Where to start?

[Living in the Past]

After being store under a tarp since I bought it in 2002 and not being started for the last couple of years now that it's kept in a garage I decided it's time to fix up a few things. While my grey 25 has a very stock back end this one is anything but Why is it POs feel the need to add forty pounds steel to make a receiver hitch This is a AZ original cruiser that started it's life on a ranch in soauthern AZ. From what I understand it was givin to a lawyer in the eighties some time to pay part of the ranch's bill. It sat in his backyard. Then in the ninties he was going to have it hauled of for strap metal. A friend of his (state judge) said he would take it. He had it rebuild (not restored) to what it is today. Not sure what happened at the ranch but the rear crossmember has seen better days.

 

[Living in the Past]

On the short term the plan was to grind the hitch off and and just drill holes in the correct location for the OEM bumperettes, pintle. After lookng at at it I figured removing the hitch and rear crossmember together would be far easier then trying to separate them. I'm hoping the early FJ40 rear crossmember is close enough to use since I have one. On the plus side I noticed the spring perches for the FJ25 are not riveted or welded to the rear crossmember like the FJ40. The rear angles from the FJ40 will stay with the crossmember so only rivets on the top and bottom of the frame will need to be removed. Is it just me or is the shackle installed backwards? The nuts should be on the inside right?

I'll add a picture of the replacement crossmember when I take one:whoops:

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

Staying tuned.....
nice to have someone else breaking ground on this before I need to do it. Mine has the added challenge of a kink in the frame with the PO crap welded to it.

 

[JohnnyC]

break out the grinder and have away at it

you'll probably need to put metal back here and there with a welder.

x2 staying tuned ... the picture of the underneath looks like the floor is bent down? is it? or just the picture...or...again is it me

 

[FJnotCJ]

Try an experienced welder...I took my red one to a fellow who used a special rod and setting on his machine, he was able to remove the welds, not cut, and saved me a pantload of time and effort....I forget what the process was called, but very cool.

 

[whitey45]

you can start by showing us the rest of the rig!

 

[Living in the Past]

break out the grinder and have away at it

you'll probably need to put metal back here and there with a welder.

x2 staying tuned ... the picture of the underneath looks like the floor is bent down? is it? or just the picture...or...again is it me

Not sure what metal I would have to put back. I plan on replacing the the whole rear crossmember and angle braces together. The side rail of the frame look to be in good shape. I need to get a good picture of the replacement crossmember. This is off of a 63 I got a few years back. The 25 is up north at the cabin so this isn't going to happen over night. But I'm thinking of tackling it over the winter.


I have pictures of the floor also that I will post. The 25 section is really slow so I fgure I've drag out all the pictures of what is wrong with cruiser.

This is a cruiser that spent most it's life working on a ranch. Don't let the pretty paint on the outside fool you it's had a hard life.

 

[JohnnyC]

that would be better to replace it all together in that you got a replacement.

i normally need to weld back metal here and there because i get alil grinder crazy...get mad...and burn thru a disk to get things off...leaving grinder divits (went too far) in the wake of my distruction

 

[Living in the Past]

you can start by showing us the rest of the rig!

She is a little shy but there are a few pictures of her that have been posted before. Lucky number 13 in counting the 25s thread

 

[a.greenspan]

Nice one ....

.... would sell the Cruiser in the background and living in the past
Cheers
Peter

 

[Living in the Past]

the picture of the underneath looks like the floor is bent down? is it? or just the picture...or...again is it me

Johnny your new glasses are working fine. Floor has many problems but at least rust isn/t one of them. Tailgate is easy as just painting and installing another one. The floor is bowed but it is original. Poor Wally would go broke here


These weren't the next problems I planned to post. But the subjest was brought up. Plenty nore problems to come

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Try an experienced welder...I took my red one to a fellow who used a special rod and setting on his machine, he was able to remove the welds, not cut, and saved me a pantload of time and effort....I forget what the process was called, but very cool.

That would be air carbon arc cutting - definition borrowed from Miller's website.

Air Carbon Arc Cutting (CAC-A) - A cutting process by which metals are melted by the heat of an arc using a carbon electrode. Molten metal is forced away from the cut by a blast of forced air.

Nick

 

[JohnnyC]

you werent kidding about a hard life...is that a bench seat?

 

[foxfab]

Sounds like a plasma cutter?

That would be air carbon arc cutting - definition borrowed from Miller's website.

Air Carbon Arc Cutting (CAC-A) - A cutting process by which metals are melted by the heat of an arc using a carbon electrode. Molten metal is forced away from the cut by a blast of forced air.

Nick

 

[Living in the Past]

Try an experienced welder...I took my red one to a fellow who used a special rod and setting on his machine, he was able to remove the welds, not cut, and saved me a pantload of time and effort....I forget what the process was called, but very cool.

That would be air carbon arc cutting - definition borrowed from Miller's website.

Air Carbon Arc Cutting (CAC-A) - A cutting process by which metals are melted by the heat of an arc using a carbon electrode. Molten metal is forced away from the cut by a blast of forced air.

Nick

Sounds like a good idea. Problem is this is in a rural area. No welders that I know of close. But the only welds that need cutting off are the ends of a flat bar for the hitch to the side rails. My biggest problem is going to be removing the rivets off the top of the frame. The tub needs to high enough to drill them out. I have had good luck drilling the rivet with a big enough bit for the head to come off then a smaller bit thru the center but not all the way thru. Then use a punch and the rivet collapses in. Any ideas of how to get the rivets off with the tub in place. If it was just the rivets acroos the back I could problem remove the front clip and side the tub forward. It's the two rivets for the angle brace that are going to be tricky. But doing it that way The eight rivets on the back with still be stock.

you werent kidding about a hard life...is that a bench seat?

This was definitely a working truck. The three holes on the side of the fender well have a plate behind it that is welded to the frame. Same on the other side. Maybe some kind of A frame was attached to lift boulders and move then out of a field It also have some kind of bedliner on the in side.

Yes Johnny that a bench seat. That seat was in it when I bought it. Early Bronco seat recovered. Not sure what I going to do. Go back to stock, but I would have to offset the seats because of the rollcage. Use this seat or a fold and tumble Montero seat I have.

 

[Living in the Past]

replacement crossmember

This is the crossmember I plan on using. The one on the left. The other two pictures show how it should come out. But instead of regular bolts on the top and bottom I plan on using bolts shaped like a rivet with a hex hole on top. Botton top? Then fill the hex hole in and paint.

Anyone have other suggestions or a clean way to remove the top rivets without removing the tub?

 

[zebrabeefj40]

Sounds like a plasma cutter?

Mike,

Not quite. A much older process than plasma. Search Youtube for "air arc" to see the process. It's a lot more powerful than plasma while using a big arc welder and compressed air for power. Not near as clean as plasma though.

For the Cruiser in this thread I'd look at torching close to the frame then grinding the last bit off with a flap wheel to the final shape. That is unless there is a bunch of damage that makes swapping the crossmembers better/easier in the end. Flap wheels remove material very quickly while leaving a pretty nice finish.

I guess I'm also of the opinion the rear floor adds character to the truck; as long as it's not rusted out. Shows the vehicle was more than a playtoy and hints at it's past life. Like scars give you better stories to tell your grandkids.



Nick

 

[Living in the Past]

For the Cruiser in this thread I'd look at torching close to the frame then grinding the last bit off with a flap wheel to the final shape. That is unless there is a bunch of damage that makes swapping the crossmembers better/easier in the end. Flap wheels remove material very quickly while leaving a pretty nice finish.

I guess I'm also of the opinion the rear floor adds character to the truck; as long as it's not rusted out. Shows the vehicle was more than a playtoy and hints at it's past life. Like scars give you better stories to tell your grandkids.

The crossmember is in sad shape. It's not flat. Where the pintle hook would mount is raised. Most stock holes are welded shut and other holes drilled. If you look at pictures 1 & 2 in post one and the second picture in post two you can see a piece of flat bar has been welded to the botton of the crossmember. It's almost solid welded all the way around. Between all the welds that would need to be ground off and then how bad the crossmember is it makes more sense to replace then repair. By keeping the angle braces attached the rivets that show on the back will be stock. The original crossmember has half them missing. Two things are different than a FJ25. One the two holes for the tail light bracet need to be filled in since the bracket mounts to the tub on the FJ25. The second difference is something nobody would know unless they have both FJ25 and early FJ40.

Not sure about the floors. The PO did way to mount body work on the outside and almost nothing on the inside. The spot welds on the side have been fill in. Since I'm thinking I'll end up with the after market top and keep the roll cage the floor is minor either way. The plan is to install Torsen diffs front and rear and use it as light wheeler.

 

[Living in the Past]

Since the plan is to use this as wheeler will also make it so I can remose the bumperettes and bolt the angle iron piece I removed from my latest FJ40. The PO put some thought into this home made bumper. While he drilled new holes on the ends I will drill the angle to match the bumperette holes. I will also drill holes where the rivets on the back are.

The receiver hitch will be removed. A stock Toyota pintle hook will still fit with the angle iron in placed.

 

[JohnnyC]

I do like the functionality of the bumper...the guards under the lights is a good idea...as you already know.

I wonder how many taillights he bashed before comming up with that idea?

if you trim down the center section could you fit bumperetts as well?