Build 4 door Fj45 on 80 series chassis

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Ok...
Today was a good day. We continued working on the rock guard and the fuel tank installation.... the rock guard had had to be modified but fits the plastic tank like a glove

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The fuel tank and rock guard sit high up between the frame rails and are almost invisible, looking from the sides and the rear, so the chances of scraping them against rocks or while going down ledges are low to inexistant with my ground clearance. The additional 2.5" lift from the Dobinsons suspension is not even accounted for yet😁
I decided to make my fuel tank straps out of stainless steel. My current daily driver is a 2010 Toyota Hiluxand i almost lost my fuel tank due to the staps being totally rusted and rotted out. Not trying to have that happen again . I think stainless might last a bit longer.

We' ll order up and install a pair of ARB air lockers and this thing should be pretty capable off-road .
I'm losing patience more often these days but i must recognize that i can almost taste the first drive with the advances we're making😜
I hope i can post a video of that when the time finally comes.

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We managed to pull the fuel tank up about another 2.5" . It still does not touch the bottom of the bed. With that, the only way to see it is by laying under the truck... so basically, the tank and the rock guard sit about half an inch above the bottom of the frame rails.
Being this high up, i can't imagine anything puncturing this tank.

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I was not particularly satisfiedwith the way the rear corner windows were being executed, which is why the whole back area area was put on hold.you'll see why in the next picture.
Since it bothered me so much , i enlisted the help of a different guy . He showed more patience to the metal and i think you'll all agree that the results show and speK for themselves.

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We kept plugging at the air box. My bends miraculously showed up less than 1 week after i ordered them😵 . Amazing...... my supercharger is still taking its sweet time after months of waiting .... my shifter from Pace performance was only ordered months ago but pipe bends only take 1 week🤬🤬.
Well , not what i was expecting to get , but since they're here, let's keep moving.

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I got a suprise call from my shipper today🥳.
No, it's not from Boost district, but i was waiting for this one for quite a while. The transmission shifter is finally here !👏👏👏. Now, i can finish this center console ! Install this thing in itand be done with that !!😁
This unexpected Christmas gift made my day . Of course, it came with nointructions and at first sight, it seems like it will be way too wide for the spot on the center console where i want to insall it.

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Yeah...... the plastic base is definitely too wide to fit the way i'd envisionned . This wouldtake some extensive cutting into the plastic shifter base and some serious cutting into the center console.
I already was getting a headache from the thoght of it when i took the time to scrutinize this thing and figured out how to separate the shifter from its mounting base without destroying it.
I was able to do just that but please asking how long it took me to figure it out will not get an answer🤯. It was pretty easy too.... ( this is embarassing).
Anyway..... i got it. It's not broken..... and it will be in the truck tomorrow😃
Nice product, by the way. Came complete with hardware , mounting brackets and the cable.
No instructions in my box, but i should be able to figure out the way to do it properly.

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I had ordered and received a radiator from Champion cooling systems for this project. At the time, my Fj40 was nearing completion and while i had an old radiator for it i decided to use it on the 40 and that i'd get a proper Ls conversion radiator for this one when i'd get a bit further in this build..
The time came 2 months ago , so i attempted to order the new one, only to be told : " Sorry , sir.... We're out of stock......"🤬🤬🤬🤬
This must be the one sentence i hate hearing most in life.
So 2 months later, i keep checking with them periodically (translate that by 3x a week), and keep hearing my favorite sentence.
I looked and found one on that famous auction site and jumped on it😎
Everything takes longer to get here, so, while i wait for the call from the shipper to go pick it up, i decided to use my old Fj40's radiator to build the radiator core support and the frame mounts.
The idea here is to keep moving forward with this build as i am losing patience and i need to see, feel and and hear my results.
The champion radiator is the same size as the oem one and has similarly placed mounting holes.
So i will build the radiator spport core today, install the old brass one in , while i wait for the new rad to move into its new home
Also in my plans for today , is the intallation of the shifter cable.... i looked at the way to do that and it seems like i'm already meeting difficulties. The cable's anchor bracket on the transmission side fouls the driver side exhaust pipe 🤥 and i sure as heck don't want to cut into my exhaust pipe.

My stainless steel tube kit is here, so hopefully, there will be some bending and flaring action today.
 
Ok. Shifter Cable is installed . It goes smoothly into all positions.
I must say that i'm quite happy that i did not have to cit up my exhaust system to install this darn cable.
I'm happy overall with the progress. We should see this thing done by April 2024 , if things keep going well😁
Unfortunately, i ran out of 1/8 shet metal , so i could not make the radiator core support. I guess that will wait until 2024. 😁
 
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