'77 FJ40 buildup in Charlotte (finally) - Page 3

voyager:01 · 05-06-08, 05:21 PM

THIS TRUCK IS LOOKING SSSICK! the black bezel doesn't look half bad on this color rig.. but i will always vote white.. when i first started noticing cruisers the white bezel was the first thing that really stood out to me.. it's a true 40 signature IMO.

AKcruiserfreak · 05-06-08, 06:39 PM

Wow! What a great build. I woulld go with white on a dark-colored rig like yours. I went with black on my yellow 71, but will probably go with a chrome bezel in the near-future just to be different. You do some great work.

TK

highlandcruzer · 05-06-08, 07:57 PM

Man, that 40 is a thing of beauty! Nice work!

The black bezel does looks sharp,.... but I think I'd also have to vote for white. [either way will look good

]

MTPCRUISER · 05-06-08, 08:46 PM

White - The black just disappears into the green.

motomonkey · 05-06-08, 11:00 PM

White will really make it pop.

Cirbo · 05-07-08, 04:54 PM

Ok... when the cage gets powder coated, the bezel will get white too.

Nobody jumped on the old cage design, so I cut the front off, re-used the "B" and "C" components, and rebuilt the "A" section. I didn't like the first design because when you tilted the windshield down, the "A" bars appeared to be completely vertical. Last week's ROTW gave me the ide to rake the "A" bars back, but not as canted as the windshield. When done at 15 degrees, it put the "A" components too far away from the actual windshield.

Remember, I wanted complete protection for front seat occupants, the ability to fold back the soft top hoops without removial, and a good platform for a bikini that would still run water off. Oh, and it needed to fit with the full doors, padded dash, and still need access to the knobs to drop the windshield. Oh, and it needed to look "different" too.

Cirbo · 05-07-08, 04:58 PM

The one thing that cannot be seen from the diagrams or shot is a stringer below the belt line that goes from the "B" hoop to the rear mounting points. "A" and "B" floor mounts will be frame attachments, but not "C".

Edit: fixed the diagram above to indicate additional stringers. (pictured in blue... purple.... not sure what that color is)

Cirbo · 05-14-08, 03:45 PM

Well, I was out of picture room, so I sold something on ebay to make the necessary money to buy a membership......

Sure am gonna miss Mom.

Cirbo · 05-14-08, 03:49 PM

Took a break to build a set of bolt-on sliders for Yoshi. My guess is that he'll be sporting them at GSMTR, if he gets them painted and installed in time.

Mocked them up on the project truck.

Cirbo · 05-14-08, 03:56 PM

Installed the Flaming River tilt column and steering parts today. It's tough to see, but I chopped the left AA motor mount for clearance. The column clears it, and the frame, by about a half inch each.

Whew.....

Cirbo · 05-14-08, 04:34 PM

The other thing that I finally got sorted out was the driveshaft issues.

Rear - 18 inch CV shaft.

I had flipped the rear leafsprings to give us three additional inches for the rear shaft. We also cut the spring perches off and rewelded them to (hopefully) correct any driveline vibrations. It's interesting that we got so close, as we preloaded the springs with ratchet straps without a body installed (or any clue of it's final resting height).

Front shaft - 36.5 inches with the AA transfer case yoke to clear the 700-R4 pan.

lvcruiser · 05-14-08, 04:44 PM

Which Flaming river column did you get. Do you have the part number? I was planning on getting one for mine too. Were the mounts part of a kit that came with it or did you get those seperately?

Cirbo · 05-14-08, 05:31 PM

The column was a p/n FR20006, 32 inch tilt column that has a 2 inch diameter. I also ordered a mount (FR20114) for the dashboard location. The firewall mount came from BTB. (I think AA also sells them)

LakeNorman_FJ40 · 05-16-08, 03:13 PM

For the bezel, go Cygnus White in my opinion. But with all of the chrome and billet on this truck, I'd consider either a ceramic coat silver or a chrome bezel scuffed with a scotch brite to make it look billet.

Cirbo · 05-16-08, 03:46 PM

Excellent thought Drew. I'll be sure to check color chips when I take the cage to be powder coated. They did a great silver flake with clear coat powder topping for the wheels on my parts chaser.

UNCFj40 · 05-16-08, 04:36 PM

very nice 77. when im back in charlotte we should get together.

Cirbo · 05-16-08, 04:39 PM

Always happy to talk Cruisers. Ping me when you do.

jC

BZEP · 05-17-08, 08:44 AM

Unbelievable looking cruiser. Is this thing staying in the Charlotte area when its all finished? Do you have your next rebuild lined up

. I personally like white bezel's but I think the brushed look would work on this particular cruiser as well. Been following your build up for a while. Congrats on a great looking cruiser.

MD11Fr8Dog · 05-17-08, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirbo

The other thing that I finally got sorted out was the driveshaft issues.

Rear - 18 inch CV shaft.

I had flipped the rear leafsprings to give us three additional inches for the rear shaft. We also cut the spring perches off and rewelded them to (hopefully) correct any driveline vibrations. It's interesting that we got so close, as we preloaded the springs with ratchet straps without a body installed (or any clue of it's final resting height).

Front shaft - 36.5 inches with the AA transfer case yoke to clear the 700-R4 pan.

Who did the driveshafts??

Cirbo · 05-18-08, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BZEP

Unbelievable looking cruiser. Is this thing staying in the Charlotte area when its all finished? Do you have your next rebuild lined up

. I personally like white bezel's but I think the brushed look would work on this particular cruiser as well. Been following your build up for a while. Congrats on a great looking cruiser.

Thanks for the kind words. The truck will end up in Cleveland after it's shake-down runs down here. I'll let Greg make the final call on the bezel. Drew had a good point about the brushed silver. I have a '57 Land Rover 107 that is next in line, but I'll be looking for a new victim in the coming months.

Cirbo · 05-18-08, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD11Fr8Dog

Who did the driveshafts??

I had big struggles with the driveshaft shop that I used. We'd talk on the phone, exchange emails, and what would arrive was something completely different. I can't count the number of times I went out there, crawled under the truck, took digital pictures, made measurements, etc. I ended up having to send both shafts back at least once.

DomSmith · 05-19-08, 09:49 PM

Jim-

Just found your thread. Very nice.

MD11Fr8Dog · 05-25-08, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cirbo

I had big struggles with the driveshaft shop that I used. We'd talk on the phone, exchange emails, and what would arrive was something completely different. I can't count the number of times I went out there, crawled under the truck, took digital pictures, made measurements, etc. I ended up having to send both shafts back at least once.

In other words, not recommending them?

Cirbo · 05-26-08, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD11Fr8Dog

In other words, not recommending them?

Exactly.

89s rule · 05-26-08, 07:58 AM

nice build. You can put Fort Mill as your location, people know where that is.

Keep up the good work, looks like we might have another potential club member!

kerry · 05-26-08, 06:48 PM

looking great!
Keep the pics coming, it gives us energy!

K

Cirbo · 05-26-08, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 89s rule

nice build. You can put Fort Mill as your location, people know where that is.

Keep up the good work, looks like we might have another potential club member!

Unfortunately, I don't own a cruiser yet. I'm hoping to change that in the near future, but I'm still driving that other brand.

GreenBomber · 05-30-08, 10:37 AM

Wow!! What an amazing piece of work!

I love the color. Is there any way to match that green color? That is the green I am looking to repaint mine.

Cirbo · 05-30-08, 03:23 PM

The color was PPG BRG (British Racing Green). There were actually two colors by that name, so we chose the one that corresponded to the older model years.

The cage and front bezel are at the powder coaters as we speak. Both are getting done in a silver color, as Drew suggested. Pictures to follow in the coming days.

Thanks for the vote of confidence too!

05-06-08, 06:39 PM	#62
AKcruiserfreak IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: North Pole, Ak Posts: 649	Wow! What a great build. I woulld go with white on a dark-colored rig like yours. I went with black on my yellow 71, but will probably go with a chrome bezel in the near-future just to be different. You do some great work. TK __________________ 1971 FJ-40 2" shackle lift, 33" BFG,PTO winch, lots o' miles, con fer roof rack, safety yellow, weber 38dgas, Downey header. 1993 FZJ-80 113k, new ecu, ARB/Warn12k, Wild Country TXR 285's,Astrostart autostart, OME850J+1" Slee spacers,OME863 rear, Blue hub, 67" sliders.

05-06-08, 08:46 PM	#64
MTPCRUISER IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mt Pleasant, SC TLCA# 16856 Posts: 173	White - The black just disappears into the green. __________________ "To enjoy life to the fullest, take big bites. Moderation is for monks." (RAH) '77 FJ40 '05 Volvo S60R

05-07-08, 04:54 PM	#66
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Ok... when the cage gets powder coated, the bezel will get white too. Nobody jumped on the old cage design, so I cut the front off, re-used the "B" and "C" components, and rebuilt the "A" section. I didn't like the first design because when you tilted the windshield down, the "A" bars appeared to be completely vertical. Last week's ROTW gave me the ide to rake the "A" bars back, but not as canted as the windshield. When done at 15 degrees, it put the "A" components too far away from the actual windshield. Remember, I wanted complete protection for front seat occupants, the ability to fold back the soft top hoops without removial, and a good platform for a bikini that would still run water off. Oh, and it needed to fit with the full doors, padded dash, and still need access to the knobs to drop the windshield. Oh, and it needed to look "different" too. Attached Images Last edited by Cirbo; 05-07-08 at 05:43 PM.

05-07-08, 04:58 PM	#67
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	The one thing that cannot be seen from the diagrams or shot is a stringer below the belt line that goes from the "B" hoop to the rear mounting points. "A" and "B" floor mounts will be frame attachments, but not "C". Edit: fixed the diagram above to indicate additional stringers. (pictured in blue... purple.... not sure what that color is) Last edited by Cirbo; 05-07-08 at 05:44 PM.

05-14-08, 03:49 PM	#69
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Took a break to build a set of bolt-on sliders for Yoshi. My guess is that he'll be sporting them at GSMTR, if he gets them painted and installed in time. Mocked them up on the project truck. Attached Images

05-06-08, 05:21 PM	#61
voyager:01 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Roslindale, MA Posts: 131	THIS TRUCK IS LOOKING SSSICK! the black bezel doesn't look half bad on this color rig.. but i will always vote white.. when i first started noticing cruisers the white bezel was the first thing that really stood out to me.. it's a true 40 signature IMO.

05-06-08, 11:00 PM	#65
motomonkey IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Stones throw from Magic Mountain Posts: 3	White will really make it pop.

05-14-08, 03:45 PM	#68
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Well, I was out of picture room, so I sold something on ebay to make the necessary money to buy a membership...... Sure am gonna miss Mom.

05-14-08, 03:56 PM	#70
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Installed the Flaming River tilt column and steering parts today. It's tough to see, but I chopped the left AA motor mount for clearance. The column clears it, and the frame, by about a half inch each. Whew..... Attached Images

05-14-08, 04:34 PM	#71
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	The other thing that I finally got sorted out was the driveshaft issues. Rear - 18 inch CV shaft. I had flipped the rear leafsprings to give us three additional inches for the rear shaft. We also cut the spring perches off and rewelded them to (hopefully) correct any driveline vibrations. It's interesting that we got so close, as we preloaded the springs with ratchet straps without a body installed (or any clue of it's final resting height). Front shaft - 36.5 inches with the AA transfer case yoke to clear the 700-R4 pan. Attached Images

05-14-08, 04:44 PM	#72
lvcruiser IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 50	Which Flaming river column did you get. Do you have the part number? I was planning on getting one for mine too. Were the mounts part of a kit that came with it or did you get those seperately?

05-14-08, 05:31 PM	#73
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	The column was a p/n FR20006, 32 inch tilt column that has a 2 inch diameter. I also ordered a mount (FR20114) for the dashboard location. The firewall mount came from BTB. (I think AA also sells them)

05-16-08, 03:13 PM	#74
LakeNorman_FJ40 IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte, NC, USA Posts: 243	For the bezel, go Cygnus White in my opinion. But with all of the chrome and billet on this truck, I'd consider either a ceramic coat silver or a chrome bezel scuffed with a scotch brite to make it look billet.

05-16-08, 03:46 PM	#75
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Excellent thought Drew. I'll be sure to check color chips when I take the cage to be powder coated. They did a great silver flake with clear coat powder topping for the wheels on my parts chaser.

05-16-08, 04:36 PM	#76
UNCFj40 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 20	very nice 77. when im back in charlotte we should get together. __________________ UNC 06' UNC Baseball NY Yankees 1977 Fj40

05-19-08, 09:49 PM	#82
DomSmith IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: San Diego, CA TLCA# 2662 Posts: 746	Jim- Just found your thread. Very nice. __________________ Dom '73 FJ40 TLCA #2662 73 FJ40 H55 to SBC Build Thread Ram Jet 350 to H55 install-73 FJ40

05-16-08, 04:39 PM	#77
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	Always happy to talk Cruisers. Ping me when you do. jC

05-17-08, 08:44 AM	#78
BZEP IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 226	Unbelievable looking cruiser. Is this thing staying in the Charlotte area when its all finished? Do you have your next rebuild lined up . I personally like white bezel's but I think the brushed look would work on this particular cruiser as well. Been following your build up for a while. Congrats on a great looking cruiser. __________________ Brian 1980 FJ40, Warn 8274, BFG MT, MAF Bumper, 2003 UZJ100 Stock Upstate Cruisers Olde North State Cruisers

05-26-08, 07:58 AM	#85
89s rule <>< Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Due West, SC TLCA# 14198 Posts: 2,920	nice build. You can put Fort Mill as your location, people know where that is. Keep up the good work, looks like we might have another potential club member! __________________ '93 FZJ 32K miles - 850/863's, 285 MTR's & Lightforce 240's waiting. '89 FJ62 - 4" Alcan, 33" BFG MT's, 4.88's, Lockright (rear), 4runner calipers, & 3' firestick. Cruise in the garage. FOR SALE! '97 4Runner SR5 - 4x4, leather, '06 4runner rims, 265/70/17 Toyo AT, TJM T-15, 3 baby seats. (Wife's DD) '83 FJ60 - DooDoo Brown in and out FOR SALE! '63 Biscayne Wagon - Kandy Green and Tweed. Family Wagon 3rd row in the garage. Erskine College Upstate Cruisers

05-26-08, 06:48 PM	#86
kerry IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 23	looking great! Keep the pics coming, it gives us energy! K

05-30-08, 10:37 AM	#88
GreenBomber IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: SAN DIEGO Posts: 328	Wow!! What an amazing piece of work! I love the color. Is there any way to match that green color? That is the green I am looking to repaint mine. __________________ 1966 GREEN FJ-40 SOA, Stock F Motor. - Runs, stops and leaks. 1996 Toyota 4Runner - 35's, locked, armored 2003 Toyota Tundra - Stock 1996 Toyota Camry - Stock

05-30-08, 03:23 PM	#89
Cirbo IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Charlotte Posts: 294	The color was PPG BRG (British Racing Green). There were actually two colors by that name, so we chose the one that corresponded to the older model years. The cage and front bezel are at the powder coaters as we speak. Both are getting done in a silver color, as Drew suggested. Pictures to follow in the coming days. Thanks for the vote of confidence too!