Modern Farm Truck

[Doc_]

Thank you guys.

I've only been here for 8 years.

I worked for Inchworm Gear while I was living in the bay area (yes, 100 mile commute each way) but I took that job so I could look around for a home up here after work. Once we bought a place, I went out on my own. I don't advertise and my shop is not very easy to find, but if you ask locally, my name is starting to gain traction. I kind of fell into Toyotas though. I have a background building engines for road racing cars, but building trucks was a passion of mine, and I knew all these guys with Toyota crawlers so...

Give me a call next time your in the area. I'd love to show you around the shop.

That's awesome, I admire that you've built your business the way you want from the ground up; it's the same story with the two mechanics I visit most heavily: Mudrak's and Yodaman.
Next time I'm up there I'll definitely swing by for the tour, I'd love to take a look at your Rover.

 

[OSV]

that truck is going to be too nice to be sitting in a field in alaska

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Another awesome quality build. Looks like it will be one of the nicest "farm trucks" i've seen once completed.

I know. Imagine getting to run around fertilizing in this thing all day. Thanks.

That's awesome, I admire that you've built your business the way you want from the ground up; it's the same story with the two mechanics I visit most heavily: Mudrak's and Yodaman.
Next time I'm up there I'll definitely swing by for the tour, I'd love to take a look at your Rover.

It's tough being your own boss sometimes.

that truck is going to be too nice to be sitting in a field in alaska

Too nice. I will be sad to see it get beat up, on the other hand, I love seeing the vehicles I've built get used.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

So the truck is almost done, at least the mechanical portion of the job. I built the front diff yesterday and did final assembly on the front axle. Was getting set up to build the E-Locker for the rear and was stalled by a mis-boxed ring and pinion. I am glad I double check the ratio when I pull them out of the box.

I still have some details to sort out before it's bed time (play on words, I still need to build the flat bed).

The customer wants A/C and I can't find a donor truck with A/C for the right price, so I think we're going to install an aftermarket unit.

We still need to decide on shocks. I am thinking gas ressurized shocks for this build. I normally like old school hydraulic shocks for body-on-frame trucks, but they are getting harder to find. Also, the changing weight loading on this build might really benefit from a gas shock.

And seats... I still need to find a good pair of comfortable bucket seats for this rig. So far, I think the Scion Xb seats are going to be the final choice. They won't be a direct bolt in, but they look comfy enough and they can be bought on the cheap.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

The springs we used (OME) only lifted the truck about 2 inches. Pretty low compared to most "off the shelf" builds these days. The high steer arms we chose (generic, name brand withheld) have a 1" rise. Add in the extra mass of the GM tie rod ends, and things begin to get tight. At ride height, there was about 2.5" of clearance between the tie rod and the oil pan. No Bueno!

I called my buddy Brian at Front Range Off Road and had him get a set of his flat steering arms going for me. They are blank arms and need to be drilled for the TRE's. I had him drill them the same as the generic arms, but had him space the drag link TRE 1/4" further forward to keep the two TRE's on the passenger side arm from contacting each other as they do now. I should have those arms within a week or so.

Here's the first set of arms after I drilled and tapered them for the GM TRE's. The flat pitman arm also had to be drilled and tapered.



The lighting isn't great, but in this pic you can see how much room there is now between the tie rod and the top of the leaf spring. LOTS! So bringing the tie rod down an inch won't be a problem.





Tacoma brakes sure look nice! I bought new OEM calipers, cryo'd Power Slot rotors, Hawk HPS blue brake pads and SS brake lines with a banjo fitting at the caliper to eliminate the intermediate hard line that is common on Toyota solid axles.

 

[bkg]

Fantastic work, Matt. Brian does great work as well - been very happy with his efforts.

 

[Simons]

What Pixar movie did you get this image from?

I was watching the movie "A bugs life" with my two and half year old son, and spotted this same truck. Parked in a different spot different angle, but the same truck.

 

[jpat30]

That's from Toy Story

The truck continues to progress nicely. A question; what size wheels will you need to run to clear the Tacoma calipers?

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Yeah man, that's the Pizza Planet truck from Toy Story! I think it was in one and two, but I'm not sure about 3.

The Tacoma brakes fit inside the stock IFS wheels. I am pretty sure that means they will work with solid axle wheels too, but I haven't actually mounted one up.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Fantastic work, Matt. Brian does great work as well - been very happy with his efforts.

Thanks again. Brian has always been a go-to guy for me. Not a lot of people in this industry that make the quality of stuff he does. I visited him last time I went out to see my brother in CO. His shop in Red Feather is even more remote than mine.

 

[Grouper]

What Pixar movie did you get this image from?
View attachment 298789
I was watching the movie "A bugs life" with my two and half year old son, and spotted this same truck. Parked in a different spot different angle, but the same truck.
View attachment 298792

The saga of the Pizza Planet Delivery Truck.

http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2014/09/26/chronicles-of-the-pizza-planet-truck/

 

[Grouper]

I love your build threads. It's like watching artwork being created.

 

[Simons]

Lol! Riiiiight! THAT's where I'd seen it before

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

The saga of the Pizza Planet Delivery Truck.

http://blogs.disney.com/oh-my-disney/2014/09/26/chronicles-of-the-pizza-planet-truck/

I love your build threads. It's like watching artwork being created.

I have seen all the pixar movies, most of them more than a dozen times (I have two young kids) and I had no idea that Pizza Planet had such a wide market base. That is incredible. Wait, was it in the Incredibles...?

Thanks for the compliment. If it looks like I'm making art, it's because I feel that the customer's appreciation comes from what it can touch and see. Pleasure comes from mysterious places and when a person can run his hand over a smooth sheet of steel that has been manipulated to become something far more than steel, he can feel that work that has gone into it and (hopefully) appreciate it all the more.

 

[Grouper]

I have seen all the pixar movies, most of them more than a dozen times (I have two young kids) and I had no idea that Pizza Planet had such a wide market base. That is incredible. Wait, was it in the Incredibles...?

Some say no but others argue that It's in the background during the final battle in Metroville in the Incredibles. There is a whole interwoven connection theory for all of the Pixar films.