Thinking about a 2014 FJ Cruiser, would have to sell FZJ80, any thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

Hello 'Mud,

I created this handle to chronicle my upcoming 80 series build....

I have a few questions for people who might have experience with both of these trucks, and then just a couple of questions on the Ultimate Edition for anyone who knows the suspension.

First a little history: I have been a die hard Fj40 fan and have had two. I'm in the middle of selling my nice locked 79 FJ40 on 35's because at this stage of my life I need something that just runs so I can enjoy it in the dirt when I have time, I have an 18 month old and it took my 6 months to change out the transfer case. A while ago I purchased a clean, clother interior 96 FZJ80 with 127k miles as a grocery getter and I like it so much that I decided to part with the FJ40 and build the FZJ80.

I have eyed the FJ Cruisers since they came out, but only really got past the looks when the TT's came out with a matching room and decided they're not so ugly after all.... I have built several for customers and have been impressed with the 2010+ trucks.

A friend of mine manages a dealership and told me they have a 2014 Ultimate FJ Cruiser that I could get into for a REALLY good deal. Sadly it has an automatic (if I went with a new one I REALLY want a stick) but if I get the automatic I wouldn't have to chuck the case (I hate AWD) and the automatic will crawl better and would be totally capable with an ARB in the front and 4.56's.

My plans for the FZJ80 was to totally bombproof it with 37's, part time case with Marlin gears, axles, ect, but the thought of having a factory warrantied new truck is appealing.

If I got into the FJ Cruiser I would need to do body armor, ARB front, RCV's if budget allowed and 315 BFG's to make me happy. My question is anyone familiar with the Ultimate Edition Cruisers is could I utilize the factory shocks and coilovers with a spacer to achieve a little lift? I have done 315's on a customers truck with coilovers, UCA's and bushwackers, with a little messaging it seemed to go well. If I got the new truck I think I would want to keep it as close to as it came from the factory while getting it ready to do the Rubicons and Moabs of the world, as much as I would love to long travel and turn it into a total beast. Looking at the Ultimate Edition it seems to me with the little extra height you get out of the coilovers and springs from the UE I could probably get around 2.5" of total lift (from a non UE cruiser) without breaking a sweat, some UCA's and new links in the rear and I'm set. Anyone think that this is even a remotely good idea? Incase you're wondering my dealer has insured me that they'll honor any factory warranties as long as that part isn't molested by me, so it seems like if I was to do this right I might end up with a truck that's still very capable but street friendly and will need nothing but oil changes, an occasional new tie rod and alignments and perhaps a new CV here and there if I keep them stock, but other than that will not need my attention for 100k miles at least.

Final question: anyone gone from an FZJ80 to a GSJ15, or gone from a GSJ15 to an FZJ80? Anyone make the swap and regret it? Am I retarded and should stop fing around with my situation and just keep the FZJ80?

Thanks for reading! Any input is welcome.

 

[SammyT96LX450]

I'm On the blue room a lot and if you want to run 315 and the set up with long travel hmmm the right way you would be close to 12k including tires and wheels. You can probably run 285's on the ttue and not have to do anything else. There are several FJs on the blue room with 200k plus with just regular maintenance. Option b buy an older tt and use the extra money to make it the way you want and still keep your 80. I was thinking about the ultimate edition but than I would not wheel it. I would keep it stock. So Instead I will be either buying a 40 or 80 next spring. Just really want a sa.

 

[1911]

I've owned and wheeled everything from mini trucks to 40's, 60's, 80's, and an FJC and liked them all. My auto tranny FJC is built similar to what you are thinking; 4.56 diffs, 34" tires, ARB locker in front, Inchworm Lefty 4.7:1 transfer case, 3" lift, tummy tuck and a ton of other stuff, but I digress. Anyway, I have wheeled it hard and it will go anywhere any of my other trucks ever would (with the exception of a really narrow tight trail, where the 40 would barely fit). Lots of folks here on Mud and elsewhere love to hate the FJC, but I have pissed off several taking mine where only buggies/truggies would go. And no other Toyota truck I have ever owned comes even close for highway power and speed, cold A/C, and front cabin room. Drive it all the way across the country at 80 mph in comfort, and it's ready to wheel when you get there. It doesn't have the character of a Land Cruiser, and personally I'd still rather wheel my 40, but the FJC is a great compromise of power, highway speed, comfort, and wheeling capability that is hard to beat if you want all of those things in a single truck. Mine has over 150,000 miles and still runs like new and doesn't leak or burn a single drop of oil.

 

[Mtbcoach]

I'll chime in also...

Mine was built as far as I could take it but for doing a SAS, 4.88's on 35X10.5, Lefty with Bud's 1st Tummy Tuck, Bud's skid plates, Demelllo front & rear, ARB locker front w/RCV's, factory locked rear...you can click on the build thread in my sig for details.

Like Lee above, I pushed it as hard as I could, had great joy out of getting it most anywhere I wanted to go. In '08, I drove from NC to run Rubithon, visited family through CA/AZ, hit Moab and the FJC summit on the way home. As Lee stated, not many rigs can be driven that many miles, take on the trails I did and drove it home without any damage or need of repair.

Yet, its now somewhere in the jungles of the Domincan Republic, kids and dogs outgrew the back seat and I took back the '97 FZJ80 I bought for my daughters to be their 1st car now that they are in college. I'm in the process of building it as you described your goal for an 80, have both axles regeared w/4.88's, have Marlin gears in hand, installing and removing viscous coupler, Long's up front w/Aisin hubs, Slee short bus up front, 4x4 Labs kit built rear running on Michelin XL's 9.00R16's, blah, blah, blah.

I have no regrets driving the FJC for 6 years nor any going to the FZJ80, really love them both. Guess I'm not helping much. I never had issues with visibility in the FJC, yet LOVE the feeling in the 80 of being in a "bubble", so much more visibility. Love the extra room for my adult daughters and my 250 lbs of dogs (2), having rear windows that slide open for them.

My opinion is that both builds will wind up being similar in $$$, probably less for the 80 but your initial investment is much less with the 80. I bought mine for $7k w/125k miles. If I bought one of the 1500 TT editions of the FJC, I'd moth ball it so my kids could sell it on Barrett-Jackson in 30 years for some serious cash. You'll no doubt have fun with either, spend WAY more $$$$ than you think but it will retain value presuming you build it well and maintain it.

Hope this helps...

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

In the end I have no problems putting a new vehicle through its paces if that's what I bought it for. I'd try and set up the armor situation so that the body stays intact.

I'll chime in also...

Mine was built as far as I could take it but for doing a SAS, 4.88's on 35X10.5, Lefty with Bud's 1st Tummy Tuck, Bud's skid plates, Demelllo front & rear, ARB locker front w/RCV's, factory locked rear...you can click on the build thread in my sig for details.

Like Lee above, I pushed it as hard as I could, had great joy out of getting it most anywhere I wanted to go. In '08, I drove from NC to run Rubithon, visited family through CA/AZ, hit Moab and the FJC summit on the way home. As Lee stated, not many rigs can be driven that many miles, take on the trails I did and drove it home without any damage or need of repair.

Yet, its now somewhere in the jungles of the Domincan Republic, kids and dogs outgrew the back seat and I took back the '97 FZJ80 I bought for my daughters to be their 1st car now that they are in college. I'm in the process of building it as you described your goal for an 80, have both axles regeared w/4.88's, have Marlin gears in hand, installing and removing viscous coupler, Long's up front w/Aisin hubs, Slee short bus up front, 4x4 Labs kit built rear running on Michelin XL's 9.00R16's, blah, blah, blah.

I have no regrets driving the FJC for 6 years nor any going to the FZJ80, really love them both. Guess I'm not helping much. I never had issues with visibility in the FJC, yet LOVE the feeling in the 80 of being in a "bubble", so much more visibility. Love the extra room for my adult daughters and my 250 lbs of dogs (2), having rear windows that slide open for them.

My opinion is that both builds will wind up being similar in $$$, probably less for the 80 but your initial investment is much less with the 80. I bought mine for $7k w/125k miles. If I bought one of the 1500 TT editions of the FJC, I'd moth ball it so my kids could sell it on Barrett-Jackson in 30 years for some serious cash. You'll no doubt have fun with either, spend WAY more $$$$ than you think but it will retain value presuming you build it well and maintain it.

Hope this helps...

No you're not helping much, hahaha! I wonder how you felt about the 35x.10.50 SSR's on a daily driver? I've never owned a set, but I like the pizza cutters, they're a good way to get the clearance and require less lift and are easier on drivetrain, problem is you're limited to Interco which are awesome in the dirt, but tend to be sucky on the street. I've considered them for something like this. If BFG made a Mud Terrain in a 35x10.50 type size I'd be all over it.

Anyone know if you could get away with a small spacer on the Ultimate Edition Coilovers for a little height and run some UCA's for lift? How about the rear shocks? Will I want to replace them if I shove a small spacer in there or is there enough there to achieve full droop? I'm trying to figure out how much I could get away with keeping from the factory Ultimate Edition and still get what I want as far as trail performance. I don't care about tons of of lift, I'm a city dweller and shorter does make life easier, but if I spend the coin I need to get where I want it to go.

 

[Mtbcoach]

If I were to do it again, I'd stick with a 255/85/16 tire, true 33", not wide enough to cause problems, seems like Mr. T made the FJC for a 33" tire. The speedo was spot on, still drove well on the street and perfectly capable off-road, can fit the tire without a body mount chop, best size for the FJC IMHO.

Regarding the SS SSR's in 35x110.50...I still drove my as a DD 30% of the time, not a problem but I'm not a demanding road driver. I was able to get them balanced using airsoft pellets, yes, they are noisy but when rolling around with tube doors in the summer, everything is noisy.

I'm not a fan of spacer lifts. If you want to keep the integrity of the OEM set up, put them on the shelf for future re-install, the difference in the right coilover/spring setup is of magnitude better than spacer lifts. However, know the the original Toyota Trail Team drove the Rubicon with a spacer lift up front, with a heavy ARB bumper/Warn 8k winch on 285's. Yes, they were/are highly skilled drivers with outstanding spotters but doable none the less...

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

If I were to do it again, I'd stick with a 255/85/16 tire, true 33", not wide enough to cause problems, seems like Mr. T made the FJC for a 33" tire. The speedo was spot on, still drove well on the street and perfectly capable off-road, can fit the tire without a body mount chop, best size for the FJC IMHO.

Regarding the SS SSR's in 35x110.50...I still drove my as a DD 30% of the time, not a problem but I'm not a demanding road driver. I was able to get them balanced using airsoft pellets, yes, they are noisy but when rolling around with tube doors in the summer, everything is noisy.

I'm not a fan of spacer lifts. If you want to keep the integrity of the OEM set up, put them on the shelf for future re-install, the difference in the right coilover/spring setup is of magnitude better than spacer lifts. However, know the the original Toyota Trail Team drove the Rubicon with a spacer lift up front, with a heavy ARB bumper/Warn 8k winch on 285's. Yes, they were/are highly skilled drivers with outstanding spotters but doable none the less...

I've always found a 35 to be sort of the magic number for the sake of keeping your driveline intact, drive ability and being able to still get over anything, but if this goes through I may consider 33's, or maybe even those 34" toyos.

I'm not a fan of spacer lifts either. I don't mind a spacer with a coil sprung solid axle, but I'm a little Iffy on running them in the front. My thinking is that the ue coil overs and a small spacer I could get enough clear some good tires and still use the factory coil overs. I would definitely cycle the suspension and make sure i don't bottom out the coil overs before hitting the bumpstops, if I did I'd address that. I haven't seen the ue suspension in person to take any measurements so it's all conjecture at this point.

 

[OKAcid]

Just get them both. I picked up a 2014 this morning!

 

[OKAcid]

I'm not sure where my pictures went the first time.

 

[TrickyT]

I'm confused. You want a DD "grocery getter" and something capable of doing the Rubicon and trails in Moab, all in one vehicle? If so you're going to have to compromise somewhere along the line. I don't see a rig on 37's being convenient for the wife and an 18 month old. And I don't think you'd like doing the Rubicon on 33" tires (although those are technically OK for TLCA events), not unless you like dragging the undercarriage over a lot of rocks. So maybe you do need both so you can pick which one to use based on the particular trip at hand.

 

[MyCruiserisaHogBeast]

Well, I'm confused as to why it matters what I'm using it for and why you phrased the question like I don't know what I'm doing. Either way, I've daily driven FJ40's all my life so I guess my definition of a daily drivable truck is different. If my FJ40 had AC and safety glass I would have no problems installing a back seat and rocking it. My question is for anyone who has experience with both. Looks like I have my answers for the most part, thanks to all who chimed in.

 

[TrickyT]

I don't know how you read my post to mean you don't know what you're doing. I never said that. But I do think it matters what you're going to use the vehicle for, as those factors should be driving what mods you make. You mentioned a wide variety of activities and trails and my main point was that if you're going to try to meet all those goals you will be making compromises because you can't have a rig that is both optimal for a trail like the Rubicon and at the same time is optimal as a daily driver.

 

[l1coeea9]

Interesting concept of a truck as an investment. I "invested" in a 1991 FJ80 back in 1993 ($25K used). It will be 25 years old this Fall; a "classic" vehicle. I've kept the maintenance up all these years and kept it stock. It's been garage kept all of this time in So Cal - easy livin'. 257K miles on it now; limited off road use in Anza-Borego. Well, right now, with a full tank of gas in it, I could EASILY get $2,500 bucks! I plan on just driving it and keeping the maintenance up until they take away my license.