My strut tops house the MCA struts, using 2.8mm sheet metal to encase the billet steel machined top mounts.
The biggest changes have been on the inside. In Part One we saw the complete S15 interior being fitted but now I have chosen not to do this, instead opting for more of a race car/industrial look showing off the time and effort put into perfect bar work. The original idea of utilising as much S15 Silvia stuff as I can has unfortunately gone. Instead I have opted for a more
'fabricate everything' approach.
I wanted to focus on some smaller details in Part Three as this is the time consuming part. You can make or break a project when it comes down to the smaller aspects of a build. Here we have one of the seat mounts in the floor.
There is still around two meters of steel tube to be added to the console/backbone that encases the driveline, I wanted to make sure there was enough strength in the middle of the chassis.
I am a lover of all motorsports, both two wheel and four wheel. I attribute my design to the many disciplines I look up to, and there's a lot of drag racing chassis fabrication ideas within this drift ute build.
I have pre-welded a lot of the smaller brackets before tacking in position, I want to make sure everything is in its correct position before the final welding process. These are the fuel tank supports.
On the subject of the fuel tank I had a spun alloy unit made up in USA. I couldn't have made it near as neatly as they did, let alone even find the materials to make it.
It's around a month before I lose the rolling frame it's mounted to. But a few more welds and the Hilux will be strong enough to stand its own for feet. I will surely sit back with a beer and cherish that moment!
It's a simple one man process to remove the body shell, simply slide it back over the frame and lift it off.
I have been making my own knuckles for several years now and have found it highly effective. I remade these S15 ones to be the same ones I run on my RPS13. It will give me a good base line to work from when improving the driftability of the Hilux.
Every now and then I hear the comments from people saying what a cop out the SR install is. I've run these motors for 7 years - since I turned 21 - and I have never had an issue and just love their power productivity and simplicity. If I was to start again with another motor then I would be starting from scratch; I know the SR well and believe it suits the chassis and purpose this is built for.
The steering column support was fabricated from 25.4mm tube. I will be working with this tube a lot from this point on with the build AS the entire rear end and front end will be made out of it to hang the panels and ancillaries off.
The chassis has been a mix of strengths and looks. I wanted angles and lots of them, i wanted this chassis to be a piece of handcrafted metal art, something that wouldn't look out of place in an industry art gallery.
If you had shown me this picture six months ago and said 'this is what your building' I would have laughed at the suggestion. Starting with a tape measure, no TIG welding skills, no tube bending skills, little to no room and nothing but a possible dream of a sideways Hilux, it's exceeding my expectations in every way possible.
It's been all about focusing on one step at a time and never losing sight of the bigger picture, and making sure that I never say
'that will do'. If I haven't been happy with something I haven't dwelled on the issue, I have just cut it off and learnt the lesson of that mistake making sure it doesn't happen again.
This build is a mix of many car cultures in this build. The items that I cannot build will be mostly Japanese like the iconic Bride seats.
The new console sections of tubing will eventually meet the floor in a section of angled tubes, I am waiting to incorporate the RB25 tail shaft mounts into this tubing.
With the wheels on it gives the Hilux a distinct hit of personality. It's like an RC car waiting for its plastic body to be painted and clipped on.
The one thing I have heard most from the feedback is how short it looks, no matter how many times I explain that the wheelbase is the same size as a JZX100 people still seem to think it's short. This view gives you an idea of the length, some 150mm longer than an S15 Silvia.
If you are thinking of building something on a jig like this please take a lesson I have learnt on board: make cut outs for the wheels so they can be sat at the correct ride height while the chassis is on the base of the jig. It's something I didn't do and now regret it as I can't measure angles until it's off the jig.
Everything is tacked with decent tracks. Once everything is in place I will weld the entire chassis over the duration of a week.
The gearbox is from an RB25 and increases strength in the driveline by large amounts. It will all be mounted to the chassis via solid mounts and sheet metal gussets will run throughout the chassis once the final welding has taken place.
I made up some slip-in supports for the tub to hang on to while I measure and shape the rear panels. At this stage you get a feel for the sheer length of the finished product.
The tub sides are from the same model but the extra cab variant. This means I had to add 150mm of sheet metal to the sides to achieve the correct length. The width on the other hand isn't exactly where I need it. The wheel arch area needs another 70mm of pumping each side and I'm taking my time to think of the neatest way possible to do this. The tailgate will also be an FRP item.
Once the guards are all shaped in metal they will be taken to an FRP shop to have a mold produced. That way I can have as many rear quarter panels as I need. The TE37 in bronze looks just right but I think the HIlux will need big polished rim lips.
The Bee-R B5 rims I thought would be a good match but they just don't look right tucked up like that. I can now measure out where the entire under car diffuser will exit at the rear. I want to spend a lot of time doing it just right as a lack of downforce on the rear may become an issue.
This is only 1/10th of my scrap metal pile. I do feel bad for some of these pieces of metal, AS they were once destined for a lifetime of love, a coat of paint and become part of my automotive history. Now they are banished to a lifetime of rust and loneliness.
This has been a story about self reliance; this creation has become a sold part of my life. It's about making sure everything fits within its criteria and budget. The build has enriched my life with confidence, skills, accomplishment and dreams. It's not just a build to me, it's an extension of myself. My hands have created what you see before you. The dream in my head gives way to hard work and after six month it's gone from an idea to something solid, something I can look at. And in another six months that something will be hurtling down a racetrack and backwards into the corner! Shut your eyes and you'll be hearing a screaming SR20; open them and you will see a Hilux, centimetres off the ground and plumes of smoke off the tyres.
With the 2011 WTAC coming up fast, Nigel Petrie from
Engineeredtoslide.com has been busier than ever. It's been 6 months of intense building on his Toyota Hilux Drift machine, and its public debut is just three weeks away. Nigel was originally planning to compete with the Hilux, however he'll be drifting in his 180SX instead so that he doesn't rush the Hilux build. It will, however, still be making the trip to Sydney to be displayed in its unfinished state. Nigel was kind enough to take some time to show Speedhunters what he's been up to over the past few weeks.
After a full week of four hour welding sessions every night in my cramped little shed it was so good to have the chassis removed from the jig.
With the MCA coilovers hanging off the frame I was excited to get the wheels on and see if those measurements worked out how I had planned. I spent a few weeks up at MCA suspension in Brisbane helping them get their own PS13 ready for World Time Attack. While I was there they rebuilt my shocks and I brought them back with me on the plane.
The wheels of choice are some B.I.M Driftmasters in 18x9.5J +0 on the rear and 17x8.5J +0 up front, these will not be the final wheels that the finished product will wear as the rear fenders I have designed will allow at least 11J +0 to fit.
With the seats sitting in place you get a feel for the amount of effort I have gone to sit super low.
Seating position is pretty tight in the cabin but it was always going to be an issue, with a single cab I have no room to move further back.
The body is a simple 2 man lift over the chassis. It will simply clip on and be removable to make working on it a breeze, maybe even an interchangeable body in the future? The wheelbase is the same as a JZX100 after all...
The MCA coilovers were designed to be on the bump stops 15mm before the chassis, in this photo the chassis is 75mm off the ground. I can adjust the height to be 20mm to 120mm off the ground.
I'm looking forward to taking a final weight figure, at the moment it's quite easy to lift from both the front or the back.
The 2WD front Hillux fenders are from a 2004 model. I will be keeping this front end but swapping the guards to 4x4 items for extra clearance.
The front wheels are further forward than they should be, I have not added castor rods yet to position the front wheel central in the guard.
Taking low seating to the next level. I may have to space my seat mounts up a little.
The fuel tank is now in with the Bosch 044 fuel pump feeding directly from the internal baffle within.
I've fallen in love with Icore fittings for my Hilux.
Here I'm making sure there's sufficient helmet room inside the cabin, I guess there is!
I just can't wait to drive this, I'm in no rush but I would say summer is looking good!
I'm jumping for joy to have this Hilux finally rolling, it's a milestone for any build to be removed from the jig it was conceived on. I'd like to thank Casey for the writeup and the Shields boys for the photos. Stay tuned as the next part may involve some drifting?
BONUS
LAS NAVES DE ESTE PUDIENTE
rolense aunque sea un credito pue
