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Keith Richardson's 'Kermit' Restoration

Gary Stockton

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With kind permission of Keith and LCCSA:

Keith Richardson had a newly acquired 40 Series

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I am going to do a full body off restoration.
It presently has the Yota 4cyl diesel donk, so I would like to put in a fully reconditioned 2F if I can find one.
At first I thought of a V8 but decided its not worth the hassles, then I will;
rebuild the cogbox and transfer
A LRT as the 60ltr tank is a bit poxxy
Powder coat the chassis
respray the body - colour undecided
rubberise and or recarpet (pvc) the interior
2-3 inch suspension lift
extended greasable shackles
reverse the front leaf spring shackle mountings
disk brake conversion for rear (it has disks on front)
Coopers or Mickey Thompson muddies
replace the fugly Aussie bullbar.

I am hoping to start rebuild threads similar to those on IH8MUD, so here goes...

Today I start the stripping and rebuilding of the 2F motor that will be transplanted into my 40 when it arrives later this month.

As can be seen there is also a cogbox and transfer case of which I will remove the cogbox input shaft to replace the one from the BJ because the BJ shaft is longer and has more splines than the FJ

These are the BEFORE pictures - watch this space

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Fitted the Parabolic springs and some borrowed Koni Shocks.

Took it for a drive - Eish scary it needs the castor correction wedges badly, as it is all over the road, these will be obtained on Monday from Aftermarket Sales .

The ride is a lot more comfortable now - my dentist will be really pleased.

Please remember my 40 already had OME lift springs fitted so my overall lift is not as radical as Adolf's - however the overall height result will be the same

Lift achieved
Front = 75mm
Rear = 65mm

You will also notice from the pics that I have removed the fugly fibreglass wheel arch extenders.

Another thing I noticed that we need to address, by lifting the rear suspension we have changed the preload setting on the rear brake proportioning valve, and this now must be reset cos I found the rear brakes locked up very easily.

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ignore the rusted exhaust ! !
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The container of accessories arrived from Australia on thursday - father xmas came early

so I decided to fit the ARB bullbar to see what it looks like - I will have to remove it again as I will need to get access to the tie rod ends as I will be replacing them next week as part of the preparation for roadworthy.

I have a set of chrome Hella FF4000 spotlights that will eventually adorn this bull bar but as I will remove it again soon I didnt fit them.

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The work on the 2F motor is just about finished now

New 1st oversize pistons, rings
New mains, big ends, cam bearings
New oil pump
New fuel pump
New pertronix electronic ignition with 40kV flamethrower ignition coil
New water pump and thermostat
New alternator
New clutch, pressure plate, clutch plate, thrust bearing, spigot bearing
Head completely rebuilt, Skimmed 1.5mm, new valve guides, valve seats (for unleaded) oil seals and 3 new valves
Full set of new Stainless steel and brass welch plugs
Camshaft reground (torquer)
Camfollowers refaced
Bracketry for power steering fitted.
New paint job

Flywheel skimmed and then motor was fully dynamically balanced.

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Seats are out and roof bolts have been loosened in preparation for removing roof and body from chassis.

I started the stripping process in preparation for sending the body to the panelbeater for complete respray

This is the last photo of the tweety in its yellow livery

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It was soooo easy to take the roof off.

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Back doors and upper side panels removed

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Front doors, fenders and bib removed

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Now its just to take of the windscreen, dash and to remove all the bits attached to the main tub, (brake lines, brake master cylinder and booster, clutch master cylinder, heater, vacuum pipes, steering column, etc etc)

Well here's Tweety stripped and ready for the tub to be removed, just have to take out the fuel tank.

With a bit of luck the panelbeater will have the body next week - then Tweety's changing colour to Toyota Rustic Green 621.
And NO its not gonna be called *Greeny*

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This is Toyota Rustic Green Colour Code 621
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Finally the tub is off

and its off to the panelbeater to start its transformation

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Went to the panelbeater this morning to check on progress

Wow that Toyota Rustic Green 621 looks so sweeeeet

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Rust cut out of floor and new plate welded in place

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Rear wheel arch returned to original land cruiser shape albeit a bit bigger

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Rust cut out of the back, awaiting the welding in of new plate

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Other side same as above

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Bonnet being rubbed down

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Rear door being rubbed down

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Roof finished - painted original Toyota creamy/white

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One of the completed side panels

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Some of the loose "Green" pieces

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The painted front windscreen frame

Got home tonight and decided, just for fun, I'll take the motor and cogbox out :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

The cogboxes can now be sent to JB in Slaapstad for the changing of the input shaft and an overhaul. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

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The chassis sans motor and cogbox

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As above

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The "new" secondhand engine mountings for the 2F motor

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The cogbox removed

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The removed "B" 3Ltr Diesel Donk

The panelbeater said I should try and get a new BIB - so off I went to N1 4x4 - they were actually very helpful

I took the best of the bunch of BIB's that they had.

What we will do now is cut off the rust on my original BIB and cut the equivalent piece of the replacement BIB then weld it to my BIB, grind, fill and paint

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The two BIB's together - my original is the dark yellow one

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Another pic of the BIB's

Message from the panelbeater for ALL 40's owners;-

The 40's seem to have had very poor panel/paint preperation when new.
There is rust patches below the paint surface that is clearly not at all visible from the outside as it is underneath the primer coat.
This rust only becomes visible when you start to rub the body/paint down.
Advice from panelbeater - is what he has done with mine - rub all body panels down to bare metal - remove rust, apply a 1st coat primer, then a second coat etch primer, then a rust preventative primer, then 4 coats of Spies and Hecker two part epoxy paint.

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Small spiderwebs of rust - this is found UNDERNEATH the factory primer layer.


BTW - when I removed the motor I noticed that it was obviously fitted with a brand new clutch and pressure plate before being sold.

Tonite I stripped and removed the front axle. :bounce:

1st problem was :scratch: - the truck is fitted with aftermarket WARN freewheeling hubs and when trying to remove them there isn't a single component in the Warn freewheeling hub that has any resemblence to the parts of the standard Yota freewheeling hub so to strip it was a bit of trial and error that resulte in the job taking a bit longer than originally anticipated,

2nd problem :scratch: - there is so much grease in the birfields that I ran out of mutton cloth trying to clean everything as I stripped it.

3rd problem - I acquired a new set of disks when in Aussie last week, so I had to remove the old ones and the wheel studs where so rusted into the old disks that it took a severe beating with a 4lb hammer to budge the old wheel studs.

Well that's all done now - I will send all the comonents that need it for sandblasting, then they will receive a new coat of Rust Bullet primer and then a few coats of Hammerite Black - smooth paint.

The front diff unit is also out - and once the rear diff unit is removed I will then proceed with the installation of the fr and rr ARB Air Lockers into the diffs.

Well,,,, now there is truly nothing left but the chassis :compress: everything has been removed for rebuilding renewing painting etc :bounce:

Chassis will be send for sand blasting this week
Then I have a bit of welding and mods to do to the chassis before I start painting and assembly
1, the shackle mounts will be moved to allow for better shackle angle which makes for a smoother intitial ride and better articulation
2, make new shock towers as the existing ones are in the way of the new power steering system
3, two chassis cracks need to be welded
4. new engine [2F] and gearbox mountings need to be welded in place
5, the rear cross member needs to be beefed up for the bracket for the Long Ranger Aux tank

Both axles have been completely stripped :thumleft:
All loose axle components will be sent for sand blasting this week :drunken:
All bearings/seals/gaskets on diffs, hubs, birfields and steering knuckles will be replaced with NEW
The Warn free wheeling hubs will be rebuilt with new seals and o-rings.
All brake pistons and seals will be replaced with NEW
All brake, vacuum booster and clutch hydraulic lines will be sent to Winbrake for NEW ones to be made up and all new nipples to be fitted, in either Aluminium or steel.


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The inside of a 30 year old rear brake drum
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OK the "Rustic Green" tub and all body panels are painted and are now at home awaiting completion of the axles and chassis before the re-assembly process begins

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All of the loose body parts are wrapped in bubble wrap and stored in the shed awaiting re-assembly
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Chassis before sandblasting
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Chassis after sand blasting
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Rear axle housing after about 2 coats of "Rust Bullet"
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Removed, shock mount towers, front and rear shackle mounts, old manual steering rack bracket and old B diesel engine mounts

Front shackle mount - this will now be moved back 40mm to afford better (softer) suspension shackle angle
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Rear shackle mount - this will now be moved forward by 40mm to afford better (softer) suspension shackle angle
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Old shock mount tower -removed
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Old manual steering rack mounting bracket removed
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Old B diesel engine mounting removed
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Position for "NEW" shock mount tower that does not impede upon the power steering
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Now I'm busy fabricating the new shock mount towers

Changed all of the pinion bearings, carrier bearings, and pinion oil seal. Installed the crown wheels onto the ARB Air Lockers, now its just to drill and tap the diff housings to accept the air pipes and re-install the 3rd members (carrier) then have the backlash adjusted and set.

What a mission to remove the main pinion bearing, I broke three pin punches, one screwdriver, and with all the hammering, I've made enemies out of all my neighbours.

All the axle components back from sandblasting
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The best reason to sandblast - it shows all the weaknesses and where there’s rust that needs fixing :) Rust hole in front disk dust cover
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The diff housings have now been drilled and tapped for the ARB Lockers air pipes
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The two tapped diff pumkins
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The diff pumkin and a front disk dust cover after 1 coat of Rust bullet and two coats of Hammerite Balck
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The steering tie rods after painting
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The other painted diff pumpkin
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Painted rear axle
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The painted front axle
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Got quite a lot done today

made, welded up and mounted the new shock towers
mounted the new 2F engine mountings.
mounted the new 2F gearbox mounting.
painted 2 of the bashplates, the Heystee parabolic springs, one of the disk dust covers, the mesh grill, and the bumperettes.

Had to brush up on my cast iron welding skills - had to weld the cast iron top of the old shock tower to the new mild steel (angle) bracket.

Now if only Afrox will deliver the Argon Chrystal gas cylinder I ordered (4 days ago) for use with my "NEW" MIG/MAG welder - then I could weld all the brackets to the chassis.

Pic shows all the new brackets and shock towers.
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The bellhousing/gearbox mounting bracket
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The right hand side engine mounting
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The left hand side engine mounting
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Right hand side shock tower
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Left hand side shock tower
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Showing new shock towers and engine mountings
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Showing recon motor with Adolfs cogbox temporarily attached
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The painted bumperettes and the tops of the rear numberplate light cover
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Painted leaf springs, bash plate and disk dust cover
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Engine main bash plate
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ARB Air Lockers are now completely installed, together with new pinion bearings and seal, as well as new carrier bearings for the Locker.

EEEHHHAAA A SWB 40 that'll go anywhere - with front and rear lockers

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The whole of the underside of the tub and inside the wheel arches are painted with stonechip (the black sh1t is the stonechip)

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All the spring shackle brackets, engine mounting brackets and gearbox mounting brackets were welded to the chassis, (Thanx Alfred) the chassis was then given a good coat of Rust Bullet, Oh yes - the two chassis cracks were also welded.
:compress: I pressure cleaned the main fuel tank then painted it with Hammerite black smooth. :idea: Thinking :scratch: I might just give the underside of the fuel tank a coat of stonechip as well :idea:
:compress: I removed the caliper pistons (and easy trick with an air hose) then cleaned, painted and rebuilt the front disc calipers with new seals and dust covers.
:compress: I stripped and cleaned the rear drum brake wheel cylinders - then I wire wheeled the cylinders and cleaned all of the pistons.
:compress: I painted the gear lever and low range lever.

To all you other 40 owners :scratch: ;- A Word of Warning, :tongue: the rear axle has 4 x brake wheel cylinders, before you remove them mark them, because each one is totally different to the others. What does this mean, well 4 x wheel cylinders = 4 x part numbers = 4 x parts that we will not be able to get here because the 45 had a different rear drum setup to the Aus spec 40's.
Fortunately I took lots of pictures - so "theoretically" I shouldnt have a problem re-assembling

Now to see if the wheel cylinder oil seals and dust covers are the same as the 45 - Toyota spares dept, here I come.

:compress: Tomorrow (monday) I will give the chassis its 1st of 2 coats, of hammerite black smooth

Today I painted 2 coats of Hammerite black on the chassis, Now I just need to spend some time filling the inside of all the chassis holes with paint.

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Roland Bergh said:
Looks like the 40 is going to be ready for the Richtersveld :wink:

Roland - not likely, besides assembly always takes 4 times longer than stripping.

My plan is to have it finished by November, for a trip in December.

Got all the bolts nuts washers brackets springs and a fewpipes back from the platers on Friday. Theyve all been yellow passivated - looks so "New"

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Got a bit of work done tonite

Installed the axles.
Installed the two differentials
Started installing the rear brakes

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Jonathan Tee said:
Keith are your bushes Orange?

Yes I changed from the yellow ones supplied by Heystee (had the new ones made for me by East Rand Springworks) because the lip on the Heystee bushes was 8mm and it should be 5mm, and the length was 37mm and should have been 35mm - but this is only a problem with the pre 1980 15mm shackle pins. (Adolf - take note for Egberts' truck)

This pic of the old bushes, was caused by the bushes being too long internally
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Finished the assembly of the rear axle and brakes. At last ~ see photos below.

Wheel bearings packed with Red Omega 77.

BTW - Not shown in the pics is that the half shafts are now also installed - pics to follow.

And before you ask;- Yes, the front brake spring is supposed to be positioned on the outside of the brake shoes and the rear spring is supposed to be positioned behind the brake shoes. This according to the Toyota factory workshop manual.

Started assembling the front axle and steering knuckles (photos to follow)

The Left hand side rear brakes without wheel hub
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The right hand side rear brakes without wheel hub
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Left hand side with wheel hub
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Right hand side with wheel hub
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Left hand side with brake drum in place
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right hand side with brake drum in place
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this is what the rear brakes looked like before sandblasting, painting, honing and new seals and shoes.

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Francois - re 60 axle - like I said - I only want to butcher the axle for the disks and calipers, if someone wants an axle then they should have 1st shout, if not I'll take it. At least I already have front discs.
And it is also a lot easier to convert a semi floater (yr 45) to rear discs than it is with a Full floater.

I sprayed everything ~ the primer I used was 2 coats Rust Bullet then I applied 2 coats of Hammerite Black - smooth.

They are the old wheel cylinders, sandblasted, honed, new seals and repainted.


The Front steering knuckle and birfield rebuild.

This is actually quite and easy job that can be tackled by most good DIY ers provided you have the correct tools. Most people shy away from the job uneccessarily.

1. Place the felt washer over steering knuckle first, then the rubber washer, then the large steel spring washer.
2. Tap in the outer race of the new steering taper roller bearings, top and bottom

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3. lightly coat the bearing race surface with grease.
4. pack the taper rollers thoroughly with grease

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5. place the bearing inner races into the outer race.
6. position the steering arm and blank knuckle support into their position ensuring that the spindle locates into the inside of the inner bearing race and tighten systematically (opposites)
7. ensure that you replace and reuse the original steering knuckle shims.
8. tighten the 8 nuts to the recommended torque setting

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9. position the large spring plate washer, rubber gasket and felt washer, place the two clamp plates over them, insert the bolts and tighten (these are only 6mm bolts so do not overtighten)

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10. install the new oil seal into the axle. always lube new oils seals lightly with rubber grease.

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11. thoroughly pack the inside bearing area of the birfield with grease (i forgot to photo this step)
12. slide the half shaft into the axle, locate and push in firmly - do not force or hammer you could damage the birfield circlip.

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13. pack the inside of the knuckle until about 75% full of grease.

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14. replace the wheel hub spindle, disc dust cover, and wheel hub seal plate. these must be positioned together first (with the two new gaskets) then positioned and bolted. Check the steering knuckle preload with a spring balance

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15. insert the new wheel bearings (inner) into the front wheel hub.
16. insert the new wheel bearings (outer) into the front wheel hub.

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17. insert the new oils seal.
18. install the new brake disc to the wheel hub
19. thoroughly pack the inside of the wheel hub with grease according to recommendations in the manual (take care not to over grease, most people use too much grease)

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20. install the wheel hub onto the spindle, again do not force push firmly and the bearings should seat.
21. position the bearing washer and the first bearing retaining nut.
22. tighten the first nut to the 1st recommended torque.
23. turn the hub through 360 degrees for 4-5 revolutions
24. loosen the bearing retaining nut.
25. re-torque the bearing retaining nut to the 2nd recommended torque setting.
26. use a spring balance to check bearing poreload.
27. install retaining lock washer.
28 install second retaining nut and torque to recommended torque setting and bend the lock tab over onto the second nut.
29 use a spring balance to re-check bearing poreload.

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30. install the free wheeling hub mechanism (this is another chapter on its own)
31. Job complete - time taken to do both sides - 5 hours.

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Well now its just to put the wheels back on, then its time to install the rebuilt 2F motor and the JB Auto reconditioned cogbox and xfer case.

Some pics of the front hubs after the disc calipers had been installed. The calipers were completely rebuilt, honed as well as with new inner seals and outer dust seals

Although it is not shown, I now have a rolling chassis again as the wheels have also been put back on.

Now just to drop in the motor and cogbox

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BTW ~ my 40 is fitted with WARN free wheeling hubs, does anybody have a set of AISIN free wheeling hubs lying around that they would like to donate. Apparently, the Aisin is supposed to be a stronger unit than the Warn, but I would like to have a squiz inside the Aisin to set my own mind at ease first.
But having stripped and re-assembled mine twice and comparing the Warn to the Toyota manual which only shows the Aisin units, the Warn is MUCH easier to strip, maintain and reassemble than the Aisin.

EEHHAAAA :cheers:

At last some significant visible progress - the motor is in at last :bounce:

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OK I did it

The cogbox and transfer case is in :bounce: now I can go to the Richtersveld knowing that the remaining assembly is pretty straight forward.

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Update of recent work ~ regretably no pics

1. Removed old and Fitted new 4 x U-Joints to front and rear propshafts.
2. Cleaned and painted the propshafts
3. Installed the propshafts.
4. Installed the 87Ltr Long Ranger - Long range fuel tank
5. Positioned and Ran fuel lines and ARB Air Locker pipes into the chassis rail.
6. Removed the long shaft water pump, (eish anybody with a 2F 60 series want to buy an unused water pump)
7. Installed the short shaft water pump (unique to FJ40/45) and 2 belt pulley (thanks to Brayn VD Merwe and Carel Oberholzer :p )
8. Installed power steering pump.
9. Installed the low range change lever mechanism.

Now I'm getting ready to put the tub back on, just need to install double belt main crank pulley first.

Guess what I did today :D

:fa: Only one problem - When the PB welded in the new bottom rear section from the Ambi doors he made the bottom lip about 50mm too long, so the tub is now sitting about 25mm higher than it should be sitting.

:lol: Fortunately the PB is a close neighbour so I called him over, and this problem will be solved tomorrow, he will trim off the excess re-bend the lip and respray the worked over section. :salut: :cheers:

ADOLF - please send me a photo from the rear of the lower rear section of your tub so I can advise PB tomorrow evening if the same was done to yours.


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The positioning of the FJ60 series Power Steering rack mounted on FJ40 Series chassis

Because of the open box section configuration of the chassis I am in the process of making up a 5mm thick reinforcing back plate that the rack will bolt up to. this will prevent the bolting and mounting from crushing the open box section of the chassis.

The 60 series draglink must be used in the pitman arm, the 40 series and the 60 series tie rods must be cut a solid stepping spacer made and then the two must be welded together (the 40's is 19mm and the 60's is 25mm)

The 60 series intemediate shaft with its UJ must also be extented to link up with the relatively short 40 series steering column shaft

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Got a bit done over the weekend

1. Madeup reinforcing bracket for power steering rack
2. Drilled chassis for Power Steering rack, now just need to extend the intermediate shaft up to the point of the 40's standard column rag joint.
3. Fitted the reconditioned (By Mobilec) alternator. I managed to make up one good alternator out of the parts of 4 alternators.
4. Fitted clutch pedal and brake pedal
5. Sanded, primed and painted the steering column
6. Fitted clutch master cylinder
7. Fitted brake vacuum booster and master cylinder
8. Fitted the gear, and low range levers, with new rubber boots.

Some pictures

The brake vacuum booster, master cylinder and clutch master cylinder mounted.
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Pwr steering rack is now mounted.
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Pwr steering reinforcing bracket
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Alternator mounted.
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Gear and low range levers mounted
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Brake pedal, clutch pedal, accelerator pedal and steering column mounted.
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Another pic of alternator
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Another pic of Vacuum booster, master cyl for brake and clutch
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Update:~

Cut hole in rear panel for LRT filler
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Fitted the complex main tank breathers and filler
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Due to the unavailability of some key rubber seals it was necessary for me to by rubber sheeting and cut my own new seals. This one is for the main tank breather cover
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Cover in place
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Gear and low range lever cover (the seal for this cover was still in good condition)
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Positioned the carb - it has not been tightened as I still need to install a new gasket
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Main tank filler - note the new rubber stop grommet :)
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Note the "new" cut rubber seal for the Zimbabwe air conditioner vent
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and,,,,,, fitted
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I completely stripped, cleaned and painted the heater and fan
The foam filters and seals inside the heater and fan were absolutely vrot so these all had to be cut and remade up from 60ppi open cell Filtrex foam.

The heater unit
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The hot water pipes for the heater
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The funnel pipe that goes under the dash from the firewall mounted fan to the heater unit
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The firewall mounted fan unit
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The actuating cable that runs thru the Filtrex foam
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The fan unit - mounted
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The completed installation
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The under dash vent covered with Filtrex foam
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Work is ongoing, its just that there is a lot of small fiddly things to do that are not seen when photographing. Also, it's actually easy to become disillusioned with the project because you work and work but visibly the truck looks exactly the same as it did 3 weeks ago.

Work done;-
Windscreen frame fitted
Fuel tank change over solonoid (main tank to long range tank) fitted
Fuel lines and return rerouted via the change over solonoid.
Wiring harness cleaned, recovered and refitted - PITA job (2 days work)
Radiator cowling cut to suit 2F motor
Radiator cowling sanded, primed with Rust Bullit and painted
Radiator and new hoses fitted
Fitted new radiator cooling fan and viscous coupling
New Rear light clusters connector plugs cut off and joined / soldered to the old light cluster plugs
Rear light clusters fitted
Wiring harness modified for reposition of temperature sensor and oil pressure sensor.
Wiring harness modified from Right side alternator to Left side alternator
Wiring harness modified from Left Side starter motor to Right side starter motor
Overhauled carburetor fitted
New hand throttle cable fitted
Dashboard switchgear refitted
Cubby hole refitted

Now does this look like some tangible progress is being made. :bounce:

Today I took full advantage of all my Wokkers being absent due to the national strike :fa: to go home early and get some much needed "motivational" work done on Kermit. :cheers:

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Just a brief update of some of the work done

1- Made up brackets for the new buckets
2- Had a choke cable made up by Anropa and installed
3- I had a real problem getting v-belts. The two belt pulley is a completely different diameter to the original unit. As a result all the standard belts were too short. Needless to say it took 3 days of back and forth to eventually get the correct belts - so I then bought a spare of each.
4. The 60 series drag link (right hand thread) is installed onto the PS rack pitman arm and the 40 series drag link (left hand thread) is installed onto the left wheel steering knuckle. These are now ready for cutting and welding. BTW a reinforcing piece will be machined to either fit inside the two draglinks or we will sleeve them on the outside - still to be decided.
5- The first of the two battery mounts was modified and mounted.
6- Installed the new buckets :cool: :lol: :cool: :lol:
7- Did some work on the steering column in preparation for welding in the extended intermediate shaft.
8- Installed the gearbox/transfer box breather. this will be Tee-ed into the rear axle breather and front axle breather and extended into the engine compartment.

The left side of the two draglinks
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The right side of the two draglinks
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This pic shows the battery bracket and battery on the right of the picture
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ANother pic of the battery bracket
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The new buckets
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more of the buckets - :cool:
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more of the buckets :cool: :cool: :cool:
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At long last the power steering is completely finished and installed :D along with the RTC (return to center) steering damper.

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In this pic you can see clearly where the 60 Series relay rod has been spliced into and welded to the 40 Series relay rod (the 60 Series rod is the thicker of the two)
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In this pic you can see the special clamp that had to be made up to allow the RTC Damper to be attached to the relay rod. And the 60 series TRE (tie rod end) and pitman arm
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This pic shows the new PS pump hoses made up by Genflex
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This pic shows the 60s intermediate shaft with UJ
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This pic shows the exted shaft with the additional UJ that was fitted to the end of the 40s steering column
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The RTC damper
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This 60 Series TRE caused me a lot of grief :scratch:
As can be seen it has the standard mount for the steering damper, but this is a left hand thread and the TRE on the 40's steering knuckle is also a left hand thread so if it was used the Relay rod would not have any adjustability :fa: so I had to swap the 60s TRE's around
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Well today I had my first really BAD day - after bleeding the clutch, nothing, absolutely nothing went right.

I was getting ready to fire the motor for the first time and , , , , , , , ,

Firstly when bleeding the brakes (it has two circuits, a front and rear) The front brakes bleed perfectly, but, then the brake pedal becomes so hard that the rears wont bleed. So I tried releasing the pressure in the front and concentrate on the rear, no luck the rear brakes still wont bleed.

Question ??? does the motor have to be running for the vacuum booster to operate for the brakes to bleed properly????

Filled the PS pump with oil (ATF)

In getting ready to fire the motor I filled the motor with oil, then while crawling under the car to bleed the back brakes I noticed a big pool of engine oil AARRGGHH - The sump has a built in bash plate and the oil was running out inbetween the sump and the bashplate, so off came the sump for a repair.

PS - these one man bleeders available from the car parts shops dont work POS (piece of sh1t)

Ive now given in and am watching the F1GP instead AARRGGHH. . . . . . . . .

Today was a total write off

t is a dual circuit master cylinder for a 1980 FJ40 (the one WITHOUT the proportioning valve)

Brake bleeding issue resolved - when all else fails RTFM (read the fekkin manual) PROPERLY. :fa: :tantrum: :fa: :tantrum: :fa: :tantrum:

So last night;-
I adjusted the brake pedal to the correct height :thumright:

I adjusted the vacuum booster actuating pin from 3mm (the min) to 6mm (the max) :thumleft:

What this did was internally re-align the vacuum booster plunger piston, and the secondary master cylinder piston, this now allowed it to pick-up the brake fluid and pump it properly. (before the piston plunger was too far forward and was not allowing brake fluid into secondary cylinder of the master cylinder). :cheers:

Then I was also able to adjust the rear drum brakes this is a PITA job.

Well I actually got some work done tonite.

1. I completed the modified bracketry and strengthening of the two battery boxes.
2. Primed and painted the two battery boxes
3. Installed the front mudguards
4. Installed the front bib.
5. Installed the mudguard side panels
6. Installed the running boards
7. Mounted the two batteries.

Check it out. . . . . . . . .

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The new sump was installed the Tuesday after the problem reared its fugly head

I have all the wiring and batteries connected, but NO EXHAUST manifold, so when I do start it up it'll only be a few secs to drive it onto the trailer so I can (a) take it to the panelklopper to have all the glass re-fitted and (b) again onto the trailer to take it to have the custom headers and exhaust made.

Then its just a few fiddley bits and pieces to do and Kermit is ready to hit the road.

Kermits first long haul trip will be a 7/8 day jaunt to Mabuasehube in December, this is a goodbye to Africa trip for my son, as he has taken a job offer from Deloitte - Sydney –Aus

Been a while since the last update, what with being overseas and the truck being in the exhaust shop for a week, then back in the body shop, I had little opportunity to do anything significant to Kermit. :drool:

1st was a week at the exhaust shop - takes time to have the system ceramic coated. :thumbdown:

Then it was back to the panel shop to have the radius on the rear panel altered to suit the radius on the Amby door. This required beating and respraying the rear of the truck.

Then once back at home:~

1. The windscreen and glass has been refitted
2. The Headers and exhaust has been fitted (exhaust tail pipe needs to be rerouted cos I'm not happy with its present routing)
3. Fitted all new rubbers weatherstrip and handles/locks to the front doors and fitted the front doors to the truck
4. Fitted the door handle mechanism to the Amby doors and fitted the amby doors
5. Removed old and Fitted the new reduction gear starter motor
6. Mounted and connected the Pertronix flamethrower ignition coil (this required new wiring as the truck used to be a diesel dog)
7. Mounted the windscreen washer bottle
8. Mounted the radiator overflow bottle
9. Connected all wiring to battery
10. Re-installed windscreen wiper motor.


Then tonight ~ the moment of truth ~ to start Kermit :vroom:

It took a while, for the fuel pump to prime and initially the timing was about 10deg out, but once this was sorted Kermit fired up.
The Idling is very rough ~ so I'm certain that the carb need fine tuning - I'll take it to the shop that rebuilt the carb once its on the road.

Oh yes ~ I also took delivery of a set of the Good Year 33 x 12.5 x 15 MTR's - they're HUGE. 8O

Another ~ Oh yeh I dropped and broke one of the new replacement headlight semi sealed beams AARRGGHH. :cry:

Also need to make a slight modification to adapt the diesel airfilter box to the 2F carb.

With a bit of luck I can put the finishing touches to Kermit before Im off to Aussie and NZ at the end of the month.

With the exception of (a) installing speedo, (b) installing bullbar and winch and (c) installing the roof (which I cant do in the garage as then I wont be able to get it out of the garage - too high)

KERMIT is finished :p

Here's a few of the recent pics

With bezel, lights, indicators and bonnet installed
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With doors and mirrors - also note the route of exhaust - that pisses me off, but it will be moved and redone as soon as I get a chance to take it back to the exhaust shop.
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The engine compartment
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The dual battery system and ceramic coated headers
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The extra fuse block for all the additionaL FUTURE accessories
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The mounting position of the ARB locker and tyre pump rear left side of front passenger seat
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I was loathe to cut large holes in the dashboard ~ so i mounted the pump and locker actuation switches on a remote switch panel under the dash.
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The replacement mats with cutouts for gear and low range levers as well as handbrake
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Just for Shaun
The rear bumperettes and the rear step
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one more
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OK well let me go and mount the bullbar and winch

Then next week some time I'll put the roof on and take it to the tyre shop to have its 33 x 12.5 x 15 Good Year MTR's fitted and the wheel alignment done>
Then it'll be hotfoot off to the exhaust shop to chop that fugly rear exhaust pipe off.

AND NOW

The bullbar, winch and spotties are mounted and I completely rewired all the cables for the winch cos the old ones were fooked ! !

So all thats left is the speedo and the roof

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OH by the way ~ Did I mention that KERMIT IS FINISHED

Ive just gotta fit the beeeeg tyres and have the wheel alignment done

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KERMIT now has a Snorkel

Amazingly it only took aboput 1 hour to fit, but 1/2hr waiting for the paint to dry.

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AND

Shackle angles for JT and Theo

Rear
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Front
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During the past week I modified made and reupholstered an overhead console for Kermit

It is made from 6mm marine ply, upholstered on the outside with 1cm thick soft foam and then covered with black patterned PVC Vinyl material,
the inside is carpeted with carpet tiles so that the stored items will not rattle around.

This will house the Kenwood VHF radio , two speakers for the radio/mp3 player, binoculars, sunglasses, camera etc.

It is attached to the widscreen frame with 6 x self tapping screws, and hoks over the inner section of the roof rain gutter.

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Kermit's got new Smash n Grab tint security film

Hopefully this will help keep me cooler in the Kalahari in December

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Kermit had an overheating issue on its maiden voyage, resulting in an engine rebuild - I'll post that detail abit later on :D
 
Superb write up.
Thanks for sharing it with us.

Regards
 
great write up - impressed it was all put back together ok!
 
Brilliant write-up :clap:

It must feel great to know that absolutely everything has been stripped, checked, sorted and rebuilt.
 
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It is a stunning car as is his buddies - most of us would kill to own the vehicle before he restored it!!! :mrgreen:
 
I'm busy rebuilding a second one - a 1983 FJ40 LX - this ones called "Darth Vader" due to its dark Matt Silver colour

This is what I started with
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the colour of Darth Vader
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current state of the rebuild
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For those of you that can remember this long ago, in 2009 I commenced my 2nd FJ40 rebuild.
Although the 1st one I did "Kermit" only took me 9 months to complete, this one has taken me 9 years to complete

Here are a few pics of the finished truck.

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The finished 2nd FJ40LX

Some 40Series porn pics

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y4p9OfCZliRdnBJg_xLOqH9gJc-j0PT7yPGSZSKquMMImM-QzzJLJQedw7mA-vrvNejmVW7FgxR1PjyoBdYXwapsPQf3ZO8Lf0fs2k2e-kCvXi4jSNNaZdyeM_oKRze2qyA_Z2kDCmNOpKgJM9T7QGlZ_pLTNjnOhopdoeZeaQrmeHCR-NJSNM3xOse69jWXklqUYupdUWKrQBjuvntibtDliEq_ayLOU7Qtgh4V4cYWeM
y4plq2tkf7mBQh_CC78n1IAeE8ydiJ04eTSj3ryY954h-ReeE6BBRHeso67CbWQLHuNJoOVOAj6mm3S7bV47gt2ptXrGBteU6_HTKprdiTcZppWD9H9GgxDpBq5wSDffZTEPWEncULMGgtCpfplVk8uWCzSQihnEMp5AegP1zXxxhB6L_B1MvNg1Jb0KTb1CpI5c8ptNctLf0Y6BGG6kHeGS4s4rabkjnceA_-t5U2tB98


Kermit as he is today.

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On a 5000km round trip to Namibia and back
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On a bush trip to TransKgalagadi National Park

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y4pyol-T5aQADdHjR-RaHC0eHz_EenOh-eJoVxtpmkfYJWa_IfWUU1NFh4Y1Ue-fFVORmvgRXJI_JZwOm9xRFI0qCAufEzaYnpAAtaIopWKy7xtJ_xgxoyvZAQ3_l9zS0DY1edCfgxnGM1FEaMxVTuPTmWccvRXbEsamBif8slWUWE3UaLkwlYN96hIjInO1Fvq1ARfCAkWqsavd6YBoKEmriUjxeVUPo1WMrtgABej-PU
 
Its a pity that all the pics of the Kermit restoration have been lost (photobucket rules) as there was a mine of information there
From changing shock mounts to installing power steering and motor swop
 
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