Build Here we go (FJ-40 getting a 3B/Turbo/H55f)...

[DanS HJ-45]

Busy day today....

Bought some paint stripper (three types) to see what might help avoid wire wheeling the whole thing. That was a failure. I don't know what it was painted with by the PO, but the chemical strippers really didn't do a thing to it, no bubbling, nothing. The scraper seemed to do more scraping of the paint where it didn't have good adhesion in the first place.



So, I whipped out the wire wheel to start going to town. It appears someone bashed the left rear with an ugly bat and then slathered the bondo onto it to cover it up. Yay!



Dan

 

[DanS HJ-45]

So I decided to get as much of the left side as I could, just to see how much other hidden stuff there was.

For the most part, it's in pretty good shape.



A couple of bits where the rust went through the outer panel, all along the seam with the fender well. One small bit of cancer along the actual wheel well, but nothing too bad.

Now, there's the nasty bashed left rear, and there's a crease in the left rear quarter, just behind the wheel well.


I haven't gotten to the right side just yet (tomorrow), but if it's as bad (although I think it's better), I'll have to debate replacing the whole quarter panel with the 16GA replacements....

Dan

 

[DanS HJ-45]

While I had the wire wheel out, I decided to hit all the obvious rust spots in the rear just to see what I could.

Oh looky, some carnage!


Looks like those fender well support brackets for the roll bar were just rust magnets. Guess I'll have to get to work removing undercoating to get to fixing that stuff...

I also finished pulling everything off of the tub. Not a bolt remains!


Dan

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Here's the dash now stripped of everything...


Here's something funny: the Arakawa sticker is crooked! I can't imagine that any of the POs cared enough to replace it, so I'd put money on that being the way it was applied at the factory. Think I should put the replacement on in the same spot?


And here's something I need to get off of there tomorrow.

This placard's days are numbered.

Dan

 

[barrys]

Dan,

Great progress since last night! Can't wait to see what's under some other parts of the tub.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

NOTE: barrys=Dad, the owner of the truck.

I'm just the muscle.

Dan

 

[crushers]

airplane stripper... the stuff works...
we used it on a FJ40 tub a couple decades ago, from caked on 4 layer paint to bare metal in 1/2 hr... that was the entire tub!!

i am not recommending it just stateing my experience...

 

[american psycho]

It appears someone bashed the left rear with an ugly bat and then slathered the bondo onto it to cover it up. Yay!

That's the prrof that trees can move - and they like to sneak up on Land Cruisers in reverse.

Don't ask me how I know this...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Well, there's more rust and bondo on the right side too. Surprise, surprise.


The bondo is really deep in a few spots.


So, I tried out some of the aircraft stripper we had lying around the shop. Pretty old, and I think the stuff must go bad, but it worked a lot better than the aerosol stuff yesterday. Got most of the paint off of the inside left fender well, and the left side was completely clean.

Dan

 

[DanS HJ-45]

So, since I was getting a little tired of paint stripping, and I needed to let it do it's thing, I decided to tackle one of the easy rust repairs on the left side.

The pics tell the story...

Here's the patch panel I made. (oh so high-tech!)


Here's where it goes (and the rust it is replacing, not totally rotted out, but certainly on the way. Also, bent.


I definitely like to cut inside the lines and later trim out to fit. I use a combination of files and a 120 grit flap disc in the grinder to trim it out.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Here it is tacked into place...


Here it is stitch welded into place...


And here are the welds ground down with that same flap disc...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Just to prove to myself that I can still do some of this bodywork stuff (it's been a while), I hit it with a little primer.

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out!


It won't stay that way, as at some point the whole thing will get sent out for soda blasting (or some other sort of media blast). I haven't decided if it's better to get it blasted now, to make the bodywork easier, or if I should just strip it as I need to do the bodywork, and get it blasted just prior to paint (unless it takes me a LONG time, we'll be taking it into town for paint anyway).

Unfortunately, I have to go to work tomorrow, so it'll be about a week or so before I get back to it. Lame.

Dan

 

[fj40forlife]

awesome dan. Looks like a fun project

 

[crushers]

or
go buy a fiberglass tub and do it once and NEVER have it rust again...

i got sick and tired of chasing rust on the old 40s so now i seldom do any steel work on them. biggest problem is once you are done and it is painted then the rust will be back within 5 years or sooner NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.

 

[eleblanc]

I never had my truck painted, well not me, but my dad did. And i notice where the paint is worn that the primer under it is green. I've been told that my truck was primed using a zinc primer and that it is good stuff, but nasty to use/spray. Granted my truck is always stored inside it has never rusted since it was repainted in 1992. (was just a side note). BTW nice job Dan.!

I have alot of friends with fiber tube (i mean CJ) and they don't like it. where a steel tube will not scratch or get damage the fiber will. It is strong but chip easily.

 

[crushers]

dude, you gotta quit comparing s*** with gold...

Gozzard tubs chip when steel is bent out of shape. but then i doubt you have seen a gozzard tub in person so i will let that one drop...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Oh, fiberglass or aluminum is right out. I can and have worked extensively with both, but I just prefer steel for trucks. It simply feels right.

This will be stored inside pretty much always once it's done, and the roads aren't salted, nor is it, by any stretch of the imagination humid in New Mexico, so I think no matter what I do it should last a long time. Worst case scenario: I do it again in 5-10 years. Shoot: that might be a bonus, because then I wouldn't have to buy more projects then!

I've seen the gozzard tubs, and they sure are nice. If I lived in Vermont or something, I'm pretty sure that's the way I'd go. But I live in the Land of Enchantment baby!!!

So this weekend, I'm going to be busy playing with more bodywork i think. At least that's the plan. I figure that I can repair what I will on the quarters, and then if I decide it's not good enough: call it practice and buy new quarters. We'll see how productive it is, the HDC guys are talking about another jaunt in the snow next weekend, so I might have to blow off working on the 40 and take the faux-lux out again...

Dan

 

[crushers]

anyway, you are having fun and that is what it all is about...

 

[eleblanc]

dude, you gotta quit comparing **** with gold...

Gozzard tubs chip when steel is bent out of shape. but then i doubt you have seen a gozzard tub in person so i will let that one drop...

Crushers i'm not even comparing with anykind of cruiser tub, i've never seen one. What i'm saying is just the comments i've heard from friends that have tubs on there jeep.

I'm don't even know what gozzard are, i guess they are cruiser tub? i'm not in anyway bashing gozzard tubs.

 

[crushers]

nah, no offense meant M8, i know you weren't bashing anything but i know the Gozzard (manufaturer) makes a tub second to none on the market today... the detail, the strength and the cost can not be compared.

the only problem is the time of delivery... v e r y l o n g t i m e

and now that he has a new boy making them the quality is... testing my patience but even so they are beyond question... i just expect perfection from him.