Introduction - This is the first of many articles on the rebuilding
of a new FJ40. I have always wanted an early FJ40, as it was in a
40 that I had my first off roading experience. So, after 5 months
of searching I finally found one. Cheap, full of rust, and not
running very well. The cruiser has a Chevy 327 mated to the stock
trany and transfer case. It has seen better days, but I hope to
make it trail ready again within the next year. So, while waiting
for parts to arrive, I decided to take care of some of the rust
problems.
-
Getting rid of the
cancer
Starting with the only piece that I
could unbolt, I started removing all the bolts that hold on the
front grill. Every bolt I tried to remove, broke. yep, rust sucks.
Once I got the grill removed, and into my shop, I started work on
it. -
-
Tools needed to do this job
: -
- Welder
Angle grinder with sanding disk, and a cutting
disk
Tools to remove the grill - Paint
- Bending brake
It Starts -
-
- Once I got the front grill off I
saw just how bad the rust was. There was a hole in the lower part,
and the bottom lip had expanded from 1/8" to over 3/4" thick. Rust
is a bad thing. With this much rust, I decided to just cut the
whole bottom and front lip off. I started with a sheet of 1/16"
thick sheet metal. I used my homemade brake to put a 90deg bend in
it (My homemade brake did not work as well as i though it would, so
out came the hammer to help make it a 90g angle.)
With this new piece, I cut it to fit the
opening that I cut in the grill. Make sure you cut the new piece so
it fits perfect. Remember, measure twice, and cut once. Start by
spot welding the new piece all the way around. Once its secure,
start doing 1/2" stitch welds every 5 inches or so. You only do the
1/2" stitch welds at this time, as if you do any more, you risk
warping the sheet metal. (see picture below left) -
Once you have the piece welded all the way
across , you can brake out the sanding disk. I used a sanding disk
attachment to my 4.5" angle grinder. When sanding, don't let it sit
too long, as you can heat up the metal too much, and it will warp.
So, take your time, and slowly grind the welds away. (see picture
below right) Looks nice, eh? :-) Almost new looking Front
Grill -
-
- With a new coat of paint, the front grill came
out very nice. Not bad for my first time welding sheet metal. There
are many more rust holes in the FJ40 and I will tackle them the
same way. Once you do one, they get easier and easer as you go
on.
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