It all started with a leaky radiator…
Last October, the original radiator on my RHD ’77 FJ40 finally gave up the ghost. By the time I got it replaced, it was early November. Unfortunately, the troops from NHDOT had already been out spreading copious amounts of salt on our roads after early season ice storms passed through. I have been religious about not driving this rig on winter roads since I bought it back in 2004, so I was quite anxious about driving her the 28 miles from the repair shop to my house.
This turn of events would eventually become the catalyst to my soon-to-be restoration. At this point, I was reminded of an impressive Bronco restoration done by a friend of mine the year before…in particular, his body work and paint looked amazing. After seeing the restored Bronco, I started toying with the idea of doing the same to my rig. She was already in very good shape, but the PO had repainted the truck in a color that was close to mustard yellow, but obviously not the original Toyota 532. So, being the impulsive person that I am, I drove her a ½ mile to the shop that did the Bronco, asked the owner for an estimate to do the exterior and the next thing I knew, she was parked snug as a bug inside his shop, ready for a wintertime exterior paint job. This is when the slippery slope started…
First let me say that I am not mechanically inclined, nor do I have the space and/or equipment needed for a DIY effort. So, my contribution to this project would consist of shopping for and buying the necessary bits needed to do the job. To those that are DIY’ers, I am envious of your skills! Nonetheless, I do love my Land Cruisers and as the years have gone by, I’ve realized that staying on top of the condition of my rig only increases the value and longevity…so here I am.
After careful inspection of all the various body/glass gaskets, the shop felt that everything was salvageable except the door seals and window vent gaskets. And of all things, they found that a leaf on the left side hood hinge was broken. So off I went on my first shopping spree.
A few weeks later, the dismantling was well under way. As more and more parts were unbolted, it became obvious that I should paint the interior too since a lot of the effort of this was in taking things apart...’never going to be easier than doing it right now’ I told myself. Which then evolved into “why not reupholster the ratty seats while I’m at it? They’ll look like a sow’s ear next to that new paint job.” So, out they came and off they went to upholsterer.
After getting a thorough education on all the finer points of vinyl upholstery and foam cushions, I settled on what we thought was a pretty close color match on the original vinyl and piping. The foam was actually in very good condition, so no work needed there. One idea that I agreed to was the recommendation to not use the OEM stitching technique (exposed threads on the wear surfaces) and to go with a folded stitch/seam in a similar pattern as original. My initial plan was to leave the jumps seats alone – they were in very good shape - but then I realized that the faded material would look lighter than the fronts, so they too were added to the job.
Having now made the decision to paint the interior, the shop recommended that we separate the roof from the side panels so he could do a better job with the white. ‘Sure!’ I said. ‘We’ll need a new gasket though.’ He said. ‘No problem.’ Said I. And again I off went shopping… Little did I know, the gasket would cost more than half as much as the windshield frame (YIKES!). $299 was the best price I found, so I did it.
Meanwhile, the shop kept telling me how good the body condition was and how little rust repair was going to be needed. Before I brought it to him, I knew the door bottoms had a bit of cancer, so I ordered replacement bottoms to be welded on. Other than that, the bodywork was rock solid…that is, until they got to the windshield frame. They tried to salvage it, but the more they sanded/ground it down, the thinner the corner meat became…eventually I bit the bullet and decided to spring for a new-to-me frame from Cruiser Parts LLC here in Sullivan, NH. The shop recently found two soft spots on the driver-side rocker panel, which were easily cut out and patched with some postage stamp sized pieces of sheet metal.
Eventually the discussion came to whether or not to pull the tub and tackle the underside, motor, drivetrain and frame restorations. Two things came to mind: time and money. A) I had already gone WAY over budget on my original plan for exterior paint and B) he said doing so might mean I wouldn’t be able to use the rig for the coming summer. Both bummed me out. If my intention was to have a show quality restoration or to get the highest bid in an auction, I suppose I would have pulled the trigger. But the reality is that my drive train is very strong (only 77K original miles), the engine bay isn’t pristine, but it isn’t ugly either. So I drew the line at taking that step. An alternative that the shop suggested was to remove the steering column and brake booster from the fire wall (and as many little bits as possible) so he could get a new coat of paint there. While he was at it, he’d unbolt the tub and tip it forward so he could restore as much of the underside as possible while there. ‘Go for it!’ I said.
I have also decided to go back to the original split rims with the Toyota gray. These are have been completely sandblasted and will soon be painted for new rubber (anybody have any suggestions on size without a lift?).
As has always been my agreement with the shop, he only worked on my rig when he didn’t have insurance jobs to do. Now that spring is here, he has had more time to devote to the rig and he’s getting close to starting the paint soon. With any luck, I might have the truck back as early as Memorial Day.
I’ve posted a bunch of pictures on Drop Box that were taken yesterday…here’s the link if anyone wants to check it out.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lm9r3tsevoo1yfv/AABpy-YBVI7oaa8H-kEz_FEYa?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b6jkhrfiagzs2fl/AADt4UTaNMzEb5JL33KEVBgca?dl=0
To see what the truck looked like prior to restoration, check out this link.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lk1cfen35uaqs0s/AADdJVzDo5NbOG01ulCDPijUa?dl=0
My parents always taught me that it isn’t polite to ask how much someone paid for something, so in case anyone wants to know but doesn’t want to ask, here’s where I’m at cost-wise. Not bragging or anything, but I do feel this information is relevant to those on this forum that are contemplating a ‘non-DIY’er’ restoration project.
Last October, the original radiator on my RHD ’77 FJ40 finally gave up the ghost. By the time I got it replaced, it was early November. Unfortunately, the troops from NHDOT had already been out spreading copious amounts of salt on our roads after early season ice storms passed through. I have been religious about not driving this rig on winter roads since I bought it back in 2004, so I was quite anxious about driving her the 28 miles from the repair shop to my house.
This turn of events would eventually become the catalyst to my soon-to-be restoration. At this point, I was reminded of an impressive Bronco restoration done by a friend of mine the year before…in particular, his body work and paint looked amazing. After seeing the restored Bronco, I started toying with the idea of doing the same to my rig. She was already in very good shape, but the PO had repainted the truck in a color that was close to mustard yellow, but obviously not the original Toyota 532. So, being the impulsive person that I am, I drove her a ½ mile to the shop that did the Bronco, asked the owner for an estimate to do the exterior and the next thing I knew, she was parked snug as a bug inside his shop, ready for a wintertime exterior paint job. This is when the slippery slope started…
First let me say that I am not mechanically inclined, nor do I have the space and/or equipment needed for a DIY effort. So, my contribution to this project would consist of shopping for and buying the necessary bits needed to do the job. To those that are DIY’ers, I am envious of your skills! Nonetheless, I do love my Land Cruisers and as the years have gone by, I’ve realized that staying on top of the condition of my rig only increases the value and longevity…so here I am.
After careful inspection of all the various body/glass gaskets, the shop felt that everything was salvageable except the door seals and window vent gaskets. And of all things, they found that a leaf on the left side hood hinge was broken. So off I went on my first shopping spree.
A few weeks later, the dismantling was well under way. As more and more parts were unbolted, it became obvious that I should paint the interior too since a lot of the effort of this was in taking things apart...’never going to be easier than doing it right now’ I told myself. Which then evolved into “why not reupholster the ratty seats while I’m at it? They’ll look like a sow’s ear next to that new paint job.” So, out they came and off they went to upholsterer.
After getting a thorough education on all the finer points of vinyl upholstery and foam cushions, I settled on what we thought was a pretty close color match on the original vinyl and piping. The foam was actually in very good condition, so no work needed there. One idea that I agreed to was the recommendation to not use the OEM stitching technique (exposed threads on the wear surfaces) and to go with a folded stitch/seam in a similar pattern as original. My initial plan was to leave the jumps seats alone – they were in very good shape - but then I realized that the faded material would look lighter than the fronts, so they too were added to the job.
Having now made the decision to paint the interior, the shop recommended that we separate the roof from the side panels so he could do a better job with the white. ‘Sure!’ I said. ‘We’ll need a new gasket though.’ He said. ‘No problem.’ Said I. And again I off went shopping… Little did I know, the gasket would cost more than half as much as the windshield frame (YIKES!). $299 was the best price I found, so I did it.
Meanwhile, the shop kept telling me how good the body condition was and how little rust repair was going to be needed. Before I brought it to him, I knew the door bottoms had a bit of cancer, so I ordered replacement bottoms to be welded on. Other than that, the bodywork was rock solid…that is, until they got to the windshield frame. They tried to salvage it, but the more they sanded/ground it down, the thinner the corner meat became…eventually I bit the bullet and decided to spring for a new-to-me frame from Cruiser Parts LLC here in Sullivan, NH. The shop recently found two soft spots on the driver-side rocker panel, which were easily cut out and patched with some postage stamp sized pieces of sheet metal.
Eventually the discussion came to whether or not to pull the tub and tackle the underside, motor, drivetrain and frame restorations. Two things came to mind: time and money. A) I had already gone WAY over budget on my original plan for exterior paint and B) he said doing so might mean I wouldn’t be able to use the rig for the coming summer. Both bummed me out. If my intention was to have a show quality restoration or to get the highest bid in an auction, I suppose I would have pulled the trigger. But the reality is that my drive train is very strong (only 77K original miles), the engine bay isn’t pristine, but it isn’t ugly either. So I drew the line at taking that step. An alternative that the shop suggested was to remove the steering column and brake booster from the fire wall (and as many little bits as possible) so he could get a new coat of paint there. While he was at it, he’d unbolt the tub and tip it forward so he could restore as much of the underside as possible while there. ‘Go for it!’ I said.
I have also decided to go back to the original split rims with the Toyota gray. These are have been completely sandblasted and will soon be painted for new rubber (anybody have any suggestions on size without a lift?).
As has always been my agreement with the shop, he only worked on my rig when he didn’t have insurance jobs to do. Now that spring is here, he has had more time to devote to the rig and he’s getting close to starting the paint soon. With any luck, I might have the truck back as early as Memorial Day.
I’ve posted a bunch of pictures on Drop Box that were taken yesterday…here’s the link if anyone wants to check it out.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lm9r3tsevoo1yfv/AABpy-YBVI7oaa8H-kEz_FEYa?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/b6jkhrfiagzs2fl/AADt4UTaNMzEb5JL33KEVBgca?dl=0
To see what the truck looked like prior to restoration, check out this link.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/lk1cfen35uaqs0s/AADdJVzDo5NbOG01ulCDPijUa?dl=0
My parents always taught me that it isn’t polite to ask how much someone paid for something, so in case anyone wants to know but doesn’t want to ask, here’s where I’m at cost-wise. Not bragging or anything, but I do feel this information is relevant to those on this forum that are contemplating a ‘non-DIY’er’ restoration project.
- Exterior paint: $6,800
- Interior paint: $2,200
- Replacement Parts: $1,500
- Upholstery: $1,200
- Misc.: $300
- Total: $12,000.00
As paint moves forward, I’ll be sure to update my post…and certainly will post pics of the completed project.
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