FJ40 Fiberglass Cap Restoration

[AdamKFarmer]

Guys-
I'm about to dig into restoring my 40, I've put it off long enough. I'm curious if anyone has restored the cap to their 40? I know Matt did it a while ago but he said in the end he wasn't too excited with the results. I went to Calibre Boat Repair to get a quot on re gel-coating the roof, they said probably $1200. That seems high so I asked just about painting and they said $600. Does that seem like a fair price? Will paint hold up well? The PO on my 40 painted the top the wrong color and it's already faded/chipping. Any other places should I try? Should I knuckle up and do it myself? What say you?

 

[Rzeppa]

Yikes! That sounds crazy! Too bad about Matt not liking his results, I remember reading his write up in Toyota Trails, really good article.

What I did was buy a nicer used one off a fellow Rising Sun member. I don't remember exactly what I paid but it was way less than what you got quoted for painting.

 

[baja1d]

For those numbers, I'd personally do more research. It can't be that hard if you know what you're doing. Besides, like drywall, I'm pretty sure that "gel coating" is lowest of the trade. In other words, if you know what you're doing any monkey can do it

 

[subzali]

Try asking Rocky Mountain cruisers what they would charge to do it. They had a nice looking top in there they were working on last time I was there.

 

[MisledYouth]

Last I checked, RM Cruisers was no more. They temporarily closed to catch up after the move, but their website and FB basically say they're done.

 

[SteveH]

My cap had been painted silver by the PO, and this paint was mildewed and sun damaged. I sanded it heavily, primed it, and painted it in my garage with the correct Toyota white paint - not a base/clear - just a single stage, and it turned out great. I did not even buff the paint. I put on several coats for wear resistance.

Recall that you cannot see most of an FJ40 roof unless you're on a ladder or in a helicopter. If you get the part that you *can* see looking good (the edges down to the rain gutter), the middle doesn't have to be perfect. If you're looking for a show quality job, you will have to work harder at this than I did, but mine looked really nice. White paint is very forgiving, since it reflects a ton of light, so minor flaws just won't show.

 

[AdamKFarmer]

Yikes! That sounds crazy! Too bad about Matt not liking his results, I remember reading his write up in Toyota Trails, really good article.

What I did was buy a nicer used one off a fellow Rising Sun member. I don't remember exactly what I paid but it was way less than what you got quoted for painting.

Jeff, that sounds like an option, but I rather just restore mine, it is in great shape minus the poor paint job.

For those numbers, I'd personally do more research. It can't be that hard if you know what you're doing. Besides, like drywall, I'm pretty sure that "gel coating" is lowest of the trade. In other words, if you know what you're doing any monkey can do it

Really? I honestly thought it wasn't as easy as it looks, closer to fiberglassing than painting.

Try asking Rocky Mountain cruisers what they would charge to do it. They had a nice looking top in there they were working on last time I was there.

They changed names and I think closed down.

Last I checked, RM Cruisers was no more. They temporarily closed to catch up after the move, but their website and FB basically say they're done.

Right

My cap had been painted silver by the PO, and this paint was mildewed and sun damaged. I sanded it heavily, primed it, and painted it in my garage with the correct Toyota white paint - not a base/clear - just a single stage, and it turned out great. I did not even buff the paint. I put on several coats for wear resistance.

Recall that you cannot see most of an FJ40 roof unless you're on a ladder or in a helicopter. If you get the part that you *can* see looking good (the edges down to the rain gutter), the middle doesn't have to be perfect. If you're looking for a show quality job, you will have to work harder at this than I did, but mine looked really nice. White paint is very forgiving, since it reflects a ton of light, so minor flaws just won't show.

That looks good! What brand/type of paint did you use? Did you seal the gutter to the top with sealant? Where did you buy the paint from? Any other details would help!

 

[subzali]

I bought my materials from painters supply on Santa Fe. I like the way the exterior turned out except there is a spot that's peeling now. But I think I would have rather not painted it but done a proper gel coat job like factory

 

[MDH33]

I bought my materials from painters supply on Santa Fe. I like the way the exterior turned out except there is a spot that's peeling now. But I think I would have rather not painted it but done a proper gel coat job like factory

Matt, does Painters Supply make the individual custom rattle cans of Toyota paint? I have some touch up I need to do on my 60. Sorry for the hijack.

 

[subzali]

Matt, does Painters Supply make the individual custom rattle cans of Toyota paint? I have some touch up I need to do on my 60. Sorry for the hijack.

I dunno. I 'spect so

 

[baja1d]

My only experience has been a lot of fiberglass/resin work on surfboards. I haven't looked into it too much but I don't think it'd be much different.

 

[Rezarf]

Gel coat would be nice but I plan on using the epoxy paint from a spray can or an idustrial enamel when it comes time to do mine. Anything with a UV stable material should work. White is the mot forgiving color for the DIY Painter.

 

[SteveH]

Answers: I did first seal the gutter with drip-check. A rain gutter was slightly torqued, and I straightened that first, too.

I used the 'Omni' cheap line of paint from my local paint place, custom mixed to the correct Toyota white. I used a Harbor Fright HVLP gun (the purple one that's about $40 or less). The primer was nothing special, but it was a 2 part primer. Since I was doing 'Toyota white' I painted two grilles at the same time, to help justify the paint cost.

Not sure how much I had into it in paint and materials, but not more than $100.

 

[AdamKFarmer]

Okay, it looks like I've settled on doing this myself. Either paint or gel coat. I have no experiencing gel coating, but after a little bit of light reading it doesn't sound too difficult, just more prep work. I'll update when I have more details.

 

[kvanoort]

Solid rivet tool

I recently replaced all the old rivets in my fiberglass top with solid rivets and purchased a new rivet tool in the process. So, if anyone in the club would like to borrow the tool you're welcome to use it. Hoping to have the top painted this spring.

 

[AdamKFarmer]

Wanted to bump this with an update: I have a build thread on mud I will be updating: http://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/723869-restoring-green-bean-82-fj40.html

 

[Rzeppa]

Just so you know what you might be getting yourself into:

My resto project (still ongoing).

 

[nattybumppo]

Geez Louise, Jeff. How do you have time for anything else?

 

[Rzeppa]

Geez Louise, Jeff. How do you have time for anything else?

That's kinda why the resto project is still ongoing instead of done. Got a lot of stuff going in parallel :-/

 

[AdamKFarmer]

Jeff! That's incredible! I hope my timeline isn't quite as long as yours. What made you sand blast everything instead of soda?