Theseus build

[Sweatyforehead]

Alongside doing the bodywork, once I got the basic shape and layout of the body sorted out I also began to build up a burly AF rear bumper that hopefully will prevent me from having to fix the rear sheet metal from ever again!
I started with these 1/4" brackets I got from Westshore spring and 4x4 and welded them to some extra pieces I cut out of 1/4" plate then sandwitched two assemblies together to make a thick 1/2" bracket that I used as the building point of the rear bumper.

I had always planned for the bumper to wrap around and needed a sturdy point to brace the side portion to the frame so i made these brackets out of 1/4 plate

by this time I had also gotten some 3" exhaust parts and a big resonator/muffler to replace my silly exhuast system where I had the electronic cutout dump directly below the drivers steat which fumed up the cab when at stop lights.

made up the teardrop exhaust tip out of a 180 bend which I think looks super cool

then i started toying with the idea of wrapping the whole bumper with all the leftover chrome pieces of landcruiser bumpers I've accquired over the years but found out that I still wouldnt have enough chrome to complete the whole wrap around.

made plates out of 10 gauge sheet steel and did al the bends by scoring the metal with a cut off wheel, bending and welding along the seams

Rear bumper frames off and ready to be welded together

 

[Sweatyforehead]

And now to paint! There is only one colour that suits this cruiser and its rustoleum "champagne mist"!

With the bumper completed, it was time to move back onto the bodywork and the bondo stage!

I have no shame about having to use 1.5 gallons of bondo to finish this project. I have mad respect to those who have chosen to make bodywork a career path. the finishing portion was a incredible learning experience and i wish to never have to do it again

Anyways, it was time now to do slap some paint on the cruiser and get out and drive the thing!

So this is where it sits as of Today. My plan is to do a silver vinyl wrap on the whole body and to have the roof wrapped in white to help with the summer driving temperatures. It has been a long journey to get this far and there is still much more work do be done but for the time being its great to get back on the road and to hear those turbos whistle down the highway

while going through my pictures I came across the first picture I took of the cruiser, it sure is amazing to see how far I've come!

 

[bikersmurf]

I used to hate bondo with a passion. After having done a ton of plater work professionally, as well as some with bondo I’ve developed a high respect for those who earn a living working with bondo.

The best piece of advise I was told is...

oh what was it again...


As soon as Bondo begins to firm up, discard it. Trying to use setting bondo is never worth the effort.

The second piece of advice is that it is much easier to shape with a Sureform when it’s 50% set.It needs to be completely set to sand, but shaping is easier while it is still softer.


your welcome for the unsolicited advice... after your done with bondo, I’m hoping it’ll help someone... although it’s unlikely since Cruisers North of the 49th never rust

 

[Sweatyforehead]

As soon as Bondo begins to firm up, discard it. Trying to use setting bondo is never worth the effort.

The second piece of advice is that it is much easier to shape with a Sureform when it’s 50% set.It needs to be completely set to sand, but shaping is easier while it is still softer.


your welcome for the unsolicited advice... after your done with bondo, I’m hoping it’ll help someone... although it’s unlikely since Cruisers North of the 49th never rust

I eventually learned when do discard the bondo, it really cooks off quickly! Also, I actually ended up making a template (sureform?) of the shape of the existing contour of the body line and cut up one of my bondo scrapers so I had a better chance of getting the final shape as close as possible.

 

[Sweatyforehead]

Had a awesome first time camping this weekend in the cruiser! Has it really been 4 years since I had it all loaded up for a proper camping trip?
We had a interesting call during one of the nights where some toyota kids had gotten their truck stuck in a pretty deep hole which ended up being an excellent opportunity to test out my newly built rear bumper. Unfortunately it was too dark to get any pictures of that gongshow.
Anyways here are some pictures and a video from last weekend!

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Congrats!! Nice to see it on the road again! Turbo(s) sound great.

 

[seapotato]

That is quite a tree. Damn.