Nice work JP! Customer has some deep pockets!!! This thing is going to be a hoot to drive. As much as I like the pure raw physical act of driving a bone stock 65, I also appreciate modernizing and really making a daily driver.
Meet La Cuchara Roja aka "The Red Spoon"
- Thread starter ClemsonCruiser
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- #42
Next it was time to test fit the new heart for this 45. It actually looks kind of small in the engine bay which is funny because I thought 430 horses would look a lot bigger 
It’s going to take lots of trimming and reworking of the floor to fit the massive 5spd and splitcase.
It’s going to take lots of trimming and reworking of the floor to fit the massive 5spd and splitcase.
Oh wow, lot's of bling. Enjoying following along!
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- #44
A little side project we are working on for the 45 is a rear facing removable seat. There are lots of after market options out there that would have done the job but the client and I wanted to keep it more in line with say an early style jump seats. I happened to have laying around a passenger seat from a ‘62 FJ40. It seemed like a perfect candidate. All we needed to do was widen the frame 8”, adjust the legs a little, and reskin it.
I put my best man on it, my pops, and in no time he had me the perfect rear seat for the 45. Not bad for unpaid labor
Plenty big enough for two grown well fed adults like myself
I put my best man on it, my pops, and in no time he had me the perfect rear seat for the 45. Not bad for unpaid labor
Plenty big enough for two grown well fed adults like myself
- Thread starter
- #45
Yes that was our ultimate goal to have something more modern with reliability, comfort ,well as comfortable as a 45 can be, and could be serviced anywhere. So the LS3 meets those needs.
Lord knows I love a bone stock Cruiser with 1F, three on the tree, single barrel, drum brakes etc. but the honest truth is they aren’t very practical and can’t keep up on today’s roads. Great for the occasional Sunday drive but not something you want to hop in and head off on a long road trip at least Not for most folks.
JP is that a NOS early horn ring? Amazing the stuff you guys have.
And that passenger seat, cool transformation to fit the new purpose of this rig, and your “help” did a great job. But I do have to say I was looking for that exact seat for my early ‘63
as original.
And that passenger seat, cool transformation to fit the new purpose of this rig, and your “help” did a great job. But I do have to say I was looking for that exact seat for my early ‘63
as original.
Love it JP. Great work as always. I'll need to get together with this new owner for a red 45 reunion. NO drag races for sure, but I'll keep my 2F.
Great to see this one underway! And a Steve sighting too!
All of those new parts.... like Christmas for men!
All of those new parts.... like Christmas for men!
I'll jump in here as JP is too much of a southern gentleman
@redfj45can you're not friendly. JP gently tried to let you know a few posts back. You get "No likes" because your posts are cryptic, odd, bordering on nonsense and in this case rude. Take a swing back through JP's Wy-reek-a nut and bolt restoration and then realize he needs no lectures on how to do a perfect restoration. Then look back through this thread and note that this is a customer's build. A customer with obvious tastes toward the modern but also IMO reasonable taste and the money to do it right. The cost of that vent retrofit alone shows that the buyer, and builder, are serious. Don't like his tastes? Start a thread on the merits of resto-mod vs original and see who joins you. Stop it here.
Your periodic posts in other's threads with a goofy photoshop or a stray comment are tolerable and once in awhile amusing. We know you have your own "Can-do" thread, and I even open it occasionally to check on a mind that appears to work just a bit differently. Post away there. Stop hijacking this one.
JP, your work is great, and I love to see you document it here. You've just started posting again, and I don't want to see you stop. Keep it up and carry on.
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Keep up the good work JP!
Well said @navydivedoc !
Love the background bits of history hanging on the wall.. i myself hand to track down the angled vent instead of the straight! Good for the customer to pay attention to the details..
And Kudo @navydivedoc I actually had to go Un-ignore to see what he was up to.. I clearly had not missed anything.
And Kudo @navydivedoc I actually had to go Un-ignore to see what he was up to.. I clearly had not missed anything.
Superb work from both of you!! You guys are keeping the legend alive and well!!
What a great project! By the way, you want to rethink the name, though, the proper translation for "Red Spoon" from Spanish is "Cuchara Roja". In this case, a spoon, like your FJ45, uses the feminine tense: (i.e. "la cuchara" vs. "el cuchara")! 