Dubbeltjie progress - whew

It's been a while since I posted any updates.  This has more to do with work and busy weekends then anything else.  However, I have made some progress by removing the heater unit and associated pipes and coolant.  I also started work on removing the fenders, front grille, running boards and other components.  Check out the pics below - of course, I had my share of broken of bolts.

I was forced to buy an electric grinder/cutter to cut some really stubborn bolts.  Found a deal at Harbor Freight - my new favorite man's store.  They have an incredible array of tools at really low prices.  I was there just the other day perusing through the tools when a dad walked in with his son - couldn't have been more than 7 years old.  As the dad walked in he spun around and told his son, "son this is the coolest store in the world - this is where men come to shop and hang out.  I love this place and you're going to love it too."  I concur with his sentiments!

September 16, 2012 FJ40 Restoration Update

After lots of delays and preparation I finally had a full day of stripping Dubbeltjie.

One of the challenges was rusted bolts - I broke a few and am going to have to get them out using a tap-and-die set.  I used a product called PB Blaster, which is amazing.  I think with a little more patience I would not have broken as many bolts.  Spray any rusted bolt with PB Blaster, let it soak to work its magic for a short while and then slowly work the bolt out.  Sometimes - for really bad rusted bolts - I would let it soak overnight and then try it again the next day.  At times I would also work the bolt back and forth and spray a little more PB Blaster, soak and then gradually work it some more.

These bolts were tough to remove.

When I removed the glass at the back part of Dubbeltjie I didn't cracked any of the panes - however, the windshield was a different story.  Cracked it at first try - must have been aftermarket glass and not the sturdy Toyota glass.

Buggered up the glass

This is some sort of heat/sound barrier which I discovered under the rubber floor mats

Progress

Dubbeltjie, FJ40 Restoration Project Update

This weekend I started taking Dubbeltjie apart.  This process uncovered a number of good things - like places with no rust - and a number of bad things like areas with more rust than I expected.  My concerns of what lurks under the Rhino Liner remains to be discovered.  Check out the "take down" of the rear doors, front doors, rear body and rood.

Removed the rear & front doors

Duppeltjie without doors.  I also removed the windows - the trick is to make sure the rubber molding holding the window is warm and pliable.  Work one corner from the inside out - make sure to put a soft carpet or blanket on the floor to break the glass when it falls.  After working the molding and lots of pushing, the windows came loose and popped right out. 

Removed the roof but in the process broke a bunch of bolts.  Discovered a lot of rust in the roof drip-rail.  I will need to replace it and rebuild this part of the roof.

Broken bolts :(

No rust! But a broken bolt.

Slowly coming apart...

Roof where I pulled back the black roof0liner.

Topless

Rust

More rust

Dubbeltjie, FJ40 Land Cruiser Project

Cleaning out the garage of a lifetime of accumulated "stuff" to make space for Dubbeltjie was a bigger challenge than I bargained for.  At first I thought I would rent a storage facility where I could work on Dubbeltjie at night - this turned out to be pricey but also inconvenient.  The project of rebuilding a FJ40 was supposed to be enjoyable and easy - doing it at some off-site facility didn't make sense.  So we decided to get a storage facility for all the stuff in our garage.  This turned out to be a two-weekend project!

I also decided that we need to make the garage more comfortable and installed my son's old college window air conditioner unit as well as insulated one of the walls.  I added additional lighting seeing as much of the work would be done after work.  Spent many hours buying different tools, lights, shelving, etc.  It was paradise shopping places like Harbor Freight, Northern Tool and Sears.  Yep, this is a man's shopping paradise - I don't care what anyone says.

Before cleaning out the garage.

Dubbeltjie in the garage before cleaning

Here you can see the installation of the air conditioner.                     

Before

After

 The garage still looks a mess but believe it or not we are making some progress albeit very slow.

Clean garage and new workshop!

Dubbeltjie FJ40 Land Cruiser Restoration

Dubbeltjie is Afrikaans for "Devil Flower" which is an indigenous plant located in Southern Africa.  In the summer months after a good rain the dubbeltjie covers the desert floor with beautiful bright yellow flowers ----- and in the winter they leave the land bare covered with devil thorns - a three pointed thorn that always has one thorn sticking up.  I have affectionately named my 1981 FJ40 Land Cruiser "Dubbeltjie" because she is bright yellow.  At first glance she looks clean and beautiful like bright yellow flowers after a summer rain fall.  But upon closer inspection she has hidden thorns.  The yellow paint "job" hides a Rhino Liner type cover - which can create more problems than is solves - hence the devil :).

After scouring the Internet and talking to many different Land Cruiser owners and suppliers I realized that these things are as rare as hens teeth.  The few odd FJ40s that sell in the sub-$5K range were complete rust buckets that required lots and lots of work and dollars.  Not only that, the parts for these popular 4x4s are becoming harder and harder to find.  I eventually found my "rust bucket" Dubbeltjie.

I bought her on August 9th, 2012 from Daniel Edone who owns Wimberly 4 Wheel Drive in New Braunfels. He was very helpful leading up to the sale as well as following the sale - the transaction was a breeze.  He is a great guy with tons and tons of experience and many great stories.  Sadly, he is getting out of the business and selling off all his Land Cruisers - 48 in total.  I was lucky to have met him and tap his expertise on rebuilding these incredible vehicles.

The day of the big purchase unfortunately starter off as a bit of a disaster.  The guys at U-Haul did not tighten the trailer to the ball hitch of my 1999 Land Cruiser.  So when Daniel drove Dubbeltjie onto the trailer the trailer shot up off the ball and smashed in the tailgate causing about $1,500 worth of damage.  I am batteling with U-Hauls Insurance company as we speak.....see below:

Dubbeltjie getting ready to hit the trailer....

U-Haul Trailer Damage.

Here's Dubbeljie getting ready for her trip from New Braunfels to Houston.

 

After a long and rather slow drive I made it to Houston with Dubbeltjie.