[soenke]

Originally Posted by IPOR

...Even if you do not cut the frame down you will have to relocate the engine/trans in order to fit the radiator in the grille. (or relocate it to the rear of the vehicle like Gary did with his 45)....

Lance

you don´t have too, we left all the mounts stock, you need a body lift of about 10cm to get enaugh space under the front fender for bigger tires. The engine bay is big enaugh for radiator and visko clutch fan. Changing to an elektrik fan would have saved some additional space to move the cab backwards. (we needed the space in the back for the cabin, so we didn´t do it)
The way Lance build it looks better though with the front axle in the right place up in the front...

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by Arya Ebrahimi

BTW, how hard was that gauge cluster to do(not the cosmetic stuff, but the electrical/mechanical side of things)? I've fooled around with a couple of older mini-truck gauge clusters and I have no idea how you accomplished what you did and have any chance of having it all work. Not doubting, just intrigued.

Easy, I'm a Va Tech grad...

I was careful to include the electronics in the portion of the gauge cluster that I retained. The printed circuit on the back of the cluster has some diodes that I will probably need to retain, but the short answer is I don't have them working yet. I do have all necessary parts accounted for and basically all that is left is re-creating the printed circuit to work with the smaller cluster. I'm not saying any of this is easy, it's complicated and incredibly time consuming... but everything else with this project has been as well! I'll post pics when I get to that part.

Lance

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by soenke

you don´t have too, we left all the mounts stock, you need a body lift of about 10cm to get enaugh space under the front fender for bigger tires.

Yeah, I was shooting for putting the axle in the same place relative to the body as on the original FJ40 - hence the drivetrain relocation. Hey Soenke, do you have a pic of your truck? I would like to see how it compares with what I did.

Lance

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Originally Posted by IPOR

Easy, I'm a Va Tech grad...

Lance

Now it all makes sense

[soenke]

Originally Posted by IPOR

Yeah, I was shooting for putting the axle in the same place relative to the body as on the original FJ40 - hence the drivetrain relocation. Hey Soenke, do you have a pic of your truck? I would like to see how it compares with what I did.

Lance

sure:


just use the link in the signature
there are some pics, showing the axle position...having the car for travelling, we wanted to leave as much stock HDJ 80 as possible and used just a few other Toyota parts, for example the HZJ 75 radiator with copper net I mentioned before

PS the gauges don´t look as good as the original ones but a lot better then I would have imagined using the 80 instruments ...very fine work (I bet that was time consuming!)

[Volcano cruiser]

Originally Posted by IPOR

I shortened the 80 frame AND lengthened the 40 body. The 40 wheelbase is about 30 inches shorter so you'd have to add quite a bit to the body to make it fit the 80 wheelbase without cutting the frame down. Even if you do not cut the frame down you will have to relocate the engine/trans in order to fit the radiator in the grille. (or relocate it to the rear of the vehicle like Gary did with his 45)

I have the 80 tach and was thinking of putting it into a console on the trans tunnel. I haven't posted pics yet, but my HVAC is different than the stock 40 so I have some room there on the trans tunnel at the firewall. I don't really feel like I need a tach, but if I do I think I can work something out that keeps with the theme I have going.

Lance

Gotcha, basically you married the 80 frame and the 40 body to each other by having them meet each other 1/2 way, i.e. shorten the frame 15 inches or so and lengthen the body 15 or so. Nice. The calculation would be different if your donor body was a LWB 40 or a 45 or even a 55 if you could find one...

Now that will be interesting to see. It sounds like you have an inovative idea in mind for your center section, i.e., starting from your elbow going forward, tuffy, sticks, HVAC and tach and other gauges possibly above the HVAC but below the HVAC vents in the center of the dash. Not only will this be interesting to see but really be interesting to wire up.

Originally Posted by Arya Ebrahimi

BTW, how hard was that gauge cluster to do(not the cosmetic stuff, but the electrical/mechanical side of things)? I've fooled around with a couple of older mini-truck gauge clusters and I have no idea how you accomplished what you did and have any chance of having it all work. Not doubting, just intrigued.

Speaking of the wiring side of stuff two items, the normal 40 instrument cluster has the two back lights that pop through the circuit board. How are you planning on lighting the modified 80 cluster. Second, I sure hope that you guys diagrammed out what you cut out and what you kept of the 80 harness so that some day when a poor bastard like me is finally ready you can help a fella out.
Man I'm such a dang addict to this thread now.
John

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by soenke

sure:

Wow. I love it. You're right about the drivetrain relocation. I did have to cut new driveshafts (more on that later) but everything else is original 80 stuff. I can see why keeping it all original would benefit you when traveling.

Lance

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by Volcano cruiser

The calculation would be different if your donor body was a LWB 40 or a 45 or even a 55 if you could find one...

How are you planning on lighting the modified 80 cluster. Second, I sure hope that you guys diagrammed out what you cut out and what you kept of the 80 harness so that some day when a poor bastard like me is finally ready you can help a fella out.
Man I'm such a dang addict to this thread now.
John

Actually when I first cut my frame I cut it to match my 55 buggy wheelbase because I was thinking of using the 80 chassis on that project instead. (this was before I did the 3 link and 4 link on the buggy) So the calculation would be perfect for an FJ60 (which is what my 55 started as).

Illumination - That's one of the sweet things I was able to do with the FZJ40 cluster - I was able to tie in the lighting the same way it was originally done in the 80 cluster. It should light up just like the factory 80 did, including the dimmer which I kept and will wire into the column.

While I'm certain I can help you when the time comes, I don't think my crib notes alone would be helpful to you. Every build is different with regard to what you're keeping and what you're not. If you undertake this project on your own you'll need an electrical FSM for the model year 80 you have. It has all the info you need. As you can see with Gary and Soenke's builds in comparison to mine - all three on 80 platforms, none are the same!

In the interest of having some benefit to the business, we did map out the most efficient way to do this swap and we do offer it as a build option to people looking for turnkey solutions. My FZJ40 is personalized to my tastes, hopefully you all find some of it appeals to you too. I can assure you there is an easier way to do it! LOL!

I saw the first painted panel today... awesome...

[concretejungle]

Man, that's a sweet build.

Looking at that wiring mess on the table scares the _____ out of me!

EDIT: also, one question, in one of those pictures it looks like the roll cage bar comes down and connects to the floor right beside the brake pedal. It looks really close. Is that just a camera angle or is that going to be a issue?

[ChuckB]

Just curious how does a hybrid vehicle like this get titled/registered? Is is as a 40 or 80? I guess it might vary by state.

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by ChuckB

Just curious how does a hybrid vehicle like this get titled/registered? Is is as a 40 or 80? I guess it might vary by state.

Good question. I registered mine to match the FJ40 vin tag on the door because it's the first one anyone is going to look at. I'm emmissions legal for the year of the motor in the event that they realize the motor is from a newer vehicle.

Lance

[soenke]

in Germany the frame number counts...so our truck is 1993 like the HDJ 80 donor -would have liked the 1979 form the J4 better...

Lance, I wonder about all the tube fender builds combined with sliders and cages wich are common in the states.. what I have seen the tubes are welded to the frame and attached to the body forming the fenders ? doesn´t that brake when the chassis is flexing going routh terrain? (I have seen the tube fender in your shop is just a fender using the original mounts)

[Waggoner5]

I built my truck 3 years ago and have really put it through the ringer. All of my trucks fenders, sliders and cage parts are welded to the frame. The 80 series chassis is very stiff and I have seen no cracks or breaks anywhere.

[soenke]

Hey Gary,

yes I have been thinking about your great build, seem as if it works with the 80 frame and perfekt suspension,
but what about the J4 based builds driving washboad pists and flexing ?? just wondering.

PS fired up the new engine? I like youre truck , gave us the guts to start with our projekt

[ChuckB]

Originally Posted by IPOR

Good question. I registered mine to match the FJ40 vin tag on the door because it's the first one anyone is going to look at. I'm emmissions legal for the year of the motor in the event that they realize the motor is from a newer vehicle.

Lance

Lance,

Thanks, that's exactly why I'm asking. I plan on ending up in the Peoples Republic of Kalifornia at some point and would love to have YOU do this for me on with a 40 or 60 !!!!

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by concretejungle

EDIT: also, one question, in one of those pictures it looks like the roll cage bar comes down and connects to the floor right beside the brake pedal. It looks really close. Is that just a camera angle or is that going to be a issue?

Probably camera angle. The pedal clears with room to spare - but remember it's just a brake pedal, not a clutch as you would have in a standard 40. This cage would clear the clutch pedal too - we build a lot of MT cages here and never have problems. The only time I've had to relocate pedals to clear a cage was when we installed one into a RHD FJ40 - that was tight!

Lance

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by soenke

in Germany the frame number counts...so our truck is 1993 like the HDJ 80 donor -would have liked the 1979 form the J4 better...

Lance, I wonder about all the tube fender builds combined with sliders and cages wich are common in the states.. what I have seen the tubes are welded to the frame and attached to the body forming the fenders ? doesn´t that brake when the chassis is flexing going routh terrain? (I have seen the tube fender in your shop is just a fender using the original mounts)

Technically speaking I suspect the frame number counts here as well. I own both donor vehicles so if there's a problem at least I'll have the option of correcting the registration. It could ultimately be problematic if I do because in the US airbags became mandatory in 95.

ChuckB - if you're registering in CA you should do some research first. It may be best to start with a donor that is a 93-94 if you need to register it as the 80.

Lance

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by soenke

Lance, I wonder about all the tube fender builds combined with sliders and cages wich are common in the states.. what I have seen the tubes are welded to the frame and attached to the body forming the fenders ? doesn´t that brake when the chassis is flexing going routh terrain? (I have seen the tube fender in your shop is just a fender using the original mounts)

My front fenders do not use the original mounts because they are 40 fenders on an 80 frame. They are bolt on and have multiple attachment points to ensure they can take the abuse I will surely put them through. My rear fenders are welded to the body and to a subframe below the body that supports the roll cage and makes up the 6 mounting points to the frame.

No cage can guarantee your safety in the event of an accident, it's all about moderating the risk to a level you're comfortable with. I have a strong cage attached to the body and subframe. The body and subrame are mounted to the frame via urethane mounts to reduce the amount of vibration transmitted to the cab. Ideally I would have more rigid mounts to the frame - for example 4 bolts at each mounting point and no urethane body mounts. Again, I realize my setup is not perfect, but it's about reducing the risk of injury and it does that very well.

In situations where a roll is likely I will pull cable - that's why I spent all the $$ on the winches. Remember too that this is my (soon to be) daily driver and weekend warrior... I have the FJ55 buggy for hardcore wheeling.

Wait... did I post this thread in the hardcore corner?... I hope the moderator doesn't bust me down to the softcore corner for this!

Lance

[Waggoner5]

I registered mine as the 96 donor. Frame numbers, engine numbers etc were too much to try to make it a 65. I don't see the reason to title it as anything else unless emissions or the airbag thing becomes an issue.

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by Waggoner5

I registered mine as the 96 donor. Frame numbers, engine numbers etc were too much to try to make it a 65. I don't see the reason to title it as anything else unless emissions or the airbag thing becomes an issue.

That was my initial intent, but fear of airbag complications with the 95 registration swayed my decision. If I had it to do over again I would still buy a 95+ for the smarter transmission and hope for the best. It would be an easy decision if you had a 94 or earlier.

Speaking of grey areas... Gary - didn't you run no catalysts with cat deletes for the second O2's with the FZJ drivetrain? Did that ever become an issue for you? What are your plans for the UZJ exhaust (sorry if I missed something in the project x thread!).

Lance

[Waggoner5]

I ran no cats and fooled the second 02. I am not sure on the exhaust yet for the V8, but fooled the second set of 02s on the 2UZ also. I plan on a simple 2 into 1 exhaust with a Magnaflow muffler dumping out in front of the rear tire just like the 1FZ was.

[Waggoner5]

Originally Posted by soenke

Hey Gary,

yes I have been thinking about your great build, seem as if it works with the 80 frame and perfekt suspension,
but what about the J4 based builds driving washboad pists and flexing ?? just wondering.

PS fired up the new engine? I like youre truck , gave us the guts to start with our projekt

I really like the 80 series suspension for just about everything with exception of really heavy weight carrying. In that application, I don't think anything would better than leaf sprung rear suspension. Of course if a truck weighs that much, you wouldn't put it in a super flexy situation that could break something.

[Volcano cruiser]

Originally Posted by IPOR

I have a strong cage attached to the body and subframe. The body and subrame are mounted to the frame via urethane mounts to reduce the amount of vibration transmitted to the cab. Ideally I would have more rigid mounts to the frame - for example 4 bolts at each mounting point and no urethane body mounts.

Lance,
A quick question. I know that you guys are MT installers. Where can I source the urethane body mounts for the cage that you are referring to? I didn't see them listed on the MT site. If I was back home I'd have you guys do the install of my full cage but down here I'm going to have to get my local guys to handle it and I've found it best to give them everything that they'll need up front.
Thanks,
John

[IPOR]

Originally Posted by Volcano cruiser

Lance,
Where can I source the urethane body mounts for the cage that you are referring to?

You just need the front and rear frame mounts, aka frame ties. (my FZJ40 has a fancy subframe that serves this purpose)

Your stock 40 body is already mounted via (rubber) mounts. Adding the rigid frame ties will transmit a little more vibration than stock - but not much. The stock 40's didn't get much in the way of vibration damping body mounts - my FZJ40 (built many years after the original 40) did.

On stock bodied 40's I highly recommend installing frame ties with any cage. The MT ties are simple, inexpensive and are a direct fit for the MT cage. (oops, sorry Mark Hawley, I thought was that a thumbs up symbol... Seriously folks, he makes great stuff, I'm happy that we carry his line.)

Lance

[IPOR]

Pics of the body right before going out for paint.

Lance

[IPOR]

Pic of the shifter adapter during mock up and fuel tank with straps after final install.

Lance

[IPOR]

Here we've got the body off the frame and are welding in nutserts for trans tunnel, floor supports, etc. After this we took the body over to the paint shop to have the cowl blasted down to bare metal, finish body work, seam seal and paint.

Lance

[IPOR]

Finished installing the rear battery and winch this weekend. I had originally planned on running a full size winch and had picked up this cool winch fairlead from Cruizilla. The 9.0RC has a 4 inch drum though, and needs a fairlead with a smaller opening. I really wanted to run the land cruiser bezel fairlead so I tig welded up some aluminum inserts that bolt into the back side of the opening to direct the cable onto the 4" drum from the 8" fairlead.

Lance

[IPOR]

Couple close up pics of the new winch fairlead, and first pic of painted parts. I had a bunch of the underhood brackets painted in matching pewter too - just to clean up the engine bay.

Lance

[Tapage]

very impresive ..