Quote:
Originally Posted by Juha
box from bj-45 (1982) didn`t fit to hj-45 (1978) all mounts were different.
|
Juha - that plays into a note on the CCOT site where they sell the bed (for 5k!, 6k with a tailgate
) that says "78 and older only"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
Rear valences are different:
Taillamps and their widths changed E-1968, 1969-1974, and again 1975-1985.
Valence hinge holes changed with the hinges: earliest are vertical, then 1967 - 1974 narrow horizontal, then 1975 up wider horizontal.
Originally thick, tapped, loose, dual hinge plates behind each hinge, then later welded captive nuts to receive the hinges.
1975 up bed floors have bolt-down inspection panels set over cutouts in the floor pieces located between the wheel wells and the front panel.
At some point, later Canadian beds had running light cutouts on the lower rear sides.
Reflector styles and valence holes changed 1969.
Early-1967 bed mounts seem to match 1980-1984 bed mounts for the FJ45s, and I would guess probably the entire run from early to finish are interchangeable. I have no experience with the diesels.
|
Excellent info - lots to digest thank you
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
Ultimately I think it shouldn't be too hard for most folks to make whatever you produce, fit their specific application. Certainly if Toyota still produced the beds for dealer sales, the constant upgrading that manufacturers do, would make differences in fit and finish, so that by now, 35-45 years later, a factory-new bed would have differences from all earlier versions anyway.
MS
|
Worst case, given a complete bed, the installer would have to remove a crossmember and relocate it. Maybe move the bracket on the box or shim for a height difference.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
Your project is interesting. Fixes for the beds have been long needed, since most of these pickups were heavily used, as was intended. Sadly, each of the few sheet metal providers has priced himself out of the business.
I think the prices you ultimately ask, to which all of us must add the shipping costs, should determine your relative success.
|
The other guys had to pay for proper tooling that is specific to one part. I work at a custom sheet metal shop. We don't usually do vehicle parts, other than the odd hot rodder bits, but rather cases, computer chassis, tanks etc. Our tooling is designed to be multiuse by breaking down the process into separate elements. The drawback is that body panels often have embossed ribs and shapes pressed in. With a little planning and careful welding I can usually imitate the original part but sometimes I just can't do it for a reasonable cost. The beauty of the 45 bed parts is I can likely sell more than one and so spread the labor cost over several buyers and keep the cost down. It doesn't hurt that I have free access and use of the tools at work either. So I will make mounds of cruiser Karma by only charging for material and labor. My customers won't pay for my building or machinery (turret punch is $250k). Any profit will get recycled into my 45 project anyway.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
Many of the pieces could be flat stacked for storage and flat packed for shipping savings.
|
Looking at my bed it seems it would be very easy to knock it down. The sides, front wall and tailgate will fit nicely on the floor and make it much smaller though still like 90" x 65" and 16" thick. I could also ship all the parts unassembled. Cross members loose from the floor, wheel humps and corner floors all loose. The problem is corrosion. I am currently making this all from cold rolled raw steel. 90% of our steel parts at work are raw steel that gets powder coated. I could make all the parts from satin coat (aka wipe coat or zinc plated) material but that stuff is very tough to weld safely and nicely. Many of my parts will have intricate welding to mimic the originals and the zinc coating will ruin it. My solution so far is to make sub assemblies from raw steel and then plate the whole thing. I have a supplier that can zinc plate the entire assembled bed in one piece. That means every nook and cranny, between plates and hidden spots is all zinc dichromate plated. There are a lot of hidden spots where you can't spray bed liner or even primer into.
If you don't want to ship a whole bed then I have a solution. I'll assemble the floor with cross members and wheel humps - the sides with front and rear posts - the front wall with it's end channels -- and you can put it together and seal your welds.
I'm tired of rambling
Any more info is appreciated
