Some great progress being made... thanks for sharing the photos.
Quad Cab - 4 door coil sprung shortened troopy/extended swb build
- Thread starter Sporty Forty
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- 1vd-ftv 80 chassis
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- Thread starter
- #82
A bit more progress made in the last week or so. As I had moved the rear section of the door opening forward relative to the seating to keep the existing foot well opening, I had to add some distance into the rear 1/4's.
I didn't want to widen the glass as it has the sliding glass from the LX uppers and the rubber seal that goes around the exterior of the window insert is no longer available, so I put a little bit of distance between the corner window and the sliding window. I am pretty happy with how it's coming together.
As the rear upper 1/4's were roughed out we placed the ambulance doors there. Had a small issue with the alignment as it appears that the bottom bar had been twisted upwards during the last while on the rotisserie so will look at correcting that then the doors should close nicely again and line up.
Rear 1/4 shot looking forward. Most of the roughing out is done on the rear 1/2 of the body. All going well during this coming week I will be sliding the chassis underneath the rear 1/2 and then I will put the front 1/2 of the body on and will get a rough idea of what was a crazy though a while ago getting closer. SHould be an interesting few pics in a weeks time.
I didn't want to widen the glass as it has the sliding glass from the LX uppers and the rubber seal that goes around the exterior of the window insert is no longer available, so I put a little bit of distance between the corner window and the sliding window. I am pretty happy with how it's coming together.
As the rear upper 1/4's were roughed out we placed the ambulance doors there. Had a small issue with the alignment as it appears that the bottom bar had been twisted upwards during the last while on the rotisserie so will look at correcting that then the doors should close nicely again and line up.
Rear 1/4 shot looking forward. Most of the roughing out is done on the rear 1/2 of the body. All going well during this coming week I will be sliding the chassis underneath the rear 1/2 and then I will put the front 1/2 of the body on and will get a rough idea of what was a crazy though a while ago getting closer. SHould be an interesting few pics in a weeks time.
- Thread starter
- #83
While all this was going on, I had some time in the shed to do a small job that I have been scratching my head over how to do for a few weeks. It;s the brackets that hold the middle row seats, that came from a Land Rover Discovery 4. These seats fold flat with the rear, 3rd row, to give a nice flat area. I then have the flexability to have the rear seats up or down to carry another 5 or 3 with cargo space.
As I have access to a Disco 4 I drew a rough diagram of what was required and then set about making the bracket. I thought I did okay in the end and it will be welded onto the floor pan at some stage soon never to be seen!. This is where a lot of the time will end up I reckon as there will probably be more things like this required (I needed 4 of these)
Bracket in car.
My rough drawing and blanks cut from 50mm (2") angle iron.
Some measurements and a hole and some 8mm rod and some welding and presto.
Will tidy up and get painted at some stage. 1 down 3 more to do.
As I have access to a Disco 4 I drew a rough diagram of what was required and then set about making the bracket. I thought I did okay in the end and it will be welded onto the floor pan at some stage soon never to be seen!. This is where a lot of the time will end up I reckon as there will probably be more things like this required (I needed 4 of these)
Bracket in car.
My rough drawing and blanks cut from 50mm (2") angle iron.
Some measurements and a hole and some 8mm rod and some welding and presto.
Will tidy up and get painted at some stage. 1 down 3 more to do.
Looking good, I have always wondered why people don't widen the body when going on an 80 chassis, keen to see how this turns out
- Thread starter
- #86
Bit of an update.
Got the chassis back. Guys work on the front diff has not the best as the 80 series radius arms didn't even go into the brackets they were designed to go into. He fixed that issue up.
Then I was measuring how much wheelbase I needed to add into the chassis and put the rear axle under the chassis. He was suppsoed to take an 80 series housing, cut the center out and weld in the center of a Nissan Patrol GQ and make it 1630mm wide from face to face. As I am running a Nissan Patrol GU front that is 1630mm I needed the rear to be the same. Anyway, after sliding it under the chassis I looked at it and thought it looked a bit narrow. A few measurements late and the face to face width was now 1560mm in other words 40mm narrower than it started and 70mm narrower than it was supposed to be!.
Thought about it some more and have now given up on the idea of the Patrol center and 80 series outer to give me a full floater area axle and will just use the GU rear I already had. The issue there is the pinion flange is in the center of the axle rather than offset to one side so the driveshaft will now be on an angle, this will also reduce the amount of space on the LHS of the car for a fuel tank. Anway, now I will be running GU front and rear axles so at least there won't be too much of an issue in getting spare axles.
Chassis went to a new local fabricator guy to do the adding in of 9" (225mm) to the wheelbase. The local engineer came down and pretty much laughed at the previous fabricators welding and we have to grind those welds out and re-weld in long continuous welds not lots of spot welds.
Not much has been done with the body as the chassis is needed as we are at that stage where we can almost weld the 2 parts together. So this week the chassis will be done, next week will either be sorting out the rear suspension set up and front shocks and coils or it will be at the panel shop with the body. I reckon panel shop as the rear suspension can wait a bit.
Anyway, some pics to come.
Engine sitting in the chassis, front of the body roughly in position, Toyota 1VD-FTV sitting there with intercooler sitting on the top.
Front view. This things is as wide as a 496CUIN Big block.
Rough rear clearance from x-over pipe to firewall. I think it's about 20mm when all sorted.
Clearance down the side beside the turbo.
Got the chassis back. Guys work on the front diff has not the best as the 80 series radius arms didn't even go into the brackets they were designed to go into. He fixed that issue up.
Then I was measuring how much wheelbase I needed to add into the chassis and put the rear axle under the chassis. He was suppsoed to take an 80 series housing, cut the center out and weld in the center of a Nissan Patrol GQ and make it 1630mm wide from face to face. As I am running a Nissan Patrol GU front that is 1630mm I needed the rear to be the same. Anyway, after sliding it under the chassis I looked at it and thought it looked a bit narrow. A few measurements late and the face to face width was now 1560mm in other words 40mm narrower than it started and 70mm narrower than it was supposed to be!.
Thought about it some more and have now given up on the idea of the Patrol center and 80 series outer to give me a full floater area axle and will just use the GU rear I already had. The issue there is the pinion flange is in the center of the axle rather than offset to one side so the driveshaft will now be on an angle, this will also reduce the amount of space on the LHS of the car for a fuel tank. Anway, now I will be running GU front and rear axles so at least there won't be too much of an issue in getting spare axles.
Chassis went to a new local fabricator guy to do the adding in of 9" (225mm) to the wheelbase. The local engineer came down and pretty much laughed at the previous fabricators welding and we have to grind those welds out and re-weld in long continuous welds not lots of spot welds.
Not much has been done with the body as the chassis is needed as we are at that stage where we can almost weld the 2 parts together. So this week the chassis will be done, next week will either be sorting out the rear suspension set up and front shocks and coils or it will be at the panel shop with the body. I reckon panel shop as the rear suspension can wait a bit.
Anyway, some pics to come.
Engine sitting in the chassis, front of the body roughly in position, Toyota 1VD-FTV sitting there with intercooler sitting on the top.
Front view. This things is as wide as a 496CUIN Big block.
Rough rear clearance from x-over pipe to firewall. I think it's about 20mm when all sorted.
Clearance down the side beside the turbo.
- Thread starter
- #87
I chose to go the automatic route as I plan on having the car for a few years so by then I probably can't be stuffed changing the gears all the time. Went with a 6 speed automatic similar to the one that sits behind the Toyota 200 series Landcruiser. Set about taking the old manual box off, spliting the transfer from it and bolting that onto the new gearbox then bolting drive plate to the flywheel and then the box to the bell housing. Kinda nerve racking as I am not a mechanic more a tinkerer, but think I did okay.
The flywheel bolts were done up by Superman and my rattle gun didn't even budge the bolts, just blew dust everywhere. Nothing a bit of lateral thinking and 130kgs and 400mm of bar didn't stop. The good thing was that come time to tighten the drive plate bolts up, I simply put this brace on the other side.
Gearbox in place, just needed to bolt torque converter onto the drive plate.
There's a small gap between the drive plate and the back of the engine. I didn't want to cut down a socket so I got creative with some flat bar 10mm square and a socket.
Worked a treat and I still have a full set of socket heads.
View of the engine from above.
The flywheel bolts were done up by Superman and my rattle gun didn't even budge the bolts, just blew dust everywhere. Nothing a bit of lateral thinking and 130kgs and 400mm of bar didn't stop. The good thing was that come time to tighten the drive plate bolts up, I simply put this brace on the other side.
Gearbox in place, just needed to bolt torque converter onto the drive plate.
There's a small gap between the drive plate and the back of the engine. I didn't want to cut down a socket so I got creative with some flat bar 10mm square and a socket.
Worked a treat and I still have a full set of socket heads.
View of the engine from above.
- Thread starter
- #88
A few more pics of bits and pieces.
Tool I made to get into the tight spot between drive plate and engine.
In doing the chassis extension the section profile is 152mm. I thought great I have a 79 series here that looks the same, but no, that was 148mm high so wouldn't do. Ended up I purchased a body and chassis locally and pulled the body off. Then took both chassis to the new fabricator guy and he said, 'why cut up a good chassis, I should be able to fold this profile', so I keep the chassis for another project, probably put my yellow 40 LS1 powered bits in there.
Rear axle distance to chassis, 20mm each side closer than the 80 series, he stuffed it big time.
Looking down the track showing the offset rear, useless now, but will take center out and use that in the GU rear
GU rear axle. Will move a few brackets and it will go in there nicely.
Tool I made to get into the tight spot between drive plate and engine.
In doing the chassis extension the section profile is 152mm. I thought great I have a 79 series here that looks the same, but no, that was 148mm high so wouldn't do. Ended up I purchased a body and chassis locally and pulled the body off. Then took both chassis to the new fabricator guy and he said, 'why cut up a good chassis, I should be able to fold this profile', so I keep the chassis for another project, probably put my yellow 40 LS1 powered bits in there.
Rear axle distance to chassis, 20mm each side closer than the 80 series, he stuffed it big time.
Looking down the track showing the offset rear, useless now, but will take center out and use that in the GU rear
GU rear axle. Will move a few brackets and it will go in there nicely.
Still watching... still loving the innovative one-off engineering going on here. She's going to be a treat to drive.
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This is the truck I've designed and built in my head a hundred times over, except a single cab. McLovin' it.
Since you have now added the shock tower & spring saddle how are you now going to mount your front guard bracket?
- Thread starter
- #92
I'll probably mount it off the top of the spring perch a bit like this photo of a similar mod, but will try to make it neater. I'll know when it comes time to start putting the guard over the chassis and that should be about 3 weeks away now that I have seen more forwards progress with the chassis in the last week at Biders4wd than I did in most of the 6 months it was away. The inner guard will be removed and a new one made to suit the 80 series bits there. Will probably need to space the shock and spring bits out a bit to get clearance for steering column, maybe 15mm.
I was going to chuck the thing in a week back, too many hoops to jump through. Engineer wanted a GVM upgrade and it proved damn near impossible to get any information on an 80 chassis. Okay for 200 and 76/78/79 etc.... but not the older chassis so have gone to a new engineer who has worked with biders a bit.
- Thread starter
- #93
I am trying to approach it by using someone elses engineering, Toyota and Nissan in this case, and just reapplying their engineering to something else.
Putting a ute body into a troopy body or adding it to a swb body is just applying some problem solving things.
I want 4 doors in a wagon. Ute + SWB body Problem solved.
Coil sprung comfort- 80 series chassis,
strong front diff - use Nissan Patrol GU front,
need a handbrake - Nissan Patrol 4.8L rear axle has them in the top hat part of the disc like the 80's,
we have to have child seat anchor points here - used Land Rover Disco 4 seats with the child seat point integrated into the design already,
still to figure out fuel tanks but filler might be on the LHS of the car behind the rear door and again after the wheel arch for the sub tank behind the rear axle
Anyway, most of it has been fun and I have enjoyed the challenge.
Decided to move a few things around and I can get a 122" (3100mm) wheelbase. I am a lot happier with that over the 124" (3150mm) wheelbase. Will have 125mm between doors at the top 75mm at the bottom of the hour glass shape there and fuel filler roughly in this location. Wheel arch is on 122" wheelbase so will leave approximately 850mm from the CL of the axle to the end of the body. SWB is 700ish.
I have plastered tape all over my LX. The green tape is the rear door where it ends and the frame etc.... Fuel filler is 50mm down and 45mm in from the end of the frame on a 40 so will replicate that position. Wheel arch is CL on 122" so thats how it should look.
- Thread starter
- #94
I put 9" into the 80 series chassis to get the length required for the original 124" wheelbase. The front diff had been moved forward 3" and the rear was in the same position. Now with the 122" wheelbase I will bring the front diff back 2" and it will sit in the middle of the saddle flat area above the diff CL, before it was pretty much at the front of this area.
CHassis cut on 45 degress or so as per the engineers requirements for chassis cuts.
New bit of steel in there. Outer is welded on the inside as well, then the inner C was welded in.
Some bracing around the welded area. Lower rear arm is still in the factory location relative to the axle location so readily available parts are available.
Because the previous guy had cut off all the brackets on the GU front for his set up that the engineer has since said he will not engineer as the panhard and steering drag link need to be on the same side and not make an X, we got a new housing and put all the gear from the previous diff into it. The 4.8L Patrol has huge brakes and this was one of the reasons why I chose the diff, as well as the strength of it. It does have some down fall like bearing issues, but only if they are not maintained.
Below is new housing all ready for bits. Has been gusseted right out to the ball over the CV and also a ring welded around the front of the crown wheel area to stop the end caving in. It has been laminated and painted ready to go under the chassis. This was all done within a week of the Biders4wd in Cranbourne, VIC, getting the chassis. Without the large brace on the top I now have a reduced issue of clearance where the oil pressure sender is located on the engine.
Oil pressure sender right at the front of the engine (below pic). You can get a kit to relocate the sender so might look into that, but it's only a hose so it should be easy to make. I could see the diff coming up and smashing off the sender then no oil pressure light comes on and meanwhile I'm putting my oil everywhere but the sump where it needs to be!. Will probably have some form of bash plate there below the engine, would be a wise decision I feel.
Alternator is also right down the bottom of the engine, wise design location but I am looking at en enclosed water cooled alternator as mud stuffs these things pretty quick and given the 50mm narrower chassis over the donor 79 chassis I might be in strife when it comes to changing it on the side of a track somewhere. Will need some further investigating I feel.
CHassis cut on 45 degress or so as per the engineers requirements for chassis cuts.
New bit of steel in there. Outer is welded on the inside as well, then the inner C was welded in.
Some bracing around the welded area. Lower rear arm is still in the factory location relative to the axle location so readily available parts are available.
Because the previous guy had cut off all the brackets on the GU front for his set up that the engineer has since said he will not engineer as the panhard and steering drag link need to be on the same side and not make an X, we got a new housing and put all the gear from the previous diff into it. The 4.8L Patrol has huge brakes and this was one of the reasons why I chose the diff, as well as the strength of it. It does have some down fall like bearing issues, but only if they are not maintained.
Below is new housing all ready for bits. Has been gusseted right out to the ball over the CV and also a ring welded around the front of the crown wheel area to stop the end caving in. It has been laminated and painted ready to go under the chassis. This was all done within a week of the Biders4wd in Cranbourne, VIC, getting the chassis. Without the large brace on the top I now have a reduced issue of clearance where the oil pressure sender is located on the engine.
Oil pressure sender right at the front of the engine (below pic). You can get a kit to relocate the sender so might look into that, but it's only a hose so it should be easy to make. I could see the diff coming up and smashing off the sender then no oil pressure light comes on and meanwhile I'm putting my oil everywhere but the sump where it needs to be!. Will probably have some form of bash plate there below the engine, would be a wise decision I feel.
Alternator is also right down the bottom of the engine, wise design location but I am looking at en enclosed water cooled alternator as mud stuffs these things pretty quick and given the 50mm narrower chassis over the donor 79 chassis I might be in strife when it comes to changing it on the side of a track somewhere. Will need some further investigating I feel.
AussieHJCruza
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Looking sweet! Keep up the good work.
- Thread starter
- #96
Well, another visit to the new fabricator guy and progress has been good. Almost back to the start of an 80 chassis with the brackets on it and 2 diffs hanging underneath it!!!.
The missing brackets that were taken off have now been tacked on and the rear axle has had the 80 series brackets put on there as well. So a few more tack welds and then some springs and shocks should see the chassis ready to go off to meet the body at the panel beaters. Should have been about 2 months ago, but given the disappointment of the chassis and it's issues, it's good to see forward progress is gathering momentum.
Upper arm brackets from the 80 series now tacked onto the Nissan Patrol GU rear axle. As the diff center on the 80 is off to one side, the lower portion of this bracket has been made and looks exactly like the other side.
Rear axle now pretty much located below rubber stops showing upper and lower arms there. Car was close to this stage at the start and unwise decisions sent the project on another course.
Front radius arm drop box. It will be gusseted back to the chassis and made to look a bit neater.
Full chassis shot showing the spring perches for the front sitting above the GU front axle ready for some springs. Looking at a 3" lift at this stage but will get finalised when the body is on there. Don't want to go too high on the lift.
The missing brackets that were taken off have now been tacked on and the rear axle has had the 80 series brackets put on there as well. So a few more tack welds and then some springs and shocks should see the chassis ready to go off to meet the body at the panel beaters. Should have been about 2 months ago, but given the disappointment of the chassis and it's issues, it's good to see forward progress is gathering momentum.
Upper arm brackets from the 80 series now tacked onto the Nissan Patrol GU rear axle. As the diff center on the 80 is off to one side, the lower portion of this bracket has been made and looks exactly like the other side.
Rear axle now pretty much located below rubber stops showing upper and lower arms there. Car was close to this stage at the start and unwise decisions sent the project on another course.
Front radius arm drop box. It will be gusseted back to the chassis and made to look a bit neater.
Full chassis shot showing the spring perches for the front sitting above the GU front axle ready for some springs. Looking at a 3" lift at this stage but will get finalised when the body is on there. Don't want to go too high on the lift.
- Thread starter
- #97
Some more pics of the front shock tower and spring perches. As the 80 series spring cup is about 2" above the chassis rail, the Patrol is level to the chassis rail, I will be able to get a longer spring in there.
Looking down the shock tower bracket onto the GU front shock mounting point and they pretty much line up well. Should be able to get some nice long shocks in there
The chassis width at the front is pretty much the same on the 80 and Patrol so the coil perches on the diff line up pretty well with the brackets on the chassis.
Should now be ablout 2 weeks away from putting the chassis under the 2 bodies and start to join them together.
Looking down the shock tower bracket onto the GU front shock mounting point and they pretty much line up well. Should be able to get some nice long shocks in there
The chassis width at the front is pretty much the same on the 80 and Patrol so the coil perches on the diff line up pretty well with the brackets on the chassis.
Should now be ablout 2 weeks away from putting the chassis under the 2 bodies and start to join them together.
When it comes to centring the rear axle you can use a adjustable panhard arm?
- Thread starter
- #99
The rear will have the adjustable 80 series panhard bar in there, might not have shown a pic of it (found one). The front I am still trying to use the Nissan one as it uses a ball joint rather than bushes so will wait to see if we can set that up when everything is done.
My aim now is to stay as close to standard as possible so the availability of parts is always there. Previous direction would have meant issues at breakdown. A few weeks ago I was ready to shelve the whole bloody thing but talking to the right people has seen it come roaring back to life again.
Yeah, that's what I ended up doing, keep the suspension as standard as possible so parts availability was easily obtainable.
