Builds Fly By Night (2 Viewers)

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hey mang,,,, just checkin in and saw this build thread,,, your really into this thing and it looks GREAT!!!

couple things on my mind,

didnt i give you my tailgate? i have the brass gear kit installed.

and the emergency brake handle didnt interfere with the a/c in mine. i had the factory option a/c, or should i say dealer installed unit.
 
Yoooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for stopping and checking out the thread bro!!!

So, yes, I have your old tailgate and am planning to use it in place of mine when going back together. We pulled the motor and gear assembly on it and installed it on mine years back. When I pulled it apart last year it had a broken plastic gear. No worries - Scrapdaddy hooked me up with a brass gear, so I’m good to go on that.
Keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to retain that factory park brake pull handle. One of those little nostalgic details about the 55 that I’ve always loved.

So great to hear from you man! Miss having you in on the Cruiser thing - several guys in here have heard me tell the tales from back in the day.
 
A little mid-day update...
Welded up the first and biggest of the frame cracks which were on the inner face of the passenger side. Probably some of you familiar with this procedure, maybe some not so much. Just for the heck I took pics at every stage on how I deal with them.
Since these two spread to the bottom face, I didn’t want my “V” out to cause them to spread, so I tied the bottom and sides together better with a couple stitch welds. Once that was done, I drilled the end of the crack about 3/4 through the material, then“V”ed the crack, ran a root pass, then two more passes on other side of the root. After that, ground it flush in preparation of the fish plates.

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You are a busy man!

Any idea what caused the cracks? Just use?
 
Is this so you can move yours around? Or are your shackle hangers just worn out?

There are several reasons I decided to go with these, one of which is a “might as well” since all hangers needed to be removed for an outboard operation for the FJ60 axle install.
They’re reasonably priced, and I always love to support American companies when possible.
So an interesting detail to note is that the bushings that Ruff Stuff stocks are 1-1/2” OD. LC bushings are 1-3/16” (30mm). It’s about an 8mm difference. Not sure how much of a difference of 4mm of bushing wall thickness will make (ride quality), but it certainly can’t hurt anything. When I get my springs built, will just need to order with the 1-1/2” eyes and should be good to go.
 
There are several reasons I decided to go with these, one of which is a “might as well” since all hangers needed to be removed for an outboard operation for the FJ60 axle install.
They’re reasonably priced, and I always love to support American companies when possible.
So an interesting detail to note is that the bushings that Ruff Stuff stocks are 1-1/2” OD. LC bushings are 1-3/16” (30mm). It’s about an 8mm difference. Not sure how much of a difference of 4mm of bushing wall thickness will make (ride quality), but it certainly can’t hurt anything. When I get my springs built, will just need to order with the 1-1/2” eyes and should be good to go.

Excellent! I forgot about your plans to go 60 series axles.
 
i will try to hang around here a bit more,,, i have an opportunity to buy my old pig back,,, i really want to but i just dont need it.

speaking of Ruff Stuff, have several of his original crossmember/engine mount sets, a sleeved bushing with weld on mounts. i bought a bunch of his stuff back when i was doing the diesel swap. anyway, never used them and if you think you'll need them there yours.
 
Got some time in doing some welding on the frame, between working on the shower project and gearing up for a 4 day Verde River trip starting Thursday.
Went with double pass 4” - 6” stitch welds. Thinking about filling the gaps between with seam sealer during the paint stage to try to keep as much moisture out as possible.

As for the shower, running new water lines to supply a second shower head.

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Thanks Ron - it's nice to lay some actual beads down finally. Little welder doesn't do too bad, but it might be about maxed out on the 1/8" material. Interested to see how it will do with the 1/4" outboard platforms. Might have to pre-heat.
 
Interested to see how it will do with the 1/4" outboard platforms.
I’m very interested in how you do this, as your ahead of me now...

Looks great so far!

And yeah, dual shower heads...Robin Leach must be booking soon lol
 

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