[firstade]

Hi FJ55 people!
Last week, I bought 1TonToy's FJ55. What a great looking rig! Australian right-hand-drive, little rust, nice Dual-Fuel Propane setup, big ol' 10-leaf springs, 2F, aftermarket header (the good kind supposedly), Front buckets, H42, 10 gallon tanks, aftermarket and CB radio, 2 1/2 in. lift, dual battery hookup. I don't have any plans as of yet, but zuluzeugma wanted to SOA it. Valves need to be adjusted, knuckles need rebuild, and t-case need a thorough inspection. I'm thinking stock wheels and bench seat?

[firstade]

s'more:

[romegadave]

Yeaaaaaaah Baby!!!!!!!! That's a nice rig firstade. What a sweet looking interior. Stock wheels w/ caps and a lift will certainly set off a truck that is otherwise just plain nice. Congrats on your purchase and here's my welcome to you. Dave
Looking forward to hearing more about your progress (although you're in the 23rd century while I'm circa 1495 on my progress!!!)

[Grease Cruiser]

Nice looking 55. Congrats.
I've got a decent 55 bench seat if you end up going that route. It's located in Colorado. PM if you are interested.

[OinkOinker]

oh so thats what my colour is MEANT to look like :P

[Trollhole]

Maybe I'm missing something. You want to SOA that? Blasphamey. (Chuck will disagree) It looks to good to trash on the trail. There are very few barn door setups in the US. I cannot imagine very good performace out of a dual fuel setup with big tires.

I'd say keep the lift you have. Get some more aggresive tires. Maybe some taller pizza cutter BFGs KO's on stock rims and be done with it. Go SOa and expect to spend a lot of money. Gonna have to go power steering then.

Stick with the buckets. Just a lot more comfortable ride and much better on the tail. You will be sliding all around. Spend you time fixing the rust. There is probably more there than you can see. Refine all the little things and improve the ride. Maybe some Bilstiens, new body bushings, sway bar bushings, a bumper and a winch. A PTO would be the bomb.

Looks good the way it is though. I like the doo doo brown.

[Lil'John]

Nice looking 55.

I'll second troll on the lack of performance from dual fuel setup. Reg gas might work okay but propane would suffer: my understanding is propane needs higher compression than gas.

On the SOA, depends upon tire size and wheeling you will do. I think 35"+ need SOA. I went SOA on mine because of planned 35-37s and rock crawling(well, that and an engine problem)

On the bench seat, I am going with a 60/40 split from a Tacoma in mine... I want to have it look somewhat stock

[nuclearlemon]

yes, 35s will be cutting it close for sua, unless you go real skinny. also, keep in mind that there's not much to cut out on the rear fenderwell, so consider that when looking at the diameter of the tire

[firstade]

thanks for the feedback guys. I know I want to grab a pair of OEM's, and maybe 33's? I said I would initially wheel it, but I have second thoughts. It's in good shape. It doesn't have the ambi doors though.

[zuluzeugma]

SOA!!!!

Its true though, you will need PS, but then you can take some frickin leafs out...

[firstade]

TrollHole,
What are the tire sizes on this rig?
[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Andy/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]http://forum.ih8mud.com/members/trollhole-albums-cruiser-stuff-picture827-image4.jpg

That is almost exactly what I wanted to do: That tire combo with a nice fabbed rack and bar.

[jimhendrixx]

WOW, that is a nice rig. is it hard to drive on the wrong side and shift with your left hand? I heard it is like someone else is doing it. is that true?

[firstade]

It wasn't as strange as I thought. It took about 5 minutes to get good enough to be 'roadworthy'. I get alot of strange looks, but I just smile at them.

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by firstade

Hi FJ55 people!
Last week, I bought 1TonToy's FJ55. What a great looking rig! Australian right-hand-drive, little rust, nice Dual-Fuel Propane setup, big ol' 10-leaf springs, 2F, aftermarket header (the good kind supposedly), Front buckets, H42, 10 gallon tanks, aftermarket and CB radio, 2 1/2 in. lift, dual battery hookup. I don't have any plans as of yet, but zuluzeugma wanted to SOA it. Valves need to be adjusted, knuckles need rebuild, and t-case need a thorough inspection. I'm thinking stock wheels and bench seat?

Are those factory 3 point belts in the front?

[OinkOinker]

Originally Posted by jimhendrixx

WOW, that is a nice rig. is it hard to drive on the wrong side and shift with your left hand? I heard it is like someone else is doing it. is that true?

what are you talking about, "the wrong side" that my friend is the RIGHT side! you guys drive on the WRONG side

[n2666s]

congrats on a very nice looking piggy...2nd Trollholes view; keep her stock........rust is your biggest enemy;

Lou

[firstade]

They look original to me.

Originally Posted by PabloCruise

Are those factory 3 point belts in the front?

[firstade]

I kinda' made a parts list of things that need immediate fixin' and things that could possibly, hopefully be done. Did a semi thorough walk through today. It isn't anything extreme, but I am new to Landcruisers. Hopefully it will be some of dat' good learnin':

Fix:
1. Blown Manifold Gasket
2. Clacking lifter
3. Door dent
4. Cracked driver mirror
5. Driver door hinge
6. Driver window regulator
7. Weepie Warn Hubs
8. Leaky Transfer Case
9. New drum shoes all around

Dream:
1. Gas Shocks: Trollhole recommended Bilistien (buddy recommended BDS monotubes, but he is a Heep guy)
2. Carb cleanup or rebuild
3. New suspension bushings
4. New body bushings
5. 33' BFG's on OEM's
6. New rag joint
7. Alignment
8. Tie rods
9. Roof Rack
10. Short shackled front bumper
11. disc brakes
12. Zulu's rear end

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by firstade

They look original to me.

Could I see a picture of where/how it mounts? The only 3 point Piggy belts I have seen mount in the roof over the rear doors. If there is emough meat in the B pillar I will consider mounting there...

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by firstade

I kinda' made a parts list of things that need immediate fixin' and things that could possibly, hopefully be done. Did a semi thorough walk through today. It isn't anything extreme, but I am new to Landcruisers. Hopefully it will be some of dat' good learnin':

Fix:
1. Blown Manifold Gasket
2. Clacking lifter
3. Door dent
4. Cracked driver mirror
5. Driver door hinge
6. Driver window regulator
7. Weepie Warn Hubs
8. Leaky Transfer Case
9. New drum shoes all around

Dream:
1. Gas Shocks: Trollhole recommended Bilistien (buddy recommended BDS monotubes, but he is a Heep guy)
2. Carb cleanup or rebuild
3. New suspension bushings
4. New body bushings
5. 33' BFG's on OEM's
6. New rag joint
7. Alignment
8. Tie rods
9. Roof Rack
10. Short shackled front bumper
11. disc brakes
12. Zulu's rear end

Address driveability - disc brakes, TRE's, bushings, alignment and rag joint. If any of those need addressing - move them up in priority.

Mark A or Jim C can help you with carb. Not sure how much experience they have with propane though...

[zuluzeugma]

Originally Posted by firstade

5. 33' BFG's on OEM's
12. Zulu's rear end

If you're going to 33" tires, you don't want my diffs...

30/33 = .9090

3.73/4.11 = .9393

Its pretty much doing the same thing...

[shermantank55]

That is a beautiful cruiser. Stock wheels would look great. We have 33-9.50 BFGs and like them a lot. Our lift is about 2".

[firstade]

Wow Shermantank55! That stance looks about perfect! What kind of rack is that?

[shermantank55]

Thanks

It's a wilderness rack from Bill Garvin. It's probably about 20 years old, but they still make them. I put some 5/8 marine grade ply on the deck and painted it with non skid paint. Pretty pricey new, but you can probably find one used pretty easily.

Wilderness Roof Racks Storage Systems for Jeeps, Toyota FJ Cruiser, Yakima, Thule, Off-Road, 4x4, SUV, Sport Utility Vehicles, Storage Systems

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by shermantank55

That is a beautiful cruiser. Stock wheels would look great. We have 33-9.50 BFGs and like them a lot. Our lift is about 2".

I love seeing Nebula Green Pigs! I see what mine will look like when I paint it...

How wide are your wheels?

[firstade]

Just for you, PabloCruise:

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by firstade

Just for you, PabloCruise:

Thanks!

Looks like the factory belt, just never seen them mounted to the B Pillar, always seen them mounted here:



Has that headliner been replaced? Wondering about that trim piece over the door openings...

[firstade]

Has that headliner been replaced? Wondering about that trim piece over the door openings...

Not that I am aware of. That trim piece wraps around the entire length of the interior, not just over the doors. I'll ask about that.

[1tontoy]

I'm pretty sure that trim piece is a track for a curtain system.

Originally Posted by firstade

Not that I am aware of. That trim piece wraps around the entire length of the interior, not just over the doors. I'll ask about that.

[shermantank55]

Originally Posted by PabloCruise

I love seeing Nebula Green Pigs! I see what mine will look like when I paint it...

How wide are your wheels?

Our wheels are 15x8.