Wifey's '73 FJ55 Build-up

[Lee777]

Hey LC!

Body mounts (lol) The most forward body mounts on the driver and passenger side are in pretty sad shape and will have to be re-fabricated. I'm thinking about a half foot length of the supporting section will also have to be rebuilt as well (you know where the body mount turns into a section that runs the across to the other side, not sure what to call this..). Ive seen a couple threads where the body mounts have been fabricated. Im getting a sheet metal brake in the hopes of doing it myself.

The rear quarters are getting chopped and re-done for sure! And the rockers, i really like the idea you mentioned, using 1X3 material. It will be so much more resistant to corrosion and I think its possible to get it looking pretty stock.

Thanks for the encouragement LC

Lee

 

[Lee777]

Ive made quite a bit of progress on the pig. Ive pulled the brake master/booster, clutch cylenders, brake lines, radiator and hoses. To my surprise there wasnt any brake fluid leaking around but I did have to cut a couple brake lines since some of the fittings were rusted and stripped.

The inner fender aprons bolts came off a lot easier than I thought as well. I had a couple bolt casualties but that's to be expected. It looks like I will be doing a bit of fab work on the front clip . Its another motivator to acquire a good gas mid welder and start practicing. However, i dont have the funds to get the welder so Ive been focusing on doing everything else that doesnt require welding at this point. Which is quite a big list (pulling off the body, draining/boiling/sealing/painting the gas tank, sandblast body..etc..etc (lol).

I got underneath the body today. Wow, there are a lot of holes
At first i was thinking, why bother with all the energy to build a rotisserie. But now Im thinking that it will be the most economical way to go. THis body needs A LOT OF WORK!

GOd help me

Lee

 

[romegadave]

Don't get depressed Lee.........its a journey. And remember that even sitting its a hell of a cool thing

ps When mine wasn't running I used to get off work at night and when I walked by it I always said "Hello Badass" just so it knew I still loved the rusty hulk

 

[1973Guppie]

I got underneath the body today. Wow, there are a lot of holes
At first i was thinking, why bother with all the energy to build a rotisserie. But now Im thinking that it will be the most economical way to go. THis body needs A LOT OF WORK!

GOd help me

Lee

Lee, I built a rotisserie for my piggy and am so glad I did. It does not have to take too much time or $$. I did mine in one long day. IMO, the metal work I did on my piggy could not of been done with it sitting on stands, personally I am just not that good of a welder welding upside down, etc. The rot made is easy to get into little spots and actually made the work a lot more fun as I was able to rotate the pig and get at it standing up or sitting down rather than from underneath and in awkward positions. Let me know if I can help at all with pics, etc.

get to it!

Noah

 

[Lee777]

I was wondering if anyone can help me with a couple questions I have about storage.

The 55 has been completely disassembled, including the engine bay. While I was organizing my parts on the shelf the other day I wondered if I should be concerned about:

1) rust formation in the radiator and various other parts of the radiator system. Should I try and temporarily seal up these parts and fill them back up with radiator fluid to prevent corossion?

2) I've also pulled the gas tank and drained it. I shot in a half a can of WD-40, rocked it around a bit, hoping the coating will prevent corrosion. I wonder if this is enough.

3) The engine: It hasnt been turned in almost a year. Any suggestions on what the procedure is for storage of a 2F in a garage?

The project is coming along, but slowly. Currently Im pulling off the front clip and creating templates to refabricate inner right and left fender aprons. While Ive been practicing with my new gas mig welder on plain sheet, I figured this would be a good place to practice frabrication since it wont be visible later on!

Thanks for all your help

Lee

 

[cruiser_guy]

Lee, I drive up from Central America each year. This year we took the BJ60 but next year I hope to take the FJ55. Let me know your contact info and when I'm heading up Hwy. 3 I'll stop by and we can chat about piggies!! You may even have seen my '55 as my daughter had it in Cranbrook for a couple of years (mid. 2005 through about Feb. 2007 when it became mine).

Mine was probably about the same as yours. Take a look at my POTM and you can see where I came from to have a piggy capable of transcontinental travel!

It IS possible! Don't get discouraged.

 

[40Flipper]

POR-15 makes a tank sealer kit for $60. has good reviews on it but I;ve never used it.

Put the 2F on a stand if possible. Cover over any openings (intake, dizzy, etc) with plastic wrap. Spray the engine completely with motor oil, WD-40, whatever oily stuff you have. Then put trash bags over it and tie them off. The oil will prevent rust and keep the seals from drying out.

It'll be messy as hell in the spring but once cleaned it will be just as preserved as Ted WIlliam's head.

 

[Lee777]

Thanks for the support guys.

Cruiserguy- see pm- it would be excellent to meet up!

JSaltlick - " It'll be messy as hell in the spring but once cleaned it will be just as preserved as Ted WIlliam's head."

Thats the level of preservation im looking for ! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[cruiser_guy]

Cruiserguy- see pm- it would be excellent to meet up!

Planning on it! We pass right by you each year.

 

[crawlin cruiser]

damn, I should have scooped this. makes my 55 look like a pile

 

[crawlin cruiser]

damn, I should have scooped this. makes my 55 look like a pile

 

[Lee777]

DS engine bay/inner fender patch

I've been pretty lucky lately to have the time to work on the piggy. I managed to get the front clip off and noticed the DS inner fender was completely rusted out. While there are a number of other aspects of the restoration that need attention, Im particularly interested in learning how to MIG weld and sincerely want to erradicate the CANCER!

I figured the inner fender would be a good place to start since it isn't visible as the finished product. I knew my welding wouldn't be good

These images show the existing rust problem

I templated the inner fender as three sections and noted their position on the engine bay panel paying particular attention to the curve at the end. The following are images of the replacement 3 inner fender pieces:

I cut out/ ground out the inner fender.

And noticed there was quite a bit of rust on the engine bay sheet metal. So I decided to cut it out and replace it.

I then fitted a new piece of 20 guage sheet metal

Then I used my amature MIG welding skills to weld it in

Some things I noticed about welding:

1) sheet metal shrinks substantially with heat, it may be better to do small patches to retain the original shape of the metal.

2) a good mig weld depends on proper stick out, metal cleanliness, and welder settings.

3) Is a LOAD OF FUN WHEN YOU GET THE HANG OF IT!

I realize that im pretty obsessive about irradicating the rust. Based on this, I figure I'll finish my resto in about 20 years. While my wife has been resistant to this (since this is her truck and wants to get driving in it), I've always been one to do it right the first time. So watch out for the rotisserie cuz I know its gonna make this process a whole lot easiear!

 

[cruiser_guy]

Lee, when welding in patches, do spot welds all the way around and keep going around doing spot welds till they are all connected. A long bead spells trouble on sheet metal.

I may see you later next week.

 

[Lee777]

Parts Truck Found!

So I was able to find a parts FJ55 for 700$

Its a 1976 FJ55 with a 2F and 4 speed tranny. Body is mostly shot but it has front disc brakes. Im going to swap the front axle to into my '73 to get disc brakes. Thrown into a the deal was a tailgate from '73 which has minor surface rust and one hole in the bottom left, the seams are straight and intact. Also has the toyota imprint (which I love!) and the 3 chrome liscence plate lights. Also as part of the deal some original rocker panels (which have surface rust but no holes) and papers (with transfer of ownership). Pics!!!

Im getting the rockers off this one:

And here is the tailgate:

Ill update shortly about what else this parts truck is going to offer to the build!
:Lee

 

[cruiser_guy]

Lee, I'm going to have to come over and check things out (and try and "steal" a few parts).

 

[Lee777]

Oct 2009 Update

1) Ive been staring at my DS inner fender patch for a while now. I figured since it wasn't visible from the exterior that it would be a good place to learn how to weld. Well, I still probably should have practiced on some sheet metal because I warped it pretty good. The patch metal doesnt line up with the inner fender cutout at the firewall. So I figure I'll grind er down, bump it out, or cut it out if needed so I dont loose my original dimensions. Cruiser guy mentioned some good advice, dont run a bead but do spot welds, good advice!

2) I've taken myself to some minor projects, after all, the finished product is a sum of its parts. I took that poor ol rusty air cleaner, wire brushed it down, degreased, metal etched, and POR15'd it. It looks much better now. While the filter looks like it hasnt been changed in over 10 years, the rubber seals inside the air cleaner housing are intact. Yay, I cant imagine where I would ever find a replacement for these seals! I left the original stickers on even though they are faded, perhaps down the road they will get replaced.

3) I pulled the brake booster. I'm interested in determining whether it needs to be remanned. The seal visible from the engine bay side is broken/warped, and the protective ribbed rubber (lol) covering on the interior side is broken. Since the entire brake system has been disassembled, I cant apply the usual tests to see if it was an issue. Im ok with redoing it anyway. What are the options for remaning a brake booster on your own?

4) Its getting cold here, even in the garage, I'd like to pull the body off and get it on a rotisserie. Ah, we'll see

 

[crawlin cruiser]

hey Lee, good score on the parts piggys!!

Im going to need a front windshield, have a good one that inst cracked? also looking for good fenders\

thanks Dan

 

[Lee777]

Hey everyone.

I just realized I cannot sell this project

Lee

 

[PabloCruise]

Bummer you have to sell!

Link to classified ad:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-class...55-project-76-parts-truck-sale-all-800-a.html

 

[Lee777]

The project has been resurrected!


I pulled a complete front axle with disc brakes off a parts truck and plan to rebuild the knuckles with new bearrings, calipers, and perhaps new rotors. This will give my project front disc brakes for added safety.

The inner fender/engine bay assembly is still on sawhorses for patch welding before it goes back on.\

I noticed there is a seal that is sandwiched between the inner fender/engine bay body section and the flange where it is attached to at the firewall. It looks like a heat retardant like/rubber material.

Im holding onto it in this image:

Does anyone know what this is and what to replace it with?

One more question, does anyone know where to get the backings for the fender bolts. The part that is welded to the fender panel? I had to sacrifice a number of mine.

Thanks for the advice and for the existence of this board which makes these "impossible" projects possible

Lee