My 86 (the one over there in my avatar) has some pretty nasty rust issues going on around the windshield and in the cowling. The rest of the body is decent, has a couple minor issues at the rear wheel wheels and such. But no major body damage at all. I recently acquired an 87, specifically for the interior only. It is now completely gutted and installed in my 86. I had started to put the 87 up for sale, but stopped because I had thought about doing a Body swap between the two. No major rust issues on the 87, just 3 of the corners have been dented and need repair, and the PO cut out an area between the fuel door and the wheel well (maybe 12"x18" tops). All in all, it's in the better shape of the two.

So...Should I swap bodies? How much of a PITA is it? My younger brother says "it's just 8 or 9 bolts, how hard could it be?" BTW the Frame it not in very good shape on the 87, mostly rust damage nothing structural. I have a good frame, good running gear, and good motor and tranny on my 86. If I go thi route, the hurdle I have to overcome is space. I can't leave to many signs of this magnitude of a project scattered around the driveway....the HOA will eat my lunch. Plus there is an FJ40 taking up half my garage.

We also talked about cutting the cab portion out of each and only swapping that. Sounds a little more complicated due to the additional welding and bodywork involved. May as well just swap out the whole thing.

OR, should I just cut out the damaged area around the cowling and windshield patch in some new pieces. This would probably include everthing from the firewall up to the top of the cab. To me, this sound even more difficult of a task because of the intriquet "terrain" of the body parts in those areas of the vehicle.

Suggestions? Thoughts? Nightmarish stories? Pictures? How to's?

sS

 

Helluva lot more than 8 or 9 bolts.

 

It's not hard. But it's a bit more than a few bolts (namely wiring harness, brake lines, fuel lines, steering, etc.). The hard part is lifting the body high enough to clear the engine. You need to raise it about 4 feet.

 

Why does Fustercluck's 85 buildup come to mind.....albeit, that was an opposite swap.

 

I'll see if I can find this Fustercluck build you speak of.

So, how much weight we talkin for lifting the body?

I may have a solution to my space issue...We own a warehouse that we lease out. Well...it's not leased at the moment. There are a couple of small cranes in the building, 1/2 ton jib and 2 ton Gantry. Thinking about just loading up the tool chest and a sleeping bag and spening the weekend there.

sS

 

I replaced the rusted areas around the windshield on my 85. Got a bent fender from the Toyota dealership, and fab up the new pieces from the fender. TIG welded the new pieces in, painted, and replaced the windshield.

 

I think the body weighs in around 1500lbs. But that's a guess.

 

My guess...I think the dry weight of the entire vehicle was like 2200, I could be way off tho. Take the motor, transmission, frame, running gear and top out of the situation and I would venture to guess that I would be well under 1000 lbs.

I am leaning more and more towards doing the body swap the more I think about it. The 86 does have an undamaged body, but more rust problems than I would like to deal with. And that area under the windshield is just plain nasty. The 87 has no real rust issues, and has body damaged that could be resolved real easy.

The 86 has a 3" body lift kit. So i will need to make sure those parts get changed over.

sS