Build The Monkey is Back

[Chamba]

A few baby steps: the way Pakistan 'rebuilds' is by painting. Sadly, they are not very good at painting, so the final step will be to repaint the 43 well.

So I actually rebuilt the door limiters using Spector's rebuild kits and door pins. Surprisingly easy to do with great result.
Next I'll rebuild the doors (latches, vent window gasket, handles, felt, door cards and regulators), then the slider window felts and finally all the door and window weather stripping. Easy, right?

I am slowly chipping away, but really looking forward to dropping it off with @cruisermatt in February..... or sooner if he can get it in.

 

[Chilkoot]

What are you gonna do on the paint front? Same color?

 

[Chamba]

When I get to that point I think I'll go 6H9, maybe 6L4 like my old LX. That's going to be the final touch. I plan to beat it up a bit on some ghost town loops and Moab first though.

I like the current blue/grey, but they didn't use any primer to spray it on, so it chips. So when the time comes I'll bite the bullet and go for Toyota's best green.

I like a durable paint job because I've never been one to treat a 40 series like a piece of art. I need something that will take New Mexico, Colorado and Utah pinstripes without exposing metal.

Plus I was inspired by @frankenyota to do a three wiper conversion like my LX had - once I get the donor screen ...... so she'll have to be painted.

 

[knuckle47]

Of all people…. You did not deserve this. Should have been no need to rebuild the entire 43…. On the other hand you are going to be so happy with the work when it’s done so, it’s not a wash but it’s close. Proud of you man !

 

[Chamba]

Marker lights in. I put these on my Hj47 too. A touch of NAS 40 series I really like.

 

[Chamba]

The fun continues. I shouldn't be suprised: in fact, at this point I'm not. I'm rebuilding my doors (felts, handles, weather strip, etc).

First, the bottoms of the doors are filled with trash: used sand paper, bolts, clips, pieces of rubber, foam, a cigarette butt, etc). Much more annoying is it's missing critical parts: the vent window is missing all the hardware for the bottom bolt (which I suspected). Much worse is it's missing the window track which bolts to the aft part of the door- where the window felt goes and into which the window slides when down. I haven't pulled the left door panel off yet, but I'll have to assume that's the case there as well (update, I pulled the left door panel and the track is there: minor miracle). The bolt which holds the track to the door is there, but there's simply a nut holding it in place inside the door.

Does anyone reading this have a right side one these they'd like to sell?

I was also hoping I'd be able to clean up and rebuild the window crank, but it's in awful condition and has been 'welded' by someone with the skill of that part of the world.

Maybe if they'd had bacon for breakfast they would have had the energy and drive to do it right rather than just doing a Pakistani chop shop spit shine.

 

[Chamba]

Luckily, I have a set of 40 series interior handles which didn't sell back when I was cleaning house. The ones on there are Chinese and are attached using bailing wire....

Sometimes I feel like I'm just rounding up stray Pakistani goats here.

 

[Chamba]

One guess which item is pure Chinesium and which is factory Toyota.

 

[Chamba]

It's been 20 years since i last pulled apart a set of vent windows from a late model 40 so my memory is hazy.

Does anyone with a set of these and recent experience recall whether this bend is factory? I'm dubious.

Update: the bend is not factory. The passenger one was straight. I was able to straighten the driver side with some patience; it fits perfectly now. The goat herder finally wins one.

 

[Chamba]

One thing I like about stuff made of Chinesium is that it's all unique: like a fingerprint. Toyota stuff is all nearly perfect: where the fun in that?

Here's the passenger door handle.

New vent window weather strip is finished on the driver side, but passenger side is taking longer than it ought to. The old weather strip was siliconed in with great zeal and it's taking some serious determination to clean the frame for paint.

 

[Chamba]

Sliding windows held in with roofing tar or something similar. The old rubber was not terrible, but it was all soaked in lanolin (one of the better uses for sheep where this was 'restored'), so it popped out fairly easily

Now for tint while the glass is out and to powder coat the sliding window frame. Then the window rubber and weather strip..

While the windows are out, I'll lift the roof to install all the Toyota weather stripping (there's none at all in there now- please LORD don't let there be silicon in there holding it together). I was hoping to do this when it's running to make it easier, but I want to get 'er done. Eventually I'll pull it to rhino line the inside, do the roll cage and bucket seats, reupholster the rear benches to match, install seat belts front and rear and get it up to par. But that's in the future.

I had in mind doing a maroon interior..... but that was kiboshed by the wife. So I think I'm going to do tobacco brown leather similar to my boots. Thoughts?

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

OG grey would really compliment that paint color

 

[Chamba]

I agree on the grey. But my son likes the tan. I'm trying to please two different interests here. For myself I miss the brown striped interior in my LX. So the tobacco brown would be a bit of a nod to that.
I'm also a purest at heart. This 43 has been 'restored' so poorly that if I do go down the stock rabbit hole I'll drive myself mad getting all toyota stuff: stock seats need stock belts need stock trim, etc. My OCD will go in to overdrive.

 

[Chamba]

I don't suppose anyone out there has a spare 40 series slider window frame ..... one of mine is perfect. The other has some rust.

It's at the powder coater now. After they blast it I'll see how bad it is. I'll try to fill it with weld if I can. It's just this one corner.
Damn. Herding goats ain't easy.

 

[cruisermatt]

More fun pieces rolling in

 

[knuckle47]

@Chamba and @cruisermatt this truck is going to look so cool when finished, I am going to have to come visit it in person to enjoy all of the nuances and finesse from it’s originally acquired state.

EDIT: re-reading this about an hour later…F#%ing auto-correct does a real number on a simple comment

 

[Chamba]

I hope your optimism turns out to be well- placed @knuckle47. The jury is still out on the final results for project Save the Goat. I'm slowly getting there, but the more I fix the more I seem to find. What they did to this 43 and called a 'restoration' is almost unspeakable. But I reckon Matt and I will get 'er done.

It's hard to keep the optimism though: the widow channel I ordered from Topnault says it was delivered, but never showed up..... so I still need one of those. Three steps forward, 2.5 steps back.

Update: spoke with Topnault. Their website showed delivered, but turns out the item is actually out of stock (they are having issues with their delivery status in their website apparently). It showed in stock when I ordered it but apparently it wasn't. They are getting back to me on the delivery date. Grrrrr.

 

[RevISK]

I hope your optimism turns out to be well- placed @knuckle47. The jury is still out on the final results for project Save the Goat. I'm slowly getting there, but the more I fix the more I seem to find. What they did to this 43 and called a 'restoration' is almost unspeakable. But I reckon Matt and I will get 'er done.

It's hard to keep the optimism though: the widow channel I ordered from Topnault says it was delivered, but never showed up..... so I still need one of those. Three steps forward, 2.5 steps back.

Update: spoke with Topnault. Their website showed delivered, but turns out the item is out of stock (they are having issues with their delivery status apparently). It showed in stock when I ordered it but apparently it wasn't. They are getting back to me on the delivery date. Grrrrr.

What exactly do you need? I’ve connections in the Columbia body parts world. PM me if you’d like.

Ian

 

[Chamba]

What exactly do you need? I’ve connections in the Columbia body parts world. PM me if you’d like.

Ian

Thank you Ian. I can probably get it here from Spector, but I had just hoped to have it this week. It's the constant wait for parts game. This 43 has so many missing and incorrect parts that it's remarkably frustrating.

And it doesn't help that I've driven it exactly 11 miles.......

 

[RevISK]

Thank you. I can probably get it here from Spector, but I had just hood to have it this week. It's the constant wait for parts game. This 43 has so many missing and incorrect parts that it's remarkably frustrating.

Let me know, the supplier I’ve worked with has dies for 40, 43 and 45 parts.