Builds Field Crust - Reviving a 1982 Pickup

The Machinist · Aug 3, 2025

I added a voltmeter and charge ports to the dash. I also ran power to the bed to power my old 12v fridge. Loomed and insulated everything and tucked away as much of it as was reasonable. Tried to keep the wiring somewhat clean.

I got bored one night after work and rigged up a high idle switch using two old vacuum switching valves I had in a spare parts box. It uses the AC idle up on the carb and is wired into the up and down arrows on the switch panel. Works great for when the air compressor is on continuously for something like airing up tires or filling float tubes at the river.

The Machinist · Aug 3, 2025

For the sliders, I made some frame plates out of 3/16" x 3" flat bar and each leg is gusseted. The welds are not quite as pretty as the ones some of you guys are making, but they are plenty strong. Its pretty challenging to get into some of the tight corners under the truck!

The Machinist · Aug 3, 2025

I stole the seats out of my landcruiser, they fit nicely in here. I also ordered a set of door cards on ebay. They came from Thailand and are really good! Someday I'll track down all of the missing trim pieces.

The Machinist · Aug 3, 2025

Quick disconnect air chuck in the wheelwell worked out perfectly. The manifold on the ARB has a nearly straight shot to a factory hole in the bed support that is perfectly sized for a bulkhead fitting.

The Machinist · Aug 3, 2025

I'm still waiting on my buddy to upload all of the pictures and videos from Rubithon, but for now I'll just say that this truck performed flawlessly and was such a blast to drive! I think this is the perfect setup for the Rubicon; short wheelbase, narrow track width, decent ground clearance, but not overbuilt. It walked up pretty much everything but still kept things challenging enough to be fun the whole way through!