Feb ROTM

Jeromy · 01-29-09, 09:52 PM

Guess you guys want the whole story.

About 4 years ago I bought a motorcycle from a guy for $1200. I rode the bike for a couple years and it needed about $1000 in repairs to make it run right. Out of the blue the previous owner emailed me and wanted to buy the bike back. After a few discussions I traded the bike back to him for a 82 SWB. After a little paint and $100 worth of 35s it was ready to be beat on.

my goal for this truck was to do things I have never seen done before. After about a month I got a 120 welder and the first project was the bed. I have seen them bobbed 12 inches, narrowed and just plain removed.....so I had to bob mine 36 inches.

The truck did pretty good, but the tires hit the springs and it had no power steering..which sucks with welded diffs and 35s. Well the 3rd time I took the truck wheeling it happened.

With a big get to gather in 6 weeks I broke down and took a loan to get a Hobart 187 220V welded and start caging it. I know a day to late.... Well I knew I wanted a solid base to build the cage from and I had never seen anyone boatside a toyota. So I started cutting.

After I had a solid base I started bending Pipe...Errr tube...ok the two bars next to the passenger .120 wall 1.75 DOM that I had a buddy bend to get the 105 degrees i needed. But the rest of the cage is 1.25 schedule 40....the good stuff thou all bent with my HF kinker. Did I say this was a budget build?

Jeromy · 01-29-09, 10:30 PM

Well I needed a 2nd t-case tp put my doubler in so I went and bought a slightly rolled 86 4runner for for $500. I swapped in the 22re/ w56 and t-case along with my old one. Sold my old motor, tranny, and other parts off the 4runner to make a pretty good profit. The took it out a few more times before the big transformation.

motor

flat belly with doubler

I sold a set of 1 ton axles to purchase a 92 FJ80 off the board, the traded a set of 44s for a set of 39s. Now we get to the meat and potatoes of the build....the suspension and axle swap.

My goal was cheap. I used every part off the FJ80 that I thought I could possible use and parted out the rest....which financed 80% of my build.
I started with the rear suspension. I used the factory FJ80 5 link, but used Factory lower links as both my Upper and lower links....lowers got a 2inch rib welded to the top. I then raised the factory panhard about 6 inchedand used the factory springs all the way around.

testing rear for bind.

I was really hoping to keep the taillights I worked so hard to keep....more on that later.
The rear went together quickly and I started on the front. I used the Rear Slee CV shaft that I got with the FJ80 as my front drive shaft. Instead of paying to have the shaft cut down I just pushed the axle that far forward. which gave me a pretty good approach angle.

Again I used the factory FJ80 Radius arms and springs up front.

It was about his point in the build that I got Bell's Palsy. I pretty much stopped working on the truck for 4 months because I didn't want to risk something damaging my eye.

Jeromy · 01-29-09, 10:47 PM

After what seemed like forever it was finally sitting back on all 4.

Then came the hard part, figuring out the full hydro with stock arms. This is what I ended up with.

Then after that I rebuild the front axle, and put an Aussie in.

After that it was time to play around some. So I took it up to work and played on our loading dock to test it out.
Some side hill action.

There goes the tail light.

There goes the shock.

The front doesn't flex as much as I like, so I may do the hitch pin mod....I hope that doesn't make it less stable.

And shortly after this I blew a hydraulic fitting.

Jeromy · 01-29-09, 10:59 PM

Ground clearance with the new suspension and 39s puts the belly at exactly the same height as it was with the leaf springs and 35s....22 inches. But I stretched the wheelbase to 113.

Here it is out playing.

Now it sits in the garage because that last spot didn't like my Birfs much. While I am saving the coin to get a set of Longs I have build a winch mount for mt Smittybuilt and narrowed the front some. I am currently installing 4.7s in the rear case but still need to make a skid plate and some other little things. I would have to say even after I get my longs in there I will have around 3k in the truck.

Hope you like it.

WarDamnEagle · 01-30-09, 01:12 AM

Wow! I think you could be ROTM in the Hardcore Corner as well. Good luck getting the last few kinks out of it.

the truck doctor · 01-31-09, 10:05 AM

Real world buget build

All that @3,000 is very impressive. kodos!

tlcruiser66 · 02-03-09, 05:13 AM

Nice rig, amazing how you've managed to build something for so cheap that looks pretty capable.

Don't suppose you have a more detailed write-up on that rear suspension do ya, i'd like to take a closer look at how it was done.