Late Thursday or early Friday

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island45

island45

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Threads
133
Messages
1,139
Location
Orcas Island in NW Washington State
Website
www.mtpickettwoodworking.com
Ok, I just got a call from the driver at Kiwis Karriers that he'll arrive in Northwestern Wa. Tomorrow. I never saw the '65 fj45 I bought from Az. when it was on ebay, as I never look there. Happened to see it on some classifieds online and the owner said it was currently on ebay and he'd let me know if it didn't make reserve. Well it didnt, and I had just finished a couple of good building projects and was having another bout of seller's remorse (and a couple of beers). I made him an offer and next morning called a carrier. No action for a couple weeks and switched to Kiwi's. Action. I could see some cracked bondo on a fender and corner of the bed, but believed the po that it was done by someone to fix some dents, and not to cover rust. It has been sitting for 26 years. No engine. I've had 2 45s in the past and 2 55s and a 40 and now I just bought another '76 fj 40 for a donor. I liked this 45 lpb because it wasn't modified and I'm fond of the 2f, so engine didnt matter anyway. This '76 donor has a lot of really nice parts.Some of you have probably seen my threads about this upcoming project on the 40/55 tech section. I am 54 and started my love affair with the fj 45 in '67 . Worked around 3 of them over the years that were with the original owners. All 3 were a story in themselves, and maybe at some point I'll write about these guys and how they worked these things. ... Well, wish me luck tomorrow ( luck means minor surface rust/superficial bondo), it's been 5 years since I had to sell the '67 and the only reason I'm gonna be able to fall asleep tonight is because I've been putting in so many hours with the business lately, ok and those crazy Holidays too. My 4 kids are really glad that Pops is 'getting his truck back'. So is Pops.
 
You are never too old to start another project.

At least that is the way i feel.

Keep us posted about the build. Would really like to see it here in the 45 section.

Good luck with it Sir.
 
It showed up Friday morning. Looks pretty decent. Just about like in the 20 or so photos I had seen of it. Had 3 flats and one low tire. Was no fun to load. The driver from Kiwis Karriers helped me mount the 4 new wheels/tires on the truck as it was coming off his carrier. It was POURING rain. Gotta say, there is nothing that makes a dead truck look worse than sitting on flats in a downpour, and nothing improves it so quickly as a fresh set of 33 x 9.50's on stock grey steelies. Then the sun came out, so I got some good photos of it at the ferry terminal. Just did rear shackle bushings. They were so warn out that the eye of the spring was wearing on the spring perch on the frame, so I had to do some creative bushing work! I know that wasn't a big priority, but let's face it... the thing has to sit right.I'll check into getting some photos up this evening, right now, I'm real busy with 'stuff'. hmmmmm what's next?
 
Here's a couple pics of Gary's new 45. Not bad.
Gary45-1a.webp
Gary45-2a.webp
 
Thanks for posting the photos. When it arrived it had a lot of rust streaks bleeding down on the oxidized white paint and various stains etc. I wanted it to look good coming onto the island, so I took it to a car wash and blasted it thoroughly. Musta got 10 lbs of dirt out of the frame alone. The frame does look excellent and so do the body panels. You just have to love that dry Arizona climate. At the carwash, I used a scotchbrite sponge and comet to get it nice and white. OK, back down to the shop to pull the tranny/transfer. They're hanging by a strap and both drivelines are still hooked up.
 
island45, looks great. I have a original F motor from a 66 FJ45LV that I pulled and have no use for. It supposedly did run according to the PO, but I can not confirm it. If you want it it is yours. I also have front and rear axles. What brand of tires did you put on your new project, they look nice.
 
I just bought a '76 fj40 that's rusty and will become the donor for this project, so I wont need axles or engine. Thanks though for the generous offer. In fact I will also have a bunch of parts here that I won't need for any West Coast guys in need. The tires are from a big tire center out west, Les Schwab tire Centers. Brand is Dean (think cooper actually makes them). They have an old school look with deep lugs on the sidewall and are sort of 'square shouldered'. I run them on my f*** super duty too and they wear well for a fairly agressive tire.
 
Couple more photos from Gary. Looks like he got the rare Gnome under the engine hood. :D
Gary3.webp
Gary4.webp
 
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I knew I shouldn't have worn my Papa Smurf hat. Hey, I'm so much cooler online.:cool: thanks, spotcruiser
 
Nice looking rig! Looking forward to seeing it get new life.
 
Ok, enough of this gnome crap... Back in my prime I was 5-7...So, I just got in from removing the seats and tank and seatbelts and going at the floors with my angle grinder and a knotted cup brush. The floors are the only thing that is rusty, and that's because of the frikken floormats. That Arizona red dust is everywhere, but under the seats I also blasted away at mouseturds, old bandaids and 40 some odd years of general filth. I had hung an electric heater in the tunnel so as to dry things out.(and the warm cab is awesome) Did I mention I had spent 35 bucks blasting away at the carwash when I picked it up? Anyways, the frame really is like new, but it is still 1/2 way full of dirt (dust)and so it looks like I'll be borrowing my buddies pressure washer next weekend. I think I should first dig what I can out with a screwdriver, and loosen up the rest. Thank you all for the positive input on my truck. I have waited a long time to get to where I could buy this.. I had to sell my '67 fj45 lpb when I got divorced about 8 years ago. I would like to post a before and after photo of that one, but for the life of me, I don't even know how to do an attachment.. I can email from my photo program, so I could email it to someone to post, but I fear I have bothered spotcruiser enough...??? i'll be gone a couple days, but maybe when I come back..Thanks, guys .This is so much fun....
 
Thanks again, spotcruiser. It took me about 12 years to talk the original owner outa this truck... It had been sitting alongside his trailer with the head off, and an exhaust valve driven into a piston. The kids took piano lessons from his wife, so I had many opportunities to see it and lust after it. They raised chickens and pigs and the bed was about 3" deep in composting crud and the tailgate was also covered with it and left open.:crybaby: In the Pacific NW, this was almost always wet. I remember wanting to offer to shovel it out and clean the bed, just in case he ever agreed to sell it to me. It was just painful to watch. I got it before any perforation, but some of the pits were very deep. One day out of the blue, Bill called me and asked if iI still wanted it, and he said 750.00 which included the good f engine he had stored in the shed.I made the 20 minute trip in 15 minutes with my fj 55 and my towbar. I think I mentioned before that The event was immortalized in the specter cataloge during the 90's. I dont have the photo anymore or a catalogue, but I think it was on page 162. It was a memorable day. Last Friday morning was almost as good, but the total cost was a bit more.....:rolleyes: oh, and I accidently bought a pressure washer today while I was on the mainland. Time to get after that frame.
 
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