[Lil'John]

I purchased this pig from Buckethead... his build up is at:
http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pi...y-new-pig.html

I am sort of continuing his theme of daily driver. But I will be taking a big swerve from keeping the drivetrain "stock"

I had it shipped out from Alabama to California... I'd swear Buckethead must have bribed the shipper because the initial claim was 10-14 days. I got it in 4 days.

My intended use:
Daily driver
mild wheeler... will do most of Hollister hills
maybe a little tow duty

Current stats:
1971 FJ55
1F engine
4 speed tranny and tcase
78 front DB
fresh exterior paint and body work(under 1 year old)
new 32" tires
78 tailgate (might swap out for 71)
"factory" wood dash
factory rear sway bar

Current "issues":
tail lights don't work
interior sheet metal needs clean and paint
interior panels need recovering
headliner
recovering seats

Current plans(in no order):
6.0L Vortec engine
NV4500 or 4L80 tranny (leaning HEAVILY toward manual)
NP203 grb (more than likely rotated so LC tcase goes up too)
4 speed tcase (if I drop more than one on the ground, orion)
maybe upgrade to 3.73 gears
rebuild front brakes
rear disc brakes
new brake booster, master, and lines
frame and under body clean/paint
new front seats (eyeballing Taco extra cab 60/40 bench)
reupholster inside (color undecided)
paint or linex inside (color undecided... leaning toward white)
considering carpet
considering AC
rewiring (found a kick ass fuse block)
power steering (might be coming with "old" minitruck style "kit" )
new rear bumper
"standard" cut the rockers for sliders
maybe new front bumper still largely undecided

I will be outsourcing the drivetrain related duties to FC Fabrication and Orange45. Depending upon how froggy I am feeling, I'll take care of the rest.

At this time, I will not be doing all the standard "extreme" offroading mods such as spring over or shackle reversal or similar type things. I have the 10 year extra cab FJ45 that will handle those duties.

My main goal right now is get as much of the above done before the PMC swap meet (July 12) Short of bad juju, it will be making a trip out there

[Lil'John]

In the two days I've had it now, I'm basically on the way to solving some of the electric gremlins.

One of the issues was the reverse lights. Turns out when the tranny was swapped to the 4speed, the reverse switch on it was wired to the vacuum switch wiring The "easy" fix is gonna be to extend the wires from the switch on the driverside at the steering column over to the tranny.

The other issue is the turn signals/hazard lights. I think these are all related to a missing switch or something similar. There are two plugs that are missing something attached.

I'm still in the debate mode on whether to retain the stock gauges or go with the Handline gauges.

[nat]

2 plugs hanging loose? Maybe you just need flasher relays.

[landcrusher909]

I watched this 55 for a while glad it made it to Calif. and Crongrats !!!!!

[Front Range 4x4]

Originally Posted by Lil'John

There are two plugs that are missing something attached.

Only two? Without taking a count I bet I have at least six going nowhere.

[hks3sgte]

Glad you bought that pig... can't wait to see more of it!

[Lil'John]

Got my super duper new camera in to document all the mods so here are a couple of pictures

First, we have the clutch master... can I replace this guy with any master when I do the V8 swap?

Second, we have the crushed passenger marker lens. Little disappointing. Not sure how I will handle this one. I could cut both out and go markerless. Or I can see about finding someone to cut one out for me

Third, we have the dead passenger side hinge :( I should replace it.

[Lil'John]

Next set of pictures.

First, we have the worst of the rocker rust... this is on the driverside. There is smaller all the way through stuff on the passenger side also. Guess I'm going with tube replacements

Second, we have a glove box light. Not sure if it is factory or not... but it is cool and works

Lastly, we have my two mystery plugs. Neither of them for the hazard switch. One should be heater. The six plugger is the one that keeps me from having tail lights

[Lil'John]

Last picture "set" is the rip in the inner rear fender on the driverside. Needs to get fixed. Quick glance makes me believe the front side had a similar issue.

[LC_Hamma]

Third, we have the dead passenger side hinge :( I should replace it.

One thing you gotta learn w/ yer new is to rebuild stuff instead of lookin for a newer one. I rebuilt all mine w/ bushings & stainless pins from McMaster-Carr:

[Lil'John]

I'd rebuild them... except for the fact that the "catch" to keep the door from over extending is completely dead. Look at picture one more time See how the pin goes through a wallowed out area. It is wallowed completely through

[Pighead]

I'm sure you can find a used door hinge locally. I bet you can guess what one will cost, too.

[cruiserbrett]

in the third pic of post 8 the 6 pin and 4 pin connector attach to the turn signal relay found on pre 76 cruisers. it should be attached to the RH side of the brake pedal hanger bracket under the dash, kind above the parking brake lever. If you missing it, you'll need one from a 75 and older cruiser, I think it changed about the time the wire harness changed from going aft on the drivers side to the passenger side, which was sometime in late 75 - early 76.

[Lil'John]

Brett,
You are a life saver. The turn signal relay was not shown in any of my manuals: Haynes and FSM :(

I'll make a run out tomorrow and see if it is in my cruiser or not.

[cruiserbrett]

Pics of the relay. Sorry about the upside down pedal hanger assembly, but I had it out this week to restore it, so they are the best I can do. Its on the right side of the black bracket under the dash. The location pictured is exactly where the holes hold it in my 12/'71 FJ55.

[Lil'John]

*right click, save as*
A picture is worth a thousand words and an hour's worth of searching

I checked all over the cruiser before you posted those pictures and couldn't figure out where it was. After that picture, I found the two mounting bolts on the brake hanger in two second. No relay but at least the holes are there

Time to track down that relay for 2 months of use until I swap out the column and do more wiring work in the cab.

[Lil'John]

Originally Posted by Pighead

I'm sure you can find a used door hinge locally. I bet you can guess what one will cost, too.

Hmmm... I think I better invest in a beer fridge so I can have trade goods available on demand

The worst part of it all is that door closes the smoothest... all the others are a bit off and stick pretty good

[k9crazy]

Originally Posted by Lil'John

First, we have the worst of the rocker rust... this is on the driverside. There is smaller all the way through stuff on the passenger side also. Guess I'm going with tube replacements

Check with Lance at IPOR to see if he has any more rockers left. He had 10 sets made and I don't know that he sold all of them yet. I chose NOT to weld in tube, but just to weld the new rockers to the existing metal (I had enough left). The bend is slightly differenct, but you really can't tell.

And just you wait until you take a grinder to that rust. It will probably be worse than what you see now.

[Lil'John]

k9crazy, unfortunately covering it up will just let it fester underneath. I want to nip it in the bud from the get go. I did see lances rockers and was impressed.

Attached is a picture of the fuse block, circuit breaker, and GM wire divider I'm going to use in order to do a partial wiring fix. By all appearances so far, the stock wiring harness is largely intact and in very good condition.

The fuse block and circuit breaker are from Waytek. The fuse box is P#46074. The circuit breaker is P#46929. The fuse box requires pin to be purchased for wiring.

[n2666s]

"LC_Hamma " Chuck....your solution to the hinge problem is very interesting; can you share info on how you went about the repair/restore;

Lou

[Cruiserdrew]

Nice meeting you today! I was the guy on the bike on the bike trail. Good looking 55, I'm jealous.

[LC_Hamma]

Originally Posted by n2666s

"LC_Hamma " Chuck....your solution to the hinge problem is very interesting; can you share info on how you went about the repair/restore;

Lou

Heya Louie - check out my build thread posts #418-#420 all the info is there

[Lil'John]

Originally Posted by Cruiserdrew

Nice meeting you today! I was the guy on the bike on the bike trail. Good looking 55, I'm jealous.

Always good to meet a cruiser fanatic even over the fence

From the outside, you probably won't notice anything different in the next 2-3 months

[FineWynsFJ40]

The turn signal relay, since I'm rewiring my 55 from scratch, is it required or do I need to work it in? I thought it was the speed marker thingy. Keep it, pitch it, sell it?

Brian

[laguna80]

Originally Posted by FineWynsFJ40

The turn signal relay, since I'm rewiring my 55 from scratch, is it required or do I need to work it in? I thought it was the speed marker thingy. Keep it, pitch it, sell it?

Brian

I think it's required. I had been figuring stuff out when I first started and found that if the relay wasn't hooked up, the turn signal just stayed on instead of blinking.

[Lil'John]

Well, looks like it is crusty tank 1, John 0.

I tried to head to DMV and made it about 3-4 miles before all the crap in the tank overwhelmed the carb and fuel filter

I knew it had junk in there but didn't expect it to be that overwhelming. Even after an emergency fuel filter change, the damage was done. The junk is floating and it overwhelmed the new filter in 2 minutes of running.

At least I got a nice drag for 3-4 miles at about 15 miles an hour Think I might have pissed a few people off in Sac today

But the good news is I must have had a vision because I had ordered a tow strap from summit Friday and it arrived this morning after I had left

A little frustrating to finally getting it fully registered in my name with new custom plate... but just can't help but grin and bear it

[Lil'John]

Another day, another deal. I went and stole a set of five rims last night Well, okay, I actually got a hell of an ebay deal.

These are supposed to be 17" Tundra/tacoma/4 runner stock rims that have been painted. Probably need to use spacer in front

The will look like the attached picture. I'll be wrapping them in either a 245-70-17 or 255-75-17 BFG MT. Prefer the smaller but we'll see what is in stock.

Anyone need a set of 32 BFG ATs on chrome wagon wheels? For sale shortly. Low milage. Rims have a little rust.

[Lil'John]

Another weekend of busting ass... another slight change in plans.

First, I decided that an FJ80 rear full float axle was going to be the best approach to solving several problems:

• full float axle...most "real" tow rigs have full float axles. It also adds a measure of safety if axle shafts or differential blows up.
• Rear disc brakes... this is a stopping issue as well as a convenience issue. Drums on the "old" FJs are always a pain in the ass to keep adjusted. Add in any moisture and you get no stopping
• Axle mounted mechanical emergency brake... I know most people will tout the line lock as an emergency brake. However, if the brake lines fail, you are left without any brakes. I've had good luck with the factory parking brake at the back of the transfercase. But I really prefer something directly on the ground and not having driveshafts separating it. I've heard bad things about the El Dorado calipers as an option but still partially discount that to not having them setup right. Lastly, it is almost a "bolt in" system.
• Pinion strength... one of the most notorious blowups with the FJ40 is the snapped pinion. The FJ80 gives me a fine spline pinion.
• Axle housing strength... the FJ80 has tussed up the axle housing(see picture). Maybe a false sense of security but it makes me warm and fuzzy
• Anti-wrap bar... an added bonus is the fact that you can debracket the FJ80 and leave one of the upper control brackets to use as an anti-wrap bar (See pictures)
• Electric locker... there is the high potential for getting an electric locker. My axle didn't have one but it is out there and probably for $300-$400 more than I spent.

I chose the FJ80 over FJ40/FJ60 full floats mainly due to the fact that I would spend the same money and be stuck with El Dorado calipers and the potential for special order only parts.

I chose the FJ80 over a Dana60 rear axle because of intended use. This is not and will not be a hardcore offroad rig. 31 inch tires and moderate offroad use will be frustrating in the least. Onroad, I will not be doing clutch dumps or similar abusive behaviors. I would also get stuck with El Dorado calipers. If I were intending anything bigger than a 31, I would 100% go with this option.

There are two downfalls to the FJ80 axle:

• It is 62" wide. This will mean getting it shortened. Sean at Rivercity Diff in Sac says he can do it. Should be around $100ish for the housing. Also on the agenda is shortening an axle shaft. Poly told me around $600 for a set of their super duper axle shafts Might be the only option but I will see what Sean has to offer for advice.
• LOTS of grinding. If you look that the before and after pictures, you will see a LOT of brackets were cut off. All said and done, I spent about 10-12 hours of grinding to get them all cleaned up... much to my neighbors chagrin

Second, I got a loner front axle housing from Georg at Valley Hybrid and Dan at FC Fab. This will save me a bunch of time rebuilding the front axle at the apartment The front is getting all new bearings and brake parts. I'm still largely undecided on going to vented rotors and IFS calipers over the stock 78 FJ stuff.

Third, I got a huge shipment of AA parts from Goerg along with a bunch of misc junk for me to play with. In order to do the swap, I am using an AA bellhousing and clutch kit/flywheel. I priced out doing pieces and getting the AA clutch kit/flywheel was just about on par so no headache and I'm assured the right parts. I also got an old friend in the AA NP203 to LC tcase adapter. This will be the third time I've got to play with one of these

Last item is I've got a buildup website on the way. It will have lots of pictures(VERY high resolution as well as low), contact information for various vendors I've used, as well as lots of info. It will be at trail55.com (or net if you please )

[LC_Hamma]

Drivetrain lineup sounds just dandy LJ But you forgot about one of the most important parts of a daily driver - the cushy ride! How you gonna remedy the leaf spring :barf: problem? Suspension seats + kidney belt?

[Lil'John]

I'm going from a Tacoma to this... from the short 4 mile drive and 4 mile drag back, the ride felt better than the Tacoma

Only plan I have for the suspension is buying new bushings throughout and possibly going with greasable bolts for the shackle/spring pins Maybe a fresh coat of paint on the springs.

As long as it doesn't drive like the axles are welded to the frame, I'll be beyond happy... OTOH, I'm a simple guy

I think I might need to worry more about 18 beer holders throughout and the kegerator in the rear