Spectre6000's Crazy Idea Thread #1: Paneling

S

spectre6000

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I'm a huge fan of ultrautilitarian automotive design. I want my cars to do the job(s) they're built for, do that extremely well, and everything else is ancillary. I don't like that my 4Runner has leather or wood trim or any of that nonsense. If it didn't even have a radio it wouldn't bother me. I want my 4Runner to get me from point A to point B regardless of where those two points may be and what might lie in the middle with little to no drama. Living up here in the Rockies, that can be a tall order. To wit, my favorite car to date was my 1962 VW Panel Bus: the epitome of no frills, do the job and do it well design. Once I moved up here however, the two wheel drive and the skinny tires made it no longer capable of performing the tasks required of it, so it turned into a 4Runner and a wad of cash.

Following that logic my current crazy idea for my 4Runner is to remove the rearmost windows and close them up like a panel truck. On the inside, use that space for additional storage. Removing automotive glass is (or maybe just was) super easy, I have no use for an AM antenna (nor it seems does anyone/thing save the factory radio which is long gone), and those windows are unused as far as visibility is concerned (save my dog, he uses them a little). As far as I'm concerned, they're a waste of space, weight up high, and a liability on the trail (there seems to be a lot of threads about them being broken). The metal fab would be a cinch, body work minimal, and with single stage white paint (another intentional and utilitarian choice on my part), even the paint would be a snap.

I want to know if there's anyone out there that has already done this. If so, what were the hangups and complications? How was the inside treated? Of course, photos would be nice as well.

Here's a 30-second photo:
photo-2.png~original
 
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That would be counterproductive and extremely difficult. I'm talking about just paneling in some windows.

I did see a convertible FJ Cruiser the other day down in Boulder though... I tried to take a picture with my cell phone, but it was on the far side of 3-4 lanes of traffic turning left while I was going right.
 
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I would want to actually weld it to the body and completely remove even the space the windows occupied. That space would be more internal storage.

For your scoops (I'm the guy that's been telling you it's a bad idea), steel would be cheaper and more easily worked by lesser laborers (aluminum requires TIG versus the easier and more readily available MIG). FWIW
 
I have no idea how a radio or rear windows would create any form of negative drama. If either one of those two items breaks 20 miles from the nearest road, it's not like they're going to leave you stranded somewhere. Removing all that stuff not only negatively affects the value of your truck, but to me, makes about as much sense as wiping before you poop.
 
Go find a picture of the rear 3/4 view of a 1962 VW Panel bus and talk to me again about visibility! :) Drove one every day for a few years and never had an issue. Properly adjusted mirrors eliminate blindspots quite handily*. As for the 4Runner, I did a proper check the other day, and the rearmost side windows are not visible without turning around far more than anyone would while driving and aren't visible in the rearview mirror.

*For those who don't know (it seems to be something of a mystery these days to the point that I've started seeing warning lights on the side mirrors of Mercedes... Dumb and most likely quite distracting; adjust your mirrors properly and be done with it), you lean over to where your head is roughly in the center of the car and adjust the passenger side mirror to where you can just see the side of the car. Then put your head right up against the DS window and do the same. You won't have the side of the car for reference in a normal driving position (which you get used to), but you will absolutely not have any blindspots in a car with modern sized mirrors.
 
Give the dude a break.

He seems to be asking a reasonable question. He also took a fair amount of time to explain why he would like to undertake this project; unlike half the other idiots on here that are asking a question that can be easily answered with the search button or google.

Youve got nothing better to do then be an ewheeling jackass? Flame on!
 
PNWRunner said:
Give the dude a break.

He seems to be asking a reasonable question. He also took a fair amount of time to explain why he would like to undertake this project; unlike half the other idiots on here that are asking a question that can be easily answered with the search button or google.

Youve got nothing better to do then be an ewheeling jackass? Flame on!
Click to expand...

I agree. I can appreciate the utility of this idea and we don't need haters here telling him to get rid of this wonderful vehicle.

Spectre: You are obviously a smart DIY type who thinks outside-the-box. I think it would work fine with properly adjusted mirrors like you said. This mod is obviously uncommon (on any vehicle), so the only suggestion I have for you is to go pull off some interior panels and take a look. That will get the creative juices flowing.
 
If you're using the truck for Wheeling... I say do whatever you want with the rear windows! lol!

I for one, really like the visibility I get out of those babies when on the street and on the Freeway, so that would never be an option for me.

Good luck on the mod... and post up some pics when you get it done! :)
 
My bus looked very much like the first. I had the Goodyear All Terrains, same general vintage (they didn't change much aesthetically, but that's the right range), roof rack, etc. There was a guy in my car club back in Dallas that used to have a single cab pickup bus on 40" tires called "Bugfoot".

Meanwhile, the primary reason is the windows are effectively unused. Actually go out and sit in your drivers' seat. Look in the rearview mirror and you will not be able to see those windows. You obviously aren't using them on the drivers' side when changing lanes (you can't even use the one in the passenger door), and to use the one on the passenger side when changing lanes has you turned around more than you're ever going to turn around while actually driving. If your side view mirrors are even CLOSE to adjusted properly, you shouldn't have a blind spot even close to what you'd be able to see out there anyway. Passengers in the back seat aren't going to spend a lot of time turned around facing backwards either. If you have a dog in the back (as I often do), you MIGHT be concerned with the dog's ability to see out, but crack the back window and he/she will forget all about it. If you're camping, you sleep with your head at the back of the vehicle, AND you want to see out (versus keeping the sun down until you're ready for it) then I can see it being a negative.

Meanwhile, the positive for making this modification would be that you gain quite a bit of storage space without taking up space in the rest of the cabin. Finally, personally I think it would look pretty baddass. I'm not much of a sticker on my car kinda guy (makes sense with the rest of my utilitarian touting posts above), but it would be a great place for some pretty baddass logo work of some sort... I might have to do something like that as a tribute to Andy, my bus that had to move to Ohio to make space for this 4-wheel drive monstrosity. It was all painted up back in '62 as a TV repair truck for a small chain in Northern California called "Handy Andy", and that was the bus's name. "Son of Andy" or something to that effect...

59side1.jpg~original

This is a '59 from the same fleet of 5 (2 '59s and 3 '62s). I miss my bus a little if you can't tell...
 
I say go for it, but do it right. cut out the entire area, an inch or so around the window if possible and weld a panel in, smooth it all down and paint to match. i very rarely find myself looking out those rear windows when backing up and i can see them being a damageable item if wheeling. if my KTM stickers didnt look so good on my rear windows i might even consider it lol.
 
Whitson Metalworks said:
I say go for it, but do it right. cut out the entire area, an inch or so around the window if possible and weld a panel in, smooth it all down and paint to match. i very rarely find myself looking out those rear windows when backing up and i can see them being a damageable item if wheeling. if my KTM stickers didnt look so good on my rear windows i might even consider it lol.
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That would be what I consider the "right way". Cut it to where it's the same contour as the rest of that panel (however far out that is), and weld in a patch to fit. Ideally there would be enough space from the inside (and a helper) to hammer things flush to mitigate the need for filler, and filler would probably be the old lead variety (I don't care much for the plastic fillers personally, and they've got lead filler that's a slightly less toxic alloy now). The single stage Natural White paint will make painting it up clean a snap to boot!

I was thinking about what would make for a good interior filler, and I'm thinking the big relatively flat panel is going to require some reinforcement to keep wind buffeting and/or oil canning from being an issue. I think this can be handled by a simple and inexpensive strip or two of small angle iron (not sure how small it comes, but probably the smallest I can find). Fill in the newly opened window cavity with some plain sheet metal, and put some expanded steel over the new panel just a hair out (probably the thickness of the angle iron) to give it some depth and to make for modular storage options. The expanded steel would allow for the use of hooks, modular shelves, bungee cords, etc. to keep things in their places.

The part I haven't figured out is exactly how to handle the plastic interior panel... It's going to need to be cut somehow for sure, and if I want to be able to enclose the new storage areas, I'm going to have to find some means of trimming the plastic while allowing doors to open and close. I might be able to get away with some creative hinges and some sort of tubing cut lengthwise and fitted over the cut edge of the paneling plastic... That's the best I've been able to come up with so far though...

Exactly how to arrange the doors for the storage areas is also TBD. Two doors opening from the center? One large door? Hinges front/rear/top/bottom? Do they need to be opened more from the cab or from the rear hatch? Maybe just leave them open?

This is all fairly theoretical for now since I don't have a garage to work in, and the only flat area on the property suitable for parking is a long way from any sort of electricity... I also left a good portion of my tooling in a storage unit in Dallas and my giant air compressor/paint equipment access is also back in Dallas.... Unless there's someone nearby (Denver/Boulder) who wants to offer up some garage space, hands, eyes, some creative thoughts, etc. this project is a bit in the future. It's looking more feasible, realistic, and desirable by the day though!
 
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