Build Prado on a diet, bob / double cab

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kbushnz

kbushnz

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Aug 21, 2006
Threads
21
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788
Location
Auckland, New Zealand
Well I have finally got up the nerve to chop the rear off the Prado from the C pillar back. Had enough of bashing into trees and dragging my rear around.
Will be a slow project but will throw up some pics from time to time. Here are a few after a day with a grinder.
You will be surprised how much weight is in those rear doors !
And also the rear quarters.. Will take it all to the scrappy later and get it weighed.
I also have a chassis to swap out. The original one is bent ! As I have discovered. The truck was involved in an accident before I got it. And I found this out a few years back when putting on my sliders and suspension lift...So a good straight chassis came up at a local yard and I grabbed it...So might as well make my body swap over a little easier with a smaller body and lighter too....:clap:
On to the photo's.
Copy of Prado 009.webp IMG_5975.webp
 
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Thanks, I am not a trail blazer on this one, its been done a few times here in NZ. But most make very short trays in the rear and it looks out of proportion... I am going to try and make it look more balanced so to speak... So will still retain the same overall length but will have the deck a bit higher and shorten the chassis a bit to improve the departure angle... Well thats the plan...
 
Good project ill be following it
 
Double post*
 
sadam_husain said:
You still thinking about doing the commy repower Calvin?
Click to expand...
Thinking about it yes.. doing it, not at the moment.
I took one for a run a few weekends back... Feels great but just lacked that bit of torque low down as compared to mine...
I could cruise around and pull away in 2nd low...Where as the commy would need to rev or want to drop back to first...
But a good cheap swap...
So for me the dirty diesel is going to stay.... for now.
 
ForealBoreal said:
What's the other engine you might swap? Details
Click to expand...

Here in NZ it is common practice to use the engine and sometimes the trans from the Aussie made Holden Commodore. Its a 3.8 V6 engine which in the states is called a GM Buick V6 3.8 Series II or something like that.
Cheaps as chips down here...They get put into all sorts of projects...
 
Few more photo's, this time of the support frame for the floor and the rear panels.
Bottom panel is going to finish just below the rear seat height and the window will go above that. No point making window bigger than it has to be !
Bottom floor pan support is a 3mm thick 40mm x 40mm angle. Stiffened the floor pan right up.
With the frame in I can now use it as a ref point to cut the wheel arches...
IMG_5988.webp IMG_5990.webp IMG_5995.webp IMG_5998.webp
 
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For those that are interested, the weight of all the rear panels / roof and doors minus glass from the C pillar back is a whopping 120 kg....plus or minus a bit...
 
i look at that and see a stretch wheel base and a decent tray or box and think ... damn.
 
Mine wont have a tray.....per say... Will have to wait and see how it develops...
Also thinking about moving the radiator to the rear... stop it filling up with mud and silt... Common side effect here in NZ's north island. As for the weight... going to try and weigh the glass later. And also the hinges for the doors.. they are heavy little suckers made from looks like 6mm plate steel...It all adds up then I put some of it back again what with the bar work and tray....
 
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