Builds Inglorious B@sterd Build Thread

[YMT]

I've been slowly working on my rig, which I picked up in December, 2016. The PO rolled it once over completely; the doors, fenders, driver's side rear quarter panel and roof were beyond repair (for my skills).
The pillars (except driver's side A pillar) were straight up to about the halfway point, just above the hinges but below the window lines.

Here's the other details on the rig:
1991
182k miles
Rust free and clean on inside (except for glass from the rollover).

I drove it around for a test drive and checked to see if there were any hidden damages from the rollover. Besides the wind (no windshield) everything sounded excellent.

I bought it a couple days before Christmas, and the PO hauled it to my house for me, about 2 hours away, a few days later.
I paid $1800 for it, which included the delivery.
Pictures from the day I bought it.

 

[YMT]

A friend and fellow Mud member, @Tank5, traded a rolling FJ80 chassis and body, with doors and all glass, but gutted interior, for my tractor, a Ford NAA. The rolling chassis had non-locker axles and 33's. He also included a 350 Chevy carb'd engine, Saginaw tranny and a Dana 20 t-case.
My plan was to pull as many parts as needed from the the parts body, keep the tires, and sell whatever extra parts to fund my endeavor.
Here's the tractor:

 

[YMT]

I pulled the doors, windows and tires off the parts rig and was able to bolt the driver's side doors on without issue.

 

[YMT]

The passenger side doors were kinked by the roof, but I was able to pry them open, with some massaging of the roof with a BFH.
I am keeping the old doors, and am planning to chop them into half doors in the future.
Here's some pictures of the carnage.

 

[YMT]

About a month ago I started the cutting. I've been limited on time to work, especially because our monsoon season started about when I was ready to cut metal.
I cut the A pillars and the roof just in front of the B pillar (assuming the roof was heavy, I thought it best to 1/3 it) (sorry, no pictures). Then I cut the B pillars and the roof in front of the C pillar, then got rained out.

 

[YMT]

Three weeks ago, I finished cutting off the roof. I initially cut lower on the D pillar, then realized the internal metal was structural, so I opted to cut above.
This was fairly time consuming, since I would cut for about 5-10 seconds, then wait about 30+ seconds for the sheet metal to cool, so I wouldn't warp it; what better time to enjoy a . Cut, sip, repeat.

 

[YMT]

Last week, I decided to start cutting on the parts rig. I wanted to keep the roof and pillars, plus the driver's side rear quarter panel, to fix the dent on my project. I tried to save the windshield on the parts rig, but no dice.
The body of my parts rig is from Venezuela, and was owned by an outfitter. It came with the snorkel (previous post). It was a diesel with lockers, however, due to titling issues, or rather import issues, my friend and I opted to part it out, rather than deal with the beauracratic nightmare of titling it.
The body has some serious cancer on the rockers, with the driver's side rocker and body mounts rusted away.
The leftover body is fit for the scrap pile, so I decided to section it for easy hauling. I cut off the firewall, then cut at the base of the C pillar (not pictured). The two pieces of tub were still fairly heavy.

 

[YMT]

More parts rig chop pics.

I primarily used a Dremel Saw Max saw, which does wonders on sheet metal. The disks are 2.5" (I think), and are fairly cheap, and last a while- I used 3 disks for all the pillars for both rigs, and then another disk to cut out the rear quarter.
I also had to enlist the DeWalt HD sawsall for cutting the tub- I burnt through several blades, mostly from them getting bent with all the different metal layers.

 

[YMT]

Today, I chopped up my rolling chassis- I sold the front axle a month or so ago, so I guess it's a half-roll. I cut the front winch cradle off which was welded to the frame; rather than trying to cut through the welds, I cut about 4" of frame off- (I will get pictures later). Then I cut the frame in front of the front LCA mount, and again cut the frame behind the rear LCA mount. I used my DeWalt 4.5" grinder, and only 2 disks- within the first 15 seconds, the first disk chunked, breaking about 1/4 of it off; thankfully it hit the ground, and didn't become a projectile.
I want to keep the sliders, LCA mounts, and some of the body mounts that a PO welded on to fit the FJ40 body it used to have, so I am keeping about 5' of frame from each side. I am toying with the idea of a frame stretch in the future, to make a 4 door cab and add a Tacoma short bed (shortened further), but that is down the road, since I want to get this thing street legal ASAP!

 

[YMT]

Today I also gutted my parts rear axle. I am keeping the innards for spares and am giving the housing to my friend, so he can cut it up to make a work station for working on gears, lockers, etc. I will have to get pictures tomorrow in the daylight.

 

[thatcabledude]

Wowzers.

 

[Red Merle]

Lot of stuff going on here.

 

[nukegoat]

Yeah I was expecting 32" tires and a discussion on steering wheel recovering. Impressed.

 

[Heckraiser]

So far just a bunch of wanton destruction. Waiting for some construction

 

[YMT]

I didn't mention in previous posts, but here's a list of what my plans are for this rig.

-Replace roof
-Replace rear quarter panel damage
-Upgrade to 37"+ tires (I really want to run 40s, but may not be there for a long while)
-Install rear locker (which I have)
-Remove 3rd row seats
-Fab up front bumper, using winch cradle
-Fab up rear bumper with integrated receiver
-Bedline the exterior
-Replace factory stereo system
-Lift about 4"
-Cut fenders


These are other mods I'm considering, but may be a few months or years out:
-stretch wheelbase about 8-12"
-Shorten the cab to just behind rear doors
-Add a bobbed Tacoma short bed (or make my own)
-V8 swap

 

[nukegoat]

Dont run 40s on stock axles unless youre staying at the malls

 

[YMT]

Yeah, I know the stock axles aren't suited to the stress of 40s. 37s are about the max. And that's why I may just got to 37, and dream of 40s.

 

[YMT]

So far just a bunch of wanton destruction. Waiting for some construction

Well, I made some progress this morning, then had to stopped for rain. Even though I'm working in the carport, the roof leaks under heavy downpour.
I used my 3 ton engine lift to raise the "new" roof, then I moved my utility trailer under, and was able to get it moved to my carport. I then used heavy duty ratchet straps (axle straps for trailering) to raise the roof enough to drive under. The roof weighs around 150 lbs +/-, and the straps are 10k rated, so I'm not worried about breakage.
I cut the parts rig pillars a few inches longer, to allow some margin for error. I currently have the roof suspended so I can measure then trim to fit, then I will lower it.
I will have to get more pictures later, after the rain, so I can show it without the tarps.

 

[BlueCruiser84]

I did something similar with a rolled rig. Though I skipped straight to chop it behind the front doors. I just swapped the front roof section out so I can run full doors. The half doors were great, but not so conducive to winter driving.

Keep the pics coming.

 

[YMT]

I did something similar with a rolled rig. Though I skipped straight to chop it behind the front doors. I just swapped the front roof section out so I can run full doors. The half doors were great, but not so conducive to winter driving.

Keep the pics coming.

Your build gave me the idea of adding the pickup bed. But I need 4 doors for the family.

I plan on keeping the full doors ( the blue ones) and hacking the original doors into half-doors for summer.