And do whatever it takes to get a front sway bar. For high speed you will need it. The radius arms make the front axle tube a sway bar so you will need something.
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- Thread starter
- #122
I'd thought about that in the past but hadn't put much thought into that lately, since you bring it up that might work out nicely though and I could have the outboard shock mounted to the bottom of the frame essentially and then make a cross member for the inboard shocks to mount to. I don't think I'd have to angle them inwards at all....
That's good to know, I didn't realize that about the radius arm stuff but makes sense. I saw a Currie bar locally for sale the other day and was debating getting it, I might jump on it since I'll definitely get some gnarly roll without the radius arms now.
Imagine the oem shock mounts on the axle but on the backside and... you know, in double shear. I think when I did some measuring a 14" c/o would fit only if mounted near the tub, and slightly inboarded. Right below the frame might be not enough distance at full stuff.... unless im misunderstanding your idea.
So I am working on packaging one right now but I have a wider axle than you so i dont know if itll work or not... but the steering box arm is the monument that presents a hurdle. Still, i think I might have found a way. Since its sort of a short sway bar length, the thickest currie setup in a 36" you can get is like .850 - and I think in this case we need something better than q&t 4130. You can try it though. You have the advantage of having moved the radiator and no fenders so you may be in a better position than the rest of us.
I wouldn't cut that front bumper up. Sell it and build your own minimal bumper.
- Thread starter
- #125
No you're understanding me, I'm just spit balling. I'm not a fan of angling the shocks inboard if I can avoid it, so if I could just mount to the bottom of the frame that'd be nice. That's why I was thinking of just cutting the back of the frame off since it's not helping me anyways, and route it up so I can tie the shocks into it so they're only angled front to back slightly.
Not a bad idea, but I doubt I could get much for it. It has a little surface rust and the support plate next to the winch that the passenger wing mounts to is already bent. If I had time to build something I would definitely do that instead, but between the money I'd lose on the bumper and having to build a new bumper plus the rest of the truck in like 5 weeks, that's probably not gonna happen haha
Angling inboard isnt so bad... just a lil bit not all 45 degree 4runner stupidlike
BlueCruiser84
SILVER Star
Agreed. Buy a $50 harbor freight winch plate and don't cut up your $800 bumper...
- Thread starter
- #128
Well you guys convinced me enough to post on TLCA and a local Toyota group on Facebook to see if anyone would take it. Asking $800, I feel like that's fair since the kit alone is $600 plus labor to weld it (which 4x4labs values at $600+, though obviously I'm far from a professional welder). We'll see, it's a little rough but it's also not cost effective to get rid of it for much cheaper.
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Great build. Been following it and enjoying your progress. Sad to see you out of the stock class though. From what I've read I can't seem to find any one running a Fj80 in the Everyman challenge yet. Have you heard of any one other than you and the m80 build attempting to get there in the stock class??
- Thread starter
- #131
I forgot my camera when I went to the shop yesterday, but I got the 3 link kit from Ruffstuff in as well as four coilovers from ADS. Additionally yesterday I bought four bypasses from ADS which sounds like will be here next week. I've started setting up the rear end of the truck, I will move the fuel cell and be running the shocks through the floor in the back (which I cut out the whole floor already). I will have the axle bumped where it currently is, so shock setup is pretty easy. With how high I'm bumping there is no way to practically mount the shocks under the truck since they're so long unless I angled the s*** out of them, so I'll be running the coilovers and bypasses through where the stock spring seat is, and then will have the hydro bump mounted under the frame where the stock bump is. Should be a simple setup and work well. The fuel cell I'm moving down and back so the bottom will sit flush with the bottom of the frame. This should add a lot of room and fit perfectly, as well as moving the CG down and back. I'll try to get some pictures later tonight!
I don't want to travel or ship it is the issue. I think I've decided to not cut it up, it'll be easier to just weld a winch plate onto the bumper and do a simple bull bar up front. If I still have it and make it through Glenwood I'd gladly drop it off, but when I'm at school I rarely take 70 through CO.
I would've liked to stay in the stock class, but ultimately my mission is to race and go fast and there is only so much you can do within stock class rules (at least with a FJ80 lol). I don't really follow anything, I don't know what the m80 build is. When I was in Moab there were some dude I talked to who I guess planned/were racing stock class but going to bump to 4500 too? I didn't get the full scoop on that. I also heard after the first race I did, that there was someone who raced an 80 but I don't know what or when that was. Those are the only (North America) based guys I've ever heard of racing an 80, but like I said I've never looked into so I'm sure there has been and are more.
I don't want to travel or ship it is the issue. I think I've decided to not cut it up, it'll be easier to just weld a winch plate onto the bumper and do a simple bull bar up front. If I still have it and make it through Glenwood I'd gladly drop it off, but when I'm at school I rarely take 70 through CO.
I would've liked to stay in the stock class, but ultimately my mission is to race and go fast and there is only so much you can do within stock class rules (at least with a FJ80 lol). I don't really follow anything, I don't know what the m80 build is. When I was in Moab there were some dude I talked to who I guess planned/were racing stock class but going to bump to 4500 too? I didn't get the full scoop on that. I also heard after the first race I did, that there was someone who raced an 80 but I don't know what or when that was. Those are the only (North America) based guys I've ever heard of racing an 80, but like I said I've never looked into so I'm sure there has been and are more.
Will all of these modifications put you in a different race class?
- Thread starter
- #133
My original plan was stock class (4600) and to eventually go to mod class (4500), but then decided to just go straight to 4500. So yea, I'm in a different class than originally planned but I never raced that class in the first place since the two races I've done didn't have any classes more or less.
For stock class you're limited to 35s, single shock per corner and for me it can only be a reservoir shock (no coilovers), stock body, etc. Which you can build a very very capable truck around that, but it was never my intention to have this be a mildly built wheeling rig. Mod class allows for dual shocks, bypasses, hydraulic bump stops, 37s, it has to have "some" body work but very minimal, etc. it's a pretty unlimited class with the exception of tire size and some steering requirements. It's also obviously a much more expensive class, but I'm not competitive anyways so I don't really care. In my opinion it'll be a lot more fun weekend wheeling rig, as well as more fun to build since I can do whatever I want. It'll be more racecar than FJ, where as stock class is more FJ than racecar.
Compete to complete!
- Thread starter
- #135
Ruff stuff 3 link kit:
Here is where I left off today:
I didn't get as far as I planned, I was hoping to get the rear shocks all mocked up but cutting the shock mounts took a lot longer than I was expecting so I called it a day early. The frame is mostly ground down where the spring bucket used to be, and the axle is all cleaned out where the spring perch was there. I also got the shock cross tube tacked where I wanted it. I plan to have the shocks one in front of the other, this way there will be plenty of space to work on them versus side by side. Although I don't have the bypasses yet, they have the same collapsed and extended length, and I know roughly how wide the bypass tubes are and the piggy back size, so I can use two coilovers to mockup the dual shock setup on each side. I tried to get both coilovers mocked up before I left (the bypasses will be in the rear where there is more room, but with the panhard mount that side requires some more custom mounting so was just gonna skip it for today). I had cut out a bunch of mounting tabs for the coilovers, so mounted up the driver's side but it turned out the mounts will be too long and pushes the shock too far forward so it hits the upper link cross member at full droop, after that I decided to call it a night! I'll shorten the top and bottom mounts and that should pull the coilover back far enough to have clearance, if that doesn't work I can move some other stuff around. But besides having to cut and grind a lot of 1/4" plate, everything will go fast for the rear!
I'm hoping to have the front and rear suspensions mocked up by the end of next weekend. I think my codriver is coming up next week so we can pound out the front. I still need to go through and research and calculate the front end geometry, but I have a good idea of where I want/need everything.
Here is where I left off today:
I didn't get as far as I planned, I was hoping to get the rear shocks all mocked up but cutting the shock mounts took a lot longer than I was expecting so I called it a day early. The frame is mostly ground down where the spring bucket used to be, and the axle is all cleaned out where the spring perch was there. I also got the shock cross tube tacked where I wanted it. I plan to have the shocks one in front of the other, this way there will be plenty of space to work on them versus side by side. Although I don't have the bypasses yet, they have the same collapsed and extended length, and I know roughly how wide the bypass tubes are and the piggy back size, so I can use two coilovers to mockup the dual shock setup on each side. I tried to get both coilovers mocked up before I left (the bypasses will be in the rear where there is more room, but with the panhard mount that side requires some more custom mounting so was just gonna skip it for today). I had cut out a bunch of mounting tabs for the coilovers, so mounted up the driver's side but it turned out the mounts will be too long and pushes the shock too far forward so it hits the upper link cross member at full droop, after that I decided to call it a night! I'll shorten the top and bottom mounts and that should pull the coilover back far enough to have clearance, if that doesn't work I can move some other stuff around. But besides having to cut and grind a lot of 1/4" plate, everything will go fast for the rear!
I'm hoping to have the front and rear suspensions mocked up by the end of next weekend. I think my codriver is coming up next week so we can pound out the front. I still need to go through and research and calculate the front end geometry, but I have a good idea of where I want/need everything.
- Thread starter
- #136
Got the rear coilovers mocked up this morning. I ended up cutting the shock tube up and putting two 45 deg bends in to push it back, and then sleeving and lengthened it. This seemed like the most elegant way to put the shocks where I wanted them and I think it turned out great!
She flexes a lot more than I expected for using only 14s, I think it'll be wicked at crawling and with the bypasses do really well going fast! I'm guessing around 27" of flex travel, right now the rotor hits the floor before the shocks max out.
Just need to make the bypass mounts and the rear is essentially done!
She flexes a lot more than I expected for using only 14s, I think it'll be wicked at crawling and with the bypasses do really well going fast! I'm guessing around 27" of flex travel, right now the rotor hits the floor before the shocks max out.
Just need to make the bypass mounts and the rear is essentially done!
- Thread starter
- #138
Yea, there's more room on the back side for the piggyback, though in reality I think I'll be able to interchange them without any difference. The drivers bypass mount on the axle will be short and come off the panhard bracket which I'll probably reinforce a bit, the passenger side is just the same mounts as the coilovers.
You work fast and make a very interesting thread. Are you an engineering student?
