Joe’s '77 FJ40 Dream Build

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We securely aligned the body and all of the fabricated mounts were perfect. I was able to use one of the original body mounts to shim the front. It now sits perfectly. Onc3e we got the body in place, I tack welded the new rear cups that we brought over from the other frame. As you can see I have a fair amount of work to do on the body. My paint guy who is now out of the picture, skim coated and block sanded then disapeared. Soon I will sand off the new flash rust and epoxy prime the tub again. It was so nice to see how the lift will really sit on a truck with uncut fenders. This weekend felt like a huge turning point.

That exhaust has to go! It is very visible with the new lift, so I will probably go stainless steel.
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Thanks! As quickly as it went on, it came off. I had to finish off the bolts in those new mounts. We also intended to flip the body over upside down on the cart, but I did not have enough people. I am guessing that it will take 4-5 guys.
 
Yesterday i framed out my paint booth in preparation for painting the tub.

Today I welded up the rear mounts and fabricated/welded the mid to bed support Body mount.
I later went back and filled the hole with the mig welder.
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Finished up welding the last of the mounts and sanded down a few brackets such as the battery mount( which was solid rust). My fiance was nice enough to paint everything for me. It will dry to the same semi gloss finish as my frame.

A 77 frame becomes an 80 frame...
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hmmm

after looking at them again, I don't know how you'd get me the exact measurements in a meaningful way.

Length, width, and the high and low height would probably get me there. also are they both flat on the tub mount side? The rear ones are not, and I'm going to have to shim them up somehow.

I do need to recreate them, but I have a fiberglass tub, so I'm going to have to fake it a bit. I have the rear ones. I have reached out to a couple of suppliers to see if anyone has some.

Thanks for the help man..your build is going great!
 
Tonight i did my first body patch fabricating. This was a first for me and was very relaxing. :hmm:
For some reason the PO of my hard top had flare up the entire lip on the hard top lower edge. I had to trim this down and hammer and dolly it back into a seam after wire wheeling and rust treating.
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How do you work on your truck in a high rise 45 miles from your truck?




Dissassemble your new to you ambulance doors. Thanks Dbtadford! These purple metallic doors willgo great with the beige.


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Ill sand these tomorrow and get them ready for primer along with the two front doors i am stripping. That tar on the inside is a mess!

All gone:


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I also tackled my second door this past weekend. This was my first big panel to weld. I am glad i warmed up on the hard top. Everything seems fine. these were before i finished grinding. :meh:

In the background, you might see the inner fenders that i monstalined beige.
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I have now primered and block sanded the tub. I sanded to 400 and laid down another coat of epoxy. We also used chassis saver on the trouble areas of the bib. The rest of my parts are one step behind my tub and should be cured for block sanding by the weekend.

Tonight I resprayed the tub and primed all of the parts needed to go topless. I figure at least putting it back to its summer state will give me that momentum.
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Lookin good keep it up

Sent from outer space via my mind
 
tagging in for the front seats. they look awesome and fit the part to the "T".
can you post a few more pictures of them. and do they come with the slider rails?
it's looking like i just found the seats i'll be buying.
 
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