1987 pickup shifter plate modification

[RucasDingo98]

Hello everyone I am somewhat new to Toyotas and am looking forward to learning more. I recently bought a 1987 4x4 with 1st gear being out. I found a relatively low mileage replacement w56 however the shifters are in different locations and the transfer case is a top shift. (replacing g52 with forward shift) This post is about how I made a new shifter plate out of fiberglass to accommodate the change and larger hole size.

I decided to used fiberglass instead of metal because of cost and I am not the best metal worker. I wanted something that could match the contours of the floor close enough to minimize the amount of gasket I would need and fiberglass seemed to fit the bill with a total cost of 23$. Before this I had no experience fiberglassing and watched YouTube videos to learn some techniques which I highly recommend.  I started by removing the old plate and shifters and cleaned the area well I decided to leave the plastic inserts in for the screws so the would hold the fiberglass to the metal better. I then used blue painter's tape to cover the area and ensured it was all pressed down and overlapping. After that I took a paper towel and lightly applied vegetable oil to the tape to act as a release agent.

I tore the fiberglass sheet into about 6 roughly equal sizes that were larger than I needed as the resin sets quickly. I placed the first sheet and poured resin in the middle and worked it outwards with a dabbing motion using a brush. After 5 layers I was pleased with the thickness of material that was built up and decided to stop there you can do more or less depending on your preference. After the fiberglass dried I was able to pry it away relatively easy just take your time it will come up. I then cut the excess off and placed it back on to mark holes. This project turned out really well and was pretty straightforward. The added benefit that I did not realize at first was the fact that the fiberglass is translucent enough to see what is below making it easy to mark holes to cut. I am currently installing this and will update once it is finished and post pictures when I'm able.

I hope this helps and I'm curious to see if anyone else has done something similar. I'm sure this would be applicable to other year models as well.
Thanks