Im going on long service leave in a week and during that time I hope to undertake a rear quarter panel chop on my hilux (all going well and I actually find time after the birth of my 3rd
).So I thought I'd start a thread of what I plan to do and along the way record the project for other who may be interested in doing the same or similar modification.
First of all the rear quarter chop for those that dont know is when you cut the lower protion of your rear quarter panel behind the rear wheel and the bit of meat under the tail gate to gain more departure angle.
The first thing that will need to be done is to mask up with tape the tub area that will be cut with painters tape or similar. Measuring 3 times and cutting once hey
The tail lights will need to be removed and all towbar associated wiring so everything is out of the way for when you start cutting.
Here is a pic of a tacoma that has had this mod done -
After the cut, you should mask the area thats been cut, and paint a little bit of rust proof paint on it and then cover it with some "pinchweld rubber" you can get from Clarke Rubber or auto stores.....
I wont be making my own rear bar straight away as I wont have time, but will in the future, so in the meantime I plan to raise my factory towbar upto to just underneath the tailgate (and get a goose neck towbar tongue to suit) and will have to fabricate some mudflaps and brackets to use in the meantime to keep the law off my tail.
The following tacoma is my inspriation....
He has a removable mudflap that he take off for offroading.....I plan to do the same thing.
Below is a diagram of what he did....basically its two tube steel pieces, he used circle tube, Ill try and use square tube, but one slide inside the other. The shorter "inner" tube gets welded into place off the side of the chassis rail, the longer tube that has the rubber mudflap tech screwed into it slides over the smaller one and is held on with a bolt going through both. Simple. Then get some chain to hold the mudflap back abit off the tyre.
In the pic below you can see the mudflap bracket stub sticking out of the side of the chassis rail -
Here is a "Paint" photo edit of what the back end of the hilux I hope to look like?
The new lowest point of the tub will be much higher than the rock sliders, so realistically almost everything the rock sliders get over I shouldnt hit the tub.....in most cases
Here is some close ups of what I plan to do....Im going to try and follow the "lines" of the hilux's tub, that is the shape of the moulds in the panel work so it wont be exactly a horizontal cut, but angle slightly towards the front -
Like I said, later on Ill make a rear bar for it, but in the meantime Ill have the clearance Im wanting/looking for and with the mudflaps fitted it'll still be legal and not attract too much attention....I hope
Its not for everyone I know but its what I want to do to achieve a departure angle with my current ride height to match the increase approach angle I now have with the front Xrox bar.....then along with the improved ramp over angle I will achieve by "clocking the crawler box" that Ill be installing I should have the clearance that a much higher hilux has without the mods.
Appendices
Here's a couple pics of Tacoma's that have had the rear quarter chop done fitted with custom bars. Not sure which way Im going to go yet...have time for that.
Plate Type Rear Bar
Tube Type rear Bar
i couldent even bring myself to put a hole saw through the front quarter for the snorkle lol 
