Rear shock mount tube replacement (1 Viewer)

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MrMoMo

That's not rust, it's Canadian patina...
Joined
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Location
~Kingston, ON, pero soñando de Panamá
For the next person looking for it.... here is how I did it.


Grind down the side of the frame where the old pipe was and get to nice steel, clean it up so it's easier to weld.

I got some "black pipe" with an OD of 1.66", I used about 42" give or take. This size will slide through the existing pipe without too much force. (one side went in really easy, the other side was a bit more difficult but I won!)

Cut the shock mounts out of the old pipe section, I used my chop saw to get them close, then a bench grinder to get them to the final shape.

Find the center point of your pipe section, and measure 10-1/4" out from center each side. This is where you need to drill through. Be sure that you drill through the center, and that you are perpendicular to the pipe so that the shock mount is square to the pipe. Also be very sure that the second hole is ligned up with the first one!. DON'T WELD THEM IN YET!!!

After drilling the holes and test fitting the mounts, slide the tube through the first side of the frame. (whichever side is a looser fit)

Once you have the tube in far enough, rotate it so that you can install the mounting stub, then weld it. (no going back now!) Weld the second stub, then rotate the tube to line up the stubs so they are paralell with the lower mounts.

At this point I attached the shocks to the top mounts, it helped to see when they were alligned correctly. Then I hammered the pipe in the rest of the way. I had about 1/4" of pipe sticking out each side of the frame, it made it nice to weld to.
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Once everything is in place and you are sure you don't need to rotate the pipe, weld it to the frame! I only welded the outsides, I don't think it's going anywhere. I'm sure some water will seep in between the old pipe and the new pipe, and I'm sure it will rust. I'm sure it will last long enough that I'll have the body off the frame, or no longer have the cruiser when that happens. I debated welding the inside, but there is no way with the body on that I would be able to weld the top. This would mean that ANY water that got in there would be trapped, as it could not get out the bottom. I figured a place for the water to get out would be better than it getting stuck in there.

Please note that I am doing this work on a BJ60, so I have a Diesel tank not a gas tank. IF you are attempting this on an FJ, PLEASE take the precautions required for welding in the same area as a gas tank - don't go blowing yourself up.

Pop the shocks back on and you're done!!

If you can use basic metalworking tools accurately, and a welder I would have to rate this at only :banana: - it's really pretty easy - easier than I was expecting!
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Hi.

Going to do this myself, but how thick metal did you use ?
How is it holding up today?

Thanks
 
i used the same meathod about 8-9 years ago.
held up just fine over the years.
the pipe was schedule 40, not sure what that translates to in euro....many three to four mm wall thickness.
 
I only have tubes with 1.5mm thick wall easily available, guess it will be to thin ...

It also have to look good, almost original or it won't pass EU regulations test that I have to do to use it on road ...
 
Bought a 48.2mm diameter tube with 6mm wall thickness, hope its tough enough for the job :p
 
Mine broke off to. I did not put the tube on yet. it just bounces a little..stiff springs. So, it was nice to have a cushy reponce to speed bumps. ;)

Now, is it a wise idea to just weld the but end of the pipe to both inside walls of the frame and it will still be strong enough to take the load from the shocks?
 
Well...the attached photo came in this afternoon...look what I get to do over easter. This is my eldest wagon...I get to drive 5 hours pic it up and drive 5 hours back, with a little bounce in my step I guess. Fortunately, this thread helped me put (at least the repair) in perspective.

Brian...if you are still checking..I still have that rust free dog leg for ya.
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Does anyone have any pictures or dimensions of the mounts/tube of the OEM tube? I just bought a FJ60 with a missing rear tube, and need to replace the tube. Thanks.
 
Dimensions on the oem tube I am not sure of. I just grinded it down to the ram and pushed a new tube trough it after some old rust removal inside what was left of the oem tube.

I i remember and have time I can take my Vernier caliper and measure it out side diameter tomorrow.
 
Just found some info and picture on my garage thread on a Norwegian Land Cruiser forum I am member on.

The tube I ended up using that fitted perfectly are 42mm (1.6535") outer diameter and 109cm (42.9134") long. That leaves me with 12.5mm (0.4921") worth of tube outside the frame on both side to weld on. Haven't had any trouble with it rubbing on any wheels.

For some picture of it you could click on this link and look at the pictures. It is in Norwegian so I doubt you can read it :p
 
I am actually wondering why nobody is using a "flange" to weld it back on the chassis, like in this picture?

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