- Thread starter
- #281
Thanks for the encouraging comment. Glad you enjoyed it. We hope to have it finished soon.
4 door Fj45 on 80 series chassis (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Blackknight1
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #282
Been a while since we did anything significant to this monster. Today we placed the front seats in the cab. This is necessary to place my shifters, to fabricate any sort of center console .etc.
To do that it is also imperative to have a steering wheel in place to make sure that the driver seat is where it should be.
To that end, we'll be using the original steering wheel from the fj45. Those BMW X5 seats are finally getting some mounting brackets.
That was easy enough. We bent a 5" x 54" piece of 1/8 gauge sheetmetal into an L shape and ran it across the front oem seat mounts . This provided for the perfect front mount. The rear outer seat brackets will only need a hole to be drilled in the floor and done.... the inners will need a bit of fabrication but nothing overly complicated.
Did i mention that it's my first time sitting in it ?
That's a major achievement and a sign of things moving in the right direction. I'm a happy man !
To do that it is also imperative to have a steering wheel in place to make sure that the driver seat is where it should be.
To that end, we'll be using the original steering wheel from the fj45. Those BMW X5 seats are finally getting some mounting brackets.
That was easy enough. We bent a 5" x 54" piece of 1/8 gauge sheetmetal into an L shape and ran it across the front oem seat mounts . This provided for the perfect front mount. The rear outer seat brackets will only need a hole to be drilled in the floor and done.... the inners will need a bit of fabrication but nothing overly complicated.
Did i mention that it's my first time sitting in it ?
That's a major achievement and a sign of things moving in the right direction. I'm a happy man !
Don't forget to make engine noises. Gotta do it. 
- Thread starter
- #284
I had used the steering column from this project into the Fj40 when i converted it to the fj80 steering box. It was perfect for this one, but since the 40 was almost done, i figured it would be easy to simply order a new one , right ?
Wrong !!!! I looked all over for a decently priced one with no luck. A member here on Mud had one for sale ..... i was frustrated so i jumped on it. It came in looking different than what i had . Thing has a clamp at the floor mount..... i had never seen one like that , but i loved the fact that it was already splined for a universal joint and that someone had already installed a roller bearing at the end of it. Perfect , right ?
Wrong again !!!!!
We finally went to install it today and 2 new problems arose :
1) we finally installed the headers on the engine and the intermediate compressible rod fouls the shock mount on one side and the #3 header tube on the other.
2) we found a way to solve #1 . It will require a bit of cutting and welding but it will definitely work..... We raised the rod a bit , raised the column a bit too by modifying the floor column mount...
Perfect !!!!! Right ????
Technically yes..... but when i went to see how we looked inside : Major fail !!!! The darn column is too long , so much so that the steering wheel sticks out too much and almost touches the driver seat , making it extremely difficult to go in and out of the truck .
Jesus !!!!! I can fix that and will but why can't i have it easy like most ?
Here are some pics
Wrong !!!! I looked all over for a decently priced one with no luck. A member here on Mud had one for sale ..... i was frustrated so i jumped on it. It came in looking different than what i had . Thing has a clamp at the floor mount..... i had never seen one like that , but i loved the fact that it was already splined for a universal joint and that someone had already installed a roller bearing at the end of it. Perfect , right ?
Wrong again !!!!!
We finally went to install it today and 2 new problems arose :
1) we finally installed the headers on the engine and the intermediate compressible rod fouls the shock mount on one side and the #3 header tube on the other.
2) we found a way to solve #1 . It will require a bit of cutting and welding but it will definitely work..... We raised the rod a bit , raised the column a bit too by modifying the floor column mount...
Perfect !!!!! Right ????
Technically yes..... but when i went to see how we looked inside : Major fail !!!! The darn column is too long
, so much so that the steering wheel sticks out too much and almost touches the driver seat , making it extremely difficult to go in and out of the truck .Jesus !!!!! I can fix that and will but why can't i have it easy like most ?
Here are some pics
- Thread starter
- #285
Hahaha ! I did not want to mention that part , but i did quite a bit of thatDon't forget to make engine noises. Gotta do it.
- Thread starter
- #286
The steering wheel i posted a picture of is the one that originally belonged to the 45 . The previous owner had it wrapped into some weird cover thing. I cut that thing off to expose the wheel and low and behold, it came out in pristine condition ! Great ! Someone finally did me a favor
.
I see them online quite often and they're pretty expensive when in such good shape. All that's missing is the rectangular Land Cruiser logo that normally goes in the middle, but i have one on an old 60 series..... We need more of these small victories .
i still need to figure out what shifter to use for the transmission. I also get headaches from thinking about what to use for the Hf2av to switch from high to low gear. Guys who have installed Black boxes between their 6L80e / 6L90e and Hl2av t-cases, please chime in and help a brother out.
.I see them online quite often and they're pretty expensive when in such good shape. All that's missing is the rectangular Land Cruiser logo that normally goes in the middle, but i have one on an old 60 series..... We need more of these small victories .
i still need to figure out what shifter to use for the transmission. I also get headaches from thinking about what to use for the Hf2av to switch from high to low gear. Guys who have installed Black boxes between their 6L80e / 6L90e and Hl2av t-cases, please chime in and help a brother out.
When I did my 40, I used a 60 column and a mini truck shaft from column to box. Only cutting was on the column itself to move the bracket where it bolts to the under side of the dash and moved the floor mount a little bit. Been a while, but pretty sure thats all that was involved. Had tilt, and still a 60 steering wheel. Just an idea if you have a 60 around. Took me about an afternoon start to finish.
- Thread starter
- #289
Good idea. I have a 60 and i'll look at its column in the morning. I am not sure that this one had tilt but that would be awesome if it did. Thanks for your input.
- Thread starter
- #290
Ok. I looked at that 60's column and looks like it will work . Thanks , @ Cruzin FJ for the tip. Best part is the tilt . That's gonna work perfectly .
In other news, we started the installation of the back seat. I have this old Defender Discovery in the yard. I am not much into these. So i know that i' ll never build it..... took some measurements of the 45's seating area. Measured the Discovery' s back seat.......
In other news, we started the installation of the back seat. I have this old Defender Discovery in the yard. I am not much into these. So i know that i' ll never build it..... took some measurements of the 45's seating area. Measured the Discovery' s back seat.......
- Thread starter
- #291
. Perfect !!!!! Looks absolutely beautiful in there. While i started gathering materials to build a seat frame to mount it inside the truck, one of the guys had a stroke of genius : - Why don't we cut out the complete floor section where the seat mounted in the discovery and install it in the 45 ?
- Heck yeah !
That is all my man needed to hear
Went to the hardware store to get some fasteners but by the time i came back, that Discoverywas out of a section of its floor
- Thread starter
- #292
Yes !!!!! We bolted the seat back on it. Trimmed a little sheet metal here and a little there, threw it in the 45 ..... a few tack welds and ......
- Thread starter
- #293
Well danm !! That looks frikin awesome !!!! Best part is, they're in great shape, i will get them reupholstered and add a bit of material to make it look like it had always been in there. Mounted into the 45 in minutes . And if that was not good enough and since good ideas come in pairs, i decided that we'd make a compartment for the battery and another for storage , since the back seat folds and tumbles.
I don't know how to play baseball but i'll call this one a HOMERUN !
All i have left to do for that is to add the necessary sheet metal where needed to close up the open spaces under the floor and decide what color leather i want on the front and back seat ....
I'm in Heaven !
I don't know how to play baseball but i'll call this one a HOMERUN !
All i have left to do for that is to add the necessary sheet metal where needed to close up the open spaces under the floor and decide what color leather i want on the front and back seat ....
I'm in Heaven !
- Thread starter
- #294
This seat could not have been better
Thing folds, tumbles has space behind it for my low range speakers, space under for my battery, which in turn will save me from having that ugly battery in my engine compartment. I have space to store my AR and a machete back there
I'm so happy ,i can't even sleep !!!
Thing folds, tumbles has space behind it for my low range speakers, space under for my battery, which in turn will save me from having that ugly battery in my engine compartment. I have space to store my AR and a machete back there
I'm so happy ,i can't even sleep !!!
- Thread starter
- #295
This thing even has cup holders !!!! Did you guys see the cup holders ???
And the middle turns into an arm rest !!!! I wish i could post a video of this things features .... wow never been much into european cars and trucks but this back seat sure put a smile on my face.
We normally start working at 8: 00 a.m..... it is now 5:35 am but i want to go there now !
What a fool i am !!!!!
And the middle turns into an arm rest !!!! I wish i could post a video of this things features .... wow never been much into european cars and trucks but this back seat sure put a smile on my face.
We normally start working at 8: 00 a.m..... it is now 5:35 am but i want to go there now !
What a fool i am !!!!!
Hell yeah, looks great!
- Thread starter
- #298
- Thread starter
- #299
Today, we worked on the battery box, the storage box under the back seat and the fj60 steering column conversion.
Looking at that pic, I think I cut that bracket off and moved the one on the floor so it would sit up in that notch in the dash and thru the floor a little further. I then welded the stock 40 strap onto the 40 column. Been so long, but I know I didnt cut the dash at all and the plastic cover for the 60 fit pretty well also w/out trimming. I wish I knew what happened to all of the pics I had.
