White Trash Lexus - Phoenix - Fire restoration

[Walking Eagle]

Just so you know, you will NEVER see the last of that dust

Nice progress! I think those shells will take way less time to complete the job than chemiclas alone.

Hummm.... vaccum it out, blow it out, rinse it out, then cover it all with Durabak, I think I'll be just fine.

 

[gotmud]

Hummm.... vaccum it out, blow it out, rinse it out, then cover it all with Durabak, I think I'll be just fine.

And then, turn on your a/c and get a face full of walnut dust...ask me how I know Seriously, that stuff works great, but you'll be amazed at the places it will hide.

 

[Walking Eagle]

And then, turn on your a/c and get a face full of walnut dust...ask me how I know Seriously, that stuff works great, but you'll be amazed at the places it will hide.

I'll make sure I'm not sitting in the truck when I turn the a/c on I covered the dash as best I could, there might be some dust left over, but I'm not that worried about it. This truck was sunk in mud and water so deep it was up to the center console. If I end up with no smell (which it seems I have already), and a little walnut shell dust, the truck will be in better shape than before the fire! The dash already is cleaner than it has been in three years!

At least I'm not concerned about the smell anymore - I have that under control. The only thing I'm really nervous about is doing the head liner and finishing up welding the fender wells. This truck is going into 2011 as a better truck with a better interior than it did going into 2010!

 

[Atticus]

I'll make sure I'm not sitting in the truck when I turn the a/c on I covered the dash as best I could, there might be some dust left over, but I'm not that worried about it. This truck was sunk in mud and water so deep it was up to the center console. If I end up with no smell (which it seems I have already), and a little walnut shell dust, the truck will be in better shape than before the fire! The dash already is cleaner than it has been in three years!

At least I'm not concerned about the smell anymore - I have that under control. The only thing I'm really nervous about is doing the head liner and finishing up welding the fender wells. This truck is going into 2011 as a better truck with a better interior than it did going into 2010!

way to go man

 

[96Cruiser13]

maybe i missed the post, but

How the hell did this thing get so burnt in the 1st place? Looking good though, you are one determined fella!

 

[Walking Eagle]

maybe i missed the post, but

How the hell did this thing get so burnt in the 1st place? Looking good though, you are one determined fella!

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/408614-white-trash-lexus-burnt-up-now-what.html

 

[Walking Eagle]

a little progress - finished up welding the fender opening that started the whole thing on fire in the first place. Then I hit it with some glass to make sure it was all sealed and make it look smooth. Didn't hit it with the sander after the second coat, but will - then the bedliner will hid any other imperfections. I think it looks o.k. considering I used a grinder, a welder and a framing hammer to shape it all.

Anyone got advice on weldig near the fuel filler on the driver's side wheel well? That's the next big hurttle before starting to put interior pieces back in.

 

[Layonnn]

Anyone got advice on weldig near the fuel filler on the driver's side wheel well?

Have a few fire extinguishers near by

It's coming along very nicely!

 

[Walking Eagle]

to clarify - the outer shell was notched with a grinder, then folded over and welded to the inner liner - so it's solid just like stock, the glass fiber body filler, is just a thin layer to make it all look nice.

Oh, and I guess I need 42's now - or need to change my bumpstop spacers. They're at 3" right now, I think I can shave an inch off that and still not overcompress my overly long 14" shocks. In the below photo, 37x12.50 Hummer tires, 3" bumpstop spacer, no spring at all, axle up to the bumpstop, and there is 3" of clearance - that's a 3" wide roll of tape sitting on top of the tire.

 

[Walking Eagle]

So, this is what had me so worried about cutting up the driver's side.

And before the cut,


And after the first cut - the first cut is just cutting off the 90 deg return to get the inner fender and the outer fender apart so it can be bent.

 

[Walking Eagle]

On the other side I tried just bending both the inner and outer over, and it didn't work too well. Ended up cutting the inner anyway, so I just went that way first thing on this side. Pain in the tuckis - cause the sparks from the ginder find their way onto ones skull when trying to cut the inside. Started to bend it over, not going to slit it as many times on this side - other side slit-ed it alot because of trying to bend inner and outer. Tomorrow morning welding, glassing, sanding, priming, declare victory and move on to next step...

 

[Walking Eagle]

Got an hour and half of truck time this morning - and made some progress. By tonight, want it sanded and primed. Around the door opening it was nice cause I was able to clamp the pieces, the rest was a little harder. Tack a little spot, then hammer it closer then tack better seemed to be the method that worked best. Then I still went ahead and hit it with a coat of fiberglass body filler. Seal it all up nice, get rid of some of the hammering irregularities.

And the best part, no more welding near the gas tank and I didn't blow myself up. Did realize I'm missing a piece though that is supposed to protect the fuel filler. I'm sure it's in my pile of misalaneous parts in the garage...

 

[Walking Eagle]

what do you do while waiting for the glass to dry? Hit the door you're replacing anyway with some Majic Olive Drab to test the color. I'd done a little piece with it and thought it was too light. On the truck it's dark enough.

 

[toyotakurtis]

Looks great! Can't wait to see the finished truck in person. I am glad you did not blow yourself up.

 

[Walking Eagle]

driver's side ended up with a bit more clearance, thinking that's likely cause that tire is worn a bit more, and that bumpstop drop is a little taller - which shows up looking at the shocks. I need to clearance for the shocks then I can go to 2" bumpstop spacers, or I can remount and maybe go all the way down to 1", maybe 0". The shock mounts were modified before the 1" body lift went in, so there is a little more room to go up now than there was when they were origonaly done. Things do evolve I guess. BTW - that's sitting w/ no spings in it - lowrider style...

EDIT: I think the extra clearance I'm seeing isn't cause of the opening or the bumpstop it's cause when I shot the photo of the PS, the DS was articulated down a bit. Didn't think it was that big of an issue, but reviewing other pict's of the truck shows differently.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/431211-interesting-observation-fitting-tires.html

 

[Walking Eagle]

ps shock doesn't have the cleance issue (barely) but still has more than an inch exposed sitting on the bumpstop. I'd like to get just a little more uptravel than the current bumpstop set up.


So far the repair tool damage is 1 air compressor (connecting rod broke) and 1 sander - it gave up the ghost right before I was done.

 

[Walking Eagle]

checked to see how Olive Drab Durabak will look next to Majic Olive drab paint. Thinking just recoating where it's already coated, then painting what's white. I think the two colors will look o.k. together, they're not a perfect match, but the bedliner will look different anyway cause of the different texture. It'll also fade a little flatter even with the UV protectant than the color chip - if my experience with a full Blue Durabak 40 and the flares is any indication. Meantime, I'm hoping my Sand Durabak gets here by Friday so I can spray the interior this weekend. If I can get the bedliner and the headliner in this weekend, I'll be thrilled.

Edit, not thrilled, the Durabak I ordered Monday, the tracking # finally shows an estimated delivery - of Monday...

 

[Rusty]

Hate to burst everyones bubble - the carpet didn't start on fire.

Don't worry about my bubble, I wasn't convinced by anyone's comments about the need to remove it. I'm quite sure I can manage to make sure that I keep open flame away from my carpet so that I can continue to enjoy it... can't imagine not having it.

Great work on the rebuild, watching with interest!

 

[Walking Eagle]

Ended up rushing to do it yesterday, but the interior is now bedlined Duraback Sand color. Wish the color was a little darker - closser to the paint, but it's all getting covered with the carpet anyway.

 

[Walking Eagle]

a few more - the texture this time doesn't seem as heavy as in previous experience