Well folks, after a few years away from this pit of keyboard warrioring, picture posting, opinion giving and receiving, I’ve come full circle and have somehow convinced my 16yr old son to try and take a 1991 Yota Ext Cab body and slap it onto a 60 Series chassis (frame, engine, tranny…you know, everything but the body).
This will be become the place where the project progress can be seen and remembered, and we can look back and laugh at ourselves one day. But for now, we’re too smrt for our own good and we’re committed to this Frankenstein project to work, one way or another.
To date we have placed the body onto the frame to see just how bad things line up. Honestly, it’s pretty bad.
To start we’ll need to build a sub-structure under the body so we can land the body mounts somewhere…then we will cut and add about 12” of front fender and hood to make the 3B and essentials fit in the (soon to be larger) engine bay.
Are we crazy? Maybe don’t answer that…
Are we committed? Seems so.
Oh, the BJ60 is a 1985 that had the frame replaced with an FJ62 US frame around 14yrs ago. Once our schedules line up again, the PO is going to get me the folder of receipts for which the PPO had kept over a few decades of ownership.
The only slightly questionable part of the frame is some delamination at that rear inner c-channel where the rear spring perch is riveted to. I’ve replaced one of those before so if we feel it’s actually worth it then we’ll do that. Other than that we’ll clean up the frame and make it as rust resistant as our Western rainforest climate will allow.
There is potential for the 3B to get a rebuild and a turbo, but we’ll see how the kids savings account grows over the next few months.
Plan is to build a custom rear overlanding canopy/Ute for storage with an RTT on top.
Anyways, welcome to the s***show of delight that will hopefully become an overlanding rig for this kid to go out and explore and enjoy VI backcountry with his friends over the next many years.
Cheers!
This will be become the place where the project progress can be seen and remembered, and we can look back and laugh at ourselves one day. But for now, we’re too smrt for our own good and we’re committed to this Frankenstein project to work, one way or another.
To date we have placed the body onto the frame to see just how bad things line up. Honestly, it’s pretty bad.
To start we’ll need to build a sub-structure under the body so we can land the body mounts somewhere…then we will cut and add about 12” of front fender and hood to make the 3B and essentials fit in the (soon to be larger) engine bay.
Are we crazy? Maybe don’t answer that…
Are we committed? Seems so.
Oh, the BJ60 is a 1985 that had the frame replaced with an FJ62 US frame around 14yrs ago. Once our schedules line up again, the PO is going to get me the folder of receipts for which the PPO had kept over a few decades of ownership.
The only slightly questionable part of the frame is some delamination at that rear inner c-channel where the rear spring perch is riveted to. I’ve replaced one of those before so if we feel it’s actually worth it then we’ll do that. Other than that we’ll clean up the frame and make it as rust resistant as our Western rainforest climate will allow.
There is potential for the 3B to get a rebuild and a turbo, but we’ll see how the kids savings account grows over the next few months.
Plan is to build a custom rear overlanding canopy/Ute for storage with an RTT on top.
Anyways, welcome to the s***show of delight that will hopefully become an overlanding rig for this kid to go out and explore and enjoy VI backcountry with his friends over the next many years.
Cheers!