My Project Is Finished (at Last)

[mongoose1983]

(I don't have a showroom to post this one...)

Hey everyone,

Well, After two months my Tamiya Toyota Hilux High-Lift is finished and ready to hit the dirt! I'm now only in need of a 27Mhz Xtal set to get it going.

Basically, this is an all-stock Hilux High-Lift model truck except for the 2.2 wheels and 1985 Bruiser all-terrain tires. I tried to follow the Hilux SR-5 original paint scheme that's in the 1979 Toyota brochure/catalogue, but used two stripes over the hood instead of just one. The decals are the legendary Californian Autographic stripe sets from 1987. I made it to look like an early 80's Californian Mudbog truck.

The axles of the Hilux are so big they look just like the 2-ton military axles used by the early monster Trucks in the late 70's, when Big Foot, USA-1, and King Kong were using 48 inchers.

Some of you might think of it as a "Mounty wannabe", well guys, you're RIGHT. Still, as much as I love the old models, what I like the most in this High-Lift model is the lenght of the axles. I never understood why the Mountaineer truck had a noticeable longer axle in the rear.

So this is my Tamiya Toyota Hilux SR-5 "Liftaineer".

Whatever it is, let me know what you all think.

A great Sunday to Y'all !!!

EB

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[Illacrew]

Superb! very nice work man. You going to paint the Toyota on the tailgate?. Or just paint the YO. like they did in the 80's

[mongoose1983]

You going to paint the Toyota on the tailgate?. Or just paint the YO. like they did in the 80's

Hiya Jim!

How're you doing. Thanks for the positive comment.

I would love to do the tailgate but I'm a bit unsure of my painting skills. I had to paint the bed two times because of the effects a deffective Testors spray can and it was such a *****y work, I don't think I'll paint another model again. I will pay some monkey in the LHS to do that instead.

Have a super Sunday.

EB

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[steviedee]

The truck looks UBER-cool, top work there fella.

I might have the solution to you problematic tailgate painting, I was asked by a number of people to see if i could replicate it in cut vinyl. I have done a fair few and i will be happy to post you one at cost.

check the picture below to see what i mean

The toyota logo, can be cut in what ever colour you like.

Drop me a PM and we'll sort one for you.

Steve

[mongoose1983]

The toyota logo, can be cut in what ever colour you like.

Drop me a PM and we'll sort one for you.

Steve

HI Steve -thanks!

A PM is on the way, but I'm afraid I'm about a world away from the UK...

Cheers,

EB

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[mongoose1983]

Xtals arrived a couple of days ago so I finaly could use the 3 speed transmission.

Here's my radio gear. Vintage Futaba three-channel from 1984 that I got through a local trading.

I'll do a YouTube video of the truck in action sometime later.

Y'all have a great Thursday!

EB

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[Swarm]

Hey Mate

I didnt notice that you had finished her and put her up for all to see Iam glad someone responded otherwise would have missed a terrific build I like the personal touches you have made the silver paint on the diff housing nice colour too easy on the eye the decals match perfactly you did a great job and you say you might get the LHS to do the painting for you ,Dunno why you did an excellent job .I look forward to seeing more of your builds .Take care

Stuart

[ryanbored]

I really like that- Well done!

[Z]

Wow! That sure is a deja-vu the the classic three-speeds!

[GRIGGY]

Great looking truck Mongoose, love that retro look.

[gt6++]

Nice truck, much better scheme than the current Hilux.

What wheel rims are those? They look perfect.

[mongoose1983]

Hey y'all,

I thank you all for the nice comments on my "Liftaineer" project.

Reply to Stuart (Swarm): I used the stock differential covers, so that is not my paint work. And by the way, my camera can't capture the real color of this one. This is what we call in here "Toyota blue", much darker than what you see in the pictures above.

Reply to gt6++: "What wheel rims are those? They look perfect": Actually I have no idea what rims are these. I got the four rims + two Bruiser tires for $3 USD on an eBay BIN a couple of months ago. It was a white pair with Bruiser tires mounted and another pair of wheels (the same) but in yellow color. I noticed they were 2.2 with 12 mm Hex drives and immediately clicked on buy it now. I asked in the LHS what was the best paint to make all four match. I wanted to paint them white, and the guy mentioned a thing I have never heard of before, "Lustre Kote". This is a thick milky white primer. It is virtually indestructible -no way to go back once you paint a surface. So it was the perfect thing for my wheels, and now none can tell they are of different color. They look as if they're new and originally white.

Anyway, I been working on the workshop most of the afternoon today. I made a pair of metal mounts for the definitive bumper for this truck. They bolted easily on four unused holes right under the front part of the metal frame, so it's strong enough and resistent. So that's it -what you see in the pictures is the last touch in my finished project. Yes, I believe it's the only bumper that will ever do with the 1979 Hilux SR-5.

What else can I say... I'm in love with this truck.

Goodnight and y'all have a great weekend!

EB

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