Cressida trailer - now hauling shit around like a BOSS!

[andrew_mx83]

Burgundy '89 with the usual fruit - 18's, solid subframe bushes, stiffer springs, stripped interior, body bracing. Stock motor, open diff and stock axles gonna go.

But it will be a bit different...
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Engine and box out - no engine crane or lifting device used. Unbolt everything, lift body and roll back on rear wheels...



Semi-Stripped interior...



Wait, wut????????



Where's the rest???????



Needed moar room inside... unstitch parcel tray and remove. note extra bracing up front to stop the body collapsing.



That's more like it. 2m x 1.4m load area, minus strut towers. small price to pay for double wishbone IRS trailer




More random pics with hellaflush stance thanks to fully sik 18's that came on another "parts car"









Should be a pretty epic trailer to haul behind another Cressida. The extra space up front between the B pillar and front seat rail end up being a perfect size to hold a head on one side and engine block on the other for when i need to run stuff upto the machinist. This is crucial as it saves lifting the 80kg block further than necessary and killing my back. My parts business is also making far too much swarf these days, barely fits in my boot to get rid of the damn stuff...


Still have to build the A frame and join it strongly enough to the body, drop the diff and axles, install Pedders towing springs (I've got em, why not?) and solid subframe bushes. The idea of the solid bushes is to turn the subframe into a structural member to get some strength back into the body. When you start attacking these things with a 9" you discover pretty quickly that a LOT of the car's strength is in the roof, C pillars and parcel shelf.
The body brace between the B pillars works quite well, even all chopped up like this the rear doors still open and close fine with a nice thunk.

Because Toyota.



In terms of building a trailer from scratch (which I've never done before) lights, axles, bearings, wheels, springs and chassis are already done for me which makes it nice and simple. I'm going to keep the rear brakes for now as a parking brake (again why not?) and could easily mount a master cylinder on the hitch if I end up needing it braked.

I've skimmed through the ADR's and nothing I'm not doing anything wrong, under 750kg it doesn't need to get inspected by Vicroads but does need to be registered.

[malbolgia]

WOAH!
As I was scrolling down, I was thinking... "He's done it. He's fkn done it!! Finally someone has turned a Cressy into a ute!!"
Then I saw you'd cut it in half. But I still had faith. It wasn't until I read "should be a pretty epic trailer", that my head dropped in momentary disappointment.
Hang on. Best skid tyre trailer ever for a Cressida-Head.
Or in your case mate, parts hauler.
I love this. A lot. Killer work. \m/

[andrew_mx83]

Yeah the trailer is just an interim solution as currently i have no time/money to do a ute properly, being self employed means i get neither of those!

Did mock up a ute a while back though, will get there one day
http://www.toymods.org.au/forums/sho...esside+utility

[Aus_James]

That's awesome, Andrew! Very cool mate!

[andrew_mx83]

Thanks james.

Bit more progress today, A frame is pre-built, i have to do some work tomorrow but i will try and glue it to the bodywork if i get a chance.

[TheStitt]

way to much time on your hands

looks awesome....

[wagonist]

Now if you can slice down through the rear lights in line with the boot line to make a flip down tailgate, that would make it really awesome.
And a dummy up for a proper ute tailgate for later ;-)

And I'm guessing if you did a ute, the fuel tank would end up in the rear footwells?

[Supra967]

surely it needs a built in 7M gen set?

[andrew_mx83]

Unfortunately with the roof and parcel tray gone the back panel is giving the body a lot of its strength. Its just not option to cut it and have it drop down, especially in the case of a ute rather than just a trailer. It will just have to end up as a fixed tailgate ute.

The ute would end up on gas of course, probably with a donut tank under the boot floor as ive done before.

No 7m genset, this one has a suspect cracked piston anyway.... which i found out the hard way, after doing *this* in the middle of bumfuck on the way home.


7m ftw. Fired it up after rosdside HG change to find so much blowby it was pouring smoke out the distributor. Yes, the distributor. It got fairly hot before it died...


Maybe now it makes sense why i wanted to take to this one with a big grinder lol

[andrew_mx83]

Anyway, some progress. I got the drawbar fairly much done yesterday but ran out of argon for the glue gun right after 1 spent an hour setting up to weld the A section on. Will get some more gas tomorrow and finish welding on the weekend.

Fingers crossed the join to the body is strong enough.
I know i know my welding is shit, dont judge me! Thats why all the parts i make are billet!

[sc400]

those welds look better that mine and i'm stuck using a shity stick welder

[Supra967]

Mate that frame don't look too strong?

[MattC]

Unfortunately with the roof and parcel tray gone the back panel is giving the body a lot of its strength. Its just not option to cut it and have it drop down

You could always make up a flat section that sits on top, add some hinges and gas struts to lift it and some tie-down points and then you can carry big stuff up top and little odds and ends in the bottom, bit like this:

[BEVANI]

^^ i like the above mentioned with a cover, cut the front of the boot lid and graft it on to a full cover so when people are pulled up behind you it will still look like a cressy !

[andrew_mx83]

What hapened to my last post????

Hardlids arent really my thing, i might get a tonneau made for it though. There has been some debate about keeping the back of the bootlid and im undecided.
Long stuff will sit on the front round tube and back panel, like ladder racks on a ute. Current plan is to flatten out the floor to the boot level, will be more user friendly and i can open the doors to load small stuff under the false floor. This area would also be dry (ish) and lockable which would be nice.




More progress saturday. No more jackstands and she rolls reasonably well considering the uneven ground in my yard. Can tip it back and pull it round by hand by grabbing the drawbar which is nice.





I dont trust the china spec hitch one bit, regardless of its poorly casted in AS number. I think this will get replaced.



Jockey wheel fits inside the A frame which is nice, might help save my nice rear bar. Need to get some proper U bolts for it on monday.