The Antichrist 55 (1 Viewer)

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UPDATE

Cleaned the 55 up some today. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, it made me feel good about the project I've taken on.

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UPDATE

Cleaned the 55 up some today. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, it made me feel good about the project I've taken on.
WOW!! It's amazing what a little elbow grease will do!! I need to do the same with mine. I haven't done anything to clean it since I got it. I am going to take a pressure washer to it... inside and out :)

PS... I would definitely be in favor of a name change :)
 
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thoughts?

Looks pretty far gone and ultimately won’t end up much more than a parts rig. Too bad the PO let it go so long. If you think you like FJ55’s, I would suggest keeping an eye out for a similar year rig that isn’t so rotted out and setting this one aside for a parts donor.
Just my .02
 
Looks pretty far gone and ultimately won’t end up much more than a parts rig. Too bad the PO let it go so long. If you think you like FJ55’s, I would suggest keeping an eye out for a similar year rig that isn’t so rotted out and setting this one aside for a parts donor.
Just my .02
Agree. I think he’s feeding off an internet frenzy of people that don’t know very much about FJ55s.
 
Agree. I think he’s feeding off an internet frenzy of people that don’t know very much about FJ55s.
Not feeding off any sort of frenzy at all. I'm aware of the challenges laid ahead, and it's not going to be a factory restoration. Make repairs, drive to corner store, enjoy the moments working on it with fellow cruiser folks. Those are the goals. Not these crazy long road trips to cruiser events, not getting everything within perfect spec. clean it up, get it to run, enjoy it for what it is.

But thank you for .02 cents.
 
Sounds like you have your mind made up. I was going to post my thoughts, but it's not something you want to hear. Don't get your feelings hurt by what the guys are suggesting, they've been down this road a few times and know what it really takes. The excitement you're feeling right now will want to burn out when you start buying parts, your biggest job will be to keep the fun in it.

Good luck with it and for sure keep us posted.
 
So just to further clarify my earlier statement, these areas are gonna be the hardest to deal with.

Frame looks badly pitted on the outside in this one area alone, haven’t yet seen what the rest of the frame looks like. If you left it alone, it could be fine. If it ever cracked or broke, it would be hell to fix since there isn’t any solid metal to weld to.

Huge holes along the top of the windshield frame have probably been siphoning water into the roofline, A-pillars, and the upper area of cowling/firewall. There’s probably holes below the cowl around where the windshield wiper arm drives come through.
The floorboards are going to collect all that water and as a result are probably gone. Could leave it alone, or possibly pump the roofline and other holes full of silicone to help keep the water out while driving in the rain.

Rear fender lips are one of the harder sheetmetal repairs due to the tight, multi-angled curvatures.

Rear tub mounts/corners are wasted. Entire hundred page threads have been dedicated to their replacement. Could be ignored. Not really sure what would happen in the long term without support back there.

That’s just what I can see from the pics posted. Absolutely sure you can get it running and probably drive it. Overall just trying to consider the most productive usage of time.
There were at least 4 other 55’s unearthed from wooded forests in 2020 (most in Oregon and Washington IIRC). I think one guy got about two pages worth of thread. Got it running but got down to the reason it was parked to begin with and never heard another peep. The rest, haven’t heard a thing.

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The rear body mounts in my pig are completely gone and I continue to drive the piss out of it. That being said, the rear sill is slowly crushing itself into the rear frame /bumper extensions and I occasionally hear a pop or two back there when driving over washboards. The other mounts are solid. I need to come up with a solution to get the cargo area up off the frame just a little bit if for no other reason than peace of mind.

@LandSnoozer93 You have a ton of work ahead of you. I saved one that I thought was on the ragged edge of even trying to save and it was in far better condition than yours. The good thing about saving a really bad one is that you don't have to toil over the details. When I was doing the work on my pig, I made the comment that it did not aspire to greatness, only betterness. You can improve on what you've got. It's just going to be a slow, painful process. It will be easier to give up than to continue. The guys in here just don't want you to get deep into it, get discouraged and abandon the project. That's all. Oh, and get your tetanus booster up to date.
 
I apologize for reacting harshly- In hindsight my response was unnecessary.

lots of these repairs are going to be "creatively created".
The frame isn't as bad as that pictures makes it out to be, lots of the "pitting" is actually water drops from the pressure washer giving it the illusion in the photo @RUSH55. the frame certainly is covered in surface rust, but so far no holes or layers of it falling off. my 60 in California frame was falling apart way worse than this haha.
If it takes a long time to source stuff to make the correct repairs, so be it. I'm in no rush to get this on the road. It certainly will be expensive at times but I plan on doing as much of it as possible correct to extend its life.
A close friend of mine works at a paint and body shop for hotrods and classic cars, he's going to work with me to come up with a plan to make decent body repairs. If anything this pig will be a hell of a conversation starter haha.
cheers folks!
 
Make repairs, drive to corner store, enjoy the moments working on it with fellow cruiser folks.
Those are the goals...clean it up, get it to run, enjoy it for what it is.

Heck yeah man, that is what Cruisers, and especially Pigs are all about!

Enjoy the journey. These things are like a giant Choose Your Own Adventure project.

This Pig has much to teach you.

Enjoy...
 

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