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C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #204
Pics later, but the floor is prepped for a fellow Cascade Cruisers club member to come by Saturday to help me weld up the hole in the floor and fix the crack below the DS seat mount. The gas tank deliver failed yesterday (not home for signature
), but I should have it in hand by the weekend. I just need a rain-free day for the Rust Bullet and I'm off to the races.
I ended up taking more of the paint off down to bare metal than I wanted, but so much of the paint was flaking off so easily (I could scrape some of it with a fingernail), it seemed the best course of action. Nearly every little scratch in the paint had a corresponding dot of surface rust that had compromised the surrounding paint. I figured it was better to just take off anything questionable and start over. And, I got a new Metabo grinder with a wire cup wheel. I need to learn constraint, but damn it's a nice grinder.
), but I should have it in hand by the weekend. I just need a rain-free day for the Rust Bullet and I'm off to the races. I ended up taking more of the paint off down to bare metal than I wanted, but so much of the paint was flaking off so easily (I could scrape some of it with a fingernail), it seemed the best course of action. Nearly every little scratch in the paint had a corresponding dot of surface rust that had compromised the surrounding paint. I figured it was better to just take off anything questionable and start over. And, I got a new Metabo grinder with a wire cup wheel. I need to learn constraint, but damn it's a nice grinder.
middlecalf
SILVER Star
Excellent! Where did you source the dupli-color paint?
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #206
Napa. It was like $7 a can. Not a perfect match to the old paint, but it looks like the original paint had darkened quite a bit over time. The exposed stuff was much darker and greener. The paint that wasn't exposed was noticeably lighter and more silver. This was good enough for me, cheap, and easy.
So, a late '74...with the Late F (or 1.5 F) engine. My favorite. I had a 12/74 FJ40 then got this 12/74 FJ55 after my second child was born (can't put two kid's seats in an FJ40) that was 31 years ago. Late '74 is a special year. Last of the F, first year of the 4-speed (I assume it's a 4-speed?).. the Transition year. Special engine, special transfer case. The engine still has the smaller displacement of the F but the improved oiling of the 2F. Some prefer that block for it's extra longevity. A cylinder head that can go on a 2F block and give increased compression. Also, the transition transfer case has the special transition gear in it that allows one to install 3-speed gears into the 4-speed case to give a whopping 6% (yes, I said SIX PERCENT!) increase in crawl ratio...
I did this in both my 40 and 55 with just a rebuild kit and the gears from a 3-speed T/C, not as hard as it sounds.
Your carb is already ported for a vacuum advance (or retard) dizzy, may I suggest a simple '69ish vac advance with a Pertronix? Mark usually has a nice selection.
A 2F aluminum valve cover might look good on yours, and reduce oil leaks.
That does not look like a Downey header.
Congratulations, terrific find. Continued good luck to you.
I did this in both my 40 and 55 with just a rebuild kit and the gears from a 3-speed T/C, not as hard as it sounds.
Your carb is already ported for a vacuum advance (or retard) dizzy, may I suggest a simple '69ish vac advance with a Pertronix? Mark usually has a nice selection.
A 2F aluminum valve cover might look good on yours, and reduce oil leaks.
That does not look like a Downey header.
Congratulations, terrific find. Continued good luck to you.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #208
Thanks. I dig the oddities of the late '74. Yes to the 4-speed. I'm going to have to look into the TC gear swap. Sounds interesting. Not sure what this terrible looking header is. The transition to exhaust pipe is terrible, but that's a problem for another day.
1973Guppie
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you have to know what to look for, there is rust there but it is only surface most likely or very minimal, at least what I can see from the pics....
1973Guppie
Supporting Vendor
- Joined
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- Threads
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- Messages
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- Website
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this is one hell of a barn find, nice work, I am extremely jealous, it is nice to see though it happens still nowadays, gives me hope for the future builds.....
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #211
Progress has been slooooooooowwwww, but progress, nonetheless. Finished up the paint on the rear heater Wasn't going to paint the heater core, but it looked so gross compared to the frame, I shot it with some high heat paint. All I had was black, but I like it. I can't remember if the hose comes in at the bottom or top.
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #212
Scored a set of what I believe to be Mark's headers off CL for a decent price. Sound off if I screwed up and bought something else, but they're a damn sight better than what I have on the truck currently. No timeline for putting them on, but if they're what they appear to be, I didn't want to pass them up.
Gotta love the local Cascade Cruisers and the Cruiser community in general. The guy I bought them from took payment, then agreed to hold onto them for me for a few weeks until I could get help with delivery. A local Cascade Cruiser guy (thanks, Poseidon!) picked them up in Redmond, OR and brought the over the mountains to this side of the state, then made the exchange with some friends from town who were headed to Corvallis.
Gotta love the local Cascade Cruisers and the Cruiser community in general. The guy I bought them from took payment, then agreed to hold onto them for me for a few weeks until I could get help with delivery. A local Cascade Cruiser guy (thanks, Poseidon!) picked them up in Redmond, OR and brought the over the mountains to this side of the state, then made the exchange with some friends from town who were headed to Corvallis.
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C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #213
Round one of welding up the holes in the floor under the gas tank went pretty well, thanks to help from a local club guy. Thanks, Mark! After grinding the excess off to clean things up, there are a couple pinholes left. Not sure if I should bother trying to weld up the tiny little pinholes (no welder, yet) or just JB Weld them shut and paint on the Rust Bullet. Might start another thread to ask the masses. I'm guessing welding them would be best, but without the welder, I'm at the mercy of waiting for somebody to come help. Sucks for my timeline.
I used a wire wheel to pull off the flaky rust and the loose paint. There was quite a bit more creeping surface rust making paint loose than could be seen at a casual glance. Kind of makes me want to remove it all from the front section of the floor pan and rust bullet everything. I'm a little past saving the patina on the interior now anyway. The floor is going to get wet and gross in Oregon, no way around that. Having the rust halted and getting everything sealed up properly is more important to me than keeping the original finish, at least in the front.
I used a wire wheel to pull off the flaky rust and the loose paint. There was quite a bit more creeping surface rust making paint loose than could be seen at a casual glance. Kind of makes me want to remove it all from the front section of the floor pan and rust bullet everything. I'm a little past saving the patina on the interior now anyway. The floor is going to get wet and gross in Oregon, no way around that. Having the rust halted and getting everything sealed up properly is more important to me than keeping the original finish, at least in the front.
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #214
Not sure what to do about this section. The PO had a bunch of silicone tub caulking stuffed in there. This is the corner under the fuel filler tube. It's a good 1/4" hole in the corner where three pieces of sheet metal come together. Pretty sure to funnel water into the interior from the rear wheel, where it will sit in all those rust-prone seams and dribble down under the gas tank. Not ideal.
Not sure how to search for solutions to this, but there must be one, other than just squirting silicone in there. I chipped a bunch of cracked body seam filler out of the joint where the front floor pan connects to the side and rear pan in that corner. There was rust in the seam under the filler, so I wanted to open it up to treat it. My plan is to (at least) prep it, hit the seams with rust bullet, fill with new seam filler, and paint with some fresh Freeborn Red.
Not sure how to search for solutions to this, but there must be one, other than just squirting silicone in there. I chipped a bunch of cracked body seam filler out of the joint where the front floor pan connects to the side and rear pan in that corner. There was rust in the seam under the filler, so I wanted to open it up to treat it. My plan is to (at least) prep it, hit the seams with rust bullet, fill with new seam filler, and paint with some fresh Freeborn Red.
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #215
I also cleaned up the transmission hump. The rust on the lower section was pretty crusty and pitted, but not through yet. I wire brushed it with the grinder and a twisted wire cup, and removed all the rubber undercoating from the bottom to assess the rust. There are a couple areas of surface rust underneath, but it's in pretty good shape, overall.
Should I bother trying to smooth out the pitted areas before paint? Probably won't bother me enough to warrant the time and expense, but if there is an easy and durable solution that won't lead to more rust later, let me know. There are a couple pinholes along the bottom lip.
Should I bother trying to smooth out the pitted areas before paint? Probably won't bother me enough to warrant the time and expense, but if there is an easy and durable solution that won't lead to more rust later, let me know. There are a couple pinholes along the bottom lip.
thebigredrocker
SILVER Star
Nice work on the heater resto and installation.
My thought on the heater hoses, is keep them as close to the floor as possible. Doubt it really matters though.
On the gap that needs filled. I’ve been eyeballing removeable caulk. Dap makes “seal n’ peel” & a company named White Lightening makes “SEASONseal” There are some youtube demo’s on both.
On the pitting, you can get a product called “iceing” at paint jobber’s. The stuff I got sets up super quick, like 3 minutes after the activator/hardener is mixed in. I wish it had a longer working time, but it sands very nicely. After you fill the deep pits you can shoot high build to fill any remaining shallow pits, then sand it smooth. If you don’t want to shoot High build primer from a HVLP, I’ve used rattle cans of Spraymax 2k high build. It’s spendy but simple for small jobs.
My thought on the heater hoses, is keep them as close to the floor as possible. Doubt it really matters though.On the gap that needs filled. I’ve been eyeballing removeable caulk. Dap makes “seal n’ peel” & a company named White Lightening makes “SEASONseal” There are some youtube demo’s on both.
On the pitting, you can get a product called “iceing” at paint jobber’s. The stuff I got sets up super quick, like 3 minutes after the activator/hardener is mixed in. I wish it had a longer working time, but it sands very nicely. After you fill the deep pits you can shoot high build to fill any remaining shallow pits, then sand it smooth. If you don’t want to shoot High build primer from a HVLP, I’ve used rattle cans of Spraymax 2k high build. It’s spendy but simple for small jobs.
C6H12O6
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- #217
I’ve got an HVLP gun and a decent compressor. Probably way cheaper to just have the right primer and some single stage Freeborn Red mixed up than to order it in spray cans. I do like being able to work in smaller chunks, but I guess I could do the rust bullet and filling of pits in bursts, then shoot color all at once.
C6H12O6
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- Thread starter
- #218
Back on the horse! Busy summer and a two-week trip to Hawaii didn't help, but I've made some progress.
Got the last of the broken-off bolts in the floor sorted out in preparation for the Rust Bullet. Welder should be sorted out by the end of the week, so I'll zap that last hole closed and get to work.
I also fixed the stuck choke cable. I pumped a bunch of PB Blaster in there, but no dice. I heated it up with a torch and the solid cable finally came free. I pulled it out and it was all kinked up and rusty. Took a while, but got most of rust off with steel wool and emery cloth. The kinks took a hammer and some careful bending, but I got it back in and hooked up and it seems to work great now.
Only real bummer of the weekend was that I realized that I seem to have lost the check valve for my brake booster. I have "before" pictures of it on the rig. I vividly remember removing it when I painted the outer cover. Now, no clue where it is. I've torn the garage apart, to no avail. I'll keep looking, but if my luck holds, I won't find it until after I either buy another one, or replace the whole booster.
My kid is in camp all next week, so I should be posting pics of some actual progress very soon.
Got the last of the broken-off bolts in the floor sorted out in preparation for the Rust Bullet. Welder should be sorted out by the end of the week, so I'll zap that last hole closed and get to work.
I also fixed the stuck choke cable. I pumped a bunch of PB Blaster in there, but no dice. I heated it up with a torch and the solid cable finally came free. I pulled it out and it was all kinked up and rusty. Took a while, but got most of rust off with steel wool and emery cloth. The kinks took a hammer and some careful bending, but I got it back in and hooked up and it seems to work great now.
Only real bummer of the weekend was that I realized that I seem to have lost the check valve for my brake booster. I have "before" pictures of it on the rig. I vividly remember removing it when I painted the outer cover. Now, no clue where it is. I've torn the garage apart, to no avail. I'll keep looking, but if my luck holds, I won't find it until after I either buy another one, or replace the whole booster.
My kid is in camp all next week, so I should be posting pics of some actual progress very soon.
justbecause
perpetually lost.
C6H12O6
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #220
I posted these up in the "What did you do to your Cruiser this week?" thread, but I'll add them here for completeness and a little more detail.
I ended up using some Citrus Strip to get the paint off the floor. I was just going to spot treat with the Rust Bullet, but it quickly became apparent that there were going to be more treated spots than untreated spots of original paint, and it just seemed easier. The stripper also seemed easier than wire wheeling it all off, which was taking forever. Six bucks a can at HD, and it worked like a charm. Didn't seem to leave any oil behind and cleaned up great.
Once down to bare metal, the floor looked pretty good, but there most of the floor had small amounts of surface rust starting. Pretty much anywhere the original paint had been scratched through. I chipped away all the seam sealer on the whole floor (took FOREVER) and gave them all as much of a scraping with dental pics as I could. This includes the still-solid rear sill. I actually pried that seam open a little so I could scrape 40 years of crap out of the gap. Some rust, but mostly just dirt packed in there. I scraped, wire brushed, and re-scraped all the seams, blew them out with compressed air, treated with phosphoric acid, then repeated until I was no longer getting junk out of the seam.
I ended up using some Citrus Strip to get the paint off the floor. I was just going to spot treat with the Rust Bullet, but it quickly became apparent that there were going to be more treated spots than untreated spots of original paint, and it just seemed easier. The stripper also seemed easier than wire wheeling it all off, which was taking forever. Six bucks a can at HD, and it worked like a charm. Didn't seem to leave any oil behind and cleaned up great.
Once down to bare metal, the floor looked pretty good, but there most of the floor had small amounts of surface rust starting. Pretty much anywhere the original paint had been scratched through. I chipped away all the seam sealer on the whole floor (took FOREVER) and gave them all as much of a scraping with dental pics as I could. This includes the still-solid rear sill. I actually pried that seam open a little so I could scrape 40 years of crap out of the gap. Some rust, but mostly just dirt packed in there. I scraped, wire brushed, and re-scraped all the seams, blew them out with compressed air, treated with phosphoric acid, then repeated until I was no longer getting junk out of the seam.
