#HarrybuildsaHilux

Discussion in 'Pre-1975 Build-Up/Project Threads' started by hambler, Mar 22, 2018.

  1. hambler

    hambler Member

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    For those of you that don't get my title, look up 3D_Magic_Mike on instagram. He is the lead engineer of The Roadster Shop, building the most glorious Datsun 620 truck, and uses the hashtag #Mikebuildsadatsun. Since my first name is Harry, I've decided to adopt the hashtag #Harrybuildsahilux

    Sorry for the long introduction: Hello all, I'm new to mini trucks in general, and am starting with a '74 Hilux. It was a farm truck in South Carolina up until a few years ago, and all things considered is pretty clean. It has a 20R swapped in, is lowered on Mighty Max springs w/ disc brakes in the front and 2" lowering blocks in the back. Here's a list of a couple simple things I've fixed so far: New seats, flooring, door seals, grills and I've tidied up some wiring on it. The goal is to make this truck as fun to drive as possible while not compromising its practicality as a truck and something I could daily drive if I wanted to. In the next couple weeks I am getting a house with my own garage for the first time in my life (6 cars!!!). I've never really "built" a car before, but hopefully now that I have garage space I can do a proper "build" on this truck. I am a Mechanical Engineer by both education and occupation, my dad was a Formula One mechanic for Team Lotus in the 70's and 80's, and my family has been building racecars since the early 1900's. Hopefully I can bring all this knowledge together to make something awesome happen.

    So I first am going through and fixing things that don't meet my standards. Right now the two biggest things I'm focusing on are an exhaust and the suspension travel, or lack there of. Hopefully the truck will then be good enough to enjoy for the summer while I fix some other car projects I have going on, and next winter I plan to pull this off the road, and make all custom suspension for the truck.
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    Last edited: Mar 22, 2018
  2. hambler

    hambler Member

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    The exhaust I am planning is pretty straight forwards. I purchased a long tube street header from LCE, and will massage that til it fits this narrow frame truck. Then I'm going to run 2.25" piping back to a Magnaflow 1 in, 2 out muffler, and it will exit with two tips coming out where the license plate currently is. I'll be relocating the license plate to the left side underneath the tailgate.
     
  3. hambler

    hambler Member

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    The suspension however is not quite as easy for me. As mentioned earlier, it has Mighty Max front springs lowering it an unknown amount, and 2" lowering blocks in the back. When I first got the truck I intended to raise it back to stock ride height, but it looks too good being lowered. I don't want to cut up the stock bump stops in case I ever do decide to raise it back up again, and I am unable to find any off the shelf bump stops that will fit, or I could even modify to fit, let alone for a reasonable price. So this brings me to making my own.

    I have made metal plates that match the metal part of the original bump stop, and having been talking with companies about different urethane rubbers to use. I am going to machine a dovetail geometry and weld it to the plate, then 3D print a mold with soluble support material, cast the bump stop onto the plate then dissolve the mold. I am looking at using a Urethane Rubber that has an 80A durometer rating. As soon as I can get the truck inside and take some more measurements, I should be able to make these bad boys.
     

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  4. hambler

    hambler Member

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    I'm really blowing up my own thread here :shrug: I need some help with my crash pad. Is it possible to find one of these that's not destroyed like mine? I took it to a local upholstery shop and they told me they couldn't fix. If I cant buy a new one for a reasonable price, I'll have to fix this. I'm between using some good stuff spray foam to fill the cracks and buying all the expensive products from like polyvance and doing it "the right way". Anybody have any experience with this? crashpad .jpg
     
  5. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    I dunno if it’ll fit on your 74 due to the body changes at 75 (I assume the dash is the same?) — but the PO of my 75 installed a dash cap I believe off eBay. It goes over the old pad, so I guess you’d have to epoxy the one you have or source another one to use as the base (that will most likely be cracked too, lol). I couldn’t tell at first, even second look it’s a pretty good product I’d say; that or he did a good install.

    I’m digging the interior of your truck - the seats and floor combo look pretty sweet. My trucks white interior would look good with that combo, I might have to copy it :)
     
  6. hambler

    hambler Member

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    I have to say I'm a little embarrassed, I thought I had extensively searched for a cap like that but couldn't find one, but now I just found one in like ten minutes... and ordered it :applause:

    And thank you, the seats just look correct in the truck. They're fixed back Recaros out of a Porsche 914. If the truck starts going around corners faster they won't provide the support I need, but they'll do for now. The floor is rubber floor matting from American Floor Mats, and it ended up looking like a very high end quilted floor at first glance.
     
  7. _Rigo_

    _Rigo_ Member

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    wowm bro. That interior is awesome!
     
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  8. BeardNomad

    BeardNomad Newbie

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    I saw this one the Craigslist and considered selling mine to get it. Glad I get to watch the build from here! Hood luck and enjoy
     
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  9. hambler

    hambler Member

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    Are you in the Eastern PA region? It'd be fun to have a fellow Hiluxer nearby!
     
  10. BeardNomad

    BeardNomad Newbie

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    I'm in New Hampshire, a good drive away. These trucks don't show up around here.
     
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  11. hambler

    hambler Member

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    Well the truck has been a bit of a roller coaster for me over the past week, Sunday morning the valve stem on my back left tire decided to let go and the tire was flat within half an hour. Then on the way home, I went to pull away from a stoplight, let the clutch up and the truck didn't go anywhere. The clutch pedal had absolutely no feel to it, and I discovered the clutch was stuck disengaged. I was able to tap the clutch fork to where it was fully engaged again, got the truck going in gear on the starter then just flat shifted home. I took the slave cylinder off and took it apart, and there was some ugly goo in there that looked like it belonged on Stranger Things and not in my clutch system, as well as a chunk missing out of the rubber seal. I'm really hoping it was just a bad slave cylinder and that my clutch is okay.

    The good news is I got fun parts for it! A lot of my exhaust system has come in as well as a dash cap which I'll post a little write-up about once I finish installing it.
     

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    Last edited: Mar 28, 2018
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  12. BeardNomad

    BeardNomad Newbie

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    I believe you can get a gripfoce clutch for under 100 if you need one
     
  13. hambler

    hambler Member

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    More than anything I'm trying to avoid dropping the trans because I have a 5 speed I wanna drop in that apparently needs some work to make it fit, and in a couple weeks I'm getting garage space. Right now all I have is a very not flat gravel parking area to do work in.
     
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  14. BeardNomad

    BeardNomad Newbie

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    Sounds just like my work space haha. I tend to wait for space at my buddies to open up. And good luck with the swap when you get to it. That extra gear is worth it.
     
  15. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Haha, my new workspace if on gravel too!
     
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  16. hambler

    hambler Member

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    Wow, it's been awhile since I've shared an update! I've been really busy working on some side jobs and setting up my new shop, but I've found some time to give the 'yota some love. Since my last update, I've finished the interior except for a pretty extensive center console I've dreamed up (gauges, cupholders, radio, storage, etc) which I prolly won't get to for years as this isn't my only project vehicle.

    I bought a longtube header from LCE for a 20R, but it's going to take a lot of "love" to get it to fit, so in the meantime I bought a Hedman shorty header and then had the rest of the exhaust made to my spec by a nearby shop. Yesterday I did some quick and dirty paint restoration, and I'm pretty pleased with how it came out.

    I uploaded a couple pictures, including one at the start of the day yesterday so you could see the difference in the paint. I'm especially happy with the amount of rust staining I got off the doors and underneath the front marker lights. I'm wondering how other people upload pictures on to here with the 2MB cap? I find I have to crop my pictures even from an iphone to get under that?

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  17. Hands_On_Henry

    Hands_On_Henry Member

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    Well Done!
     
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  18. Perkolator

    Perkolator Toyotaholic

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    Looking shiney!

    Got any pics of the custom exhaust - routing, muffler, pipe size, etc? I have Headman header too but want to swap out my Flowmaster for something else.

    Lately I've been emailing myself pics off my phone, which gives me an option to send smaller file, then I upload it to the Gallery.
     
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  19. hambler

    hambler Member

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    I can grab some pics tonight or tomorrow- but I can tell you its a Headman shortie header, 2" pipe back (tucked through the frame rails and over the crossmember) to a magnaflow p/n 12251. It's an 18" 2.25 single inlet to a 2.25 dual outlet muffler. I had planned to run 2.25" piping in case I run serious power in the future, but that was going to take some love to fit... so we decided to run 2" instead.

    I can try to get a video of the sound as well, it isn't going to win any awards, but it doesn't sound bad. I'm not sure how good a stock 20R can ever sound though. The sound is definitely "muffled" sounding and you don't get any burble on downshifts which is a little disappointing, but I also want to be able to take this truck on couple hour trips and not hate myself, so I'm happy.
     
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  20. hambler

    hambler Member

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    It's been awhile since I've done anything major with the truck, or posted on here because I realized I was not going to be content with just increasing the stock performance of the truck- it needs a full rebuild to do what I want. With that being said, I finally have some irons in the fire and a lot of stuff off this truck is for sale. The engine (20R, smoked a little due to valve guides, have videos of it running), transmissions (have a 4 and 5 speed), rear end with 2" lowering blocks (had a lot of slop in it), eventually the entire frame (very rust free!!) and front subframe with drop shocks, brakes, and steering will also be for sale, as well as lots of little stuff like the gas tank and really anything drivetrain related currently on the truck is up for grabs. Also have an LCE long tube header for the 20R that I bashed with a sledge a fair bit trying (unsuccessfully) to fit it in a narrow frame truck, as well as a hedman shorty header and full exhaust with magnaflow muffler setup for a center exit where the license plate usually is. I also have a complete spare 20R head, as well as an extra carb I think.
     

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