Build Fergytoy's 1965 FJ45

[Bear]

Thank-you, John.

 

[john657]

So I had been thinking about installing an OEM style coolant bottle and wiper fluid bottle. I had a good 78-83 FJ40 bottle set-up in my parts stash. Did not have the bracket, so decided to fab one up.

 

[john657]

I took of the bracket from my 78 FJ40 to see how it fit into my 65 FJ45. I found that two of the welded nuts in the pass fender lined up with the bracket. One of the nuts that held the OEM horn and the other was the lower electrical connection mount. I just had to mark and drill two more holes and use nutserts.

 

[john657]

I cleaned and tapped the frame holes where the fender mounts. Only broke 1 bolt on removal. Drilled it out and tapped it. Cut off the FJ60 anti-swaybar mount while I was there.

 

[john657]

Used some diamond plate to fab up a bracket. Fits well.

 

[john657]

 

[john657]

So I decided it was time to clean up the front end. Not a fan of this crude shackle reversal method and determined to cut it off and go a different, more clean route. Got out the hot butter knife(plasma cutter), and will take the front of the frame back to stock.

 

[john657]

I will also cut off the stiffner plates that had been welded on to the outside of the frame. I dont like it when the frame VIN is covered over with plate. That will all be cut free and the new shackle reversal hangers added. You can also see where the frame horns had been torched out crudely. I have some C channel of the correct dimension to weld back in and bring it back closer to OEM.

 

[john657]

Had some nearly new sun visors in my parts stash to swap out the old duct tape ones.

 

[john657]

New sending unit and fresh gasket for the restored 45 tank.

 

[john657]

Got the reservoir bottles installed and the fender back onto the truck.

 

[newmexicokid]

Great write up brother. My son and I are doing something similar with a 65ish. Sancho build. We removed a shackle reversal as well. Wish ours started out as nice as yours.

 

[john657]

Removed all the previous owners shackle reversal brackets and began cleaning up the frame horns for repair, As you can see, some of the frame had been cut away for to make room for the oversize winch that had been installed.

 

[john657]

 

[john657]

While removing the old frame plates that had been added, I discovered that the some of the plates had been welded directly over part of the frame VIN. I carefully removed the plate and did my best to try to preserve the VIN number. The "9" in the VIN FJ45-20593 was partially obscured. Will have to try to figure out how to make it fully visible again or to engrave it.

 

[john657]

Fabbed up some frame repair C channel to the correct dimensions.

 

[john657]

 

[john657]

 

[john657]

 

[john657]