..... but it's a dry cold
Is it possible to do a $0 2F--3B swap in a 40? Follow along and see!
- Thread starter MrMoMo
- Start date
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MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #142
Haha, yeah I have thinsulate mechanics gloves, and plenty of touques.... But it's not like I have to be out there... I've changed my BJ60 alternator in my driveway at -35. Not fun!
I'll kick on my salamander tomorrow and get a few hours in!
I'll kick on my salamander tomorrow and get a few hours in!
I hear you. I have my 62 apart right now but it's my daily driver. I'll be putting my diff in next week lying on cold cement. that's no fun. at least it's in a garage I can turn the heat on for a few hours. as much as I want to be working on the 40 it's not so much fun in this cold! I'll be following your thread here. your doing great work!
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #144
Ok, so got a tiny bit done - pulled out the front two spring hangers and swapped in my greaseable replacements from Cruiser Corps. Much more beefcake...
Here is a side by side old (OEM) vs new.... Pretty happy for the $17 or so that they cost!
And of course, proof... Had to do a little die grinding of excess zinc from the galvanizing, and ratchet straps to pull everything into allignment. Got started on the rear as well, but got to the point where working in -5C was getting old fast... So I decided to leave the rears for another day.
I'm leaving the bolts out for now as it's likely all coming apart again in the spring. I haven't 100% decided but I'm leaning towards painting chassis saver over the galvanizing, and want to do the springs and axles as well.
Here is a side by side old (OEM) vs new.... Pretty happy for the $17 or so that they cost!
And of course, proof... Had to do a little die grinding of excess zinc from the galvanizing, and ratchet straps to pull everything into allignment. Got started on the rear as well, but got to the point where working in -5C was getting old fast... So I decided to leave the rears for another day.
I'm leaving the bolts out for now as it's likely all coming apart again in the spring. I haven't 100% decided but I'm leaning towards painting chassis saver over the galvanizing, and want to do the springs and axles as well.
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #145
IH8WINTER...
So, I formally declare hibernation. Something about working in an un-heated shop is super un-motivational. I have a 4 day weekend this weekend and if this was summer I would be tearing into the 40. Instead I find myself staring at it and not really doing much of anything at all. That said - in the two or so hours I spent in the shop this afternoon - I did manage to get the two rear spring pins fully into place (a bit of a battle) and got the body rolled back into place, and back up on the hoist.
No desire to do anything further at this point.... Not until things warm up a little.
Not exactly sure what my next step is going to be - I have to replace the rear quarters and rear sill - and want to keep everything ridgid and in the right place while I do it. I figure sitting the body back on the frame, and keeping it as intact as possible for this is likely the best, but is that possible, or will things twist with the weight of the side panels and roof, when there are no quarter panels on it??
Plan B would be to keep the body on the hoist - remove the ambulance doors, build a 2-piece brace that bolts to the upper and lower hinge holes (an X that splits in the middle) then start with the sill. Once the sill is solid, then drop it back onto the frame and brace the lower half of the X to the firewall... Then remove the roof, doors, side walls etc...
Thoughts?
So, I formally declare hibernation. Something about working in an un-heated shop is super un-motivational. I have a 4 day weekend this weekend and if this was summer I would be tearing into the 40. Instead I find myself staring at it and not really doing much of anything at all. That said - in the two or so hours I spent in the shop this afternoon - I did manage to get the two rear spring pins fully into place (a bit of a battle) and got the body rolled back into place, and back up on the hoist.
No desire to do anything further at this point.... Not until things warm up a little.
Not exactly sure what my next step is going to be - I have to replace the rear quarters and rear sill - and want to keep everything ridgid and in the right place while I do it. I figure sitting the body back on the frame, and keeping it as intact as possible for this is likely the best, but is that possible, or will things twist with the weight of the side panels and roof, when there are no quarter panels on it??
Plan B would be to keep the body on the hoist - remove the ambulance doors, build a 2-piece brace that bolts to the upper and lower hinge holes (an X that splits in the middle) then start with the sill. Once the sill is solid, then drop it back onto the frame and brace the lower half of the X to the firewall... Then remove the roof, doors, side walls etc...
Thoughts?
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #146
Suck it up buttercup.....
Ok, that's enough of that... Put two hours in out in the shop today, started with tearing the ambulance doors off, then the DS and PS doors off, and got the hood off. Took about two dozen pics and measurements of the main support beam (where the front floor pan ties to the front of the mid floor... ) Also took a good look at the rear sill.... Or where it used to be. Thankfully I still appear to have one good corner, so I can copy that to make my new part. After that I set the body back down on the frame (on some small blocks) so that I can make a few braces, and get towards removing the roof and side walls.
Here is what I got for dimensions of the center beam... Excuse the digital chicken scratch.... Part is as you would see it if the truck was upside down...
If anyone has more accurate (or corrected) measurements from what I have below I would appreciate it!
(Some of these dimensions are taken from theoretical points, as they don't exist on my truck!)
What I have dimensioned above is the best I can determine from what is left there, and the shape I have seen from the amazing work that @Senior has done in his one owner BJ40 rebuild thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/one-owner-bj40-rebuild.828738/
So here is how it sits now....
And some of the nastiness underneath!! (Most of my pics are just close ups with tape measures, but this one gives the idea... Other than the main support beam and the rear sill, much of the back underneath is pretty decent. Not perfect for sure, but it could have been much, much worse. Here is the passenger side body mount on the main beam.... Or what's left of it.
Ok, that's enough of that... Put two hours in out in the shop today, started with tearing the ambulance doors off, then the DS and PS doors off, and got the hood off. Took about two dozen pics and measurements of the main support beam (where the front floor pan ties to the front of the mid floor... ) Also took a good look at the rear sill.... Or where it used to be. Thankfully I still appear to have one good corner, so I can copy that to make my new part. After that I set the body back down on the frame (on some small blocks) so that I can make a few braces, and get towards removing the roof and side walls.
Here is what I got for dimensions of the center beam... Excuse the digital chicken scratch.... Part is as you would see it if the truck was upside down...
If anyone has more accurate (or corrected) measurements from what I have below I would appreciate it!
(Some of these dimensions are taken from theoretical points, as they don't exist on my truck!)
What I have dimensioned above is the best I can determine from what is left there, and the shape I have seen from the amazing work that @Senior has done in his one owner BJ40 rebuild thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/one-owner-bj40-rebuild.828738/
So here is how it sits now....
And some of the nastiness underneath!! (Most of my pics are just close ups with tape measures, but this one gives the idea... Other than the main support beam and the rear sill, much of the back underneath is pretty decent. Not perfect for sure, but it could have been much, much worse. Here is the passenger side body mount on the main beam.... Or what's left of it.
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MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #147
Tuesday night special:
One more hour can't hurt anyone right... Decided to clean out/ clean up the inside since I'd need all the stuff out to do bodywork, and see what I have to fix.
Not sure what the previous "resto-mod" had used, but the box liner they used on the interior floor is nasty brittle and not stuck worth a crap. That of course is a recipe for moisture to get trapped and you know what that means.
So I attacked the drivers side floor pan, I believe this is the worst area of the body - a few holes at the front, and the rear outboard corner is gone - but for the most part repairable... Pile of brittle box liner in the center - could be crushed into dust/chips by hand...
Also got 95% of the carpet ripped out of the rear - nice to see the floor under it seems in pretty decent shape. Still need to vacuum all the crap out and give it a good hard scrape to find any soft spots.
Hopefully by the weekend I'm ready to attack the rear sill and pull the top off.....
One more hour can't hurt anyone right... Decided to clean out/ clean up the inside since I'd need all the stuff out to do bodywork, and see what I have to fix.
Not sure what the previous "resto-mod" had used, but the box liner they used on the interior floor is nasty brittle and not stuck worth a crap. That of course is a recipe for moisture to get trapped and you know what that means.
So I attacked the drivers side floor pan, I believe this is the worst area of the body - a few holes at the front, and the rear outboard corner is gone - but for the most part repairable... Pile of brittle box liner in the center - could be crushed into dust/chips by hand...
Also got 95% of the carpet ripped out of the rear - nice to see the floor under it seems in pretty decent shape. Still need to vacuum all the crap out and give it a good hard scrape to find any soft spots.
Hopefully by the weekend I'm ready to attack the rear sill and pull the top off.....
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #148
Never give up....
So, thanks to a reduced number of sales at work, I now get 3 day weekends (unfortunately less pay to go along with it, but could be worse). So - today I managed to get quite a bit done.
I started with removing all the screws for the fiberglass portion of the top. Thankfully one of the previous owners (I believe the one I bought it from) replaced all the fasteners with 316SS so nothing was corroded or stuck. Interestingly - it's not just 316SS but ASTM F-593, which is what leads me to believe it was the previous owner (generally a military spec grade of 316 - which we also happen to use at work due to that requirement). So needless to say the removal was pretty simple and straightforward!
Next up was the windshield. I popped the top up high enough to fold the frame down.... But apparently the hinges had other plans. Totally and completely frozen. So next logical step was to un-screw them. Right - so I thought. Hearing stories about these being a pain, I went in slightly prepared. Luckily I was able to hit the back of all of them with some PB blaster - yes, even the upper ones since my frame has a nice hole in each inside corner (plugged) courtesy of the local Rust Check (they use it to spray the rust treatment inside hollow spaces). So after a quick soak I broke out my impact driver and started wailing on the bolts. Most of them came free with a few good smacks, but unfortunately someone before me appears to have tried by hand, and had started to strip a few heads. I managed to get all of them free but one, which was starting to round out. My pounding on it only made the rounding out worse, but I told myself not to give up until it was totally stripped out. Of course this was on the drivers side front face - so I was bent backwards over the wheel, holding the impact driver in my left hand from below.... Not the best positioning. After a dozen or so smacks and still no movement it looked like the head was toast, but I was able to remove some of the balling up material and clean out the outer edges of the original cross. Then I took the bit out of my impact driver and hammered it directly into the screw to drive it all the way in. About another dozen whollaps and I heard some stuff hit the floor and thought I saw the screw move.... Nope - just my impact driver blowing apart and the bearings rolling across the floor!!! Managed to find all the parts and scab it back together with a hose clamp band aid, and after a further dozen or so beatings THE SCREW CAME OUT!!! I thought for sure I would be welding a nut to this one, but I guess perseverance paid off this time! Not much left of this screw head!!
Next I removed the DS jump seat and awaited for the arrival of cruiser assistance from @moosecruiser (Mike) to lift the top off. (We were going to pull the front DS from his HJ60 but his re-build is still lacking some parts)
Since everything was un-done or pre-loosened - it was only a matter of minutes to go from this:
To this:
(Note to self - drive it like this when done!)
I was happily surprised at the condition of everything underneath - a little surface rust in the rear corners and center of the windshield - but could have been far worse! Window frame is almost perfect and sides need only the repairs that I could see from the outside before it all came apart. The gasket for the roof top is in great shape, along with the one that goes below the front window. Will for sure need a new one under each of the sides!
Window frame bottom...
More pics momentarily......
So, thanks to a reduced number of sales at work, I now get 3 day weekends (unfortunately less pay to go along with it, but could be worse). So - today I managed to get quite a bit done.
I started with removing all the screws for the fiberglass portion of the top. Thankfully one of the previous owners (I believe the one I bought it from) replaced all the fasteners with 316SS so nothing was corroded or stuck. Interestingly - it's not just 316SS but ASTM F-593, which is what leads me to believe it was the previous owner (generally a military spec grade of 316 - which we also happen to use at work due to that requirement). So needless to say the removal was pretty simple and straightforward!
Next up was the windshield. I popped the top up high enough to fold the frame down.... But apparently the hinges had other plans. Totally and completely frozen. So next logical step was to un-screw them. Right - so I thought. Hearing stories about these being a pain, I went in slightly prepared. Luckily I was able to hit the back of all of them with some PB blaster - yes, even the upper ones since my frame has a nice hole in each inside corner (plugged) courtesy of the local Rust Check (they use it to spray the rust treatment inside hollow spaces). So after a quick soak I broke out my impact driver and started wailing on the bolts. Most of them came free with a few good smacks, but unfortunately someone before me appears to have tried by hand, and had started to strip a few heads. I managed to get all of them free but one, which was starting to round out. My pounding on it only made the rounding out worse, but I told myself not to give up until it was totally stripped out. Of course this was on the drivers side front face - so I was bent backwards over the wheel, holding the impact driver in my left hand from below.... Not the best positioning. After a dozen or so smacks and still no movement it looked like the head was toast, but I was able to remove some of the balling up material and clean out the outer edges of the original cross. Then I took the bit out of my impact driver and hammered it directly into the screw to drive it all the way in. About another dozen whollaps and I heard some stuff hit the floor and thought I saw the screw move.... Nope - just my impact driver blowing apart and the bearings rolling across the floor!!! Managed to find all the parts and scab it back together with a hose clamp band aid, and after a further dozen or so beatings THE SCREW CAME OUT!!! I thought for sure I would be welding a nut to this one, but I guess perseverance paid off this time! Not much left of this screw head!!
Next I removed the DS jump seat and awaited for the arrival of cruiser assistance from @moosecruiser (Mike) to lift the top off. (We were going to pull the front DS from his HJ60 but his re-build is still lacking some parts)
Since everything was un-done or pre-loosened - it was only a matter of minutes to go from this:
To this:
(Note to self - drive it like this when done!)
I was happily surprised at the condition of everything underneath - a little surface rust in the rear corners and center of the windshield - but could have been far worse! Window frame is almost perfect and sides need only the repairs that I could see from the outside before it all came apart. The gasket for the roof top is in great shape, along with the one that goes below the front window. Will for sure need a new one under each of the sides!
Window frame bottom...
More pics momentarily......
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #149
Top sides of the tub.... Nothing a little welding/grinding can't fix...
Drivers side;
Passenger side;
Also made a brace - bolted across the back at the lower hinges - before I took it all apart. Next step is cutting out and re- building the rear sill.... Once that's in place the brace can come back out again and the rear quarters will come off
That's all for today!
Drivers side;
Passenger side;
Also made a brace - bolted across the back at the lower hinges - before I took it all apart. Next step is cutting out and re- building the rear sill.... Once that's in place the brace can come back out again and the rear quarters will come off
That's all for today!
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Looking good, seeing progress is good for the morale
For a much better , proper fitting impact driver and screwdrivers in general that actually fit Japanese JIS standard screws -
www.vesseltools.com
IH8MUD is a coupon code for us...
The impact driver they have is about the best quality I've seen yet , better than Snap On or anyone else . Also , their bits are about the toughest steel I've found in tools - holding up quite well and I use a very big hammer .
Sarge
www.vesseltools.com
IH8MUD is a coupon code for us...
The impact driver they have is about the best quality I've seen yet , better than Snap On or anyone else . Also , their bits are about the toughest steel I've found in tools - holding up quite well and I use a very big hammer .
Sarge
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #152
Its been a long long long, time in coming...... Well worth the wait...
I've known the rear sill was shot since I bought the truck, because it had the aluminum patch panel over it - but I didn't know it was this far gone.... Started by drilling out the rivets and removing the aluminum panel. Found some "aluma-moulded" fiberglass under it. I guess it was a good method at the time.... Glop some wet glass in place then compress it to shape with the aluminum... Hey - it did last quite a few years! Attacked the crusty glass with a screwdriver to break it all out:
Not much of the sill left under it after that!
Broke out my new spot weld cutter from Eastwood - this thing rocks! (Not counted in the page 1 cost tally as it was a Christmas gift). I highly recommend this tool to anyone doing bodywork on a 40! (Hope I don't have more than "hundreds" of spot welds!
Managed to find all the old welds on what was left of the sill and remove it from the floor pan:
Part 2 to come in a moment....
I've known the rear sill was shot since I bought the truck, because it had the aluminum patch panel over it - but I didn't know it was this far gone.... Started by drilling out the rivets and removing the aluminum panel. Found some "aluma-moulded" fiberglass under it. I guess it was a good method at the time.... Glop some wet glass in place then compress it to shape with the aluminum... Hey - it did last quite a few years! Attacked the crusty glass with a screwdriver to break it all out:
Not much of the sill left under it after that!
Broke out my new spot weld cutter from Eastwood - this thing rocks! (Not counted in the page 1 cost tally as it was a Christmas gift). I highly recommend this tool to anyone doing bodywork on a 40! (Hope I don't have more than "hundreds" of spot welds!
Managed to find all the old welds on what was left of the sill and remove it from the floor pan:
Part 2 to come in a moment....
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #153
She ain't pretty she just looks that way...
After removing what was left of the sill, I decided that the last inch or so of the bed was a little ratty and wavy.... Figured I should at least remove some and make it strong enough to attach to a new rear sill. Well, I went to grab some of my angle stock to scribe a line and had an idea... Why not use the angle AS the replacement - would be much stiffer than just a flat piece of sheet, and then I could clamp the new rear sill to the flange to get everything lined up perfectly. Grabbed a piece of my stock (old Yamaha outboard engine crates) and what do you know - exactly the bed width, and exactly the right depth to line up with the factory bed stamping.
Trimmed the bed off at the edge of the stamping:
Switched my welder over to "bodywork" mode since I'm not welding frame stuff anymore. Down from 0.035 to 0.024 wire - welds MUCH nicer with 0.024!
Clamped it to get it flush as I went and tacked the angle in place:
Next I filled the gaps between the tacks until it was all filled in... Because my cut wasn't perfectly straight (done with a grinder) some places - where it was tight - I could lay down short 1" beads pushing, other places I had to spot tack pulling - kind of looks like TIG. Didn't care much as it was all getting ground off in the end...
Ground it all down and finished it off with a flap disc. When I get to the underside tub repairs (main beam) and the tub is upside down, I will weld and dress the bottom side so it doesn't trap moisture.
Hey, I can attach 6 pics.... (Galvanized frame behind/below the back kind of messes with the picture) no, it's not crooked, the body is not square on the frame - it's just sitting on wood blocks right now...
I left the last 2" or so on the outer ends not welded as I will be making a small patch in each corner of the floor...
Part 3 momentarily...
After removing what was left of the sill, I decided that the last inch or so of the bed was a little ratty and wavy.... Figured I should at least remove some and make it strong enough to attach to a new rear sill. Well, I went to grab some of my angle stock to scribe a line and had an idea... Why not use the angle AS the replacement - would be much stiffer than just a flat piece of sheet, and then I could clamp the new rear sill to the flange to get everything lined up perfectly. Grabbed a piece of my stock (old Yamaha outboard engine crates) and what do you know - exactly the bed width, and exactly the right depth to line up with the factory bed stamping.
Trimmed the bed off at the edge of the stamping:
Switched my welder over to "bodywork" mode since I'm not welding frame stuff anymore. Down from 0.035 to 0.024 wire - welds MUCH nicer with 0.024!
Clamped it to get it flush as I went and tacked the angle in place:
Next I filled the gaps between the tacks until it was all filled in... Because my cut wasn't perfectly straight (done with a grinder) some places - where it was tight - I could lay down short 1" beads pushing, other places I had to spot tack pulling - kind of looks like TIG. Didn't care much as it was all getting ground off in the end...
Ground it all down and finished it off with a flap disc. When I get to the underside tub repairs (main beam) and the tub is upside down, I will weld and dress the bottom side so it doesn't trap moisture.
Hey, I can attach 6 pics.... (Galvanized frame behind/below the back kind of messes with the picture) no, it's not crooked, the body is not square on the frame - it's just sitting on wood blocks right now...
I left the last 2" or so on the outer ends not welded as I will be making a small patch in each corner of the floor...
Part 3 momentarily...
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #154
Bottom lip quivers, rage is so apparent - Don't know whether to kill or cry...
So this spot on the wheel well caught my eye - it was under the carpet so previous to carpet removal I was un-aware of its presence. Happens to be right where the jump seat forward bolt is. Want to see what happens when you poke things with a screwdriver?
Presto! No metal here!
Oh! Look, a tire inspection hatch... Guess I'll be doing a little patchwork here as well. Unfortunately, it's not the only spot like this on the wheel well tops, but nothing complex...
People, for the sake of all things holy... Please don't ever patch structural areas with fibreglass!
Oh, and I have one "all original OEM" (not the same as all there) rear sill for sale - needs some refurbishment....
At least I have this to make a template from!!!
Ok, all for now! Need to get some thin wall 2-1/4" box tube to crank out a sill...
(But bonus points for someone who can make the connection between the titles of these 3 posts... And double bonus for the connection between 2 of them and me....)
So this spot on the wheel well caught my eye - it was under the carpet so previous to carpet removal I was un-aware of its presence. Happens to be right where the jump seat forward bolt is. Want to see what happens when you poke things with a screwdriver?
Presto! No metal here!
Oh! Look, a tire inspection hatch... Guess I'll be doing a little patchwork here as well. Unfortunately, it's not the only spot like this on the wheel well tops, but nothing complex...
People, for the sake of all things holy... Please don't ever patch structural areas with fibreglass!
Oh, and I have one "all original OEM" (not the same as all there) rear sill for sale - needs some refurbishment....
At least I have this to make a template from!!!
Ok, all for now! Need to get some thin wall 2-1/4" box tube to crank out a sill...
(But bonus points for someone who can make the connection between the titles of these 3 posts... And double bonus for the connection between 2 of them and me....)
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nice progress, Bruce ...
lol ... you have good taste in music ... Canadian bands ... one's my favourite i.e. the Hip (lyrics in the 1st post title) ... two of them are from where i went to school i.e. Kingston (and in your neighbourhood, I think) ...
lol ... you have good taste in music ... Canadian bands ... one's my favourite i.e. the Hip (lyrics in the 1st post title) ... two of them are from where i went to school i.e. Kingston (and in your neighbourhood, I think) ...
If you do get a set of Vessel's drivers in your hand - the rest you own are doom . I haven't picked up another style or brand driver of mine since buying the JIS drivers - now I own several sets and have them in both trucks and all my tool boxes .
Even have some of their impact driver bits - those are awesome . If you call Dan @ Vessel he can sell small quantities and variations of those bits - I got 10 of each #2 & #3 JIS cross heads . They fit Philips so tight you can break screws all day long and never damage the driver bit .
Did I mention I really like their tools ??
Sarge
Even have some of their impact driver bits - those are awesome . If you call Dan @ Vessel he can sell small quantities and variations of those bits - I got 10 of each #2 & #3 JIS cross heads . They fit Philips so tight you can break screws all day long and never damage the driver bit .
Did I mention I really like their tools ??
Sarge
MrMoMo
That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
- Thread starter
- #159
Happy Thursday.... (Just because)
Rear sill on the way!
Spent a bit of time on Tuesday night as well as tonight, even snuck in 20 minutes on Wednesday... But so far I have under $30 and about 2 hours into my new rear sill. (Including measuring 6 times). Pre-galvanized, almost the right size off the shelf... Not the most fun to weld but can't beat the price...
Should be done the main beam tomorrow and starting on the "wings"
A few "in progress" pics...
Seam above notch is welded and ground down, just need to finish the seam below the notch and the seam across the bottom of the back..
Rear sill on the way!
Spent a bit of time on Tuesday night as well as tonight, even snuck in 20 minutes on Wednesday... But so far I have under $30 and about 2 hours into my new rear sill. (Including measuring 6 times). Pre-galvanized, almost the right size off the shelf... Not the most fun to weld but can't beat the price...
Should be done the main beam tomorrow and starting on the "wings"
A few "in progress" pics...
Seam above notch is welded and ground down, just need to finish the seam below the notch and the seam across the bottom of the back..
If haven't done it - clean that galvanizing off first - and use some serious air flow when welding it , the stuff is horribly poisonous when welded . Those fumes will do you no good at all .
Looks like you're getting there .
Sarge
Looks like you're getting there .
Sarge
