Thanks Jake! When I had the truck painted, a few guys asked me what color I was going with - since the body was dissembled, changing colors wouldn't have been much more work. I told them "The same - factory Creme. If the truck was any other color, I would've likely changed it to this color." I agree - it's such a great color for these small old trucks. Oh, at first I thought I liked the single cabs - thought they just looked better. Then I sat in mine, slid the seat back... Dugan at ACC (builds/restores Land Cruisers and Toyota Trucks) laughed and said "Dude, if that were a single cab, you would've just slid out of the back of the cab." My little '84 Pickup has more legroom than my '06 Land Cruiser!

Hoping to start bending and cutting some steel next week (he says for the 4th time).

 

Lono&theGremlin and I bringing back the flatbed/trayback! Check out his badass rebuild of his '85. He helped a bunch in the planning of mine - sending pics and measurements.

First off - I do have a factory 4x4 bed for the truck. It's sitting on top of a shipping container at the body shop that did the work on my truck. It's going to stay there for a while.

Dugan at ACC Garage is a killer fabricator in addition to being a killer Toyota and Land Cruiser builder, restorer, etc. And fortunately for me, scraping the flatbed the PO built, and starting over was his idea. I spent a few (okay, lots and lots) of hours designing, redesigning... cutting cardboard... redesigning... before landing on the final design.

So far:
- Frame is done
- Sliders are built and headed to the powder coater
- Spare mount is done (will hold spare without strap once pin is in place)
- Three of the rear panels are done
- Lights mounted and wired

Left to do:
- Remaining side panels - (cut, need to be attached)
- Receiver hitch
- Rear panel support and frame tie-ins
- The deck
- Headache panel/tube

Once those are knocked out, it all gets taken off and sent to the powder coater... even the deck - that's 1/8" plate with a bunch of tie-down cutouts. (it helps to have a badass plasma table in the shop!)

Computers are great, but there's no substitute for a "3D" mockup...


Round wheel well - note the string on hubcap ;-)


Matching the shape of O.E. front fender and bed...



My design...


Converted to a file for the plasma table...


Files coming to life...


Later, we're going to add folding and removable side rails - similar to the new 70 Series Utes we don't get on this side of the planet.

 

Nice design work, looking forward to seeing it fabbed up!

What colour are you powder coating?

 

Thanks 5 Fists!
- Frame, side/rear panels and deck - body color (same as wheels)
- Spare mount, sliders, headache tube, removable sides, receiver and under-receiver slider/support - black

The frame, side/rear panels and some of the receiver/rear slider will be welded together and powdered as one unit. Any of the receiver/rear slider that gets body color powder will then be painted satin black. The deck - that big ole slab of 1/8" - will be powdered separately and bolted to the frame.

 

Manhattan
Great rebuild! I've been working on mine for over 3 years and to see what you have gotten done in a little more than a year amazes me. Of course I'm a 1 man show, You are very lucky to have such good friends to help out with this project. I got a quote from a body shop and to to just do the cab was $$$$$
I looked at the inside of the cab, I was going to just Raptor line it but after seeing yours I have changed my mind and deiced to go with carpet. Yours looks like it fit like a glove, where did you get it? Also the sound deadening material.
Looking good
Hump

 

Definitely fortunate to have friends like Dugan at ACC Garage! But prior to the custom work on the flatbed, the big improvement was the bodywork. The truck got new (old, but clean) doors and fenders, some bodywork and paint. Then, I gutted the interior, added the sound deadening and new carpet. I've restored/painted some interior panels and added the CoverLay dash... which will be coming back out. I've now got a near-pristine dash to go in. Oh, the ARB bumper, wheels and tires made a huge impact.

I think I got a solid deal on the paint and body work. Single stage, no clear, very little body work - one repaired rocker and some metal work on the windshield - $2,500.

The carpet is from Stock Interiors or ACC (pure coincidence) Carpets - it's the same carpet. The carpet is fitted to the floor but is over-sized by several inches all around. So, bolt it in, THEN cut the edges, then pull the bolts, then put the seats in and put the bolts back in. That was the first carpet instal I've ever done. Took some time, but was pretty easy.

 

Thanks
Hump

 

I love how this is coming out! You inspired me with them wheels and we had a bent wheel or two already so wanted to go that route.

 

Got a little more done on the bed...


Next up:
- Remove the bed, weld/grind, flip it, weld grind
- Bed goes to powder coater - will be body color
- Headache rack
- Receiver hitch and cross member
- Fold-down/removable sides

 

Where'd you order those wheels from?

 

I found a set complete with hub caps on ebay.

Check prices between shipping for free or not.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Toyota-Land....m46890.l49292

 

ACC Garage in Atlanta ordered them for me from the Toyota parts distributor. They said they're like any other new part. Maybe try https://partsouq.com - they're about as cheap as any place I've seen genuine Toyota parts.

That Ebay post looks legit. The price is at/around what I paid and the packaging looks the same - straight from Toyota.

 

that's the thing I like the most about those wheels, they are new Toyota wheels.

that bed is sick btw!

 

Thanks @Damion812 !!

 

Some progress....
- Seats reupholstered
- Bed's been powder coated and Herculined
Next up: Sides

 

Sweet. How much did it cost to reupholster and how long did it take? Where did they get that upholstery material? It looks very early 80s authentic.

 

Thanks. After talking with four upholstery shops in/near Atlanta - getting prices from $1,400-2,000 PLUS materials... I found Tony's Upholstery in Norcross, GA (about 20 min. outside of Atlanta). They had great reviews... and quoted $800 including materials. Tony recommended the two-tone headrest and added a flap to the back to hide the hog rings and seam... and rebuilt the foam. He had both the vinyl and houndstooth in stock. I spent like 3 min. picking out materials - saw the houndstooth, then picked a brown to match. Boom. The seats are so (!) much more comfortable. I didn't realize how much the foam had degraded.

 

He did an awesome job and that's about 1/3 of what I expected it to cost. I really like the fabric choice. Most people would think it's OEM. I'd love to redo mine.

 

Thanks. That's what I was shooting for - that maybe/sorta-OEM vibe.

 

How has it been almost a year since I've posted here?! Maybe because not much has charged with the truck. We did get the sides done. Next up - suspension... gotta ditch these super stiff springs.