Builds 4508 - Ultra4 Racetruck Build (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Jun 3, 2015
Threads
11
Messages
243
Location
SW Utah
Backstory:

My sister got this 1996 80 series as her first vehicle a few years ago, which she ended up rolling in April this year.

3576904B-9760-45F6-950D-82F07B5CCFCC_zps0hg7afml.jpg


I have been planning/wanting to get into offroad racing for awhile, and started to get plans in motion this year to race King of the Hammers 2018. My plan is to race the Every Man Challenge (EMC) in the 4600 Stock Class, which essentially means the truck is limited to 35" tires, stock type suspension, "stock" drivetrain, and a bunch of other requirements but the gist is 35s and stock guts. Originally I planned on getting a cheap 3rd gen 4Runner, which I already have a Long Traveled one of so am super familiar with; that idea then evolved into getting a UTV to race, though a few days ago I went shopping around for a Can-Am X3 and the $23k price tag shocked me back to reality. From there I started shopping for cheap trucks again to do a "budget" race car. My dad and I had tentatively been planning to swap a second FJ40 we have onto the rolled FJ80 chassis, though yesterday my dad suggested I just use the FJ80 since the FJ40 build was gonna take awhile.

So that leads to yesterday; I already had powerpoints and spreadsheets from when I was planning to build a 4Runner, so with some modification I got an idea of what I needed to do to make the FJ80 race ready and got to work. King of the Hammers is the end of January, and I have one semester of college left, so essentially I have ~4 months to build a race legal truck, without the ability to work on it during the fall.

This build will be fast, cheap, and dirty. Since I have limited time, I have a list of priorities that need to be done and will work through them. Things like a roll cage and safety gear is #1, things like a 3 link are mid level, and things like bump stops are last. In the next few years I'll probably improve on everything, but as far as KOH 2018 is considered, I want a race legal truck and any additional mods I can squeeze in on time. My sister had named the truck "Drogo" after the Game of Thrones character, so without further ado, here is the revival, build, and hopefully racing of Drogo the 4600 truck!
 
Starting out yesterday, my goal was to move the truck near our garage. It had been parked in the back yard since it rolled.

DSC_0325_zpsitbma3ou.jpg


I figured I wouldn't be able to turn the engine over, but gave it a shot, though it didn't move expectantly.

The FJ40 mobile workshop:

DSC_0326_zps1dxwhe2x.jpg


DSC_0329_zpssjdemdek.jpg


I pulled the plugs and the back two were caked with oil.

DSC_0327_zpskqm78a5o.jpg


So at least the piston rings are good since the oil hadn't drained out... With the plugs out I cranked the engine, which I should of put rags everywhere but too late. As expected the thing puked oil everywhere.

DSC_0330_zpsfzysw7rk.jpg


So at the moment, the engine bay is totally covered in oil. It seems like all 6 cylinders were full of oil too. I wiped everything down and put towels on everything possible and kept cranking it, but that didn't really work great. Today I tried it again, and then cleaned the plugs and put them back in but I couldn't get the engine to crank more than half a turn before it'd hydrolock. The plan is to try and vacuum out all the oil, so my dad and I decided to use the tractor and move the 80 to the garage which took a few hours due to the 3ft of snow we got a few days ago.
 
DSC_0334_zpsnarcyemw.jpg


With the 80 parked at the back of the shop, I went to town slowly pulling it apart. I figure taking the pieces off I don't want/need will be one of the longer single tasks, so will just work on it a few hours here and there. I'll be traveling for the next week and a half so won't be able to do much but got a bit done today. This is the condition of the 80 due to the roll:

DSC_0336_zpsd1ve9xlv.jpg


DSC_0337_zpsfubwmf9e.jpg


DSC_0340_zpskxfryhmo.jpg


DSC_0341_zpstizadcxv.jpg


DSC_0342_zpsllbxbved.jpg


DSC_0343_zpsosano472.jpg


The truck isn't in super bad shape, but the body is pretty dented up and the roof is obviously caved in on the drivers side. The windshield and drivers door window were shattered. Somehow all the other windows (including the sunroof) aren't even cracked.

I started by yanking the front bumper and driver's fender so I could open the driver's door all the way. After that I pulled the seats. Needless to say I will be running race seats and harnesses.

DSC_0344_zpsacaoihhu.jpg


After that I pulled some of the side panels and carpet and then the seat belts.

DSC_0346_zpsidhoxnp8.jpg


And that's where I left off for today. Like I said, I'll be traveling so nothing to post for a few days. I plan to gut the doors and leave just the sheet metal on the outside. I'll get a quick disconnect steering wheel, pull the airbags, maybe pull the headliner (undecided if I want to keep it or not), and pull all the climate controls and stuff.

I want to keep the truck somewhat true to form, so am thinking of keeping the whole dash in and putting all the gauges and switches where the stock climate control/radio is and the passenger airbag. The outside of the truck will probably be fairly stock looking. My current plan is to eventually cut the roof off at the window line once I have the cage tacked in so I can fully weld it, then drop the roof back down. I'll be putting a fuel cell and either one or two spares in the back (and probably leave the stock tail gate in, I like it). Ideally I'll run 14" 2.5 piggyback Kings on all 4 corners and 3 link the front too. Then probably TR Beadlocks like are on my 40 series which I really like, and some gnarly tire like a bias ply Trepador. I'm close friends with the owner of SRQ Fabrications (they build mostly 4Runner stuff) and will be sponsored by them so will be getting some goodies at cost too. Ideally I'll wrap the truck once I'm done and run my companies logo plus SRQ and any other sponsors I get lucky enough to pick up. Anyways, this is the beginning of my adventures into offroad racing! Fingers crossed!
 
This should be fun to follow..... i see some sun visors that will fund your build ;)

hopefully cranking it before pulling plugs didnt do any damage.... did she try to turn?
Once plugs are pulled and oil evacuated by turning over a few times, ive seen good success with firing back up after a roll.
Good luck and have fun with the build as well as the race.
 
This should be fun to follow..... i see some sun visors that will fund your build ;)

hopefully cranking it before pulling plugs didnt do any damage.... did she try to turn?
Once plugs are pulled and oil evacuated by turning over a few times, ive seen good success with firing back up after a roll.
Good luck and have fun with the build as well as the race.

My understanding is that the starter isn't powerful enough to harm anything if the engine is hydrolocked, only if it's running and suddenly locks up do rods bend which is why I decided to just crank it and see what would happen. I wasn't able to get it to fire even after I let it spit out a ton of oil, but I could tell there was still a lot left. I have no doubt it'll fire right up, the trick is just getting enough oil out that the plugs won't get coated when it cranks so it can actually spark. My plan is to use the shop vac and a small hose and suck the cylinders dry, since no matter how much I crank it with the plugs out I can't get enough oil to spit out the top... At least that's my plan at the moment!
 
:popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn::popcorn:
 
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
image.jpeg
Good idea for a 4600 class car.

I have been racing KOH since 2009, I switched over to 4600 class in 2014.
Great group of guys in that class super fun and challenging any Ultra4 race you run a 4600 class car in. It's the drivers class.

A couple words of advice. There is a lot of grey area in the rules so consider that while you are building. If possible get quite a bit of shakedown time, this race will exploit any over looked item and then some.

Feel free to hit me up when you have questions. My car number is 4619.
 
Couple more that may help inspire you. We have been very successful even on leaf springs and a 22RE.


image.jpeg
image.jpeg
 
Man that Sucks that your sister rolled such a nice looking truck, Anyway good luck with your build, it looks like a lot of fun. Oh ya, i almost forgot, since you gutted the inside of your truck, don't forget to list those interior parts for sale in the Mud classifieds. Who knows, you might get lucky, the sale of some of that stuff just might pay for a few race parts.
 
**** yea. But, uh, I rode a bicycle in college and my LC stayed parked in a barn because I was broke!

I always thought the 80 would make a good 4600 class rig. After you pull out anything that isn't absolutely critical and get the weight down a little they aren't even too heavy.

Dunno if it's allowed but chopping the roof, ditching the sunroof tray, and all the glass makes a world of difference in how they drive at speed. They fee much more planted and less wallowy in turns.

If I had more money and less family I would love to race in the 4600 class. Unfortunately, that's going to have to wait about, oh, 18 years.
 
And subscribed.
 
Subbed
 
A couple words of advice. There is a lot of grey area in the rules so consider that while you are building. If possible get quite a bit of shakedown time, this race will exploit any over looked item and then some.

Feel free to hit me up when you have questions. My car number is 4619.

I noticed that! I have an ongoing list of questions in regards to the rules that I was gonna contact someone at Ultra4 about to make sure what I wanted to do was still allowed, a lot of the rules seem pretty vague. I'll definitely have lots of questions for you as I feel my way through all of this!

Oh ya, i almost forgot, since you gutted the inside of your truck, don't forget to list those interior parts for sale in the Mud classifieds. Who knows, you might get lucky, the sale of some of that stuff just might pay for a few race parts.

That's the plan! And if anyone wants anything or has questions please ask, the less work I have to do to get rid of parts the easier it is for me. Ive had a lot of help from members on here when I rebuilt my 40 last summer, so am more than willing to help people get parts.

**** yea. But, uh, I rode a bicycle in college and my LC stayed parked in a barn because I was broke!

I always thought the 80 would make a good 4600 class rig. After you pull out anything that isn't absolutely critical and get the weight down a little they aren't even too heavy.

Dunno if it's allowed but chopping the roof, ditching the sunroof tray, and all the glass makes a world of difference in how they drive at speed. They fee much more planted and less wallowy in turns

I can relate! Last year I had my 4Runner (only vehicle at the time) with me at school and broke the radiator and warped the heads. All my money I had went into fixing it, which meant I rode the bus/long boarded EVERYWHERE and literally redid the heads on my truck twice (messed up the first time) in my apartment parking lot with a tarp draped over the hood while it was snowing. So I can totally relate to being poor in college and no vehicle! On a separate note, we are on the same page completely. I will be pulling all the windows and getting the truck as light weight and as low a CG as I can. I flopped my 4Runner a few years ago wheeling, and last year rolled my 40 series at 50mph, so want to keep this thing as stable as I can.


Im flying home tomorrow, so am hoping to get some more work done on Thursday before flying out again on Friday. If anyone needs any parts I'm pulling, don't hesitate to message me and ask before someone else does!
 
**** yea. But, uh, I rode a bicycle in college and my LC stayed parked in a barn because I was broke!

I always thought the 80 would make a good 4600 class rig. After you pull out anything that isn't absolutely critical and get the weight down a little they aren't even too heavy.

Dunno if it's allowed but chopping the roof, ditching the sunroof tray, and all the glass makes a world of difference in how they drive at speed. They fee much more planted and less wallowy in turns.

If I had more money and less family I would love to race in the 4600 class. Unfortunately, that's going to have to wait about, oh, 18 years.



No roof chopping, but ditching the glass is ok. The rules for 4600 class cars is extremely limiting, hence why I suggest playing in the grey area.
 
If you are on the Facebook join the 4600 class page. That's also a good resource for questions and answers from guys in the class.
 
Put in about 2 hours of work this morning before my girlfriend needed attention. I started off pulling the remaining interior side pieces, then the grab handles and front seat belt mounts, and then pulled the headliner.

DSC_0375_zpsatgqbo37.jpg


Next up was the sunroof assembly which went easier than expected. I don't think it got yielded from the roll either since it seemed pretty straight once I got it out. I imagine these are worth a few bucks.

DSC_0377_zpsovva3llo.jpg


Next up was pulling the drivers door apart since it still had glass pieces falling out every time I shut it.

DSC_0378_zpsn92ntzbv.jpg


Local buckling of the A pillar and door:

DSC_0379_zpsptntmshf.jpg


Then I went to town on the rear driver's door, took me a little bit to figure out how to pull the triangular window correctly.

DSC_0381_zpsz1cybg8q.jpg


And that's where I left off! If anyone needs any of the s*** I've pulled off, let me know so I can get rid of it since it's all sitting under a tarp.

I will probably order some PRP seats this week (or I'd like to). They have a couple week build time, so I should get them around the time I start mocking up the cage--which would obviously be easier if I had the seats on hand to know where I'm sitting. I might work on the truck more tonight and tomorrow, then I'm flying out East again so won't be able to do anything until next Wednesday or so.
 
Rules say half doors are ok but there is no mention of what half. So keeping the outer skins with a primary and secondary latch would be rad for your build to keep the 80 series look. Just an idea.

The rear hatch and tailgate same deal or go to a tube (doesn't say how big the tube needs to be). As long as it has primary and secondary latch. I have seen guys run brake tubing for half doors :)
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom