I want decent sound in the rig and had / ebay-ed some high quality speakers for it. One of the best places to put tweeters is on the pillar. Obviously the 1st gens have a thin piece of plastic covering this up, but it makes a decent starting point (once again using the parts from the brown rig as they're getting covered in fabric anyway)

Started by cutting out a ring deep enough for the tweeter and then tried to determine a position that would be pointing towards the driver / passenger. for getting the shape down I went with Bondo short strand filler also known as "kitty hair". It mixes like bondo....fills gaps pretty decent and sets up quickly. Some guys will stretch terrycloth or felt soaked in resin...to each their own. I'm not trying to win any looks awards, just wanted to give it a shot. Here's how the MDF ring looked with the bondo-hair setup on the pillar cover



held the ring at the angle I wanted and used gloves to "sculpt the Bondo hair into place



sets up in less than 5 minutes so work fast



after a smoke break, it was set up and hardened, so I used my favorite tool in the world, a 5" angle grinder and flap wheel to quickly sand down and smooth out the filler









then did a quick coat of bondo to feather the edges out and make the transitions smooth, filling all of the smaller pits and pockets left from the first go around

Fully covered in fabric in the rig. For basically just guessing at the angle, I'm pretty darn happy with how it turned out. Literally did this part in about 30 min








MORE TO COME!!!!!

 

got home last night with about 30-45 minutes of daylight left. Not a lot of time to do much, but I figured I'd try. I had previously had Kinkos print out my flat pattern for the front bumper design ($12 or so) on their large format roll paper plotter printer.

I used some super 77 to glue the paper roll to a sheet of masonite and started cutting it out with a jigsaw.



template glued on



all parts cut out (tried to keep them in left / right hand piles



duct taped together most of the pieces and put on the 86 to mock up



cutout is for the Warn 8274 to stick up through the bumper. Hopefully I won't have to cut the grille, or at least that's the current plan



Side view



moved over to the 89



bumper approach angle actually matches up with current valence.



width need to be adjusted, and it's missing the bull bar / stinger, but wanted to get a visual shape idea to know what I needed to change



top down view of the 10" extension

Overall, this was a great little exercise that cost me around $20 total ($12 to print out and $8 for the Masonite). I really wanted to see if the measurements I had taken were in the right ballpark, and then if adjustments needed to be made (which of course they do), I can have something physical to measure from to keep the tolerances as close as possible. It's also a good guide to know what angles to change and to where.

Next step is to build an MDF mock up of the winch plate and frame supports that the bumper will slide over and bolt to (maybe I should have done that first?)

Once all of that is dialed in, I'll probably change out the parts that are modified on the mock up with the new parts and get everything exactly how I want it and so that it fits the vehicle. Make all the necessary changes in the 3D model, add in the weld tabs and slots, and then get started on the rock sliders / nerf bars and rear bumper / spare tire swing gate.

Trying to stay productive.....

 

I have recently discovered the threaded inserts and I now use them on anything and everything. Not sure how your tool works, but Harbor Freight has a great one that not only comes with a decent amount of them, it's also very easy to use.

http://www.harborfreight.com/45-piec...-kit-1210.html

 

Yeah, they're definitely similar. I liked this design because it was cheap and could easily store in my toolbox. It also works with multiple size and types of rivet nuts (standard / metric & ATA2 / Flanged). I also felt like the driving force behind an impact gun or drill and the wedge would be higher than a simple hand operated unit. I went with the Cadmium plated steel nuts over the aluminum as I wanted some real bite. The tool came with corresponding drill bits for M4, M5, & M6 as well as 20 of those rivet-nuts in each size. I bout about 50 more from McMaster Carr just to make sure I'll have enough as I'm planning on using them for the entire interior and used roughly 8-10 on each door alone (also picked up M6x1.0 weld nuts if I needed them).

Not the exact same tool, but same patent I'm sure...UK Youtube video of it working with a flanged Rivet Nut:

[YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE]

 

I'm loving your fabrication skills and the door panels are nice

 

hopefully not a lot of "other" things taking up my time this weekend, so I'm going to try and get some more things done on the interior and make the necessary adjustments to the front bumper along with an attempt to mock up the rear bumper now that the trailer hitch is on (it'll bolt to the trailer hitch and frame).

There were also a few minor oil leaks I noticed after a short drive that I'll need to take care of and some little air leak in the intake I've got to sort out. The truck does drive a heck of a lot smoother now, and no metal-on-metal noise (starter to flywheel interference). .60 over forged pistons, h-beam rods, all in a turbo block with topline head, oversized valves and a street cam....fairly decent setup. I've got the other motor ready to re-ring and build back up as well, but may do that at the shop and utilize the sandblaster for cleaning up all the "accessory" bolt on parts.

I think the easiest thing to do would be to load all the gear/materials up in the truck and head up to the shop that i'm a member of ($50/mo 501-3C non-profit called DallasMakerspace with a lift and enough room inside to pull about 4 cars, full wood shop, metal shop & laser cutters). I'm thinking I can get more done working overnight with good lighting and a space carved out inside.

The rear panels are going to be a little trickier as I'm trying to eliminate the bolts holding the top down in lieu of some type of recessed overlatch draw clamp, but haven't decided on which ones yet (or purchased them) as well as the complication of having to build sealed sub boxes that will almost certainly need additional depth to accommodate the 10" subs I've got for that little area next to the roll bar. I may just go ahead and soundproof everything, install the smaller speakers, and leave the rest of the panels flat for coming back later and cutting out for the sub and draw clamps.

Hopefully another productive weekend, but we'll see what pops up.

 

looks like something out of Mad Max love it!

 

One heck of a journey thus far. I definately dig it.

 

I got the call Friday that I was having a new nephew that night - so lots of family in town, back and forth to the hospital to visit several times, etc. Then spent a good chunk of Saturday helping to convert a local buddy's really nice '88 crawler truck to propane and generally didn't get much done on my rig.

Door handles and bezels came in, I got the rivet-nuts mounted in the handles to use the same hardware to affix the bezels as the rest of the doors (M6 countersunk allen head SS bolts), and an M6 tap set comes in tonight so I can drill and tap the window cranks to also use the same hardware (I've always hated those spring clamps and I'm afraid the new door panels are too thick to allow the use of them any more). I'm going to try and gear up and make this upcoming weekend a long weekend at the shop to finish up a few projects and lay the groundwork for a few more. Still trying to look for the best hardware to bypass the bolt on top and make it some quick release levers, and I'm sure that building subwoofer boxes that fit in the space I will need them to while maintaining the correct air volume will also be a fairly interesting task.

 

I'm going to try and order some latches for the quick release removable top (not using the bolts for the removable 4runner top and permanently installing the "trim" that covers up access to those bolts.

So far I've narrowed the "styles" of latches down to the below three:

1: Recessed "flight case" style latch - heavy duty - 600kg

2: Jeep style rubber hood latch - fiber reinforced nylon / rubber - medium duty

3: Over-center non-adjustable draw latch - medium duty - 400kg - Stainless Steel

I also included the below (stolen from google images) photo of where / how the latches would be mounted or integrated to brackets behind the upper top trim and the lower support / side panels. I need to figure out what I want to do here before I can really move forward with the rear panels, or I guess I could always modify them later / after I decide.

 

That a cool idea! I like latch #1. Are you still going to use the bolts where the back of the cab/roof and topper meet?

 

Those bolts are somewhat accessible, so if I were to go with something like option 1, I'd probably keep the 3 cab to removable top bolts in place. If I were to go with something like the Jeep hood latch, I'd probably install those up front as well (one for each side). More than likely I'll have to fab up some metal brackets that hold whatever I decide to go with and fiberglass those brackets in with the top (i.e. upper part of option 1, plate to mount main body of option 2, catch for option 3, etc).

I'm also thinking about getting rid of the metal spike dowels that "align" the top in lieu of some wide head bolt and a keyhole metal plate. That way I could drop the top on with those bolts lining up with the larger part of the keyhole and slide the top forward and bolt or latch it to the cab first. Not really sure, I just want to come up with a way to keep the top easily removable that doesn't involve removing two handfulls of bolts and 20 pieces of trim every time you want it off.

 

Yeah I hear ya. Last summer, when I still had my 86 runner, I only put in about half the bolts to hold the top down and kept the interior trim off until summer was over just to make removal easier. I'd really like to get a soft top (someday) but am interested in seeing what solution you come up with!

 

My issue with the latches idea would be well they hold up to lateral forces.

You would need some sort of dowel system to keep those at a minimum i would think

 

From what I remember, there are already a couple of dowels that align the top. If the lateral forces need the dowels, then I'd probably leave them and reinforce the area with some metal fiberglassed into the the topper (hole for dowel in center of plate).

I'm still thinking about it. Obviously there are a ton of different directions to go on this. Still not sure which one I want to start out in, and may order some samples of the lower cost components to get a sense of quality.

Found a couple of "high end" options that may work too. I'm thinking the 4runner top will need at least two latches overhead from topper to cab (if the bolts aren't used in this location), and probably 3 latches down each side (front, middle, rear), and new upgraded gasket material all the way around.




Let's Call this option #4 - billet aluminum and adjustable




and Option 5, Cast Stainless Steel and rubber

 

The dowels that align the top are not something i would personally bet on but then again i don't know the integrity of the latches in question.

It would definitely be nice to have a quick release system though

 

Well, I think I'm going to be reinforcing the entire lower part of the topper - that 1/4" or so of fiberglass with ribs is nice, but would be nicer with a few plates integrated into it and a little extra glass. I'm also thinking roof rack, but know that the topper itself can't support much weight. So, if I was going to do a full "safari" style rack, I'd build up a light cage in the interior that the upper rack mounted to.....that cage of course would distribute the weight downward to the bottom of the topper onto the sheetmetal sides of the vehicle.

Some of the quick release latches are high quality and not only clamp with downward pressure, but also ensure minimal shear or lateral forces. Others...seem to be for smaller cases and do not. Some are really pricey, and others aren't as much. Heck, I wouldn't even mind figuring out a way that the bolts go all the way through trim, as long as you didn't really have to unscrew 12-20 bolts every time you wanted to pop the top.

 

What about using a locking type mechanism and mounting it to the outside of the shell? Similar to what big rigs use to hold their hoods down.

 

Option 2 is the exact kind of latch that big rigs use for their hoods. Options, 2, 4, & 5 are all marketed and made to be mounted on the outside. It's a thought....just not 100% sure I want something sticking 1-2" off the side of the rig in the back. Heck, I had even looked at using Hilux tailgate latches to keep it period specific and in the Toyota family (not a fan of putting Jeep parts on the Yota)

 

I personally wouldn't mind latches on the outside if I were to do it, simply because I'll have Sliders and bumpers that stick at least that far.