Finally, good shackles!

Finished the front and got most of the way through the rear suspension installation.  Note the better (note: plated) shackles from Cool Cruisers Of Texas (CCOT).  Notable problems: Pretty bad rust inside the holes of the rear hanger brackets (had to dig out the old bushings).  Nothing a good wire brush and some grease wouldn't cure!  Had to paint the new (taller head) centering pins that I discovered I HAD NOT done when I did the front springs (why, Bob?), so had to stop and let the paint cure.  Off to Houston for another week of Happy Horse Shi#.

Some pics:

Front Left (bumper bolts to the frame here)

Front Left (note the new cadmium plated u-bolts!)

Both shackles at the front.

Drop the old spring

New shackle at the left rear

New springs (Oh Shi#, I forgot the new centering pin!)

Love all that new bright cad hardware!

Busted!

Mind you, this is a restoration on the cheap (though this is a relative term), but... this I never expected.  Some background:  There is a very spirited competition among a handfull of companies for the attention of a very small number of Land Cruiser enthusiasts.  All have similar product offereings and suspensions are big on that list.  I decided to go with the one company that I thought was most dedicated to the brand and those enthusiasts: Specter Off-Road (SOR) in California.  They've been in this gig for 30 years or more.  So, when I finally got around to opening up the boxes of ancillary accessories (on the shelf for 18 months), I never expected to discover PAINTED shackles.  Yes, painted to match the very color of the yellow zinc chromate plating of  EVERY one of their competitors (read: corrosion prevention!).  Photos posted on the SOR site even appear to show plated shackles.  That is in every size EXCEPT for the ones included in my suspension kit!  Drats!  No recourse!  My pictures here show why painted shackles are a no-go.  I needed to spread the wings slightly so that they would fit over the hangers but in doing so,the paint simply cracked and fell off the RAW steel underneath.  What quality (and why not powder coat?)!  I bought replacements (plated, of course) from the competition and will post some pics after I get them installed.

Prep the front suspension

(I sure wish I had some idea what I am doing with this "blog" thing... way over my 56/56 head!)

OK, today I prepped the front springs, hangers and bushings.  Thought it was a 30 minute job and ended up 2+ hours.  Needed to remove the centering pins and replace with a taller version.  It turns out that the longer spring causes the axle to rotate slightly and to compensate, I need to insert a 4 degree wedge between the spring and the seat.  The standard centering pins don't make it far enough above the wedge to ensure a secure fit into the saddle on the axle. (get that?)  So here are a few pictures of that farce, showing the pins and my anal retentive need to paint everything.

Removing the old bolt

Difference in head sizes

The new bolts after cutting and painting

(out of order) Before cutting and painting

New taller centering pin installaed

Step 1 - New Suspension

1/1/2013:  Finally I get to add some of my parts rather than remove them.  I've spent seven years amassing parts in anticipation of this day!  For two years, I've been cleaning, stripping, grinding rust and repainting old parts.  The body was sent out for the professional treatment and the engine is in the queue for a rebuild (though it was running okay with occasional puffs of the blue stuff).  The day had come to start the build... finally!

I had purchased a 4" lift from Specter Off-Road which had been waiting patiently for this day for over a year.  The springs were shipped "naked" and the UPS crew did there best to make them look like they had fallen off the truck and tumbled into a canyon in the Rockies on their way out.  So, it took considerable effort to make them look new again (shame on you SOR!  Ever think a customer might want their new parts looking... umm NEW?)

Today, I jacked up the chassis dropped the front suspension.

Yes, that's the Dukes of Hazzard and yes, those are Daisy's dukes!

 

Rebuild begins!

I kicked off the new year by taking the first steps at reassembling my 1980 FJ40 Land Cruiser.  For over two years I've been disassembling, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning, blasting, stripping, grinding and painting some of the piece parts, while the body and chassis were out getting a makeover at TNT Hot Rods. After recovering from my New Years Eve bender I began the rebuild!  Fitting that it be the dawn of a new year!

First, some background:

I purchased the truck in June 2005 from a "broker" who found it in the high desert of Oregon, nearly rust-free, where it may have spent it's entire life.  For anyone who is familiar with the Land Cruiser, rust was inevitable if you lived anywhere near the ocean or where roads were treated with salt during winter.  When I was but a pup I bought my five-year-old 1971 Land Cruiser when I returned from basic training in (grrr) 1976 and, already, the body was nearly Swiss cheese and the chassis was etched to a fine rust colored patina. So, when I first saw this 25 year-old truck (with original paint still visible on the frame) there was no time to procrastinate (the line was forming) and I made it mine.

Here is a pic of the truck taken in Oregon before it was shipped.

 Note the Michelin X radials!  They dated to the early eighties and were popular off-road tires back then.

 The engine had undergone typical performance modifications:  Webber carb and headers.