Mustard w/ Mayo - 40 series build

[SteveH]

Fun with mustard...

 

[nakman]

Man, that fender work is just amazing to me. I could probably cut those parts out ok, but making new ones, tacking them in, then welding/grinding those seams flat again just seems intimidating. That would take me a week to make it look good again, and I'd still be worried about my bondo cracking. How many hours do you estimate those fenders will take you? I presume you already did the math vs. just buying new ones, and you're coming out ahead here with doing the welding? I feel like I'd be upside down.

 

[scheefdog]

Man, that fender work is just amazing to me. I could probably cut those parts out ok, but making new ones, tacking them in, then welding/grinding those seams flat again just seems intimidating. That would take me a week to make it look good again, and I'd still be worried about my bondo cracking. How many hours do you estimate those fenders will take you? I presume you already did the math vs. just buying new ones, and you're coming out ahead here with doing the welding? I feel like I'd be upside down.

It was about two afternoons to do the fender patches and grind them smooth. The welding takes time because you have to work your way around and let it cool - I use a wet rag to cool. I find it more enjoyable to have a bunch of weld area to do (4 patches in the case of the fenders) at once so that you can move around and do not have to sit around waiting.

As far as cost - it depends on what you enjoy doing. I’m happy to spend the time fixing old parts and building skills as I go. It would certainly be easier to buy new OEM fender, but they are $800-$1000.

This mustard cruiser build is not a restoration. My goal is a nice driver with original character that gets out into the wild during the fair weather portion of the year. I have gone farther down the rabbit hole than I originally intended with this cruiser. I originally thought - it will not be that much work to finish out the engine swap and get it driving. Then I decided to strip the spray paint and deal with everything else... now I have a fair amount of money and time into this one.

I am still planning to build a stretched 40 - using an Aqualu tub on an 80 chassis - basically a soft top troopy, but slightly shorter. I have accumulated an 80 and a 73 FJ40 parts rig for the build. However, I will basically need to sell this mustard 40 to fund the build of my original vision because my accountant (wife) keeps the Toyota addiction in at bay.

 

[shellb]

Awesome work!

I'll be on the look out if you do end up selling at some point down the line! Always wanted a mustard 40.

 

[gr8fulabe]

Yeah if Erica will let me, I'd be interested in getting it back myself!

 

[scheefdog]

I found a set of mustard doors with a similar paint patina to the rest of the 40.

Unfortunately, the driver-side glass was broken in shipping. Anyone have a spare driver-side window in their parts stash?



Got everything prepped for paint and starting spraying over the weekend. I used minimal filler over the weld areas to smooth them out. The new paint is gray to match the primer gray color on the hood.

You might wonder why I'm not painting the whole thing? I like the original paint character with the patchy yellow... we will see how the look of my mis-match paint turns out.

 

[scheefdog]

I pulled all of the masking and put it back together to get it out into the sunlight. I managed to hit the last warm afternoon we had to get to enjoy driving around town. The 40 is such a blast to drive without doors and a top.

I also installed new front seat upholstery from Cruiser Corps along with buttoning up some other interior stuff like installing shift boots. Seeing the new seats, my wife was even excited to take it for a drive around the block.

I am not sure if I like the mis-match paint better than re-painting the whole thing... however, if it has shiny new paint then I feel like everything else needs to go to the next level. Definitely a slippery slope.

 

[HDavis]

This thing is looking great! The mismatched paint causes quiet the internal conflict. You might see about doing some research and finding some mustard tinted primer and then doing some sanding to allow the grey to show through a bit. With that approach its still primer and not too far into the faux patina process.

 

[cbmontgo]

Looking really good!

 

[nuclearlemon]

Don't leave it in primer!!! Primer is porous and absorbs water. The rig will rust under the primer

 

[scheefdog]

This thing is looking great! The mismatched paint causes quiet the internal conflict. You might see about doing some research and finding some mustard tinted primer and then doing some sanding to allow the grey to show through a bit. With that approach its still primer and not too far into the faux patina process.

I think it would be really challenging to create a faux patina that resembles the original. I experimented on the fenders by only painting the new steel and sanding out the edges to the original yellow, but it looked too contrived.

If I only had a couple areas on the body to do, it might be worth the effort to faux a couple sections, but I have too much blank canvas between the bib, aprons, and rear quarters.

 

[scheefdog]

Don't leave it in primer!!! Primer is porous and absorbs water. The rig will rust under the primer

It actually has a couple coats of primer sealer which does not seem porous. There is a big difference when wet sanding the primer sealer vs regular sealer. If I do leave it like this - I will do boiled linseed oil or penetrol over the whole thing because there is a fair amount of bare metal showing on the original portions.

 

[cbmontgo]

I love “patina” as much as most, but I’d paint this one.

 

[nakman]

That body work looks really good man, nice job. I also vote paint it.

 

[fjc man]

Travis, I sent you a pm. I think it’s at the bottom of the first “page”.

 

[Hulk]

Paint it mustard yellow. It will look glorious.

 

[cbmontgo]

@scheefdog mustard rules. Here’s a pic of my 1977 for inspiration on the color.

 

[scheefdog]

It certainly sounds like the consensus is to paint it and that is the direction I am leaning. I have been thinking about the color because I could paint it a different color, but my conclusion is that it is best to stick with the original mustard.

Abe will like this action - I installed the soft top I got from him. The top is a simple canvas fabric one that he had made in Pakistan. This first picture is during installation and before I pulled it tight by installing the footman loops and twist locks.

I had to shuffle stuff around in the garage today so the 40 got to pull out of the garage and feel the fresh snow for a few minutes.

What do you do with the extra strap length that hangs down from the footman loops? Cut it shorter and/or tie it up somehow?

I am taking this 40 further than I originally intended and I would like to start building my original vision (a soft top troopy starting with a 40 body). If anyone here is interested in the 40 as it sits - message me. Otherwise, I will paint it. And then I should probably do suspension and tires too...

 

[gr8fulabe]

Nice! I have the straps left long so that people can trim as they like. Cut to the length you like, use a lighter to melt the end & seal it off.

 

[nakman]

Cauterize Abe, never pass up the opportunity say cauterize.

good choice on the Teq Top!