My LJ project

[DasZuk!]

Howdy !

Ages ago, I got a bunch of rusty LJ's with the hopes that someday I could make one or two working trucks out of all bits and pieces that should have been shipped off to a scrapyard... Just to make sure it was a real challenge, I went out west for the last few years and left them to "mature" in a friends field. Finally the time has started to get going on this stuff.

I'm going to try and rebuild to LJ's in the next few months, and share a few pix and stuff with anyone thats interested in these old trucks.

It's been about 7 or 8 years since we bought the first one.

It sat and sat, while all the bondo absorbed moisture, and finally I realized the previous owner had made an okay looking truck out of a pile of rust, bondo, pop rivets... it was too far gone to even consider trying to re-do the previous "rust-o-ration", at least it gave me an engine, axles and drive train...

[DasZuk!]

One more pic of the donor truck... and the recipient of all it's good bits - The plans are for this to be pretty much stock, with some upgrades, like a 1000cc engine from an SJ410, Front disc brakes, rear brakes from a sidekick and a bunch of body work...

[szabotage]

sweet lookin trucks! I like the longbody in the first pic especially since I once owned it!

I remember seeing your LJ's when picking up the LWB's. they looked rough but still restorable. that was 4 or 5 years ago. guess now they got worse :(

[GearHead]

Gerry
So there is no cure for S.A.D. :D
Glad to see you are going to get one of the lj's on the road.
I'm going to be doing some house cleaning myself......if i come across any 410 parts do you need anything?
Are you keeping the axles lj?
if not i still have that narrowed kick rear axle, if i remember correctly its a little narrower than stock 85' 413/410 width. I'm keeping the diff but you are welcome to the tube and the axles - they have kick bearings. One is a stock short side kick axle, the other is a stock 85' 413, i'll have to double check.
brakes are nfg but the backing plate is there.
It's just rusting away under my deck.
later
steve

[Mud Lite]

I thought you were using mine as the resto? So I guess you don't need the ownership the. I saw Ross's build on the soft top. What a mess!!! :yike

[Simko]

I love the tintop ljs... have fun and take lots of pics! si it going to be a wheeler? or just a cruiser?

[DasZuk!]

Crap... where does the time go ?:think:

- Simco... Howdy ! I'm actually going to do up two LJ's by the time I finish, the TinTop is for Kelly (my wife) and will be pretty straight forward, probably rolling on 31's... My project (when hers is finished) is a ragtop LJ built up on a Samurai frame and axles...

- MudLite... Nope, still need it, It's going to take a lot of bits an pieces to make one complete tintop, I'll be making a few more trips to Chris's farm to get parts for the build. Your dash and firewall was the best of the bunch (hopefully the floorpan is in better shape too !

GearHead !... been a longtime... Hey... Halloween is coming up... we thought of a "SuziTrails" Re-Union run to Raglan, but were afraid everyone would show up driving MiniVans...:rant: I'm definitely doing some house cleaning as far as Suzuki Parts are concerned... but let me know when you are tidying up your stuff... some SJ 410 bits may come in handy... our home phone # is still the same...

Szabotage... It's neat seeing pics of trucks we have known isn't it ! That shot of the Moose's old LWB brings back a lot of memories... and the body work on the little blue LJ actually looked okay at that point... I don't think a magnet would have stuck anywhere on the body though. It had a 1/8 to 1/4 inch skim coat of bondo over the entire vehicle...

I'll get some more pix of the LJ's when I get home early enough to do some work on it....

Take Care !
Gerry

[DasZuk!]

A couple more pix from the archives...
The RagTop LJ that will eventually be my truck...

And another photo to show how well bondo sticks to galvanized sheetmetal... ( I think someone borrowed some ductwork from their furnace. )

I guess the moral of that story would be don't buy a truck based on an emotional "want" especially when it's a friggen blizard out side and the truck is so packed with mud you can't see any of the rust holes in the frame...

[Mud Lite]

Let me know when your ready to put it on the road. I know how some projects go, and this could change direction a number of times before it is finished.

;)

[slowzuki]

Hey Gerry, I remember seeing all the zuks at Chris's back in ohhhh 2002 ish when I was up. Went up to get my Texas frame in Oct 2007 and was shocked to see the rot on some of the LJ's and SJ's that were still there.
Ken

[Mud Lite]

Gerry, let me know if there is something there that you don't want. I wouldn't mind doing another LJ project, and it's a shame to watch them rot in a field. I can hear them ust all the way to Pakenham.....hehehehe.

:yike

[DasZuk]

Howdy !
Sooner or later when all this snow and stuff stops falling we'll be up to visit the LJ's again... I'll take some notes and some photos and we might be able to work something out...:brows:

Gerry