1976 fj45

[Rodger]

Hi Iwan,
Thanks for the tow bar info and photos, particularly the angle. I may need the 12.5 inches as currently the cross member top bolt holes are at 28.5 inches. By modifying the camper trailer we have been given to take 13" wheels as opposed to 10" should raise it 1,5" which is spot on for the tow ball height and keeps the trailer level.

Intrigued by your chassis work... definitely a major project. Wow!

Regards,

Rodger

 

[Iwan]

Thanks Roger it is indeed a mission! I have worked out a plan of action with it..

I've worked out that as the upper and lower riveted parts have been removed (or to be), then there's a need to replace them and the thought of new steel to weld to brown (rust treated) steel would be a bit hit or miss. So I thought to drill and bolt in 45mm x 4mm strips with high tensile m10 domed head 6mm allen drive bolts and weld the new 4mm outer templated strips to the new upper and lower horizontal parts.. if the welding has gone well then the outer and inner parts are just bolted together and independent of each other.. it also means there'll be less heat distortion and burn through from welding of the 44 year old steel and new Chinese (cough cough!) steel!

Have from a Max Ellory manual the dimensions to keep it true and of course to keep it level and square..

Dropping off the templates and steel order tomorow and have the fixings ordered..

Have the theory. and plan... going to find out how it goes lol!

 

[Rodger]

That would work. I am assuming that you will weld the nuts on but may I suggest that you coat the old inner with something like POR-15 - needs a bit of prep but it will ensure that rust will not be a future problem. Frosts do a starter kit which would be enough and they do mail order. I have it to be excellent and long lasting... as they say it does what it says on the tin.

Regards,

Rodger

 

[Iwan]

Indeed bolting new steel to rusty steel is a recipe for spreading from the old to the new.. but keeping in mind that the new coating on the old woulda coulda be compromised by catching fire by the welding process of the 2 inner horizontal to the inner vertical.

Thinking possibly to set up the inner C by tacking together when fitted to the old (bolt holes drilled etc) and remove to weld then test they fit and then go into the inner finish. Possibly be the best way to go to preserve old and new?

Tough call to take there...

 

[Iwan]

I've been chipping away at this and I think I've done a steady 12 hours since adding here..

It's nice how the deriveting has gone, it leaves the outer clear for adding pieces etc.

The rear spring hangers need a fair bit of putting back in so to say!

There's an inner strengthening piece for the front rear hanger which I will be changing and making it a longer piece of plate. When you get an old piece like this out theres a good pile of what looks like/is laminated rust. Also a classic example if the thickness change from 4mm steel to 0 to 1mm steel on the lower outer!!

Have painted on the jenolite rust treatment (snake oil!)..

The old rivets when you grind off the head and remove the rusted piece, it leaves the remains of the rivet prowd of the lower surface. So in some cases will fully remove the rest of the rivet and in other cases will drill a hole in the new steel and weld them together..

There's two sizes of rivets on these trucks... smaller ones are 9.5mm, larger more important ones are 11.5mm..

Stay safe all!!

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi Iwan wot colour is it and r you well is it come on ok

 

[Iwan]

Hi Tony, I'm well thanks mate.. Just been messed around with getting the steel cut, so I can get on with it! I'm a little annoyed with the supplier (because He said He could cut it!) as I'm keen to get into it. The plywood templates are difficult to transfer to the program that runs the plasma table.

So have the supplier of the steel, but need to get another method to cut the curved piece's. i can't blame the fella as He's a steel supplier with much easier orders that can provide more profit than scratching his head etc! Still going to get Him to cut the sheet into straight line cut squares.


I'm thinking to find a guy who has an upright metal cutting bandsaw that will be able to 4mm steel to the templates.

Colour it's like a rusty brown colour lol... but very interested in finding out the cab colour code!

Thanks for asking matey

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi it's
Good you r well keep up with it Brown good colour

 

[Iwan]

Cheers Tony! I've found another PUW 590R from the same batch as the other 2 above!

The "UW" is the code for the registration centre which is from Worcestershire.. have been trying to find a Toyota dealership in Worcester or Stourbridge? Who were open in the 70's..

 

[Iwan]

I've done quite an amount of research this morning on the numbers of PUW XXXR registered Toyota vehicles from the mot online checker.

These were registered new from 1 Nov 1976 to 11 March 1977. There were 25 land cruisers with this registration centre UW .

12 were green, 3 were blue, 4 were white, 6 were brown, one brown one is a diesel mot exp aug 2018, a green one is lpg, there's a green one on the road, There's only 5 with mot history on the check latest being December 2007, May 2009, Aug 2017, Aug 2018 and the green one on the road!

Ranging from PUW 541R to 662R Not many survived, also found 2 blue hilux's from the time scale..

 

[Iwan]

Managed to find a pic of some of the spare/2nd cab parts. Picture from on here..

The floor section looks real good and the first I've seen it! Same colour too! Roll on to the end of the lock down!!

 

[Rodger]

Years ago when we first started the Lincomb meets @TonyS and I visited a friend of his who had a 45 in his barn (pretty much in bits) - it was green. That farm is situated near Worcester, so it could have been another from the batch of 25. I don't remember seeing a number plate but then the truck was in a bad state and he wanted too much money for it.

I have just dug out the old photos I took at the time and its reg is VBR206R - so not from the same batch. That has a 2F but no front axle.

Regards,

Rodger

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Managed to find a pic of some of the spare/2nd cab parts. Picture from on here..

View attachment 165700

The floor section looks real good and the first I've seen it! Same colour too! Roll on to the end of the lock down!!

Thats a blast from the past, my old 45. 2H engine and 5 spd box. Would cruise at 70 all day.

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi Iwan the green one with the red top where is it from it looked like one that come to my for a oil filter but it is not the same one but the last one I drive it round the block with Andy a lot of fun do you remember long time ago hope you r all well thanks for the pics Lwan.

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi 1 or 2 pics of fj45

 

[Iwan]

Years ago when we first started the Lincomb meets @TonyS and I visited a friend of his who had a 45 in his barn (pretty much in bits) - it was green. That farm is situated near Worcester, so it could have been another from the batch of 25. I don't remember seeing a number plate but then the truck was in a bad state and he wanted too much money for it.

I have just dug out the old photos I took at the time and its reg is VBR206R - so not from the same batch. That has a 2F but no front axle.

Regards,

Rodger

I've found it very interesting the research side of the "number's" of the originaly registered 45's, but have only looked at the R reg ones that I've seen reg plates that give a starting point of a mot history .

I believe that the P reg ones where the beginning of the original "few or 2?", but also with checking how I did because they're tax/mot exempt since 2016? Some of the expired mot ones could still be running with the exempt basis... Possibly..

Interesting research really..

 

[Iwan]

Thats a blast from the past, my old 45. 2H engine and 5 spd box. Would cruise at 70 all day.

Excellent Andy, a blast from the past can never go amiss! I had time and checked this one out being a R reg.. Sadly it hasn't had Mot since 2012, little uncertain of it's survival... maybe out there still or it was recycled into cat food tins! But also it's a good record to have been on the mot history as many aren't.

 

[Iwan]

Hi 1 or 2 pics of fj45

Great pictures mate and thanks for adding them!

The one with the red canopy was on a car and classic for sale site and it's the green one "on the road" Good testament to it and 1 of 25 on the road! Mot history states it has rust but a full survivor!


Life's good when you've got a cruiser! Ain't that right Tone?!

 

[tonytoyota]

Hi come on let's have lots of fj45 pics love old cruisers.

 

[Iwan]

A positive move forward.. have been chippin away a bit whilst waiting for steel supplies..

After reading about power steering conversions on these I dug out these 2 boxes. Lhs is from a 1995 24v 80 and the Rhs is the box out of a 2004 mk5? d4d hilux. Basically the same unit but as a quick note there's 4 bolt on an 80 and 3 bolts on the hilux.. as with manufacturers there's CUT BACKS and it's obvious there!

Pitman arm is't suitable but the 80's one feels a little long.

I've marked the chassis with the position of the front of the bellhousing. On comparison of where the engine meets the face of the bell housing it's very close from 2F to 1HDT... so when I trial fit the 1HDT early auto box it needs to be aligned with these lines which will/should give the same clearance from the bulk head to back of the rocker cover..

Had braced the rear of the chassis with timber to keep it in position.

And it's safely moved into the workshop with the forklift.

Mock up of the 80 box but it's longer on the input.

Hilux box is closer to the cab... a better bet..

Interference with the shock mount with both boxes.

Today at last got the materials.. bought a sheet of 4mm steel 1250mm x 2500mm. The place has quite a large sheet sheer and the strips were cut on that leaving the rest of the sheet to cut the curved arched sections from.

Made this template to make a reinforcement for the rear front spring hanger today also. One for each side have made holes in it to weld to the remains of the rivets and will have a combination of weld and bolts to attach them.

All leveled out and squared up...Mission on!!