Rebuild of a 1989 Hilux Double Cab with a Ford V6 engine.

[Vari-mu]

Good day fellow Hilux owners.

I'm a long time lurker and now first time poster with many questions to ask (and hopefully soon much knowledge to share).

I purchased a 1989 Hilux Double Cab with a Ford V6 engine conversion about a year ago. I finally have the time to rebuild it.

I wasn't sure where to post this thread as some of the work on the truck will be DIY and some will be commissioned to professionals in areas where I lack the space, tools, expertise or perhaps confidence required.

This is what the bakkie looked like when I purchased it:


33x12.5R15 tyres. No spare wheel.










Water on the floor in the foot well. I think it is leaking through the windshield lining. The entire interior floor and back panel up to the height of the rear window is rubberised, which I want to remove entirely. The steering wheel cover/hooter button is bolted on. Poorly made and installed aftermarket centre console which will be removed.


More water on the floor in the foot well. My SFA has cup holders! They will be removed too. The dashboard has a crack in the middle top surface.


Aftermarket front seats, which will be replaced.


No window winder. The door trim panel was attached with rivets to the metal door panel. The loudspeakers (and installation thereof) aren't to my taste.


No window winder. The door trim panel was attached with rivets to the metal door panel. The loudspeakers (and installation thereof) aren't to my taste.


The rear couch isn't in horrible condition, but when titling the back rest forward one can see that the foam padding has started to perish and is crumbling off in chunks.



The truck is currently with Jaco Groenveld from Living SFA as I have asked him to give me a quote me on rebuilding the truck.



The first three issues I have to address are:

1. Engine choice
2. Chassis refinishing
3. Cabin and load bin refinishing

1. Engine choice

It appears that there is contention among the community over the Ford V6 engine with some hating it ("rook and kook") and others reporting a pleasant experience.

Jaco has a Toyota 5L with a turbo fitted (he says this 5L came out standard with a turbo - it is currently in one of his personal trucks), which I have the option of purchasing. He also currently has the option of a Korean 4Y.

I think for now I am going to keep the Ford V6 engine, but have it tuned to the best it can be by Johan's Auto in Alberton. Johan appears to be an expert on the V6 motors, having reconditioned hundreds of them. Sifu-Lux and ThysdJ both have happy reports of their Ford V6 engines so I will trawl their posts for information on how to get the best out of the V6 too.

If in a few years I want more power I will consider going big with something like a D-4D or a Lexus V8, but for now I like the idea of staying with a simple and cheap petrol engine. I welcome any comments and critiques about this decision.


2. Chassis refinishing

Considering that I am planning on doing a lot of work on the truck I thought it wise to strip it entirely to inspect the chassis and rust treat it again so that I have a chassis that is good for another three decades (hopefully more) and thus a foundation worth building on.

What has been suggested to me is to sand blast the chassis (which removes the galvanising), apply an epoxy coating, a black Dulux primer and then a layer of paint. Has anyone else here done this? Is there a superior or alternative way of doing it? Is it better to have the chassis galvanised again prior to applying other layers, like paint, over it?


3. Cabin and load bin refinishing

In the above photographs the exterior paint (which is matte) doesn't look bad, but in person one can tell that there are many imperfections and the paint is starting to flake/lift off in some areas. I have read online that matte paints require special care and maintenance. Accordingly I don't think a matte paint finish suits my needs for a resilient bush truck.

I do like the olive drab colour though, so I may have it resprayed with a 2K olive drab gloss finish.

The alternative is the regularly seen Land Cruiser beige/desert sand colour (I don't know what the correct term is for the colour).

With either of the above two options the underneath of the cabin and load bin, and the sides from the bottom up to about 20cm will be coated in stone chip. Jaco recommends doing the 2K finish over the stone chip so that the whole vehicle has a uniform colour. I have seen that some people put the stone chip over the 2K finish (which means that the underneath and stroke around the bottom of the side of the vehicle will be black). Some many not like how this appears, but I think the benefit is that it is easier to touch up the stone chip if necessary.

I have half a mind to coat the whole vehicle in stone chip as was done to Black Sam (https://www.hilux4x4.co.za/views/viewto ... 36&t=19641) for maximum durability, ease of application (paint brush) and future touch ups to damage of the finish and the much reduced cost (compared to doing a full professional 2K spray job). Who cares about the appearance of the texture? I want a truck that will last a lifetime.

What are your thoughts on the finishing options?



There will be many more photos to come and questions to ask as the project is completed over the next few months.



Simple recipe for buying (and likely overpaying on) a truck (i.e. project)
- One ignorant first time buyer.
- One used car salesman.
- Now exchange money and you are done.

All in jest. I am looking forward to doing the project and getting the truck to the standard that I want.

[dax021]

Looking forward to loads of reporting on the build..Always wanted to do the same on mine, but alas, I need to win the lotto first.

[Family_Dog]

Hi Michon, welcome to the glorious SFA Club!

I do like its current Olive Green colour but if you do decide to go for the Land Cruiser Beige colour, the colour code is 4E9, as in Bulldog below.

I will be following your progress with interest!


-F_D

[pietpetoors]

Good luck, on the pics it looks good on the outside but the inside is something else.

[Family_Dog]

Michon, I might have a spare dash for you, can't recall how complete it is but it is in better condition than yours if I remember correctly.

Are you the same Michon from the AVForums.co.za (Somehow, I think so!)


-F_D

[Vari-mu]

Looking forward to loads of reporting on the build..Always wanted to do the same on mine, but alas, I need to win the lotto first.

I too have realised that it is not a cheap exercise (even if one does everything DIY), but then I had a look at what the newer models of Toyota trucks sell for and feel content with the amount that it will cost to get this truck as I want it. I don't have the same liking for the newer Toyota trucks as I do for the SFA models anyway, so if I'm going to spend it I would rather spend it on an SFA.

Hi Michon, welcome to the glorious SFA Club!

I do like its current Olive Green colour but if you do decide to go for the Land Cruiser Beige colour, the colour code is 4E9, as in Bulldog below.

Washday 1 (R).jpg

I will be following your progress with interest!


-F_D

Thank you. That is a good looking truck. I like this colour too and most people that I ask have said that I should use this colour. My reasoning for potentially choosing olive drab is because it isn't as common to see on the Toyota trucks.

The following is a wrap, but I think it looks good:





The above truck is currently for sale for R 1 249 900.
https://www.autotrader.co.za/car-for-sa ... &so=1&pl=1

Black Sam's black finish looks good to me too. I like the thought that one doesn't have to be careful with the finish. Even if it gets a horrible scratch from a branch or something that I am transporting for instance I can easily touch it up myself. When my beautiful 2K olive drab or 4E9 finish gets scratched I will be disappointed and need to take it to a professional to touch up.




When I said to Jaco (Living SFA) that I may want to stone chip the whole truck he didn't look impressed. His suggestion is also 4E9. I suspect partly because when a truck leaves his workshop that has a beautiful finish, which appeals to many, it showcases his work. 4E9 will most likely result in a higher resale value than a full stone chip finish, but I am not planning on selling this Hilux once rebuilt - ever - if I have my way.

Michon, I might have a spare dash for you, can't recall how complete it is but it is in better condition than yours if I remember correctly.

Are you the same Michon from the AVForums.co.za (Somehow, I think so!)


-F_D

Baie dankie. Ek sal Oom kontak rakende die instrumentpaneel.

Ja Oom. Dieselfde een. M.a.w. as ek eendag niks het om te doen nie bou ek dalk 'n termioniese buis versterker vir die trok. Ek moet net van daai lae spanning buise wat gebruik was vir voertuig radios opspoor. In daai lyn ek beplan om 'n goeie klank stelsel in die trok in te bou met "DSP" filter netwerke en hoë gehaalte omsetters. Ek gaan dalk die versterkers ook self maak. Ek moet net kyk watse kringe reeds beproef is, want my kennis van transistor kringe is nie goed nie. Ek sal later daaroor en ander toestelle wat ek binne die trok soek uitbrei.

Eerste moet ek besluit watse afwerking om die trok mee te bedek. Ek oorweeg dit om dalk die onderstel en al die metaal komponente daarop ook te verf met Duram 88 Stone Chip, vir dieselfde redes hierbo genoem.

[Vari-mu]

Other than the aesthetics thereof not appealing to most, do you guys foresee any problems occurring if I spray the whole vehicle with stone chip?

The only possibility that I can think of is that because the paint is thick (and coarse in finish) maybe some parts won't fit as easily as if it were painted with a 2K paint.

My understanding is that stone chip provides superior protection compared to 2K (which is why stone chip is applied to the underneath of the load bin and the cabin). Is this incorrect?


Do you guys know of anyone in the Johannesburg area that would be willing to do this work (i.e. remove the canopy and load bin, remove the previous paint finish, repair any rust damage to the body work, prep for spray, and finally spray the vehicle with stone chip)?

I would have enjoyed doing this work myself, but I don't have a covered area to do the work in. Having the body partially stripped along the process and then potentially standing in the rain for a few days and having to spray outside in the sun doesn't seem ideal to me.

[Family_Dog]

Michon, when I had Bulldog resprayed, I asked the Panel Beater the same question. He advised against it, I cannot recall his reason why not. But we did spray stone chip up to the waistline (where the fold in the doors is).

The story of all this is related here:
https://www.hilux4x4.co.za/views/viewto ... 136&t=1072

Klerksdorp (well, Orkney actually) is far from JHB but Tommy did an excellent job, they were very thorough in their work as you can see in the article.


-F_D

[Vari-mu]

Michon, when I had Bulldog resprayed, I asked the Panel Beater the same question. He advised against it, I cannot recall his reason why not. But we did spray stone chip up to the waistline (where the fold in the doors is).

That is interesting. I have been advised against 100% stone chip coverage by Living SFA too. I was told that doing stone chip underneath the load bin and cabin, and up to the fold in the door and the load bin (with the 2K paint being applied over the aforementioned), is the preferred way of doing it. I understand that this is the standard procedure and produces a very professional and attractive looking finish.

Aside from aesthetics, I can't think of any technical reason not to do 100% stone chip coverage though (except perhaps the difficulty of removing it if one doesn't want it anymore). If one examines the load bin for example - under the recommended finishing procedure the whole underneath and side of the load bin (up to the fold) will be covered in stone chip and the entire inside of the load bin will also be covered in stone chip. Accordingly approximately 70% of the load bin is going to be covered in stone chip. Covering the remaining roughly 30% of the load bin with stone chip is advised against. It doesn't make sense to me. Either I am missing something or the advise against doing so is predicated upon subjective aesthetic taste.

Another confusing thought for me;

Across six cars (which only experience standard on road use) that members of my family owns every single one of them has damage to the paint finish from years of use. Accidentally bumping a curb, someone in a parking lot who is careless with their trolley, stones hitting the car, etc. One of the vehicles is used as a work horse. It has the most damage to its finish, because it is often loaded and offloaded with heavy items. It's not that any of the vehicles are used carelessly - it's just that during the standard coarse of use fragile finishes get damaged. Repairing the damage to any of the above vehicles' finishes is a inconvenient (take the car to a painter), expensive and rarely fully successful procedure (due to ageing finish colours not being matched perfectly). Accordingly what happens is people avoid having it fixed and rust develops. Perhaps the latter is an example of carelessness.

My truck will be used much more roughly than any of the above vehicles (both as a 4x4 vehicle and a workhouse - I often transport heavy machinery and other large items), so I know that over the next ten years of use it's finish will get damaged. If the Hilux is finished entirely with stone chip the difference would be that, unlike with the above mentioned vehicles, if it gets a deep scratch on the side of the load bin from a metal pipe that accidentally falls while offloading the vehicle I simply load up some cheap stone chip paint into a spray gun and do a quick ten minute patching job at home. If it is a 2K finish what would the equivalent procedure be? Cry because of the damage to the beautiful truck, drive to a specialist (what to do if one is on the farm far away from the city), pay them R1000 (I'm not sure how much they charge), maybe only get the car back on another day and still not have it looking perfect (which is more bothersome on a "beautiful" finish)? Am I mistaken about this?

If the most often damaged parts of the vehicle's bodywork are covered in stone chip in order to protect them, why not apply the same protection to other parts of the car (that inevitably in my normal use will be damaged too)?

The story of all this is related here:
https://www.hilux4x4.co.za/views/viewto ... 136&t=1072

Thank you. That is a beautiful truck. I will read this thread in its entirety later.

Klerksdorp (well, Orkney actually) is far from JHB but Tommy did an excellent job, they were very thorough in their work as you can see in the article.

-F_D

I have realized that if I do decide (against professional advice) to paint the whole car with stone chip, I could take the cabin off with a few friends and carry it into my workshop, where I could spray it in conditions where it is less exposed to the elements. This sounds like fun, but I will have to learn a few things before doing so (and buy a spray painting setup).

If I want to go for a standard Hilux finish (i.e. stone chip on the bottom and up to the fold on the sides and then a 2K over that) I think letting Living SFA do it is a no brainer. His past projects have come out looking beautiful based on photos I have seen on the internet.

[niclemaitre]

Nice bakkie (except that bullbar to my eyes!).

The leak into the footwell is likely from the panel under the wipers. Leaves and debris collects there, then dams up the drain holes into the fenders and then rust through. At least that was the case on both SFAs I owned.

Remove the panel and the fenders, clean everything out, and pour some pink radiator coolant into the well. When it dries, you can usually see a residue that will show where it's leaking.

Fixing it requires cutting an access hole in the side around the drain holes, stripping the rust, maybe welding in new metal. Enlarging the drain holes is recommended to prevent a recurrence.

Jaco should be able to sort you out with interior trim parts. He does good mechanical work but the final attention to detail on the vehicle my friend bought from him was lacking (oil leaks, diesel line leaks, grommets not replaced, brackets missing, hack aftermarket electrical wiring not removed, paint cracked, heater bypassed and matrix leaking). All the issues were subsequently amicably resolved, but it took time and effort by my friend.