- Thread starter
- #41
Thanks 2f, that's what I thought.
Hofflarr's Restoration of Little Devil
- Thread starter HoffLarr
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73fj
Tho at sumbitch in ayer!
Are you looking for a stock front bumper? I might have one, have to see if its still there.
EDIT. nope its gone, sorry
EDIT. nope its gone, sorry
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- Thread starter
- #43
OEM Bumper
Thanks for looking 73FJ but I do have one now.
I was told that it is OEM but the metal is thinner than the bumper I took off and the bumper is a lot lighter. The shipping weight of the new bumper was 12lbs and I weighed my old bumper and it is 17lbs.
I'm not sure if the newer OEM bumpers available are of thinner steel or if this is an aftermarket bumper and the PO of the bumper was misled.
Anyway, it looks good on the truck and I still got a good deal I think. Just not sure if I should order one from Toyota if it will be the same as this one.
Thanks for looking 73FJ but I do have one now.
I was told that it is OEM but the metal is thinner than the bumper I took off and the bumper is a lot lighter. The shipping weight of the new bumper was 12lbs and I weighed my old bumper and it is 17lbs.
I'm not sure if the newer OEM bumpers available are of thinner steel or if this is an aftermarket bumper and the PO of the bumper was misled.
Anyway, it looks good on the truck and I still got a good deal I think. Just not sure if I should order one from Toyota if it will be the same as this one.
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Cool cruisers, perhaps? Most of their stuff is much thinner.
- Thread starter
- #45
That's the only aftermarket bumper I have been able to find online, but accrording to the website, the aftermarket one is black, not pewter.
And if you look closely at the black one, there are fewer holes on top compared to the factory one below it.
Hmmm
And if you look closely at the black one, there are fewer holes on top compared to the factory one below it.
Hmmm
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- Thread starter
- #46
Excessive Transmission Wear???
Ok, so I thought I would check the transmission oil as it seemed that the truck was not shifting into 2nd gear as well as it did when I first got it. When I did, the oild looked dirty so I decided to change it. When I pulled the plug, this is what I found.
This is the bottom of the pan after draining the oil, you can still see flecks of metal in there.
Ok, so I thought I would check the transmission oil as it seemed that the truck was not shifting into 2nd gear as well as it did when I first got it. When I did, the oild looked dirty so I decided to change it. When I pulled the plug, this is what I found.
This is what the oil looked like right afer I drained it.
This is the bottom of the pan after draining the oil, you can still see flecks of metal in there.
And this is som oil from near the bottom of the pan after it had settled for a while. After it had settled, it seamed like the oil was clean on top, but murky on the bottom, and you can see that here in this picture.
So is this excessive wear?
The truck does not have many miles on it but I know that it was used as a tow truck around a parts yard for the 5 or so years it was used before being parked. So although there are not many miles on it, I'm sure the transmission had a workout and I'm sure there was lots of idle time as well on the engine.
I have no idea if the transmission oil has ever been changed, I'm guessing that this is probably the first time since the recommended mileage to change it at is 30,000 which this truck has not reached yet.
So I was thinking to run it for a few hundred miles and then check the oil again. I can either drain it and if it looks good, with no metal flakes, I can reuse the oil again, or should I just go ahead and replace the oil one more time for good measure regardless of what it looks like?
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Looks like water. The sludge on the plug doesn't look bad. I'd fill it with cheap gear oil, run it for a few hundred miles, drain and refill. If it comes out murkey still I'd do it once more. I'd also do the same to your transfer case and diffs.
My truck was a fire truck so similar problem. Two flushes solved it and now the oil is clean, clean, clean.
My truck was a fire truck so similar problem. Two flushes solved it and now the oil is clean, clean, clean.
- Thread starter
- #48
Thanks Josh.
I have already done the transfer because I had to check to see if there was a PTO gear in there. I don't recall it being too bad otherwise I would have posted. I have added some Lucas oil to the rear diff because it looks like the pinion seal is leaking, but I have not changed it out completely. I have not done anything with the front diff yet, but I was thinking I should check the oil in there as well.
Should I also be changing the brake fluid and clutch fluid as well? I'm sure if I took it to a dealership they would tell me I should, but it all seems to work fine.
Any other fluids (coolant?) that should be changed?
I have already done the transfer because I had to check to see if there was a PTO gear in there. I don't recall it being too bad otherwise I would have posted. I have added some Lucas oil to the rear diff because it looks like the pinion seal is leaking, but I have not changed it out completely. I have not done anything with the front diff yet, but I was thinking I should check the oil in there as well.
Should I also be changing the brake fluid and clutch fluid as well? I'm sure if I took it to a dealership they would tell me I should, but it all seems to work fine.
Any other fluids (coolant?) that should be changed?
HoffLarr said:
I'd change everything myself: cheap insurance. Remember too that brake fluid attracts water and holds it in suspension. Not a bad idea to replace it every couple of years. Remember to clean out your reservoir well too as I'll bet there is some sludge in there.
- Thread starter
- #50
Body Work
OK, so it is time to start some body work. The reason it has taken me this long is because I didn't have a welder...I do now. I finally decided to just bite the bullet and went to OxyPro in Edmonton and I got the Millermatic 211. It is dual voltage so it works well for me as I don't have 220 in my garage and, although I could install a 220 outlet, it is easier to just use the 110 that I already have, and if I find that I need more heat, I can install 220.
So with that out of the way, I came home with it and set it up and that night I practiced on some old metal shelves I had. I've never really welded before, Dad's a retired welder, but I could never get the feel for stick welding. All I could ever do was make the electrode "stick". But I tried a friends MIG for a couple of inches of weld and found it not too hard. So, my practive went pretty good with no burn out so I figured why waste my time practicing when I can go straight to fixing.
I started with the easiest thing to weld on my truck; a hole that was cut in the box by some PO. It looks like it may have been to install a fuel filler, but it is so low on the box, I'm not sure that is what it was for. Maybe it was just a mistake.
In any case I decided to tackle it and it turned out not too bad. Probably would have been better if I had remembered to turn on the gas for the first dozen or so tack welds!
Can you tell which two tacks were welded with gas?
Almost all tacked up.
All ground off.
Primed side view. It's not perfect, but a little filler should make it look perfect.
Backside.
I found out from my Quality Control buddy after I had welded this that a circle is the worst shape for a patch because it shrinks the most. Had I known... Anyway, it did seem to warp the panel a bit, but I was able to just reach under and pull it out.
You may ask why I decided to go straight for the truck without more practice in case it didn't work out well and the reason is because I hate practicing on "nothing" and I thought that if I screwed up and burt a hole or something, I would just cut out a bigger chunk and do the repair after I had practiced more.
OK, so it is time to start some body work. The reason it has taken me this long is because I didn't have a welder...I do now. I finally decided to just bite the bullet and went to OxyPro in Edmonton and I got the Millermatic 211. It is dual voltage so it works well for me as I don't have 220 in my garage and, although I could install a 220 outlet, it is easier to just use the 110 that I already have, and if I find that I need more heat, I can install 220.
So with that out of the way, I came home with it and set it up and that night I practiced on some old metal shelves I had. I've never really welded before, Dad's a retired welder, but I could never get the feel for stick welding. All I could ever do was make the electrode "stick". But I tried a friends MIG for a couple of inches of weld and found it not too hard. So, my practive went pretty good with no burn out so I figured why waste my time practicing when I can go straight to fixing.
I started with the easiest thing to weld on my truck; a hole that was cut in the box by some PO. It looks like it may have been to install a fuel filler, but it is so low on the box, I'm not sure that is what it was for. Maybe it was just a mistake.
In any case I decided to tackle it and it turned out not too bad. Probably would have been better if I had remembered to turn on the gas for the first dozen or so tack welds!
Can you tell which two tacks were welded with gas?
Almost all tacked up.
All ground off.
Primed side view. It's not perfect, but a little filler should make it look perfect.
Backside.
I found out from my Quality Control buddy after I had welded this that a circle is the worst shape for a patch because it shrinks the most. Had I known... Anyway, it did seem to warp the panel a bit, but I was able to just reach under and pull it out.
You may ask why I decided to go straight for the truck without more practice in case it didn't work out well and the reason is because I hate practicing on "nothing" and I thought that if I screwed up and burt a hole or something, I would just cut out a bigger chunk and do the repair after I had practiced more.
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- Thread starter
- #51
Tailgate Repair Part 1
So on to the tailgate.
The PO had installed some tailight protectors for which he cut out the bottom of the tailgate for clearance.
I decided that this would be the next simplest place to continue with my repairs. So first I started by removing the rust around the cutouts on the tailgate. I first tried a grinder but felt that I would do more damage than good because of how the rust was in a groove. I decided that I would use muriatic acid to rid the rust. I had used it in the past on the advice of a plumber friend to try to clean out my main drain. I don't think it actually worked, but it killed a tree! So anyway, I knew I could buy it a Canadian Tire and so I went and got a gallon for $9.99.
The reason I wanted to use muriatic acid was because I was under the impression it would remove rust and paint. Found out, it didn't really touch the paint. The way I got the rust was to put some acid/water mix in a spray container and keep spraying it on the rust spots. Eventually the rust was gone.
I loved the way it worked, but since it is water-based, the flash rust was quick to arrive. I didn't want to prime because I knew I was going to weld and because I wanted to use this as a test. So I ennded up spraying a bit more acid on the flash rust and then washing with a water-based degreaser I had. I figured if I can wash parts in it and they don't rust there must be a rust preventative in it. It worked. not sure I want to do it too much though. I also cleaned a few bolts I had as well, and man do they come out clean!
Ok, so on with the repair. So I got the rust off and now I made some patch panels. At the bottom of the tailgate is where two pieces of metal are joined so it actually took 4 patch pieces. I tried to use the factory edge of the sheetmetal that I had because one of the patches is slightly smaller than the other. you will see in the picture. So I wanted a good edge.
So on to the tailgate.
The PO had installed some tailight protectors for which he cut out the bottom of the tailgate for clearance.
I decided that this would be the next simplest place to continue with my repairs. So first I started by removing the rust around the cutouts on the tailgate. I first tried a grinder but felt that I would do more damage than good because of how the rust was in a groove. I decided that I would use muriatic acid to rid the rust. I had used it in the past on the advice of a plumber friend to try to clean out my main drain. I don't think it actually worked, but it killed a tree! So anyway, I knew I could buy it a Canadian Tire and so I went and got a gallon for $9.99.
The reason I wanted to use muriatic acid was because I was under the impression it would remove rust and paint. Found out, it didn't really touch the paint. The way I got the rust was to put some acid/water mix in a spray container and keep spraying it on the rust spots. Eventually the rust was gone.
I loved the way it worked, but since it is water-based, the flash rust was quick to arrive. I didn't want to prime because I knew I was going to weld and because I wanted to use this as a test. So I ennded up spraying a bit more acid on the flash rust and then washing with a water-based degreaser I had. I figured if I can wash parts in it and they don't rust there must be a rust preventative in it. It worked. not sure I want to do it too much though. I also cleaned a few bolts I had as well, and man do they come out clean!
Ok, so on with the repair. So I got the rust off and now I made some patch panels. At the bottom of the tailgate is where two pieces of metal are joined so it actually took 4 patch pieces. I tried to use the factory edge of the sheetmetal that I had because one of the patches is slightly smaller than the other. you will see in the picture. So I wanted a good edge.
After I had the patches cut I primed the backsides with zinc primer just as a precaution.
Got them tacked up a bit.
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- Thread starter
- #52
Tailgate Repair Part 2
Ok, so I got them all tacked up.
And then ground down. The repairs are pretty good, they are somewhat lumpy; you can see on the left side. I didn't fill anywhere because the tailgate will probably be stripped at some point so there is no point is going "all the way". I just want to patch the rust and then strip and fill as necessary.
Originally the two pieces of stee were spot welded together, but because of the patch I was making I thought that the weld would hod them together and there would be no need to actually "weld" the two pieces together. When I finished though I did not like the amount of gap there was between the two pieces so I decided to drill some holes and plug weld them. had I known this earlier, I would have only had to drill one piece... But thanks to one of Awl_Teq's posts I remembered that if I put a piece of aluminum under the hole it would keep the weld in place and I have to thank him a lot, because that make it incredibly easy to do.
And the finished product. There are some voids from the plug welds, but I did not try to fill them at this point.
Ok, so I got them all tacked up.
And then ground down. The repairs are pretty good, they are somewhat lumpy; you can see on the left side. I didn't fill anywhere because the tailgate will probably be stripped at some point so there is no point is going "all the way". I just want to patch the rust and then strip and fill as necessary.
Originally the two pieces of stee were spot welded together, but because of the patch I was making I thought that the weld would hod them together and there would be no need to actually "weld" the two pieces together. When I finished though I did not like the amount of gap there was between the two pieces so I decided to drill some holes and plug weld them. had I known this earlier, I would have only had to drill one piece... But thanks to one of Awl_Teq's posts I remembered that if I put a piece of aluminum under the hole it would keep the weld in place and I have to thank him a lot, because that make it incredibly easy to do.
And the finished product. There are some voids from the plug welds, but I did not try to fill them at this point.
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- Thread starter
- #53
Tailgate Repair Part 3
OK, so here is where I am running into some questions.
The main rust on the tailgate and box is on the top side. I figure the tailgate will be a good test and practice for fixing the box. I have drilled out all of the spotwelds on the tailgate supports and the top rail and have thetop rail off.
So now I don't quite know what the best way to proceed is. Right now on the "ota" side I have cut off 2 1/4" from the top. That was the most rusted area and I could not even see the spot welds so I figured that there would be the place that I would put the patch. But after I got it apart and started to really look at it, I am nor sure if I should just lop 6" off the top (orange line) or should I just chop out as little steel as possible (blue line). The "toy" side of the gate is not that bad as you can see from the pics and the front is not as bad at the back, but the rust right above the first "T" although it has not affected the font, it is quite deep on the back. I think I could leave it in, but I would have to fill it. I'm just wondering if I am going through all this work if I should just remove as much rust as I can.
Another question I have is whether it is better to weld the top rail back on to the patch piece(s) and then to the gate in order to give it some rigidity and keep it from warping. Is this a good idea?
OK, so here is where I am running into some questions.
The main rust on the tailgate and box is on the top side. I figure the tailgate will be a good test and practice for fixing the box. I have drilled out all of the spotwelds on the tailgate supports and the top rail and have thetop rail off.
So now I don't quite know what the best way to proceed is. Right now on the "ota" side I have cut off 2 1/4" from the top. That was the most rusted area and I could not even see the spot welds so I figured that there would be the place that I would put the patch. But after I got it apart and started to really look at it, I am nor sure if I should just lop 6" off the top (orange line) or should I just chop out as little steel as possible (blue line). The "toy" side of the gate is not that bad as you can see from the pics and the front is not as bad at the back, but the rust right above the first "T" although it has not affected the font, it is quite deep on the back. I think I could leave it in, but I would have to fill it. I'm just wondering if I am going through all this work if I should just remove as much rust as I can.
Another question I have is whether it is better to weld the top rail back on to the patch piece(s) and then to the gate in order to give it some rigidity and keep it from warping. Is this a good idea?
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Looking good! The tail gate is a tough call, cleanest would be the orange line (less warping I'd think). My 2 cents.
-Daniel Kent
-Daniel Kent
Cut the tailgate to protect plastic tail lights? Gotta love POs..... Nice work on the repair.
Your build is making me want to go and find another 45 to start on.
It looks real good.
When I did my LWB it was so much more easier to just have it all sand blasted then start on the cutting out the rust and welding patches, went much faster and I could see some area that looked okay with the paint on but when blasted told another story. Keep the work
oh and on the tailgate cut, I to had to cut out a bit almost like yours and I made it more like the orange line you have. I have a 2' x 3"x 1/4" flat of copper that I clamped to the back side with my new patch to help in keeping it from warping and keeping it straight. Best tool for welding sheet metal.
.
Had to run earlier but a few more pics of the mounts
It looks real good.
When I did my LWB it was so much more easier to just have it all sand blasted then start on the cutting out the rust and welding patches, went much faster and I could see some area that looked okay with the paint on but when blasted told another story. Keep the work
oh and on the tailgate cut, I to had to cut out a bit almost like yours and I made it more like the orange line you have. I have a 2' x 3"x 1/4" flat of copper that I clamped to the back side with my new patch to help in keeping it from warping and keeping it straight. Best tool for welding sheet metal.
.
Had to run earlier but a few more pics of the mounts
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- Thread starter
- #57
Thanks for the comments guys.
I guess for the PO it was worth it to not have to keep replacing lenses. Actually, it was not that diffiult to repair and it is on the bottom so no will probably even notice any imperfections. It was good practice.
I have not blasted my bed because I don't think it will be necessary. My biggest problem is going to be paint removal as most of the rust is limited to the top along the rails, just like the tailgate, although I would say the tailgate is the worst. I have found a product yesterday that I am going to check into that says it can remove paint and rust at the same time and not harm rubber, plastic, etc. and it is supposed to be environmentally friendly.
I have a question about your bed love2fly. In your third picture with all of the bed pieces, those two crossrails both have two mounts on each side. Did it come like that or can you tell that an extra set was added. The reason I ask, is because the front mounts on my bed do not line up with the frame mounts (see pic in post #4) and it looks like the inside set on yours would line up for me. What year is your bed? I don't know the year of my bed; it is not original to the truck, that is why I ask.
I guess for the PO it was worth it to not have to keep replacing lenses. Actually, it was not that diffiult to repair and it is on the bottom so no will probably even notice any imperfections. It was good practice.
I have not blasted my bed because I don't think it will be necessary. My biggest problem is going to be paint removal as most of the rust is limited to the top along the rails, just like the tailgate, although I would say the tailgate is the worst. I have found a product yesterday that I am going to check into that says it can remove paint and rust at the same time and not harm rubber, plastic, etc. and it is supposed to be environmentally friendly.
I have a question about your bed love2fly. In your third picture with all of the bed pieces, those two crossrails both have two mounts on each side. Did it come like that or can you tell that an extra set was added. The reason I ask, is because the front mounts on my bed do not line up with the frame mounts (see pic in post #4) and it looks like the inside set on yours would line up for me. What year is your bed? I don't know the year of my bed; it is not original to the truck, that is why I ask.
- Thread starter
- #58
So, I ended up cutting the tailgate on the orange line, about 1/4" from the raised stamped part. Made myself a patch piece and started tacking (sounds simple, but it'e really time-consuming).
I think it's going to work out fine. I have the top rail clamped in place for support and I also have an 1 1/2" piece of aluminum angle clamped under the joint. At this point I am using the large Vice Grips to hold the piece of aluminum tight while I tack that spot, then move them to another spot. I'll just do this until I feel confident that it is all ligned up.
It worked out pretty wel as I am lining up the back side with the aluminum so that the patch is flush with the original metal, and on the front side the patch seems to be a bit proud, maybe because of grinding off the paint, but this does not matter as it will get filled with weld and whatever does not get filled with weld can get a skim coat of filler.
I think it's going to work out fine. I have the top rail clamped in place for support and I also have an 1 1/2" piece of aluminum angle clamped under the joint. At this point I am using the large Vice Grips to hold the piece of aluminum tight while I tack that spot, then move them to another spot. I'll just do this until I feel confident that it is all ligned up.
It worked out pretty wel as I am lining up the back side with the aluminum so that the patch is flush with the original metal, and on the front side the patch seems to be a bit proud, maybe because of grinding off the paint, but this does not matter as it will get filled with weld and whatever does not get filled with weld can get a skim coat of filler.
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Nice work Larry.
I was hoping to tackle my box this summer but I'm quickly running out of time.
At least the tailgate can be done indoors during the winter. My shop is too crowded to take the whole box inside.
Oh yeah, I think the clean welds are with gas. 7, 9 and the last one going counter clockwise.
I was hoping to tackle my box this summer but I'm quickly running out of time.
At least the tailgate can be done indoors during the winter. My shop is too crowded to take the whole box inside.
Oh yeah, I think the clean welds are with gas. 7, 9 and the last one going counter clockwise.
HoffLarr, the history also for me on my bed is pretty much none. I know that the truck came to the US without a bed, I think it had a tray, then somewhere in Tennessee installed the unknown year bed. The mounts that work were installed (just the two front rails) with bolts and some real hideous welding but if I remove them I would have to cut the mounts to where I would not be able to reuse them so I just left them in place with a little grinding and welding. The other originals as yours do not line up with the frame. You can weld some up and install some mounts as you are getting pretty good with the welding.
I did use 1" tall round rubber mounts when I installed the bed to keep it from metal to metal. Sorry I can't be of more help.
I did use 1" tall round rubber mounts when I installed the bed to keep it from metal to metal. Sorry I can't be of more help.
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