KidV's 1985 4Runner
- Thread starter KidVermicious
- Start date
4Running Daily
New member
mikebontoft
New member
yellow bedliner
KidVermicious
New member
You freaks stay away from my truck.
mikebontoft
New member
kevin is gonna come out one day and find his truck coated in orange plastidip... haha
liveoffroad
New member
:laugh:
nice work on the trimming! what'd you use?
BucknutBob
New member
I think I'd go for rolling the edges instead of putting trim on them--you may cut through the trim, but a rolled edge will be smooth. Just a thought. Are you still considering painting and decaling it like what's on the door? I think that would look great!
Footofgod
New member
We've got clearance, Clarence!
I'm going to finish it with some of that black plastic trim you can get at Autozone, and it still won't be the prettiest, but it won't tear up my tires either. It'll do until I get around to ordering some fiberglass.
Copy cat! Looks good though.
mikebontoft
New member
very nice. btw, Price just built an autozone as well. Add that to the list of stores here
KidVermicious
New member
Dremel on the sheet metal, angle grinder and BFH on the seam.
If I was planning on keeping these fenders, I'd be right there with you - I'd roll the edge and I would have left tabs to reattach the fender liner. I'm hoping to have fiberglass on the truck within the year, so I'm not gonna sweat it.
It'll get rattlecanned something unpretentious, probably grey or flat black. I'd love to recreate the paint scheme on the '84 I got that door from, but that's a job for the pros.
I do what I gotta. It was buy fiberglass (no cash, and it would have looked silly with my current tires), extend my bumpstops (that's stupid, we LIKE travel), or cut up my nice pristine virginal fenders and bash my truck with a hammer. The choice was obvious.
ound:
KidVermicious
New member
So after staring at that for a couple days, I decided I didn't like it. Not a fan of the way my cut crossed the natural fender line. So what do you do when you've cut up your truck and don't like the result? Cut some more!
I followed the flare all the way around the fender, and like this much better.
I got to poking around the rear a little bit too. With the trim:
Trim removed:
Yuck. I wanted to cut some panels off a clean fender and slap them on, but I can't patch that. It's rusted all the way through, and up in the fender liner as well. Blech.
I followed the flare all the way around the fender, and like this much better.
I got to poking around the rear a little bit too. With the trim:
Trim removed:
Yuck. I wanted to cut some panels off a clean fender and slap them on, but I can't patch that. It's rusted all the way through, and up in the fender liner as well. Blech.
KidVermicious
New member
Now that I look at it, I'm kinda wondering if maybe I just want to back-half and bob it. Keep the rear seats, move the tailgate immediately behind them so I keep the window, chop and splice the hard top to match, then flatbed from that point back. Chop and tub the body like this:
It'd have to be clean. There's lots of crap chop jobs out there, this is still going to be a daily driver and needs to look clean. Anybody ever seen this done on a first gen? I wanna see how it looks.
It'd have to be clean. There's lots of crap chop jobs out there, this is still going to be a daily driver and needs to look clean. Anybody ever seen this done on a first gen? I wanna see how it looks.
4Running Daily
New member
Do it!
KidVermicious
New member
Hmm. If I did, I could put a fuel cell in the flatbed and 4link the back...
Oh shit.
Oh shit.
4Running Daily
New member
There's a rational idea. You better compensate with something completely unreasonable.
Paint it pink.
KidVermicious
New member
Picked up an engine stand for twenty bucks today. I'm, like, an official mechanic now or sumthin. Or I would be if I had a hoist. Baby steps.
I've decided that the rear wheel wells are going to get a wire wheel and some rust bullet, then I'm going to whomp up a rear arch out of sheet metal and glass over the the whole bit. I'm quite sure this is going to leave some rust behind, and I don't care, but I don't have the time or money for the replacement quarters or to chop and link the rear, and I'm tired of looking at that crap.
I've decided that the rear wheel wells are going to get a wire wheel and some rust bullet, then I'm going to whomp up a rear arch out of sheet metal and glass over the the whole bit. I'm quite sure this is going to leave some rust behind, and I don't care, but I don't have the time or money for the replacement quarters or to chop and link the rear, and I'm tired of looking at that crap.
Rockdawg84
New member
Now that I look at it, I'm kinda wondering if maybe I just want to back-half and bob it. Keep the rear seats, move the tailgate immediately behind them so I keep the window, chop and splice the hard top to match, then flatbed from that point back. Chop and tub the body like this:
It'd have to be clean. There's lots of crap chop jobs out there, this is still going to be a daily driver and needs to look clean. Anybody ever seen this done on a first gen? I wanna see how it looks.
Do it bro!!! it isn't straight but this is what it looks like angled. I will tell you that you need to reinforce between the two seat latches because the sides will move back and forth and squeak horrible. I use a ratchet stap to pull them in tight and quiet.
one suggestion cut your top first and then put it on to know where to begin your cut on the body. LOL do it backwards and it is a cool lighting bolt pattern.
Mine isn't a daily driver so I never finished it. What I had in plan was to do a 3 tube bed around the back (kind of like a bed extender on pickup's) never happened so the bungie cord holding the tail lights is the way I roll through tech at cruise moab. LOL
What is your vision for the flatbed and tailgate? don't forget that the frame goes almost all the way to the back and the rear shackel is at the back of the frame so you would need to 4 link to cut the frame. A lot to think about i know.
Last edited:
KidVermicious
New member
The whole idea is evolving, and will probably evolve some more before I even decide if I want to go through with it. I could theoretically chop and splice the hard top and suck the entire tailgate (and rear window) up to right behind the rear seats, just weld it in and keep a functional rear window, and this really appeals to me. I think the window is below the level of the frame rails when it's rolled down, so I'd have to find some other way to get support out to the flat bed and I don't know how I'd do that and keep it clean, I don't want an exo. If I want to save the tailgate and the rear window I'll have to link it for sure, and I'd integrate a fuel cell into the flatbed to make room for the links. If I could pull it off I think it'd be awesome, but I've been looking around at 4Runner bob jobs and I can't find anybody that's been so ambitious - if guys that know what they're doing haven't done this yet, there's gotta be a reason.
The other way I was thinking is to ditch the tailgate, integrate rear or top opening lockable boxes right behind the seats to close off the rear of the truck, and flatbed it back from there with a custom soft top over the rear seats. I could conceivably do this with out chopping the frame rails or having to 4link it. I don't like it as much though.
Similar threads
