1982 FJ40 Restoration

[rover67]

Last night I got the rear driveshaft on, filled all the various 80-90w things with fresh valvoline, got the skid plate back on, started rebuilding the seat frames for the front, and I got the carb back on, tuned, and air filter back on. It's back running again!

 

[simps80]

last Night I Got The Rear Driveshaft On, Filled All The Various 80-90w Things With Fresh Valvoline, Got The Skid Plate Back On, Started Rebuilding The Seat Frames For The Front, And I Got The Carb Back On, Tuned, And Air Filter Back On. It's Back Running Again!

Moaarrr Youtube Videos!!!

 

[jps8460]

Last night I got the rear driveshaft on, filled all the various 80-90w things with fresh valvoline, got the skid plate back on, started rebuilding the seat frames for the front, and I got the carb back on, tuned, and air filter back on. It's back running again!

Sahweeet!!!

 

[rover67]

Well as in running I mean starts and idles again, still firmly planted in the garage until I get some seats in... which kinda means roll bar first, which means still waiting on powder for roll bar.

But I also have the top I'm working on now.

 

[rover67]

I decided to fill in my sunroof hole rather than use the top I got from Abe. . It seemed easier than unriviting the fiberglass top I got from Abe from the gutters and putting it all back together again. My gutters were in better shape so I wanted to use them. Anyway I've never done fiberglass work but so far making the mold off Abe's top has been fun and a good learning experience for when I patch my sunroof hole. I got the slow cure hardened (using west systems stuff) and it was brutally slow. Let's just say it was a late night.

 

[rover67]

So the first step was removing the sunroof to see what I had to deal with. The top has a 2mm layer of fiberglass on the top part with a foam core material then a thin fiberglass layer on the bottom where the headliner goes.

Sunroof out and showing layers:

 

[rover67]

I started by marking my minimumn mold area and applying wax to Abe's top followed by a few layers of mold release:

Then I mixed up some resin with graphite powder to apply to the surface to provide a nice mold base:

After letting that cure to a firmer texture for what felt like eons I mixed another batch of resin and laid down a few layers of glass followed by some core mat, then finally more glass on top till I basically ran out of resin. Maybe 4 layers of glass. It seemed descent and I was able to get all the fiberglass to wet with the exorbitant amount of resin I applied. Lessons learned... don't put a ton of resin down and put glass down in small pieces.

After letting it cure overnight which was only like 4 hours I had to go check if it was stuck to the top. I was terrified it'd never come off... Success! It looks like it'll come off! The back can be peeled off but was still kinda soft. Need to let it harden up for a day but it looks like it's working!

 

[AimCOTaco]

That's pretty cool, fiberglass (the little I've done at least) seems best learned hands on anyway. I wonder if there are some other builders out there who could use your mold after you're done with it, seems like there would be a bunch of leaky, unwanted sunroofs in original glass tops in the wild?

Been following your awesome build and can't wait to see it done.

 

[rover67]

Thanks! Yeah was planning to keep the mold in case of that exact scenario. I am going off the assumption that it matches the curvature of my roof. i really really hope that's right. Yeah the fiberglass work is really fun, I want to make more fiberglass stuff now Its a fast/steep learning curve jeeze. I was terrified I'd run out of time for the resin so I went with the slow cure. mistake #1 lol. big glass sheets and too much resin, mistakes 2 & 3 so far. I feel pretty good going into the actual patch though.

 

[rover67]

Mold peeled back, wax and mold release applied. Trimmed and stuck on my top. It matches the curves well!

Tomorrow I'll lay the glass and core mat down.

I also got the carb back on and tuned. We actually drove it without the top to a neighbors house. Super quiet it's going to be nice!!

 

[Rezarf]

I used to make ski boards and do surf board repairs, if I can help Marco let me know.like welding its not too hard to get it work right but there is an art to making it look nice too.

 

[rover67]

Maybe I'll call you this evening Drew? I was planning to lay the glass tonight.

This, finish doors (they need some tweaking to fit right) and dash knobs and control cables are all that's left. Literally.

I can't put the heater vents in until I get my heater control cables back and that's turning into along process with who I chose to use. Kinda bummed about that but I guess the top and doors have to happen so there's that.

 

[rover67]

Oh! And it needs new tires mounted on the new OEM wheels. Can't decide on tires lol.

 

[rover67]

I bought 5 new wheels so I could match the color for the top and bezel. Well and so it'd have new wheels.

Off to get paint matched today hopefully

 

[rover67]

The fast hardener goes fast! Also I got half of it done tonight. Excited to finish and see the outside part!!

 

[Telly]

Marco, I've been trolling your thread from the beginning and I gotta tell you, I'm very impressed with your attention to detail. I hope to see the 40 in person one of these days.

 

[rover67]

Thanks!! I'm excited you like it

Last night I got the last of the glass work done. It looks like it'll work well!! The parting lines aren't too bad. I may use some filler to smooth it out on the inside depending on how the headliner lays. The outside looks awesome though. It'll only take some light finish work.

 

[OilHammer]

Marco, did you rabbet the inside of the existing glass so that your patch would "lap" over and still be flush, or is this basically just a bonded plug? You are making some great stuff! Also wondering about your headliner and where you got it. I used a SOR liner that was already sewn in the middle and corners, but it separated from the foam in about a year and started hanging down. It's a real pisser, but I suppose I might be able to poke a spray stick through some of the holes and tack it back up in a few spots. Anyways, will be curious to see what you have and if it's better quality than what I got 10 yrs ago.

 

[rover67]

I removed about a 1/4" to 1/2" of the foam core in the roof all around the hole. My first 4 layers of glass overlapped the outer layer of roof fiberglass by stuffing into that void then back filling with the epoxy.. I then put the core piece in which was a pretty close fit to the hole and pushed the fiberglass farther into that void. The next 4 layers of fiberglass were
just over the core material. After that I did a few bigger sheets in layers overlapping the center core material and fiber glass layers and a few inches of the outer portion of the fiberglass that faces downward. That part isn't totally flush but it's only a few layers so it's real thin..

I found an OEM head liner but passed since I figured it was super old. I got a headliner from CCOT a month or so ago that looks pretty nice that I plan on using..

 

[SteveH]

Marco - given the exquisite build quality you're putting into this refresh, will it be a grocery getter in the end, or will you be blasting through mud-holes with it? Just wondered!