ARCHIVE 73/74 Owners: Any Interest in HDPE Side Panels?

[fireball]

How are the OEM panels held in place?

Can you grab a few photos of the bare rear quarters? Would have to figure out how to mount new units.

 

[wardharris]

How are the OEM panels held in place?

Can you grab a few photos of the bare rear quarters? Would have to figure out how to mount new units.

Ben -
The cardboard OEMs are held in place by male/female door panel clips as below. Over a dozen fasteners on each side. Same deal in the rear doors, but fewer fasteners.

I will take some photos in the morning and post 'em up.

My simplistic approach would be to simply drill an appropriately sized hole in the new panel at the same locations as the old fasteners. Pop out the female side of the fastener and replace with a nutsert. Attach the new panels with stainless cap head allen drive bolts as below.

 

[wardharris]

Amayama part site shows the OEM rear side panels as being available for around US$ 100 each. Have not found the rear door panels yet.

Just because one of the part site says they are available, that does not mean they actually are....

 

[ForealBoreal]

check wayne's troopie thread here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/troopie-build.436341/page-21

I personally am after something similar to this just a bit more flush.
Countersink all the panels. Pan head fasteners. Rivnut the inside. Would be a little tricky to match up all the holes nice.
I have no problem cutting out the inside of my doors to make this happen. I get that the spare tire carrier would have to be moved to a bumper swing-out (in the plans).

And yes the rear door panels are the same. The side panels have different cut outs but I suspect they are almost the same size.

 

[NateFFEMT]

Id be interested!

 

[fireball]

check wayne's troopie thread here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/troopie-build.436341/page-21

Would be a little tricky to match up all the holes nice.

Wow, that is quite the thread!

Yes indeed would be tricky to get everything to line up. I'll wait to see Wade's photos of the bare panels, but might be easiest to have the new replacement covers predrilled, then clamp them into place to use those holes as pilots/markers for the holes the user will drill to install the riv-nuts. These panels won't be super heavy or structural, so I don't think you need that many mounting points to secure them.

 

[wardharris]

Yes indeed would be tricky to get everything to line up. I'll wait to see Wade's photos of the bare panels, but might be easiest to have the new replacement covers predrilled, then clamp them into place to use those holes as pilots/markers for the holes the user will drill to install the riv-nuts. These panels won't be super heavy or structural, so I don't think you need that many mounting points to secure them.

Photos on the way, but I think the key point here is that if one reproduces the OEM panels in plastic, including holes where the panel fasteners reside, all you have to do is replace the female receivers on the truck body with nutserts.

Don't make it too complicated.

 

[badmoon rising]

please make these and send me a full set asap !!! count me in.

 

[theferg]

Also interested in replacement panels all around. I'd love cutouts for speakers in the front doors and the rear doors and storage spots in the side panels. But I'm open.

 

[wardharris]

Ben -
Combined photo below is the left/driver's side of my 73. You see the trim card at top, looking at the back, upside down. At the bottom is the interior of the body, looking at the back side of the fender. The trim card has a bunch of male fasteners, while the body has the female half. The relative and absolute locations of male (replace by holes in new plastic panels) and female (nutserts installed in body where plastic female pieces are removed) will not vary. Red arrows indicate where male/female parts go. (Is this Cruiser porn?) There are (I think) 15 male/female fastener pairs per side panel.

Step 1 - Make a template from OEM side panels, with holes in exactly the same position as old male fasteners
Step 2 - Using the template, cut plastic panels
Step 3 - Using the template, drill holes in same positions
Step 4 - Remove female parts, install nutserts
Step 5 - Position side panel, insert cap head allen drive bolt and tighten - repeat for other side

 

[fireball]

Ward, could you email me the hi-rez version of that photo?

I don't think we'd need quite as many attachment points. I would however like a little bit of play in the locations....the plastic push pins and cardboard packing of the OEM piece doesn't need to be quite as exact as bolts and nutserts would be, so just a scosch of play.

In the driver side what is behind the big opening towards the rear? Could the new panels just have a hinged door with access to the storage cubby behind it? That would be far easier and cheaper to do than the cubbies in Wayne's Troopy build that was linked above!

 

[wardharris]

Ben -
Email with high rez snaps sent.

Scosch is good.

In the photo, bottom left at rear door is the jack storage compartment, covered by a plastic hatch that pops into the side card.

Yes, panels COULD have a hinged door, but then you get into the world of hinges, latches, alignment, etc. What you propose is certainly less expensive than the "Wayne Standard of Creative Excellence" but his good work is at the other end of the food chain from what I proposed in the first post of this thread - "Not planning on anything that fancy, just some simple panels to replace the cardboard and plastic." No storage bins inside the fender voids.

Having had Kevin's gear in my 62, I would very much prefer something very similar for my 73. The problem is that I am now spoiled, with a constrained budget. Like Wayne's stuff, Kevin's panels are works of art, crafted from the finest materials available for the purpose intended. Metal, stainless steel, marine hardware, etc. http://wagongear.com/project/side-panel-info/ I miss my WagonGear but I am spoiled and if I cannot have something that good (his friends call it Cruiser Art), then I will make do with OEM parts or "some simple panels to replace....."

Some of the respondents above have indicated a replacement need, others have a desire for something more functional. As Kevin is out of the game for now, perhaps you or someone else (Wayne?) might want to step up, but it is not me. I am a buyer, not a builder.

Thanks to all - looking forward to what comes about.

 

[elkaholic]

Some of the respondents above have indicated a replacement need, others have a desire for something more functional. As Kevin is out of the game for now, perhaps you or someone else (Wayne?) might want to step up, but it is not me. I am a buyer, not a builder.

That is where I am as well. Would love to see something come of this as the cards in my 73 are ..... well, they're 28 years old and showing their age a bit.

 

[fireball]

I'm going to call my supplier in a bit and see what kind of pricing and options they have for materials.

Any thoughts as to how much a fair price for these units would be? Or how much folks would be willing to pay?

 

[wardharris]

That is where I am as well. Would love to see something come of this as the cards in my 73 are ..... well, they're 28 years old and showing their age a bit.

Sam -
Thanks for the interest and confirmation. I would love to have more robust solution with storage, but scope creep / mission creep is something that I struggle with on a daily basis.

I'm going to call my supplier in a bit and see what kind of pricing and options they have for materials.

Any thoughts as to how much a fair price for these units would be? Or how much folks would be willing to pay?

Ben -
Per my email, I think 3/16" is the right thickness, with a bit of texture.

As for pricing, the "Basic" option (air vents, no storage, including attachment hardware) would (I think) be something close to OEM replacement panel cost, say $100 each (times four, including rear doors).

For a "Premium" solution, Kevin Rowland charged upwards of $600 a set for 60/62 panels made from steel/HDPE and high end hardware - including stereo options and storage - for side panels only. If you sold a well crafted, easy to install product, the well-endowed owners might go $800 to $1,000. Not sure how many takers would actually pull the trigger, tho.

PS - As I understand it, Kevin's efforts didn't produce much/if any profit. It was a labor of love.

 

[cruiserdan]

As a side note the 1/4 inch thick piece of 6061 aluminum I used to make the tailgate panel for my 80 Series cost me over 100 bucks almost 12 years ago.

 

[wardharris]

As a side note the 1/4 inch thick piece of 6061 aluminum I used to make the tailgate panel for my 80 Series cost me over 100 bucks almost 12 years ago.

Heck, for that price, you could have bought some nice cardboard and vinyl....

 

[cruiserdan]

I know. Using it as a cook top and a work bench is kinda hard on that stuff tho....

 

[wardharris]

If Mr. Toyota wanted you to cook on it, he woulda had an option on the order sheet.

 

[cruiserdan]

The fellow I bough my 74 from did some plastic panels in the back in a textured black. I'll take some photos of them during the day on Wednesday. He fastened them with small machine screws going into colapsible wall anchors. It works. I will also measure the thickness. I can tell you that they are a bit wavy on the sides so whatever that thickness is it should be somewhat thicker than that.