1981 L200 'ClubSport'

Getting hard into the panel reproduction game.
Bought a 20 ton press not long ago and have been thinking about how to reproduce these cab mounts/floor panels. It sure is nice to have the radio going and use my metal shear and press rather than endless grinders and hammering dulling my ears to the outside world.

Attachment 24808
So we start with our rusted out, but largely in shape cab mount.
I picked it apart and took some measurements. Can gladly confirm the dimple die I made prior is a perfect match
Attachment 24809
Attachment 24810
I pin some sheet metal between two ply bucks and use the die and about 6 ton of pressure to make the dimple.

Attachment 24811
The metal ends up a bit stretched, but a few go rounds with a planishing hammer shrinks those down
Attachment 24812
I can then check to see if I'm making the right depth
Attachment 24813

I can then trim the floor panel to size (edges oversize for final fit, cab rear overhang and inner sill flange cut to size, overhang bent)
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I found that if I used a steel plate with a matching sized hole in it I could get a nicer crisp edge on the dimple, so I used that on the next piece and the floor piece at the same time to make sure the dimples are the same shape and depth. In the future I will press two panels at once.
Attachment 24815
I also fitted a tubing offcut to punch out the bolt hole dead centre.

Learning for next time


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Nice fit between all the panels.

Luckily the passenger side was in better shape than the driver's, so I was able to get some good measurements and a better idea of the shape details. Like the kick in the upper strengthening plate at the B pillar.

So I marked and cut out the upper plate
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I opted to cut and weld to get the kick this time, I'm short on steel stock. It doesn't take much time but I could also make something to press it in.

I radiused the corner and welded the cab back corner and hammered in the raised bead (I will probably make a tool to press this in next time, it would be quite basic and take 30 seconds instead of 5 mins)
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And the panels fitted together
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I can knock those out quite easily now. A few tweaks to my setup and I will be sorted to produce them for sale, I'm sure there's still some rusty mitsis out there.

The next stage is to reproduce the cab mount section quickly and accurately. The driver's side I made some anvils and ball head punches and spent a lot of time eyeballing and hammering it into shape. This time I would like to use my press.
So I started on some tooling
But in order to make the tooling, I had to make some tooling
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So far I have made a male buck for the side that faces the floor. Again I'm low on steel stock but I might be able to scrape up enough to make one for the side that faces the sill. This section is offset depending on being on the left or right side of the truck, so I would like to make it reversible, although a symmetric one would not effect the mount in any way.
My plan is to make the mount in two pieces and weld together before fitment to the truck (as I did with the driver's side)
I'm going to use a block of urethane rubber and a strong steel box and my press to rubber hydroform the panels. This mount is thicker steel than the previous two panels, so the box will need to be quite robust.
I could probably make the mount in one piece using this method, but large rubber blocks and plate steel are quite expensive so I think this is the best option.

Hoping to be able to pump a few out to keep more of these trucks out of the scrap yard

The man is multi talented :grin:

Need to make an order of steel before continuing with that.
Got sick of having the 1st gen tray blocking my big workbench for over a year, so I moved it. Then u thought, well I may as well try get that finished so it can go on the truck and not be in the way at all.
Dug out the side I unstitched and stripped it.
Attachment 24845

Rusty
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Have filled in the holes for the bed cover hooks. I prefer a single rivet bobbin style, but may go for something else mounted to the bed rail. Have finished the patches above the swage line and made a start by cutting out that big long patch. Should finish this panel tomorrow and then IL paint all the panels I have already done and see if I can start putting this side back on

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Not quite finished. Got the flanges at each end and a small hole in the fuel filler recess and to tidy up today's patches

Have you modified the fuel filler? I have thought about something similar - changing the filler neck and adding a remote release...

That's how it came, I don't think it's modded

My Gen 1 has the filler door on that body crease. God knows why they designed it that way... it would've been a PITA and more expensive to press the fuel door and filler recess with a fold through the middle of it.

Oh weird. Yeah the flap from this one is flat. I haven't noticed any that are different here.
But yeah you have a point all the ones I see online are on the swage line. I wonder if this was a nzdm thing. Do you have flat/square wheel wells or rounded ones?

This puts my filler recess entirely inside the wheelwell as well. If it was higher up it would be in the bed space

Outer panels on the tray are rounded. Inner well is a big long rectangular-ish box with reinforcing raised ribs pressed into it. They're the same on both my Gen 1 and my donor wreck.

Oh yeah, I have the flat type wheel wells, I think the dodge ones are rounded from what I'm told on here.
I was wondering if it was a cost saving thing by Todd motors

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tortron

Oh yeah, I have the flat type wheel wells, I think the dodge ones are rounded from what I'm told on here.
I was wondering if it was a cost saving thing by Todd motors

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Doubt it. The local dealership isn't going to front up costs for altering the production line manufacturing on a vehicle. The different tray might be for the SEA market? :shrug:

Todd motors was the manufacturer here.

I'll keep an eye out for other NZ trucks, but I'd say they are all like that here.



Edit
Yup just looked up a dozen or so wellside NZ 1st gens all have the fuel flap in that location. For whatever reason Todd motors made them like that

NZ had at the time taxes and local economy stimulus laws so cars had to be a certain % assembled here and a certain % manufactured here. Usually this ment we had NZ made interior swatches and the radios were NZ made. Considering most utes would be getting a flatdeck for getting put to work I think it makes sense that the wellsides would be made here.
I'm just logic'ing that out butakes sense don't it.

Of course once the 90s came we got every cheap used import we could get our hands on

That's interesting. So did L200's have a different trim interior option in NZ as well? I really wanted a 2 door Colt Panther turbo. So freaking cool. Oz never got 2 door Colt hatches. They made awesome sleeper car projects and were pretty tough structurally.

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Gave it a little hammer and dolly work before 2 coats of durepox inside and out. Will leave any further tweaking till it's mounted, but it's pretty straight, primer filler should get it 90%

Now drop a DD16 Detroit into it.
Then you can have 600HP and a turbo that is tied into the engine to get another 35HP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q_I8SYkN8w

^that engine got a roasting. Owners/drivers hate it. Nice brochure, but visiting the place was disappointing.

Sounds expensive,

The 3800 produces more than enough power for me anyways don't need 600hp to haul DIY supplies or tow a Morrie.
Current engine has about 170hp standard, the ecotec should have about 195hp standard, but with no cat/bigger exhaust that's already on the truck and the tuning parts I have it should happily bump it up in to 200 which is double the original engine and more than enough to get into trouble with

Speaking of, I ran out of supplies to continue with the tray for now

Next biggest thing in the way is the VS engine and trans

Separated them and degreased the 4l60e
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Went though the parts I have stashed
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Going for a shift kit with updated accumulator, uprated pistons corvette servo, uprated 3-4 clutch, temp sender fitting, drain plug in pan

Gona need a few more seals and gaskets now as I want to do it once and not take it back out any time soon

Might do the pan mods tomorrow and think about looking at the engine

Found this on the end of my wellside tray
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The truck it came from wasAttachment 24895 an 83
So it must be number 243 and made on the 55th day of 1983

At the other end of the tray I remade this panel
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I can start putting this side back together soon
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Yeah that definitely isn't an OEM tray. And a nice bit of archeology with unearthing the construction stamp hidden in there (and the repairs are looking good too!)

It's OEM, just the NZ made version, I don't think anyone else would make trays specific to them. What else are you seeing different?
I think the rear number plate cowl has a few differences, the rivets were a bit weird as all the other edges are brazed on. It's all original though, other than a few patches.
A shame if all the panels I've made are different from the other markets ones, as I kept templates to make more of them lol

On my 81 the box bars are bolted on not welded in like yours. the box floor in front and behind the inner wheel tubs also have ribs not flat. Also the wheel tubs are 1 piece that are rounded.