Progress: Stomp stomp stomp! Hilux liftup.

This first post will catch ya'll up on about two months of slow, off and on work on this project. Nothing too complicated. Just a shortcab lifted Hilux (new Aoshima kit). If I were to own a truck, this'd be it.

First, I had to make a solid front axle. Independant suspension doesn't have near enough travel for real off road capability. I took suspension and axle parts from another Hilux kit. I had to chop a rear axle and re order the parts in order to get the differential off to the side like the real thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber02.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber03.jpg

Here's the bottom. No driveshafts yet. I show this because I am kinda proud of my S2000/aluminum tube muffler. Looks much better and is much more prototypical than the Aoshima parts.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber06.jpg

Here it is with the cab on. The paint is Duplicolor Nighthawk Black Pearl (a Honda color on a Toyota?! That makes what, two Honda parts on this thing? What do you expect, honestly?) airbrushed on and Duplicolor clear bombed over it. Fast drying, hard paints, that I like. I also made a little bikini babe to wash it in a mini-diorama when it's done.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber04.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber05.jpg

This will be done by the new year, I promise. Foodback welcome.

It looks like Marty's truck from Back to the Future! ;)

Foodback welcome.
You ain't getting any food here buddy!
I think this will be a very good project when completed, but I suggest you weather the parts of the truck not being washed. You know, a little mud, swirl marks from washing etc. You did say this was going to be part of a diorama.

Cool!





Foodback welcome.

:lol2:

very cool. Where did you buy this at? I'm compiling my christmas model list, and this one will def. be on it. I especially like it as a regular cab (i think the crew cabs are ugly imo)

btw a blackwash on the wheels might look better.

I'm digging the u bolts on the front-nice touch, but the pumkin seems too centered unless it's a weird angle.

Great job. The bottom looks very clean. good brush work.

wow that was fast, I was waiting for someone to jump onto one of these...keeping my eyes on this one! keep up the good work. I proabaly won't start my own until next year...then my lifted 4Runner, Double Cab, and Single Cab will be done together!

Hey,

GO hilux!!!! This looks like its gonna come out great! Keep up the awsome work.

Frank X.

Looks fantastic! I love the lifted truck. BTW - The exhaust is spectacular, excellent use of parts bin.

That looks nice. I need to get one of these for sure :)

I see one thing though .... are the torsion <(spelling help?) rods are still on the chassis? No need for them with the new front axle and leaf springs.

That looks nice. I need to get one of these for sure :)

I see one thing though .... are the torsion <(spelling help?) rods are still on the chassis? No need for them with the new front axle and leaf springs.

Ah-ha! That's what those are. I've been wondering. I have to admit that I'm fairly ignorant of these things. I've had to do a lot of learning as I go, taking a crash course in stomping so there's a lot I don't know yet. Those will most certainly get cut off. Thanks for the tip, cwmax.

The bottom is all spray painted different colors and assembled. There is a lot to do yet, the oil pan needs some paint and everything needs touch up.

The front diff is off to the right, as it should be, it just looks odd in that photo. Scope the first two shots of me adjusting the position.

SpoonMan Dos - I thought about weathering it, I love the way a mudder looks when it comes home. But at the same time, there's something about a clean truck that's apealling too, and I think I'm going that route. It's such a simple build, I am going to make a point of trying to make it the cleanest build I can in paint and assembly. That means leaving the mud off. Perhaps I'll put a chamois in her hand, so it'll be excusably clean.

OOOOOOOOOOOOo Willimo great color i painted my rx-7 that color its awsome huh! I want this kit so bad i can taste it! *mmm plastic* :) Awsome job man!

Very cool Willimo. I think it should run over your poseur car, with some damage on it.

Just an FYI Will, those plans you have written on your notepad; Well, NNL was a few weeks ago.

Just an FYI Will, those plans you have written on your notepad; Well, NNL was a few weeks ago.

Really?!

Actually, that just gives you an idea of how long this thing has been in the works.

Looks awesome so far! :)

It's very cool of you taking on a project you have to learn new and different things to acually build correctly.
That's the real fun of this hobby to me. Learning the history of a race car, or the in's and out's of a 4WD suspension set up.
Can't wait to see it!

=) Bikini babe looks sweet! :lol:

Youre off to a great start!

JeFF

Nice bikini......er i mean nice progress you've made !!!

Mike :sunglasse

lol mike.
Nice work so far, the suspention looks nice hehe..

I like it very much will, I also like the babe you ve added, could you get some detail shots of her - it and care to explain a bit in depth?

Oli

Nice suspension mods!

Coming along, but by bit. Alclad on the roll bar. Bare metal foil in the light buckets (tedious!). Willimo, what are those weird rods sticking up from the spare tire? Well, I'll tell you. I was watching Trucks on TV the other day (hey, look, TV + wheels = I'm watching) and they had a spare tire in the back with a mount that looked like that, so you could jump up there and twist it off and get the spare out without any tools but your hands. I thought that was cool. With some RC plane screws, nuts, epoxy putty, and wire, I made a working spare tire mount. Unscrew it, and you can pull the wheel out. Hooray!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber10.jpg

I actually have this license plate, as I collect them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber11.jpg

Thanks ya'll.

That is awesome! Nice with some contrast to all the lowered rides around here, get ´er done!

/Fredrik

get ´er done!

Please, no, thanks.

Looks great. What did you use as the bedliner?

Hey Willimo, what are those weird rods sticking up from the spare tire?



Oh, wait. Guess I better read the answers to the rhetorical questions before posting. :dunno:

I actually have this license plate, as I collect them.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber11.jpg
In Wyoming, they'd call that a mini-truck. ;)

Looks good Will. I cant believe you used epoxy putty! I like the spare tire mount, more pics please.

I cant believe you used epoxy putty!

Only because you wouldn't teach me to solder.

Looks just awsome willimo! :)

Nice progress.
Any other plans for the exterior?

Many plans for the exterior. It's just going to be done when it's done.

Since my last update, the interior, some more lights and a winch. The interior was straightforward - I used the door panels form another Hilux kit because they sucked on this particular model, and I also jacked the dashboard out of my old green one - it was a model imported by American Satco with the american dash cast in resin. Do they still do this? They should just sell the dashboards! The winch was very tedious to build, but I am happy with it. It still needs to be detailed, but I will wait to detail the whole truck at once.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber12.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber13.jpg

The winch looks great! All the work definitely payed off.

Sweet truck Will! I should someday give a try at one of these Hilux's. They seem like fun to build kits.

They seem like fun to build kits.


I got 3 of them for christmas (different variation, Hilux Surf, Hilux Crew, and Long Bed Hilux)

Willimo, Aoshimia just released all, if not most of the Hilux kits with the American Options. I only got the Hilux Surf w/ the American Version.

And from looking at the box art on the double cab hilux, and the reg. cab long bed hilux (this one), the double cab seems higher?

These kits are fun, they leave a lot of options open for scratchbuilding little details. I've stolen a lot of parts from other kits, truck and otherwise. It's a great way to clean out your parts box and have a ton of fun at the same time.

I don't have both liftups built up to be sure, but I think the extended cab is higher, because this regular cab Hilux shares the cab and bed tooling with their lowriders, which are body dropped. This makes me think that despite the spacers between the frame and the cab/bed, this one is still a little shorter. Can't tell you for positive, though.

Out was lame tonight, so I stayed in and... made a jack! Hooray! I must be crazy to spend 4 hours putting together something 2.5" tall. I tried to make it "work" but it looked way out of scale. Anyone got any mounting ideas? I would have loved to mount it on the front bumper, but alas, my winch is there. I guess into the bed with it....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber14.jpg

oh my god! that jack is freakin amazing! looks real. good job.

If the jack is going in the bed then may i suggest some sort of mount on the side?
Mybe something like this:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v59/stisnan/Hiluxclimber14.jpg

looking great man, Can I suggest some light sanding of the tires to get rid of the mold lines?

Very Kool stuff :)

Bang on, stisnan, that's exactly where I decided to put the jack. I'd not thought of it, but it's so simple! Thanks!

I sanded the tires, I had been planning on it. Trouble is, we all know how stubborn those mold lines are, and unfortunately the knobbies don't stand up too well, so I had to quit sanding before all traces of the mold line is gone. Oh well. Here's a snap of the interior, as I had to pop the cab off today. Had to pull out a detail so I can show my parents the truck. Will be done by quite soon. It may in fact be done now, I'm not sure.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/willimo/Hiluxclimber15.jpg

Nice to see something different being built

allright will!
superb progress; I like the interior much!
little details and colour combo are spot-on!

oli

Looks sweet! Now you made me want to build one of those! keep it up!

Is that a penthouse magazine?

Is that a penthouse magazine?

:iceslolan It looks like it. :licka:

Is that a penthouse magazine?
C'mon Mike, you know that's the same issue you have under your bed right now!! :rofl:

C'mon Mike, you know that's the same issue you have under your bed right now!! :rofl:

:lol: :lol: :lol: