haha that's what I'm talking about.
Build 1997 LX450 Ute
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- Thread starter
- #82
Taking a break... Also grabbed these on the ebay for Betty's flatbed:
Perched on a KM2, thinking of what lies ahead. Welding and grinding is getting mindless (lots to finish, less to figure out) so I'm brainstorming. I've got a good idea of how I'm putting the interior back together, and a theory of what I want the bed to look like. I've also got an idea for a removable rack for the bed which will give Betty the same SUV look she had and make the wheelbase look more appropriate. I plan on using her as a pickup, so the rack is a someday project.
I'll also need to do paint eventually, and flat black isn't my thing, so the whole thing will need it. That's going to mean stripping this rhinoliner and welding the lexus cladding holes shut. At least I'll only have half as many.
She was originally silver, so that's an option. My other LX and my MDX are both silver. White is a strong contender, with dune beige being a possibility as well.
Then there's the bumper and steps... I may ditch it all for something lower profile, or just chop the ARB. If I do white or silver paint, the bumpers are going to be gray.
Other plans include a rear winch (probably a cheapo HF with wireless remote) and a compressor mounted somewhere under the bed.
On a random note, the hats for the rear coils have these bowls that were lined with jute... Now mine are full of and holding water. Going to need to drill some drain holes. What a strange place for a small circle of sound dampening jute.
Perched on a KM2, thinking of what lies ahead. Welding and grinding is getting mindless (lots to finish, less to figure out) so I'm brainstorming. I've got a good idea of how I'm putting the interior back together, and a theory of what I want the bed to look like. I've also got an idea for a removable rack for the bed which will give Betty the same SUV look she had and make the wheelbase look more appropriate. I plan on using her as a pickup, so the rack is a someday project.
I'll also need to do paint eventually, and flat black isn't my thing, so the whole thing will need it. That's going to mean stripping this rhinoliner and welding the lexus cladding holes shut. At least I'll only have half as many.
She was originally silver, so that's an option. My other LX and my MDX are both silver. White is a strong contender, with dune beige being a possibility as well.
Then there's the bumper and steps... I may ditch it all for something lower profile, or just chop the ARB. If I do white or silver paint, the bumpers are going to be gray.
Other plans include a rear winch (probably a cheapo HF with wireless remote) and a compressor mounted somewhere under the bed.
On a random note, the hats for the rear coils have these bowls that were lined with jute... Now mine are full of and holding water. Going to need to drill some drain holes. What a strange place for a small circle of sound dampening jute.
- Thread starter
- #83
More brainstorming:
- Visor shelf... easy enough to whip up with everything removed, and there will be more headroom with the sunroof assembly gone. Storage space will be at a premium inside (as with any pickup) so thoughtful ways to utilize everything I've got will be priority.
- In that vein, I'm still looking at the used-to-be-tailgate for storage. I may take a section out of it, run some trim around it, and call it a storage cubby.
- Underbed boxes--between the cab and my tires, as per the pic posted earlier of the 79.
- New seats. The
needs a manual seat in the very least, I'd like to explore adapting something lower profile/more comfortable (hoping those aren't mutually exclusive). @half k cruiser did a great job with those WRX seats, I may have to look to Subaru/Volvo/BMW for something.
- Sound is going to be simple. The rear pillars have room for the speakers that were in the rear doors, which is where they'll go (with stock wiring).
- I've got all the wiring for the interior lights. Extra dome lights? A dome light per side? I had both red and white LED's in my troopie which was great for night vision and showing off... maybe I'll go that road. Hell, maybe one will just hang loose and be a flashlight for use within 3ft of Betty.
- The rear heater... if there's ever a time to ditch it, it would when you cut your truck up, no? Well I've got a plan... I'm going to plumb the air outlet into a few feet of flexible defroster hose so the has something to warm herself up with. This was how the soft side HMMWV's were plumbed for heat. I spent many cold mornings with one of those stuck under my jacket. I'm also thinking I'll wedge one into her seat somehow between the bottom and back for a redneck seat heater. The point of the point is she'll have her own heat so I won't have to run it on my side.
- Betty has an ultraguage, and I've always been too lazy to remove trim to mount stuff, so this may be the first time I ever run wire behind trim and mount it up on the mirror. I really should stop being lazy about trim.
I was going to do something fancy with the CB, but now I'm thinking I'll ditch it. I can't stand cluttered vehicles or most of the people I hear on CB's.
Additionally, I'll need to figure out springs and will probably have to look at airbags if she's going to be a true pickup truck. Some of the side shots of Betty look off because the ass end is sitting so high right now. I'm thinking springs in the 2-3" lift zone will sit level with the 6" front lift springs once the bed is done, and I'll use airbags if I'm loaded down. If I decided to DD her and sell my Acura, I'll invest in some $$$ shocks.
Finally, all the things I took off of her and cut away. I'm probably going to make a scrap metal run (I'm hoping it will be the first thing I use my flatbed for) but I'm also thinking I'll hang on to a few odds and ends for my silver LX. I'd gladly donate body panels and some interior bits to locals but I wasn't careful removing things and I've thrown a few things away already.
It was nice to get Betty moved and get things cleaned up a bit:
And because people may enjoy my newbness to welding, here's a picture of my welder with a raincoat on it:
While I'm pretty sure it would have been fine in the rain, I figured it's an investment I'd like to baby as much as possible.
- Visor shelf... easy enough to whip up with everything removed, and there will be more headroom with the sunroof assembly gone. Storage space will be at a premium inside (as with any pickup) so thoughtful ways to utilize everything I've got will be priority.
- In that vein, I'm still looking at the used-to-be-tailgate for storage. I may take a section out of it, run some trim around it, and call it a storage cubby.
- Underbed boxes--between the cab and my tires, as per the pic posted earlier of the 79.
- New seats. The
needs a manual seat in the very least, I'd like to explore adapting something lower profile/more comfortable (hoping those aren't mutually exclusive). @half k cruiser did a great job with those WRX seats, I may have to look to Subaru/Volvo/BMW for something.- Sound is going to be simple. The rear pillars have room for the speakers that were in the rear doors, which is where they'll go (with stock wiring).
- I've got all the wiring for the interior lights. Extra dome lights? A dome light per side? I had both red and white LED's in my troopie which was great for night vision and showing off... maybe I'll go that road. Hell, maybe one will just hang loose and be a flashlight for use within 3ft of Betty.
- The rear heater... if there's ever a time to ditch it, it would when you cut your truck up, no? Well I've got a plan... I'm going to plumb the air outlet into a few feet of flexible defroster hose so the
has something to warm herself up with. This was how the soft side HMMWV's were plumbed for heat. I spent many cold mornings with one of those stuck under my jacket. I'm also thinking I'll wedge one into her seat somehow between the bottom and back for a redneck seat heater. The point of the point is she'll have her own heat so I won't have to run it on my side.- Betty has an ultraguage, and I've always been too lazy to remove trim to mount stuff, so this may be the first time I ever run wire behind trim and mount it up on the mirror. I really should stop being lazy about trim.
I was going to do something fancy with the CB, but now I'm thinking I'll ditch it. I can't stand cluttered vehicles or most of the people I hear on CB's.
Additionally, I'll need to figure out springs and will probably have to look at airbags if she's going to be a true pickup truck. Some of the side shots of Betty look off because the ass end is sitting so high right now. I'm thinking springs in the 2-3" lift zone will sit level with the 6" front lift springs once the bed is done, and I'll use airbags if I'm loaded down. If I decided to DD her and sell my Acura, I'll invest in some $$$ shocks.
Finally, all the things I took off of her and cut away. I'm probably going to make a scrap metal run (I'm hoping it will be the first thing I use my flatbed for) but I'm also thinking I'll hang on to a few odds and ends for my silver LX. I'd gladly donate body panels and some interior bits to locals but I wasn't careful removing things and I've thrown a few things away already.
It was nice to get Betty moved and get things cleaned up a bit:
And because people may enjoy my newbness to welding, here's a picture of my welder with a raincoat on it:
While I'm pretty sure it would have been fine in the rain, I figured it's an investment I'd like to baby as much as possible.
The 79 furthers the case for WB extension, again, from an aesthectic perspective, sitting at 126".
Without.....
Early inspiration. Prolly one of the better I've seen, but now can't find the balance of pics.
Don't have to go to Oz, even for an aluminum bed.
There's many in the US that can build with a napkin sketched layout and for a lot less money.
Without.....
Early inspiration. Prolly one of the better I've seen, but now can't find the balance of pics.
Don't have to go to Oz, even for an aluminum bed.
There's many in the US that can build with a napkin sketched layout and for a lot less money.
Total Hijack.
@Delancy, This sounds like a project I want to be part of. You going to Toyota Jamboree to discuss?
@Delancy, This sounds like a project I want to be part of. You going to Toyota Jamboree to discuss?
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Interior lighting (and underhood too) I used these inside of FOO, and was amazed at how much light they put off. CHEAP too. Might be great for rock lights too.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20PCS-5050-...361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2ed9a88fd9
http://www.ebay.com/itm/20PCS-5050-...361?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item2ed9a88fd9
@yohavos if you are looking for low profile seats the Subaru ones may not fit the bill. They sit a little higher than stock but the big thing is the side bolsters. My wife, while admitting they are comfortable, does have some difficulty jumping up into my cruiser now that she has to hop over that big bolster. In fact, its more difficult for me to get in and out now but that's just because I try not to drag ass across the seat so I won't wear it out ! As far as comfort goes though, they are fantastic.
I figured it would not be too hard to add some length about where @Waggoner5 did his chop/sleeve.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/project-x².542618/page-7
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/project-x².542618/page-7
- Thread starter
- #90
Seems very much like we're on the same page... I looked at a lot of 80 series and Patrol utes from Oz to get a sense of how they go together vs the 70 series. In fact, I've got all the pictures you've posted and a ton more.
One of the most "stock looking" I've seen:
This was my original intention and why I was shopping for a stock truck. I had aspirations of finding a bare bones FJ80, keeping the 3FE in top shape, swapping to manual windows, running skinny 33's at stockish height on Toyota steelies and otherwise having the most simple, basic, unassuming little single cab truck I could build out of an 80 series.
He integrated some of the rear door under the bed to give it a factory look. I think the overhang and bed sides help a great deal with aesthetics, though I'm not sure what that would look like lifted.
Another key is drop down sides (which I'm planning on). They seem to make a world of difference on a flatbed, finishing things off and helping with aesthetics (not to mention functionality)
Your point on lift/tire size will factor in on this as well. Bigger tires may offset the cab vs. bed proportion look a bit.
I mentioned a rack earlier on with the idea that it would follow the previous factory lines, and I'm thinking some canvas or light sheet metal skin would be great. Inspiration from @Box Rocket from his old mini:
This line of thought was what led me to avoid the bubble shaped cab. The 70 series is flat, but that's not an option with an 80 due to the seating arrangement.
This looks more 70 series like, but that cab has got to be tight in there. Also, a longer bed, some sides, and maybe bigger tires may lend a bit more to the correct proportions. That being said it's a beautiful truck:
- Thread starter
- #91
I'd love to see you guys stretch an 80 ute!
Thanks! For that price, I ordered a set.
Yes, I'm in touch with them. He's only a few hours away, so I'm looking forward to a quote.
Gotcha. Betty is already a pain to get into, so I may need to go a different direction. I was thinking I may measure my MDX seats for the hell of it.
Maybe a better approach would be to measure available space and go from there.
@hicruise55 -- you getting this? This is a bit more than I'm willing to try solo with my grinder
You guys have definitely got me thinking.
It's just metal
How much length and where were you thinking? To ad wheelbase?
How much length and where were you thinking? To ad wheelbase?
- Thread starter
- #93
Haha.. it's just metal... if only I could tell you how often I sat on two milk crates staring at the cruiser body panels strewn around my driveway thinking that same thing
The extension would be to add wheelbase, though it's not a priority at this point. There are a lot of directions I could go if the LX cab doesn't pan out, so getting fancy is on hold for a while.
- Thread starter
- #94
Alright, I'm looking for tail lights, not because I'm there yet, but because when I do get there I don't want to be waiting for them.
The eBay AU auction didn't pan out. I'm looking for flat, rectangular tail lights that will accept the the same bulbs (1156's and 1157) from the 80 series assembly. Advice is welcome.
The plan is to hang them on the end of the flatbed like Toyota does:
I looked at 40 series taillights but the bulbs are different. I don't really want to mess with LEDs, but will if I must. Leaving the factory harness untouched is my ultimate goal.
The eBay AU auction didn't pan out. I'm looking for flat, rectangular tail lights that will accept the the same bulbs (1156's and 1157) from the 80 series assembly. Advice is welcome.
The plan is to hang them on the end of the flatbed like Toyota does:
I looked at 40 series taillights but the bulbs are different. I don't really want to mess with LEDs, but will if I must. Leaving the factory harness untouched is my ultimate goal.
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Very cool pics of the pick-up 80's.
They look a lot like the fj40 tail lights. Inexpensive sets on ebay with a mounting bracket should be the ticket.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-LAND...Parts_Accessories&hash=item53ed2447eb&vxp=mtr
http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-LAND...Parts_Accessories&hash=item53ed2447eb&vxp=mtr
You could make a short adapter harness between the 80 plug and whatever lights you get. I think I'm going to go with fj40 lights on my 60. Nice and simple.
- Thread starter
- #98
Yeah, that may be the route I have to go. It's been brought to my attention that the 40 lights may be a bit small compared to how wide the tray ends up being. Any concerns for size on your rig?
I found a set of flat bed tail lights on craigslist locally that I'm trying to run down... if not, I may just order the 40 tails to see how they look.
If I were you I would just get a 6 of 4inch round red LED lights and two orange one each side it will be looks nice and simple I have seen a more and more people using it back home , and you could just use the existing plug in the truck .
View attachment 1045671
This is my ute. Picked it up a couple of years back and been doing heaps of mods on it to date. With your tail lights mount them in the tray flush mounted then you will not knock them off at all. As im guess you building this to be trashed a bit.
This is my ute. Picked it up a couple of years back and been doing heaps of mods on it to date. With your tail lights mount them in the tray flush mounted then you will not knock them off at all. As im guess you building this to be trashed a bit.