Not So Newbie

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

D

Dirt Claude

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Dec 5, 2007
Threads
1
Messages
7
Location
Castle Rock, CO
Hi - I've been browsing Mud for the past year or so and figured I'd better man up and post up. This website rocks like no other. No where else can you find all this great information in one place. I'm not new to wheeling or Toyota's, I've been wheeling for as long as I can remember. I've owned many Toy 4x4 s but currently own an 84 FJ60. I picked it up about a year ago bone stock and went to work.

Here's what I've done so far: new clutch, remain seal, power steering pump, oil pan, vacuum lines and hoses, major tune-up, OME heavy lift with over-sized shackles, 33" BFG Mud's, fabbed in some seats out of a Mazda Protege (huge improvement!), built the rear bumper, did all the bodywork and cut out the rust, layed on some new paint (courtesy of Maaco, it's gonna get scratched on the trails anyways, right!)

The only thing left on my list for now is 4:11's, throw in the Aussie locker that's collecting dust on my shelf, and fab up a new front bumper/winch.

For now, it's time to get out and wheel it!

Anyways here's a picture of it now, I'll post more when I'm allowed to have more space.... Brad
cruiser driver rear.webp
 
Last edited:
Wow nice truck!!!! How is all the weight like with the tire and cans on the back and with only a single swing are instead of two?
 
Your rig looks awesome. I really like the rear bumper. You dont happen to have the measurements so I could make one like it, do you? I would like to say again, smart looking rig.
 
Thanks for the compliments. The single swing arm is great. I purchased the spindle and hub assembly from Lance over at Iron Pig. Totally worth it IMO and cheap too! I originally purchased a spindle assembly from another outfit and quickly return it for fears of it snapping off driving down the highway. The arm is very solid and doesn't jiggle at all while driving, it works for me.
 
Very nice...33x10.5s on stock wheels I assume? Do they rub the springs on full lock?
You should post some rusty before pics so I can feel motivated to cut out the rust in my rig :D
 
Northwest - Unfortunately, I dont have any measurements on the bumper, I can grab some if needed though. I basically just picked up a 6ft piece of 3/16" 3x5 square tubing, a small piece of 1/4" flat plate for the wings and frame mounts, and just jumped in from there. I'm a "fly by the seat of my pants" kinda of guy when it comes to fabbing things up. Seriously, I should post up another thread on the bumper build. I'm sure someone could steal a few ideas off of it for building there own.

Adamsclarke - Yep, 33x10.5's on stockers. I debated on going with 33x12.5 but didn't want to go through the hasle of trying to find new rims that would work with the capilers. I hear the skinny tires do well in the snow as opposed to wider ones, we'll see, I'm waiting for a blizzard to come so I can report back on their performance. No issues rubbing when the wheel is cranked or the tire is stuffed.
Hmmm, let me see what I can dig up on the rusty pics, I'm sure I've got something!
 
Nice to see you on Mud Brad and thanks for your old springs! They should be under my 55 with AAL a week from now.

You've got a nice looking 60 there! I'd love to see "before" pics too, they could be inspirational for me too.

FYI, I ran 12.5's on stock wheels for quite a while. Worked just fine despite what some people claim. I did go to a larger wheel and they do rub inside the wheelwell a bit but that's not a problem I concern myself with.

:cheers:
 
Nice looking truck! I've had mine for two years now, and still running around on saggy springs and 31's. Done lots of mechanical work, but it's time to raise her profile.

Thanks for the inspiration.
 
Hey Red Cruiser - We'll definitely have to hook up so I can check out the 55! Didn't one of your Cruisers have a V8? That I would like to see as well.

Hmmm...looks like I'm limited to my number of attachments. I bet I have to have so many posts before I can post up more pictures, I'll keep trying. Thanks for all the kind words, it's great to be are part of this community.

Now wait just a minute.....where's my official welcome? :flipoff2:
 
Dirt Claude said:
Hey Red Cruiser - We'll definitely have to hook up so I can check out the 55! Didn't one of your Cruisers have a V8? That I would like to see as well.
Click to expand...

Right! The 55 has a 350 with Toyota 4 speed and Atlas OD. I'n excited to get the suspension work done so I can drive it w/o fear of something falling off. :D

Oh, and welcome to Mud :flipoff2:
 
:flipoff2: Welcome aboard!!

Nice lookin' rig. Bumper looks good. I have a very limited start on a bumper build myself (mainly gathering materials and ideas, if you can call that a start). Everytime I see another one done, it reminds me of how badly I need to get mine going. Probably after the holidays. Very nice! (in my best Borat voice) :cheers:
 
Looks nice. After the snow melts go ahead and put the aussie in its not hard and makes a world of diff.
 
wow!!! really really nice 60 you got there!! congrats the bumper look's sweet, seems like you did a great work..
 
Regarding the rear bumper, this was my second go round at building a swing out bumper. Prior to the Cruiser, I had an 85' Runner that I built-up, it was my pride and joy, but I had to sell it because I needed more space for the family and camping gear:crybaby: Anyways, the first bumper I made was pretty flimsy and I learned alot from it.

As far as the locker goes, I'm ready to throw it in right now! I ran a detriot locker out back on my last rig and absolutely loved it. I swore that any rig I ever purchased going forward, would definitely have to have a locker. It's like night and day when your out on the trails. I know some people are very concerned about driving around on snow and ice with a locker, but I think if you know your vehicle and take it easy it's all good. Now, if I can just find the time to install it, I'll be set!;)

Here's a pic of my last truck, it took me several years to build (minus the custom front bumper). When I finally got it to where I wanted, I sold it. To make things worse, the guy I sold it to totalled it a couple months after he bought. He rolled it end over end, nose first. Needless to say, it was his first time wheeling the truck and he was also a little tipsy:beer: That's a bad combination.
Boy sitting in 85 runner flexed on rock.webp
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom