The Airsix Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[airsix]

In a nutshell:
3 years ago I decided that an FZJ80 was the answer to all my problems. 3rd-row seating, awesome off-road/overland capabilities, rugged good looks, and Toyota quality/reliability. Last month I finally brought one home.

My 80 was bought at a good discount owing to recent neglect and collision damage. I figured if I was going to replace things like bumpers anyway why pay extra for them. That plan sort of worked on some levels and not on others. But I'm in with both feet so lets go.

How it looked when I brought it home (Sept 8, 2012):

How it looks as-of 10/30/12 (I'll try to keep this picture current as time goes on)

 

[airsix]

Body Work

First up was to fix the bodywork. The damage was a bit worse than it looked but I soon found that Toyota body panels are pretty light gauge and easy to work. It only took a Saturday afternoon to fix the passenger side fender, hood, headlamps, corner lights, and valance.

 

[airsix]

Bumper Build

I tried to be logical and convince myself to just buy a bumper rather than build one. I narrowed my choice down to 2 options and then finally made up my mind. I called the vendor. And waited. Then I emailed them. And waited. Then I contacted them on FaceBook. And waited. After 4 weeks I said **** it and ordered an eBay plasma cutter ($289).

Then I got out the box knife, cardboard, and masking tape.

DiscoveredLC's bumper project was my inspiration.

 

[sprfrkr]

Awesome so far!

 

[airsix]

Cheap plasma cutter micro-review

I have to take a second and comment about the cheap plasma cutter. What a great way to spend $300! I have no regrets at all. It has performed extremely well. It makes acceptable cuts in 1/4" plate, and it cuts 3/16" almost as cleanly as my band-saw (but much faster). I cut the entire bumper and used only 3 nozzle tips (about $3 in consumables).

The model I bought is the Colossal Tech Cut 50R.
I also bought a 30-pack of consumables and I'm glad I did.

 

[airsix]

More bumper build

Thanks sprfrkr!

Here's what the template looked like when I was done mocking it up on the truck. Several of the pieces shown are marked (x2). I had planned to measure and draw it all up so I could provide it in CAD but that plan fell apart when I found I needed to make design adjustments as I started working with steel.

I will say some words of encouragement though: If you want to build a bumper you should go ahead and do it. There are enough threads here on MUD and other sites to get you through it. I'd never done a project like this before and I managed. If I can do it anyone can. Go for it! But be sure to buy some flowers because this project will try her patience.

 

[FJFOOL]

Nice transformation, that bumper turned out great ! What lift and tires did you install ? I just might have to go that route on a rear bumper instead of buying one !

 

[airsix]

Bumper Build - Will it ever be done?

My is my rock. Building a bumper can sometimes put you between a rock and a hard place.

Gotta power through it...

Progress pics:

Winch plate taking shape

Recovery points (3"x1") from bar-stock

Tacked together and on the truck for a test fitting

Backside with some of the bracing added

Painted an on the truck.

 

[airsix]

Side Projects

In addition to the fun stuff like bumpers there have been lots of little side projects that needed attention.

1) steering wheel looked like a shoe someone had thrown into a dog kennel. Cleaned it up and sewed on a leather "wheelskin". Huge improvement!

2) Key would not open driver's door. So I re-keyed it to fit. Toyota has made this very easy. Took about a hour to go from non-functional to silky-smooth.

 

[airsix]

Starting to see some results

With the help of Steve at Cruiser Yard I acquired some nice OEM wheels to replace the aftermarkets. I painted these to match the bumper (Duplicolor graphite wheel paint). Cristo at Slee provided some OME goodies for the 2.5" heavy-front/med-rear lift, and I rounded it out with 305's (Duratrac).

I know this build isn't anything too unique yet but there's more to come. Thanks to all of you here in MUD land for making this possible.

 

[baggar11]

Awesome job on the bumper! You have anymore pictures of the masking tape and cardboard build out?

 

[scrowley]

Looks great. Nice bumper build. Body color almost looks like dolphin grey bmw color.....I want mine that color now...

 

[western flyer]

Awesome job on the bumper! You have anymore pictures of the masking tape and cardboard build out?

Yes, x 2 please. If you still have the cardboard, maybe you could throw a measuring rule in next to the cardboard (flat) and then shoot from above. Folks could then get rough measurements off the rule and of the cardboard that way.

Good job!

 

[primer7]

Nice work, truck looks great...did you consider a 315 tire?

 

[BrianE]

Yes, x 2 please. If you still have the cardboard, maybe you could throw a measuring rule in next to the cardboard (flat) and then shoot from above. Folks could then get rough measurements off the rule and of the cardboard that way.

Good job!

X3... That's a nice looking bumper.

 

[arndog123]

You should paint the Toyota emblem on the grille the same color as your bumper which BTW looks great.

 

[Fraglerock]

You should paint the Toyota emblem on the grille the same color as your bumper which BTW looks great.

X2, great job on the bumper BTW!

 

[airsix]

Looks great. Nice bumper build. Body color almost looks like dolphin grey bmw color.....I want mine that color now...

Actually the truck is still black, but when I took that picture we had a low overcast the reflected in the paint making it look grey like that. I do think it would look good in that color though!

 

[FastCarGuy]

Great job!

 

[airsix]

To answer some questions:

No, Sorry, I don't have any more pictures of the bumper build. What I can recommend is to build out from the center.
Working in cardboard and tape:
1) winch plate and frame-horn sleeves
2) face plate
3) add wings and tie in top plate
4) adding in the bottom and corner pieces is easy with 1,2,3 in place.

Modeling the bumper in cardboard is very easy. Have a work table, box knife, square, and long straight edge nearby. Measure, cut, fit, adjust, and in short order you'll have a cardboard model. If you don't like it try again. Cardboard is free, so design & redesign until you're happy. I got my cardboard from Home Depot. It was some big boxes gas grills were shipped in.

The winch plate and face plate are the key. If they are true they provide an easy/accurate way to locate the other pieces as you build out toward the ends. Since the top plate is actually two individual pieces I laid them out on the table in their exact final orientation and then tack welded a piece of angle across them. I then transferred them to the bumper and tacked the whole thing in place. This kept the surfaces level across the two pieces. When the bumper was all tacked together (all pieces) I removed the piece of angle stock that had held the top plates in position relative to each other.


Regarding tires:
Yes, I considered 315s. In fact I obsessed over tire choice for weeks. Okay maybe "obsessed" is too light of a word. In the end I'm glad I went with the 305s. I wanted a tire I could fully stuff without ripping flares off and I don't want to do a re-gear. I think 35's look awesome, but I just felt 33's were a more logical choice for my application.

Thanks for the comments and encouragement!

Next up I want to work on some storage ideas I have.