Fort Knox
SILVER Star
What? Oh, you thought I meant....NO... I mean the top on my 4Runner!! Sheesh!! Pervs.
So, I've been thinking of doing this for years, but couldn't bring myself to do it until now. After my latest flop, the driver's side rear pillar on Fort Knox is a bit tweaked. The tailgate window won't go all the way up, and a new piece of glass won't fit back in as it is. Is it unfixable? No. With some body work, it could be pulled back into shape so that a new glass could be installed, and the roof seam could be welded where it tore, but I'm getting a bit tired of replacing these windows. This is the 3rd time for the driver's side, and once on the passenger side. So, I'm thinking of a more permanent solution to keep from breaking the rear glass regularly.
The plan is to cut the roof off behind the rear doors and weld in another 4Runner tailgate behind the rear seats and move the D-pillar up to become part of the C-pillar. The end goal is something like this:
Tomorrow, Johnny and I will be going to LKQ to try and harvest the tailgate and D-pillar from another 2nd Gen 4Runner to use. Hopefully we'll be able to get it done before the heat gets too bad!
I have also ordered an interior roll cage kit from 4xInnovations that hopefully will arrive in time to be welded in while the roof is off. I seem to be developing a habit of putting this truck in situations where it could (or does) go over, so I kinda want to be protected in case it happens again and it doesn't stop at 90*.
So....the plan is to perform the surgery the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend leading into July 4th. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it done on Saturday and Sunday so that we'll have the 4th off to celebrate! If we can, we'd also like to scrap Johnny's parts van that weekend, depending on how many people show up. To entice participation, I plan on providing beer and other beverages and smoking up some pork butts on the club smoker to keep the crew's energy up!
Please post here if you can make it. Many hands make light work! Did I mention the beer & pork?
------------- Info --------------
When: July 2nd & 3rd
Where: Johnny's House (PM Johnny or me for the address)
Right now, here's the basic list of what we're trying to accomplish:
Allen's 4Runner
- Removal of rear section of roof behind the c-pillar
- Installation of 4xinnovations interior roll cage
- Weld donor tailgate and d-pillar behind rear seats
- Seal up any gaps with sheet metal
Jerry's 80-Series (Jerry or Johnny, correct me if I'm missing anything here)
- Swap in newly built axles
- Sleeve LCA's and adjust length to correct pinion angle
Johnny's Parts Van (If we have time. If not, we'll do it another weekend)
- Scrap van and load on trailer to haul to junk yard.
So far, here's who I have coming:
Definite:
Allen D.
Johnny C.
Jerry D.
Alex C.
Joe M.
Maybe:
Stephen
Azn toyo
Tim B.
Small Possibility:
Meatball
So, as you can see, we really need some more folks to come, or else 2 things will happen:
1. It could be difficult to get the project done.
2. There will be quite a bit of leftover beer and pork!!!
So, I've been thinking of doing this for years, but couldn't bring myself to do it until now. After my latest flop, the driver's side rear pillar on Fort Knox is a bit tweaked. The tailgate window won't go all the way up, and a new piece of glass won't fit back in as it is. Is it unfixable? No. With some body work, it could be pulled back into shape so that a new glass could be installed, and the roof seam could be welded where it tore, but I'm getting a bit tired of replacing these windows. This is the 3rd time for the driver's side, and once on the passenger side. So, I'm thinking of a more permanent solution to keep from breaking the rear glass regularly.
The plan is to cut the roof off behind the rear doors and weld in another 4Runner tailgate behind the rear seats and move the D-pillar up to become part of the C-pillar. The end goal is something like this:
Tomorrow, Johnny and I will be going to LKQ to try and harvest the tailgate and D-pillar from another 2nd Gen 4Runner to use. Hopefully we'll be able to get it done before the heat gets too bad!
I have also ordered an interior roll cage kit from 4xInnovations that hopefully will arrive in time to be welded in while the roof is off. I seem to be developing a habit of putting this truck in situations where it could (or does) go over, so I kinda want to be protected in case it happens again and it doesn't stop at 90*.
So....the plan is to perform the surgery the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend leading into July 4th. Hopefully, we'll be able to get it done on Saturday and Sunday so that we'll have the 4th off to celebrate! If we can, we'd also like to scrap Johnny's parts van that weekend, depending on how many people show up. To entice participation, I plan on providing beer and other beverages and smoking up some pork butts on the club smoker to keep the crew's energy up!
Please post here if you can make it. Many hands make light work! Did I mention the beer & pork?
------------- Info --------------
When: July 2nd & 3rd
Where: Johnny's House (PM Johnny or me for the address)
Right now, here's the basic list of what we're trying to accomplish:
Allen's 4Runner
- Removal of rear section of roof behind the c-pillar
- Installation of 4xinnovations interior roll cage
- Weld donor tailgate and d-pillar behind rear seats
- Seal up any gaps with sheet metal
Jerry's 80-Series (Jerry or Johnny, correct me if I'm missing anything here)
- Swap in newly built axles
- Sleeve LCA's and adjust length to correct pinion angle
Johnny's Parts Van (If we have time. If not, we'll do it another weekend)
- Scrap van and load on trailer to haul to junk yard.
So far, here's who I have coming:
Definite:
Allen D.
Johnny C.
Jerry D.
Alex C.
Joe M.
Maybe:
Stephen
Azn toyo
Tim B.
Small Possibility:
Meatball
So, as you can see, we really need some more folks to come, or else 2 things will happen:
1. It could be difficult to get the project done.
2. There will be quite a bit of leftover beer and pork!!!
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