hilux crew cab (of course)

[pantablo]

Jeep crew cab body is crap. I cut my teeth on that build and the body just isn't up to the abuse we give it. Lost doors and grill on last outing (you can just make out the passenger door missing in latest video). It's really only gotten a fraction of the abuse the other trucks get but this body has not held up at all, partly due to the crap body I started with but also mostly to my lack of skills then.

see what I mean:



I want/need to replace the body for my son and he asked it to be a toyota, having seen them in person at a gtg and liking them. He also still wants a crew cab. He wants it to match my brat colors-white with orange stripe and wheels but I talked him into the opposite-orange body with white wheels. I will probably run offset stock car wheels painted white (non vintage ones arent available white for some reason) or might try making brat wheels for this one too (but prefer to keep it simple)...

Ultimately, I always wanted a bruiser...so...


from this:




to this:
(I estimate about 12.5" wheel base, or 3/4" more than currently)


4dr Australian model^^


So I ordered up 2 cabs and a bed from towerhobbies...

I think this build will be short of details (so I say now, lol). Not sure I want to go to the trouble to make the recess at the door handles cut across the entire rear door (but should), and the rear bed shortening will be done leaving enough to mount it up to cab easily instead of cutting off the leading edge of the rear fenderwell.

First, cut an inch out of the front of the bed (taped together here):


then cut the cabs and glued the two cab halves together as well as the bed together, but not to the cab yet:



wheel base is right at 13"



[edit: I'll wait till I have the cab close to done to glue/attach the bed to the cab. The cab is going to be more work than I expected. Not a lot of work, just more than I expected. The top of the doors aren't horizontal. they slope downward starting near the back as they go forward, almost its entire length. I'm going to have to cut the top window sill off near the back and build one from scratch so it meets the back of the front cab.]

[Jester666]

I like were this is headed. Keep the pics coming.

[Dready]

Good luck matey plenty of patience on this build required.
I'm sure you can pull it off

[rednck21]

very nice!

[hairba11]

ok, the only thing you have left after this is a crew cab lunchbox, right?

unless one of these is next

[pantablo]

haha, you think that will crawl? ^^

[Nova's Ark]

Oh boy, this should be good. We need a popcorn smiley.

Subscribed

[Difuser]

Pablo for the door recess the easiest way is to cut out the space between the 2 handles entirely. Then back it with another piece of styrene and some light sanding to match the bevel in the original mould. Should make for a quick and easy solution, well relatively. Looking forward to see it done for November.

[sloppy]

Originally Posted by Nova's Ark

Oh boy, this should be good. We need a popcorn smiley.

Subscribed

i got one
did someone steal yours

[pantablo]

Originally Posted by Difuser

Pablo for the door recess the easiest way is to cut out the space between the 2 handles entirely. Then back it with another piece of styrene and some light sanding to match the bevel in the original mould. Should make for a quick and easy solution, well relatively. Looking forward to see it done for November.

Should be ready to run when you are down, but I'll run the brat mostly then, of course, lol.

I was thinking the same thing about how to do the recess. Seemed more difficult when the two cab pieces were separated. Now that the two are glued together it seems easier. I might try it.

[chino63]

Sweet! Another on in the making! Good to see more people building not so mainstream custom builds.

[pantablo]

thanks!

Originally Posted by hairba11

ok, the only thing you have left after this is a crew cab lunchbox, right?

well, I have thought about WIDENING a lunchbox, lol...

[IronOx]

looks like a good project. keep it up

[Difuser]

Mainstream= CrewCabs

With Pablo and Chino's build and my Brat and Pablo's build wait I am detecting a trend here......

I need something for 2.2 inspiration....

[infamouse_1]

Its coming along real nice pablo! Going to be watching this one

[Mikey007]

Great build! Are you going to eliminate the vent on the forward portion of the cab, by the door handle?

[hairba11]

Originally Posted by pantablo

thanks!
well, I have thought about WIDENING a lunchbox, lol...

well if you widen it i'm sure it will look awesome.
thinking about it, i'd widen it as much as the sunroof, cut one body in half, cut the other body out sunroof width, because to line up the windshield and hood the center section will have to stretch a little.
the grill bars are a little wider than the sunroof, so you could cut out the center section of the grill and cut the first grill in half and splice it in.

you'd still be stuck with an 8.5" wheelbase though, unless you stretched it at the same time using the leftover sides.

Dang it, I'm already working on a motorhome, don't give me these project ideas!!!

[pantablo]

Originally Posted by infamouse_1

Its coming along real nice pablo! Going to be watching this one

thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by Mikey007

Great build! Are you going to eliminate the vent on the forward portion of the cab, by the door handle?

oh yes. even when I was thinking of not doing the recess I was going to eliminate that one vent. I decided I will do the recess all the way across as well.

Originally Posted by hairba11

Dang it, I'm already working on a motorhome, don't give me these project ideas!!!

[pantablo]

got the rear window frames done and roof skinned...

[eddievedder]

Looking good Pantablo!! Dude by the way I love reading your signature and it makes me laugh everytime. That was one of the coolest yet most disturbing threads on here.