Project WTF have I gotten myself into??? (1 Viewer)

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Well, here is what I have concluded... Based on how much time I get to work on this each week, finish date is exactly one day before I start redoing it;)

Anyway, I did two things today, first, I got some seats from a guy who had a kick-ass Camaro racecar, check it.

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The other thing I did was finish my rocker panel. I tried to roll the bottom edge with my brake, but a 30" run of 16 gauge was too much so I welded in a 1.5" piece of angle iron and then got out the mini sledge. Hammer, tack, hammer, tack...I think it came out ok and will provide some strength when I come back to make sliders.

I'll also ran a brace of angle iron from the rocker to the center of the frame to support the floor since it isn't a single piece.

Any feedback or advice is welcome, I'm just trying to figure it out as I go.

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The other thing I did was finish my rocker panel. I tried to roll the bottom edge with my brake, but a 30" run of 16 gauge was too much so I welded in a 1.5" piece of angle iron and then got out the mini sledge. Hammer, tack, hammer, tack...I think it came out ok and will provide some strength when I come back to make sliders.

I'll also ran a brace of angle iron from the rocker to the center of the frame to support the floor since it isn't a single piece.

Any feedback or advice is welcome, I'm just trying to figure it out as I go.

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You should ty the angle iron in to the front and middle frame connections of the tub. That will provide more strength for sliders.
 
I would not have thought of that, but it looks pretty good to me. Agree about some tie in with the other parts of the frame. Try to align the sheet metal as flat as possible so that you do not take away too much material when flattening the welds.

Also looks like you are well underway on this repair, but for some of the other more complicated patches you will need, I would give real steel cruiser parts a look. Real Steel Cruiser Parts I bought a replacement driver floor pan and rear corners that were nicely made.
 
FJ40 2, Noah 2. - tied game

I'm going for cheap, not perfect. I want to get this thing moving as fast as possible and since I have to replace everything, steering, brakes, clutch, suspension, drive train axles etc...I'll get the major rust dealt with.

I will buy a quarter panel patch and check out real steel

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Stupid questions 101. Do I use self etching primer or epoxy primer on this stuff? I'll cover everything in rust bullet and then topcoat with TBD in the end
 
Stupid questions 101. Do I use self etching primer or epoxy primer on this stuff? I'll cover everything in rust bullet and then topcoat with TBD in the end
I am no pro, but my understanding is that both self etching and epoxy primer would work but both require the metal to be completely clean and free of rust. If I had the choice I would use a nice DTM epoxy as it is much thicker and can be roughed up a bit more to accept the next layer.

In terms of covering the rust bullet, I would check and see what can be applied over it. Should say on the can if it matters. From what I have seen the different rust treatments can have variations in the type/way to apply paint.
 
Correct, either primer type will work. Make sure it's super clean if you want the paint to last!
 
I've been thinking about axles a lot lately. At first I was thinking full with but then when I realized I didn't want to extend the frame full list didn't make a lot of sense, they're just too wide. I think I want to get an axle that has between 60 and 64" wheel Mount to wheel mount.

The two most obvious choices are fj60 axles, or fj80 axles.

Fj60 - if I go this route for the front I'll try to get one of those four plus tube extenders so that I can make the fj60 axle wider, probably coming in at ~62" if memory serves. For the rear I'll just run what I have and put a 1-in spacer on either side.

Fj80 - I've been thinking about this a lot lately, I know the rear is offset but if I push the axle back a little bit I'm wondering if I'll be able to get a drive shaft to work? I could then get a front axle, and to avoid dealing with the weird steering setup try to come up with some hellfire knuckles. That's kind of a pricey strategy but kind of kick ass and gets me 63.5 front and back.

The big issue is whether or not the off-centered rear will work and if I can find hellfire knuckles.

The last option I've been thinking about is getting a custom front housing from ruff stuff or diamond, but that is super pricey.

Thoughts and opinions welcome, should I post this in the hardcore (or whatever it's called) forum?
 
I have opted for the FJ80 axles on my '68 build. Looking forward to the 8" width gain. And discs, though my 4wheel drums work fine currently with 30"s😂
Not in any hurry, but i did already pick up a front and rear FF. Currently cleaning up and rebuilding the rear. With the stock 1F and 3speed t.case with an E brake on it, not sure i will use the axle e brake, but if/when i swap drivetrains- it'll be ready.
Suspension plan is to push rear back as far as possible without interfering with the oem taillights (not a full comp cut). Cant deicide on Fj60 springs flipped or 4 link rear.
Front with 80/hellfires and Full hydro. Full Hydro should clear up some space restraints and keeps from having a box hanging on the front. Will allow pulling in that bumper a few inches. Same suspension dilemma - FJ60 springs or 3link. Waiting on Ruffstuff for more Hellfires.
Links obviously have mondo bling factor and $$. For leafs im thinking CCOT HFS 60 springs with 2.5" lift and pull a spring, giving a longer spring than the 40's and still pull 4" lift. No idea if they will work out.😅
 
For leafs im thinking CCOT HFS 60 springs with 2.5" lift and pull a spring

Im going to run flatter springs, I dont want to be too tall. I've got some land rover springs, lots of really thin leafs, also thinking about tahoe springs in the front. Still on the fence with the fj80 vs fj60 axles...but will figure it out soon enough, still have a few more months of body work hell before I can get to anything fun, like suspension or engine.

I was thinking of linking, but it is sooo much more $$$

Ill ping you when I come up to the mountain, maybe check out your project if your cool with that?
 
Ill ping you when I come up to the mountain, maybe check out your project if your cool with that?

100% bud. Don't rush up here, smokey as hell all Fall. Toxic

And- same dilemma , i wanna stay low. Longest WB possible within reason, but also plan to run 37-40s eventually.
 
Slow and steady. I'm lucky as I have friends all over the central coast collecting parts for me. I now have fenders, a good, fender skirts and a windshield. I'll try to wrap up the inside rocker panel and floor this weekend, flip the truck around ( tight space can't get to both sides at the same time) and start the other rocker panel and rear quarter panel.

Outcome 6/10
Strength 9/10
Self esteem of building from scratch 10/10

I did some experimentation with rust bullet as well I coded the entire inside of the rocker panel as far up as I could get as well as the gas tank area. I'll go out of my way to be rough to the area I painted on the floor and see how it holds up.
 
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I was going to make the inside rockers out of 18 gauge, but it was crap, so 1.5 angle iron it is .

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Owning your first FJ40 is like losing your virginity: it’s expensive, awkward, and you’re probably going to do it wrong; but none of that stops you from trying again. 😁
 
Owning your first FJ40 is like losing your virginity: it’s expensive, awkward, and you’re probably going to do it wrong; but none of that stops you from trying again. 😁
That seems to be the case with all my offroad trucks, that is why I keep ending up with $20k/$5k trucks, got 20 in them and they worth 5. HA
 
Well, not too much progress to report, but I've hit a proverbial fork in the road, I've got most of the pieces I need but the wife just layed down the hammer and a project has to go, this or the K5.

I'll have to think about whether I can sell this as is or part it out, it has the VIN verified and a smog exempt title in CA is pretty cool. I could probably get more cheddar for the K5, but could be wheeling it much sooner.

This is the risk of projects, the unknown unknowns...
 

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