"Im new.... I dont know what to do.............." (Joe Dirt)
Recently my '79 FJ40 just became a little more "custom". Here in Salt Lake City I found a cruiser tub off of an '81, rhino lined, same color, and NO RUST! However the firewall and top of the cowl where the hood hinges bolt in was bent up! I removed the fire wall, cowl top and trans cover from my '79. I wasn't hard being that those pieces where the only pieces of my '79 that weren't rusted through. I used my '79 firewall as sort of a replacement panel/cap and tackwelded that sucker in. It turned out quite well if I do say so my self. However I still have a little tweeking to do. When I tried to install my hardtop there was a gap between the tub and the top where the posts from the top insert in to the tub. "Fuh...!" This is the first delema. I am sure that someone will come along, read this and laugh at my misfortune. Go ahead and laugh away. This gap confuses me for a couple of reasons. The body lines on the '81 tub were straight and still are straight after the firewall transplant. Even measurement wise everything was sound. Yes I did measure many times before and after cutting and welding. Nothing that was cut or welded would have raised the windshield to create this gap near the 'B' pillar of my roll bar. Other that the gap the hard top fits pretty darn good. Since this is my first cruiser and first tub replacement, I do not know what might be required to obtain drum tight fittment from my hardtop after rebuilding a tub. The only thing that I can think of is that I might have to rebuild the hard top on the tub to get a glove fit. Next slight issue.... The piece of the cowl just below the windshield that I replaced needs some help. This piece that I replaced is tackwelded about every 3/4 of an inch, to the vertical piece of the cowl that sits just below the windshield. Its not a pretty but it workeded and after all of that welding none of the metal warped. The warping is what I wanted to avoid. Now I am just trying to figure out what the next step is going to be with this part of the body work. I would like to fiberglass over it to fill the small gaps but I do not know if it will end up cracking with flex in the tub while wheeling. If anyone has some good ideas to solve these two problems let me know.
Recently my '79 FJ40 just became a little more "custom". Here in Salt Lake City I found a cruiser tub off of an '81, rhino lined, same color, and NO RUST! However the firewall and top of the cowl where the hood hinges bolt in was bent up! I removed the fire wall, cowl top and trans cover from my '79. I wasn't hard being that those pieces where the only pieces of my '79 that weren't rusted through. I used my '79 firewall as sort of a replacement panel/cap and tackwelded that sucker in. It turned out quite well if I do say so my self. However I still have a little tweeking to do. When I tried to install my hardtop there was a gap between the tub and the top where the posts from the top insert in to the tub. "Fuh...!" This is the first delema. I am sure that someone will come along, read this and laugh at my misfortune. Go ahead and laugh away. This gap confuses me for a couple of reasons. The body lines on the '81 tub were straight and still are straight after the firewall transplant. Even measurement wise everything was sound. Yes I did measure many times before and after cutting and welding. Nothing that was cut or welded would have raised the windshield to create this gap near the 'B' pillar of my roll bar. Other that the gap the hard top fits pretty darn good. Since this is my first cruiser and first tub replacement, I do not know what might be required to obtain drum tight fittment from my hardtop after rebuilding a tub. The only thing that I can think of is that I might have to rebuild the hard top on the tub to get a glove fit. Next slight issue.... The piece of the cowl just below the windshield that I replaced needs some help. This piece that I replaced is tackwelded about every 3/4 of an inch, to the vertical piece of the cowl that sits just below the windshield. Its not a pretty but it workeded and after all of that welding none of the metal warped. The warping is what I wanted to avoid. Now I am just trying to figure out what the next step is going to be with this part of the body work. I would like to fiberglass over it to fill the small gaps but I do not know if it will end up cracking with flex in the tub while wheeling. If anyone has some good ideas to solve these two problems let me know.
