Builds 79 Aussie BJ55 build (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Threads
59
Messages
1,700
Location
hobart.tas.au
Website
www.phat42.com
Hey guys.. I might be jumping the gun a bit here but I've got my eye on a tidy 79 FJ55 that I'm hoping to inspect and subsequently take home this coming weekend. It's been a few weekends since I got the green light from the minister of finance so my brain has been in overdrive and my eyes are bloodshot after going through countless threads on mud...

But I thought Id share my master plans on here anyway.. So I have a 1984 BJ42 at the moment and its had considerable work done, I'm hoping that all this hard work will go across with minimal fuss onto the FJ55..

Plans are:
- Custom rear 60series spring pack and extended shackles (big eye bushes)
- Custom front 75series spring pack and extended shackles
- Man-a-Fre Ubolt flip kit front and rear
- Ford 250 shock towers and Bilstien 5120 Shocks.
- 60 series steering conversion
- Rear 60 series diff with drum brakes and integrated handbrake
- Front BJ42 disk brake front end with hub spacers to match width of rear 60series diff
- 4.56 diff ratios
- Air locker in the front, auto locker in the rear
- BJ42 Brake MC and booster
- 15B-F with H55F 5 speed and later model transfer (38mm idler shaft). Low range gears are from an A440F transfer so slightly lower than stock
- H55F cross member and bash plate from BJ42
- Recaro front seats along with Tuffy centre console
- Air tank for OBA
- Front bar and Thomas PTO with most likely custom front frame extensions.
- Replace or re-enforce rear cross member to suit rear tyre carrier swing out.
- Heatsheild and marine carpetted interior under factory mats and throughout rear cargo bay
- Tinted windows in the rear
- will be running 8.25R16 Splits (34") for daily duties as well as 34x11.5r16 TSL Swampers for play.
- Snorkel of some description (modified safari snorkel?)

Longer term I want to:
- would like to fit later model A/C at some stage but depends on finding a suitable unit
- put the body and running gear on a 80 series chassis
- turbo the 15B-F

Intended uses are daily driver and school bus as well as weekend wheeling and camping trips away with the family.

I'm giving up the 40 I said I'd never sell/part out but for a piggy I can make an exception. I think the time has come to find a more practical family hauler and a pig is the natural choice.
 
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Donor vehicle:
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and in its current form:
jefferies40.jpg
 
Ah the one from legana I've been drooling over that on gumtree

Yeh I've got some photos of the gutters and theres some floor pan rust. The gutters have been repaired and aren't too flash but I'll be taking a magnet with me when I go to inspect.
 
Good luck! It does look like a pretty solid pig. I just wonder why you will be taking a fairly well worked running 40 (by the looks of it) apart just to have two projects in your driveway? Try keeping both? Hope it goes well. (More pics the better!)
 
Good luck! It does look like a pretty solid pig. I just wonder why you will be taking a fairly well worked running 40 (by the looks of it) apart just to have two projects in your driveway? Try keeping both? Hope it goes well. (More pics the better!)

Well got a family now (wife and 2 kids) and so options are limited for taking the 40 anywhere.. everything is preceeded with 'take a kid!' so the 2 seater 40 doesnt suit our needs for camping. Rego for 3 cars as well as the cost to build and maintain a 3rd which is also a consideration. Believe me if I could keep the 40 I would but for the short term reflective of our budget (slim to none!) it will be more than sufficient as a long term replacement.
 
Purchased the above 55 for 3.5k then spent $300 on a tow from Perth to Hobart cos it died as I pulled into the servo there.

Its got towed to a mates place because my driveway is too steep to get up with a car trailer +55 on the back.. I'm hoping to get it fixed with spares from my mates 2f so i can drive it the 5mins home.

Since i recall someone asking for a few more photos of the BJ42.. here are some I got recently when I had an opportunity to try some 37 Sticky Treps on the 40 when I was helping to frieght them interstate for a mate.. No scrubbing up front, but the rears needed some grinder work on the sliders to even consider flexing..
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So the Pigs been at a mates place for the week and last night we replaced the coil with one of his spares and finally got it home..
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Next its time to make room in the shed so I can start to pull it down and prep it for the refit..

Here are some photos of the rust issues (that i've found) that will need to be dealt with:
lower door hinge behind the driver
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Passenger footwell
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Floor behind the drivers seat
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drivers footwell
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Discovered the stereo works and found a cold chisel cassette in the tape deck (sony :( )
 
Started talking to an light vehicle modifications engineering signatory today about my planned mods. So far from what I've detailed via email and discussed briefly over the phone he indicates there shouldn't be any issue doing what I propose... I'm looking to meet with him tomorrow or friday to flesh out any issues and get an application form completed for submission to the local transport authority.
 
So the mrs went away with the kids up to Brisbane (where we've moved from) for 3 weeks on xmas day and this gave me an opportunity to start the getting the 55 sorted.

Because all the gear I want for the 55 is still bolted to the 40 I've got to go through the motions of removing all of the fancy stuff from the 40. I bought a BJ73 at auction which will help me restore the 40 to stock specs (powersteer, 3b, big eye springs, disk brakes, rear drum and 5spd gb and transfer).

First order of business was taking the 15b out of the 40 and putting a 3b in.. I had a gt2052 turbo kit prior to the 15b install so this went on too.

Both engines out.
20151226_170925.jpg

3B in with turbo slapped on
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Next was the front diff and springs, it was easy enough to disco everything and wheel out the diff complete.
20151228_141903.jpg


Unfortunately the springs are lifted a bit and I had to take the wheels off to get it under the 55.
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Before I could move onto the rear end I had to sort out the 40 with disk brakes from the bj73, so this is now done.


The 40 has 60 springs in the rear, so these custom spring packs will need to be split, leaving the 2 longest leaves in the 40, the same with the 55. this will leave the 2 main leaves from the 55 pack, to this the rest of the custom pack of the 40 will be bolted together and the rear drum with park brake, 60 series diff and ubolt flip kit will slide under the 55.

After that I'll need to drop the transfer from the 40, 55 and bj73 so I can combine the transfer from the 55 and 73 to remove the vac assist and put it into the 40. The transfer from the 40 has lower low range (from an a440f transfer) and the larger idler shaft so I'm keen to keep that. I'll put a bearing and seal kit through the transfer when I rebuild it.
 
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So the mrs went away with the kids up to Brisbane (where we've moved from) for 3 weeks on xmas day and this gave me an opportunity to start the getting the 55 sorted.

Because all the gear I want for the 55 is still bolted to the 40 I've got to go through the motions of removing all of the fancy stuff from the 40. I bought a BJ73 at auction which will help me restore the 40 to stock specs (powersteer, 3b, big eye springs, disk brakes, rear drum and 5spd gb and transfer).

First order of business was taking the 15b out of the 40 and putting a 3b in.. I had a gt2052 turbo kit prior to the 15b install so this went on too.

Both engines out.
20151226_170925.jpg

3B in with turbo slapped on
20151227_184006.jpg


Next was the front diff and springs, it was easy enough to disco everything and wheel out the diff complete.
20151228_141903.jpg


Unfortunately the springs are lifted a bit and I had to take the wheels off to get it under the 55.
20151228_201127.jpg

20151228_201121.jpg

20151228_203318.jpg

20151228_203322.jpg

20151228_203434.jpg


Before I could move onto the rear end I had to sort out the 40 with disk brakes from the bj73, so this is now done.


The 40 has 60 springs in the rear, so these custom spring packs will need to be split, leaving the 2 longest leaves in the 40, the same with the 55. this will leave the 2 main leaves from the 55 pack, to this the rest of the custom pack of the 40 will be bolted together and the rear drum with park brake, 60 series diff and ubolt flip kit will slide under the 55.

After that I'll need to drop the transfer from the 40, 55 and bj73 so I can combine the transfer from the 55 and 73 to remove the vac assist and put it into the 40. The transfer from the 40 has lower low range (from an a440f transfer) and the larger idler shaft so I'm keen to keep that. I'll put a bearing and seal kit through the transfer when I rebuild it.
Whoa! You are really cranking her out! Glad to see that the 40 will stay alive. That's gonna be one sweet pig, great year!
 
Suspension is pretty much done.. I might need to donate my extended front shackles to the 40 i'm trying to prep for sale.
The rear diff needs to come out so I can transfer the sway bar brackets across.
The width now matches the front with a 60series diff with late model drum brakes in the rear.
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rested the front bar from my 40 on the 55 to see how it would look. I think I'll leave it with the 40 and build something new for the 55.
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hybrid spring pack in the middle.
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stock rear diff and spring removal in progress.
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I had to grind off the bolts holding the farm gate bull bar on
20160102_172402.jpg
 
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