AM General FJ-8A

JC, just a heads up, make sure you acclimate the verola in the place you'll be using it. Otherwise when the weather changes you may have buckling issues. Also I hope your not gonna laminate the FRP board to the ply, you could end up with bubbles in it when the temp/moisture changes. Just some food for thought. FRP is supposed to be free floating, sparsely glued, or nail riveted in place. Just don't glue it down like you would Formica.

 

Finally finished scanning in the parts catalog for the FJ8C, if anyone is interested. PM me your email and I'll forward you a copy.

 

I've got that manual, Otis, but thanks! I guess it's the same,it's the factory service manual for the FJ-8. Great info in there, that's where I found out these trucks all had posi rearends with 3:73 gears. Should make for a great burnout!
JC, it's been the same here. 100 degrees and brutal humidity so I havent got out in the garage much this week. That heat just sucks the energy right out of you after a short time out in it. Hopefully it"ll break next week. Our band has been pretty busy, too, so my wife and I havent had much spare time lately. But I have been primering some more parts and hope to paint the hood and doors in the next week or so. I also got my flooring; I bought a 20 ft roll of 3mm coin grip rubber mat; I'm going to do the whole floor front to back with it. It's really nice stuff and I think it will look good in there.

 

Otis P Body, I love to have a copy of it. My email is ssgtwright2515@yahoo and the other is tlwright1775@yahoo.com. I will learn how to scan with my copier soon so I will send you a copy of the wiring diagrahm. Hope everyone is doing well. The pink eye is starting to go away for now so I am hoping it will be gone by this weekend.
Hope everyones doors are going as planned. Hopefully I will have my truck (Military M1008) sold today so that I will have money for my project. Again, it could be another scammer like always.
Talk at you all soon,
Sarge

 

FV can I ask? where did you get the floor mat and how much did you pay. I'm thinking of putting in a rubber mat in mine but want to rhino line the floor first. Oh and if you have a service manual, any chance you'd be willing to scan it and share?

 

Hey Mr. OPB,
Actually, the Verola is NOT going to be used for "paneling", and the largest piece would be maybe 30" X 5'-0". I've used it before, without incident.

Actually, I was thinking of gluing (like with one of the caulking type adhesives) just around the edges to the metal "ribs" on the Walls and Ceilings, and using Oval Headed Screws and Finish Washers to hold it in place while the Caulk-type adhesive cured.

As I mentioned, I've already acquired the materials. It's all, as you probably already know, BEAUTIFUL stuff!

Anyway, thanks for the heads up.

JC

 

Hey Mr. FV,
Same here. Unfortunately, we're not in any hopes of it "breaking" soon. It's going to be, I'm afraid, like this till maybe October at the earliest!

BAND? This is of GREAT interest. I used to be on the concert circuit! I owned the AllisonWonderland Concert Lightshow back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, and Lorrie was my equipment truck! If it wouldn't be too off topic here, I'd like to hear more about your band.

As you may or may not remember, I'm doing Lorrie's Floors with Hurculiner Bed Liner. I did the Floor in Ms. American 3.14159 (the 1964 Galaxie 500 PI) with it and it came out looking just GREAT! It's some kind of tenacious stuff.

So hang in there and try to stay cool, you hear?

JC

 

Sure, JC. My wife and I along with my brother in law and some friends have a traveling contemporary gospel band called Hearts on Fire. We play around Missouri and Illinois; usually twice a month. We put out a CD in 08' and are working on songs for the next one. Here's a link to our website if you want to take a look.
http://stlchristianmusic.com/Hearts_on_Fire/

Otis, I got that mat material from an online supplier called RubberCal; a 25' x 48" roll was $250. Well worth it, it's really nice stuff. I dont have the means to scan that manual; it's huge. But if you want a copy I'll mail one to you; $40 should cover the printing and shipping.

 

Hey Mr. FV,
That's GREAT! You play what instrument? Let me guess. You're the Guitar Player, harmony singer. Your wife plays Bass, and lead singer. Brother in Law is the drummer, and the friends are the backup singers and maybe a Fiddle. I haven't yet looked at your webpage, but I will.

This is for church congregations?

How did it do?

http://stlchristianmusic.com/Hearts_on_Fire/

I'll most certainly take a look at this.

As I mentioned, I used to do lightshows. I've invented a number of "Vusic" (Visual Music) Instruments, one of which I named the Crystalume.

Anything that a musical instrument can do to your mind through your ears with sound, the Crystalume can do to your mind through your eyes with light. When done simultaneously, it produces a VERY mystical state of mind called Synaesthesia. (also spelled Synesthesia).

I've written a book on the subject of "Synaesthesia" called: "If Silence is Black, the analogizing of Sonia and Lumia in General, and of Vusic and Music in Particular".

If you'd like to see it, and it includes a chapter on the Crystalume, click here:

http://www.livingston.net/allison1/home.htm

When I was younger and in better health, I worked with Seals and Crofts, JJ Cale, Mountain, Mother Earth, BB King, Richie Havens, Buddy Miles, and Charlie Neville's band "Diversity", among others.

I eventually just go too old to do it anymore. I just couldn't keep up. Such is life.

Anyway, would you believe that even though it's about 98* out, I still got one of the 3/4" X 4'-0" X 8'-0" Verola Plywood Panels lugged indoors, and got it put on the NEW Saw Horses ready for to be laid out for Lorrie's Engine Compartment/Storage Bin, AND I got the lawns mowed around here! And then took a nice cool shower.

Hope you are doing well and staying cool in this heat.

JC

 

Well, your close, JC. My wife is lead singer and I do sing some lead and backups but I play bass. She doesnt play an instrument other than a tamborine or shaker egg sometimes. My brother in law is the drummer and sings, Our friends are Mark on lead guitar and Amy on keyboards and vocals. We also have a horn section if we're playing somewhere big enough for it all. The horns are great to have; I wish we could have had them on our first CD but it's a recent addition. Our first CD is going pretty good; we've sold several hundred at out band jobs (churches, county fairs, carshows, benefits) plus it's available on iTunes and in a few local shops. Your light show sounds pretty cool; I'll have to check our your book, too. Mountain and Buddy Miles were a few of my favorites; I played a lot of their songs back in my bar band days. But I decided several years ago that I'd played enough music for myself, whatever I had left in me belonged to the Lord. He's kept me alive and healthy and given me a pretty great family and career; it's the least I can do to say thanks.

 

Hey Mr. FV,
Sounds like a GREAT combination. I am also a musician. Violin at the age of 5, performed with the Long Beach Junior Philharmonic at the age of seven. Learned to play piano at the age of eight, specialized in "Boogie Woogie" which was BIG at the time, AND which I just recently found out was born right HERE in Deep East Texas where I presently reside (Google "History of Boogie Woogie", it's REALLY interesting).

Then my whole musical life changed in high school when for the first time I heard "Womp Bomp Lu Bomp, A Lomp Bam Boom, Tutti Frutti!". That was about 1956. But it wasn't possible to lug a piano around so I learned to play guitar and for years, I was Elvis Presley, if you know what I mean!

GREAT! Are there plans for another one?

The impetus behind the lightshow is because I am what is called by the psychologists, a Profound Synaesthete. I have this psychological "quirk" of being cross-wired in my synapses. The "profound" part of it is because every sensory input stimulates all of the other senses. What I hear, I also see, taste, smell and feel, and what I see, I hear, taste, smell and feel. and etc. Thus the invention of "vusic" instruments is an effort to express THAT to others.

Lesley West and Buddy Miles are both GREAT BIG DUDES.

I think that's GREAT! I hope only the best for you. (hope we don't get moderated for this excursion into something other than our vehicles!)

I've got Lorrie's Cabinetry all set to be cut out. It won't be assembled until after the floor is Hurculinered. Not sure when THAT will be, as I'm not enduring the heat as well as I used to. I am probably going to kind of pull off of doing the rest of the trip on Lorrie till the seasons change.

Till then, I have plans of doing some more music production with my Sound/Music Studio. I have a complete MIDI system, and a computer with an M-Audio Delta 1010 Full Duplex Sound Card, and a Cakewalk Sonar Producer Music Program. Since the last time that I did any serious production, I've written some new material, and would like to do it up properly.

Anyway, hope this finds YOU doing well, and staying cool.

JC

 

Hi all,
My brother and I decided to become teen entrepreneurs this summer and start an ice cream truck business. We bought a 1984 AM General FJ-8C and things were going very well until we were broadsided by a girl that ran a red light. We're pretty much unharmed but the truck is in rough shape. The body shop thinks it is repairable, though they say they cannot make a new right side door (or at least make one and have costs all be covered under the insurance payment). Does anyone know of any place I can find a new door? When it comes down to it, our business basically depends on us getting this right side door and we don't really know where to find one.
Please help if you have a door to sell, know where I can buy one, or know how to go about searching for one.
Thanks so much.

 

That's going to be tough; these trucks are getting pretty hard to find. Probably Ebay would be your best bet for a used one or you could fabricate one; they're baiscally flat sheet metal so if you have a mig you could probably manage it.

More primer; I'm just about done with the inside panels. I hope to get everything primered by next weekend except for the rear roll up door and start getting the painting finished up. It's been so hot here it almost kills you to work outside but today was a little better, only got up to 95.
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Like FV said, Your either gonna have to fabricate one yourself or have a shop build you one. If you don't have the means to do this, I'd start searching for a new "used" truck on craigslist or ebay. If your running an ice cream business It might be in your best interest to invest in a second truck for parts. You should be able to find one between $200 to $1500 depending on what shape it's in.

 

FBICT,
I found this on another website dated July 10th, you may want to give this guy a call.
Its been cut and pasted here (I do have another FJ8C that I am selling for parts. It is available for $800.00 I purchased it for spare parts and never did anything with it. I am in Shreveport, Louisiana my phone number is 318 - 424-3964
Give the guy a call and see if $100-$150 will do because shipping will be alot.
Hope that helps.
Hope everyone is doing well here. Pink eye is gone. It was a near by crack house producing toxic fumes causing the pink eye. They got busted over the weekend.
Still trying to sell my M1008 but it seems like people want for you to just give it away and offer them money with a smile for taking it. Lot of scammers out their on craigslist. Just stopping bye to say hello and to see how everyone is doing,
Sarge,

 

Glad your eye is better, Sarge. And I'm glad they caught those low life drug dealers. Anyone who deals illegal narcotics is a menace to society and needs to be dealt with as harshly as possible. I'm a recovered addict; 16 years clean and have spent most of those years working to help addicts who are ready to change and working with the local police to put away the dealers who are wrecking our childrens lives and to get kids away from parents who have no regard for their own life. Nothing worse than to watch than a parent who uses and makes excuses about why its OK while their kids watch and learn how to destroy their own lives.
I was off today so I got some really tedious jobs done. The back bumper and several 1" metal angles and strips that hold in the window glass and the wiring harness to the roof all had several coats of paint. I sat in the chair all morning with a 2" grinder and a box of paint stripper discs and got them all cleaned up and primered on the front, black Rustoleum on the back. I painted the inside of the hood black. The front bumper got dropped at a local shop to see if they could get the kink out of one end. The motor had a miss under a load so after messing with carb adjustments for a while I decided to put a better coil and ignition module in my $59.95 Ebay HEI distibutor. Much better now; I guess the Chinese company that built it used some bottom of the barrel ignition parts.

 

Pardon my previous rant; I've been working with a really good hearted 19 year old young man who is addicted to heroin and his mom who had been a drug user her whole life. This kid has a lot of promise but his mom insists her drug use has no affect on him, he's angry and doesnt want to try because she lies all the time... it's just a big mess and really painful to watch them both go down further and further. But this is a car thread, I shouldn't bring it here; my apologies.

Back to business; I got the last of the outside panels painted; doors, hood, bumpers, plus some inside trim for the windows. I have to get some more paint to finish the inside panels but it's just about there.

 

FV, is that the original bumper? Also, maybe I missed it, what color have you decided to paint it?

 

Those are the original bumpers, Otis. I just painted them the same white as the rest of the truck.

 

Got my decals on tonight!

 

Those are very nice! Fits that truck!

 

If you install a music box and play traditional ice cream truck music, I'm sure you can have a good old laugh at all the disappointed kids running out to see.

 

MUM!! Throw down some money, the ICE CREAM man is coming........

 

Smoky burnout pops-$1.00

 

Instead of handing out ice cream to the kids, you hand them spark plugs and 10W40 oil!!!
Your truck is looking great!!!!!

 

Thanks sarge; I'm glad it's in the home stretch. I got a 48 Plymouth coupe that I've been neglecting for too long and would like to start working on again.
Got a pretty good amount of work done today. I got both bumpers put back on, put the hood on, built a hood prop, mounted the hood hold downs, made some plate to go on the sides of the radiator to keep air from flowing around the radiator instead of through it, and started cleaning up the windshield for re installation.
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Man FV, I can only hope mine will look half as good when it's done.

 

Thanks, Otis. I'm looking forward to watching yours come to life.

 

That thing is looking real good, man! I have been checking in a lot and lurking. You have the old box looking good!

 

Slowly but surely, It's only been at the body shop for about a week but it feels like forever. I can't wait to get it done so I can scoot around town in it.

By the way, if anyone out there owns an FJ8C and are trying to remove the doors for maintenance... Try this, I hope it helps.

step 1: Remove the bottom guide by unbolting it from under the vehicle.
step 2: Remove the Top rain guard in the door way.
step 3: Slide your door all the way to the front and remove any trim/weatherstrip retainers from the back of the door.
step 4: lift the door while reaching up behind the door, into the exposed track attached to the vehicle and slide the bearing retainer and ball bearings to the rear of the track.

Your door should come out somewhat easy starting with the front edge. I had to cut off my mirror mounts from mine in order to get the door out.