Body swap, or frame up resto??

[Skyetone]

I have a lead on an immaculate first generation toyota body. the motor has been pulled by torching out the mounts. The tranz is in the garage, the bed has been half bobed. The front axle is gone. All springs are gone.
So I have a frame without motor mounts, rear axle, tanz&case, drivelines, and nice body. The wiring is complete

I need a donor truck for a 22r, frame mounts, solid front axle, springs, steering, ext.

If I am gonna grab a first generation truck for parts, would it be eisier to just cab swap with the wiring onto the other frame? Or pull the motor at the mounts, reweld em in, then put humpty together again with the donor parts. Either way one truck dies.

I've done a wire swap in my second gen cab. It was a pain but not horrid. Never done a cab swap with existing wiring.....

What would you guys do? I understand that frame rot is the loophole....

 

[1\4elliptic toy]

Paint it skychrome, that should hold it together I have a 80 toy truck with a solid and no motor/t-case.

 

[Skyetone]

sure.. thats ALL the opinions this board has twards a real project PITA? Sheesh. I'm gonna torture you with project TWTPP team white trash pavement pounder... so get you opinions in now.
So far I think i may throw the body on my 80 chassis thats my daily driver. Good 20r (feel the power) and a five speed. Cuz it's a PITA to pull axles and leafs and all that to bolt back into stock locations....

 

[Bones]

What's that?? I see a cab swap in your future... I replied back on POR as well

 

[BlackSheep]

Dude,
put the cab and bed on that thing you call a rig, then paint the whole thing skychrome.

that'll be bling-bling!!

 

[harkinoff]

my buddy down at Customs and Classics would get a kick out of the way FRAME OFF RESTO is described on this BB

 

[Skyetone]

I figured bones would chime in. What snags did you get into on yours? didn't you cut the firewall off?

Hey randy why would your buddie get a kick outa this?

 

[harkinoff]

Originally posted by Skyetone
I figured bones would chime in. What snags did you get into on yours? didn't you cut the firewall off?

Hey randy why would your buddie get a kick outa this?

what we do to these rigs is not a FRAME UP RESTORATION !!! what we do is cut them up and modify them to with stand our abusive tactics we use them for, some of us do paint and clean them up a bit


definition of Restoration: 1. an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: as a: a bringing back to a former position or condition. b: to bring back to or put back into a former or original state ...

 

[mbryson]

Originally posted by harkinoff



what we do to these rigs is not a FRAME UP RESTORATION !!! what we do is cut them up and modify them to with stand our abusive tactics we use them for, some of us do paint and clean them up a bit


definition of Restoration: 1. an act of restoring or the condition of being restored: as a: a bringing back to a former position or condition. b: to bring back to or put back into a former or original state ...

AMEN!!.....if anybody's putting chalk marks back on their firewall and frame I think they are nuts!!! (unless it's a COPO Camaro or something similar)

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by mbryson


AMEN!!.....if anybody's putting chalk marks back on their firewall and frame I think they are nuts!!! (unless it's a COPO Camaro or something similar)

Or a Stroppe (sp?) Bronco... anyone ever see one of the real ones in person?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Originally posted by Skyetone
I have a lead on an immaculate first generation toyota body...

Doesn't sound too immacualte to me...

Having worked on quite a few Cruisers and assisted in the "ground up" building of some, I would say it really comes down to two things... time and money.

It will take tons more of both to do it properly. That being said, I love the way mine cleans up and the feeling that their is zero rust on it. I had the entire chassis blasted and primed and then enamel coated... cleans up rather nice and rockrash covers well with a spraycan. I also had the underneath of my tub lined, really easy to clean (pressure washer) and looks great too. Downsidfe it weight but I don;t mind too much.

I say work with what you have and keep it a budget 4x4, there are so many other cool things to spend you money on like a onboard welder vs. sandblasting... The beauty of Mini's os how cheaply they can be built and they work great... IMHO...

 

[Bones]

Originally posted by Skyetone
IWhat snags did you get into on yours? didn't you cut the firewall off?

Mine came w/out a front clip, so I hate to mate mine off the 4runner to it. Snags you say? None really, just time consuming for me is all. Did all of it solo, and have been working crazy OT lately. It all should be done around June '05

 

[Skyetone]

yea your a different story bones.... I dunno what I will do. 1/4 eliptic may have a rig for me. I don't even have the donor chassis right now. I hate e-mail when people don't reply

 

[Bones]

I was intimidated at first, and wanted to just buggy it. I At this point, I'm glad I did the cab swap. If I total this one out I won't be so quick to swp cabs, but MAKE the glas fit and doors shut. I hope to get a good couple years out of this cab before having to build a buggy and buying a tow rig

 

[Skyetone]

I bent back my windshield pillar on my convertible rig and just comealonged the frame strait and got more cylicone to make the new window not leak. There's a gap in the door on pass side but who cares, is a trail toy I'm not intimidated, just want the least course of resistance. I have basically desided to swap cabs /bed but to what rig I dunno......... Look for a "project" post in the near future....