1972 FJ55 - Hamilton

[samc2447]

So I guess I better post up my own build thread so @RUSH55 can keep me on track

I've had this pig for a few years and bought it on the classifieds here as a project. The PO had owned it for a long time and modified it to suit his needs over time. At one point it had a sbc sm465 NP205 and 40inch tires. The truck sits on GM 14 bolt rear and Dana 60 front and has 4 wheel discs. He pulled it into his shop to lower it down to 37s and swap in a 6 liter truck engine. The motor got mounted but that's where the project stalled and he decided to sell. We agreed on a price and I arranged for transport to TX from Oregon. The seller was excellent and it was a very smooth transaction. Here are a few pictures from the for sale ad and show the condition it was in when I bought it.

These show it buttoned up for transport.

As it sat before it could be completed

 

[samc2447]

As I mentioned, the transaction with the seller was excellent. I wish I could say the same about the transporter I used. I forget exactly how I found him, but to call it a hassle would be an understatement. Pick up went ok, with a few minor delays. Then after picking up the truck he completely flaked out and would not communicate or tell me where he was. I had only partially paid, but he had the truck - I had the title and keys. I was able to finally track him down and my good buddy @Dirty Harry who lives near SLC went to retrieve the truck and store it at his place until I could go get it myself.

It was a nerve wracking few days of not knowing where the truck was, but once Zach had it I knew it would be safe until I could get it a few weeks later.

Headed back to TX.

So I was undergoing multiple life changes at this point in my life, including moving, so couldn't store the truck at my place while it was on the market. Enter my good friend @CenTXFJ60 who graciously said I could store it at his place until I moved and had space for it.

So I wanted to get the truck operational for Solid Axle Summit, but being in the midst of buying and selling a house and shop meant I had no real place to work on it. I enlisted another one of my good friends @POTATO LAUNCHER to take care of some of the larger items for me until I had my new shop settled and a place to work on it. Jimmy was heading to Colorado, so I asked him to drop the truck off at Casey's to take care of some of the work for me.

If you're sensing a theme, yes, this truck has more miles on the back of a trailer in the past 2 years than it probably had in it's last 10 under it's own power

 

[samc2447]

Next it was time to start spending some money on that $5000 budget.

Atlas transfer case with 3.8:1 low range. This only leaves half the budget to finish the build. Fortunately I ordered this right when I bought the truck and there was only a 3 month wait. After Covid started their lead times jumped to over a year for a while.

I should mention the drivetrain plan is the 6.0, NV4500 and the Atlas. @POTATO LAUNCHER mounted the Atlas and hooked up the transmission - it had only been put in place for transport and was held in with ratchet straps.

 

[samc2447]

The suspension on the truck was not what I had in mind and was too tall for my intended use. I wanted to do something a bit less ordinary and good for both on and off road use. I decided to use spring sliders Liquid Iron along with some 3/4 ton leaf packs from a Tahoe. I felt like this was going to give me the articulation and stance I was after. @POTATO LAUNCHER got to work and cut out all the old suspension and started installing the spring sliders.

And here is the finished truck on the new suspension for the first time. Still on 37s, but the height is where I want it to be.

 

[samc2447]

Next up were some shock hoops for the front. And a custom bumper design Casey came up with.

Casey also mounted the hydroboost and plumbed in the brake hard lines. To say I'm happy with Casey's work would be an understatement. His fabrication is top notch and I know it's extremely well built. He also puts a custom logo on every truck he builds, but this site is PG so you'll have to see it in person 😆

 

[samc2447]

So with Casey's work done I went to pick up the truck now that I was fully moved into my new place and shop. Except for taking it to my exhaust shop, I'm going to say this will be it's last ride on my trailer.

Time to get this thing ready to fire.

I started out with the original harness and had it 80% done, when I realized that the rear section for the automatic trans had been cut out, not an issue since I was using a 5 speed, but the VSS and something else (don't remember) had been cut out too. I was under a time crunch to get it running and tested before a trip, so hit the easy button and ordered a Painless harness.

Reality hit, and there was too much to do and drive it enough to where I would feel comfortable taking it on a long road trip, so I shelved it for several months and took another one of my Cruisers on the trip.

 

[samc2447]

Back on it now (mostly) and things are getting close to making some noise.

Wiring harness done and mostly hooked up. Keen eye's will note that I had to notch out the fender to clear the AC compressor. I inverted the hump and it turned out ok. There were some very thin areas that made welding it back a challenge, and if it wasn't my truck I would have replaced a lot more metal.

I had already determined to that I was going to use a mechanical fan, so ordered one of @FJ60Cam LS 55 radiators without the electrical fans. Quality is excellent as well as fit. However, I did have to relocate the lower radiator hose connection to add clearance for the mechanical fan.

I split the shroud so it can be removed without taking the whole radiator out. I'll get pictures of that later.

 

[samc2447]

Next up was the shifters for the Atlas. When I ordered it I selected the cable mount shifter as that gives a lot of flexibility on mounting locations. In my case however, it was an issue as there wasn't enough clearance between the Atlas and the NV4500 for the mount and the cables were too long and would wrap around too much and not shift properly.

This wasn't too unexpected when doing something custom, so I spend some time looking at the mechanical shift linkages on AA's website and settled on a set from a Heep that I could modify to fit. The kit gave me the hardware I needed, but I did have to cut and bend both shifters to fit through the original tunnel. The result was what I was after. I could have kept the placement and done a bunch of sheet metal work on the tunnel, but keeping the interior looking stock is one of my goals.

This is an in progress fitting of the mechanical shifters. I'll need to take a completed picture.

 

[samc2447]

Pulled it into the shop and installed a LRA 55 gallon tank with an in tank pump and a floatless sending unit.

 

[samc2447]

Next up was interior work. I patched a few small floor holes and then coated it with rust encapsulator after treating the rust.

Next epoxy to prepare for sound and heat control

 

[samc2447]

Cleaned the gutters, rust treated, primed, painted and new gutter seal

Gutter seal applied after these photos

 

[samc2447]

For wheels and tires, thinking I'll go with a 35 inch tire and 16 or 17 inch steel rim.

I bought one a few months back to check fit, and everything cleared on the front and rear.

 

[jfz80]

Love it. Remember that one on the market just so far away.

Awesome progress and selection of parts/build direction. This looks like it will be a fun one when done.

 

[SipLife]

Nice find Steve. Love the direction and vision. Hope to see this one at SAS 7. What are your plans for an airbox? Running a factory unit?

 

[RUSH55]

Awesome!!! Long time coming with this one @samc2447 ! Looks like you have about as solid of a platform anyone could ever hope for - you guys will be out crawling the trails of Moab in no time! Built rigs are getting further and fewer between, now I’ll have something new to drool over🤤

 

[POTATO LAUNCHER]

Great solution on the Atlas shifters. The cables just weren't going to do it with a bench seat. Nice progress.

 

[PabloCruise]

So I guess I better post up my own build thread so @RUSH55 can keep me on track

I've had this pig for a few years and bought it on the classifieds here as a project. The PO had owned it for a long time and modified it to suit his needs over time. At one point it had a sbc sm465 NP205 and 40inch tires. The truck sits on GM 14 bolt rear and Dana 60 front and has 4 wheel discs. He pulled it into his shop to lower it down to 37s and swap in a 6 liter truck engine. The motor got mounted but that's where the project stalled and he decided to sell. We agreed on a price and I arranged for transport to TX from Oregon. The seller was excellent and it was a very smooth transaction. Here are a few pictures from the for sale ad and show the condition it was in when I bought it.

These show it buttoned up for transport.
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As it sat before it could be completed
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Yeah, @RUSH55 can be a real task master!
I remember seeing this Pig around - nice score!!!

 

[PabloCruise]

As I mentioned, the transaction with the seller was excellent. I wish I could say the same about the transporter I used. I forget exactly how I found him, but to call it a hassle would be an understatement. Pick up went ok, with a few minor delays. Then after picking up the truck he completely flaked out and would not communicate or tell me where he was. I had only partially paid, but he had the truck - I had the title and keys. I was able to finally track him down and my good buddy @Dirty Harry who lives near SLC went to retrieve the truck and store it at his place until I could go get it myself.

View attachment 3219766

It was a nerve wracking few days of not knowing where the truck was, but once Zach had it I knew it would be safe until I could get it a few weeks later.

Headed back to TX.
View attachment 3219767

So I was undergoing multiple life changes at this point in my life, including moving, so couldn't store the truck at my place while it was on the market. Enter my good friend @CenTXFJ60 who graciously said I could store it at his place until I moved and had space for it.

View attachment 3219770

So I wanted to get the truck operational for Solid Axle Summit, but being in the midst of buying and selling a house and shop meant I had no real place to work on it. I enlisted another one of my good friends @POTATO LAUNCHER to take care of some of the larger items for me until I had my new shop settled and a place to work on it. Jimmy was heading to Colorado, so I asked him to drop the truck off at Casey's to take care of some of the work for me.

View attachment 3219771

If you're sensing a theme, yes, this truck has more miles on the back of a trailer in the past 2 years than it probably had in it's last 10 under it's own power

Do you think the transporter was going to try to keep your Pig? I wonder if they were smitten by the Pig and thought maybe they could elude you?

The theme I am sensing is that a good network of friends is priceless. It can really get you through some challenges!

 

[PabloCruise]

Next up were some shock hoops for the front. And a custom bumper design Casey came up with.

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Casey also mounted the hydroboost and plumbed in the brake hard lines. To say I'm happy with Casey's work would be an understatement. His fabrication is top notch and I know it's extremely well built. He also puts a custom logo on every truck he builds, but this site is PG so you'll have to see it in person 😆

Does the body sit level on the frame?

 

[PabloCruise]

Pulled it into the shop and installed a LRA 55 gallon tank with an in tank pump and a floatless sending unit.

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Floatless sending unit sounds pretty cool! What make/model are you going with?