Builds Intro: Ugly Betty(so far)

[tmarx]

With less than 3 weeks before our next trip the pressure is on to try and finish the roof.This afternoon the rain-gutter kit that I bought from SouthbostonFJ got welded together. Fitment was good ..

Trimming and drilling the new holes

All done and ready for the next step

 

[tmarx]

Today I started on the dreaded roof itself ..

I lost count how many pop rivets I had to remove but found the best way of doing it, was to grind the heads off and then punching them with a center punch before drilling them out. I also found traces of bondo on the underside of the old gutter

I thought removing the rivets would be a PITA but it was nothing compared to the seam sealer ...

All done bar the W/S piece that will only be done later

The old bits

 

[tmarx]

Today I removed the last of the old seam sealer all around the edge of the fiberglass roof cap.Then it was time to see if it would fit into the gutter frame - I was a bit concerned as I have had to cut and reweld the front of the frame 3 times already

Moment of truth

The problem frontal area now sorted

Then I removed the W/S channeling

Questions: Would Sikaflex without rivets be strong enough to hold the F/G cap to the gutter and the W/S channeling ?

Do I fit that W/S channel piece first or can I fit it after attaching the gutter to the F/G cap ?

 

[tmarx]

Although the gutter was covered in good quality primer(no signs of corrosion after 2 years storage) my addiction to "Rust Bullet" won again ...

Make shift spray booth

I eventually decided to attach the FG cap using a combination of sealant and blind/sealed poprivets.However instead of using Sikaflex I opted for the Wurth corresponding product as it is also MCU and Xylene based, making it ideally compatible with the Rust Bullet.

All sealed and back into the frame ready for the rivet holes to be drilled - first 3mm and then 4 mm

For the riveting I had managed to secure a pneumatic riveter from a buddy who owns a well known shop.Unfortunately someone seemingly forgot to inform the staff, so when I arrived it was safely locked away and the keys MIA! I can confirm that there are exactly 127 of those little buggers in total ...

And suddenly none of my buddies answered their phones !

Finished at last

I will do the self leveling seamsealer that SouthbostonFJ supplied in the next day or two but I doubt if there will be enough time to paint the roof before our trip next week but who cares - the worst is done !

 

[tmarx]

A small update in between the roof resto ...

License plate lights are now working

Speakers for the newly upholstered full doors

And finally ...

To: Dad

From : Dad

 

[crushers]

oooh, i like that decal.
nice and subtle ... perfect.

 

[tmarx]

Thanks Wayne !
Initially I thought white but after seeing it in daylight I was glad I went with the grey as it is very subtle and you can actually see why 6H9 is called Olive Grey/Greyish Olive

Ok so the integral A/C compressor is just running the serpentine belt at the moment. I made a blanking plate but have a question: What type of oil and how much of it do I drop in there before blanking it off ?

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Now for the good part ...
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The top came out nice but the sides of the gutter is still absolutely crap from the seam sealer etc - I just simply ran out of time and willl redo it after our trip this week - I now don't like painting anymore .


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New hardware as usual ..


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BUT after a long 4.5 years ...


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It felt real strange driving her with a top on ... BUT goooood

 

[Falco80]

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It felt real strange driving her with a top on ... BUT goooood

^^Awesome^^
Wow, that roof looks fantastic Theo. I like the decal too, it's a nice touch.

 

[thetoyotaman]

If it's a new A/C Compressor, they usually come with oil in them already. Otherwise, you can usually find online what oil came in a particular vehicle originally. Its not good to mix and match compressor oils.

 

[boozewz]

Awesome job Theo. This may rank as one of my favorite Cruisers on mud.

Well done!!

Can't wait to see pics of the legends trip.

 

[35snmud]

Really nice job

 

[crushers]

with the hard top on, that baby is ... well ... as said by another earlier, one of the nicest 40s on Mud.
congrats.

 

[lostmarbles]

Your diesel badge must come off now Theo!

And you're banned from posting in the diesel section forthwith!

 

[tmarx]

Thank you for all the kind words - they a very much appreciated !


Tom, what took you so long ?

 

[Chamba]

Still my favourite 42 on mud. Nice work!

 

[tmarx]

Thanks mate !


A few pics from our trip to the Eastern Cape.


Our meeting place was a small town called Lady Grey.




from here we spent the next week or so, basically driving mostly in circles while navigating the infamous 8 mountain passes of the Eastern Cape...




Camping spots varied from wild to mild ...








Sometimes less than 700m from the Lesotho border and at Alpine altitudes ..




The scenery was spectacular





Ever seen a hole in a mountain ?














In ZA snow is a bit of a novelty so ....











on the rocks in more ways than one ..














Lunch stop





And JT(Teebag) sporting his birthday present




4500 km of pure fun !

 

[lostmarbles]

Not a bad set of photos Theo.

 

[crushers]

sooo,
why the KIWI Tshirt in Cape town?

 

[dancar]

Theo,

It's always great to re-read your thread and witness your amazing build.

Trip scenery is amazing.

Dan

 

[lostmarbles]

sooo,
why the KIWI Tshirt in Cape town?

We are infiltrating EVERYWHERE!

(The Aussis are getting more than their fair share of us ... but then they're only a hop skip and a jump away.)

Soon there will be no-one left at home.