[MandMAutomotive]

Well I have been here for two days and have come up with a plan B
This is for a 1961 FJ25. Original drive train is gone so time to upgrade.
These parts I have:
1994 TBI Chevy 350
TH700 trans
1977 front diff
Saginaw PS box

These part I have found a donor
Toyota T-case, probably a 4 speed
1969 rear diff

These parts I need, but plan on using
SOA kit
SR kit
Hy-steer kit
traction bar in rear
35 inch tires
Power brakes
Painless wiring
ididit steering column

The big unknow is what springs to use. Not much info on FJ25
Basically just need a spring to make it level and fit the 35s
This will be a daily driver, not a rock crawler, but needs to handle well on and off road. Does not need to be over kill on strength or gears.

Any other ideas pros or cons??

John

[65swb45]

As far as the suspension, nothing is gonna bolt into the stock 25 spring hangers unless you spend the $$ on a set of custom springs. Since you're going SOA anyways, do some searches on what other springs people have used [fj55,fj60, wagoneer etc ]and just plan on building your own hangers to fit them.

[Mace]

Why not just use the 25 springs


also, get a ez wiring harness instead of the painless.. MUCH cheaper and just as good quality wise..

[MandMAutomotive]

60 views and only two replies. I will take that as a good approval rating! There are some good spring shops here in Phoenix. If we only need to do front or rear maybe we will have them build a set.
Thanks for the replies, I'll check out EZ
John

[bustanutley]

i agree with mace, use the springs that came on the truck, they have already been figured out by toyota

[missipboy]

yeah, i thought that stock springs on top was the ultimate setup for 35's. good ride and good flex. don't know from experience, though. (yet)

[Mace]

FJ25 rear springs are SUPER long from what I remember. they shoudl give you lots of flex in the rear

[Cruiser_Nerd]

John, these guys are right, if you're going SOA may as well keep the stock springs. From your pictures they had a pretty good arch, which is not typical of 25 springs which are usually pretty flat. Mock it up and see what it looks like. You may even want to pull a leaf from the bottom of the pack.

[Texican]

you are gonna need to move the axle back to fit that drivetrain in, either move the hangars back or flip the springs....FJ55 sprgs etc.

[MandMAutomotive]

OK, we will try a SOA kit with SR and Hy Steer. Hopefully we will be able to keep the springs. Will send photos in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the replies, Keep them coming.
John

[MandMAutomotive]

Well its been three weeks. Body is off and the frame has been sandblasted. Waiting for the Saginaw plates to arrive to start welding. We got a rock equipment high steer kit and are doing the SOA. FJ40 front diff with discs and MC calipers in the rear. Been reading posts about wheel backspacing and do not know what to do. Thinking of going 16 inch wheels to eliminate any problems and 35 inch tires. Also thinking about sticking with 3.5 backspacing??? Any help?

TIA
John

[Mace]

Originally Posted by MandMAutomotive

Well its been three weeks. Body is off and the frame has been sandblasted. Waiting for the Saginaw plates to arrive to start welding. We got a rock equipment high steer kit and are doing the SOA. FJ40 front diff with discs and MC calipers in the rear. Been reading posts about wheel backspacing and do not know what to do. Thinking of going 16 inch wheels to eliminate any problems and 35 inch tires. Also thinking about sticking with 3.5 backspacing??? Any help?

TIA
John

Good plan..

[MandMAutomotive]

Well here is a photo of some progress. Pretty High!
Will post more soon
John

[MandMAutomotive]

Another

[bandy rooster]

what kind of gas tank is that? why are you using castor shims in the rear? if you can get your shackle angle near 45' you'll have a much better ride.

everything looks clean i like it.


looks good your gonna need bigger meats..

[MandMAutomotive]

Downey fuel cell
Spring perches are not painted, no shims. Waiting to weld them after all the "weight" is added.
Original plan was 35" tires, may need to go bigger!
Thanks,
John

PS

Body is off again. Motor and tranny are in. Will send more photos after the
T-case is on.

[cabron]

That's going to be quite the lift when it's back on the road. Looks good...

[LandCruiserSteve]

Originally Posted by bandy rooster

looks good your gonna need bigger meats..

I never thought I'd hear myself agreeing with this for a fellow FJ25'er, but yep . . . you're now gonna have to fill all that space with some tall rubber.

Let's see what the front looks like.

[LT]

Give it a good couple outtings out on the trail and those springs should settle some.

[MandMAutomotive]

Front

[bandy rooster]

thats a nice build... Get some better pics so we actually know how clean your work is...


Good luck to your sweet rig!

[camcruiser13]

get some pics of your motor mounts for me, looking pretty good. go with some 37 and itll look good. as far as backspacing i run 2.5 on 15x8 rims i like the added width and they look better.

[89s rule]

Wow, someone isnt scared are they?? Looks good, and quit eunique, wow a 25 wow!

[1973Guppie]

just a comment, I have the same tank, you may want to paint it silver. It sounds crazy but it makes a HUGE differene in keeping your fuel cool. On a hot highway that tank will soak up heat from the road. I am in SO CA though where it can get pretty hot in the summer. Also, I painted mine black, so red may not be an issue, I got vapor lock though.

Noah

[MandMAutomotive]

Originally Posted by 1973Guppie

just a comment, I have the same tank, you may want to paint it silver. It sounds crazy but it makes a HUGE differene in keeping your fuel cool. On a hot highway that tank will soak up heat from the road. I am in SO CA though where it can get pretty hot in the summer. Also, I painted mine black, so red may not be an issue, I got vapor lock though.

Noah

Rick does not like the red, so it probably will get painted. We are running a TBI,
so I hope we do not need to worry about vapor lock. I am pretty sure we have all gas tank issues cut off at the pass. Rick found a fill neck out of a 75 E250 that is going to be sweet. Adding a vented cap and a frame mounted Airtex pump made for the 350TBIs.
More to come.
John

[MandMAutomotive]

PS, Trans case and motor mounts









Hopefully we can get the fuel and brake lines done today. Body is out getting blasted.

JP

[esh]

Food for thought, or something to watch out for.. A lot of the PS mounts are done with 2 scab plates on either side of the frame. Take a look at this for an example.

http://www.root45.com/PowerSteering/

I have a really nice one that Butch Lewis did, but have no good pics of it. This becomes more critical as tire size goes up.

[Cruiser_Nerd]

Spy pics of M&M's project from Living in the Past:

[tucker74]

Wow - that's going to be one big 25! Tub is looking good -



Tucker

[yzftaco]

Is it just me or does the cut-out for the steering box in the crossmember look scary.....

Originally Posted by MandMAutomotive

PS, Trans case and motor mounts








JP