Quite an undertaking! I am very much enjoying this build.
Builds Harumi the Rusty Rescue JDM HJ60 - Build Thread (7 Viewers)
- Thread starter BrickRunner
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- diesel jdm rust repair
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mongoose2231
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When o saw the condition of your roof, all I was thinking is gasoline and lighter, sheesh man! I had to fight the rust monster, but not to that extent.
Looks great so far.
Looks great so far.
Inspiring work! These are the kind of threads that make me feel better about the rust on my truck. 
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- #264
I went on a weekend adventure camping in Jawbone Canyon. I put the cruiser through its paces with numerous hill climbs, washes, and a few rocks and ruts.
We had some light showers on the way up and some sprinkles overnight so I made due with a tarp for a roof while I slept.
Quite the eclectic convoy:
We had some light showers on the way up and some sprinkles overnight so I made due with a tarp for a roof while I slept.
Quite the eclectic convoy:
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- #265
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- #266
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- #267
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- #268
A little yard work...
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- #269
More progress on the roof courtesy of SendCutSend:
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- #270
The PTO winch makes quick work concrete fence post footings.
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- #271
Stumps put up more of a fight, but eventually submit...
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- #272
I fixed the thermometer readout. Both temperatures would simply read E. It turned out to be a corroded connection for the outside sensor towards the front of the engine bay. For some reason this caused both to give the error code. Good info for troubleshooting here.
Not a typical April this year...
Not a typical April this year...
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- #273
From Jawbone a few weeks ago:
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- #274
Another batch from send cut send, this time filling the gaps above the windshield and lift gate:
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So I don't think you wrote much on the camper/roof situation plans initial, is the goal to be removal or permanent?
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- #276
Long story short:
It will be removable, but not something that comes on and off quickly like a 4Runner shell. It will come off for paint next year, and then stay bolted on. It does leave open the possibility of doing something different in the future.
Long story long:
The plan very much evolved over time. When I first bought the cruiser, my initial thought was to repair the highroof, remove and fill in the sunroof, and get a roof rack that could mount a rooftop tent. I also toyed with the idea of a campteq, but the fact that I would need to repair the roof anyway steered me away from that.
As I poked, prodded, and dug into the rust, it became apparent that I would need a complete donor roof to at the very least pull drip rails and patch panels from, if not chop and weld in whole. Oof. If I was going to put the time and money into a new roof, I didn't want the same moisture trapping rust prone mess.
I considered making a fiberglass mold for an extra tall high roof, but i am not a body guy. I do, however, live and breath Solidworks. Much of my design experience is sheet metal panels and brackets for machine tools. I was also aware of aluminum extrusions as they are used frequently for machine and robot cells at my work. Aha! I then found the previously mentioned Tacoma DIY build. The challenge was mating the straight edge of the extrusions to the curvature of the cruiser roof while being bolt on. I had a general design idea, but many of the details have been design as I go, as it often is with prototyping. I didn't write much initially because it was still nebulous.
I wanted it to be easy to assemble and modify, to minimize modifications to the body apart from removal of the drip rails and roof skin, and to fit through a standard 7' garage door. So far so good!
One could take the basic mounting structure idea I designed and make a super duper high roof, a soft top, or even a cabover camper.
Word salad...
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- #277
Forward sleeping platform supports tacked together and installed. I'm planning on having a hatch in the middle to crawl up from the front seat onto the platform. It's a bit tight but I'm still trim and somewhat flexible, for now...
The thermometer/altimeter sticks out into the space where the hatch would be, so I will need to make a new box for it to move it out of the way:
The thermometer/altimeter sticks out into the space where the hatch would be, so I will need to make a new box for it to move it out of the way:
