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Since the mechanical work is wrapping up, it was time to start dealing with the
body. The fastest and easiest way to strip the old paint and rust was to have
the whole thing media-blasted. I loaded up the tub, fenders, doors, and a
bunch of small parts and took them out to AZ Pro-Strip in Mesa - the same
guy who sandblasted my frame several months ago and did a great job.
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I dropped of all of the parts on Monday and Patrick had them ready at the end of the week.
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Patrick did a great job and I am very happy with the results. Most of the tub looks
pretty good, actually better than I had originally thought.
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Also had him do the doors, front bib, bezel, ...
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... fenders, side aprons, transmission hump, door frames, running boards, pedal assembly, ...
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... and a whole pile of small parts. I didnt have him do the windshield frame since
I didnt want to mask off the glass and rubber and the metal and paint on there is in
great shape. Also didnt have him do the hood because mine is pretty banged up and
I will hopefully be getting a different one.
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Of course, along with the good, there is plenty of bad. The driver's side floorpan
is the worst spot of all. The floor is completely rusted through with a big hole in it.
The previous-previous-owner had put a thick layer of tar over the hole and covered
it up with a piece of plastic that he riveted to the old rusty floor.
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The rust also continues forward and backwards, creeping up the floorboard towards the
firewall, and extending underneath the factory toolbox.
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The passenger-side floor is starting to go as well, but luckily it is a much smaller
area. The shallow pan where the gas tank sits is perfect, and the rust does not extend
forward past the seam where the floor meets the bottom of the firewall.
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The driver's side rocker panel had more rust than I originally noticed. Before
the sandblasting, I thought that side was pretty solid. However, as you can see,
the metal was thin and weak from the rust, both on the inside and outside.
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The passenger-side rocker panel has a hole about the size of an orange along the
rear edge. The small triangular brace that supported the rocker panel to the floor
on the underside was completely rotted as well.
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And finally, what FJ40 rust-review would be complete without including the rear
quarter panels. Both sides are toasted, and the ends of the rear sill that support
the quarterpanels is also pretty bad. Luckily, the rear sill under the bed is in fair shape.
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