Builds Project 2027: 1977 FJ40 Rebuild

[fj40fillet]

Had all the safety gear on...goggles, earplugs, leather gloves, and welding coat. Nothing on my neck.

It was a freak kickback. Feels like road rash.

I actually sat through a portion of my companies safety orientation. It stated that using a grinder in the 1 o'co
lock to 3 o'clock position if the wheel catches or bumps off the material will push the grinder away from the user. 9-6 position will force the grinder towards the user. I know it's nearly impossible to always work in that position, but I didn't know that little tip.

 

[Jetlander]

Look what I picked up from the blaster and dropped at the galvanizer yesterday. So close I can smell it...

It’s a good feeling to see months of work come to a conclusion, especially knowing the restoration of the frame was the hardest part. I also have the wheels at the powder coaters. Should have them back around the time the frame is done.

Today I will start work on the rear axle. Disassembly, blast, paint, and install new cylinders and hardware. Still need to get the drums turned though...

 

[Varty Yo]

It will feel like such an accomplishment once its to a roller stage!!!

 

[Jetlander]

Another productive day...

Had the flywheel, manifold, and drums machined. Got to the machine shop and they were skeptical about the exhaust manifold ends that swivel. At first they weren’t willing to take the risk but, A quick shoutout to @Trollhole for the pointer of spot welding the flanges to make everything solid. He saved the day.

Not bad looking for a 40 year old flywheel. She dresses up nice...

The drums are just about at their limit, but they made it. Now I know to keep an eye on them and look for replacements in a year or two; most certainly before my Pan-American trip.

All the running around today to the machine shop slowed progress down on media blasting the rear axle housing, but I should be able to finish it up tomorrow. Then the wife and I are taking a kid-free road trip out to Asheville, NC for some fly fishing and R&R. She wants to see the Biltmore, and I want to see some mountains. Either way, it’ll be a nice way to recharge our batteries.

The frame galvanizer said it’ll be ready for pickup when we get home.

 

[Jetlander]

The wife and I took an impromptu road trip to Asheville, NC over spring break. The kids were at their grandparents so it was nice to just hang with the wife and chill. We decided to do some fly fishing while there and had a great time. Put 40+ fish in the boat during the float. Here’s the first fish of the morning. The weather was cold, something like 30 degrees when we hit the water, which was a nice break from the upper 80’s we returned to.

Got home and immediately went to work finishing up paint on the rear axle this morning.

Then the galvanizer called and said my frame was ready for pickup.

I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Coverage is great and knowing rust is a thing of the past is icing on top.

 

[iptman]

The suspense is killing me.... Did your sacrificial bolts come out easy?

 

[Jetlander]

The suspense is killing me.... Did your sacrificial bolts come out easy?

I haven’t had time to screw with them to really give a good answer. I did put my Dewalt impact on one bolt to see how easy it would be and it almost came out... I’ll have a better idea after tomorrow. I would do one thing differently though. I ran all the bolts to their midpoint and if I could do it over, I think running them in just enough to cover the threads and no more would have been a better option.

 

[Tommy Shumpert]

Well, after a few months the frame is officially ready for galvanizing. I put sacrificial bolts in all the places to hopefully prevent me from having to re-tap all the threads. Dropped it off and should have it back in a couple of weeks.

View attachment 1643815

Now to finish cleaning up the axles and engine for paint while I have the extra room in the garage. So excited to begin reassembly!

Who did you use for the plating?

 

[White Stripe]

Wow looks awesome.

 

[Jetlander]

Who did you use for the plating?

I used AZZ Galvanizing on the northwest side of Houston. They did a good job and I’m happy with the way it turned out.

They charge 0.55¢ a pound or $185 minimum per job. Apparently a stripped frame weighs in at 385lbs. Total cost was $205 with tax.

 

[Jetlander]

I still haven’t pulled the bolts yet. Work has been non-stop along with family duties. I’m hopeful this weekend will be Cruiser productive.

 

[1MOA]

When you get the bolts out remember there is no zinc coating in there. Might want to get a anti seize compound on the threads when you reassemble it.

 

[Tommy Shumpert]

I used AZZ Galvanizing on the northwest side of Houston. They did a good job and I’m happy with the way it turned out.

They charge 0.55¢ a pound or $195 minimum per job. Apparently a stripped frame weighs in at 385lbs. Total cost was $205 with tax.

Awesome! Thanks for the info. Great looking build.

 

[Jetlander]

Today marked a milestone for my FJ40 rebuild when the powder coater called and said my wheels were ready for pick up.

I have officially turned the corner of the teardown, and am now officially replacing old parts with new and reassembling.

I installed new rear cylinders and hardware. I kept the pads that were on it before because they still have decent life left.

I still have to replace some seals and gaskets in the gearbox and transfer case, but what I consider the major work is more or less done. Slowly watching the Cruiser come back to life is going to be awesome.

 

[DSB345]

Looking great! great work on repairing the frame. Subscribed

 

[Jetlander]

Looking great! great work on repairing the frame. Subscribed

Thanks. The frame was definitely where all the work has been centered so far. I’ve been doing other Cruiser projects along the way, like rebuilding brakes, heater core, switches etc. My hope is that things will continue to go as planned without any major setbacks (hopeful I know). Looks like a pretty significant promotion at work is in the cards, which will require a substantial increase in time spent at the office, which will slow things down on the rebuild a bit.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Ahhh... hope you won’t be pissed when I say, after reading through your thread and impressive work detail/pics, that this is my favorite!

My previously buggered steering setup is dangerously close to yours (although I’m toolin around surprisingly well) so I’m looking forward to how you improve yours!

Great work...

 

[Dunbar]

That is entirely reasonable on price. Makes me want to start disassembly on my 77'. I'm on the NW side, Tomball, and will take it to AZZ. Who did you use for powder-coating on the wheels? Did you powder-coat other items with them too?

I used AZZ Galvanizing on the northwest side of Houston. They did a good job and I’m happy with the way it turned out.

They charge 0.55¢ a pound or $185 minimum per job. Apparently a stripped frame weighs in at 385lbs. Total cost was $205 with tax.

 

[Jetlander]

Looking great! great work on repairing the frame. Subscribed

Thanks. The frame was definitely where all the work has been centered so far. I’ve been doing other Cruiser projects along the way, like rebuilding brakes, heater core, switches etc. My hope is that things will continue to go as planned without any major setbacks (hopeful I know). Looks like a pretty significant promotion at work is in the card, which will require a substantial increase in time spent at the office.

That is entirely reasonable on price. Makes me want to start disassembly on my 77'. I'm on the NW side, Tomball, and will take it to AZZ. Who did you use for powder-coating on the wheels? Did you powder-coat other items with them too?

I used Southern Product Finishing in Pearland. I won't be using them again for a few reasons. First, they rarely make the timeline they promise. Secondly, the wheels look great in the picture but their coverage is not what it should be. They missed coating a few areas. They have done work for me in the past that was a little subpar but I thought it might've been a fluke, not so.

 

[Jetlander]

For those who have been following the frame galvanizing debate about putting in sacrificial bolts, the outcome is less than stellar. I tried to remove about 12 bolts and have snapped 5 of them. I think putting the bolts only in deep enough to cover the threads would have been a better plan. Live and learn I guess. Looks like I have a ton of work ahead of me now...