Dove season came early!! (Build thread, kind of.)

[Benjitis1]

Ive owned my rig for 3 years and up until 6 months ago i had only done a springover, rear spring flip, cali spec aisin carb and gm power steering along with new paint and herculiner on the inside and a set of 35" BFG mt's. I didnt plan on wheeling it too much...until it got boring drivin on the street, all 5 times. So 6 months ago i really dove in! Aussie lockers front and rear, SM420 with AA adpater, newer gm tilt and borgeson/flaming river components, trac bar after a snapped pinion, mini truck disc brakes, 30 splined longfield inners/outers and hub gears, twin sticked the 3spd case, 15 gallon aluminum fuel cell recessed in rear of tub, working blinkers/brakes and headlights, and more that ive forgot. Ive been on 4 wheelin trips since i finished all this and something was still missing...Every tree, rock, root,etc, was trying to scrape down the sides of the body. Everyone on the trail would jump out of their rigs and help push my rig away from obstacles to keep it scratch free. AND...when my buddy Les (Hlb3) would take the bonus lines that looked like WAY more fun, i had to hold back because i would scratch the paint and get pinched. Heres my latest project and hopefully the cure to most body damage and getting stuck between 2 trees!!

 

[Benjitis1]

Still need to fully weld everything back together, but you get the idea. I narrowed the body 2.5 inches on each side at rear of door sill and i think it was 9" on each side at rear quarter panels, cant remember now It took two full days to fully disassemble interior (cage, seats, fuel cell, etc) and get evrything tacked up. I didnt want the rear as narrow as a single swing out door, so i'll get an aluminum panel to put in its place, and i dont have to worry about rear frame/crossmember sticking out passed quarters too far (still have to chop ends of bumper off though. After i get it welded up i'll start planning for a new cage and new seats, which i have no idea where to start on either. Id go metaltech since theyre only 2.5 hours from me, but their B pillar is too wide since ive narrowed the mid section and dovetailed. May go with their front cage kit and have the rest bent up by Les. So whatcha think fellas?

 

[spdwaver]

I thought you were going to say something about a camo rig with a ten-hooked dove stringer...

Looks...well I don't have the words. Functional? It would take a roll-over to get that body damaged.

 

[hlb3]

Wow, I was expecting pics of some sliders or something when I clicked on the link, that looks good! You got any pics of where you sectioned the tub at?

 

[Benjitis1]

Top pic is where i cut along the door. Next two are of the rear wheel well. Jenn was moving pretty fast to grab me another PBR so she blurred in the pic! Its a lot easier when you the second side. The sliders will be next, probably before the cage.

 

[hlb3]

Nice, looks like a pretty good chunk of metal you hacked out!

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Wow. I guess that's a solution to prevent body damage. Why not invest in some armor, tube fenders, sliders, etc? May be more $$ but at least you can keep the classic land cruiser lines and save some precious interior space. Looks like you can weld. I bet you could have made your own stuff cheap. Hope you don't ever have to sell it.

Anyway, have fun with it, that's the important thing.

 

[Bossman]

NICE - but you gotta do something about that rear bumper quick!

 

[Benjitis1]

Lots of metal came out
I will be makin sliders and tube fenders in the near future. As for interior space, i didnt lose any since i cut on the outside of the wheelwells. Rear seat and fuel cell can still fit...but im ditchin the rear seat to save 30lbs.
Yeah, the rear bumper is gonna be my anchor!! I'll chop the ends off this sunday.

 

[CruisinMT]

I've never seen anything like that before. I just rattle can my rig that way if I scratch it I don't have to worry too much.

 

[Benjitis1]

Youve never seen a dovetailed rig before?? Many comp rigs do it, along with lots of tube Its mainly to keep me from gettin wedged between rocks and trees, which will also keep the sheetmetal from gettin crumpled. There are a few guys on MUD that have done it.