Builds Not another "Fire Truck" build......HZJ75

[harshjay]

this is great. I have a Nissan Safari that I am working on. The rear seat area is so butchered up, not sure what to do with it yet. I have the back seats from a Dodge Ram, but they are wider than the Nissan cab...so, I either use 2/3 of the bench, or skip seats all together and create a flat cargo / tool area. Like, I don't drive around people in my LC100, when will I do that in an old Nissan?

 

[AB10]

This is an awesome build! Congratulations on your new workshop… do you fancy doing more of these builds for others in your workshop? I am in a process of importing my HZJ70 from Japan and embarking on the fire truck conversion. Looking for someone in the US who can do this for me. I am based in Northern California.

 

[African]

this is great. I have a Nissan Safari that I am working on. The rear seat area is so butchered up, not sure what to do with it yet. I have the back seats from a Dodge Ram, but they are wider than the Nissan cab...so, I either use 2/3 of the bench, or skip seats all together and create a flat cargo / tool area. Like, I don't drive around people in my LC100, when will I do that in an old Nissan?View attachment 3445967View attachment 3445968

Nice Iv seen a few of the old Nissans and love them. Ya you'v got your work cut out for you on the back seat area. At the point i do a full repaint of the truck ill fabricate my back seat back to its origional form. For now im just making it work

 

[African]

This is an awesome build! Congratulations on your new workshop… do you fancy doing more of these builds for others in your workshop? I am in a process of importing my HZJ70 from Japan and embarking on the fire truck conversion. Looking for someone in the US who can do this for me. I am based in Northern California.

View attachment 3449619

View attachment 3449620

Nice Truck. Yes Im open to that, Send me a PM

 

[African]

Time for an update, but its been slow going on the Truck. But Iv made good progress in the workshop

Iv made it a priority to spend time backpacking in the wilderness area's of Colorado bowhunting over the last few years.
I spent a couple weeks in September in the meat isle of the Rocky Mts, which is one of my absolute favorite places to be in the fall.

After several days backpack hunting different area's I killed this bull early on a snowy morning, it took me all day solo to get him cut up and shuttled back to my spike camp. My Wife, dad and a good friend reached me that evening to help pack it out of the drainage I was in. We got the first load back by about 9 pm and my buddy and I went back in for the last load and had rest out by 1am, I was absolutely beat. Unfortunately getting photos in the back of the Truck at 1 am in the morning was the last thing I thought about

 

[African]

 

[African]

Back at the house, all cleaned up...

 

[prwillard2]

View attachment 3454627

Incredible bull! Congrats!

 

[WandatheTroopy]

for the the big hole under the back seat.....
Check out @adv2bc HZJ79 Build to do the back seat properly! one day I will go that route ( anyone have a back seat that will work? )
...but to keep things moving I decided keep the bench seat and fill in the bottom so I could seal it and use it as storage.

Flinstone's hole
View attachment 3386995
I bent up some checked plate aluminum and riveted / sika flexed it into place.
View attachment 3386997

The next big hurdle to figure out was the fuel tank.
I figured this would be just go right to OEM tank or even better a dual tank set-up.
This turned out to be much harder to make happen then I anticipated, limited availability, cost etc. I considered a long range america 40 gal tank, and an variety of other tank options. I got some great info from @rick_d on the fuel system and reached out to @joekatana who ultimately advised me to just get a good aftermarket tank and run with it. I took his advice and got on with it.
I was able to reuse the original sender unit, tuck the tank up nice and out of the way unlike some of the other rear tank options.
Mocking up the tank to see where I want it etc
View attachment 3387010
View attachment 3387020

Hi there, great build! I have two questions: Who makes this fuel tank and did I see the filler on the Left side? How do you get to it under the tray? Thank you!

 

[WandatheTroopy]

Back at the house, all cleaned up...


View attachment 3454628

Hi again, One more question. Your rear view mirrors, how did you mount them? I have the same ones to install. Did you just pick a spot and drilled? Thank you!

 

[AB10]

Nice Truck. Yes Im open to that, Send me a PM

Great… sent you a PM.
Mine is now stripped and waiting for next stage too.

 

[AB10]

Great… sent you a PM.
Mine is now stripped and waiting for next stage too.

View attachment 3510600

Hoping I can get the truck to reach this stage one day…

 

[African]

Hi again, One more question. Your rear view mirrors, how did you mount them? I have the same ones to install. Did you just pick a spot and drilled? Thank you!

Looks like there were 2 different locations you see these factory. I forget the specifics but I removed the door cards, put down masking tape on the outside, once I had the locations, center punched, drilled, painted the exposed metal in the holes. I considered rev nuts but did not think I would get enough strength. So I made a template then made a “backing plate” spanning the two holes, to go inside of the door. Got some nice hardware and used a nyloc nuts.

 

[WandatheTroopy]

Looks like there were 2 different locations you see these factory. I forget the specifics but I removed the door cards, put down masking tape on the outside, once I had the locations, center punched, drilled, painted the exposed metal in the holes. I considered rev nuts but did not think I would get enough strength. So I made a template then made a “backing plate” spanning the two holes, to go inside of the door. Got some nice hardware and used a nyloc nuts.

Perfect! Thank you! I'll get on that next week.

 

[zerocool2nd]

for the the big hole under the back seat.....
Check out @adv2bc HZJ79 Build to do the back seat properly! one day I will go that route ( anyone have a back seat that will work? )
...but to keep things moving I decided keep the bench seat and fill in the bottom so I could seal it and use it as storage.

Flinstone's hole
View attachment 3386995
I bent up some checked plate aluminum and riveted / sika flexed it into place.
View attachment 3386997

The next big hurdle to figure out was the fuel tank.
I figured this would be just go right to OEM tank or even better a dual tank set-up.
This turned out to be much harder to make happen then I anticipated, limited availability, cost etc. I considered a long range america 40 gal tank, and an variety of other tank options. I got some great info from @rick_d on the fuel system and reached out to @joekatana who ultimately advised me to just get a good aftermarket tank and run with it. I took his advice and got on with it.
I was able to reuse the original sender unit, tuck the tank up nice and out of the way unlike some of the other rear tank options.
Mocking up the tank to see where I want it etc
View attachment 3387010
View attachment 3387020

for the the big hole under the back seat.....
Check out @adv2bc HZJ79 Build to do the back seat properly! one day I will go that route ( anyone have a back seat that will work? )
...but to keep things moving I decided keep the bench seat and fill in the bottom so I could seal it and use it as storage.

Flinstone's hole
View attachment 3386995
I bent up some checked plate aluminum and riveted / sika flexed it into place.
View attachment 3386997

The next big hurdle to figure out was the fuel tank.
I figured this would be just go right to OEM tank or even better a dual tank set-up.
This turned out to be much harder to make happen then I anticipated, limited availability, cost etc. I considered a long range america 40 gal tank, and an variety of other tank options. I got some great info from @rick_d on the fuel system and reached out to @joekatana who ultimately advised me to just get a good aftermarket tank and run with it. I took his advice and got on with it.
I was able to reuse the original sender unit, tuck the tank up nice and out of the way unlike some of the other rear tank options.
Mocking up the tank to see where I want it etc
View attachment 3387010
View attachment 3387020

amazing build man! could you help me out and tell me what company makes that tank? i would also like to use the stock sending unit.

 

[African]

Guys, Iv been busier than a mosquito at a nudist beach the last few months.
Finally had a few days on the truck. which ill get some updates on here in the next week.
got some rear trey cover made, busy building a rear slide out draw out of aluminum. got all the parts for finishing the fuel tank filler.
I was about to cut off the filler cap from the fire truck tank as it has the same key as the ignition, and I want to reuse it.
I made a simple but effective rear tire carrier, and am trying to think of what else i want welded and incorporated in the trey bed before i get to painting it.

@zerocool2nd
the tank comes from Boyd welding. Not toyota specific but a high end aluminum tank that I made work.

 

[African]

Some updates.
Originally I envisioned having side boxes behind the rear wheels. But they way I build the bed, that could be converted to a flatbed and have strap tie down bars. It did not allow enough room to make a complicated box there practical. So I opted for a simple "block off plate" if you will.
The side with the fuel filler hose had to incorporate a filler cap location, I opted to keep this simple, and also re used the original filler cap that takes the ignition key to lock and unlock it.

Worked out as a fairly strait forward way to finish off the rear sides.

 

[African]

Tire carrier.
It will go up against the headache rack, and is a simple swing out threaded bar, a bar with lug nut locators and a huge wingnut to lock it down.

 

[African]

The rear slide out draw worked as I had hoped it would. However it was pretty involved to make.
I was trying to maximize its size while keeping it fitting perfectly within the bumper cut out.
Essentially its a long rectangle box sealed completely on all sides except the front. Within it a slide out draw, and the face of the draw seals the opening of the box.
fitting the draw before welding on the lid.

Slides out 36" and is 6 1/2" deep

Dry fit into the bed.

 

[African]

Then finally the draw face with latches, to finish it off. Im just waiting on the edge trim seal to finish it off. The Seal will push it out a 1/4" so it will fit flush

Im trying to think of everything I want to incorporate before all the finishing touch ups and cleaning up before painting it all and riveting the floor down.
I was thinking a small switched led work light would be nice on the top of the headache rack, so I have light if working in the back at night. But it would involve drilling and routing a wire all the way through the 2"x2" tube.
Im going to add a 1"x1" bar across the back up against the cab so I have a nice long tie down point.
There will also be some heavy duty fold away tie down eye rings on the 4 corners
I need to tidy up and finish the wiring for the reverse lights.