Losing the cage though, meant I ended up with 16 holes, where the cage was bolted to the rear deck - 8 at the end of the load deck, and the other 8 on the rear wheel arch tubs. Not a big deal, I'll simply have them welded up:







The rear tub was originally boarded out with 6mm ply board. Essential in keeping the rear load area free of dents and major damage. But not if my purpose is to build a show truck, which is what I'm doing here.

So on a Saturday morning, I tackled the job of removing the lot. And an hour later, I had drilled out the last aluminium rivet, and removed the damp ply board. I was expecting to find the rear bed rusted through, with a view of the ground through gaping holes. Fortunately, all I found was light surface rust, just needs a rub down, priming and paint.

It was good to lose the wood, it was bloody heavy!

 

One thing's for sure - it's great to have a skill that's in demand, besides working for yourself, you can do a trade with a more common skill, or qualification.

I have recently been on a number of Toyota-sponsored courses, and examinations. One of these is Hybrid Control. I passed my Hybrid examinations at Pro-Tech level a couple of months ago, and much more recently (15th May 2014) passed my Hybrid Control examinations at Diagnostic Tech level. I was glad I did.

Now, there's a bodyshop the Toyota dealership I work for is affiliated with. They had a client bring in a 2007 Toyota Prius, with front end damage. It was driving when it went to the bodyshop, but the insurance company of the owner wrote it off. So the bodyshop siphoned all the gas out. Then the owner decided to buy the salvage rights back from his insurer, and get the car repaired privately. Unfortunately, the car could not be started. A few technicians tried their best, to no avail.

Anyone familiar with Lexus / Toyota Hybrid System will know that in order to get the system into READY mode, the transmission has to be in P, the foot brake must be depressed then the POWER button operated. If these conditions are not met, there's no way to get the car started. And if there are underlying Hybrid issues, no way to get the transmission into neutral.

This car was recovered to my dealership, after doing the rounds of local garages.

The deal was simple - if I could get the car started, and drive it, the bodyshop would carry out the bodywork - prep work, priming, and welding, then final colour change. And best of all, the work would be done at the cost of......

So this morning, I drove into work, and attacked the dead Toyota Prius. Naturally the first thing I did (or rather tried to do) was check for DTC's. Whatever had gone wrong, would not allow communication with Hybrid Control, or Engine ECT. And this was using Toyota's Techstream TD4. The only option left was to go the old-fashioned way, with manual diagnostics. And my efforts, and skill were rewarded - 40 minutes later, I had the car up and running. And drove her round the block.

A call made to the bodyshop by my dealership to relay the good news, some negotiation, and the owner was happy for me to drive down, and let him look my Toyota Hilux over. And I was able to see what the quality of this bodyshop's work was like. The shop is massive, with room for at least 30 cars at any given time. And it has the benefit of 4 spray booths, and of course, this means 4 ovens.

After I had a chat with the manager / owner, told him exactly what I wanted, he was only too happy to take on my Hilux. It's due in any time after the forthcoming Bank Holiday, which is the 26th May. I can't wait to see how this all pans out.

Next, I'm going to be updating this thread with some of the modifications I'm carrying out, prior to paint.

 

My Toyota Hilux is the Single Cabin, 4WD EX spec. So this means the rear tub has the hooks at the top, for tying down a tarpaulin tonneau cover. It also has the nasty groove all the way round. The tailgate also echoes this groove, and tie-hooks.

Since I won't be using a tie-down tonneau cover, I have decided to delete these. If it were just the hooks, it would have been a simple case of grinding them off. But the groove / recess means a more drastic approach is needed. The recess will require the entire area, on both sides to have new steel welded in place, filled, then sanded to shape. The rear tailgate is easier - simply replace it with the tailgate intended for Japanese-spec SR-5 models. This tailgate is smooth, and besides losing the recess and hooks like mine has, the embossed TOYOTA logo is deleted. The tailgate has been ordered from Thailand.

My truck has the recess and hooks on both sides of the tub the same on the tailgate, and the embossed TOYOTA logo.

Tailgate, showing recess, hooks and embossed TOYOTA logo:



Sides of rear tub, showing recess and hooks:

 

And pictures of the rear tub and tailgate with the look I'm after. The gold truck is a Japanese / Thai model, pretty similar to UK-spec Hilux. The smooth sides (no recess or hooks) is only available on the double cab models. The white truck is an Australian-spec SR-5 model. Note the tailgate lacks the upper recess, hooks and embossed TOYOTA logo.

Tailgate, showing smoothed look, no TOYOTA logo:



Sides of rear tub, showing no upper recess, or hooks:

 

Another aspect of the Toyota Hilux KDN165 I don't like, and have decided to change...

...the pesky rear fog lamp in the lower panel, beside the licence plate. It looks home made, like a last minute after thought on Toyota's part. Echoing it's Japanese origins - as fog doesn't exist in Japan, fog lamps were never fitted to Japanese-spec Hilux's. So for export markets where fog lamps are mandatory, a rectangular foglamp was fitted to the left or right, depending on country.

On my truck, as is the case with all UK-spec Hilux's, the rear foglamp is on the right lower panel. Not very pretty, it looks like a cheap universal unit, similar to the foglamp on a car trailer. The rear reflectors too are very cheap looking, and not part of the rear lamp clusters:



As I have purchased more modern-looking LED units, I have decided to lose the factory rear foglamp, and the reflectors. The LED units have reflectors built in. As for the foglamp, I'm using a red bulb in the right hand side reverse lamp, I have swapped the pins in the connector accordingly. So I end up with just one reverse lamp on the left. The holes left by removing the solitary rear foglamp, and both reflector holes will be welded up.

The Toyota Hilux KDN165 had two, or shall I say three options for the rear bumper:

No rear bumper (EX, FX utility models).
Grey rear bumper (EX, FX, GX utility models).
Chrome rear bumper (VX Hi-spec models).

Whatever bumper was fitted at the rear, for some odd reason, Toyota chose to fit it way below the lower rear valence (licence plate area). Probably due to the fact the early MK3 and MK4 models had a similar rear tub, and the MK5 (KDN165) was based upon the earlier models. As the licence plate area was the same, and no rear bumper existed on early trucks, a bumper would have obscured the licence plate, rear foglamp and reflectors.

So a bumper was designed to keep the critical areas visible. Thus, the bumper for the KDN165 was born. It had a centre dropped section to clear the licence plate, and to keep the rear foglamp and reflectors visible, was mounted low down. The result was a sagging, / drooping abortion, that Toyota classed as "rear step". It looked horrible, I actually prefer NOT to have a rear bumper than be stuck with that!

I opted for a chrome bumper designed for the Toyota Hilux KUN25/26. I took measurements from a truck at work, and in terms of width, it was a perfect fit. It incorporates the licence plate too, so that would clean up the rear of my KDN165 a treat.

Saggy rear bumper on KDN165:



Straight rear bumper on KUN25/26, which I opted to retro fit:

 

Current 2KD-FTV turbo diesel engine makes a paltry 101 hp and 260 Nm. A good work horse, but not fun to drive.

 

I arrived home from work one day, early June, to see a rather large box had been delivered to me, carrying a Tokyo postmark.

Yep - my Toyota Hilux SR5 tailgate had arrived, to replace my UK-spec Hilux EX item. The SR5 was a Japanese trim level, which eventually filtered into the North American, Canadian and Australian market. The UK never got this model, so the only way I could get my hands on the SR5 tailgate, was to order from Japan or Thailand.

The only body parts I'm waiting for right now, are the SR5 fender flares. Fender flares are available on UK-spec models, but only on the VX, a trim level only available on the high-spec Double Cabin model. The front flares will certainly fit my EX Single Cabin Hilux, but the rears are different between Single And Double Cabin models. Double Cabin models have the rear flares split on both sides - part on the rear body, the other parts on the cabin.

So mine have been ordered from Japan. They should be with me next week. My Hilux is booked into the body shop at the end of the month, and while she's away, it'll give me a chance to concentrate on the interior, getting a set of 2005 Toyota Celica GT-S sport seats retrimmed in black and ***** leather, ready for when I get my truck back.

I can't wait to see her in her new paint.

 

For the custom hydro-electric rear deck lid, I needed hinges. Of course, I could have used any hinges, after all they won't be visible. But I want this project to be perfect, or as close to perfect as it could ever be.

So I opted for genuine brand new Toyota Prius front door hinges. Keeping it Real, keeping it TOYOTA.




Paint and other materials. From left to right:

Laquer.
Pear Laquer coat.
Base coat.
Hardener / activator.

 

Toyota Hilux SR5 tailgate:

 

Owners in Oz were lucky enough to have heated rear screens on single cabin 5th gen Hilux's! UK-spec trucks were plain, or tinted, but no heated option.

I can order a heated rear screen for my truck here in the UK, but only by VIN number, off a truck with factory heated rear screen. Could anyone here help me with a VIN? Or a lead on a supplier in Australia?

 

Saturday the 28th June at 09:30 hrs, I loaded my truck with all the stockpiled parts, and drove off to the bodyshop. 6 hours later, she was stripped down, ready for prep work, then paint. My fender flares turned up yesterday, so just in time. What was accomplished today:

Front indicators / side lamps removed.
Headlamps removed.
Grille removed.
Headlamp lower trim removed.
Grille lower trim removed.
Front valence removed.
Front bumper removed.
Side repeaters in fenders removed.
Bonnet removed.
Door mirrors removed.
Door glass removed.
Door handles removed.
Door latch assemblies removed.
Door glass seals and runners removed.
Doors removed.
All wheel arch plastic liners removed.
Front mud flaps removed.
Rear windscreen removed.
Rear lamp clusters removed.
Roof rain channels removed.
Roof revolving beacon removed (and not going back on).
Tailgate removed.

The front screen is bonded, so it needs to be removed by a professional. I managed to remove the rear tub (load area) from the chassis. It is bolted to the chassis frame by 8 bolts - 4 on each side. This was a pig of a job, as mud and the elements had taken their toll on the bolts and nuts.

I'm installing a 2" body lift kit, so the old and rusty bolts and nuts will be junked.

 

Some pictures of my truck as I left her yesterday. I'll be popping in during the week, between work and other obligations. And I'll definitely be there next Saturday.

 

Mini update!

I dropped into the bodyshop this arvo, to see how things were progressing. The base frame for the custom rear hydraulically-operated bed lid is pretty much done. Tomorrow it will have a couple of diagonal braces welded in, to give the sheet metal skin more support.

The Toyota door hinges turned out not man enough for the job. Besides being on the weak side, the opening angle was wrong, the deck lid would contact the rear of the bed when opened. A twin-trapezoid / pantograph design was called for, this would allow the lid to lift at the hinged end, and move rearwards when it was operated. This would prevent unwanted contact with the bed top rail.

I opted for Audi A4 Sedan B5 trunk hinges. Besides being immensely strong, they incorporate hydraulic rams, that will assist the main hydraulically-operated rams on the lid.

I also took the opportunity to mark the areas that I want welded over, and smoothed off. The deck lid will be test mounted tomorrow. Things are looking great.

 

Some pictures. Note the areas marked in marker pen, and the instructions to the shop.

 

More...

 

Sometimes, you learn hard lessons. Cheap is seldom good, especially when it comes to knock-offs. I got bitten by the very thing I warn others about.

I'm talking Chinese knock-off! ;D

I ordered a set of fender flares for my truck, all the way from East Asia. Well they looked good in the pictures. Unfortunately, they're replicas, made out of fibre glass. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the set I got will take some fettling to get them anywhere close to fitting. They might as well be made for a Range Rover, they are that much out, especially the rears. They can be reworked, but will take time, and that's something I don't have much of.

They are also much thicker than the OEM Toyota items, and the fronts don't taper towards the bumper. The result is a very sudden step from fender to bumper. Arrrrgh!

I ended up purchasing used but OEM Toyota items. They are of course for the double cabin model, the fronts are the same as on my single cabin truck, the rears however are different. A small section of the flares are on the cabin, just behind the rear doors, i.e the rear flares come in two sections. Still, I'm happy to work with those. Being ABS plastic, they are much more flexible, and durable. Glass fibre is brittle. Fine, until it gets struck, then it shatters.

 

These are the glass fibre Chinese copies. Note the front flares at the top of the pictures, where it would meet the bumper. Very chunky, and abrupt:

 

And compare with OEM Toyota items. Again, the flares at the top are for the front, nice finished ends. Note the flares for the rear are split, with the smaller sections normally fitted to the wheel arches on the truck's cabin. These will be reworked to fit my single cabin truck:

 

It wasn't all doom and gloom though - I've been on the hunt for a heated rear screen for my single cabin truck. As I stated earlier, UK-spec single cabin Hilux's were never available with heated rear screens, this being reserved for the top-spec double cabin, in VX trim.

I got one from the least likely of places, an automobile glass supplier to the aftermarket. It was delivered to me at work today.

The old glass was shot, all etched by the rear bed cap over the years. There was no way it was going back on my truck after paint.

The side windows have faint scratch marks. Not really noticeable, but I'm fussy. And as I intend to tint the glass 40% dark, I knew the scratches would become more prominent.

 

Bed caps can seriously scar your cabin, as I found out. The worn down paint at the rear of my cabin came from years of fitting and removing the cap.

Grit caught between the cap and cabin, as well as between the cabin rear screen and cap screen rubber, really messed things up. The cap is currently sitting in my garage, alongside the rear roll bar.

In her cap days: