KerryTGIs 1988 Hilux

[Kerry-TGI 117]

Chur

I bought this ute about a year ago, knowing nothing about cars, just needed one after snapping the timing belt on my car. I had a mate who I knew had a hilux ute, asked to buy it, here we are. 

After dealing with some rust related WOF issues, the diff fucking out broke the camels back and I've finally procured a legal vehicle so I can put this thing on the backburner. 

I don't know a lot so hopefully you seasoned folk can chip in with the process. 

There are some deeper issues I've got my eye on and will get to, rust in the pillars/rain gutter, the flipped spring set-up has flattened out and sagged on one side, the radiator appears minimally functional, and as above, the diff.

I'm dipping my toe in by giving the chassis some attention. I've pulled the flat deck off and I have some brunox rust killer on the way.

Getting some funds together to get a little welder for some panel work.

Looking forward to learning some shit, killing some time, having some fun with it and hopefully one day having a functional and good looking ute. 

 

[Kerry-TGI 117]

Made a little progress but I'm a bit limited until I get a welder sorted. Smashed the timber off the flat deck and chopped the back piece out. I think it was the way it was welded because it wasn't flat, it had a rise in it from side to side.

Pulled the towbar off, cleaned it up and rust-killed what needed it. Just need paint now.

Cleaned up the back end of the chassis which was pretty rusty around where the towbar bolted on.

 

[Kerry-TGI 117]

The fun stuff. The local panelbeater has advised me that to deal with pitted rust you need to chip a bit of it out before treatment. So I'm sitting here tapping away with a sharpened punch. Definitely an exercise in patience, but I'm thankful enough that the pillar is still intact.

[Kerry-TGI 117]

I'd like to think I can call this lower section treated. Ended up moving on to a drill and drilled out every black spot I could see. Took ages and got a few sore body parts but quite satisfying. Just one more little area to drill and the rest is not pitted, thanks gravity. 

As you can see the gutter has been fucked off entirely. I kinda had an idea this might need to happen but hoped it wouldn't. The entire thing was a liability and I really do blame it for the way the pillars have gone. 

I'm just gonna focus on getting the pillars right, and the gutter can be an afterthought for now. 

 

[Kerry-TGI 117]

Drivers side pillar is pretty fucked. Think I'll have to chop out the section that was under the gutter, the rest of it should be treatable same as the other side. Don't know why its so much worse on the lower section, but better on the upper. 

[Kerry-TGI 117]

I think I killed a bunch of spiders inside my ute roof today. I was cutting off the last spot weld on the upper section of gutter and it started smoking. I stopped and the smoke stopped, then it puffed out intermittently from inside the roof, then it started smoking out the other side for a bit, before stopping entirely. A tiny albino spider limped out of the side I was working on and I put it out of its misery. I may have killed off a unique subspecies of albino hilux spider.

[Kerry-TGI 117]

Getting it ready for my hopes and dreams of getting a welder. I figure if I weld this section in, I can then cut out the opposite face and do the same. At least that's my naive plan.