much of the gate will be visible when all the bits are in place anyway. . . intricate bars at various angles probably would not be appreciated.
A finalish mock up with the license plate clamped in place, the vertical bars shortened and capped, and a couple triangles on top for some extra geometry.
You can also see my rear exit exhaust. I left things there for the day so I could decide if I liked the angled pieces at the top (I believe I do). Final placement of the license plate holder will happen when the tire carrier is mounted so I can get everything positioned just right.
This setup should make the back of the 40 look more complete and keep most of my precious cargo from rolling out. Considering I have about $50 in materials (with a good bit of bar left over but not counting welding wire, bolts, my time, etc.) it was an economical solution as well. It is not perfect, but add some blue paint and I will be a happy camper.
Michael B
SILVER Star
Hey Doc it looks great!!! Very little wind drag. Will you put a latch at the bottom on the inside to stop it from moving?
- Thread starter
- #512
Thanks '76. As we used to say in the bulldozer shop when working on seized parts. . . it is in there Tee - I - Tee Tight! I planned the mounting in such a way that there is no movement. I can literally grab onto the gate, try to shake/move it, and the entire truck moves. We will see what comes of the situation on the next road trip; optimistically no rattles, rubs or squeaks will be present.
I was hoping for bashimg and forming sheet.
- Thread starter
- #514
I know its not my best or most aesthetically pleasing work. . . but it should be functional.
Like you Michael I look at little projects like this as therapy; but if I over complicate them therapy can quickly escalate into frustration.
Getting a little more crafty with the metal would give me an excuse to acquire some new tools though. . .
Like you Michael I look at little projects like this as therapy; but if I over complicate them therapy can quickly escalate into frustration.
Getting a little more crafty with the metal would give me an excuse to acquire some new tools though. . .
Buying tools is therapy too.........I know its not my best or most aesthetically pleasing work. . . but it should be functional.
Like you Michael I look at little projects like this as therapy; but if I over complicate them therapy can quickly escalate into frustration.
Getting a little more crafty with the metal would give me an excuse to acquire some new tools though. . .
- Thread starter
- #516
This week's extracurricular activities are summed up in one quick picture.
I finished welding up my rear gate and gave it a coat of epoxy primer. The holes in the center bar are where the license plate holder will mount. I gave the plate mount another coat of black paint (after sanding) as it was one of the few parts that had runs in the finish. I prefer to think it was at a poor angle for painting vs. my technique.
There are doors in the background. Nothing started on them. . . in fact I am giving serious thought to a set of half doors to keep the open feel going for awhile. Don't worry, these doors are too nice to chop up. I like the look of OEM and have considered several options; will keep an eye open for a set of doors to rework or there is always the CCOT route if I save a lot of pennies. . .
Not interested in fiberglass, tube, or canvas so my choices are somewhat limited.
Up next is blue paint on the gate.
I finished welding up my rear gate and gave it a coat of epoxy primer. The holes in the center bar are where the license plate holder will mount. I gave the plate mount another coat of black paint (after sanding) as it was one of the few parts that had runs in the finish. I prefer to think it was at a poor angle for painting vs. my technique.
There are doors in the background. Nothing started on them. . . in fact I am giving serious thought to a set of half doors to keep the open feel going for awhile. Don't worry, these doors are too nice to chop up. I like the look of OEM and have considered several options; will keep an eye open for a set of doors to rework or there is always the CCOT route if I save a lot of pennies. . .
Not interested in fiberglass, tube, or canvas so my choices are somewhat limited.
Up next is blue paint on the gate.
You could get ambitious and want to whip up a few more of those?
Be some real good therapy
Be some real good therapy
There is a chalenge, make the doors from scratch.
You could get ambitious and want to whip up a few more of those?
Be some real good therapy
All is looking good Doc!! And by ambitious, I think @imyahucklbrry really means that you should start restoring 40s for your fellow mud members...
All is looking good Doc!! And by ambitious, I think @imyahucklbrry really means that you should start restoring 40s for your fellow mud members...
That would take out the therapy part and make it a stress builder.
