How Cheap Can I Build It

[JackInacrack]

Ok. I'm movin' this thread from the Introductions thread. It looks like we are gonna take this one through to the finish. So here it is. A real basket case. Paid just a few hundred bucks. Given the going prices for either stock or custom restored or rebuilt FJ40's, I figure it's worth a go. Its been rolled. Doors don't close. Doesn't Run. It's a challenge. '68 in beautiful red & pink camouflage patina. The project begins. Let's see how cheap we can do it.

$T2eC16NHJIIE9qTYI1n3BRie+Q1Keg~~60_3[1]

• JackInacrack
• Jan 16, 2018

$(KGrHqJHJFUFF-hVSrFoBRie+VNK(!~~60_3[1]

• JackInacrack
• Jan 16, 2018

$T2eC16VHJI!E9qSO8)dkBRifODUUqw~~60_3[1]

• JackInacrack
• Jan 16, 2018

 

[JackInacrack]

I can't believe my luck. An hour and a half with an agricultural jack and a couple of 4x4's and the body is now dead straight. All the doors close and all line up just right. The roof is trashed, though. It's beyond repair. I want a hard top, so I'll need to find another roof. Amazingly, ALMOST NO RUST! The only rust I can find is the rear sill below the cargo doors. The body will need some serious hammerin' though. The left side took a beating when it rolled. The front fender is too crunched to straighten.

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 17, 2018

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 17, 2018

 

[StarCruiser]

Nice one Jack, I have to say, for a vehicle that's been rolled it certainly seems I'm pretty good condition. Most other cars would be twisted and have the roof caved in.
You've got my interest on this one that's for sure.

 

[Rodger]

Definitely a result!

Just a thought on the hardtop: your roof surround (metal) looks good but it is a rust point so some of the breakers (in the wetter areas) may have hardtops where the metal surround has rotted but the fibre glass is okay. A roof with a rotted surround should be quite cheap and then it's just the job of swopping the surround.

Regards,

Rodger

 

[JackInacrack]

I’ve recruited my sons to help me a bit on this. We bought this FJ site unseen for a few hundred bucks. No clue what we were getting until it was rolled off the transport. So we poked our heads under the hood, and what did we find? A small block Chevy.

So I check the number on the block. It’s a mid-late-60’s 283. A little Googlin’ tells me it likely was from an early Chevelle. The speedo reads 72,532 miles, so I’m thinkin’ “Maybe I got lucky”. Probably not. We put a gauge on each cyclinder, and no pressure in #4. Could be a stuck valve, but I’m gonna do a frame off anyway, so out comes the motor. We’ll pull the head off the block and take a peek inside to see what I’ve got.


The GM bell housing looks like its from an early 60’s truck. Has a weird clutch fork and pin like I’ve never seen before, but is nicely fitted up to the stock 3-speed. Plenty of meat on the clutch.


Whoever did this V8 conversion new what they were doing. The front drive shaft is shortened 7 inches to accommodate the GM bell housing placement, the rear drive shaft has been lengthened 7 inches, and the whole shebang has been moved forward 7 inches. Whoever did this hand-fabricated a new floor plate over the tranny and transfer case, beautifully welded, but painted a slightly different red then the rest of the Cruiser. The stock radiator is there, but an oil cooler has been added. That tells me the conversion was done a long time ago, before the advent of triple core aluminum radiators. Oddly, whoever did this cut a hole in the front of the left fender and mounted the oil cooler right behind the hole. Weird.

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 19, 2018

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 19, 2018

20130714_134013

• JackInacrack
• Jan 19, 2018

 

[JackInacrack]

Disassembly begins. Amazed to discover the original factory spare tire. I'm thinking the vacuum 4-wheel drive engagement has got to go. I’ll be looking to convert to a floor-mounted stick. I live in Florida, so I’ve got to have AC. I’ll likely do an after-market heat vent AC system and get rid of the weird space heater in the rear cargo area. As it comes apart, I’m pleasantly surprised at how dry this FJ is, and the condition overall is better than I expected.

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 26, 2018

20141130_211216

• JackInacrack
• Jan 26, 2018
• 1

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• JackInacrack
• Jan 26, 2018
• 1