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- #301
Well... not much has been happening on the 45 in the past few months, but... the site that hosts all my pics changed a bit and all the URL's were wrong. So the benefit of nice big pictures hosted on another website is great, but once it goes bad it's bad. I've spent hours re-linking just this thread alone. I have quite a few other threads to redo but that will have to be some other time.
As for the 45 I did finally go pick up the seat belts I had my upholstery buddy re-web. Here's what I started with:
They're out of an early 70's FJ40 and the lengths were a little off and the webbing was tired so I measured what sizes I wanted them to be and had them re-webbed custom lengths.
This is how they came back with the correct length webbing:
So I popped the covers off:
Cleaned them all up and sanded the covers:
Then primed them and used a black satin finish:
The only thing I didn't do that I considered (and still might do) is have them remove these old tags and sew them on the new belts:
I mentioned to Shane that he might want to consider scanning these, digitally cleaning them up and making reproduction cloth with the correct date stamp for whatever people here might want. Not sure if there's much demand and it is a bit overkill but that's never stopped anyone here before.
I'm going to bolt these in tomorrow. I had the drivers side lengthened a bit and made the passenger side long enough to fit a middle passenger in a pinch.
As for the 45 I did finally go pick up the seat belts I had my upholstery buddy re-web. Here's what I started with:
They're out of an early 70's FJ40 and the lengths were a little off and the webbing was tired so I measured what sizes I wanted them to be and had them re-webbed custom lengths.
This is how they came back with the correct length webbing:
So I popped the covers off:
Cleaned them all up and sanded the covers:
Then primed them and used a black satin finish:
The only thing I didn't do that I considered (and still might do) is have them remove these old tags and sew them on the new belts:
I mentioned to Shane that he might want to consider scanning these, digitally cleaning them up and making reproduction cloth with the correct date stamp for whatever people here might want. Not sure if there's much demand and it is a bit overkill but that's never stopped anyone here before.
I'm going to bolt these in tomorrow. I had the drivers side lengthened a bit and made the passenger side long enough to fit a middle passenger in a pinch.
Anyway I dug out an old movie called bless the beast and the beauty circa 1971 and remembered 2 0r 3 short wheelbase removable hardtops used in the film.In one seen the truck pulls up and for a split second you can barely see 3 numbers,EXACTLY where yours are!!!I paused it and it is indeed a letter followed by a 2 digit number.I thought I found your truck but they didnt match,but there was another white 45 in a parking lot!SO do we have a former movie star,??What could that number designate?WAs it a hollywood thing back then to keep track of vehicles,2 of the trucks were seen quite a bit at the end of the movie..good stuff,I stripped the primer off my new shorty and found old texaco emblems on the doors,that were painted on! I pictured the truck parked out in the oil fields in the 60's,or maybe a gas station svc vehicle! It is alot of fun to try and figure out the history...Trinity forest road trip!!! Is it in northern california in my neck of the woods!
Just a few trips to Home Depot for supplies to build a fence and other than that it's been in the driveway.
