FJ45 back on the road after major work

[northernFJ45]

The 1978 FJ45 lives again! Over the past few months, I've put 300 to 400 hours into it; it's good to be retired and have the time for this.

The frame was good, except for a couple of thin areas on the inner frame behind the cab. These were repaired with new metal. The box came off and was replaced with a slightly better box from the other FJ45 project. Still, the box needed a couple of weeks of metal replacement. Put Rhinoliner on inside box. The cab got a new support system under the back end, floor patch panels, new cab corners, new rockers, new fenders, etc. The repaired areas have two coats of epoxy primer on them, which should do until I get around to a repaint.

All four springs were disassembled and rearched to original specs (plus 3/4 inch). OME shocks on rear, Bilstein 5100s on front, OME steering stabilizer. New dash pad, new interior door panels, etc. Rebuilt carburetor, Haven't installed running boards and a few other parts yet.

It runs and drives nicely. Not sure if I will get around to doing the same to the 1977 FJ45 or not - it's a lot of work to bring these back to life.

 

[cruisermatt]

I have the twin truck, Canadian 78 45. Cab completely rotted out. How about some pictures of the cab repair work process?

 

[Pighead]

That is a good looking truck. Congratulations.

 

[wdukes]

Mine came from Canada also. It started out looking the same until I did my "Patina"

 

[45Kevin]

Looks great.
But that rear bumper!!!
Did you fab your own patches or buy pre-made and just weld in yourself?

I'm looking at a bit of patching on my rig.

 

[northernFJ45]

cruisermatt, you asked for pictures of the cab repair process. I will post a few, although I didn't record every step. My main concern was to cut out all rusted through areas and to stop less advanced rust as much as possible. Patch panels inside the cab are not exact reproductions of the original, but are made out of 18 gauge steel bent into the required shapes. Overall, the cab floor was quite good, except for at the rear corners, one spot under the fuel tank, and a small area at the driver's side front. The interior rockers were good for the most part. I used up a couple of quarts of POR15 on rusty areas on the frame and cab and then painted over that with oil-based Tremclad or similar paint. Lots of seam sealer used as well.

An air needle scaler came in handy for knocking off surface rust and getting down to solid metal in some areas. Also, a variety of grinders, cutting discs, air sanders, etc. The welding took two tanks of MIG gas - the smaller bottles that stand about 30 inches high. OK, the welding isn't perfect, but what in life is? After about forty years of welding on more projects than I can count, I can say that my welding is strong - that it won't come apart or break. And a skim coat of body filler and paint makes it all look good.

The mounts between the rear of the cab and the frame were mostly gone, so I removed what was left. The new interface between the cab and the frame consists of a full width piece of steel channel (about 1 1/2" x 4" with flat 1/4" metal welded on top of that projecting about 1 inch on both the front and back surfaces. Cab mount bolts run from the original holes in the back of the cab through the new box channel to the original frame mounts. I used new rubber mounts between the box channel and the frame mounts. While not original, I like the solidity and permanent nature of this repair. My apologies to purists, but I didn't see any good options for replicating the original complex and not that strong mounting system.

The cab corners came from a fellow in Australia, while the rockers, fenders, running boards, new box mounts, etc. came from 4 Wheel Auto in Edmonton. A new dash pad and interior door panels came from Japan. Various other parts came from Amazon and ebay.

 

[wdukes]

Looks great.
But that rear bumper!!!
Did you fab your own patches or buy pre-made and just weld in yourself?

I'm looking at a bit of patching on my rig.

ALL faux patina. New bed, new doors, new fenders

 

[northernFJ45]

A few more.

 

[northernFJ45]

wdukes, you're only the third person today to mention that rear bumper. I kind of like it, for its intimidation factor. Who would dare hit that? And I don't have anything better to replace it with. Any ideas for a suitable replacement? Some patch panels were bought from suppliers, as mentioned. Others were bent up with a big sheet metal brake and various tools.

 

[JackA]

I'll jump on the hideous rear bumper bandwagon. That thing needs to go.

 

[cruisermatt]

wdukes, you're only the third person today to mention that rear bumper. I kind of like it, for its intimidation factor. Who would dare hit that? And I don't have anything better to replace it with. Any ideas for a suitable replacement? Some patch panels were bought from suppliers, as mentioned. Others were bent up with a big sheet metal brake and various tools.

@OPMACHINE makes a really nice rear bumper for these.

 

[Pighead]

That's a fine rear bumper. Put a winch on it.

 

[northernFJ45]

Any pictures of that OPMACHINE rear bumper? I need to keep an open mind on this.

 

[DailyDrive_FJ45]

That's a fine rear bumper. Put a winch on it.

Winch? that's an odd way to say torch... Fr though. Nix the bumper.

 

[jfz80]

OPMACHINE

I believe I read he may not be making them anymore or just currently. Can’t hurt to ask.

OP Machine FJ45 LPB Bumper Install

@OPMACHINE sent me out production number 1 of his bumper. I got it installed today in about 3 hours solo. Here’s how I got it done I was pretty shocked that the old School bumper that was on the Goat weighed as much as this unit. When I unbolted it it was a massive brick hitting the ground...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[northernFJ45]

That is a nice bumper! Maybe something will come along to protect the rear of the 45, while not offending anyone. Something with a receiver mount would be nice.

 

[northernFJ45]

For all those haters of that I beam bumper, here is the new bumper! 3"x5" 1/4" wall tubing used for the main part of the bumper.

"Temporary" paint on the truck, thanks to my wife who didn't like the primer and decided to paint it. While not perfect, the bodywork and paint will look OK going down the road and on bush trails.

Can anyone tell me a reasonably priced source for the oval 4x4 badge on the tailgate? That would add a nice touch.

 

[northernFJ45]

Another pic - I could have raised it up a few inches, but that would have interfered with the factory license plate location and license plate light. Also, if I ever use this for towing, it's nice not to have the receiver too high. I'm sure there are also reasons to mount the bumper a few inches higher.

 

[Michael B]

This is how I resolved the bumper issue on my 45.

 

[middlecalf]

I got one these badges for my 45

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