Builds Let's not call it a restoration... Chopped down FJ40 to 45ish on an FZJ80 chassis BUILD! (2 Viewers)

[HandForged]

As I was building body mounts today I had a small thought. Why not go ahead and extend them to incorporate rock sliders for the body? That way I could simply drill and sleeve them for the body bushings and mount it up that way. That would also be a dang fine way to tie the cage that has yet to be thought about into the chassis. It would be one integral part with the cage bolted to stand offs that I can locate after the fact. problem solved.

 

[2fpower]

Very interested to see what you come up with for the steering column. I am in the same situation with the Vera build.

 

[HandForged]

Very interested to see what you come up with for the steering column. I am in the same situation with the Vera build.

Well it took me about 30 minutes to strip it down, after that it fit into the stock location. I'll get a few more pictures this afternoon but essentially all I am going to do at this point is fab a bottom clamp and bolt it up. A cutoff wheel on a 4" grinder is your friend. Then just buff the welds down with a flapper wheel. Smooth as silk. Once you remove the brackets and cut the two bolts holding the ignition lock and cylinder in place the rest is easy.

 

[2fpower]

Here is where I am at. Using a Tundra steering wheel.

 

[HandForged]

Here is where I am at. Using a Tundra steering wheel.

View attachment 2167074

Looks like you've got it figured out! You went farther than I was willing to go. I had the column in my donor truck so I thought I would strip it down and use it. I didn't try to use the factory 80 brackets at all, I was shooting for simple. Now depending on how stable it feels with the horse collar on it will tell me if I need to add a mount at the rear. I mean the factory 40 didn't have one.... You went all out to fabricate structure behind the dash, I like it.

 

[HandForged]

Here's a better picture of what I did. Notched the dash on each side to create a square, flat bracket on the bottom. I will weld this bracket to the column and paint it but it's fairly simple. I will keep playing with it until that collar on the columns sits flush to the flat bracket. Then weld it up. It already feels very strong with no play in it in any direction. Those are just 1/4-20 bolts I stuck in there temporarily.

 

[2fpower]

Looks like you've got it figured out! You went farther than I was willing to go. I had the column in my donor truck so I thought I would strip it down and use it. I didn't try to use the factory 80 brackets at all, I was shooting for simple. Now depending on how stable it feels with the horse collar on it will tell me if I need to add a mount at the rear. I mean the factory 40 didn't have one.... You went all out to fabricate structure behind the dash, I like it.

Oh, that is not any structure, that is my Sanford and Son's version... notice the vice grips holding my bracket in place? I did this to determine where to locate the steering wheel and still have room for gauges, which I was going to go stock Tundra, but now thinking about going all aftermarket gauges. It should look much cleaner. Still not happy where it sits, but decided to do some major fabwork to the tub, so it sits until I get the current project done..... Going back to the steering wheel plastic remedy, I am thinking about designing and 3D printing a cover that is much tighter to the internals. After getting rid of the shifter and the key section, I think it would look better to not have those big covers.

 

[HandForged]

Oh, that is not any structure, that is my Sanford and Son's version... notice the vice grips holding my bracket in place? I did this to determine where to locate the steering wheel and still have room for gauges, which I was going to go stock Tundra, but now thinking about going all aftermarket gauges. It should look much cleaner. Still not happy where it sits, but decided to do some major fabwork to the tub, so it sits until I get the current project done..... Going back to the steering wheel plastic remedy, I am thinking about designing and 3D printing a cover that is much tighter to the internals. After getting rid of the shifter and the key section, I think it would look better to not have those big covers.

I would love to have someone 3d print me a cover for this once I get the old cover cut down to fit and look decent. It's still a typical broken 80 steering column cover I don't think I have seen a good one in years. I've got the welder moved out now to start some fab work on the frame so I'll tack all those pieces in place this evening.

Even sanford and son engineering is good to go as long as it's strong. I'm playing by ear on the column mount but it looks pretty good where it's at. Being that I am mounting seats to my roll cage eventually and that I have a little more room in the cab I can work it out with the seat fairly easily if I mess it up a bit. So far it looks great (I think) and seems to work well. I just want it strong. I tend to hang off of the steering wheel on trails or when the truck goes dirty side up, which I think is bound to happen....HA!

 

[HandForged]

This afternoon's work.

I needed to get the body mounts situated and I had spend the better part of an afternoon cutting and welding up some generic mounts. Last night I had a thought, why not make all of it (body mounts, rock rails, running boards) all in one piece? I couldn't think of a reason NOT to do it, so that is where I started. Got most of one side done this afternoon. It's all 3/16 wall 2x2 square tied to 2x6 3/16 wall tube for the running board/ rock rail. The connections to the frame were measured out to fall where the body mounts will center on them. Now before anyone comments, this is the main structure. The next step with this side will be to triangulate and gusset with some 1/4" plate. I am thinking about how I want to finish the front edge of the running board/ slider. Angled, rounded, back cut...I'll figure it out once the tub is back on. The front edge will also be one of the tie in points for the tube fenders I will be bending up. It's already strong enough to lift the chassis, ask me how I know....

I will be using the stock 80 rubber body mounts. They looked to be in good condition and are essentially three piece with a sleeve, compression style. I will need to extend the bolts but it should work well.

Also there is a gratuitous shot of my welds for all the welder Nazi's. All of the joints were V'd out to make a strong bond to the thinner frame steel. I didn't see the need to scab the frame at the contact points, although I did consider it. Once the gussets and braces are in it will be 100 times stronger than any of the 80 body mounts and most of the sliders I have seen for them. My welder is a Thermal Arc 210 fabricator. It does really well and it outfitted with dual guns, one for mig and the other a spool fun for aluminum with the flip of a switch. It isn't one of the new smart machines but it makes really nice welds

Once the tub is set back on to check my alignment and bolt holes, I will go ahead and built the "feet" to tie in a roll cage. These are just stems welded to flanges flush with the floor pan. That way when I do get around to bending up the cage, I will already have the corresponding flange on the bottom that I can simply bolt to.

 

[HandForged]

Got tired of welding in gussets so I moved over to the motor mounts for a bit. Got the engine located where it needs to be, EWAG'd the passenger side mount and tacked it on. I was only off by about 3 inches along the centerline....HA! Needless to say I will be cutting it off and moving it tomorrow. Good thing it was just hard tacked. I am using the stock VW motor mounts because they are simple, tall and dampen a LOT of vibration. Bright side? I will have a TON of room under the hood between the radiator and the pulleys. Not inches, think FEET. There will no issue getting an intercooler to fit.

On a side note, I hate waiting on parts. I couldn't get any steel today because they were closed. Parts ordered for this, parts ordered for that and they all seem to be keeping me from getting things done. I had planned to put in the other running board/ rock rail today and realized that the last piece of rectangular tube that I had was an inch too short.... crap.

 

[HandForged]

Didn't get anything done today but I did scavenge a pickup bed load of early cruiser parts!

 

[HandForged]

Motor mounts:

I decided to try and reuse the factory VW motor mounts with this project. Now I know there are better solutions and some of them would have been easier to use but my thinking was that these mounts are common. Available at any parts house. Unlike something that I would need to special order and remember the part number for, to get exactly what I need and hope they don't stop making them in the process. Ask me how I know...

So the stock motor mounts are essentially large round rubber isolator/dampeners. They work VERY well in the little VW car. I started with the passenger side which was a good bit more complicated. I made this mount out of 1/4" plate, I will most likely go back and remake it in 3/8, just because all the rest of it is thicker steel. I am using the stock location on this side as it was the only place that didn't interfere with the removal of something else. IE the starter and turbo. Keep in mind this is a Mock-up engine, an extra I had laying around to get all of the fab work done. The drivers side was a breeze, top and bottom were 3/8 plate which is WAAAAYYY overkill for this as the engine weighs somewhere in the vicinity of 400 pounds. Everything centered up well and taking into account the "squish" of the mounts I got it sitting level and square in the chassis. Now I can take them back out and weld them out and gusset them properly before sending them off with a Milk crate of other small parts for powder coat. The frame (bottom) mounts are all 3/8 and they will get gusseted when the engine is pulled. Hopefully for the last time.

One of the pictures there shows the stock 80 cross member, I missed having it line up by about 4" to the rear. That's ok with me, I just bolted it back up as a reference point. I won't be using the chain drive transfer case on the R150 but I needed something there to support the rear while I made motor mounts and was able to measure and square everything up. Now I can go back to my rock sliders and work on getting the Tub and body mounts finished. I hate this back and forth type work but until various small parts show up for this and that it's what I have....

 

[HandForged]

The more that I think about it, I really laugh at those mounts. 3/8" steel and the ones that were on the car were essentially tissue paper and spit made into a shape. I MAY tend to overbuild things. I pulled them off just now to finish them up and make them pretty and held the stock ones in one hand and mine in the other and it was laughable.

 

[HandForged]

Sorting through boxes of parts for this build. Mostly to organize but also to remember what I bought and what I didn't. Can't wait to see the Military grade JW speaker headlights in that Bezel...

 

[47coeman]

Ya I have to pull my junk out on occasion for 2 reasons, to remember what I have, as well as I where put it For safe keeping. Ends up in a black hole otherwise. Then I buy new and find the other stuff later, frustrates me to no end.

 

[HandForged]

For the most part this build is based on a ton of used parts, they are starting to stack up. So are the leftovers from the various other vehicles I stripped to get what I wanted. I have parts from 4 different vehicles ( so far ) and three of them I purchased whole. In one fashion or the other for the parts that I needed. Keeping everything separate, keeping my mind focused towards getting it essentially mocked up and put together first, then strip it back down to finish and finalize everything before a final assembly is proving to be challenging.

 

[47coeman]

For the most part this build is based on a ton of used parts, they are starting to stack up. So are the leftovers from the various other vehicles I stripped to get what I wanted. I have parts from 4 different vehicles ( so far ) and three of them I purchased whole. In one fashion or the other for the parts that I needed. Keeping everything separate, keeping my mind focused towards getting it essentially mocked up and put together first, then strip it back down to finish and finalize everything before a final assembly is proving to be challenging.

To me that is the fun part of assembling projects, scrounging for them making them work and finally coming out factory looking. Your project is coming along nicely Brian.

 

[HandForged]

To me that is the fun part of assembling projects, scrounging for them making them work and finally coming out factory looking. Your project is coming along nicely Brian.

It feels like I'm dragging my butt waiting on things to get here. Then when they do I've already left that area to work on something else. Realistically, I am hoping to have the truck running, driving and mostly finished by spring. That way I can start testing and tuning. Fixing what isn't working but I can already see little things that I know are not going to work for me. Just little interferences and things that are going to restrict the travel or make handling better. Small stuff

 

[HandForged]

All of the parts for my central winch portion showed up today. Three stainless, bronze bushed sheaves, these are extremely strong and made for car lifts. The cone on the right side is a centering or forcing cone for a tire machine. It will be flared and re-heat treated for the front bumper of the truck. It will become a small fairlead essentially. In the construction of the rear sheave block, I'll most likely use parts from the roller fairleads I have laying around as well. The winch rope will need to stay directed onto the sheaves. They will also need to be able to pull in any direction.

 

[HandForged]

Some work from today. I replaced the tub on the chassis to get an idea of the lines of the rock sliders and how they will look against the sheet metal. Took a couple pictures.

The rear of the slider will be radiused to match the body lines of the extended tub. The front I am still not sure what to do with yet. I'll most likely put a 45 degree back cut on it and leave it as is. The slider is "slightly" longer than the flare for the fender. I lift this little bit extra to tie in the tube fenders should I need to.

Seat is in there just because I felt like sitting in there for a while...