Sheila's evisceration and birth of an HJ62 -> Tofudebeest

[Tofudebeest]

Nice shady work area, huh? Got some help coming over the holiday break in 3 weeks or so. Sheila's axles, hub to hub, in exchange for 3, 4 maybe 5 days of wrench turning, guidance and motivation from redrustbucket. The axles will go in his 40. He just put in a 3FE and my old H41 in it. Tofu's 3FE is going to a good home in a 40 in Orlando...

 

[redrustbucket]

Looks good so far. That 62 is clean.

 

[euclid]

Looks good so far. That 62 is clean.

Don't fool yourself. It's a piece. Paint it with some Krylon and it'd be worthey of your sig. Believe me, I know the guy that sold it to him.

Looks good, B. Get-er-dun.

 

[Tofudebeest]

What would you do about the roof and hood? Respray the whole truck? Bedliner job? The paint is good everywhere but on the horizontal surfaces. Faded to the primer...

 

[euclid]

What would you do about the roof and hood? Respray the whole truck? Bedliner job? The paint is good everywhere but on the horizontal surfaces. Faded to the primer...

What are you going to do with the truck? Is it a rest-wheeler? If you want it to be super perfect, you won't want to get in the woods with it. If you want it to be pretty, but not so pretty you don't want to wheel it I'd recomend holding off on paint work. Recover from the swap, save up $2500 and get a good paint job. It won't be perfect, but it will turn heads. I wouldn't paint just the roof and hood, it will never match right.

If you do go bed liner (not my style) you should think about painting the V in the hood black, then have the roof sprayed. JMHO

 

[Tofudebeest]

What are you going to do with the truck? Is it a rest-wheeler? If you want it to be super perfect, you won't want to get in the woods with it. If you want it to be pretty, but not so pretty you don't want to wheel it I'd recomend holding off on paint work. Recover from the swap, save up $2500 and get a good paint job. It won't be perfect, but it will turn heads. I wouldn't paint just the roof and hood, it will never match right.

If you do go bed liner (not my style) you should think about painting the V in the hood black, then have the roof sprayed. JMHO

This will be my DD but I do intend to wheel it some. I will do sliders, roof rack, bring over the springs from Shelia for that 3" lift, MAYBE a SOA at some point. I'm also FULLY blacking out this one, including door handles. To me, chrome is the worst, especially on expedition rigs. IH8Chrome.

If I do bedline it, I intend to do the roof, A pilars, and the center section of the hood, as well as the usual (fenders, wheel wells, bottom side section, etc.).

 

[euclid]

This will be my DD but I do intend to wheel it some. I will do sliders, roof rack, bring over the springs from Shelia for that 3" lift, MAYBE a SOA at some point. I'm also FULLY bkacking out this one, including door handles. To me, chrome is the worst, especially on expedition rigs. IH8Chrome.

If I do bedline it, I intend to do the roof, A pilars, and the center section of the hood, as well as the usual (fenders, wheel wells, bottom side section, etc.).

You know I don't mind chrome, personal preference.

Are you saying you would bedline the roof? That's a lot of weight to put on the roof, and I think it would look weird. JMO

 

[Tofudebeest]

Are you saying you would bedline the roof? That's a lot of weight to put on the roof, and I think it would look weird. JMO

No, it isn't, maybe 20 pounds, max. A roof rack would weigh 5 times as much. Dude, I am 5'4", you think I ever see my roof? And it would not be for looks, but because I drive in wooded areas where no trails exist and It'll get pinstriping from low hanging branches all the time.
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Ok, the 300D whose steering box went AWOL... well, it ran out of fuel this fine, fine morning. The gauge had it on 1/4 tank (but it had been there for several days), but I coasted into the filling station! Can't get any luckier than that! Then my credit card would not work (demagnetized), and I only had $5 in cash on me, so I used my business card (unauthorized use I'll have to explain later ). I got to work, put a "do not bother or risk losing a limb" sign on my door, and closed it behind me. Maybe I should have stayed in bed...

 

[euclid]

No, it isn't, maybe 20 pounds, max. A roof rack would weigh 5 times as much. Dude, I am 5'4", you think I ever see my roof? And it would not be for looks, but because I drive in wooded areas where no trails exist and It'll get pinstriping from low hanging branches all the time.

Pinstripes on the roof? Have you seen someone bedline the roof before? Don't think I have. I would re-paint the roof rather than liner. The roof rack will protect the truck from limbs anyway.

I drive in thick woods ALL the time. Went to the river 2 times this past weekend. A good paint job will withstand all but very big limbs against the side of the truck. I detail my truck every spring, and most all of the stripes I get in the winter will buff out.

 

[Tofudebeest]

Pinstripes on the roof? Have you seen someone bedline the roof before? Don't think I have. I would re-paint the roof rather than liner. The roof rack will protect the truck from limbs anyway.

Yep. Yep. I won't have a roof rack for some time. Also, bedliner will permanently keep the drip rails rust-free. Sheila has some nice limb-caused roof scratches, not just buffable marks. You may say "nay", but I know from 1st hand experience, that additional roof protection is not a stupid idea. I would opt for the low-grit stuff though, like U-Pol or Durabak.

 

[Christian]

Also, bedliner will permanently keep the drip rails rust-free.

Sorry Tofu, but no, the rust in the roof and drip rails usually comes from the inside. Actually, not to bring that thread up again, but this IMO might be the only flaw in the construction. Moisture condenses on the inside of the roof and collects between roof and sidepanels causing roof and rail to rust from the inside.

I know where these babies rust

 

[Tofudebeest]

Yeah, me too! This is the reason for Sheila's death. I'm not gonna look now, but about a year ago, I posted up all the photos of Sheila's cancer. Not to argue with you, but the drip rails DO rust from the outside in as well. It's not the same origin as roof rust and A-pilar rust, but they do, especially if you leave the hideous chrome strip on the drip rail edge. That s*** sucks.

 

[Gary Gnu]

Are you allowed to post up chat-like posts in a tech thread, even if it is your own?

In any event, it's their loss. Let's see some updates to this build, you slacker.

 

[brownbear]

To help combat future roof rot I might suggest getting on the inside and spraying oil into that are all over then re-fasten the headliner down.

 

[Tofudebeest]

forced lock out? good for you....

Yup, I can't even see my own old chat posts. No temptation.

To help combat future roof rot I might suggest getting on the inside and spraying oil into that are all over then re-fasten the headliner down.

I was planning on doing that. I'm not a fan of the felt headliner in the 62 anyhow (and this one was a little stained anyway). Luckily, I had already purchased a vinyl headliner from $OR last year (when I was thinking of replacing Sheila's roof), it's still in the box in my shed.

What kind of oil/ rust preventative would you recommend (and what delivery system)? Ever seen those little pump bottles with a coiled hose with spray mister on the end for when it is hot outside? I have one. I wonder how viscous a fluid it will still aerosolize... Hmmm....

 

[Christian]

Not to argue with you, but the drip rails DO rust from the outside in as well. It's not the same origin as roof rust and A-pilar rust, but they do, especially if you leave the hideous chrome strip on the drip rail edge. That s*** sucks.

You are 100% right! I just assumed you meant roofrot. I had to make completely new driprails all around.
Nevertheless good idea to get some oil in between the roof and top frame.

 

[brownbear]

I was planning on doing that. I'm not a fan of the felt headliner in the 62 anyhow (and this one was a little stained anyway). Luckily, I had already purchased a vinyl headliner from $OR last year (when I was thinking of replacing Sheila's roof), it's still in the box in my shed.

What kind of oil/ rust preventative would you recommend (and what delivery system)? Ever seen those little pump bottles with a coiled hose with spray mister on the end for when it is hot outside? I have one. I wonder how viscous a fluid it will still aerosolize... Hmmm....

I used LPS 3 in spray bottles with the supplied straw. Then you can work you way around trying to get it in the areas where the bad seams exist.

For those who do not want to remove the headliner you can get some of the roof line by removing things screwed in there, like the grips. The holes allow you to spray 360 degrees with the straw.

Then you could also in the door ways drill small holes to spray oil in there. And then after seal the hole.

Whatever the case a 60 needs lubrication all over in the panels to prevent those darn bare seams from rusting.

 

[Tofudebeest]

While I'll not be drilling any holes that are not necessary, I will do my best to get rust preventative into the rust prone areas, where practical. While Tofu is an early 62 (8/88), and perhaps not the best assembled and rust proofed 60-series, I do know for sure that the later 60s and more so the 62s saw a significant improvement in seam sealing and rust proofing in general. The fact that this one spent its life in the South (Mississippi) and was coated in every nook and cranny in red clay, bodes very well for its condition in the hidden problem areas. The only thing it did NOT benefit from that it could have, in a round about way, was that there were no major oil leaks from a bad rear main seal or transmission, for example, which would have coated the frame and belly and protected it from "bone cancer". Sheila, despite the heavy rust up top ("skin cancer"), was in pretty good condition from a heavy coat of grease from the ubiquitous diesel engine oil leaks. That being said, there's no rust anywhere at all on Tofu except for a few rock chips on the leading edge of the hood and valence. Where paint chipped off down to the sheet metal, there are tiny specks of rust. That will, of course, be taken care of before it spreads.

 

[Tofudebeest]

Redrustbucket and I wrenched Friday, Saturday and Sunday from ~8:30 am til ~8:00 pm. Monday morning was a cleaning up day and we loaded redrustbucket's 60 with assorted parts before he hit the road. Mel Lowe and my neighbor Roger joined in, each contributing about 6-8 hours each over the 3 1/2 day wrench-a-thon. Good wrenching activity brings 'em in like a moth to a flame and I had great company. Though the deal was parts in exchange for labor, I'm totally in debt to these guys for their hard work and motivation, and I think I got the better end of the deal... Amazing progress. As the weekend progressed, I transitioned from a mostly clueless occasional wrench turner, gabber and watcher to a full-blown greasy, knuckle-busted worker. The weather worked out perfectly except for about 45 minutes of heavy rain on Sunday. Pictures are forthcoming of the increasingly gutted Sheila and the much closer to completed Tofudebeest. THANKS FELLAS!

 

[Tofudebeest]

OK, here they are.