From Rust to Righteous

[Sweatyforehead]

Hello all, so last week I picked up my first FJ60 for $900. From the first time I laid eyes on her I knew it would be a big project. Rear frame getting bad, nonexistant lower rocker panels, rear fenders being eaten alive, and various spot rusts. The Engine and transmission still runs strong (anyone in Victoria needing a 2F with 4speed tranny?) however the locking hubs kinda don't lock and the interior was stripped by the previous owner in his own battle for rust/mold.

She isnt a looker, but she's got potential!

Now, onto the build plan!
First off I plan to fix all the rust with a combination of grinding wheels, wire brushes, sandpaper, and good ol' elbow greese. Next, BODY LIFT! Yeah, thats right; Going to be pulling off the body to do a complete sandblast/seal of the entire frame! When its off, I plan to address the rear frame rot (would be really useful to know a couple welders now that I think about it...), upgrade the leafs, give a 4'' or 6'' suspension lift and 33'' tires. Here's where it gets interesting, when the body is off, I plan to get a Cummins 6bt and 5speed tranny and rip out the ol' 2F!
I know there are a couple threads floating around where people have done the same, and it doesnt look that complex...
The Rasta Rig is essentially the plan I would like to go in the direction of... https://forum.ih8mud.com/expedition-builds/453887-long-overdue-rastarig-buildup.html
With luck, I expect this will be taking quite some time (would like to be done by september/november)

Its going to be a big project, but hopefully most of the bases have been covered!

Day 1 I've begun the first of the major weight loss so far...

 

[gregnash]

Nice dude.. welcome to the addiction and have fun!

 

[TEXASYETI]

Good for you for saving the old girl! Get her back right and you will have a loyal friend for life.

 

[Sethro60]

Good luck! My rig was in simular shape when I got it, thus its nickname I can't shake: The Turd. It is a fun project, but takes much patience. (and beer)

 

[Sweatyforehead]

So, I got a grinder.
This little thing was about $15 from Home Depot and its lasted far longer than the crappy little discs I had before

First up, remember that big painted up patch below the window in the wider view? Yeah, there was a bunch of spot rust underneath that little paint. So the grinder and I went to town on it

While I was at it, I noticed there was some bubble rust around the vents on both sides, silly me for not popping out the plugs for the screws (anyone know where to get more?)

Next up was the gutters. The previous owner had tried his best to stop the rust with bondo; turns out, the new grinder looooves the taste of bondo. These gutters were like this all the way around. Im debating weither or not I should cut them all off and get new gutters put on or just fill in the holes..

Lastly the nonexistant lower rockers... Years of road salt, bumps, dings and general wet vancouver island weather has eaten these alive!
Fortunatley in another forum I noticed that these guys out of Quebec sell patch panels for rusty FJ60s! http://alfaparts.net/tlc.htm
Called em' up, and to my relief they still make them to order!
I've got new lower rockers, and a rear quarter coming in hopefully by next month!

I've got high hopes by breaking the rust down to small bits, hoping it lasts through the major rust battle in the future!

 

[vailTRD]

Great find for 900$! Good luck

 

[gregnash]

Good job so far... I am about to do the same thing with mine as I need to hit some of the rust. What grit are you using on your flapper disc?

Also, if you dont want to replace the quarters, some of the guys around here will weld in a 2x4 piece of stock (think .25" wall) which will create a small step but keep everything nice and strong for the body to stay square. Look at Kevin Rowland's rebuild of his truck and you will see what I am talking about.

 

[Sweatyforehead]

Good job so far... I am about to do the same thing with mine as I need to hit some of the rust. What grit are you using on your flapper disc?

Also, if you dont want to replace the quarters, some of the guys around here will weld in a 2x4 piece of stock (think .25" wall) which will create a small step but keep everything nice and strong for the body to stay square. Look at Kevin Rowland's rebuild of his truck and you will see what I am talking about.

Hey dude, the flapper disc was about 50 grit, and it took off material like a champ! There were some points where I almost went through!
It was good for ripping off most of the rust, but scratched up the steel pretty well, I might go over it with a higher grit to smooth it out for painting.

As for the panels, I'd like to try my best to keep the original stock "look" and the panels fromWolf Steel aren't that expensive either http://alfaparts.net/tlc.htm

Do you have a link to Kevin Rowland's build?

 

[gregnash]

Here is Kevin's build https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/552977-rusty-wagon-rebuild.html
Look specifically at posts 72-75.

 

[Sweatyforehead]

Here is Kevin's build https://forum.ih8mud.com/60-series-wagons/552977-rusty-wagon-rebuild.html
Look specifically at posts 72-75.

Whoa dude, thats actually pretty awesome on how he did the rockers. Im hoping I still have enough metal to weld stuff on too!

Speaking of welding, is there anyone willing to help out and teach me how to weld?

 

[Sethro60]

I'm not a pro, but I could show you the basics. Where are you at?

 

[Sweatyforehead]

I'm not a pro, but I could show you the basics. Where are you at?

Sounds good dude ill send you a PM

 

[Sweatyforehead]

Finally a update!

Got my hands on some epoxy and fiberglass cloth and learned how to patch!

Turns out the previous owner really liked his bondo!

Next up, one of the guys over on the VI Cruisers Fourm suggested that instead of the full body off restoration I simply spray off all the dirt and grime, grind off the surface rust and lather almost every surface I can get to with this stuff called "Conquest", I looked up what it actually is and its Phosphoric Acid! When the acid comes in contact with Iron Oxide it converts it to black Ferric Phosphate and the black coating will actually protect against later rust!

First order of buisness was to get the spare tire off..
turns out it is easier said than done. The whole chain winch system was completley bunged up with rust so the chain had to be cut

(Anyone know where I can get a new one of these hoists?)

Once the spare was off, I had more room to get a look at my rotting C-Channel section of my rear frame, and im beginning to think we may need to amputate...

Luckily there were a couple skilled welders/fabricatiors at the VI Cruisers meeting last wednesday that sounded able to do some work on it!

Quick final shot of "The Workbench"

As per the eventual engine swap, the cummins 6bt idea will sadly be put to rest
the wedneday meeting with the cruiser club pretty much gave me 1100lbs of reasons why I shouldn't do the swap and instead go for the lighter Toyota 3B diesel with a turbocharger. There are several other cruisers in the club who have turbocharged 3B deisels and all the remarks said it runs better with a turbo!

Suspension plans are still the same (OME Heavy 3'' lift) as are the tire plans (33'' tires, still unsure of the best A/T - Daily Driver)


Thats all for now, I recently gave my 2 weeks at work in order to go back to school, so the build may slow down to the speed of a turtle covered in molasses. But there will be updates!


Cheers for now, and I hope to see you on the trails in the fall!