Flatbed Ute Build - 02 AC

It's finally time to convert my truck to a flatbed. Here we go!

2002 AC 4x4
312,XXX miles













The ol girl has taken me a lot of places and seen some real shit. Time for an upgrade

 

Prelude:
I am a longtime lurker who has been quietly modifying my Tundra and building my fabrication skills as a hands-on mechanical engineer. I recently helped convert a friend's 3rd Gen Tacoma into a fully welded aluminum flatbed, based on the classic ute. The design used aluminum Unistrut channel as attachment rails in the decking and on the tray perimeter. This tray will be the basis of my design, with some major changes.

 

312k? Just getting broken in!

 

Now it's my turn! For this one, we are going to use T-slot extrusions (Misumi) combined with welded steel brackets in order to maximize strength and simplify the fabrication.




The basic frame parts have been ordered, and now we wait!




The concept is to make it as easy to assemble and modify as possible. I use my truck for many different types of activities in any given year, so having the ability to modify the tray to suit my changing needs is crucial.

 

Looking good! Did you break an axle shaft or???

 

It's a long and sad story, but the abridged version is this:

My rear diff started grinding during a road trip, but it was the middle of the night in rural Nevada on a holiday weekend, so I kept going. I listened to it eat itself for the next couple hours, hoping to just make it there so I could tow it to a shop on my way back out. It then started really sounding bad, so I pulled the rear driveshaft and went in 4x4, hoping to put less stress on the busted rear diff. The noises subsided and I made it within 3 miles of the destination when suddenly the rear dropped and I skidded to a stop. To my disbelief, a flaming (!) wheel assembly rolled past me and into the ditch on the side of the road. The whole wheel & axle shaft assembly had worked its way out of the axle housing and the burning gear oil caught fire. Luckily I was able to put out the fire, but overall it was quite a low point as a truck owner.

The story continues from here with another 1.5 years of issues related to that night, but I will save that for a different thread

 

I can relate... to the wheel passing by glad you survived to tell the tale.

 

Ok now I'm invested. Make your thread, I'll pop the popcorn!

 

The waterjet bracket parts came in, and now I'm welding up the corner brackets and frame mounts. Went with 3/16" steel on these.

 

Where are you having your parts cut?

 

I am getting them cut at a local (Los Angeles, CA) waterjet vendor: http://www.charismadesign.com/

 

Lots of work has gone down since the last post!

First thing was pulling the bed off, took about 10 minutes with one person and a harbor freight gantry crane. Could easily be done with 3 friends instead of the gantry.

 

Set the height using my state-of-the-art bed height calculator.







Tray height and rake was set using the front and rear mounts, the center mounts got added later.

 

Framed out the rest of the platform and slapped on lights/plate to get legal.




The tray with its first load! lol

 

Then the decking boards were installed. Went with TimberTech/Azek PVC boards since they don't absorb moisture, stay cooler to the touch, and are light weight compared to other options. Timbertech has a 50/year warranty on this material so should last, and boards can easily be replaced if damaged.

 

Next, the rack started to come together using extrusions and a mix of custom brackets and off-shelf Tslot parts. This design made it super easy for me to frame out a rack however I wanted. My idea was to have an open bed on the passenger side and full-length box on the driver side, with a rack to mount skis/bikes/whatever above the long box





Tray with its second load

 

Now time for doors! I first made some cheapo doors using 1/2" recycled HDPE and a flat extrusion piece on the outside for more rigidity. Easily attached with hardware store strap hinges. The driver side is open here since I was waiting for a big 6' RC industries box to arrive.

 

Added some steel tubing on the sides to be used as steps and to hold the mudflaps. Bent the tubes with the Affordable Bender, highly recommend that product for simple tube bending. https://www.affordablebender.com/

 

Moving more small toys

 

These decking boards….. how thick are they, and how big can you get them in?
I’m trying to skin/deck a utility/camping trailer, and looking for options.

 

Then the box came! This thing is sturdy 1/8" aluminum, 18"x18"x72" with nice hardware and powdercoat finish. Highly recommend RC Industries for boxes

 

they're 1" nominal (I think they came in at 7/8" thick), and I bought them in 20' lengths. Here's the website link: https://www.timbertech.com/products/decking-overview/pvc/

Lots of color options, most lumber yards can order whatever you want

 

More photos of some light-duty usage

 

Then back to building! First I sized up a headboard frame to match the body lines and cab height

 

I decided to replace the doors, starting with the rear. I got an original Toyota truck tailgate from rock auto and replaced the rear door with it, perfect fit! I made simple latch catches and the OEM latch so it would open with the center handle.

 

I added a couple pelican cases underneath to hold recovery gear, tie downs, and first aid. Easily strapped underneath with E-track mounts bolted to the T-slot channels

 

For fun I pulled off the rack/box and put on a friend's camper to check fit and mounting points. Took less than 10 minutes to pull the rack and box off.

Also, it was this day that I realized my driver side leaf spring was flat, hence why I'm riding the bump-stop here. Went with some Deaver springs to replace

 

Next, I replaced the side door and rear panel with some 3/16" aluminum sheet and extrusions made to hold panels from Misumi. . This door is super rigid and able to support the full weight of 2 people sitting. I also moved this week, and the tray made that really easy.

 

Took a break from my slow build to make one for a friend with a 3rd gen taco. Made more brackets and this build was assembled all in 1 day. He is running a mid-travel setup with 14" rear shocks, and we were able to mount the top shock support to the tray. Build came out real nice looking



This build had some sheet metal doors and had a local vendor bend/powdercoat. I definitely like the sheet metal doors for aesthetics and weight savings. But because I'm pretty prone to destroying things and want to be able to modify as I go, I think I'll stick to the panel door I made, at least for now.

Also built a simple rear bumper using an off-shelf bumper tube as a base: 44" Universal Weld-On Hitch Center Section, 2" Receiver (No Side Plates)

 

Then I tore my ACL skiing, had surgery, and took a break from building. Also I had to spend more time at my day job in order to not get fired.