Just another red cruiser dismantle, reassembly???

[tm7302]

I'm in the process of dismantling my 82 BJ42 to do some rust repair, not really bad, but lots of small places that would cause me to repaint the entire rig. So...

Everything has come off pretty easy with the exception of the upper door hinges. The two upper most bolts (RHD side) are hard to get at (fuse holder tabs, etc...) and the 12mm 12 pt box wrench appears to be slipping on the bolt head. I have f*#*ed the head yet so I wondering if anyone has a tip, tool or idea on how to get those last two bolts out. And since I'm on the subject of hinges...are the hinges seam sealed on the outside of the post or is it a gasket? When I pulled the three hinges, it "almost" looks like a gasket.

Lastly, anyone have a tip on hard top glass removal? Since I'll be repainting I just figured I get the windows out to see what's underneath the seals. I broke the windshield getting the old one out...seems like PO had it glued in.

 

[tm7302]

Here's a few pics...somewhat constrained by the garage size...kids bicycles taking up too much space!

 

[tm7302]

Offending hinge,

 

[JERZY7640]

What bolts exactlt are you talking about, You show a pic of the hinge with the pin?

 

[Splangy]

What bolts exactlt are you talking about, You show a pic of the hinge with the pin?

He's talking about the bolts that attach the hinge to the body.

 

[shelfboy1]

there is no easy way ,are you using a hex wrench and not a 12 point ? you might get better acces by removing the cluster.my rachet wrenches have always worked well for that . good luck

 

[dargreg]

I dont know why your takeing the hings out that rig is in good shape .Any way its much easier with the brake and clutch bracket out and the stuff on the other side . use a 12 mill ratchet wrench or a stubby ratchet preferably a flank drive wrench or 6 point.Once they are broken free they come easy .Try and relieve the seal around the body then bunt it up and down ( the hinge),then slide them out .I reuse that seal by just adding more seal upon replaceing. Seriously though Unless the bushings are shot dont mess with them.The windows come out by relieveing both sides of the rubber and come from the inside out .Leave the window in the rubber when you push the rubber out.

 

[dgangle]

unless you are needing to adjust your front door fitment, there is absolutely no reason to remove that part of the hinge and in doing so you are setting yourself up for not only unecessary work but a nightmare re-adjusting the door all not to far down the road.

Drive the hinge pin out and be done with it.

Just because things can be taken apart doesn't mean they should.

The trick with glass is to work the seals when warm and never ever put stress on the glass in the long direction. Glass, as you found out, is not very flexible. Work with a small screwdriver and go slow with a helper. That is going to be an expensive lesson but that is how we all learned.

 

[middlecalf]

that needs painting?

 

[antFJ]

seriously that looks like its in good shape. i took my hinges off only because i couldn't get the hing pins out after weeks of soaking in pb blaster etc. and using an air hammer.

try a ratcheting wrench if you still want to take them out..

 

[tm7302]

I've got the cluster out and am amazed at all the extra wires the PO had run to no where. I need to get a 12mm 6pt...ratchet head is too fat to get up in that upper column.

I'm removing the hinges since I found rust along the left side hinges. Yeah, the paint looks good, but its deceiving until you look close at the blistering paint. Its the second paint job...found that out scraping a paint blister on the right rear quarter and found body filler. I've got a lot of little spots of rust over the rig. PO had installed fender flares that collected mud which led to rusted holes. Hood has rust along the seams on the bottom and at every bolt through hole. Windshield frame has a decent sized hole along the windshield seal. Water was also getting between the frame and the upper cowl when it rained. I still need to wire wheel the floor seams to see if its just surface rust.

With all the spot repairs it would look like a polka dot truck. Yeah, its in good shape, much better than some of the 40s that look like Flintstone mobiles! I'd rather take some time now while the steel is in pretty good shape before the rust turns it into swiss cheese.

 

[Slow Poke]

That's a beauty!!! I think you're smart to get on it before it gets bad. As for the hinges.... I've heard it said that you need a cross eyed midget yoga master to get them but they are possible. It will take a lot of time and patience however. You're going to be upside down with your feet over the head rest so be sure to crawl out from time to time and take a break. Have a beer. Stretch. The rubber around the hinge doesn't come off but there's probably some gasket sealant on them so they might need some coaxing. Good luck and keep the pictures coming!!

 

[tm7302]

I'm pricing a re-upholstery job at the moment...the driver's seat vinyl after 27 years is cracked. I also purchased a set of the small jump seats to go with the cruiser. I plan on going with marine grade vinyl with the split bench, troop seats and door panels...the price I've been quoted ranges $800-950. Does this sound about right?

 

[Slow Poke]

You can do it yourself for less than half that amount. It's work but it's not too tough. When I did mine I added heated seats for about $180. Glad I did. Check out SOR or CCOT for their seat cover options. I've seen people get theirs professionally done for what seems an incredible deal so If you're not up for doing them yourself, get a couple other bids.

 

[tm7302]

I looked at both CCOT and SOR, no joy with the RHD BJ42...

 

[tm7302]

Not anywhere near painting...but thinking about Fashion Green for new paint. Anyone with "new" pics of how it looks on a cruiser?

 

[Slow Poke]

Are the seats from NZ somehow different? I would love to see a picture.

 

[tm7302]

Here's what the seats look like... The seats are somewhat different since the passenger headrest is positioned differently. I haven't seen bench seats covers for sale.

I'll tell you that I'm pretty happy that I made the decision to take it apart...rust was holding the top to the tub. I'm going to have to get a storage space to keep the garage clear while I've got it dismantled.

 

[Slow Poke]

Bizarre. I don't understand a headrest positioned behind ones shoulder. It also seems odd that the jump seats don't match the color of the buckets. I think I would trade those out for true bucket seats in either gray or black.

 

[tm7302]

I don't mind the bench seats...it works better for me when my dog drives with me!

I originally had the long jump seats that matched the front seats, however, I could not install a roll bar with those seats. I got these shorties to install with my Toyota roll bar. So...cracked vinyl driver seat and mismatched jump seats means new upholstery for me.

I've seen some rigs that are painted fashion green, which I like. Thinking that slate gray interior would go nice with the green...maybe even "rally" type seats with a matching stripe of the green. Whatcha think?