Beast Restoration: Genesis

In the beginning of 1994, Toyota created the Body and the Chassis, and bolting them together they remained that way until Hellbent Custom and Classic used an Angle Grinder to release them from each others seized and corroded union. And they saw that it was a good thing they had done..

Everything starts somewhere. The moment that the Body was separated from the Chassis [which I imagine came with a soundtrack of creaking, cracking and creasing Rusty Metal] I knew that I was in for the Long Haul. Sure I had prepared myself to be, but there’s nothing like a Wake Up Call than the Wake Up Call itself.

Receiving the Photos from Hellbent realised that Start, and in honesty, I was a little Wide Eyed. The condition of the Chassis was worse than I was expecting, the Years of Corrosion penetrating deep into the Metalwork delaminating and weakening the Structure.

I had stocked up on new Parts from RoughTrax 4X4, Milner, Japanese 4×4 and even Euro Car Parts, but the Chassis was a Beast of its own making. It needed Hours and Hours, Days and Days, possibly Weeks of repair work.

The Body on the other hand, was in better shape than I anticipated..! Surface Rust was of course abound, its ubiquity negating what might otherwise be referred to as Patina. But the man Thor at Hellbent did not seem phased by it, and assured me it could be brought back. The underside of the Body was obviously the worst of it, but nothing blasting, treating, preparing and painting its factory Glacier White couldn’t sort.

The Beating Heart of the Beast, its 3VZE 3.0L V6 looked like a Natural Disaster, with Engine Oil that had leaked from the Rocker Covers [I knew this had been happening] onto the hot Exhaust Manifold [yes, that’s how I knew], and what wasn’t burned off dripped further onto the Block. It was a filthy mess, and a big one at that.

Anything that was directly bolted to the Chassis was Scrap Yard Fodder; Suspension Arms, Steering components, Rubbers, Bushes and Brackets. All shot.

I had prepared well for the most part with new Suspension from Pedders, and new Steering components, Suspension Chassis, complete Front and Rear Brakes Setups all ready to bolt on, but the List was getting a little longer.

Trigger’s Broom Syndrome

The decision to replace the Chassis was made where all good decisions are made – in the Pub. Moreover, in my Local Pub on a Sunday Evening, and suggested by my enduring Wife, Hollie.

I had searched for one before, but had come up against like for like condition and an unwillingness to budge on Price. But on that evening in the Pub, a Search yielded a Chassis in apparently great condition for half the going rate. Haggling knocked a further £100 off the Asking, making the purchase the wisest of decisions.

Once transported to Hellbent, the Work on cleaning, preparing [Red Oxide] and painting [Satin Black 2K] the replacement Chassis took shape, and before I had a chance to fully take it the detour that the decision had presented, New and Refurbished Parts were already being bolted in place.

What was possibly Weeks of Work on the old Chassis, had turned into a couple of Days’ Work on the replacement Chassis, and even with its purchase and its transportation, I was up.

Work continued at a pace, with Photos received almost hourly during the first week and each batch showing remarkable progress; Hellbent were not mucking around. This Beast of a Project was clawing its way through the New Parts on the Bench.