Builds ROTW My Yoda (1 Viewer)

[bsevans]

Where did you buy your 3/8 Aluminum instrument cluster? Or did you make it?

The company that offered that bezel and another style of bezel which I also own went out of business about 5-6 years ago. I think the FJ40 engraved into the bezel was a signature of sorts for their company. They did some fine FJ40 mods and offered some nice custom items.

 

[bsevans]

The company that offered that bezel and another style of bezel which I also own went out of business about 5-6 years ago. I think the FJ40 engraved into the bezel was a signature of sorts for their company. They did some fine FJ40 mods and offered some nice custom items.

I just realized that I never posted a photo of the new instrument bezel with VDO gauges in this ROTW.

 

[John Smith]

Is AC on your future mod list? I would imagine AZ heat with the hardtop on must be brutal. But it is a dry heat right.

Your truck is very nice.

 

[bsevans]

Is AC on your future mod list? I would imagine AZ heat with the hardtop on must be brutal. But it is a dry heat right.

Your truck is very nice.

Nope, no AC on the future mod list. That would make the light at the end of the tunnel get much smaller. If I really need AC, I just drive my turbo diesel Tahoe. Yeah, a dry heat, a damn hot dry heat. I do not think it much matters whether or not you can feel the sweat running down. But wait, I remember what it felt like in Virginia, my first 26 years, when it was 90 & 90. I'll take the dry heat at 110 and central AC for escape.

 

[RAYJON]

very clean rig... I have a few questions on the fuse box, what did it cost and do you have a link???

 

[bsevans]

very clean rig... I have a few questions on the fuse box, what did it cost and do you have a link???

Thanks
The link is here Centech Fuse Panels

As far as cost. You will need to call them as it has been a number of years since I purchased them.

 

[splitshot]

I think I've seen that sweet rig at a mutual friend of ours in Avra Valley, am I correct?

 

[bsevans]

I think I've seen that sweet rig at a mutual friend of ours in Avra Valley, am I correct?

Yes. Tim is an incredible source for 40 & 60 parts. He is a stand up guy that is as honest as they come.

 

[Ralph]

Very nice rig, hope you enjoy it for many years to come. And being a land cruiser I know you will!!!!

 

[bugboy]

Nice truck. In 5-10 years and lots of $$$ maybe mine will look that good

 

[bsevans]

Nice truck. In 5-10 years and lots of $$$ maybe mine will look that good

Think long and hard about the modifications you are thinking about. Some of the custom modifications I made did not happen until years after the first concept. I kept rolling them around in my mind (and altering them) until I was sure that the change would marry into the total concept of what I wanted and what Toyota gave me to play with. Over 20 years later, I am just now getting to the front bumper/brush guard. I've tried a number of off the shelf front bumpers over the years and just was not satisfied with the results. I am finishing up a design that I have been working on for about 10 years.

Working in an industry that took up 12-14 hours of my day contributed to the length of time it took me to finalize many of the modifications that are installed on my vehicle. I have additional photos of changes I've made that I need to put into this thread. Some are off the shelf and others are custom made.

 

[sivart7208]

very nice rig. 3 questions

what are your tires, size and make?

where did you get those hinges?

and where did you get that overhead speaker shelf mount?

 

[bsevans]

very nice rig. 3 questions

what are your tires, size and make?

where did you get those hinges?

and where did you get that overhead speaker shelf mount?

Thanks

33X10.50 BFG KO

Those are the stock hinges that I took apart, sand blasted and had powder coated Cardinal Black Hammer. All, except for the rear hinges, were put together with SS pins and nylon bushings that you can purchase from most of the Landcruiser parts houses (SOR, Man-A-Fre, BTB etc). The rear hinges were put together using SS socket head bolts with SS nylock nuts and the same nylon bushings used on the other hinges.

The overhead shelf was purchased from SOR. I added the holes for the speakers. Overhead Tray

 

[bsevans]

SS Optima Battery Tray

Just got this Stainless Steel Optima Battery Tray from Camburg Engineering. I first had to make an interface plate and had a piece of .250 6061T651 looking for a new home. Getting 6 flathead screws spot on was aided by 4 threaded transfer pins. This battery tray is over 2 inches shorter than the factory tray. Eventually, I will get the Aluminum plate powder coated.

 

[bsevans]

A couple more photos.

 

[bsevans]

Vapor Recovery Tank

Here is the thread for my Vapor Recovery Tank replacement.

Vapor Recovery Tank replacement

 

[pbgbottle]

Bump

great rig .

 

[alkarich]

Fantastic detail work. Really like the antenna set-up.

 

[bsmith123]

nice, very nice

The nice thing about this rig is the thought and care that went into everything, some really nice mods but yet it completely retains its character.

I like the interior a lot, it seems you have been able to strike the right balance between keeping it looking classic and upgrading with some mod cons and comfort.

That trans armor looks like its ready for land mines!

Got any more pics of the build in progress?

 

[bsevans]

The nice thing about this rig is the thought and care that went into everything, some really nice mods but yet it completely retains its character.

I like the interior a lot, it seems you have been able to strike the right balance between keeping it looking classic and upgrading with some mod cons and comfort.

That trans armor looks like its ready for land mines!

Got any more pics of the build in progress?

Thanks! I tried to incorporate my design modifications so that it looked as though it could be factory. Practically every time I go to either Toyota dealerships, a customer asks if this is a new Toyota vehicle and can it be ordered through the dealer. Obviously anyone with experience of the FJ40 kind can tell the modifications I’ve made. The skid plate was not photographed in its early stages of design – from my AutoCAD drawings to the cardboard prototypes there are no photos. Once I was happy with the fit of the second cardboard prototype, it was in the hands of the engineer at TA Caid until they called to tell me it was ready to be picked up.