"Pimp" The Overland/Weekend Camper Build

[Doodle]

Front and rear bumpers I think......

The original design was for a pair of D4D 95s going to Cape Town.

 

[Chris Green90]

Thanks mate. Had a quick look at it. HD bumpers will be added one way or another. The thing I am worries about is weather this particular looks right for an overlander. if you know what I mean.

 

[Doodle]

For an overlander I'd be expecting something simple, solid and purposeful, getting the job done without being flashy. So those Viper bumpers are right out then

 

[clivehorridge]

Thanks mate. Had a quick look at it. HD bumpers will be added one way or another. The thing I am worries about is weather this particular looks right for an overlander. if you know what I mean.

For what it's worth, I like the rear bumper and can't really fault the front, but it's a bit too blingy for my liking.

 

[Ben]

Personally I'd always like to see a proper bull bar on an overland vehicle. The idea that your thousands of miles away from home on some big adventure..............................

Well you wouldn't want the trip to end early just because an animal jumped out in front of you!

You should invest in a tube bender Chris.

This is the one I'm hoping my boss will buy me.

http://jd2.com.au/benders/model-3-bender.html

 

[Chris Green90]

I agree Ben. I like the shape of the Viper one but obviously "I" will be building it so Bull bars will be incorporated somewhere. Thanks for the link to the tube bender but I think I will stick with these





And one of these turned up last week

 

[Beau]

Which side is your jack cubby on in the back? I seem to remember reading somewhere that some prado's have a second compressor in one of the back pillars??? might be making it up though. I will have to have an investigate. It would be great to convert it for use as on board air.

Jack stuff is on the left side (Passenger side). I'm fairly certain I don't have a second compressor. Not sure about the imports either...

Regarding the Bumper shots you posted, I like the front one, moderately aggressive but not too imposingly so work well for overlanding. Not a fan of the rear Bumper, I think the lights look to small for the Bumper. I guess it's generally small for maximum clearance

 

[Ben]

I agree Ben. I like the shape of the Viper one but obviously "I" will be building it so Bull bars will be incorporated somewhere. Thanks for the link to the tube bender but I think I will stick with these





And one of these turned up last week

Nice!

Apologies because I hadnt seen you produce anything using tube, I wrongly presumed you didnt have a tube bender.

IMHO tube can look far better than bits of box welded together and can be a lot stronger.

 

[mrdelmonti]

Not keen on the front for an overlander. Any plans for the interior? I reckon a small fridge for your beers, some leather seats and maybe some good strong storage and you'd have a really nice useful place to sit.

 

[Shayne]

Bugger i've searched high and low for that truck without success many a time after chancing upon this

Tempting myself to go matte black i guess .

Obviously you will be making the bumpers yourself so in my view the centre cross section of the rear bumper is upside down and curve would look better than a fold at the sides . For me overland means maximum ability with minimum weight gain so less is more if you like . Can't remember who it was but somebody made a really smart tube bumper for a white 80 on here a few months back ?

 

[goodoldboy]

Cris check your PM inbox

 

[grantw]

Don't forget to think about airflow through the bumper as well

 

[Chris Green90]

Thanks for all the comment about bumpers guys. Not had much time of late to crack on with the build as I have been working on some R&D and fabrication of winch mounts for freelanders of all things. Oh well it pays the bills I guess.

Had a bit of a go today though. Took the fold up rear seats out along with all mounts and belts and look what I found behind the panel on the passenger side.



I guess it mates up with these in the roof line.



By the looks of it there isn't an additional compressor in there but does seem to be a condenser and blower. Nice little thing to have. Weather I'll keep it or not I'm not sure yet. I may swap it out for on board air.

Although I'm not 100% sorted on an engine yet I have been thinking about what to do If putting the 1KZ lump back in. I think the engine may have been sat too long to be viable for a reliable head replacement. I think it would have to be a full rebuild which I don't really have the time for and want to get the truck back on the road as soon as possible.



so in an attempt to keep things nice and cool under the hood I have got my hands on a few bits and pieces. These all cost me nothing and is stuff we had lying about so let me know what you guys think of the ideas.

First up I have got an inter-cooler from a PaJ.



Being a Prado, "Pimp" has the stock Toyota inter-cooler. However this Paj unit it a little thinner and has an electric fan with it. There seems to be a temp sensor controlling the fan which I would imagine would kick in at slower speeds to increase airflow through the cooler. Thinking of stripping the Paj unit and using the Fan and control sensor with the Toyo unit.

Next up is an old oil cooler I have.



I am probably going to utilise this unit as a separate ATF cooler. And then swap the rad out for the manual one from Dirty Gal. I also have a newer, larger oil cooler complete with sandwitch plate to redirect from the oil filter. This should not only have the effect of cooling the oil better but also it should add another litre or so to the oil capacity which again in turn should assist in keeping things cooler.

And finally today, started knocking up a rear bumper for a customer. Not what I want for my truck but if the customer is happy then that's all that matters.







The ends will be cut round to match the curve, but doing it this way makes the fab a little easier.

 

[Ben]

Looking good Chris.

What thickness have you used for the rear bumper?

 

[cavanmick]

Dont bother with the paj fan lad, ive had five of them and taken the fan of every one, they really only restrict the flow through the cooler and are only any use in a really really hot climate... just my two cents buddy.

 

[Chris Green90]

3 mm mate. To be honest the more of these I do the more I think it is excessive. When I get round to building the one that's staying on the I think I'll go for 1.5. Even this simple bumper weighs the best part of 25kgs. In 1.5 it will be half that. I just don't see the need for it to be super strong on a truck that isn't going to be bashing into trees any time soon. With support in the right places 1.5 will be well up to the job and half the weight.

 

[Beau]

I'm guessing that's what the "rear cool" button activates then

 

[Shayne]

I can't imagine any benefits from swapping the intercooler itself . Don't like the pajero fan , the cowl or shroud covers half the cooler which is great when the fans doing its work but not good on the open road . Me and Fridayman discussed this on the tuning thread recently , he being in Oz means he has more use for a fan but it turns out we both have bonnet scoops .

 

[Ben]

3 mm mate. To be honest the more of these I do the more I think it is excessive. When I get round to building the one that's staying on the I think I'll go for 1.5. Even this simple bumper weighs the best part of 25kgs. In 1.5 it will be half that. I just don't see the need for it to be super strong on a truck that isn't going to be bashing into trees any time soon. With support in the right places 1.5 will be well up to the job and half the weight.

Yeah makes sense mate.

You could always add some extra thicker pieces behind in critical areas to stiffen it up if necessary.