HJ45/7 Quick low budget Resto

[fjdaveinoz]

Hey,
Bought this HJ45 last April. Drove it till the rego ran out in July 09, and it has sat around since awaiting some love...

I bought it off a bloke who responded to a wanted add I put over the local radio classifieds.
He had it stored on a farm about 200klms from my home and gave up on it after the clutch failed.
He wanted 2k so I drove and had a look. Was sitting under an old gum tree full of leaves and crap. I opened the bonnet and to my suprise a 2H had been installed, better then the crappy old H!
Offered him $1500 - he said yes.
So the next weekend we set back off to collect my prize. Filled it up with water, topped the oil, and fluids and fuel, and set off on my clutchless 200 k trip home.
It had its moments, like when farmer brown pulled out in front of me in his ute loaded with sheep. Poor brakes and no clutch made for a scary few minutes while I tried to down shift in a hurry.
I made it home no worries..
My plan was to do a nice frame off, purist type resto, but with a 2H installed, it was never going to be original, so Im lashing out a bit.
The Frame off has quickly turned into a rush resto, as we have sold our other car, and this needs to be on the road soon, and the budget is very very tight atm, so most of the things I wanted to do are out of the question for now

I started by Giving it a wash with a pressure washer and heavy degreaser, and removed the god awful Bullbar and Side rails.
They were soo heavy it took two blokes to move it!
Its amazing how much it changed the way the car drives. Since removing it the front end is so much more rigid, and the ride is heaps rougher!

Day 1

 

[fjdaveinoz]

I bought a 79 series Chrome Bumper from the local tip for $10.
It came with the 79 Series mounts. They fit on the 45 almost prefectly. Needed only to notch out a small section of the bracket to make it sit level on the frame. Took about 5 mins with a bench grinder. Even the bolt holes lined up with the 45's frame!

Painted the Bezel white, as it should be

and installed the new clutch, and a OE exhaust, so to avoid the rear tyre getting covered in soot, also because the old one was home made and mounted with fencing wire!

I had a bit of Dune beige paint laying around, so I quickly sprayed all the surface rust areas, so it looked at least presentable to drive around in.

 

[fjdaveinoz]

Rego ran out so I started on pulling her down for repaint.
Was originally going to go good old dune beige, But there are 6 other 40/45's getting around my small town and all but 1 are dune beige, so I opted for red, cause I like red.
I decided on Marranello Red, which is the same colour as my first car. This Cruiser is ending up being a bit of all the cars I have owned.
Same colour as my commodre,
Steering wheel, knobs, seatbelts, hubs, wheels and feel is like my old 55
Sounds and drives like my old 4speed HJ60
and is a trayback cruiser ute like my old 75 series
Should be a trip down memory lane everytime I drive it.


I bought some stripper, applied it and removed it with a pressure washer, something I seen mud member trollhole do with his FJ40. It comes off so easy
All the hard parts I used a 3M rust and paint stripper disc attached to a drill.
They didnt put much paint on these old cruisers, with the disc it just flies off.

 

[fjdaveinoz]

Pic 1 shows how much paint came off with stripper and pressure washer only
pic 2 is the same removal for the rear cab back. Will clean the remainder with the 3M Disc
I removed the tray, and wire wheeled the frame, gave it a lick of RustGuard Gloss Black - had only done diff in this pic

 

[fjdaveinoz]

Bought a can of the premixed paint, as its available off the shelf.
Was a really common colour in the 1980's dont see it at all now.
Preped primed and painted the dash to get a feel of what it will look like.

Gave the fire wall area a quick hit too, as I still had another rattle can of it left.

I had steam washed the motor, so I gave it a hit with some 2H Blue and reblacked the black bits

 

[dingbatt]

Nice work buddy!

Looks like you've made some good progress already - how long has it taken you to get this far?

Looks like that paint stripper and pressure washer process is a definite winner - I'll remember that!

Engine looks really good -was it hard to get into all the nooks with the engine in place? - for instance the firewall directly behind the engine, and the block behind the headers. Did you brush or spray?

Nice work, I'll be watching
Cheers,

Matt

 

[fjdaveinoz]

Thanks Matt

It hasnt really taken me too long, probably a few weekends here and there, and a few solid hours after tea at night.
I tend to come and go at it, leave it for a few weeks or more, then go for gold again. But in the last 2 weeks ive done the most. Have to get it out and going, plus I have to finish my FJ Holden project for my wedding in October! (or the bride will shoot me)

Paint stripper process is the bomb, It is impossible to do on other cars where they used red lead oxide. Toyota must have prepped the steel well though, I did the top cab back months ago and havent primed it, it has been in the open bare metal without a sign of rust in the strip/wash area, yet where it has been sanded to shiney steel, (rather then the dull grey the stripper leaves)it is covered in surface rust. Im not using it anyway as it is rusted out at the bottom.

Nooks and crannys were pretty easy, as i was using a pressure pack and could get it in and out. I removed all the hoses, wiring etc and taped things up. Anything I hit accidently, I cleaned off with thinner on a rag straight away.

I had the headers off the replace the gaskets as they were badly leaking. painted it then, yet I still mangaged to get some on the manifold when I was doing a small touch up! It'll burn off. Im using a fine artist brush on the other side around the injectors/pipe glow plugs, very time consuming..would be easier to pull it all off, but I want to keep the car running as much as I can, as I like to back it out into the daylight to work on it.

Cheers!

 

[Leaping Deer]

Looking good. I wish there were such a thing as a $1500 FJ45 around here.

 

[herbs]

Nice, one question with the 2H and gearbox, has a crossmember been installed under the gearbox like the later model 40/45/47s? I'd like to ditch my H motor and throw in a 2H that I have.

 

[Chamba]

Nice, one question with the 2H and gearbox, has a crossmember been installed under the gearbox like the later model 40/45/47s? I'd like to ditch my H motor and throw in a 2H that I have.

You don't have to do that, but it is not a bad idea. The older style (pre '81) has the rear engine mounts on the bell housing, and that works fine with a post '81 gear box. I put an H55 5 speed into my Wife's 1980 FJ40 many years ago. We ran it with a 5 speed and no cross member for 4 years before selling it to a local (in Santa Fe) dentist who is stil driving it as-is without problems after another 10 years.

You would just have to keep your H bell housing with the rear motor mounts on it. The drawback for you would be that you will not have the tach sensor pre-drilled and tapped like the post '82 HJ47 bellhousing does. However, that is easier to drill/tap than the mounts would be; it is just a single 1/2" hole.

Josh

 

[herbs]

Ah ok, I would've thought that the bellhousing on the H wouldn't fit the 2H motor.

 

[Chamba]

Ah ok, I would've thought that the bellhousing on the H wouldn't fit the 2H motor.

I'm pretty sure it does: the F fits the 2F, and it would be unlike Toyota to alter something like that for the H.

Josh

 

[fjdaveinoz]

Yes, mine runs the Original Gearbox/bellhousing. It matches straight up to the 2H motor, no mods.
I didnt do the install, but I changed the clutch recently, I had to use a H Clutch Kit, as mine still runs the H Flywheel, & it differs from a 2H. Have a brand new 2H kit here for sale if anyone wants it...!

I dont know why they did this, I presume so they didnt have to buy a clutch kit at the time of install
I run no crossmember as per HJ45 standard.

Went for a drive to the city today, and called in on the 4wd wreckers to get some misc parts
There was a FJ45 troopy literally about to be sent to the crushers. Had a hole cut in the roof, and was loaded to the gunwhales with old diffs, motors (one was a 2H) gearboxes etc. Must have weighed several ton!
Even though it was about to be sent to china, he still wanted top dollar for everything I wanted. $40 for the small pipe that runs from the firewall to the heater box was a bit expensive considering I had to remove it myself! The air duct from the heater to blower was $50 and the riser that comes off the head to the heater hose was $30.
I walked out with nothing....Cheaper to buy an old wreck, and use it for parts.

 

[SmokeyPipes]

What are you going to do with the bed of the truck?

 

[fjdaveinoz]

I will be redesigning the steel tray it came with, and colourcoding it. The tub backs are very hard to find down here, and arnt practical for my needs.
The tray will have an under body tool box each side, a rear removeable rack that matches the front headboard (to carry long lengths of timber)
A polished hardwood floor
A colourcoded toolbox along the front bolted to the floor (so I can go to shops and buy the groceries and put them somewhere without them rolling around and blowing off the tray)
and hopefully a tipper hoist (when I can afford one) to make work a bit easier.
Im open to ideas though..
Ive been flat out at work, and havent progressed too far on the 45/7, hense no updates. Hope to get back into her soon though.

Dave

 

[a.greenspan]

A colourcoded toolbox along the front bolted to the floor (so I can go to shops and buy the groceries and put them somewhere without them rolling around and blowing off the tray)
Dave

As mine, a brilliant idea Sir

found this toolbox in a DIY market and the best it came in red
no spraying necessary

Cheers
Peter

 

[FJ45SID]

I will be redesigning the steel tray it came with, and colourcoding it. The tub backs are very hard to find down here, and arnt practical for my needs.
The tray will have an under body tool box each side, a rear removeable rack that matches the front headboard (to carry long lengths of timber)
A polished hardwood floor
A colourcoded toolbox along the front bolted to the floor (so I can go to shops and buy the groceries and put them somewhere without them rolling around and blowing off the tray)
and hopefully a tipper hoist (when I can afford one) to make work a bit easier.
Im open to ideas though..
Ive been flat out at work, and havent progressed too far on the 45/7, hense no updates. Hope to get back into her soon though.

Dave

I take it you’ve finished the resto? I’m late to the party but…