Tub removal? How long did the removal take you?

[vtcruiser60]

Sort of a quick question....I hope.

How long does it take to remove a standard FJ40 tub from a body? Factor in two front seats, gas tank, swing out rear half doors, side steps and NO TOP, NO rear heater, NO roll bar, NO jump seats. Time is tight and I need to plan out my work....hope you can help.

 

[antFJ]

these are the things that are going to take a while..

it also depends on if you are making the tub bare or just getting it off the frame..

it took me forever to get all the dash pads and switches off etc. it also took me a long time to drain the coolant to get the heater off, and then getting the brake master and clutch master and associated lines off as well as the throttle linkage, parking brake and spedo cables, drain gas tank and remove associated lines, also took me a while to get the harness off since i was labeling everything.

then the body mounts might be a bitch depending on how rusted they are.. i just cut mine and got new ones.. saved a lot of time

if you aren't looking to pick the tub clean and you're just looking to get it off the frame I can see you getting it done in 8 hours or less depending on how many broken bolts you have to deal with and how meticulous you are going to be.. if you already know your cruiser pretty well you can probably just rip through it

 

[vtcruiser60]

antFJ...thanks for the careful reply.

I should clarify, my question only pertains to the half tub. The dash, cowl, and front end will remain in place. I have an aluminum tub and plan on installing it.

 

[Icantdive55]

I did mine in a few days. But I took lots of photos and I cataloged every nut, bolt and wire. Worked by myself and took a break when ever the ol back started acting up. This is really something you just gotta know for yourself. You know how quick you work so you stand back an say I can do it in "X" amount of time. Look it over real good and create a plan. We're all different. One thing you need to decide before you go foreward is if you're going to just snap off the rusted bolts or if your going to lube'em up, play with them for a few days and then snap'em off. Very few on my 65 responded to PB Blaster or anything else.

Rod

 

[thecrazygreek]

Thats a weekend project. Prob a long day. The dash is where the time is, so yours should be fairly quick. If it was me, I would guess 8 hours max.

 

[yotawheeler]

figure out a rough time u think it would take u....nd then double it and you should be pretty close...if you think you might get it done in a day then plan on it taking the full weekend...better to finish with time to spare then end up working till midnight on a sunday night cause u need it for monday...plus if u finish early then theres more time to drink beer!

 

[My wife said no FJ!]

You doing this alone, or will you have some local help?

 

[vtcruiser60]

You doing this alone, or will you have some local help?

Well....Dan...gets off work at 5pm...and likes beer.

 

[xjnation]

i'D FIGURE on a weekend to be safe. I had mine off in a night, but I had some of the other stuff already done. Almost all of my body mount bolts were rusted and would spin so I ended up using the sawzall to cut the bolts. You should plan to replace them anyways so cutting them is fine and fast. Pick up a kit from energy suspension, it includes the bushings and bolts/nuts. There's not really much to removing the tub, just takes a bit. Good luck.

 

[apeterson]

yes... figure a day to take off and a day to put that alum tub back on

 

[My wife said no FJ!]

Well....Dan...gets off work at 5pm...and likes beer.

If you were to take most of the stuff off during the week (back doors, seats, tank) say an hour a night, the two of you should be able to get the rest done on a full Saturday I would think...you putting the new half tub on right away, or are going to pretty up the frame a little first with a wire wheel and some paint?

...just keep most of the beer for AFTER the work is done

 

[antFJ]

just the 3/4 tub will make it sooooo much easier.. don't really have to worry about too much then. The worst part will be the body mounts is my guess..

 

[mcwinery]

I did mine in a week. About 3 hours of work and 6 days thinking about how I was going to get the back bolts off that would not budge without breaking them. So I ended up breaking them and cut off the last one when it started to spin. I do want to say that I have never taken one off befoe. When I was mostly done I couldn't budge it. thats when I realized it has 4 bolts on the rear. Good luck, but plan a day without much problem.

 

[Caddisfly]

I just went through the whole process myself. I had to use a sawzall to cut off the old body mounts, and I had to use a hacksaw to break apart a custom seat frame. I probably invested six or eight hours, but I had to remove a lot of the stuff you said you would not have to remove.

When you put the new body on, make sure someone is there to help you. Another Land Cruiser owner from this site (jacoby FJ40) spent a whole day at my house helping me with mine. I'd say it took five hours to get everything lined up and bolted down -- and it would have taken longer, but Jacoby knew exactly what he was doing. The transmission cover can be a pain.

Put two rubber mounts between the rear and the bumper, then line up your front. Make sure to test-fit with your doors on. When everything lines up, drill the holes that connect the front of the body to the cowling, and bolt the front into place. Then scrap the rest of the mounts and make some custom ones out of neoprene/plastic. Bob, formerly of Aqualu, recommended making custom mounts. The whole job is A LOT easier if you do. (Send jacoby fj40 a PM if you want more details.)

 

[VTGreg]

Congratulations on the new skin! Keep me posted on your schedule and maybe I can contribute some unskilled labor. My schedule is somewhat flexible...

 

[bsmith123]

tub

I would say it could be done in a day but 2 easy days.

I didnt have trouble with the mounts only a little problem getting to one of the rear bolts on each side all the way to the back.

I did the actual tub removal by myself in an afternoon. I removed all the tub bolts and jacked up each side with a floor jack on blocks and ran a board all the way under the tub from side to side gradually raising it a block at a time until I finally set them on top of saw horses.

I stacked up blocks inside the horses as a back up then rolled the chassis out from under the tub.

I had to do it this way as I cant hoist in my garage cause it is a finished ceiling

 

[Weedhopper]

Tub off in a day with time for beer. I have done it. Be careful where you cut the rocker. Cut it a little farther back (inch or two) Just to be sure the new tub matches. Have a blast !!!

Edit: An angle grinder is handy for those pesky body mounts. $20.00at Wal Mart.

 

[JohnnyC]

are you saving the old tub...or is it going to trash?

some people look for good cowls is the cowl section anygood?

 

[apeterson]

my build thread has me taking off and putting on the new alum tub.

 

[steverb]

i took the tub off and had the aluminum tub on in one day 9am to 7pm had to put the seats, lights, cage,and tank in the next day. with no painting.