I've decided to keep it

[mtnmort]

As the title says, I have decided to keep my $250 cruiser. I borrowed the plasma cutter from work today and started cutting rust out.
My game plan:
First the sides of the cruiser have dropped about an inch or so, so I have cut out the rockers and the 1x3 piece above the rockers and will go to wasatch steel to buy replacement pieces. The door pillars are good ,and most if not all the rust is from the bottom of the doors and down. I will install the rockers with the 1x3 above it so that I can push the rest of the body back up where it belongs so that I can replace the floor supports. I need to take the gas tank out, which wouldn't be hard since only two of the four bolts are still there, and I will start at the rear end and work forward. this is after the rockers.

Here are a few questions that I have:
1) Is it bad to weld one piece of steel tubing on top of another, and should I treat the surface that contacts each other.
2) How thick of tubing should I buy for the sliders?
3) Instead of painting in between the steel tubing, should I use something like body panel glue because it has rust inhibitors in it?

Thanks for all the help that I got before purchasing this rig. I am really excited to have another FJ55. I have regretted ever selling the one I had.

Here are the sliders cut out

the Floor that was cut out in the back.

And here is the door section and where the rockers are being replaced

suggestions are always welcome, because this is the first body work I have ever done, so it will be a good learning experience.

 

[romegadave]

Mtnmort,
Congrats on your decision. I'm in the same situation but don't have access to the necessary tools to cut out the dreaded rust. Will keep watching your progress in 09, Dave

 

[mtnmort]

this will be a lot of fun. Lil'John I read your post about the rockers, they look good. I may have to put steps on mine as well in the future.
romegadave it looks like you have the start of a good pig.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Here are a few questions that I have:
1) Is it bad to weld one piece of steel tubing on top of another, and should I treat the surface that contacts each other.

You need to treat the 'in-between' area somehow. I assume you meant 'sheet' and not 'tubing' but either way you can use weld thru primer and then shoot some paint inside if you have access. Some use wax.

2) How thick of tubing should I buy for the sliders?

3/16" - you will crush anything thinner

3) Instead of painting in between the steel tubing, should I use something like body panel glue because it has rust inhibitors in it?

I would weld

Looking at the picture above you need to keep cutting - and then cut some more. All that metal in the floors has to come out. It is paper thin and too thin to weld to. The front bench seat mounts probably need to come out and the metal underneath them needs to be replaced. Take a wire wheel to those floors (top and bottom) and once the rust is ALL gone see how much metal is left. If you don't have good clean metal to weld to it will be a PITA.

Same comment here - keep on cutting. That whole door sill needs to come out, probably the whole side of that rear, driver floor pan, and the step that runs from one rear door to the other. Keep on cutting.

If I was you I would not pay to have any metal fabbed for your Pig. I would but a ton of cutting wheels or really crank up the plasma cutter and cut out ALL rust until you find good metal. Once that is done step back and look at how much work you will have to do to weld in new metal.

I admire you for taking on this project but I want for you to have a good idea of how much work you are dealing with.

 

[PabloCruise]

I am glad you are keeping her and bringing this Pig a new lease on life!!!

 

[RHINO]

about the rust, i dunno too much. i havent had to deal with anything other than simple surface rust or just a spot here and there.

about the sliders and related things, 3/16 thick is great, my sliders are 2x4 tube and replace the rockers, welded right back on the body and A-B-C pillars, i used 1/8th" and use them WELL, no problems to report.

i think the suggestion of the weldable primer is good for the sammich of steel, another option would be body seam sealer after you weld. body panel glue would require you to hold the glue back from the edge enough to weld, and then you may be unprotected that amount.

i too am happy to see you keep it, dont let the work get you down, we have seen some great re-builds on this site and the end result is always worth it.

 

[mtnmort]

rust

I imagine that most of the floor will come out, but I was going to do the sliders and door seal first so that the cruiser has something to rest on. I am afraid that if I don't do the sliders now, and continue to cut out rust, there aren't enough body mounts to hold the body on. I thought if I did the sliders, I could put jack stands on the sliders and be able to cut most of the floor out without having to worry about the body falling off. Right now I am going to just weld the sliders to the pillars and not the floor, then replace the floor and have good metal to weld the floor to. Am I wrong in my thinking? I have not done this before.

 

[Southeast Overland]

I imagine that most of the floor will come out, but I was going to do the sliders and door seal first so that the cruiser has something to rest on. I am afraid that if I don't do the sliders now, and continue to cut out rust, there aren't enough body mounts to hold the body on. I thought if I did the sliders, I could put jack stands on the sliders and be able to cut most of the floor out without having to worry about the body falling off. Right now I am going to just weld the sliders to the pillars and not the floor, then replace the floor and have good metal to weld the floor to. Am I wrong in my thinking? I have not done this before.

I don't think you are too far off. If you want to lift the body you definitely need something to lift it with (new sliders). You could cut out pretty much the whole floor and replace it with 16 ga sheet. I would roll a few beads/crimps (or whatever you call them) though in the new sheet if you were replacing large areas to take a little flex out of the new steel.

 

[cork426]

I admire you for your decision. It can be done. Make a list on a good sized board and just start knocking em out one at a time. Stay focused & organized. Keep visualizing yourself driving the killer pig. It will turn out great!

 

[n2666s]

applaud your decision!

am very happy to see you take on this project and keep this piggy alive rather than part her out

Lou

I admire you for your decision. It can be done. Make a list on a good sized board and just start knocking em out one at a time. Stay focused & organized. Keep visualizing yourself driving the killer pig. It will turn out great!

 

[PabloCruise]

Make a list on a good sized board and just start knocking em out one at a time. Stay focused & organized. Keep visualizing yourself driving the killer pig. It will turn out great!

Writing your goals out is a key step to achieving them!!!

 

[oldfj40]

I admire you for your decision. It can be done. Make a list on a good sized board and just start knocking em out one at a time. Stay focused & organized. Keep visualizing yourself driving the killer pig. It will turn out great!

And definitely continue to visualise yourself driving it.Yes,it will be worth it.

Keep posting pics of your progress.

 

[mtnmort]

I've started to replace the floor supports. I have decided to go with 1" X 2" tubing. I replaced the one under the drivers seat in the front, and it worked out well. I next need to bend the piece that goes below the door. I would have gotten to it tonight, but I ran out of welding wire, and have to get some more. Here are some pictures. I still need to cut out more of the floor, but figured that I need to get underneath the doors replaced before cutting out any more of the floor, and I am trying to tie the floor braces into the rockers.

And here is one of the rocker cut out.

 

[mtnmort]

here's another picture of the rebuild.

 

[Trollhole]

You sir are a brave man. I commend you on your journey. Get the family involved and take lots of pics. 30 years frommow you will look back and wonder how you ever made it.

 

[mtnmort]

Here is the work that I accomplished today.

I replaced the door support with a piece of 2 x 4 tubing. I was wondering if this was a good idea or not. The door closes fine now. I had to cut the support out because the whole support, sheet metal and floor boards were rotted out.

 

[Southeast Overland]

Can you post larger pics?...like two or three times bigger? I would love to get a better look at your work!

 

[n2666s]

brought back from the dead

awesome to see a piggy brought back from the scrap yardkeep the pix coming.....X2 with eventhough.........please; close details!; so we can all benefit from your experience; congrats

Lou

 

[mtnmort]

Here are a couple of better pics. I had to adjust the size in photobucket.

Hope this helps

 

[Southeast Overland]

much better! Make sure while you are in there to slap on some POR15, RustBullet or similar.