FJ60 E-ROD Swap - SRMINT - Stoffregen Motorsports

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Thanks Brennan. The process for me is not much of a process at all. I do a lot of eyeballing and then take a few measurements. Transferring the angles to the mandrel bend is done on my work table with a large "square" I made from angle iron, which is clamped to the table. I mark the angle on the table with sharpie and then transfer the angle to the tubing for cutting. I don't do a lot of preparation for this. I just see it in my head and then chisel away everything that doesn't look like an exhaust.

If you've ever played pool, you will understand this analogy. You don't get out a protractor and tape measure to figure out how to get the 9 ball in the side pocket. You just know where to hit it.

Ok......same as I do it basically!
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
I know. I resto-mod Airstream trailers for a living. You can still buy them new, but there is a big market for quality work on the old ones too.
 
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NCFJ

Adventurer
There is a big market for quality work on almost everything. Two or more generations in this country have been pounded with "go to college" since they could hear. Finding anyone that works with their hands and minds (not just their minds) and does top shelf work is not easy. Try finding electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys to come out to your house. Same applies to our field with qualified mechanics and fabricators.

redthies, I can imagine you guys are as busy as it gets in your shop. Old Airstreams are cool and with the "Overland" craze are hot items for sure. Post up some photos.
 
There is a big market for quality work on almost everything. Two or more generations in this country have been pounded with "go to college" since they could hear. Finding anyone that works with their hands and minds (not just their minds) and does top shelf work is not easy. Try finding electricians, plumbers and HVAC guys to come out to your house. Same applies to our field with qualified mechanics and fabricators.

redthies, I can imagine you guys are as busy as it gets in your shop. Old Airstreams are cool and with the "Overland" craze are hot items for sure. Post up some photos.
I agree Stan. I would never tell my kids not to go to college, but I feel that if you have a good head on your shoulders, the world is your oyster, so to speak.
 

NCFJ

Adventurer
My daughter has two Bachelor degrees and does OK but certainly not to her potential. Her boyfriend has a degree in Biology and manages a restaurant. They both have student loans to contend with. This is normal in today's climate. On the other hand HVAC companies around here recruit, train and have in house apprenticeships because the pool of qualified techs is very small. Talented people in that field can make six figures within 5-10 years in the business.

I would never tell a child not to go to school either. I would tell them that if you learn some sort of trade that combines the use of your hands as well as your mind the only limiting factor will stare at you from the mirror.

I am currently looking for that one right young person to hire that has those qualities and is willing to put in the hard work it takes to do what we do. I have met a couple young guys but none had that passion I am looking for to this point. I am patient :)
 
So you've run into the same issue I have, with finding potential employees. There have been a handful of "kids" that come by and want a job, but none of them have any skills. I currently don't have the time to babysit anyone, so the person I am looking for needs to be able to show me something. I did grant an interview with a person who was very interested in helping me setup and run my plasma table, but she had virtually no experience with cars or trucks. Ideally one would be a little bit more well rounded and be able to lay down a bead of weld and build a differential in the same afternoon.

A couple years ago, sort of as a joke (but not really), I put an ad on our local Facebook page that I was looking for a retired person who has done what I am doing now and is looking for part time work. I figured that a retiree may have a solid skill-set, not need 40 hours a week, may be willing to do things my way, and if they have an opinion, it's probably one built out of experience. Maybe that person could actually teach me something, which would be great.

Any retirees out there looking for part time work?
 

Metcalf

Expedition Leader
Yes. I do it the old way. Not only do I think it's easier than the click together plastic mock up pieces, it's also less expensive. I do, however, have a fair amount of small scrap bends on the shelf that help to find the right angle.

I like my 3d printed exhaust legos. I like being able to see it before I have to cut metal. I need to invest a bit more into being able to transfer the plastic data to the metal easily and quickly.

I can do it either way, but the 3d printed stuff does help eliminate some waste and time. I scrapped zero parts in my latest exhaust which was nice for a change.
 

redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Do you have a website? Or a link to a thread? I'd love to see some of your work.

I’m just putting a basic website together. I’ll post a link in the next day or two if that’s ok. I’m run off my feet with two Airstreams going, and we are putting one of our trailers in a design show in May, and I’m doing 3 houses too. I started my working life as a general contractor and still do the odd reno or addition. I’m thinking that has to stop soon.

I also found a good kid, and got a couple of years out of him, but I moved to a bigger property with a shop for the trailers, and he lives in a ski town 90 miles away, and it’s too far to work here, and then go back home to party and chase girls. It’s going to be a bugger replacing him.
 
I like my 3d printed exhaust legos. I like being able to see it before I have to cut metal. I need to invest a bit more into being able to transfer the plastic data to the metal easily and quickly.

I can do it either way, but the 3d printed stuff does help eliminate some waste and time. I scrapped zero parts in my latest exhaust which was nice for a change.
I thought I remembered that you use those mock up pieces.
 
I’m just putting a basic website together. I’ll post a link in the next day or two if that’s ok. I’m run off my feet with two Airstreams going, and we are putting one of our trailers in a design show in May, and I’m doing 3 houses too. I started my working life as a general contractor and still do the odd reno or addition. I’m thinking that has to stop soon.

I also found a good kid, and got a couple of years out of him, but I moved to a bigger property with a shop for the trailers, and he lives in a ski town 90 miles away, and it’s too far to work here, and then go back home to party and chase girls. It’s going to be a bugger replacing him.
Definitely. Please do.
 
We left off at the exhaust. I will mention again how difficult it was to get all the cats to fit under the body, between the frame rails and around the transfer case. One area of concern was the plumbing that runs down the passenger side frame rail. The cats took up so much room over there that I was not comfortable leaving the fuel and brake lines alone. Turns out, I didn't get any pics of the plumbing, but I will make a note to take some.

Heat shields come on just about every car or truck built in the last 50 years, and catalytic converters produce so much heat (about 1000 degrees F) that I knew we needed some on this truck. The driver side already has some that cover the exhaust, but the front heat shield on the driver side (up to the firewall) needed improvements.





These pics show the passenger side heat shield and how tight it is in that area. You can also see the fuel feed line, which I protected with fire sleeve.





Even with the new heat shields, I wanted more insulation. Using a heat barrier from Thermo-Tec, which is a peel and stick, on the underside of the heat shields, the temps above the cats should drop substantially.





 
Using a 38 gallon fuel tank from Man-A-Fre makes sense with one of these trucks, no matter what engine you have. The stock 20 gallon tank is fairly small by today's standards. The new tank also offers a nice flat surface and built in sump to make mounting the new fuel pump module a snap.

Measurements taken and hole cut.



Add sound deadening insulation to the top of the tank.



Assemble and install the pump module.



Install the tank using a trans jack (these tanks are not light).



There are a couple items that see a lot of wear with age. The fuel filler tube hose and the filler neck grommet get hard and crack over time, so it makes sense to replace them at this point. Both are available new from Toyota.



 
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Smileyshaun

Observer
If I lived closer I'd come sweep your floors and clean and bring your beer all for free just to be able to watch you do some work your craftsmanship is amazing
 

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