Hey fellas,

The '79 FJ40 that I picked up earlier this year has a little bit of frame rust in a few spots, and I was wondering what the general accepted fix is for something like this. My plan, since I will be doing a full restoration, was to eventually take the body off, remove all the other parts, and then have the frame sandblasted and painted. Does this seem like a viable option, or should I be considering something else?

I'm just looking for some input and suggestions as I am new to the Land Cruiser world. Thanks for any help y'all can give me.

CTB

 

is it surface rust? I would coat with one of those rust converting chemicals and paint. If it is penetrating I would have it prof checked out and repaired.

Sand blast and paint sounds good. The real way to restore.

 

Cool, thanks for the info David. I have been plans for this cruiser, but now all I need to do is come up with some funds! Going to college doesn't exactly leave me a lot of time or money to work on the cruiser. Oh well, that may be my college graduation present to myself!!

 

CTB,

Remember money is just a small part of the process. The biggest and hardest part to control is patience. Take your time and do things right the first time or as time allows.

This is definitely a long term project. When you are finished that thing will be a part of you and you won't be able to let it go. Unless of course you rush through it and have recurring problems over and over.

My advice.........."be patient and ask a lot of questions, get many,many opinions, then go with your gut feeling".

I also second the total removal and sand blast process. Theres not that much to the body. You could then use something like POR-15 or another rust stopper once its clean. You'll also learn a lot about your ride.

Cheers,

Doug M.

 

Thanks for the advice Doug.

I completely understand your thinking - this is a rig that will stay with me forever, just like my 4Runner. I can't wait to get started working on it, but I realize I need to pratice patience and research everything.

The things holding me back right now are: it is in PA at my Grandma's house, I am in college so I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to the project right now, and I'm in college so I don't exactly have a lot of disposable income right now!

Anyway, just minor details. Everytime I seem someone post something about their FJ40 I get so excited just knowing I have one waiting for me! I'm starting to sound all sentimental and everything, so I should stop!

Again, thanks for y'alls advice. Trust me, I'll have many more questions to ask of y'all. Take care fellas-

CTB

 

CTB,

That sounds about right. What I wouuld first recommend to you is when you do get it near you, clean it. Clean the engine, the frame, the inside and any part you may have questions about. This will familiarize you with your ride. Buy a manual, haynes, Chiltons or the like. Just get into it like it were a cold swimming pool....slwoly. Its best to understand what the parts are and what they do as well as correlate to other parts. Once you have that figured out, you can start to repair/replace the necessary. Instead of the prefered.

Good luck and keep us posted,

Later,

Doug M.

 

Cool, sounds good. Thanks again for the advice and tips Doug - I appreciate your input. Take care-