4 door fj-40 donor vehicle (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 10, 2018
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Location
Oklahoma
Hello all. Am looking for some guidance. Trying to figure out what year model to hunt down for a donor vehicle for a project I want to do. Looking to take the rolling frame from a 5.9 Cummins ram for a diesel Or a Toyota Tundra for a gas rig. (Haven’t decided which way I want to go yet.) And transplant a body from an fj40 on to it with a hard top. Will be looking to stretch it to a four door unit. The three big things I’m looking for 1) year model bodies/tubs without the under seat mount gas tank? 2) what year model rear doors would work best? Not sure if I can use a standard front door and put new glass in it without an angled front? 3) how do I title such a vehicle so I can drive it in the road? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
1979+ have the gas tank under the bed. 1978 and earlier are under the seat.
 
If you have the skills to do that kind of build......you should know the answers to these questions already.

What a stupid thing to say .... WTF does skills have to do with specific model knowledge ?

Anyway I think what some above are saying is that there is a Compnay out there called Aquala that offers a number of ready made 40 series style bodies that are designed to fit onto an 80 series chassis.

FJ80

There are also a number of build on here where people are doing exactly that.

Good luck with your search
 
What to do it from steel would be looking for two tubs to start with. Thinking pre 79 might be a little easier to deal with the transition from the back of the front seat to the floor of the second row floor. 79 floor lifts just at the front edge of the front seats and does not drop. Early to 78 front and 79+ back would. Aquala would a easier option.
 
What a stupid thing to say .... WTF does skills have to do with specific model knowledge

Because people who can build that type of stuff usually do their homework on a project before asking these types of questions.

Judging by the likes I received, I am not the only one who feels this way.
 
Because people who can build that type of stuff usually do their homework on a project before asking these types of questions.

Judging by the likes I received, I am not the only one who feels this way.

That's my point .... wouldn't you consider posting on a forum asking questions an important part of doing homework ?
 
That's my point .... wouldn't you consider posting on a forum asking questions an important part of doing homework ?

Not necessarily, There's a very good "advanced search" function on this website. The wealth of info on this site is amazing.
 
Way to welcome a new member! Weird how the Facebook groups are taking off? :hmm: tbh the search function on Mud is s***e, google is much better. Google is so good that if you include 'ih8mud' in the search parameters then it will find data on here much better than if you use the Mud specific search function.

I'm not familiar with either platform as we never got them down under, but personally I'd use an FZJ80 chassis and lengthen it to around 120". They're an exceptional chassis. With a decent lift you'll still have lots of ramp over. But no matter which chassis you use, I'd source two FJ40 bodies 1975-1979, ie. use tank-in-cab models with four bolt brake booster/master. Then the floor won't kick up at the rear and you can easily create a flat floor that runs straight through from the firewall to the back cab wall. I'd also delete the in-cab tank while I was there and flat sheet that sucker. But that's just me.

You can run any era doors you want with a striker changeover plate, but the later lift-up door handles will bolt up to these era bodies. If you have non-quarter glass doors you could shorten the rear doors and straighten the window frame to vertical so that you can cut the OEM glass. Or keep 'em OEM length, straighten the window frame to vertical and get custom glass cut. It won't be that expensive as it's flat. I'd do option 2 but that's just me.

Titling? That's outta my league. Gary Waggoner titled his Project X as an FJ45. In AUs they make us title it as the donor chassis.

Overall mate there's a zillion 40 series four door projects out there, so google is your friend. Lots of good images to help. There's also a number of minute changes to the series throughout the run that can create small headaches for custom builds, so I'd start reading threads in great detail and start to learn those.

Good luck! And don't forget to get your silver star.
 
Thanks for all the input. I started a frame off 73 fj-40 about 15 years ago but never finished due to changing jobs and moving out of state. I got the project basically to paint. Swapped an LT1 and NV4500 into the stock chassis, did a spring over conversion on the axles, and to many other things to list. But basically I spent 10k in about a week gathering all the big items I wanted to put in the cruiser. But never finished the project due to being nickeled and dimed to death. Learned a lot the first go round. And it seems a full rolling chassis swap will be my easiest route.

I have looked online at different projects and really want to stay with a steel tub. Mainly because I can make any mods myself. Redline Land Cruisers has a 4 door aluminum tub. But I don’t really like the door layout on it. And the fact that the tub floor is flat. It just doesn’t look as sturdy.

The other 4 door units I’ve seen have a smaller rear door and really want to stay with a full size door. Was curious to see if anyone had any experience modifying the doors to take out the angle on the front side. It seems simple enough to change. Just didn’t know if there was going to be a hidden issue I hadn’t thought of.

I’ve changed the entire floor and rear quarters on a 1968 firebird convertible. The metal work doesn’t scare me. I just want to make sure I pick the right parts this go round so I actually get to drive my cruiser. Will search the archives here and see if I can come up with more advice.

Thanks again
 

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