We've been working on a new project in the shop the last 6 weeks or so and I thought folks here might take an interest in it. The project started with an LJ70 that was being delivered for a mild restoration and Cummins R2.8 installation. Arrival day for the Machito...
We didn't waste any time tearing into this one, the goal is to have it running for Cruise Moab in April so we needed to get to work. Strip down started with removal of the 2LT (currently for sale in the classifieds) and assessing things.
The powertrain seemed in decent shape but as we got it on the hoist and really started inspecting the body the troubles started to surface. This truck was imported from Venezuela and while it had decent paint on it, the sins were lurking beneath the surface and in the shadows. The rockers appear to be mostly made of spray foam and bondo. The rear quarters and wheel wells weren't much better.
Credit to the Venezuelan guys who did the work, from the top side none of this was visible. They were pretty skilled at slinging mud down there and making something look decent at least. But this is a lesson of buyer beware, it seems like it was a quick flip paint job in Venezuela and then sent up here to be sold looking like a much better truck than it really was.
After some conversations with the owner about budget, timeline, and value we determined that it was time for a reboot. There just wasn't a lot of sense putting the untold hours into trying to repair the body on this truck. On the other hand, all was not lost because we had a pretty good chassis and drivetrain to work with. So the search began for a new body to swap on to this chassis. A month or so later the right fit was found here on Mud. A deal was struck and this 87 BJ70 arrived at the shop...
We didn't waste any time tearing into this one, the goal is to have it running for Cruise Moab in April so we needed to get to work. Strip down started with removal of the 2LT (currently for sale in the classifieds) and assessing things.
The powertrain seemed in decent shape but as we got it on the hoist and really started inspecting the body the troubles started to surface. This truck was imported from Venezuela and while it had decent paint on it, the sins were lurking beneath the surface and in the shadows. The rockers appear to be mostly made of spray foam and bondo. The rear quarters and wheel wells weren't much better.
Credit to the Venezuelan guys who did the work, from the top side none of this was visible. They were pretty skilled at slinging mud down there and making something look decent at least. But this is a lesson of buyer beware, it seems like it was a quick flip paint job in Venezuela and then sent up here to be sold looking like a much better truck than it really was.
After some conversations with the owner about budget, timeline, and value we determined that it was time for a reboot. There just wasn't a lot of sense putting the untold hours into trying to repair the body on this truck. On the other hand, all was not lost because we had a pretty good chassis and drivetrain to work with. So the search began for a new body to swap on to this chassis. A month or so later the right fit was found here on Mud. A deal was struck and this 87 BJ70 arrived at the shop...