Daihatsu Fourtrak Project - Rust don’t live here anymore

[rickvw72]

Hi all, I’m going to try to keep this updated as a diary of work done on my old Fourtrak. 
I bought this a few years ago but have only recently got going on it properly, with several other projects on the go, times been scarce.

Ill start with the main job, the rear crossmember. When I bought the truck this tube had snapped on the drivers side. This ruptured the brake pipes, and ruined all the already tired suspension bushes.

So, out with the crossmember...

The original is round tube, the new 3mm wall box section, it actually holds the anti tramp bars. 

Yes the Fourtrak has a 5 linked rear suspension, and an LSD. Because race car!

I didn’t take many pics at this time, so I’m trying to improve this and maybe a thread will motivate me to document it. 

 

[rickvw72]

With the crossmember done, it was onto the rear spring mounts.

Passenger side one had repairs, and the drivers side I pretty much had to fabricate.

[rickvw72]

To the front of the spring mount you’ll see a hole, to access the crossmember.

This was next up for repair. Cut out, welded and ground back, then Zinc primed. Inside all the repairs Is some zinc spray too.

About now was when I started to scrape all the barnacles, manure, rust and loose sealer from the underside. As the underside cleaned up, and more and more holes were sorted and primed, progress was being made.

Ill trawl my old pics so you can see what this looked like originally, there was a farmyard worth of shite on this, mud sever inches deep at this point.

Bits removed are this point- rear axle, rear suspension arms and tramp bars, under guards, prop, fuel tank and filler neck Shiz, rear bumpers, literally the worlds most hardcore tow bar, rear bumpers, Entire interior.

Theres a theme developing. If it’s made of metal, it needs welding. 

[spartacus]

Wow, that's in a right state, I'm in for this.

I'm loving the wound up extension lead with probably a welder plugged into it too, just for added danger, as if a rusty Fourtrak isn't 'life on the edge' enough for you!☺

[Supernaut]

Jesus. I remember Fourtraks rusting into oblivion at least 10 years ago round my way. I didn't think any were left!

[rickvw72]

Mines not been tested in a few years, but there’s many still going on farms. 

It’d be interesting to find out for sure, but I think they’d be more survivors on sorn but used off-road or registered limited use, than there is taxed - tested.

Most the farm ones will never see another MoT, this one should though! 
 

[Supernaut]

Oh aye, there are probably plenty still bumbling about on farms, held together by a hope, a prayer, and structural cow shit.

[Agila]

My uncle bought one on a v plate brand new. I hated it, he loved it.

Years later a mate had one and loved it, he said it would pull anything. It literally snapped in half one day though. He sold it for very good money.

Owners absolutely love them.

 

[rickvw72]

The crossmember snapped towing a full 5000 litre fuel bund. I estimate around six tonnes. 
Naturally this was miles from a road, in a field to be precise. A boggy dirty one. 
It’s essentially a 65mph tractor. 

[dollywobbler]

Brilliant! 

Still a surprising number of these being used in Wales. 

[rickvw72]

Okay, so as I’m ahead of progress to where this thread is, I can update further.

Fuel tank - this has weeping seems, and needs a look at. Any shiters experienced with a tank sealer? 
 

The next work done was the rear trailing arms, these had bushes replaced with poly, and the spring seats were repaired, before a coat of rust oleum combi colour. 
 

All the rust was ground away with various wire wheel grinder wheels, and rust converted with Bilt Hamber Hydrate 80. This stuff is immense.

 

[rickvw72]

With the rear chassis welded, and the arms done, the rear axle could go back in to make it roll. 
 

This was fitted but not fully done up. 
The plan is to remove it again to treat the whole underside with an underseal or similar. 
 

Before this there’s other rust to sort, you can see some of the treats in store in the arches from these pics already. 

Close up pics to come, when I can bare to look at them myself! 
 

So, for the first time in a while, the beast was on four wheels, and was movable again.

[rickvw72]

Wanna see what falls out a part worn Fourtrak? 
 

Ive eaten and inhaled this stuff. 
 

 

[Fumbler]

Nice work. Every farm here either has a Fourtrak or a Jimny... or both! They definitely are popular things here.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Looks like some tremendously thorough work underway here,. Good man 72! Keep this up and you will almost certainly earn a seat at the captains table (sorry, I have no idea what that means either)

[rickvw72]

33 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

Looks like some tremendously thorough work underway here,.

Hey, been following your Dodge thread for a while. 
Im glad I’m not the only one who is attracted to refined Diesel engines in a rust resistant vehicle. 

[Tickman]

2 hours ago, rickvw72 said:

Fuel tank - this has weeping seems, and needs a look at. Any shiters experienced with a tank sealer? 

Yep, I used the kit available that cleans, treats and seals the tank.

It was really straightforward and easy enough to do methodically.

Can't remember the name but it will come up in a search. They seem to be aimed at motorbikes more than cars.

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

Great work.

15 years ago in uk i looked at a few, was always an eye opener looking underneath.

I have never driven one but would love to drive and own a good sorted example,  would last longer than me.

Why did all 1980s 4x4 rust for fun.

I ended up with a suzuki sj !

[rickvw72]

So, time to look inside.

Being a Fourtrak, it’s had “a bit” of welding in the past. And a bit of bathroom sealant. 
 
Obviously the multiple layers of steel are roughly welded over the rust. 
 
 

[rickvw72]

So, as I’m a sadist I decided to remove the previous repairs, and look for some sound steel to weld to.

This was a bit like peeling a rusty onion.

Obviously, being a total rust bucket, the job soon escalated a touch.

[wuvvum]

'Kinell.  Good job it's got a separate chassis or it would have folded in half by now...

I've had three Fourtraks, two LWB petrols and a SWB diesel, but they were all Mk1s with beam axles and cart springs.  I did drive a TDS Independent once and was quite impressed.  Haven't seen an MOT'd one for sale for a while though.

[rickvw72]

You can see in the boot, without opening the doors! 

[320touring]

I'm getting flashbacks to my Oxford!

 

Good work!

[Paul-l]

I've used Por15 fuel tank sealer on my land rover petrol tank a good 10 years ago and it's still ok. Who knows if it's is still the same stuff in the tin though..

good work on your fourtrak

[rickvw72]

Cheers for the fuel tank experiences.

Progress is slow this week, as I’ve got two of my fleet mot tested and cleaned up ready for sale.

I also bought another car. Taking me to a nice even ten. Oops. 
 

Turned the beast around though, next jobs are to replace the rear body mount, and rebuild the floor and inner arch. When this is done I reckon I’ll be about a quarter of the way through welding it up! 
 

 

I do love this monstrosity! Maybe too much. It’s rather fucked.

[MJK 24]

Is T reg considered to be a late model?

Separately, were Daihatsu part of Toyota or am I making that up?!

[rickvw72]

47 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

Is T reg considered to be a late model?

Separately, were Daihatsu part of Toyota or am I making that up?!

I think they made them too 2002, which makes mine fairly late.

Im pretty sure Daihatsu is a subsidiary of Toyota, same way as is Lexus.

Ive been told that the Fourtrak chassis is almost a land cruiser 70 or 80. I wonder how similar the mechanicals are, for example the Land Cruiser has a 4.2 straight six, this a 2.8 straight  four.

[rickvw72]

Realistically last update for the year, thought after 5 months it’s time, and threads that go cold with this sort of job often seem like they got abandoned.

Truth being, I work In education, and since last update, work got a bit mental.. 

Back to the Fourtrak. 
 

More and more lumps of metal have come out, sound metal found eventually though. So I thought.

What a turkey. 
 Chopping all this out was great. So great the inner sill couldn’t wait so fell off all by itself. Bugger.

Then a couple of months of work, Covid, catching Covid, work etc got in the way of progress. So a tidy up was in order.

The old crossmember, which has the tramp bars fused to it, was chucked in the back, till more time was available. This was a great idea, as the sharp bit punched its way through the rear body mount, which promptly collapsed.

So by this point I have a car with half the floor out, the sills falling off by themselves, and the body mounts collapsing.. essentially, I think the gearstick was holding the body on.

There always comes a point where a decision has to be made....

 

 

After a short, soft think, clearly I’m gonna weld it up. 
Several smaller jobs are underway at the minute, hoping to get the welder out in the Christmas holidays if I get some free time. 

Will 2021 be the year it rides again?

[TrabbieRonnie]

Great thread, please keep up the good work...!  Quite a few of these on farm patrol duties round these parts, always well loved vehicles.  I've read that the engine is a licence-built version of the Toyota lump that's in my old Hiace... Not quick, but pull your house down if you wanted!  

Great to see this level of welding/fabrication, 99.678/10... would read again!

[LoftyvRS]

I had an R plate one a few years back, 2.8 TDX 7 seater, was a lovely dependable thing, not fast but solid and charming. It had been touched with a sparkly stick on the sills both sides at some point but was really tidy. Did two years worth of green laning in it and then sold it on. Miss it nowadays as it was cheap fun.