DIY Hard body 3rd GEN Toyota on the 4th attempt, maybe

[tcanin00]

As stated, this is the forth go-around at making a hard body out of syrup (Alumilite resin). In actuality, this is the second attempt at a 3rd GEN Toyota. My first experience with pouring resin into a lexan body didn't turn out as well as I hoped, mainly because Proline's 1991 Toyota 4Runner isn't as proportioned as I would like it to be. That, and I had no idea what I was doing.
I figured the best way to learn was to make mistakes, break a few omelettes to make an egg, and learn something along the way. I'll add links to the other threads, but for now I'll post pictures of the first attempt, the Rotsun from Exclusive RC's lexan Datsun 620 body, and a '69 Chevy truck cab from Vaterra.

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[tcanin00]

The first attempt:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...0&share_type=t
And the Rotsun build:
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?url...0&share_type=t
The most important thing I learned from working with resin is that it cannot support its own weight. If it were solid I don't think it would be an issue, but since the end result is a hollow shell resin by itself isn't strong enough to retain it's shape without some kind of structural support. It was recommended to brace the inside of the body with something like styrene, wood, or something. So in the Chevy truck cab I used strips of carbon fiber to reinforce the resin. That seems to work well, but that cab was for some one else. I'm sure I would hear about any issues if it starts to sag.
From that, we'll start this. I derped the interwebs for a more anatomically correct Toyota truck and found one in Germany:
http://www.rc-bap.com/epages/8131586...on=ViewProduct
You have to contact the store owner directly, but he was awesome to work with. Once the treasure arrived from overseas I went to work with Sluggo (blue Playdoh), syrup, and carbon fiber.
Unfortunately this did not demold as well as previous attempts. Alumilite recommends using baby powder or talc as a release agent. I had used baby powder with good results until now. I think the reason bonded to this is it is PETG and not regular polycarbonate. I didn't want to damage the body, but I had to cut and peel it off.

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[tcanin00]

With Motorama 15 days away and this being my Street Tire Leafed truck, I don't have time to waste. So I decided to drop and bob the bed. Luckily some of the scratch built pieces from attempt #1 will work for this. I got a little too aggressive with the bob and had to put material back.
By the way, this is based on an RGT Bowler that I took almost an 1 1/2" out of the middle of the frame to get the wheel base down to 10 5/16".

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[tcanin00]

Luckily, the previous attempt left me with some cool scratch built pieces for the bed. I added layers to the top of the wheel wells and ground them down, then slathered them in Bondi and proceeded to sand it away.
I had to make an extension piece for the header panel and new bed sides since this is a 1/2" deeper than the first version.

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[tcanin00]

Made some decent progress on the bed and got the first coat of primer on it.
2 fun facts:
First off, this is a "Mini-Me" based on a true story. The 1:1 is a 1994 that I basically 3D printed with a MIG welder, courtesy of PENNDOT's annual ritual of sowing rust seeds, salt and brine, whatever.
And if you were to guess if I was working on it in a hotel room, you would have been right.

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[tcanin00]

Plus I started working on the tailgate details. The added bonus of owning the real truck is that I can take random pictures of it from weird angles. If time permitted I would try to replicate the dents, but getting this done by the 16th will be a miracle in and of itself.
I had my wife take a picture of how much dust resin generates. It's similar to working with fiberglass, without the shards.


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[tcanin00]

Well, the 16th and 17th came and went and didn't make the deadline. I gave it my best and worked on the truck while at Motorama, but it wasn't enough. Might as well share what progress I made though.

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[tcanin00]

I did manage to get an interior in it, with a quite bit of trimming to the RC Nerds dash and a Tamiya bench seat and floor that was modified for a different truck. Here are some glamour shots on the test course/landscaping.
I have less than 3 weeks until I leave for Ft. Hood, TX for training, then from there to Poland. This truck is coming with me, so I'll document it's journey.

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[Shinchu]

GREAT job on this!!!
and its really true what you said about breaking a few eggs to make an omelet.
body turned out great. nice job making the RC Nerds stuff fit. and just FYI if you message them on shapeways they can custom size stuff for you. and a molotow chrome pen will be the cherry on top of that grill. those pens are magical!

and i totally forgot about the jeep bowler with LEAFS! i got some ideas for a leafed yota too...

good luck at training and have fun in Poland, Hooah?! should be some incredible terrain and amazing views.

[tcanin00]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

GREAT job on this!!!
and its really true what you said about breaking a few eggs to make an omelet.
body turned out great. nice job making the RC Nerds stuff fit. and just FYI if you message them on shapeways they can custom size stuff for you. and a molotow chrome pen will be the cherry on top of that grill. those pens are magical!

and i totally forgot about the jeep bowler with LEAFS! i got some ideas for a leafed yota too...

good luck at training and have fun in Poland, Hooah?! should be some incredible terrain and amazing views.

Thanks! I'm happy about how this turned out. I'll have to keep that in mind about having parts resized.
The Bowler seemed like a decent truck before I got a hold of it. Too bad you have buy an RTR to get what you want, but again eggs, omelettes, whatever.

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[tcanin00]

Plus, you're right about Hooah. I'm Pennsylvania National Guard and am going to spend 9 months abroad repairing tracked vehicles that the Infantry guys break so they don't have to operate them. Awesome.

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[Shinchu]

I can relate. They almost sent me to Afghanistan to show marines how to turn on radios inside humvees - just because I'm a radioman.

And I'm eyeballing leafed bowlers on eBay right now haha

But seriously enjoy Poland. I hope you have time to snap some awesome shots wheeling that yoter!

[tcanin00]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

I can relate. They almost sent me to Afghanistan to show marines how to turn on radios inside humvees - just because I'm a radioman.

And I'm eyeballing leafed bowlers on eBay right now haha

But seriously enjoy Poland. I hope you have time to snap some awesome shots wheeling that yoter!

What Soldiers claim to "not know how to do" amazes me. I have a heard time believing that Soldiers trained to go on missions don't know how to operate their equipment. I get that we don't do this stuff every day, but when it's easier to say that you don't know what to do instead of trying to figure it out on your own is ridiculous. Rant over.
The Bowler is a decent truck, and it shares it's entire drive train with the ECX Barrage. I'll have to look for metal C-hubs and knuckles specific to it. The Barrage axle housing is different, so they won't work.

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[tcanin00]

Welp, I wanted to update this thread before leaving the country. The first picture was how I showed up at Motorama after staying up all night in a Roadkill style thrash. Needless to say, I didn't make to run in the Street Leafed class.
About a month later I ran in a comp at the Hobby Town in Tom's River, NJ. Awesome group of people to wheel with and my wife and I had a great time. Unfortunately the Toyota did not. I think the drag link is hanging up on a leaf spring, causing the steering to bind up. Plus a wire came of the winch so that wasn't working. Aside from that, the truck performed pretty good on the course.
I made a rookie mistake and assumed I had turned the truck off. Upon closer inspection, it was still on. When I grabbed the remote move it out of the rain I squeezed the trigger and launched it off a 3' high concrete pad. It nose dived mid-air and landed on it's roof with a sickening crunch. I had an audience of a dozen or so, because if you're going to do something stupid it might as well be in front of a crowd. Oh well, it's a convertible now.
Once I get to Poland I'll have my wife send it over so I can figure out how to fix it.

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[Gula]

Dude, that is an awesome body. I owned a nice st cab yota like that. Regret selling it. But needed an extended cab more.

[tcanin00]

Originally Posted by Gula

Dude, that is an awesome body. I owned a nice st cab yota like that. Regret selling it. But needed an extended cab more.

Thanks Gula! I like the look of standard cab short wheelbase trucks in general, but especially this era Toyota.

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[durok]

Despite the good-natured jibes directed at infantrymen (I wuz one, long ago), I've been very impressed and entertained by this thread.

In high school my best friend drove us around in an orange Datsun just like that one, with 5-slot aluminum wheels and the smallest Goodyear Wranglers sold at the time.

Used to hit mud pits at over 30mph and float right over the top of 'em...

Fun times.

Incredible work slogging through those custom bodies... keep at it!

[tcanin00]

Originally Posted by durok

Despite the good-natured jibes directed at infantrymen (I wuz one, long ago), I've been very impressed and entertained by this thread.

In high school my best friend drove us around in an orange Datsun just like that one, with 5-slot aluminum wheels and the smallest Goodyear Wranglers sold at the time.

Used to hit mud pits at over 30mph and float right over the top of 'em...

Fun times.

Incredible work slogging through those custom bodies... keep at it!

Yes durok, these guys live up to every stereotype. Most of what we have repaired has operator induced, as pulling handles until they break or stepping on switches getting in and out of the turret to leaving covers off sensitive optics and letting them get destroyed. Nothing surprises me with these guys.
Thanks for the kind words as this hole process is time consuming to say the least. After turning the Toyota into a convertible I spoke with a guy (Killer Koncepts? on Facebook) at the event about using carbon fiber as the primary material for the body, instead of as a reinforcement. Might be something I experiment with in the future. Luckily I had the Datsun as a back up, and it performed really well.

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[620domo]

Where can I buy one I have a real one but want a 1/10 scale


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[tcanin00]

Originally Posted by 620domo

Where can I buy one I have a real one but want a 1/10 scale


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This is the link to the lexan body that I used for the mold:
http://www.rc-bap.com/epages/8...P-S...on=ViewProduct

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