Project Rebirth: Mostly a bodywork thread from an absolute rookie (2 Viewers)

[D Stevo]

Long time lurker here, and have appreciated all that I've been able to learn from you guys as I've watched and read from a distance. I guess this first post will just be an intro to my cruiser and I'll add some more details below, as I've already commenced on the build.

Bought my 1985 60 Series in September of 2019. Over the past few years I've slowly upgraded and worked on basic maintenance items while it's also served as my daily driver. Stuff I've done has included:
-Ironman 4x4 Foam Cell Pro 2" lift
-New wheels and tires (a couple times)
-Replaced Radiator and cooling system
-Dual Battery Setup
-4x4 Labs Rear Bumper
-ARB front bumper w/ smitty winch
-New motor mounts
-Clutch slave cylinder
-Desmog (air pump failed and decided to ditch it)
-Rebuilt knuckles

When I first bought the Cruiser, my knowledge of these trucks was pretty close to nonexistent - I just knew I wanted one. So, I found one locally that was in my price range (super low) and jumped on it. While it's been a fantastic rig and has taken me a lot of places, and worked as a fairly reliable daily driver for years, there are a few things that really need addressing. I was able to retire her as my daily this past spring, and am finally dedicating the time necessary to address some items that just need to be tackled - as well as add a few upgrades that will make this rig as comfortable and reliable as I can for long weekend trips.

First item on my list is body work. A previous owner applied a rhinoliner-esque material to the bottom half of the body. When I purchased I really had no idea what to look for and didn't even think about what could be underneath it. I unfortunately had a pretty rude awakening during it's first Utah winter when the rear quarters almost immediately rotted out beneath the rhinoliner. Since then it's had a few run ins with some trees and boulders, so the body work will include the following:
-Rhinoliner removal where necessary (proving to be an absolute b***h)
-Rust repair to rear quarters (cut and weld in panels from parts truck)
-Replace rusty doors and tailgate/hatch (replace w/ doors from parts truck)
-Pull carpet and check for floor rust
-Sound deadening to doors and floor
-Prep for and apply vinyl wrap

Mechanically the cruiser is fairly sound, but would like to do a base line. I've got to chase down a leak or two and am planning on replacing every gasket I can without removing the engine. New plugs, wires, etc. The fun stuff will include:
-H55F swap
-Holley Sniper EFI kit
-New wheels and tires (again)

Pics of the day I brought it home and right before I started tearing it apart this past year.

Now that I've introduced the rig and my plans, first thing I'll document is removing the rhinoliner. Probably post that later tonight. Also, I'm posting video progress on Instagram on my page @d.stevooo if you're into that kind of thing.

 

[CruiserTrash]

As somebody who’s first Cruiser was a 60 that I forgot to check for rust … I’ll be following along at home!

 

[Roonie]

What has been your wheel tire progression? Looks like fifteen52 in the last pic?

 

[D Stevo]

As somebody who’s first Cruiser was a 60 that I forgot to check for rust … I’ll be following along at home!

Wish I knew then what I knew now, but at least we’re gettin’ it sorted!

 

[D Stevo]

What has been your wheel tire progression? Looks like fifteen52 in the last pic?

Yessir, the Analogs were the most recent, but those have found their way to my First gen Tundra. I had them on 285/75 Duratracs most recently.

Prior to that I ran 33” Milestar Patagonias on a set of Procomp(?) steelies.

Really love the Fifteen52 Analogs, but really love them on my Tundra so probably gonna switch it up again on the 60. Not sure what direction to head yet?

 

[reddog90]

Looking forward to seeing you knock all this out.

 

[D Stevo]

First on the docket was removing the rhinoliner on the entire cruiser. The plan was originally to remove the rhinoliner on the front valence, fenders, doors, and then buy the replacement quarter panels from Wolf Steel (alphaparts) to weld in to the rear fenders.

Removing the rhinoliner was a little daunting because surprisingly I couldn't find a whole lot of solid documentation on Youtube or the greater interwebs. I finally found a video that seemed promising and decided to give it a shot.

Citristrip is the product that I used to remove the rhinoliner. You can pick it up at Ace Hardware or Walmart and it's basically just a chemical free paint stripper. It's a bit of a process to get the rhinoliner off, but it does work. A few things that I learned while using the stuff:
-Buy some cheap, crappy paintbrushes and a bucket you can trash when you're done. You'll dump it into the bucket and then brush it on THICK. Thicker the better, as it seems to work the best if it can keep from drying out.
-To help keep from drying out, you'll want to cover the applied areas with plastic. I originally purchased a 4mil painters plastic, but found that basic saran wrap from your kitchen actually works better because it more easily forms around the contours of the body. You want to try to eliminate as many air gaps as possible. I typically keep it covered with plastic for 24 hours.
-Once uncovered you'll notice that some of the rhinoliner has started to lift from the body. I used a putty knife to try to get as much off as possible, then repeated this process. 3-4 coats seemed to do the trick in most areas for me.
-It will remove clear coat and paint, so if you're wanting to avoid that, you'll want to be very careful with your application.

The process was super tedious... But I was able to remove the majority of the rhinoliner. As I got down beneath the rhinoliner, though, I started to find a lot more rust and bondo than what I was originally expecting, especially in the doors that I thought were fairly solid and planning on keeping.

Last two pictures are of the front fenders after rhinoliner removal and some light sanding. I'm thinking they'll be salvageable. There is a little rust in the bottom corner of the passenger side and a hole on the drivers side I'll need to patch, but overall pretty good.

 

[D Stevo]

While I was prepping myself to spend a lot more time on rust repair than originally anticipated, I stumbled upon a parts 60 Series that was within a Saturday's drive. The roof is totally rotten (which mine is great still), but the rest of the body was actually in great shape. Doors and hatch/liftgate were all good, and the rear quarters were solid. Front and rear factory bumpers with endcaps also in great shape. Factory wheels could use some clean up, but decent as well. No motor and the factory 4 speed is in the cargo space. For $1,200 and with the Wolf replacement quarters costing $750 before taxes and shipping, it seemed like a no brainer. I pulled the trigger and picked it up a few weekends ago.

 

[matmattmatthew]

Are you going to part out any other pieces of the body?

 

[D Stevo]

Are you going to part out any other pieces of the body?

I won't be using the front fenders or the hood, so those will be available. Everything else will probably be pretty stripped down body wise. I've got two sets of 60 Series mirrors, a set of 62 Series mirrors, most of the door cards in decent shape still... Shoot me a message if you're looking for anything more specific and I can let you know. Most of my old doors are actually fairly salvageable still with a little clean up too.

 

[D Stevo]

Been a little while since I've been on here to update. Got all the doors, rear hatch, tailgate, and front valence (?) swapped over from the donor rig. I probably could have kept the doors from my 60 because they aren't in too rough shape, but these new doors are pretty much perfect so it was a no brainer. With a little love my old doors would be great donors, so if anyone is interested, let me know.

 

[D Stevo]

Decided to take a little side quest and ordered wheels and tires, because why not.

Ended up going with FJ Cruiser steelies that I finished in charcoal wrapped in 33x10.50r17 Kenda Klever MT's. These tires are AGRESSIVE. Probably important to note that I was running a 1.25" wheel spacer already, which I believe is necessary to clear these wheels. I think they're a little shorter than I was hoping, but I think it could also be because I'm just not used to running skinnies. They grow on me the more I look at them though.

The shop that mounted them had a pretty hard time getting them balanced, so we'll see how it goes. I specifically asked if they could avoid mounting weights to the outside of the wheel and I guess there is pretty limited flat real estate for the stick on weights on the inside?

 

[D Stevo]

Tonight I will start stripping the interior to get prepped for chopping the rear quarters. Hoping to start that process this weekend, so any advice would be greatly appreciated. The entire quarters are very solid on the donor, so I think I'm planning on pulling the rear windows out and cutting them up in the pillars to lower the risk of warping the metal when I weld the new ones in place. Anybody done this and could point me toward a thread I can check out? I can't seem to find a very comprehensive one. Still learning how to navigate this forum efficiently.

 

[D Stevo]

Got the windows all pulled out to start cutting the rear quarters out.

I was originally planning on cutting up in the pillars close to where the green line is roughly on the photo below, but the window sills on the donor ended up being rotten. What’s my next best bet? It would be nice to cut somewhere along the blue line-ish, but I’m worried about having that much welding on the exterior face of the panel. Any thoughts?

 

[D Stevo]

Decided to go with a similar cut to the blue line from the last post, but kept the cut straight to avoid as much warping as possible.

Cut the quarters from the donor a little on the sloppy side, leaving more material for me to trim down once the quarter is off the vehicle. It was a lot easier to make precise cuts once the new quarters were off.

Probably another hour of trimming and another for clean up and these will be ready to be tacked in.