Builds Project Resurrection v1.1

[hman913]

Bad ass build, looks so clean and easy this way, super prep work!

You gonna keep those 1/8" upper links?

Thanks dude.

The uppers will probably survive just fine with my intentions for how it will be wheeled. It will be be wheeled hard, but I'm not one to beat on it/thrash it just because I can. The more I've been able to think on it since completing the rear end, I will probably be redoing the upper links to 1.5" sq. x 0.25" wall tube. That way I won't ever have to worry about them probably surviving.

 

[yOHda]

Im hashing out my first link suspension on my 40 as well. From everything I've read you should be fine with those uppers. The square tube is pretty strong and 4 link design helps spread the load as well.

Awesome job on your build so far!

 

[hman913]

Im hashing out my first link suspension on my 40 as well. From everything I've read you should be fine with those uppers. The square tube is pretty strong and 4 link design helps spread the load as well.

Awesome job on your build so far!

Thanks dude. Been following yours too, nice to see you're making progress.

I've been spending the last couple weeks in sheet metal hell. The '77 tub was obviously in much better shape than the original, but still needed work which I knew. I rolled the tub out into the driveway to cleanup the underside of rust and undercoating to find the driver's floor pan was peppered with nail sized holes. The passenger side I already knew was a disaster.

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0811131030_zpsa6b756a0.jpg


Rolled everything back inside and started cutting.

Before
http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0817131335_zps3986505e.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0820131933_zps7472454c.jpg


After
http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0824131733_zpsc4a08717.jpg


Floors were finished up yesterday. Today all I managed was to clearance the rear fenders and cutting out the rotted rear sill. Chopping up the perfectly fine fenders was everything I though it would be... very satisfying.

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0825131636a_zpsd0c97c7d.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0825131637_zps0f30987a.jpg

http://i343.photobucket.com/albums/o462/hman913/FJ40/0825131638_zpse798f467.jpg
A piece of the fender fell off clean when the the sill was cut. Two thumbs up to the PO's repair job.

Finishing up the rest of the tub repair this week...

 

[Pacer]

Good progress, thanks for the update!

 

[hman913]

Continuing the saga of rust, a new rear sill of capped 2”x3” box tube is in with the fender bottoms replaced and tied into the sill.








Since the gas tank pan was rusted out in the middle and I will be running propane, I cut out the pan and leveled it off with the rest of the floor. The pan would be good to have for storage, but that just means my wife will have to learn to pack less crap. I also think the factory style pan might interfere if I need to pull the transfer case later on.






I was hoping have the body painted by the end of this weekend but with the amount of little things left to do, it’s becoming less of a possibility. Still to do:

• cut holes for LED tails
• re-tap/repair/replace captured nuts for soft top rails
• repair bottom portion of glove box floor
• chop rockers
• repair front body mount
• add reinforcement to underside of floor pans
• remove remainder of adhesive floor mats (?) and surface rust
• drop body on frame to check clearance for t-case brake rotor

 

[hman913]

Inside and underside of tub are sprayed.






Before (with some of the original paint still showing)...

...complete with ghetto 3/4" angle to reinforce the floor

After



I'll be rolling the tub back over onto its belly tonight to spray the engine side of the firewall, and either tomorrow or Saturday will be mating tub to frame. Last night I got the bib cleaned up for some very minor rust repair.

Probably a couple months ago now I bought some 6 lug 14b hubs for an eventual axle swap. With the money I have into my Toy hybrid rear, I could have had a well setup 14b. Live and learn I guess. Either way I'll slowly start acquiring 14b parts as this phase of the build winds down.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Booyah!

 

[hman913]

Well the body is on, except with even less floor than it used to have. When I did the test fit a couple weeks back it never occurred to me that half of the rear driveshaft flange above the floor would be a bad thing, so I trimmed just enough so the studs would clear the floor.

With the body positioned Saturday, I finally realized more cutting was necessary, so out came the 4.5" problem-solver. A little more finessing may be required later on depending on where the driveshaft CV joint is in relation to the floor. Thankfully the section of rear frame I replaced was dead nuts with the body, so either I did rebuilt everything correctly or fawked up two-fold and it just canceled itself out.




...small price to pay for a flat belly I guess.




I should be finishing up the battery box mounting this evening depending on how well I can do a counter-sink with regular drill bits. My new-to-me wheels showed up the other day, so probably this weekend I will get started on the beadlock rings. After that my weekends are shot for about a month.

 

[hman913]

Wheels are done and painted. Just use your imagination and see them as black.

Tires

I was finally able to clearly get an idea of the wheelbase and stance, and I'm completely psyched. The beadlock hardware is on hand, and the airsoft pellets are bagged up ready to drop in. I'll get started on mounting tomorrow.

I've also got a cage kit on the way (hopefully it's shipped by now) from Metal Tech... because it's a good base point. I'll be adding tubes to the dash/windshield area, harness bar and X at the b-hoop, and some X's to the roof.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Yeah, that's beautiful. Get those tires mounted up and bolted on! This truck deserves to be sitting on the ground

 

[hman913]

It's finally a roller again... 2.5 years later. The wheelbase is dead nuts at 107"








Approach and departure angles are nothing to complain about...






Clearance is pretty tight at the upper coil mounts, about 1.5" to the tire at static height. The plan for Sunday is to compress each side and see if it warrants trimming the mounts... after I've recovered from canuck thanksgiving.




I will also be swapping out to 2-3" lift springs because I'm sitting with about a perfect rake with no weight. Final call will be once the cage and propane tanks are in.

 

[Cdaniel]

Looks awesome!

 

[hman913]

Looks awesome!

Thank you.


Well the shell is in. Yesterday I picked up some 1.75" tube from a buddy to fill in some holes, and then on to the seat cradle.



I'm still torn on the A-to-B supports because they obviously go down a ways onto the B pillar, but my thinking is that they will help to keep your head from exiting should things get stupid.

And then these beauties showed up yesterday. The Chassis Unlimited sliders are pieces of art. The sliders are just going on the driver's side so the misses can also drive. The seat is pretty comfy too.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I like the A-B diagonals where they are. I say keep them.

 

[dr_dobro]

I cut mine down a bit since I am 6'3". Will take a picture tomorrow.
And what a sweet looking 40 you are putting together.
D.

 

[dr_dobro]

Here ...

 

[hman913]

Thanks dude. I thought about going up that high with mine, but then again you're 5" taller. The more I've been knocking out parts of the cage, I'm liking where my supports are. Now back out to the garage to finish the seat cradle.

 

[hman913]

A couple progress pics from the weekend...






The seat cradle will be removable via tube flanges, since it's the only way to remove the transfer case. I probably would have been able to get the rest of the cradle done and seat mounted, but today's high of 34 degrees was fawking cold.

 

[40Habits]

It is looking good!

 

[hman913]

It is looking good!

Thank you!


Cage is all in. The only things outstanding are some gussets and seat belt tabs... harness is showing up today.





The clearance from my head to the roof (in the driver’s seat) is ~3.5”, and less for those times when I have to ride the short bus. I tried to find every possible way to lower the seat, but needing that side on sliders plus the packaging constraints I really had no choice. Without the sliders there was no way to make it fit both myself and my wife, and I’ll be damned if I’m only ever going to be a passenger in this pile. At least it’s incredibly comfortable to sit in and pretend to drive.


The front frame tie-ins are ready to finish weld, and the passenger rear is cut and ready to go in.




I would finish up the rears tonight, but instead I need to reorganize the shed for wintertime, get the snow blower ready for duty and buy new snowbrushes (I filled our previous ones with grinding dust and body filler dust). Had our first snowfall of the season last night... fxxx that noise.

So far it’s looking promising to be able to pull the cage for finish welding this weekend.