project extend-a-toy

[fj-rankenstein]

well, last weekend i started working on my minitruck and not really knowing what direction I was going to go with it... Kyota's toyota longbox with the bobbed box was quite an inspiration to me and I was kind of leaning in that direction but in a matter of a few minutes on a saturday night I was cutting my spare cab in half and decided to do some thing different... my first toyota was an 81 minitruck that I totally restored about 10 years ago and ever sinse then I have been waiting for the right deal to come along....Actually, the landcruiser bug hit me pretty hard and now I am up to 6 of those darn things!!!!  Landcruisers aside, here are some progress pics of what i did this weekend....... and no I didnt forget aboot cutting out the back of the main cab.... I will do this once the extendacab is more or less complete in the back.....this is gonna be a long slow build because I am a road mechanic that is not home during the week much so have patience... I should be done this by october!!

[b_ripper8]

That's a cool idea. I would really like to see a picture of that FJ-45 that you had your cab in. Pleeeeaaaase. 

[lilbuddy]

That's a cool idea. I would really like to see a picture of that FJ-45 that you had your cab in. Pleeeeaaaase.

Check this out, go towards the middle http://board.marlincrawler.com/index.php?topic=2249.msg95047#msg95047

Sweet build! Keep taking lots of pics!

PS Are you going to be using the tires in the 2nd pic or the last pic that you can see thru the ex-cab?

[b_ripper8]

That 45 is awesome, that's one of my dream builds.

[fj-rankenstein]

thanks for all the positive feedback!!  this was my first and still favorite cruiser... here is a pic of the week that I bought it and one more teaser shot.....than its back to the minitruck!!!!




I hope I can get my minitruck to do this!!!!

[b_ripper8]

You're making the ultimate "parenting mobile." Keep the rear cab seperate so that they can't bug you. You thinking about putting seating back their or making it storage. Also, it looks like if you go bigger than 35" that you may have some tire rub on the rear cab. Interested to see how it comes out.

[fj-rankenstein]

Sweet build! Keep taking lots of pics!
PS Are you going to be using the tires in the 2nd pic or the last pic that you can see thru the ex-cab?

I think my build skills at this point in time are gonna limit me to getting those tires on this truck... dont think I havent thought about it though!!!

[lilbuddy]

I think my build skills at this point in time are gonna limit me to getting those tires on this truck... dont think I havent thought about it though!!!

Nice. That would be pretty awesome. Kinda scary to run 65"+ tires on a yota with stock axles. Im sure you have thought about putting those on too. I sure know I would.

[fj-rankenstein]

You're making the ultimate "parenting mobile." Keep the rear cab seperate so that they can't bug you. You thinking about putting seating back their or making it storage. Also, it looks like if you go bigger than 35" that you may have some tire rub on the rear cab. Interested to see how it comes out.

I have a couple of sets of jumper seats from my cruisers so Im making the rear passengers face each other.. I will have front seats that will slide ahead and then tilt ahead to allow people to access the back... i am also playing around with the idea of making the "3rd door option" as well on the drivers side....I am also grafting in vent windows for a ford ranger because they are the closeset windows in size to the toyota window....

as for the tires, i am going with 37s.... this seems to be the happy medium right now..I will be 4 linking the rear and the rear axle is going back another few inches. I am probably going with coils out of either a tj or something similar.....the plan is for a v6 out of a 93 4runner with tranny going to marlin dual ultimate(there are a million rolled 4runners with relitively low miles in the wrecking yards here for super cheap so this is the most cost effective option...probably will upgrade in a couple years when the 3.4s get cheaper eventually..).....the duel will happen at a much later date though.... so far I am only 350$ canadian  right now into this build so I am doing good....

[Skinny_Pedal]

You're making the ultimate "parenting mobile." Keep the rear cab seperate so that they can't bug you. You thinking about putting seating back their or making it storage. Also, it looks like if you go bigger than 35" that you may have some tire rub on the rear cab. Interested to see how it comes out.

no worries. just be like WHITE TRASH and stretch the wb out to 127" i beleive

[WHITE_TRASH]

$350 canadian?  Hell thats only $19.95 in american dollars....    Nice build so far.  Ill be patiently waiting for the finished pics....  


127 1/2" actually   I didnt get hung up once last weekend either...  I was making stuf that the shorter wheelbases were not due to my clearance and length. 

[fj-rankenstein]

hey cool.. i found a pic of my first mini..... yes it is as clean as it looks... i spent like 3 or 4 years restoring it....

[BLACKDOG]

That is a sweet looking build keep it up.  Oh yeah, nice mini, that thing is beautiful

[4RnrRick]

Good luck on that build! It will be sweet when your done. Mine only took me two years to finish! And that was so I could get it out of the garage and sell it because I needed the money and room for other projects!

Before:



Now:



Just for your reference if you haven't already seen the build: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=141739

[TrackVino]

This is a sweet build. I cant imaginw what its going to look like so I too will be waiting for the pics. 

[crawlerdan]

pretty clean man

[UNBREAKABLE]

sweet rigs!

[TrackVino]

 

[UNBREAKABLE]

Any new pics or updates?

[fj-rankenstein]

absolutely nuthin'

I have been on the road for the last week and havent had time to work on the poor thing....I did have time to do some research on building 4 link links and am now convinced on going with rubicon joints... they seem to be pretty slick.... anyone have any cheap lines on any???

[fj-rankenstein]

today I made the decision to say screw the 3rd door option.... all though I think it would be pretty cool I just dont want to deal with all the work... I will be more than happy with a extended cab minitruck...

I was also quite productive today as well and got back to work on the truck... I got tired of doing house things and figured I am slacking on the mini so I managed to graft one ford extended cab window section that I got from the wrecker... its even close to the same color!! it was actually pretty easy to do and the other side should go twice as quick tomorrow..its actually kind neat to see how the body lines are even close..


anyways, the first pic shows the piece that I cut out and had to trim up to get it to fit in the toyota cab....

[crawlerdan]

oooooooooo, big mini, i liki

[fj-rankenstein]

always so late!!! anyways, I got some more done this evening..err tonight, ummmm this morning... good thing I dont have to work today!!!

anyways, I managed to get the drivers side extended cab window section roughly cut out.... I did some more welding to the other side as well and planned out how I am going to join the floor together....
the big thing that I did was finally cut out the back of the original cab so both sections now share the same space..... is it ever going to be big inside... i cant wait to get interior into it so I can plan the back seating...so far in the back it looks like i will use the jump seats out of an fj40 but I am not too sure yet...here are the pics I got before my battery died

[PAToyota]

Looks good!  I've been thinking myself about extending my '85s cab beyond what an Xtra-cab would be.

[Rocksurfer]

Holy Grand Canyon, are you going to put seats back there or maybe a queen size bed.

[crawlerdan]

you should put a sofa back there, its always been a dream of mine to wheel on a sofa

[TrackVino]

why dont you just put some stock bucket seats back there?


Looks very interesting. Im sure you wont see many of those on the trail.

[fj-rankenstein]

you should put a sofa back there, its always been a dream of mine to wheel on a sofa

he he... I have done a little "wheelin" on a sofa before........

[crawlerdan]

me too bud, but its been a while

[fj-rankenstein]

well, its been waaaaaaaaay to long.....this thread definitellly fell back quite a ways..... anyways, the summer is pretty much all pissed away, and my house that I bought back in may has kept me quite busy over the last while but I finally have time again to get at my truck....   I guess in the mean time I built another cruiser and took that wheeling in october but now its time to get going on my mini again.... unfortunatelly, I have not had time to do anything with the body but I have been slowly collecting stuff stuff to start from the ground up...

I just picked up a 87 truck frame that is in 97% perfect shape which is wierd for around here....it still has most of the original black paint all over the frame...  today I picked up some 3rd gen rear springs and compiled the rest of what i got..... I should have enough to make a good flexy front suspension with 51 inch springs... i also picked up a lot of steel to make new body mounts and all that too.... my goal is to get it done by january some time.... we will see... pics will follow over the next couple of days here....
*EDIT* only 1 pic to post tonight..