Story by Chris Overacker - Edited by Mark J. Smith, JeepTruck.com
Join us now as we presentPart 3of this multi-part series of articles in which Chris
Overacker owner of CODE 4x4 Inc. describes how he built this awesome truck.
I have a buddy who
owns a body and paint
shop here in Rifle CO,
and he specializes in
custom work, building
hot rods and doesn’t
mind doing jobs in
phases. So, I took him
every part that was going
to get re-used, to sand
blast, and put into
epoxy-primer.
Be sure to join us forPart 4 of Chris Overacker's Pre-Runner build!
I started with building a
roll bar in the bed. My
goal was to have it
functional, and become a
mounting point for the
shocks upper bolt. This
required it be very strong,
and the bed had to be
bolted solidly to the frame
of the truck.
I utilized poly-bushings so the roll bar could be removed, and give it the vintage
appearance used back in the 1980’s.
I flat-towed the rolling chassis to his shop and the frame came back bare-white steel. While he
had the cab, he also repaired the rusted corners and floors, and epoxy-primed every square
inch inside, under-cab and exterior.
Here is the upper shock mounts, and a view of the underside of the bed,
showing the way it bolts to the frame (bed is up-side-down, getting undercoat
and paint).