frame swap lj77??? (1 Viewer)

[RAYJON]

doing a little talking with a fellow cruiserhead and the subject of a coil spring fj55 came up.

anyone seen or have pix of a fj55 on a 70 series chassis??

 

[lynchmob]

Sounds like a cool idea. Im pretty sure that someone has put a 55 on an 80 series frame.

 

[Ol Yeller]

The 1974 Surf Wagon...

 

[lelandEOD]

I do think it's a cool idea. Ray is trying to convince me to source a donor -77 with coils for my very "theoretical" FJ55 project.



I think it's a cool idea, just not sure how realistic it is to find a good donor -77/78 in the States. I was drawn to the concept of putting a more modern frame, suspension, and running gear under a -55 after reading the @lowtideride / @cruiserjunktion thread. My primary concern was getting the tires tucked under the -55 body to my satisfaction. Ray suggested a -77/-78 as a means to get the same benefits of a -80 coil/linked suspension, with a more appropriate frame/axle width. I gather the LJ series is less desirable and therefore potentially cheaper to acquire.

I just have no idea how likely it is to run into a suitable donor frame in the US? Probably not very likely. Lol.

 

[lelandEOD]

And I should note, it may even be possible to make it happen without sectioning the frame. The wheelbase for the -77 appears to be 107.48" while the -55 is 106.3" Pretty dang close!

 

[lynchmob]

Yeah but it has 8" diffs

 

[lelandEOD]

Yeah but it has 8" diffs

Yeah but it has 8" diffs

Exactly. You'd have to swap it for a 9.5" rear. It'd be a lot of work but I think you'd have to cut all the brackets off the LJ axle and weld them onto a FF -70 series axle.

 

[lelandEOD]

Seems like an expensive compromise.

Any reason to not go with a quality shop coilover conversion built for you driving/wheeling?

Paying a shop to do a coil conversion would not be in my budget and I don't have the knowhow to design a setup from scratch. The -80 frame/suspension seemed to be a good compromise. I occasionally see rolled -80s on Craigslist and thought it might be a good route to go. Ray suggested a -77 to solve the axle width issue, but, as pointed out, it creates an additional set of problems (availability and rear diff size).

 

[J Mack]

I don't have the knowhow to design a setup from scratch

Shoot @Dan Fredrickson a PM or give him a call and talk to him about his prebuilt kit if 'knowhow" is the only thing holding you back.

3 Link Kit with 1.25" Heims

 

[lelandEOD]

I don't know how to do a coil spring setup... actually, I do. The shop that will do the work for me is an expert at them as well as FJ55s I think when all is said and done, each end of my 55 will be in the $5k range including shocks.

The biggest issue I have with out of states type 'conversions' is the parts for fixing them aren't readily available in the states.

I forget the width on the FJ80s... I want to say 65". A stock FJ55 is 55". My green 55 is at 60" and just barely has some tire peaking out. My brown 55 is at 67" and has a truck load of tire sticking out. I'm still scratching my head on how to cover it.

Here is how 'bad' tire stick out is:
View attachment 1825147

Cool!

I've seen a -60 that Georg converted to coils up front and it was impressive. As much as I love Georg, at in my income bracket (which is $0) I just cannot be a check-writing 'cruiser client. Plus, I take great pride in doing things myself. : )

Being a stay-at-home-dad means I've got to find ways to do things very economically.

 

[Ol Yeller]

My brown 55 is at 67" and has a truck load of tire sticking out. I'm still scratching my head on how to cover it.

Looks bad ass though!

 

[Megadoomer]

I am not done at all but I am putting 80 radius arms and coilovers.
$40 for the arms
>$400 per shock for FOA 2.0 12in reservoir coilovers with dual springs
Panhar bar, sway bar, and various custom brackets might get up to $500.

This was a fitting pic I took.

Ask the sty. I'm the king of inexpensive upgrades.

 

[scrapdaddy]

I'm the king of inexpensive upgrades.

That work! Can't wait to see all your upgrades at PP19

 

[cruiserjunktion]

With the right wheels, the 80 axles don’t hang out too much. I’m running early tundra spares.