Mule Expedition Outfitter's project #MuleWagon build has officially started. We started with the world-famous Toyota Land Cruiser 80 series platform, and then we cut the body in half.
We have big plans for this 80 Series build, a build that's not common for the North American market, but fairly popular in Australia. As you may have seen in an earlier blog post, Mule Expedition Outfitters partnered with MITs Alloy out of Australia to import flatbed trays and canopies. And what better way of showing off the MITs product to the North American market than cutting an 80 Series body in half and installing a flatbed tray and canopy, essentially making it an 80 Series pickup.
The night's progress was pretty straightforward. We labeled and disconnected the back half harness. Removed the driveline, exhaust, and fuel tank (didn't need a rapid warm-up from a rogue spark during cutting).
Next was the fun part. Where do we exactly cut? We measured from the front of the rear door and cut about 17.5" back. We had no real guidance, only so that the largest Mule Dog Trakkar had enough room behind the front seats. After a line was scribed, we started cutting a perfectly good Land Cruiser 80 Series body in half.
Once the body was measured and it was determined where to cut, the process was pretty straight forward. We left the rear body mounts on until the back half was ready to be removed. Then it was as simple as removing the body mounts and lifting the back half off using our trusty forklift "Chappie."
Stay tuned for more updates on project Mule Wagon or follow along on our Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channel.
