rare check this out na

[crushers]

factory or not, i like it.
if i had $30K sitting idle i would be all over it.

question for bear, how would you suggest Toyota would use straight 90s on the cab back when the roof is curved?

 

[Bear]

Wayne,

Probably a rear bulkhead with a top rail/ledge would be designed and manufactured specifically for the purpose, not re-use an existing panel with lower curved sides.
The factory upper cab-back panel ("hardtop") and roof would meet the new bulkhead on top of its rail.

Hopefully, following this post, I can post-up a few photos of how Land Rover engineered and addressed theirs on a 130-inch wheelbased truck with a substantial boxed frame.

(Caveat: Yes I know the opinions about Land Rovers. Yes the photos are crappy, and sorry that the canvas top obscures the view, but is too snug to move without damage. And yes, these are only MY thoughts--no arguments intended)

By the way, the bottom joint between the lower back and the "floor" is problematic. Water incursion into the vehicle interior can occur without adequate sealing, and likely create a rust-prone area on a steel-panelled vehicle. The Land Rover is aluminum at that junction. Design of the bulkhead joint and seals could help alleviate some of that, as well as having a frame strong enough to handle the torsional twisting from a potential heavy payload in the rear.

Heavy offroad and offcamber usage could be a problem, especially on longer wheelbased vehicles without some points of articulation. Half-cab conversions on the shorter wheelbase FJ40 likely produce negligible flexing issues.

Traditional pickup trucks and their larger cousins have a separated cab and bed, likely to allow some flexing, although avoiding the sealing issue probably comes into play as well. Yes it's been done, by several different manufacturers--hopefully without problems or complaints.

And yes, whoever fabbed the posted truck did a beautiful job of marrying the sheet metal pieces.
I in no way have meant to denigrate his/her capabilities or engineering. The question was whether this is a "factory job." Toyota even back then was still a huge company, not likely to produce one-offs for the public with off-the-shelf parts and pieces. Could it be one of several prototypes--perhaps, but most are usually kept in-house as design studies and usually destroyed when no longer needed.

Photos to follow(hopefully).

 

[Bear]

Rear bulkhead example

Photos attached.

 

[Living in the Past]

Toyota even back then was still a huge company, not likely to produce one-offs for the public with off-the-shelf parts and pieces. Could it be one of several prototypes--perhaps, but most are usually kept in-house as design studies and usually destroyed when no longer needed.

Toyota did play around with the idea of making a full time 4WD back in mid seventies. When Toyota gave up on the project some of the proto types were donated to schools destroyed. Over the years some have gotten in to private hands. JTO has one pictured on their website. I have another. Like I posted earlier the Trans is marked M42 on the VIN plate on the firewall. So I guess Toyota play around around with this model and gave it up. Could have ended up donated in Australia. But I doubt it would have had the spare on the back as well as one mounted under the bed. Plus the tailgate chains would have been there. My 76 is very detailed. The floor mat and transmission are only cut were the different shiftera are. The plate on the glove box is correct for the full time 4WD. It also has a skid plate stamped for this setup with the drain holes in the correct places. So I still going with done by a PO. No way can I see Toyota installing a tailgate and not finishing the job with the chains.