Happy with the outcome - one of my prized display models
So it started life as a reasonable looking eBay buy, Sometimes you are better off leaving older used cars well alone, you never know what lies beneath years of paint and stickers. Well as the photos show it had had some life with previous owners. Bodywork took many hours albeit compressed into just 3 weeks - i can't recall the number of stages but lets say there is probably 100 hours of repair, filling, smoothing, filling, priming, top coat and lacquer !
I'm not a fan of box art, so I went with something a little different which I feel suits the real car era and work vehicle ethos.
There's a few shapeway 3D printed parts in the mix, Toyota rear logo, bed strips and the driver head !
Period correct radio gear, with more modern stronger servos, just in case i ever run it.
A set of repro tyres arrived yesterday so the modern Tamiya CC-01 items will soon be history.
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On arrival
Comments
SRB Bloke
Very nice, you've done some great work on that shell, awesome. Also that's a very clean chassis... very cool
Leethal Driver
Nice resto that, great job
Basket Case
Wow! Great looking Hilux. Love the colour!
Percymon
Thanks for the feedback guys
simensays
All that work makes the end result so much more satisfying! It looks great now!
Percymon
@simensays
Many thanks for the awesome rear logo panel !
Phillenios
Very nicely done.......
Crash Cramer
FANTASTIC looking Hilux there, a proud person you ought to be. I like what you have done with it and OH THE HORROR with the holes in the cab top!!! What did they do, put spots on it???? WOW. What tires came with it, they look interesting and I think you will be more than happy with the REPRO Goodyears if they are Peter's from eBay as I bought some last year too and tickled to get some. I should really get my act together and work mine over too.
Percymon
Thanks Crash. Yes, the repro tyres are from peter and they are superb, should have them fitted in the next week or so. The truck originally came with two sets of wheels, one set with original tyres (and a couple of spares), and the set fitted on arrival which were almost new Brat 1.7' tyres - they actually fitted OK but being 1.7' they did sit a little inboard of the rim at the inner bead (at least it didn't stretch the tyres that way). I managed to find 4 tidy originals from the 6 included, they have been coated with glycerine and sat in a sealed bag for several months now. Probably will not be refitted unless this this goes onto a display stand with the wheels off the ground. I'll keep those for the second set of rims though, and put the repros on. The CC-01 tyres aren't bad in fairness but being slightly smaller overall diameter than the originals, and a bit chunky and rounded at the shoulders, are not the best aesthetically.
Crash Cramer
My favorite non original tires for this are the BFGoodrich labeled tires from the 90's. I was thinking the same thing with my original tires, put them in a bag with glycerine, but in all fairness, WHY??? I mean the repros will be more than enough to put all the looks right and well, they are made of rubber and not playdough, so noone would expect 40 plus year old rubber to still look presentable unless sealed in a hyperbaric chamber in a cold storage unit underground in a salt mine!!!
If real 1:1 tire reproductions by Coker and the likes can be accepted, I can't see why great repros for our cars couldn't be accepted as period correct style, but then again, your color wouldn't have necessarily been period correct, so I think you are more than golden for putting this great truck onto fresh repro rubber and calling it a done deal. Besides all that, I would be scared a touch to stretch even glycerine soaked old rubber onto those inner tire supports as required.
IhaveaBruiser
Restoration came out great !
Percymon
@CrashCramer
I do agree, I'm delighted with the repro tyres; unless you have a pristine set of originals then they will look far better on a display model and are clearly a lot better for running. The repros will be on soon, the originals will go on the spare set of rims - not sure what to do with those now; perhaps get another Hilux lol !
Crash Cramer
That is the obvious choice, you need another Hilux since you have all those spares.
Re-Bugged
Well worth the effort you've put in, very authentic to the real thing.
Clodbox
Really like that, lovely restoration.
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