Take 3, the forever 45 (1 Viewer)

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Vossie

#thecrazycruiserman
Joined
Sep 9, 2013
Threads
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1,407
Location
Harare, Zimbabwe
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Hi all. So I have had the pleasure of owning and building 2 FJ45s in my life, and I'm about to build my 3rd.

A couple of criteria of what I want this build to be:
1. A modern drive train. I've chosen a 1uz vvti paired with a R151 5 speed manual gearbox.
2. A Comfortable ride. This will be my DD, and although I live in Zimbabwe and do plan to go into the Bush and do some 4x4ing, it doesn't need to be a mad crawler or super mud machine. It just needs to be able to handle what the standard 4x4 of today handles. To this end, I'm going IFS in the front, coils in the rear, courtesy of a 2nd gen 4runner chassis.
3. Its got to look like a 45. I want to obviously retain the looks that we all love. There is more than likely going to be some chassis lengthening on the 4runner chassis as its very short, but it will still be shorter than a true 45. But at a glance, it should be a 45, just one that when someone in the know looks at, you double take and go, there's something different going on here.
4. Interior. I'm wanting a mix of modern and classic. I don't want to clutter the dash with too much, but I'm a sucker for gauges and switch panels. This one I'm going to have to feel out as I go. Oh, and I want it to have very good AC. More on that later.
5. This is it, my forever cruiser. I want to make something totally unique, totally my own, that I will never, ever sell. This is going to be mine for all time, a cruiser that will never be done and I can always tinker and fettle with.

So, here's the plan. I'm going to take this body...
20211122_162733.jpg

Mount it on the chassis of this 2nd gen 4runner...
20211127_141725.jpg

And then steel the heart and any other interior goodies plus the complete AC out of this LS400
20210825_125247.jpg

And yes, I have the wife's permission 😁

Oh, and I suppose I should add in here, that since my last 45, I have become a full time bladesmith and knife maker. I have my own home workshop set up to this end, so I'm not worried about fabricating any small fiddly parts, or even larger ones, that may need to be made to make this build work. In fact, I look forward to the challenge. This is the kind of stuff I make now, so I would like to think I have an eye for detail now 😅
20211102_194650_remastered.jpg


So, let the fun and games begin!!
 
Keep the 45 frame and solid front axle .
Ifs and frame swap always end up looking weird with the front wheel pushed backwards
Ja, im aware of the spacing issue. Its a tough one, but it's doable. Keeping the 45 frame is unfortunately not an option as it has no paperwork, lost to eons of time.


I have reposted this in the hard-core section as I think it should really be there. Thats where the build post will be
 

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