1976 Toyota Chinook: 1st Attempt

[morox]

Hey all, sorry for the long pause. Gonna be lots more of that in the future but I'll keep posting in big batches eventually.

Pmorin: I knew I recognized your name. I was pretty active on the Yahoo group around 2012-2014 when I first started this project. Super helpful and quirky, opinionated group eh?

Here are the updates from the flofab weld shop in words: 2.5 welded sub-frames and one wheelbase extension.

In pictures:
Rolling into the shop


Coming off again


New shackle location, 17.5" distal to the originals.


Quality weld


Maintaining the shackle rate angle = precision work.


Tubes.


This is the 0.5 of of the 2.5 subframes I referred to. Welded steel tubing now spans the length between the forward shackle under the cab to just in front of the torsion bars. Less sway and less truck breaking in half under the weight of the other 2 new frames + camper.

 

[pmorin35]

This is looking amazing. Really impressive work. I just saw your rig earlier today on their facebook page.

 

[morox]

New shock mount


So many parts involved


Subframes. Needed to lift the camper ~7" off the original frame so the cabover would clear the top of the T100 cab. Dflo decided to weld one subframe to the original frame and another to be fixed permanently to the camper. This combo accomplishes the clearance needed, creates massive new stiffness and support for the camper and will hopefully help prevent the old bones from rattling apart when I inevitably lift the camper off the frame for fiberglass and pain work.








How a T100 looks with a 17.5" wheelbase extension and no bed.

 

[morox]

@pmorin: thanks man, I can't tell you how happy I am to see this project move forward. So many ups and downs with something like this...today I'm riding high.
~Brian

 

[morox]

****** do I do with these spare parts now? Dflo knows...frankenminiT100. I do need to get rid of the T100 bed/bumper as well as the toyota mini truck. Both are in pretty good shape. The mini truck will go very cheaply to anyone looking for a new base for their Chinook project or maybe a nice flatbed. PM me if you're interested. Also, if you have any recommendations for where to list these (I have a Craigslist ad running for the bed/bumper) I'd really appreciate it.


Real world testing


It's Christmas in August **********!






Got some more figurin to do for the cab/camper mating then to dream up a rear bumper, have some new springs made and drive the whole deal north to my dad's shop where we'll frame and fiberglass the camper. Dreaming of extending the cabover section and fabbing a new roof and lift mechanism but that may be left for phase 3.

Til next time,
~Brian

 

[pmorin35]

****** do I do with these spare parts now? Dflo knows...frankenminiT100. I do need to get rid of the T100 bed/bumper as well as the toyota mini truck. Both are in pretty good shape. The mini truck will go very cheaply to anyone looking for a new base for their Chinook project or maybe a nice flatbed. PM me if you're interested. Also, if you have any recommendations for where to list these (I have a Craigslist ad running for the bed/bumper) I'd really appreciate it.
View attachment 413720

Real world testing
View attachment 413717

It's Christmas in August **********!
View attachment 413718

View attachment 413719

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Got some more figurin to do for the cab/camper mating then to dream up a rear bumper, have some new springs made and drive the whole deal north to my dad's shop where we'll frame and fiberglass the camper. Dreaming of extending the cabover section and fabbing a new roof and lift mechanism but that may be left for phase 3.

Til next time,
~Brian

Multiple frames welded together to raise the camper was clever. I'm glad you had a good experience. I've just started the process of either buying a 4x4 Chinook or looking for a donor vehicle to swap with the one I have.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[morox]

Best of luck in your search pmorin. As far as toyota's go I found T100s and 1st-gen tundras to be the most reasonably priced and well-suited to this kind of project. That said, all older Toyotas are just in too high of demand for many values to be found. PM me if you want to chat or bounce some ideas around. I still hope to check your Chinook out in person sometime but for now a phone call may work better.

 

[pmorin35]

Best of luck in your search pmorin. As far as toyota's go I found T100s and 1st-gen tundras to be the most reasonably priced and well-suited to this kind of project. That said, all older Toyotas are just in too high of demand for many values to be found. PM me if you want to chat or bounce some ideas around. I still hope to check your Chinook out in person sometime but for now a phone call may work better.

A pic from when I first got it. Definitely need to pick your brain.




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[morox]

Welding portion complete, here's a pic as she stands now. Now for camper body work and paint.



~Brian

 

[NoahGenda]

Im so excited to see this thing out in the wild sometime!

I am about 7500 miles into our trip and I still LOVE the T100 platform.

 

[David Harris]

Looks great! Bravo

 

[David Harris]

I see you mounted it independently of the cab. Was wondering the other day if anyone had cut the back of the cab on a later Toyota and bolted on a camper body. Anyone?

 

[1v6pony]

Wow, I am in the process of deciding what 4x4 platform to fit my newly acquired chinook also. I like the T100 but i cant say I like the look from the side with the extra 7 in, I realize you have not completed your vision yet. Cant wait to see what it looks like. do you know if the Tacoma would have needed to have the same 7 in height adjustment to fit over the cab?

 

[JCMatthews]

I see you mounted it independently of the cab. Was wondering the other day if anyone had cut the back of the cab on a later Toyota and bolted on a camper body. Anyone?

Here is a link to a Chinook on a 2013 Tacoma where they made a pass through. He started his build thread on the portal, but moved it. https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/2013-toyota-tacoma-access-cab-chinook-build.1012449/

 

[1v6pony]

Thank you I saw that one but the 2013 is a totally diff body style much larger, I am looking for a 1998-2004 , the body is much smaller think it would be a better fit. hoping someone has done one to make sure.