Hi all!! I'm new to the forum and thought it would be good to introduce myself. I'm Europe-based and bought my 1980 HJ45 with one of my first paychecks over 10 years ago. I've always thought the 40series looked insanely cool. I had a dream to restomod a 45 into a camper of some sorts, to travel around the world. I've spent a lot of years working on it, off and on again, followed by 6+ years of not working on it: bought a house to renovate, settled down etc. Lately i've been bit by the bug again, so I'm hoping I can commit more of my time again to it.
What i've done so far:
-renewed brakes
-welded new exhaust front to back
-made custom front bumper from scratch, encasing Warn winch
-had the tub sand-blasted, then primed it myself. Figured the blasting could reveal rotten stuff i wouldn't notice at first. The firewall and dash were in very good shape, so those could also benefit from fresh paint as i figured the restoration would take years and i didn't want the good parts to start rusting too.
-lots and lots of rust repair/welding/body work: wheel wells, rear tub, sides, bottom, ambulance doors... You name it, it had rust on it.
So where i left the project: body next to chassis, half-finished weld jobs, parts everywhere, the typical restoration project i assume? Too far gone to sell it off, not far enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel to finish it. But what do you know, i currently have the drive to pick it up again!!
Some pics attached of how I bought it
What i've done so far:
-renewed brakes
-welded new exhaust front to back
-made custom front bumper from scratch, encasing Warn winch
-had the tub sand-blasted, then primed it myself. Figured the blasting could reveal rotten stuff i wouldn't notice at first. The firewall and dash were in very good shape, so those could also benefit from fresh paint as i figured the restoration would take years and i didn't want the good parts to start rusting too.
-lots and lots of rust repair/welding/body work: wheel wells, rear tub, sides, bottom, ambulance doors... You name it, it had rust on it.
So where i left the project: body next to chassis, half-finished weld jobs, parts everywhere, the typical restoration project i assume? Too far gone to sell it off, not far enough to see the light at the end of the tunnel to finish it. But what do you know, i currently have the drive to pick it up again!!
Some pics attached of how I bought it
