Some of you have expressed interest in my friend Simon`s `89 Xtracab. Here is the chronicle of how this machine came to be.

Soon after the 2003 May long weekend where I drowned Simon`s `94 Xtracab
and bent a couple rods, (see the story here: http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showf...mp;amp;sb=5&o=14&fpart=1 ) he started to look for another truck to build for off-road use and keep the `94 as his daily driver/parts chaser/plow truck. He found an `89 Xtracab in pretty rough shape for $1200 CDN. The good news was that the truck had a sound 3VZE, a 3" body lift, 4" Trailmaster IFS lift, Smittybuilt front and rear bumpers and 10" wheels with 33" rubber on them. Pretty good deal I think. Unfortunately I don`t seem to have a picture of it the way it came.

After his knee healed, Simon and I started to see what we had gotten ourselves into. A picture is worth a thousand words



The outer A pillars, firewall and forward floorpan were non-existant and thus were simply cut away. Actually, we drilled out the spot welds and removed the panels as a whole where possible.



Two of these

were purchased for approx. $100 each from the wreckers. They would be donors for the missing parts. Here is the new firewall/floorpan built from the two wrecked cabs.

You can see where the patches are as they are different colors. Oh yeah, and the tack welds are a good indication as well! We assembled the two pieces and they fit so good right off the bat that the plate behind the shifters lined up and bolted in perfectly.


The A pillars came together nicely.


The result was a complete and solid cab.


Simon found a gallon of paint for $25 when a customer never came back to pick it up. I wonder why?!?!
[img]http://www.personainternet.com/sdennie/Simon/really%20orange.jpg[/img]

At first he really hated the color and even bought another gallon of paint (wine red metallic) but eventualy the color grew on him so he decided to leave it as is until next spring. Finaly, the new tires came in and everything was buttoned up.
[img]http://www.personainternet.com/sdennie/Simon/all%20done.jpg[/img]

And thus the beast was born................and immediately put to use.
[img]http://www.personainternet.com/sdennie/Simon/midnight%20mud%20fun.jpg[/img]

The shakedow run was interesting. The garage that mounted the tires had left them aired to 30psi! (rookies) They felt like rocks and the thing rode like a tank. We did a quick calculation and found that they only need 15 psi front and 10 psi rear to support the truck properly on the street and much less for off-roading. Nevertheless, it still took on the mud quite well. It still had open diffs at both ends but that would change a couple days later when we re-geared the axles with 5.29s (using the welded IFS diff) and installed a Lockright in the rear. It made quite the difference. So much that I will be re-gearing my 4Runner with 5.29s. I was very impressed with the lockright and will be installing one of those in the rear as well but I am saving up for an ARB air locker for the front.

So now the truck awaits the final modifications to make it a comlpete off-roader. Simon has a Milemarker winch he wants to fab a receiver type mount front and rear for and also a rear rack to add to the box. I`m sure we won`t stop there as these things tend to always be works-in-progress.

Toughguy

Mah lord that's one fine restoration job....

Hehe, you can bet our next project (next winter project that is) will not be so thorough. We have a regular cab shortbox that we are planning to make a tube buggy with. We`re tired of bodywork!

Toughguy

You might want to take a break and install siding on that flake board before it explodes. And remove the ladder cleats from the facia board too while you are at it.

Ask me how I know!

Seriously, you guys did a fine job on that thing!

I just got these from Simon.

Here is Marc`s Sidekick in the water. The pic is doubly good for blackmail since he`s married and that ain`t his wife poking through the roof! DOH!


This is me giving up my spare 3VZE when I bent the rods in Simon`s `94.


If I could just find the pics of those rods. You could hold it up and see the bend in it and turn it 90 degrees and see another bend in the other plane! Still though, the compression in those cylinders was 150 and 160 psi while the good ones were 180. The motor still ran fine and I`m not really sure you could notice a reduction in power.

Toughguy

Hehe, the garage has been like that since we built it in `96. (if I remember correctly) Simon says he`s gonna finish it every spring but it`s more fun to build trucks! You`re probly right though. I don`t want to build it all over again!

Toughguy

If that's his girlfriend standing in the sunroof, his wife ain't got nuthin to worry about.

Listen to me talking, my first ex wife got jealous if she saw me pet the dog.

So you built his shop AND you gave him your spare motor? You Canadian guys should be cloned.

That`s not all, he`s also my boss and I used to date his older sister! If this isn`t bizarre enough just let me know. I can probly come up with a couple more crazy facts about our friendship.

Toughguy

So you dated his sister AND you broke his motor...yet he is still your boss.

Something here isn't right.

Scatter fresh, deep, loamy dirt outside your bedroom windows....Then compare any shoe prints you find with his during next staff meeting. You will have the advantage as he will have his feet up on his desk as he flips thru his paperwork.

Go for his throat.

Nah, don't do that. You would lose a great friend and wheeling partner. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />