Project PHOENIX-Gene's new LV
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More pics please!!!!!
Eric C.
I will be going back later today....
I just got back. but im heading to the shower and head for the night. i got some pics ill post up latyer
All I can say is what a bitchen day, Met some Great Cruiser Folks and Gene's Family, Got to go to work now but I will be back tommorow. ( I know this all sucks without pics ) LOL
More:
And now it is Beer:30 PM!
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NOW the beer comes out LOL well everything here at work is going fine
My earth tone ones on Saturday so I blend with the mud and the rust.
Black ones on Sunday so the oil stains don't show up.
Black ones on Sunday so the oil stains don't show up.
What a group effort!!!! 
Bet some great stories are being told!!!
Bet some great stories are being told!!!
A lot of stories were are being told.
I swear we talk to each other by screen name only.
I am really impressed the work the Gene has done to this rig leading up to this event. He is still working full time and raising a family. I think he had about 12 hours sleep in the entire week leading up to this event.
The front of rig in the dash area and the fire wall looked like new. As seen in the previous pictures he ground it down to bare metal. If you had seen this rig in person you would be amazed what an undertaking that was in itself. The before pictures do not do it justice of the monumental task this was.
Gene was very dedicated to working on this rig. He never stopped. He slept in a tent in the parking lot and was one of the first ones up in the morning and the one of the last ones to quite working on the rig in the evening.
I am really impressed with his stamina. I think he did fall asleep while chewing his dinner but he snapped right back when the transmisison/T-case was going in.
to ya Gene!
I swear we talk to each other by screen name only.
I am really impressed the work the Gene has done to this rig leading up to this event. He is still working full time and raising a family. I think he had about 12 hours sleep in the entire week leading up to this event.
The front of rig in the dash area and the fire wall looked like new. As seen in the previous pictures he ground it down to bare metal. If you had seen this rig in person you would be amazed what an undertaking that was in itself. The before pictures do not do it justice of the monumental task this was.
Gene was very dedicated to working on this rig. He never stopped. He slept in a tent in the parking lot and was one of the first ones up in the morning and the one of the last ones to quite working on the rig in the evening.
I am really impressed with his stamina. I think he did fall asleep while chewing his dinner but he snapped right back when the transmisison/T-case was going in.
to ya Gene!
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What a cool weekend, I Had to work Today but I am glad got a chance to be there Saturday. The group was amazing, it was wild watching everyone working together and the amount of work that was done just Saturday. I want to Thank Georg, Gene, and Mark for staritng this project I got to meet some great Landcruiser Folks and see old friends.
Umm so where do I start? It was one hell of a weekend. Lets just say im proud to be a owner of a toyota land. I have met great people this weekend. Good to finally see faces that have help me in the past on the bored and metting new people with the same sickness hobby we all have lol. The only think I for got to bring this weekend was a pen and notebook. I learn so many things from you guys. Im glad you guys let me be able to help you guys out. i left like 4 pm today. like right before it was about to run i think? how did it run guys?
MARK> Could I maybe come over monday or something thing to pick up my tables if you guys dont need them anymore? Thanks for letting me a part of helping again.
Gene. good luck with the rig. and nices meeting you. hope to see you soon.
G it was nice meeting you finally.
I would try to name everyone but it would take me for ever lol.
Hope everyone made it home safe
As promised a bit late but hers some pics
Eric
MARK> Could I maybe come over monday or something thing to pick up my tables if you guys dont need them anymore? Thanks for letting me a part of helping again.
Gene. good luck with the rig. and nices meeting you. hope to see you soon.
G it was nice meeting you finally.
I would try to name everyone but it would take me for ever lol.
Hope everyone made it home safe
As promised a bit late but hers some pics
Eric
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It's A Wrap!
I just got home from dropping off Gene and the crashed wagon.
Due to a few small problems, he was not able to drive it home tonight.
He was dead tired but stoked from all that happened over the weekend.
Here are few photos of the last stragglers:
Thanks to all the people that gave their all for this project!
Special Thanks to Mark of Marks Off Road
- without your shop
and having all the parts right there to tackle all the things
that come up, this project never would have made it as far as it did!
I just got home from dropping off Gene and the crashed wagon.
Due to a few small problems, he was not able to drive it home tonight.
He was dead tired but stoked from all that happened over the weekend.
Here are few photos of the last stragglers:
Thanks to all the people that gave their all for this project!
Special Thanks to Mark of Marks Off Road
- without your shopand having all the parts right there to tackle all the things
that come up, this project never would have made it as far as it did!
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D'Animal, sorry for dropping the huge ball peen on your face. Thanks for not attacking me with a chainsaw (this guy is tough, he did not even flinch or complain I only knew the hammer hit him when it did not hear it hit pavement). Not good to hurt a guy who looks like a WWF wrasler.
Gene, it was great to meet you, good luck with the rest of your project. Thanks for feeding us so well. I was fully impressed with how hard you worked and how motivated you were. That Italian food was awesome.
Mark, thanks for organizing all of this I know it took you a long time and took away from your day to day running of the shop. Thanks for letting it happen at your shop as well.
George (OrangeFJ45) - Thanks for your org work as well. You guys huslted like a NASCAR pitcrew.
Chris (Dhonoagod) nice to meet you and was a pleasure to work with you man.
Art (Wasabi) and Dan (Dans hJ45) were amazing with the Harness and all things mechanical. Thanks for the awnings Art, I'd have been burned to crisp otherwise. It's nice to have the real pros around.
Land Cruiser 909 (Rob) went through an Ebrake rebuild like it was a snack cake and he could do it in his sleep.
Ranger Dave (66LV) went from one project to another.
Eric (FJ40forlife) was always in the mix as well.
Thanks to Owensexport for some heavy hauling and expert reversing.
The guy with the red 45 worked all day on the motor.
Once again, nice to see Calico and his truck mounted genset was super handy to run the chop saw, grinders, etc.
At the end of the day, I got to do some welding and that is when I dropped a hammer on Dan's face and flung sparks on everyone.
Had a great time, nice to meet you guys. I was the biggest slacker there, these guys worked like dogs all weekend. I could only make one Saturday, how did it go today? Any more pics?
-Stumbaugh
Gene, it was great to meet you, good luck with the rest of your project. Thanks for feeding us so well. I was fully impressed with how hard you worked and how motivated you were. That Italian food was awesome.
Mark, thanks for organizing all of this I know it took you a long time and took away from your day to day running of the shop. Thanks for letting it happen at your shop as well.
George (OrangeFJ45) - Thanks for your org work as well. You guys huslted like a NASCAR pitcrew.
Chris (Dhonoagod) nice to meet you and was a pleasure to work with you man.
Art (Wasabi) and Dan (Dans hJ45) were amazing with the Harness and all things mechanical. Thanks for the awnings Art, I'd have been burned to crisp otherwise. It's nice to have the real pros around.
Land Cruiser 909 (Rob) went through an Ebrake rebuild like it was a snack cake and he could do it in his sleep.
Ranger Dave (66LV) went from one project to another.
Eric (FJ40forlife) was always in the mix as well.
Thanks to Owensexport for some heavy hauling and expert reversing.
The guy with the red 45 worked all day on the motor.
Once again, nice to see Calico and his truck mounted genset was super handy to run the chop saw, grinders, etc.
At the end of the day, I got to do some welding and that is when I dropped a hammer on Dan's face and flung sparks on everyone.
Had a great time, nice to meet you guys. I was the biggest slacker there, these guys worked like dogs all weekend. I could only make one Saturday, how did it go today? Any more pics?
-Stumbaugh
DanS HJ-45
SILVER Star
As one of those stragglers I guess I should make sure it's clear that it does run.
If it weren't for a leak in the "pressure tested" gas tank I think it would have made a trip or two around the block. The brakes are super high and firm now (yeah!) and the engine sounded fantastic. It sounds almost as good as the exhaust looks.
But, on a related note, Gene and I were out cruising the faux-lux when we ran across something TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!
Here is just a taste. Yep, it's custom. Fiberglass or something, the plaque in the window proudly proclaimed that it did not require "poloshing."
Yep, pretty wicked.
You can tell Gene was stoked to the max!!!!
He'll probably take the 35LV in a similar direction. Not only does he not have 4 exhaust tips, but he doesn't have that cool gold paint, nor does his relieve him of the requirements to polosh it regularly.
Great fun! What a great way to spend my birthday! (haha, kept it a secret I did!) Most of you guys left way too soon, you missed the wicked good food we had after it was running. It was very good food, and not just because the truck runs without any real issues. It'll be tough now "roughing" it out of the pickup on the way back to New Mexico.
Dan
If it weren't for a leak in the "pressure tested" gas tank I think it would have made a trip or two around the block. The brakes are super high and firm now (yeah!) and the engine sounded fantastic. It sounds almost as good as the exhaust looks.
But, on a related note, Gene and I were out cruising the faux-lux when we ran across something TOTALLY AWESOME!!!!
Here is just a taste. Yep, it's custom. Fiberglass or something, the plaque in the window proudly proclaimed that it did not require "poloshing."
Yep, pretty wicked.
You can tell Gene was stoked to the max!!!!
He'll probably take the 35LV in a similar direction. Not only does he not have 4 exhaust tips, but he doesn't have that cool gold paint, nor does his relieve him of the requirements to polosh it regularly.
Great fun! What a great way to spend my birthday! (haha, kept it a secret I did!) Most of you guys left way too soon, you missed the wicked good food we had after it was running. It was very good food, and not just because the truck runs without any real issues. It'll be tough now "roughing" it out of the pickup on the way back to New Mexico.
Dan
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oh ya who needs a tube bender for exhurst pipe. all you need is to fj axle shaftsand the engine sounded fantastic. It sounds almost as good as the exhaust looks.
Great fun! What a great way to spend my birthday!
Dan
Happy birthday Dan. Great meeting you. driving the 45 all the way to new?
haha man i didnt know that car you guys found was the nice lol
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I couldn't possibly write everything I have to say in one post, or in any kind of reasonable time. I've got over a hundred hours in this project, and I don't know if I've hit the half way point yet. Time has become irrelevant. Business has gone down the drain. But somehow I retain the faith that everything will work out. This project is enough to confirm anyone's belief in that.
I'd like to start out with the opening I should have used on Saturday, apologizing for anything I did or didn't do that made this project come up short of anyone else's expectations. The project went pretty much exactly as I thought it would. The only thing I think I miscalculated was the sheer force of the collective energy you guys put together. To a man, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BLEW ME AWAY with the energy you put into this.
There were times when each and every one of us completed a task and got to stand back and watch this thing unfold, and wonder what we were gonna do next. Like the pieces of a puzzle, it didn't take long for that next job to land in front of us. Almost without exception, everyone did what was asked of them regardless. They did it with competence and without complaint. Nobody could ask for more.
Personally, I know that I answered at least a 100 small questions about the details of the assembly that helped the flow keep going. I am glad I had the answers. There were also about 60 occasions during the weekend where worked stopped because of something missing or damaged which was needed to continue. At those times it was extremely gratifying to walk into the shop a few feet away and return with the required part. This confirmed my decision that the advantages of doing this at the shop outweighed the liabilities.
I would like to put together a separate post of just how each and every one of you blew me away with the different things you did to step up to the occasion. I think all the people who weren't there should have a chance to know this. I just don't have the time right now, as there are too many things I put on hold to push this project forward that need attention now. I hope I don't forget before I get the time to do this.
At lunch I presented Gene with a box that had been arranged for overnight delivery from Eric C., the guy that jumpstarted this project by donating the tub. I also told a short story that I had shared with Eric on Thursday, when I finally got to talk with him.
When I was growing up, somewheres along the way I got to hear the story of stone soup. This was the story of a man who had nothing to eat, so one night he just put a stone in a pot to boil. The next guy, who didn't think he had much to offer said something like 'I can add some salt'. The next guy who wandered in, also thinking he had not much to offer, gave something like parsley. It went on like this until the stone soup became a full blown stew that everyone richly dined on. This story unfolded a lot like stone soup, the major difference being that Eric C. changed the plot by throwing a steak into the mix right off the bat.
Looking back on this now, I can see the punchline I couldn't have seen from the 'eye of the hurricane' while we were doing this. I, being the eternally optimistic hippie that I am, provided what you would mostly likely expect from a hippie....................
THE POT!
I'd like to start out with the opening I should have used on Saturday, apologizing for anything I did or didn't do that made this project come up short of anyone else's expectations. The project went pretty much exactly as I thought it would. The only thing I think I miscalculated was the sheer force of the collective energy you guys put together. To a man, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU BLEW ME AWAY with the energy you put into this.
There were times when each and every one of us completed a task and got to stand back and watch this thing unfold, and wonder what we were gonna do next. Like the pieces of a puzzle, it didn't take long for that next job to land in front of us. Almost without exception, everyone did what was asked of them regardless. They did it with competence and without complaint. Nobody could ask for more.
Personally, I know that I answered at least a 100 small questions about the details of the assembly that helped the flow keep going. I am glad I had the answers. There were also about 60 occasions during the weekend where worked stopped because of something missing or damaged which was needed to continue. At those times it was extremely gratifying to walk into the shop a few feet away and return with the required part. This confirmed my decision that the advantages of doing this at the shop outweighed the liabilities.
I would like to put together a separate post of just how each and every one of you blew me away with the different things you did to step up to the occasion. I think all the people who weren't there should have a chance to know this. I just don't have the time right now, as there are too many things I put on hold to push this project forward that need attention now. I hope I don't forget before I get the time to do this.
At lunch I presented Gene with a box that had been arranged for overnight delivery from Eric C., the guy that jumpstarted this project by donating the tub. I also told a short story that I had shared with Eric on Thursday, when I finally got to talk with him.
When I was growing up, somewheres along the way I got to hear the story of stone soup. This was the story of a man who had nothing to eat, so one night he just put a stone in a pot to boil. The next guy, who didn't think he had much to offer said something like 'I can add some salt'. The next guy who wandered in, also thinking he had not much to offer, gave something like parsley. It went on like this until the stone soup became a full blown stew that everyone richly dined on. This story unfolded a lot like stone soup, the major difference being that Eric C. changed the plot by throwing a steak into the mix right off the bat.
Looking back on this now, I can see the punchline I couldn't have seen from the 'eye of the hurricane' while we were doing this. I, being the eternally optimistic hippie that I am, provided what you would mostly likely expect from a hippie....................
THE POT!
Mark and the "Boys"
I am sorry I could not make it to the shop for the build, but duty called and I had to be at the station all weekend. I watched the build unfold in the pictorial provided by owensexport and fj40forlife. I had to laugh, every time I saw Rob in a photo, he either had a camera in his hand or a 2 x 4, did he actually do some work on Gene's LV? ;p
It is nice to see there are generous people like yourselves willing to help out your fellow man. I have met some of you in person, others I have corresponded to through Mud, and yet others I only know from posts and threads started on this board. All I can say is, "What a great bunch of guys". I look forward to meeting and wheeling with you guys in the future, God Bless.
I am sorry I could not make it to the shop for the build, but duty called and I had to be at the station all weekend. I watched the build unfold in the pictorial provided by owensexport and fj40forlife. I had to laugh, every time I saw Rob in a photo, he either had a camera in his hand or a 2 x 4, did he actually do some work on Gene's LV? ;p
It is nice to see there are generous people like yourselves willing to help out your fellow man. I have met some of you in person, others I have corresponded to through Mud, and yet others I only know from posts and threads started on this board. All I can say is, "What a great bunch of guys". I look forward to meeting and wheeling with you guys in the future, God Bless.
2ndGenToyotaFan
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We need a rim-shot smiley for that one Mark! Well done all of you! I figured this would come together like it did, but it's nice to see pics and hear the stories that came of it. So did anyone get hurt more than Dan's face?
Well done all of you! I figured this would come together like it did, but it's nice to see pics and hear the stories that came of it. So did anyone get hurt more than Dan's face? 
