’94 Toyota Truck Flatbed Build: Now, This is How It’s Done!
Faced with production cost challenges for a custom flatbed, one YotaTech forum member grabbed a welding mask and headed to the nearest workshop.
Over here at YotaTech, whenever we come across a great forum find, we, of course, like to them. And fortunately, there are a lot of forums and a lot of threads in them, so we get to spend a lot of time discovering some great mods, builds and other amazing projects completed or currently being done by YotaTech forum members. We have seen some things in the YotaTech forums that are so unique and inspiring that we’re proud that these exclusive original posts are featured right here. Plus, we enjoy reading them and giving props to those projects as often as we can.
And when it comes to super-cool inspiring projects, we found a thread started in 2009 with a build story that is timeless and stands at the top of our list as being one of our favorite recent finds in the forums. This project revolves around a 1994 Toyota Xtra Cab truck that has a pretty badass backstory. And the end result of a custom flatbed with utility box is rather spectacular. It simply looks killer and as practical and rugged as the awesome truck it’s attached to. This was a passion project that resulted in a work of art.
The “Toyospearo’s Flatbed Build…” thread was started by forum member “toyospearo,” who had a very cool build idea and then went about researching how to make it idea happen: to create a custom flatbed for his ’94 Toyota truck that would meld seamlessly and aesthetically with the original design of his white Nineties-era truck. When he concluded that the cost of labor may be out of his range, this forum member did something really inspiring. Rather than let cost or any other obstacle deter his creative custom bedliner mod for his truck, he signed up for a local welding class so he could create and install the mod himself.
‘I had two conclusions: one, I couldn’t afford the labor, and two: I couldn’t seem to settle on a production flatbed. My only alternative was to take a welding class and learn how to do it myself.’
And as fate would have it, he soon stumbled upon his very own Mr. Miyagi in the guise of a welding instructor who helped him shape and re-shape his creative concept until it worked and was within the practical means of his early training in welding.
“A GREAT deal of the fabrication design John [Robertson] came up with,” writes “toyospearo.” “Every aspect of this flatbed build, John was right there making sure things were coming together correctly.”
So, here was a guy wanting a cool bedliner for his truck, and all he had to work with in the beginning was an idea. In the end, he accomplished his original goal very successfully while also gaining an education in proper welding, which, of course, is a practical and very useful skill, especially for any auto enthusiast who respects their truck as much as “toyospearo” does his 1994 Toyota truck.
“It is EASILY the MOST AMAZINGLY built flatbed EVER!!!!!” says one fellow forum member, “camo31_10.50,” in the thread, and we totally agree with him.
“My original idea was to have a shop build a flatbed that I designed,” he says in the thread, which features many great photos that accompany the step-by-step process that details the build from ideation to its beautifully mastered execution that resulted in one awesome and unique flatbed.
‘It is EASILY the MOST AMAZINGLY built flatbed EVER!!!!!’
“I had a rough idea of what I was after. I wanted the flatbed to accentuate the look of the ’94 ext. cab body. Rather than the bed just sitting there like a flatbed, I wanted it to look as if it were designed with the aesthetics in mind. In other words, I wanted the flatbed to compliment the ’94 body curve to curve.
“After pouring over the internet for ideas, beating the brush for shadetree fabricators, and scouting around fabrication shops, I had two conclusions: one, I couldn’t afford the labor, and two: I couldn’t seem to settle on a production/custom flatbed,” he continues. “My only alternative was to take a welding class/workshop and learn how to do it myself. Luckily, I found a great workshop locally with a brilliant instructor.”
The flatbed build looks fantastic in our forums, and if this is the start of his welding projects we assume that even more great projects are yet to come. Check out the full “Toyospearo’s Flatbed Build… thread and see how an awesome idea came to life from a simple sketch on a piece of paper.
Photos: YotaTech forums/toyospearo
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