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Resto mod from rolling shell

55K views 307 replies 21 participants last post by  Texasissouth 
#1 ·
Hey everyone, I'm new here. I bought a 1986 MKII rolling shell a month or so ago, but just got the title today.
I'm going to be putting a lot of work into this, the plan moving forward will be dropping in a mildly modded 5.3 LS into it.
That being said, I need to check and possibly fix any rust, redo the suspension, as well as re-do the interior in addition, so this will be a long slow journey.
I have no clue what I'm doing, but we'll see how it goes.
 
#91 ·
#93 ·
All good information. I definitely understand the importance of seam sealer; unlike, it seems, the toyota manufacturing engineers :p
I was mostly concerned with the actual overlapping portion, say you have two perfect squares and you weld them together. You have no real access to the area inside of the squares, is seam sealing around the outside the best possible solution?


I started getting that panel off on the parts car. I also realized I never uploaded pictures of just how bad of shape it's in. Whatever the opposite of car porn is, this is it. Most of the quarterpanel is usable, however the bottom section will probably need to be fabbed. Luckily all the bad spots will be able to be covered with trim pieces.
The bottom of the hatch on both sides is just a hole to the ground.

Spare well is toast

QP is mostly OK

Interior but covered in all the stuff I took off the passenger side

I think I can salvage the seats and get them reupholstered hopefully

 
#98 ·
All good information. I definitely understand the importance of seam sealer; unlike, it seems, the toyota manufacturing engineers :p
I was mostly concerned with the actual overlapping portion, say you have two perfect squares and you weld them together. You have no real access to the area inside of the squares, is seam sealing around the outside the best possible solution?
Yeah you just use weld thru on the inner sections, and then make damn sure every seam around the overlapping areas is 100% sealed. It can't rust if oxygen or moisture can't get at it.

When I overlap a joint though, I usually don't leave that much of an edge on the inside. Most of the actual overlapped section is then solid steel as the weld melts it all together.
 
#94 ·
It. Just. Won't. Stop. Raining.

I brought some odds and ends that need to be worked on up to the house for rainy days luckily.
First on the plate is the headlights. I got big plans for these boys, despite the mediocre condition of the lenses themselves.
One of my black surrounds is cracked and the other is missing a bit by the license plate light. First up is a proof of concept using the cracked one to see if epoxy/fiberglass work is feasable on these (epoxy won't adhere to all plastic types. For instance I used clear tape on one side to keep it from dripping and it peeled right off after ez). I dremeled out a small channel where the crack was, and then took some material off on either side of it. Then I drilled a hole in each one for good measure.



Then I filled the crack and surrounding area with epoxy, adding in a fiberglass mat to the back for good measure.






Obviously some of my screw towers are also missing. I will have to decide what to do with the broken ones, it's about 2-3 per surround.

Anyway it looks pretty shitty right now but pretty much every single piece of trim needs a repaint so I have a chance to sand it smooth, add that groove back in with a dremel and paint it. Shockingly the epoxy has great adhesion to the plastic so this is a success in my book.
 
#95 ·
It is hot out and I keep getting rained on. Even so I made some progress removing the QP and fixing up the other taillight surround.

The one I repaired previously was in better shape than this one, but now that I know the epoxy adheres well I can take some shortcuts

Obviously this one is in worse shape



To fill in that gap as best I can I'm making a quick thing out of fiberglass and cardboard. Cut and bend the cardboard to shape, apply fiberglass to either side





As you can see, not a perfect fit yet, but I'll cut it down to size before I set it in




Now for the cracks, it was broken where the previous one was, as well as 3 other cracks. This time I just dremeled out a channel along the crack, but not all the way through, and filled the channel. For the uneven surfaces, regular clear tape works as a great release form, jut fill the channel and put tape over to prevent gravity from interfering









Then, where it cracked through, glass the other side for reinforcement







In between wasting epoxy buy not understanding how much it would take and mixing too much, I finally got the parts car QP off.





As you can see, most of the bottom and the wheel well lip are firmly in the Not Good range, but the rest is pretty clean. Most surprisingly of all the rocker panel underneath looks use-able! As well as the bottom wheel well triangle. You can see there was this weird like butyl foam thing around the wheel well. Absolute pain to get to separate, had to use a heat gun, and to boot it seems as though it may have contributed to the rust. Or maybe it prevented it from spreading some. Either way it wasn't on my other car so I'm a bit confused by it.

To wrap this post up, I've made my first real mistake with this project. I forgot the oldest adage, something about measuring and cutting or whatever. I wasn't thinking and wanted to avoid the B pillar reinforcement I got super close to on the frame of the other car. However when I did that I really was not thinking at all, and thus, I must make extra welds. Behold my incompetence!

 
#96 ·
In case my legions of interested fans were wondering, I have a picture of how that fiberglass tomfoolery turned out now that it's epoxied to the plastic. I'm actually pretty happy how it turned out. Now to not touch it for 5 years until the rest of the car catches up lol.

 
#97 ·
aw man, are we at the point now where acquiring used crack free tail lights isn't possible? This feels like some time spent combing ebay or posting wanted adds here could net you good replacements. That said I have spent a bit of time repairing tail lights myself, but usually I'm just combining good frames with good lenses since they are so easy to separate.

That sucks about the chunk of the quarter you missed, it happens, I've done worse lol. Do you have the ability to sandblast that quarter panel? That would be best to see how much steel is left once you get all the corrosion out of it. I end up resorting to wire wheels and rust dissolving chemicals or hydrolysis to remove the rust on panels that don't fit in my sand blaster booth. That's always time consuming and annoying though.
 
#99 ·
I'm sure I could find some but this was easier and they needed to be painted anyways so I figured it was worth a shot getting them back together. I also would like to figure out how to make my own headlight whiskers cause those suckers are expensive.

I do have access to a large air tank and probably a good way to create a booth for sandblasting. I have a super cheap Harbor Freight media gun I used to walnut blasting the intake valves on my DD, I don't see why it couldn't work for sand.... for now I wirewheeled off the majority of the rust and covered in primer so it doesn't get any worse sitting around.
I'm gonna cut off the part I missed from the other QP and I guess just have an extra part welded in there.
 
#100 ·
Got all the pieces cut off of the parts car.
Unfortunately when I was drawing lines I didn't think of the tilt of the car since one side was jacked up so I made another mistake, oops, should be easier to fix then the other one though.


Then I strung up some tarps and powerwashed the shell and tried my best to degrease it. It's currently drying since it's a billion degrees in VA right now. Really just astounding how rust free this thing is. the powerwashing did peel the seam sealing around the inside of the wheel well so that will be needed to be covered by up. And I have one weird spot I'm wary about inside of the front cowling where the wiper arm goes. It's on the side without the big hole (passenger side) and kind of up in there. Seems to be a small spot of rust and no way to easily get there, I'm not even sure I can take a picture. Gonna grab one of a car Fiend completely disassembled and highlight the spot. Has anyone cut a mirroring hole on the passenger side to look in there before?

It's kind of near the fan duct, but I can't tell what it is. It looks like there's some sort of foamish thing covered in seam sealer and some rust... here is a pic of the area from Fiend's Mona Lisa rebuild




Here is my in-shed power washing curtains




 
#103 ·
And I have one weird spot I'm wary about inside of the front cowling where the wiper arm goes. It's on the side without the big hole (passenger side) and kind of up in there. Seems to be a small spot of rust and no way to easily get there, I'm not even sure I can take a picture. Gonna grab one of a car Fiend completely disassembled and highlight the spot. Has anyone cut a mirroring hole on the passenger side to look in there before?
Ugh I hate that area. So much poorly protected metal on that piece where it connects to the inner windshield cowl panel. So look at that pic of mine you posted there, note that the 82s have an access panel to the top of the fresh air intake for the climate system. Man I wish Toyota had kept it, it makes fixing rust and sealing up that seam under there so much easier. So that's what I do, I made a template off this 82 and on DeanFuns 85 I cut out that panel so I could get in there and clean it all up. His sheet metal looks exactly like an 82's now. Of course finding a spare of that plastic panel that plugs that hole is damn hard, so I just made one out of a flat sheet of plastic. I screwed it on like the factory piece with oem screws and threaded clips, but I also siliconed it on as I didn't want water leaking into the climate system or interior and you rarely have to get in there after fixing the rust.

As for a sandblaster booth, if you want be thrifty, just get one used off craigslist or such. They get rundown and people offload them cheap. Mine was actually free and needed a new window and gloves, and some seals. It would probably be a pita to make one that works as well as a commercial unit.
 
#106 ·
Door steel is the same, linkage and latches are completely different. You have to swap it all, not just the handles. But don't, I agree about the coolness factor, but the stupid inset nuts that rip out of the plastic handles do it even easier on the earlier handles as the force of opening the handle is mostly on the back bolt.
 
#107 ·
That makes sense. The load isn't distributed among all the bolts, I might be tempted to do it and reinforce that area somehow. Most of my door stuff it apart anyway as the latch and everything on the driver side is questionably working; the previous owner removed it and I think he said he couldn't unlock it. But I'd have to swap lock cylinders anyway to swap the handles...
 
#109 ·
I took too long of a break on this. I'm slowly easing into tinkering with it. While I wait for everything to be ready for welding I've taken to working on subframe and suspension parts, prepping them.

I bought a bunch of poly bushings, will probably need to buy more. However the majority of install threads on here for bushings are old and have broken image links to defunct hosting sites.

For the rear subframe (where the arms mount) and the differential support member 2 I have the energy kits. I assume you don't need to re-use the metal sleeves and they just press in?
For the subframe it would be to sandwich the two parts in.

For the Diff Support 2 there's a small donut and a flange shaped one, not sure how those fit
 
#110 ·
Also I bought the wrong bushing set for the rear control arms. Luckily I also bought 2 sets on accident so between that and being able to scrounge an eccentric bolt and that inner metal sleeve necessary for it from my parts car I should be able to put something together that works.
 
#111 ·
I pushed out the bushings for the rear subframe, rear diff support and one rear control arm.
I also saved the metal sleeve from the Toe adjustment hole so only need 3 more.
Looks like the poly bushings just go into the subframe parts without an outer metal sleeve, but for the control arm they fit inside the outer metal sleeve?
I couldn't get the outer metal sleeve out for the RC arm so I hope this is the case.
 
#112 ·
More questions build up. How much axial play in the Rack End ball joints is acceptable? I have a very small amount, and if it's within spec I wouldn't worry about it, but if it's not I'll replace the ball joints I guess? Both rack boots had been torn for who knows how long so it's possible they took damage from that.
 
#113 ·
The rack boots protect the ends from dirt. If a boot is torn open,check the ball end and clean it the best that you can.
I'll guess that an acceptable limit is 1/16 " "play".Grease on the outside of the ball end will retard dirt intrusion.
Replace the rack boot,in any case.
Water is another bad thing to get in there.

There is a pressed in seal,just inboard of that joint. If it is leaking ATF fluid,it's time to replace the entire rack and pinion.
That leaking fluid with attract dirt.

One more thing: The power steering fluid NEVER gets filtered;it will re circulate the crap in the system,continually.

Early GM FWD cars developed "morning sickness"that caused difficult steering effort,until the fluid got warm.
Mostly caused my aluminum dust in the system. The spool valve gets clogged full of crap.
I have seen filters for the power steering fluid and it looks effective.
I use magnets in my reservoir to contain metal particles.
A DIY power steering fluid flush is a messy ordeal!
 
#114 ·
Excellent, there is less than 1/32nd play it seems. You can feel it move but you can't really see it if you're holding it up to anything measurement-wise.
Not sure how well it holds fluid yet, it's been empty this whole time I've had it. I'll fill it up off the car first I guess? Everything looks pretty clean regardless of the boot being torn.

Thanks for answering. Now I just need some clarification on poly bushings and I'll be good to go... Pretty much all of my subframe members and suspension parts are rust free. Only one or two I have to touch up before putting everything back together.
 
#115 ·
Been super lazy recently, I'm working in my dad's shed and it's packed full of stuff, so before I can set up a bunch of welding equipment a lot of things need to be tossed and re-arranged. I was kind of just sitting until that happened, but I realized recently I should be working on bushings and whatnot for the subframe.

Subframe and suspension parts are in tip top shape aside from a couple spots of rust here and there. I know it's not designed for this, but I bought too much of it, so I'm playing around with POR15 some in the rusty or bare spots. If it doesn't work it doesn't work, I'll do something else. I also painted it over the super rusty interior dash beam as a kind of test. And tried it on the wheel well seam because why not... even if it works I'm still gonna paint + seam seal + coat it afterwards.








A side note, I cannot get the front control arm and steering dohicky apart. I have a new boot I want to put on the small joint here.


I would also like a new boot for the big one here but would toyota have factory fresh ones?

 
#116 ·
To release the outer tie rod end,mount the steering arm in a BIG vise,put the castle nut on 1/2 way.(IMPORTANT)
Smack the steering arm where it attaches to the steering arm with a BIG hammer. The hammer blows will distort the tie rod mounting,just enough for the rod end to pop out. Don't try a puller for that job;the rod end is too soft and you will bugger it up.
After the third swing,flip it around and do that to the opposite side,if it hasn't popped out,yet. Don't use heat,but you could try some penetration oil.

The lower ball joint comes with a boot.
What you are pointing at is where the strut mounts to. ...It's been a while. Just fill it with oil or seal it with RTV.
 
#117 ·
I tried smacking the top of the bolt with a big hammer some, not with the castle nut on, but it didn't budge. I used the puller to push out some old rubber and I gotta say it's the most infuriating tool I've ever used.

Honestly both the ball joints are great, no play in them whatsoever, the boots are just dry rotted so I'd like to replace both of them... I wanted to disconnect the steering arm from the control arm just to replace that boot but if it isn't possible I'll just refill the grease and let it be.
 
#119 ·
If you use that junk tool,be sure to run the castle nut on it upside down to avoid buggering the top of it.Flush with the end.
Those tie rod ends are made of soft steel. If you need to use a little HEAT,use a hair dryer or a heat gun,not a torch.
Don't give up on the BFH,yet. It has never failed to separate them tight/rusty joints. The steering arm is made of soft steel,too.:thumbsup:
 
#121 ·
GOOD JOB!!!!!:thumbsup:
Just grease the tapered part of the tie rod end and gently tap it into place.
Be sure that the threads and not damaged,first.A little oil will help to lube the threads,first.
You may need to use a thread file to the threads.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Thread-Repair-Restoration-File-Teeth-Correction-Metric-Hardware-Mini-DIY-Tools-/372349145095
Unless you have some metric DIES.
Use an impact gun to get 'er down,carefully. Even an electric one will work fine.
I have a 12 V. one that does OK.
 
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