iChambers 98 limited build

[ichambers]

OK so today I had some time to get going on my custom grill fabrication. I previously posted the sketch on my last entry. I am going about this build by making a positive out of foam and body filler, which I will later make a mold of, to eventually make a fiber glass piece out of the mold. Here are the beginnings of the foam piece. Today I just cut out the grill shape with a little extra so i could sand down and fit it perfectly into the stock grills cavity. I laid out all the lines to be cut out by carving into the surface a little. In this picture all the lighter areas will be cut away. There may be some adjustments to the proportions as I go. <br>

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[fightman80]

Looking good! Keep us posted! I'd love to see how you do this man!

 

[Bandit Runner]

Definitely interested in seeing how this turns out. Please keep us up to date with pics and detailed description of the process.

Thanks

 

[ichambers]

I started cutting the foam a bit today and sanding it into shape but then decided it was to hot outside. I really wish i owned nice band saw, it would make cutting out the shapes a lot easier. I could wait a couple weeks till I'm back at school and have access to the shop, but I'm impatient :biggrin2: <br>
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[ichambers]

So working on the grill insert got put off this weekend, cause I got a little side tracked with some other projects. My brother in law is staying with us right now and he is in a wheel chair while his leg and shoulder heal up after his motorcycle accident. There is a step just out side our front door so I ended up building him a ramp so we could get him out side a bit more since he will be in the wheel charm for about 6 weeks. I like building stuff like this so it was actually pretty fun. kinda reminded me of building bike ramps as a kid.
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[ichambers]

Finally had some time to post some of the off raiding video from my Mammoth trip. This is the Deadman pass. I good give credit to this site for a good amount of the info I learned about the trail before driving it 4wdtrips.net. Although he didn't have many trip guides for that specific area his are some of the best and most detail trail guides i found on the net for free.
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[ichambers]

Ok I got back to work today on my custom grill mod. I have pretty much cut down the foam to the right size, it still just needs fine tuning. I have gotten to the point where I need to fit it to the grill so that i can finish the piece for making the mold. In order to fit the piece properly to the grill I needed to cut out the grill cross bars so i got out the dremmel and started cutting away. If this all turns out to be a flop I can just go ahead and do the satoshi like normal. But it would take an epic failure to get to that point.

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[ichambers]

Man this forum moves fast just posted last night and I'm already on page three! Any way i have been fitting the insert so that it fits perfectly into the space and have just been making some minor tweaks to finalize the piece. I haven't completely decided 100% how to finish this yet. I essentially have a plug that i could make a mold from and have the ability to reproduce it, but that is a lot of work. I could also possibly vacuum form over the insert and make a plastic shell that could be reinforced from the back side, or i could just give this piece some nice thick resin coatings with a layer or two of fiber glass to make it nice and strong. the later would work but it would mean if something happened to the insert piece i would have to completely re-fab it. I will probably decide in the next couple days since i have access to more equipment once i start school again on monday.

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[Bandit Runner]

Its looking real good, but aren't you concerned with blocking off too much air flow through the grille area?

 

[ichambers]

Its looking real good, but aren't you concerned with blocking off too much air flow through the grille area?

No the cut outs provide plenty of air flow, just in different places than before. There will be close to just as much air flow as before. I may also eventually make an electric fan set up as well.

 

[ichambers]

Ok so I know its been a while since my last update, but since I started school I just have had much less time. I decided that rather than mold the grill piece that I have been working on I would just finish and mount it. I figure if something happens to it ill just do something different. So here are a few progress pics that you guys missed and the finished product! It is pretty good but there are things I would do different if I did it again.
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[ichambers]

bump

 

[4Running Daily]

More Pictures

 

[Chandler_Ross]

That is one of the most original grille mods I've ever seen on here. Great job man! One suggestion tho, If I were you, I would paint the chrome part of the grille black, and then paint the Toyota logo chrome. It would look more like one piece instead of an insert. Just some constructive criticism! Love the Runner so far. Keep it coming!