Broken Bolts are Out

Well I'm one step closer to getting the frame ready for paint.  I had about 10 broken and rusted bolts in the frame I had to get out.  I wasn't having any luck with my drill bits...broke a bunch of them.  So a quick post to the Landcruiser club forum landed me with left handed bits...and they came out quick.  So all the broken bolts are out of the frame...and I have to remember that trick when I start on the body (whenever that will be!).  I've also been working on getting the leaf springs off the axles...3 down and one stubborn one to go.  I have it soaking in fluid so hopefully tomorrow I'll get them to start turning.  The other took some work, but did break free easier than I thought they would.  The main trouble I ran into was the bolt plates had been hit by rocks and really limited wrench space...and rubbed the nuts on the u-bolts.  But those I managed to get off.  So...plan for tomorrow...finish sanding the frame...sand blast what I couldn't sand and finalize things for paint.  Time to order supplies!

Suspension is Out

Its been a few very productive days with the nice weather.  I have the frame almost completely ready for paint prep.  The past few days have consisted of sanding the frame down and removing any last removable pieces.  This included the front and rear drive shafts...which ended up being a lot easier than I anticipated.  Both came out relatively easy...although there wasn't much room for wrenches on the front.  But they are out!  Next up came the tough task of removing the leaf springs and axles.  Managing where to put jack stand was a big test, but in the end worked out pretty well.  Taking out the shackles and leaf pins was a different story.  The pins actually weren't too bad.  The rear spring pins were rusted out and completely stripped of threads.  I was finally able to cock-eye the bolts and force them out.  The shackles though...they didn't want to budge.  In the end I brought out the 3 lb hammer and gave them a few good whacks and they finally came out minus the bushings.  The bushings ended up being rusted to the spring hangers and it took some work to pry them out...but I finally did.  So...now the things left before paint prep...drill out the broken bolts...sand blast the areas I couldn't sand with the sander/wire wheel...and then its on to chemical rust treatment!

Working on the Frame

Well its been one hot summer...and yard work has mostly consumed my time...but I finally have had some cooler weather!  I have been out a time or two this summer to work on the Cruiser...but haven't made much headway.  So the past few days I've been out several times to finally do some work!  Lately I've been preparing the frame for paint.  I have it mostly sanded and should finish up soon with the wire wheel...and buy some aluminum oxide to media blast the areas I couldn't get the drill into.  I'll also have some grinding to do in some places where the rust has pitted the frame badly...luckily its not in too bad of shape so that work will be minimal.  Its amazing the difference sanding the rust makes.  I can't believe how much of the factor frame paint is still on the inner frame rails!  I do have a few things left to remove...the axle bumpers...the radiator and I've decided to replace the front bumper (has had the corners bent out and it is dented pretty badly and I don't think I can fix it).  Otherwise the leaf springs are ready to come off and rust treatment can begin...hopefully this cooler weather will stick around!

In other news...I did some research on the Cruiser...things were not adding up as far as how things were put together and the date on the VIN.  The VIN has a production date of Dec 1970.  Well there are 3 versions of Landcruiser...the early years which went through July 1970...the middle year...July 1970-end of 1971...and after 1971 basically.  Mine given the VIN date would fall in that middle year which has a different setup than the earlier or later years...and there are more replacement parts for the earlier and later models.  The parts for the middle year are also more expensive!  Well my brake lines and single barrel master brake cylinder match up with the early year which threw up a red flag and had me scratching my head.  Well...I found a place to look up the VIN...which had matching frame and VIN tag numbers...and the production date was Dec 1969!  So the best I can figure is that it is a 1970 model year that was produced in 1969.  That also means cheaper replacement parts and more readily available parts! 

Here are some of the before and after frame shots...pretty amazing the difference...