HDJ100 - Body off renovation, now with a hot dip galvanised frame *Picture Heavy*

[Moridinbg]

It's a 280Ah lithium battery. It will go behind the seats once I get to building the drawers. I plan to make another distributor box inside the car that will route power for lights, USBs, outlets, inverter, DC-DC in, etc that will connect to the battery via the large anderson plug.
I made the battery usable independently of this because it will take me a while to do the drawers and I might have a few uses for it outside of the car.

For heating I made this heater thing. It's a production version of the contraption from a few posts above. One air duct for hot air to the tent and another duct that will suck air for heating from the tent.

Inside is an Eberspacher Airtronic, instead of the Chinese piece of crap I tried previously. It's noticeably noisier, but has much much better control of temperature.
After 30-40 minutes of working at full power, it got up to 27C/80F inside the box.

I integrated the pump with a fuel can. I was considering integrating the can and heater in a larger box, but this might be a bit more convenient.

 

[Moridinbg]

When you go active with the dsp you won’t need rears or you can throw in a dedicated midbass on two Channels of heavier amplification and get that 80hz-400hz really thumpin...if you like kick drums and what not

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW were you right!

I went with the factory amp for the last 7 months until I finally caved in and went ahead and purchased this amp + DSP that I have been eyeing since I started looking into aftermarket speakers and amps.

It fits beautifully in the armrest, replacing the factory CD changer.

Everything is easy to access and there is plenty of space around the amp, it occupies less than 50% of the void. I had some concerns of it overheating, with the transmission being right underneath, but so far in the winter weather that has not been an issue at all.

I also got a calibrated measurement mic to set things properly.

I am completely blown away! Everybody must do this!
If you have replaced your speakers and/or amp and think that you have made an improvement, you should really try an active system. It's almost as much an upgrade for the aftermarket speakers and amp, as they are for the factory system!
Properly tweaking the speaker delays and equalisation really brings the sound quality to another level. Much more vibrant and expansive sound.

 

[Pucker5]

You baller! That dsp is a good unit. Prolly makes my setup sound like a ghetto blaster

 

[RoughOne]

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW were you right!

I went with the factory amp for the last 7 months until I finally caved in and went ahead and purchased this amp + DSP that I have been eyeing since I started looking into aftermarket speakers and amps.

View attachment 2886945

It fits beautifully in the armrest, replacing the factory CD changer.

View attachment 2886946

Everything is easy to access and there is plenty of space around the amp, it occupies less than 50% of the void. I had some concerns of it overheating, with the transmission being right underneath, but so far in the winter weather that has not been an issue at all.

View attachment 2886947

I also got a calibrated measurement mic to set things properly.

View attachment 2886948

I am completely blown away! Everybody must do this!
If you have replaced your speakers and/or amp and think that you have made an improvement, you should really try an active system. It's almost as much an upgrade for the aftermarket speakers and amp, as they are for the factory system!
Properly tweaking the speaker delays and equalisation really brings the sound quality to another level. Much more vibrant and expansive sound.Great

WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW were you right!

I went with the factory amp for the last 7 months until I finally caved in and went ahead and purchased this amp + DSP that I have been eyeing since I started looking into aftermarket speakers and amps.

View attachment 2886945

It fits beautifully in the armrest, replacing the factory CD changer.

View attachment 2886946

Everything is easy to access and there is plenty of space around the amp, it occupies less than 50% of the void. I had some concerns of it overheating, with the transmission being right underneath, but so far in the winter weather that has not been an issue at all.

View attachment 2886947

I also got a calibrated measurement mic to set things properly.

View attachment 2886948

I am completely blown away! Everybody must do this!
If you have replaced your speakers and/or amp and think that you have made an improvement, you should really try an active system. It's almost as much an upgrade for the aftermarket speakers and amp, as they are for the factory system!
Properly tweaking the speaker delays and equalisation really brings the sound quality to another level. Much more vibrant and expansive sound.

Very nice! My LX470 at the shop & my DSP/amp being hooked up today!

 

[Moridinbg]

I shamelessly copied @clrussell design for a swing away carrier with stock bumper.

Then after some advice from my fabricator buddy I simplified it a bit and shed some weight (16kg projected vs 22kg). Also sized it so that I can potentially fit 2x 33" tires with very little rear visibility restriction and still having stop and turn signals visible.

I won't lie, the first one looks way better to me. But on the other hand it won't be visible with the tire on.
I will play some more with designs before committing to the laser.

I also replaced the rear sub with the largest and lowest playing 6.5" I could find - KL Audio 6w3v3. I had to add about 40mm spacer so that it won't touch the bottom of the enclosure. I will also have to replace the stock mesh.
It starts booming right at 40Hz and I cut it at 80, where the Hertz in the doors take over. Unfortunately the stock enclosure (Pioneer for Europe instead of JBL) has very restrictive bass reflex, so I can't get it louder than 90-93dB, measured at the front seat, without heavy distortions

Also finally got my awning - 270 XT MAX™ Awning - https://www.thebushcompanyusa.com/product/270-xt-max-awning/ It's completely free standing - no legs provided and it's MASSIVE.

I have also ****ed up a bit. I got the passenger side version, which comes right in the way of the opening for the handle for deploying the Maggiolina RTT.
Del

 

[clrussell]

I shamelessly copied @clrussell design for a swing away carrier with stock bumper.

View attachment 2916545

Then after some advice from my fabricator buddy I simplified it a bit and shed some weight (16kg projected vs 22kg). Also sized it so that I can potentially fit 2x 33" tires with very little rear visibility restriction and still having stop and turn signals visible.

View attachment 2916548

I won't lie, the first one looks way better to me. But on the other hand it won't be visible with the tire on.
I will play some more with designs before committing to the laser.

I also replaced the rear sub with the largest and lowest playing 6.5" I could find - KL Audio 6w3v3. I had to add about 40mm spacer so that it won't touch the bottom of the enclosure. I will also have to replace the stock mesh.
It starts booming right at 40Hz and I cut it at 80, where the Hertz in the doors take over. Unfortunately the stock enclosure (Pioneer for Europe instead of JBL) has very restrictive bass reflex, so I can't get it louder than 90-93dB, measured at the front seat, without heavy distortions

View attachment 2916557


Also finally got my awning - 270 XT MAX™ Awning - https://www.thebushcompanyusa.com/product/270-xt-max-awning/ It's completely free standing - no legs provided and it's MASSIVE.

View attachment 2916571

I have also f***ed up a bit. I got the passenger side version, which comes right in the way of the opening for the handle for deploying the Maggiolina RTT...

That looks great on both designs. Only Problem I see on the later one is how do you latch it? My latch is in a less than ideal spot anyway, (if my rig was 6” taller it would be so much better) that one would have to be behind the tire?

 

[YvesNL]

Awesome Build! I really like the galvanized zinc coating on the frame, definitely something I would like to do.

I like your tire carrier design. One thing I don't like on most tire carriers is the latch design. On most you have to reach down under a tire to open and close the latch.
I think it would be very nice to use a slam latch, like your doors and tailgate to keep them closed. You can then use a cable with handle to a convenient location to open them up.

 

[clrussell]

Awesome Build! I really like the galvanized zinc coating on the frame, definitely something I would like to do.

I like your tire carrier design. One thing I don't like on most tire carriers is the latch design. On most you have to reach down under a tire to open and close the latch.
I think it would be very nice to use a slam latch, like your doors and tailgate to keep them closed. You can then use a cable with handle to a convenient location to open them up.

Slam latch has its benefits and downfalls. My last swing out used the slam latch. It was very nice for closing it, but finicky opening and it was hard on fingers.

 

[Moridinbg]

The press brake here can't bend 5mm well and the plasma CNC is out of service, so I had to order the bracket made and it took them 3 weeks! Lead times are ridiculous right now.

I started learning to work with the old school lathe

Next is the bearings shell

 

[Moridinbg]

Up to 40% of the Bulgarian steel imports were from Russia and Ukraine. This is down to zero now. Last Friday generic sheet metal was 2.50BGN/kg. Tuesday it went up to 2.90 and this Friday it was 3.20/kg I think I should stockpile on materials for my upcoming projects...

I machined the bearings shell out of 76x16mm piece of tube. 76x10 would have been ideal, but who knows when that would be available.

Not terrible, not great. The larger groove is for the oil seal at the bottom, the smaller one for the bearing race.

Made a mistake when writing the dimensions down on paper and had to re-machine the spindle so that the shell will sit a little bit lower.

My welds are improving. I used to weld like a second grader, now I have advanced at least to a third grader The only things I have ever welded were stuff for the car - rock sliders, underbody armor, winch plate, etc.

Test fitment looks good

Now that this is finally done and I can measure the true distances, the only thing left is to bend the tubes for the carrier itself. I am thinking to leave 40-45mm (~1.6") between the carrier and the rear hatch. Should I make the gap larger or would that be enough?

I am also wondering if I should make two carriers or just one? A second tyre will add ~120lb and it will be a real headache with lights visibility. On the other hand with only one spare, once you use it you have no spares...

 

[IndroCruise]

Up to 40% of the Bulgarian steel imports were from Russia and Ukraine. This is down to zero now. Last Friday generic sheet metal was 2.50BGN/kg. Tuesday it went up to 2.90 and this Friday it was 3.20/kg I think I should stockpile on materials for my upcoming projects...

I machined the bearings shell out of 76x16mm piece of tube. 76x10 would have been ideal, but who knows when that would be available.

View attachment 2951127

Not terrible, not great. The larger groove is for the oil seal at the bottom, the smaller one for the bearing race.

View attachment 2951128

Made a mistake when writing the dimensions down on paper and had to re-machine the spindle so that the shell will sit a little bit lower.

View attachment 2951129

My welds are improving. I used to weld like a second grader, now I have advanced at least to a third grader The only things I have ever welded were stuff for the car - rock sliders, underbody armor, winch plate, etc.

View attachment 2951136

Test fitment looks good

View attachment 2951137

Now that this is finally done and I can measure the true distances, the only thing left is to bend the tubes for the carrier itself. I am thinking to leave 40-45mm (~1.6") between the carrier and the rear hatch. Should I make the gap larger or would that be enough?

I am also wondering if I should make two carriers or just one? A second tyre will add ~120lb and it will be a real headache with lights visibility. On the other hand with only one spare, once you use it you have no spares...

Two spares?? Always a difficult decision. Opinions vary.

For ‘ordinary’ travels mainly in coastal Australia, I find good quality Light Truck (LT) tyres kept in good condition with one spare wheel-and-tyre plus repair kit and compressor are enough.

For major trips in remote areas of Australia (where “remote” means hundreds of kilometres or miles from help across large parts of this country), I carry two spares. Vehicle recovery from remote locations is hugely expensive and it is no fun sitting in around in 50degC heat (120degF) trying to call in help via satphone and waiting for it to arrive. Cellphone coverage will be weak to non-existent. In my case, one spare is located on the ARB-supplied KAYMAR carrier at the rear and one is slung under the car in the usual spot, or, if better underbody clearance is necessary, it is lashed inside the car (with third row seats removed and at least two-thirds of second row seats folded or removed as well. For convenience, the second spare goes back into the garage when the vehicle is at home and not "on tour".

Maybe I am too conservative – for better stability I prefer not to accumulate a large mass of stuff high up on a roof-rack – and a wheel-and-tyre are a PITA to get up and down from there anyway -- and I prefer not to add yet another wheel-and-tyre on a carrier about 1 metre back from the rear axle centre line with increased moment and force on the rear springs and reduced moment and force on the front suspension, all with some changes in vehicle dynamics. (I use Toyota Australian-delivered OEM 17” alloy wheels with Toyota-specified tyre size, currently using BFG LT 275/65R17 121/118S KO2 which weigh 37.1 kg or ~82 pounds on the bathroom scales, plus carrier weight).

Compliance with the Australian limit on Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) of 3,260 kilograms (7,172 pounds) is important here – difficult but possible when the payload is only Mr and Mrs IndroCruise and their stuff. Police and Insurers in Australia are taking a much greater interest in GVM compliance nowadays. Over-GVM means the vehicle is unroadworthy in all Australian States. If detected on the road, over-GVM means that driver can be directed to unload at the side of the road to achieve compliance or face having the vehicle impounded. This is very inconvenient either way!! Unroadworthy also means Insurers are not interested in claims and if litigation for damages or injury follows an accident, then the outcome will not be good for the over-GVM driver.

I also like to keep the AHC/TEMS systems working properly with AHC pressures within the FSM-specified ranges using torsion bar adjustments and KING KTRS-79 rear springs. So, no heavy rear bar with double-swingouts for me!

"Vehicle purpose" is important. For a vehicle that spends around 90% of the time as a suburban daily driver, these arrangements are fine and provide a reliable, long-life, very comfortable and very capable multi-purpose tourer which I am happy to take anywhere.

If the duty was 90% of the time on rough unsealed roads and trails, then a heavy duty conventional suspension and Certified GVM Upgrade for the LC100 would be the way to go, or maybe a replacement “Land Cruiser 70 series” wagon or dual-cab -- Specs & Dimensions | LC70 Workmate, GX, GXL | Toyota AU - https://www.toyota.com.au/landcruiser-70/range.

Instead, my LC100 with AHC has gone to the extended family on the other side of the country and the recently acquired LC200 is getting the “trail-ready treatment” including Certified GVM Upgrade to give an increased payload legal in Australia – but a rear bar with dual swingouts still seems unlikely due to everyday inconvenience when wanting to open the boot.

The ‘rules’ are different in other countries and jurisdictions. Plenty of IH8MUD posts describe some very heavy LC100/LX470 vehicles operating very successfully elsewhere and demonstrate the conservatism of the LC100/LX470 engineering design, even though there will be an increased wear-and-tear maintenance cost penalty for heavy vehicles.

 

[Mike NXP]

Up to 40% of the Bulgarian steel imports were from Russia and Ukraine. This is down to zero now. Last Friday generic sheet metal was 2.50BGN/kg. Tuesday it went up to 2.90 and this Friday it was 3.20/kg I think I should stockpile on materials for my upcoming projects...

I machined the bearings shell out of 76x16mm piece of tube. 76x10 would have been ideal, but who knows when that would be available.

View attachment 2951127

Not terrible, not great. The larger groove is for the oil seal at the bottom, the smaller one for the bearing race.

View attachment 2951128

Made a mistake when writing the dimensions down on paper and had to re-machine the spindle so that the shell will sit a little bit lower.

View attachment 2951129

My welds are improving. I used to weld like a second grader, now I have advanced at least to a third grader The only things I have ever welded were stuff for the car - rock sliders, underbody armor, winch plate, etc.

View attachment 2951136

Test fitment looks good

View attachment 2951137

Now that this is finally done and I can measure the true distances, the only thing left is to bend the tubes for the carrier itself. I am thinking to leave 40-45mm (~1.6") between the carrier and the rear hatch. Should I make the gap larger or would that be enough?

I am also wondering if I should make two carriers or just one? A second tyre will add ~120lb and it will be a real headache with lights visibility. On the other hand with only one spare, once you use it you have no spares...

Nice work, your build is fun to follow.

I like the two spare look and peace of mind but like you said it's a bunch more weight. Seeing as you managed to keep the stock rear setup with a swingout, adding more weight would be a bummer.

Almost all of my flats can be either limped home or repaired with a plug kit. I've had my fair share of flat tires but chances are I would go for the plug repair kit before the spare tire. My vote is for single tire swingout.

 

[wildsmith]

I think you're probably going to find that flexes quite a lot once you put an arm on it. It looks like it's just bolted to the side wall of the chassis? I think the design you were inspired by had gussets to a sturdy tow bar mount on the underside of the chassis as well which would stiffen it up a lot.

 

[Moridinbg]

There is a sturdy 8mm tow bar bracket that is protruding horizontally underneath the chassis. My bracket rests on top of it and is bolted to it in addition to being bolted to the side of the chassis. I believe this will prevent any flex.

 

[renago]

I generally find that 2 spare wheels are NOT necessary in 90 % of cases .
yet alone the spare wheel hanging out on the rear of the vehicle .
it might not flex on a static inspection , but certainly will greatly stress the fixing points if used off roading.
much more efficient investment would be a good repair set , compressor , patches ,tire cement ,tools , tubes and sewing set for tires .
The last one might sound fancy and old fashion , but I can assure you it can make a big difference when you are really remote .
cost ,weight are really minor .
in the photo is what I mean

 

[Moridinbg]

I was contemplating a 2nd spare, as I am planning a very big trip this summer that is going to some remote places. In the end I decided against it as this is going to be 65-70kg additional weight in the back and I am counting on the Toyo MTs to be tough enough that I wont be having unusable tires.

This is the European towbar brackets design

And the carrier sits like this. I will have to add a small piece between the bracket and the frame.

Ukrainian steel. Testing the spring back of the thicker tubing I was forced to use, due to availability here. Steel is getting harder to come by here, most yards are not publishing prices and quantities any more, as it is hard for them to keep them up to date.

And finally!

It is intentionally offset to the passenger side, as I plan to have the drawer system higher there and keep rearwards visibility on the driver side and it will partially balance the tank weight. License plate will go on the highlighted part of the plastic bumper.
Waiting on the latch now.

 

[Moridinbg]

I built a new roof rack and installed the awning. It's absolutely massive! 12 sq m - 129 sq ft

I went with 30x30 mm extruded aluminium (8020). I will also finally be able to install the LED bar.
In hindsight, I should have gone with 35x35 or even 40x40, but that would have been 2x heavier and 2x more expensive.

The roof and gutters are very curved. I hate building around curves. The gutters are sloped outwards of the car, the middle, behind the sunroof they are higher than the ends and they are not parallel - the front is 7cm wider than the rear...

I wanted the rack to be as wide as the middle part. Front of the body is wider and rear is narrower. I tried to align it with a laser, but wasn't really successful. It's very hard to get the laser mounted to a high enough point and aligned correctly with the car. All the curves do not help either.

Eventually I did it by measuring the offset between the rack and 3 points that are mirrored in both gutters - bolts and a bulge and made sure they are the same. I am using the calipers just as a probe.

Using a piece of profile I distanced it at 30mm from the highest point on the roof. Cars experience very dynamic forces and weight distributions, but there should be a reference level position
I could tweak the AHC until I got it perfect, but instead I just inflated and deflated tires until the front wheel arches were equal distance from the ground and the rear were equal, while also about 20mm higher than the front, which took me all of about 90 seconds This should be the default rake and a good reference position.

I wanted to place the 3 main beams on top of or as close, as possible to body attachment points for maximum support. The awning brackets will mount to the beams.
The CNC plasma is not working and workshops around are swamped with work, so I manually cut all brackets from scrap metal with a grinder and band saw.
Used 5mm for the bracket attaching to the rack.

Made some adjustable brackets with a slot to conform to all curves and slopes.
I should have used way thinner metal just to prototype this, instead once I have adjusted everything, I welded them together and filled in the slot with more weld

The awning brackets are pretty wide, so I added additional pieces, braced to the main beams

Load bearing test

This awning is just gigantic. I should lower it to the level of the roof.

Attachment

Next - painting the brackets and mounting the tent next to it. As mentioned, I wish I went with thicker aluminium, at least for the cross beams. When I pull on the end of the awning arms, the rack beams bend to a bow shape, especially the front one, as it is pretty far from the body bracket. The tent weight should probably offset that a bit, but I think I will bolt a piece of steel L bracket for stiffness there.

 

[Moridinbg]

The roof is mostly done.

I kept reading how easy T-slot aluminium is to work with. **** that noise.

It's good for prototyping and if you don't have the option to weld aluminium or steel is too heavy. Dealing with all the 1 million fasteners (+/- a hundred thousand or so) is not fun. If you find out that you have to add a nut to the middle of a section you have to take everything apart. There are small nuts that can go through the channel, but they are tiny (the silver ones top left) and not suitable for heavy loads.
I would git gud with welding aluminium, rather than deal with this again.

This is the final construction. The awning brackets are wide, so there is a second piece of aluminium braced to the cross beam. The bracket is 20mm (18-19mm actual) high, so I had to lift the tent 20mm. Went with spruce planks that I cut & oiled with some cooking board oil that I had lying around. That way the tent aso sits on a softer surface, instead of on metal.

I have left some horns in front while I figure out the LED bar attachment.

I also added 3mm steel L angle on the first and last crossbeam, where all the force from the awning beams is directly transferred. They were flexing a lot. 40mm aluminium bars would have been a lot stronger, but they are 2x heavier (2kg/m vs 1kg/m). The L angle helped a lot, but did not fully solve it. Resting the tent on top pretty much eliminated it. It also made the awning a lot stiffer.

There is no visible flex in any of the other beams. If aluminium hadn't gotten so damn expensive (290-310% compared to 2021 here) I might have replaced the outer 2 beams with 40mm

Final weight - ~20kg (44lb) - 10.5kg aluminium, 4kg steel angles, ~1kg fasteners, 3-4kg brackets. ??kg wood

The awning brackets go under the tent, which is attached to the bottom of the roof rack, which makes it one unit. 0 points for practicality

I also added plastic caps for the channels. Can't say I noticed any sound difference with the tent and awning on, but it will keep the dirt out.
Lots of wind noise with the sunroof opened, but the tent covers it, so I can't use it anyway. When it's closed it's barely audible. I certainly am glad that I added so much noise absorbing material to the roof, even to the sun shade.
Noise picks up a lot more above 120kmph/75mph (87mph legal max), but once I put the 33" M/Ts back on fuel consumption will pick up faster, so it isn't too much of a concern

Pretty cool though

 

[Mike NXP]

Dang, some serious blood sweat and tears going into this build. The final product is looking really good.

How do you feel about the awning, worth it once setup?

 

[AustinJoe]

Curious to see if that inner tie rod replacement will help with the steering pull / drifting

I replaced my inner and outer tie rods recently. It made a HUGE difference.