55 idea

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SFROMAN

SFROMAN

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The 40 is now sold and will be shipping out to Arizona on Friday.

So what to wheel?

The new to me LX450 is going to be a daily driver, camping and exploring family vehicle.

Although I never did it with the 40 I like the idea of having a strictly offroad rig.

I still want to be able to become a better driver by challenging myself in uncomfortable situations and the best way I know of is to take a rig, that you dont have to worry about having to drive to work on Monday, and push it, and your your own skills to the limit on the trail.

The original plan for the 55 was to do exactly what the LX450 is now going to do. On top of that I am expecting a phone call in the next couple of weeks from the stealership for yet another landcruiser for the wife, depending if the stealership wants to work with us on price.

So what to do with the 78 FJ55 I bought a while back?
The dang thing is rusted out. The body is toast. I even have a spare body for it and that thing is rusted out as well. The frame is solid, so is the drive train and it was running when I bought it.

Well I hate rust. I dont know anybody that does. My initial planning was to get rid of the body and build a tube buggy. Ok, try to build a buggy. I plan to buy a few metal working tools when I get back from my next trip.

Another idea and the reason I am posting here,
because I know I will get straight answers and I respect the opinion of the ONSC family,

is to put a 45 aqualu body on the 55 frame and drive train.

the CONS-
this turns into an out of control, money and time project

its so nice I will hesitate to want to push it on extreme trails


So is this even possible? Am I crazy?
Thoughts, comments, suggestions

:beer:
Del
 
Tell us more about the rusty tubs. if they aren't too bad, you could back-half one of them with tube and tube out some fenders. SOA, some gears, lockers and axle upgrades. Wheels and tires - any way you slice it, it's going to be some coin for what you describe. Fun project, and if it goes anything like your home projects I see on FB, you'll have it ready for the meet and greet in a couple of weeks :D

Can't believe you sold the 40... that thing was dang close to being a trail monster as it sat. Then again, I understand your reasoning.

:beer: R
 
I always liked the idea of the FJ 55 UTE, chopping/bobbing the back half but leaving enough to seat 4 more comfortably than in a FJ40. Like Ramon said, so much depends on how bad the tubs are.

I don't fully recall the story but someone in SC had a tree fall on theirs and made it into a UTE (Dan Kunz or Marshall maybe?) and making a small bed but retaining the 4 doors. Maybe its because I'm getting old and lazy but I like having 4 full doors, easier for my lazy dogs to get in and out...

image.webp
 
mtweller said:
Tell us more about the rusty tubs. if they aren't too bad, you could back-half one of them with tube and tube out some fenders. SOA, some gears, lockers and axle upgrades. Wheels and tires - any way you slice it, it's going to be some coin for what you describe. Fun project, and if it goes anything like your home projects I see on FB, you'll have it ready for the meet and greet in a couple of weeks :D

Can't believe you sold the 40... that thing was dang close to being a trail monster as it sat. Then again, I understand your reasoning.

:beer: R
Click to expand...

I could make a complete body out of the two bodies .The floors are shot on both so I would have to make new floor boards. They would not be stock looking but I could make some. haha

The purpose for the purchase was in fact to get more familiar with metal working.

It is funny you mention the home renovations. That stuff comes so naturally to me and is what allows me to be able to afford to dabble with my real passion which is landcruisers, or modifying any vehicle for that matter.

I would love to keep the project simple and low budget but sometimes my imagination gets the better of me. Another great reason to post up here on the ONSC site, to be kept in check.

:beer:
 
Mtbcoach said:
I always liked the idea of the FJ 55 UTE, chopping/bobbing the back half but leaving enough to seat 4 more comfortably than in a FJ40. Like Ramon said, so much depends on how bad the tubs are.

I don't fully recall the story but someone in SC had a tree fall on theirs and made it into a UTE (Dan Kunz or Marshall maybe?) and making a small bed but retaining the 4 doors. Maybe its because I'm getting old and lazy but I like having 4 full doors, easier for my lazy dogs to get in and out...
Click to expand...

The cool thing about the 55 is that I picked it up so cheap that I am not affraid to cut it up. I thought about making it a UTE like the picture you posted but I also thought of cutting off the roof, kind of like the first gen chevy blazer.

I am also thinking that I am going to take the back half of one of the bodies and make it into an off road trailer.
 
I wouldn't put a brand new Aqualu tub on something you're planning on pushing your limits on hard core trails. You WILL get body damage. Not just scratches, but dents. It will happen if you push the limit. I agree with Ramon and Jerry. Evaluate what you have. Cut/Chop where you can to get rid of the serious rust and replace with tubing where possible.

The problem with the 55 being a hard core off-road rig is the same problem I have with my 4Runner. There's a lot of metal and glass in the rear up high. Tight trails like to reach out and grab that stuff, plus...since it's added weight up high, it makes your truck tippy in off-camber situations. By getting rid of weight up high, you lower your center of gravity and help with stability. The UTE pic that Jerry posted is a great way to go.
 
Use some pig skins, patch it together, plate the rear quarters and take her wheeling! Start with FJ60 axles (bit more width) and a SOA with 35s and lockers, roll cage, sliders and bumpers, then see where you want to go from there.
 
My opinion is, if you're gonna wheel it, don't fix anything that won't fly off on the trail or isn't necessary to keep the body attached to the frame.

One of the more amazing aspects of the Pig is it's ability to endure driving even when the carcass is rotted to the core. The Fe2O3 bond is strong on Pigs.

The hardest part of dealing with corrosion corrective measures is knowing where to stop, since one fix unearths another need and it spirals into the abyss from there.
 
Fort Knox said:
I wouldn't put a brand new Aqualu tub on something you're planning on pushing your limits on hard core trails.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the sane part of my brain said this to me. what I need is to get a few days of good weather so I can get a fdw hours of work on my vehicles instead of browsing the internet and getting crazy ideas
 
GLTHFJ60 said:
Use some pig skins, patch it together, plate the rear quarters and take her wheeling! Start with FJ60 axles (bit more width) and a SOA with 35s and lockers, roll cage, sliders and bumpers, then see where you want to go from there.
Click to expand...

Makes sense

The rust is so bad on this thing that I dont even know how it is still together and looks like a 55.
 
SFROMAN said:
Yeah, the sane part of my brain said this to me. what I need is to get a few days of good weather so I can get a fdw hours of work on my vehicles instead of browsing the internet and getting crazy ideas
Click to expand...

Not to mention, aluminum introduces new challenges if you ever need to do any welding on it.

:beer: R
 
I started a thread in the 55 section with lots of pics. I haven't revisited the redhead mainly because the amount of rust has really forced me to rethink my strategy
 
What Johnny said. When I bought Burt she was a rust bucket and I just spent a little time making sure she was going to hold together on the trail. I went with upgrades to fit 35s first and built from there. Compared to many other trucks I haven't spent too much money to get her to where she is today. I took what I could get for free and made those items work, made the custom mods myself, and painted her with $20 per gallon paint that'll touch up with a brush. Bottom line is that a wheeling machine will get beat up and putting too much money and labor into it will absorb your wheeling time and frustrate you when you bang it into something. Also, the more you chop out of the fenders, the bigger tire you can fit.
 
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