"Wyoming": A journey with the '82 FJ60, repair/restore/build/enjoy....

[Sumguy]

Oh, and Questions,... lots and lots of questions.

Wyoming, because that's where she was originally sold and where I'm from.

If you haven't already seen my intro thread, that's over here: What has she gotten me into This time!!?!???.... AKA another new guy post - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/what-has-she-gotten-me-into-this-time-aka-another-new-guy-post.1277549/

Current Status, March 2022: As purchased plus new 31s

 

[Sumguy]

As mentioned, she's got new shoes. Happened upon a brand new tire from Nokian, which is a brand I've had Very good experiences with (WR2 and WR3 for many years while living in the Rockies), and decided to chance it based on the descriptions. Sounds very much like a road focused/oriented tire, with the nicer characteristics, and an A/T "look". I have a similar type tire on the '99 4runner and it's been an outstanding choice so-far.

Only just installed a day ago, and with a whopping 20 miles driven since install so the jury is very much still out on these tires.


Otherwise I've been discovering lots of new things with Wyoming (Perhaps just Wyo... the old state mail address before it went to WY). Previously I realized that her rear drivers door had been replaced with one from a 62 and some kind folks pointed out that a manual regulator was a plug-n-play replacement. I already have one on it's way. Today I realized the back gate and hatch were replacements too, originally silver and with a wiper... for which I don't have a switch (or washer bag).

So, question #1: Did Toyota use 1 harness for all models, meaning that I can simply connect the correct plugs, install the switch and have a rear wiper and washer (obviously, installing all the other missing parts)?

That leads into Question #2, if Toyota did use one harness, then I probably have superfluous plugs... would these be normally unused?

Drivers side, just behind the headlight... bigger gauge so probably power (looks like red and white):

Passenger side, just behind the battery (looks like green and white w/black stripe in my photo):

Pigtail off the starter? Looks like blue and red:

Just under the brake master cylinder, only a 2-pin but I see white, blue and green:

And then the last wiring question for now, I noticed the brake fluid reservoir has a couple leads for a fluid level idiot light, but I can not find the corresponding vehicle side connection. First thought is that I'm just a blind idiot... second is this FJ didn't have that option and this is a replacement cap.

My search-fu here is weak, I'm simply not finding threads that talk about any of this... and then I get distracted by those threads. Similarly, I'm looking at the manual but its format is different from what I'm used to (no color coded wiring diagram laid out with connectors on the page where you'd find them on the vehicle?), I'm trying, just not finding yet.

Thanks!

 

[Sumguy]

Phew, 6 months without an update? I suck at build threads... guess this is going to go out of order.

Headliner:

Like all o these rigs with the original headliner, mine was super brittle, torn in a number of spots, sagging like crazy and covered in tar (smoker car by the smell of it). That's no bueno for SHMBO. At first we tried Gear Tape, which works Amazingly on technical fabrics to repair small rips/tears/abrasions, but it wouldn't stick to the 40y/o headliner without pressure, and trying to apply pressure just made more and/or worse tears.

So down it came, along with the mouse fur insulation:

Wanted some insulation back up there as we're in GA and the sun gets to be a bit much, plus for noise absorption. I've been extremely pleased with the insulation in my conversion van, so I used it here again ~ 3m thinsulate blanket at 1" thick. This was going to be a temporary headliner too, and the black scrim (with painted black headliner bows) looked nice enough for the few months it was up. Oh yeah, happy wife, happy life!

 

[Sumguy]

Then came the headliner. I believe it was 4 yards of 60" wide fabric (wool/poly blend from Etsy.search for Southwest Fabrics), 3 yards is probably enough for a headliner unless you want to pattern match the pillars ~ I have about a half yard left, but also gave myself LOTS of extra to work with. First step is measuring the distances from the back trim to the bows, between the bows and from the front to the windshield so you can sew pockets on for the bows (in the right place). I used scrap vinyl I had laying around:

Install was simply to put the bows through the sleeves and put back in place. I used hog-rings to hold the rear-most bow in place and started at the front.

The #1 question most people are going to ask is about the windows, I left them all in place. I tapped off the rubber trim and used headliner glue right next to the trim to give everything a little hold, then tucked the fabric under the trip using a 2" plastic putty knife and an assortment of plastic trim removal tools (the yellow Harbor Freight set). Start in the middle of the windshield and work left then right to the corners. Then move to the back and do the rear, center left then right to the corners. I took off any trim that was easy, basically everything but the windows. With the front and back in place, I tried to run the A pillars as a 1-piece, uncut section (had left the extra yard and half of fabric hanging there), which worked a treat. Glue, putty knife, tuck, smooth.... then worked around the rest of the vehicle, doing the driver door are, then passenger door, then rear driver, etc... back and forth till it was all pulled taught and smooth. Rear windows were the same as the windshield. Then I used a torch to heat a nail and used that to make holes for all the different things that mount (interior light and hatch light were cut instead of burned as the only exceptions). No foam on the pillars, just didn't see the point. Speaking the pillars, I cut the pieces last, pattern-matched, glued down instead of stitched together... was just easier.

The fabric is doubled-up under the rubber trim, so in the future if I should remove those windows, I ought to have enough to mount the headliner "right", if not, this wasn't hard to do.

This was finished to the front doors:

Then the rear doors:

Back windows unfinished:

C-pillar pattern matched:

And the final result

 

[CruiserTrash]

@Sumguy This is incredible. Gives me hope that I can tackle this job - not just for looks, but to get some insulation on the ceiling, too.

 

[LazarusTaxa]

Really cool, and I'm glad to see someone using thinsulate in a 60... When I redo mine, I'd like do the same. Maybe even in the doors and quarter panels.

 

[GarrettS]

I think your headliner looks very nice. Well done!

I wish I were a more confident seamstress—I tried my hand at making climbing rope bags for a while, but it took me forever to finish any of them.
The headliner seemed like too much for me to tackle so I bought one from Cruiser Corps.

 

[Sumguy]

Hrm... 2 years, seems about right. Blame Life...

Started an Xmas project... C-Channel replacement:

Out with the old rusty/crusty:

Did the Passenger side too...

And in with the new sexiness (or at least less rusty..ness)

Top Tip... air hammer, chisel and punch tips for the win. I started this job by hand, with a hammer and cold chisel... don't do that. Just took the heads off the rivets on the inside, removed the c-channel, smoothed off the remainder of the rivet flush with the frame (air hammer mostly, but some flap-disk) and then punch out the rivets. I didn't find a need to drill them, just added work. Some were a little bit of a PITA so I hit the heads on the Other side at about 90deg (chisel through the side, not dead on) and this would loosen/spin the rivet and make it Simple to pop out.

Mostly winning on the bolt front, I've broken fewer than half and the only one of consequence is for the lower shock mount on the passenger side. Both lower mounts were rusty beyond belief. Shackle bushings were disintegrated, so I've got a new kit of those on order. And getting that frarking gas tank out..
everything was in the way, but I'll feel a lot better with all new lines in there.

 

[Sumguy]

I have a question, if anyone's still reading... have a rusty spot on the drivers side frame I want to repair before bolting in the new c-channels. I've cut out an oval patch (read that corners are stress magnets, tend to crack) ~ doing a butt-weld, and this will be trial by fire with welding. I've stuck a couple things together in the past, but they were all non-critical. Any suggestions? Running a hobart MVP210 with gas shielded .30 wire:

 

[cruiserpilot]

Missed this thread from before. Beauty headliner! The pic above didn't show. Holes and curves resist tear better
but it's the entire effort that really matters, and coverage.

 

[SteveH]

@Sumguy - Great work so far. As for the patch, just weld it up (full perimeter weld on that patch) and grind the welds to clear the new channel. Whatever you do will be stronger than what was there and it won't see much flexing.

You might want to either paint, or grease, or paint-and-grease that frame area before installing the new C-channel. Do not use spray tar or bedliner or any hard/thick curing type coating (other than paint).

 

[Sumguy]

Appreciate the welding thoughts. I ended up doing just as mentioned, welded full perimeter from the outside and "touched up" from the inside were I didn't get full penetration. Had a couple issues, one was that I didn't clean well enough in a couple spots and got porosity (? pin holes) which needed grinding and a second pass and I blew through the frame (must have been thinner from surface rust as it wasn't rusty when I cleaned) in a spot that also needed to be built up. But I feel good about the end product:

Back side (inside) isn't as pretty since there's no room for a flapdisk, but I smoothed it over with a die grinder. And I did primer all sides of both frame and c-channel pieces, then painted with Rustoleum flat black (it's what I used after doing a couple rounds of rust converter a few years back) and assembled Wet to try and maximize sealing/minimize scratches. Planning on another coat, or two, and then a lanolin/fluid film type product. I'm inland GA (basically AL), it's a fair-weather toy and it's full time garaged so this ought to last the rest of my life without issues.

Thinking about staking the threads as an added layer of security (paint on threads and split-washers being the other 2, had red loctite handy but doubted it's effectiveness on wet-paint threads so I didn't use). Haven't done anything yet, wanted to get the vehicle back on the ground before I make a decision. At the very least, everything will be covered in paint which will give a good visible indicator or movement.

Finding all sorts of side projects while I'm at this... like the shackles being improperly installed (ARB grease-able). 2 different sized with the instructions clearly saying smaller up front... mine was installed with a small and a big on both from and rear. Bushings were a crumbly mess too, just fell out in chunks:

Shocks/struts aren't doing any real damping... but that's a project for another day. Doing all the soft fuel lines (waiting on some right now), I'll feel better not having 42y/o lines on there anymore. And the normal broken bolts/extraction that comes with all older vehicles, corrosion mitigation on thing that are normally not touched that get the wire wheel and some fresh paint to maybe extended the life a few more years. The normal stuff that doubles or triples the time it'd normally take to do anything...

 

[VermontFJ60]

I recently took out the c-channels on my 1985 FJ60 and boy what a treat. The body was off the frame so access was likely a bit easier but still a fun job!