Advice on sequencing rims, tires & lift? (1 Viewer)

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

JustJay

SILVER Star
Joined
Aug 13, 2021
Threads
29
Messages
140
Location
Williams Bay
I'm restoring a 72' 40 that I picked up last fall. I'm a rookie and have decided to strip it down, not quite body-off but darn close, for a quality paint job. So, I'm in the midst of having this thing in a pile of parts in the garage. (See photo of it from midway through the teardown)

What I have now -
Whoever I bought this vehicle from put new Toyota 17" wheels (I suspect from an FJ Cruiser) on it. Tires have no tread left, dry rotted, slow leaks and frankly not safe to drive.

What I want to end up with -
BFG 33x10.5x15 M/T (see photo of Arkansas Larry rig for inspiration)
3" OME lift

If you're still reading, here's where it gets tricky. I don't have the garage door height (yet) to fit the lifted rig so the lift might be next year or the following's project. So, in the meantime, I desperately need new tires (safety), but, I don't want to waste money on tires for my current setup. I'd gladly get the new rims and 33" tires but from what I've read, the 33s would cause potential rubbing problems without the lift.

Oh, and one last thing, wondering if the tailpipe on my rig is going to be in the way of larger wheels. Any suggestions for modifying that?

Anyone got experienced advise for me? Also, any leads on where to get wheel setups like Arkansas Larry sports in the picture below?
tempImageeqTXHp.jpg
tempImage0K5RKy.jpg
IMG_0764.PNG
 
Low overhead garage door owners unite!

Unfortunately I’m a few inches shorter than a typical 7’ door.

Hoping to improve garage situation by moving soon but who knows.

Am I correct in thinking I can’t change out rims and 33” tires without the lift?
 
Larry’s rims, yes-yes-yes. The FJ Cruiser rims on a 40 remind me of a VW bug that got the Bentley front end kit. Just wrong. A buddy advised me that the springs are all the same, the shackles are the lift. Get the tires you want on the 15” rims. Get the lift you want. Let air out of the tires to get in in and out of the garage. Or use stock height shackles and drive very conservatively. May not rub on road, not the experience you will have off road.
 
Air down? PITA, but might solve your budget issues temporarily. Just saw previous post, what he said, above.
 
I have 15” rims and 33/10.5. Doesn’t rub on road but I am careful off-road.

01561CF3-E9F2-486B-A50D-AEF776C99853.jpeg
 
In the above pic I had some heavy tools loaded in back, this is about as close as it ever gets to rubbing
 
70- thanks for the pic, that’s helpful. Stock suspension I’m assuming. How tall r u with that setup? Less than 6’9” I hope😬
 
Not sure on height but I’ll measure later today. Yes stock suspension. I’m getting ready to put a 4” lift on it. I’d like to be more confident off-road although my off-road is mainly forest service roads.
 
I believe i’ve seen other examples of 33’s on stock suspension. Ok on easy roads, just not articulated off road. Your results will vary whether you are on 5.5” OE wheels or something wider with different offset. Look up “wngrog” builds as he has recently had good things to say about Dobinsons suspension. If not, I would highly recommend spending the extra on Bilstein 5100 shocks for whatever lift you have.
 
All depends on budget and desired outcome. If you are going to run it top off then you’ll be fine going as big as 4” and still fit in the garage but probably not with the hardtop on. Keep in mind that a two inch lift and 33 10.50’s will take you down any forest service road no problem. Stock steelies in 15” or the city racer 16’s will both tuck up into wheel wells without rubbing. I’m running a generic 1/4” wheel spacer just to add room between the inside of the DS front wheel and the draglink which will rub at on a full turn, this setup still tucks up into the wheel wells when articulated.

Ride quality wise, I have found that Skyjacker springs ride better than OME, and Bilstien shocks are superior to OME which I found to be pretty harsh, just my experience. I don’t have Dobinsons experience on a 40 but have their springs on my 80 with their IMS shocks and they are fantastic. I’d bet their 2” springs matched with the IMS shocks would ride as nice as a SUA 40 can ride ride. Maybe someone with that setup can chime in.
 
Not sure on height but I’ll measure later today. Yes stock suspension. I’m getting ready to put a 4” lift on it. I’d like to be more confident off-road although my off-road is mainly forest service roads.
Hey 70fj40 - curious if you ever got around to measuring the height of your rig?
 
If this helps you any I’m 80.5” to the top of my rack. Would be less without. Running OME 2.5” with 1.5” CCOT shackles and 33x10.50 BFG’s. I think you will be good to go if you want to run this setup. Keep in mind most all other 33x10.50’s run slightly taller than the BFG’s.

19BE6B04-81F6-4CB9-A14C-7671FF4413F8.jpeg


888BE930-9D79-405C-A6B1-B444662DD36E.jpeg
 
If this helps you any I’m 80.5” to the top of my rack. Would be less without. Running OME 2.5” with 1.5” CCOT shackles and 33x10.50 BFG’s. I think you will be good to go if you want to run this setup. Keep in mind most all other 33x10.50’s run slightly taller than the BFG’s.

View attachment 2953704

View attachment 2953705
Nice👍 Helpful. Thanks!
 
Thanks for your help all. Deciding to go ahead and pull the trigger on some stock steel wheels. Can anyone confirm that a OEM Toyota 42601-60072 will fit on a 72'? Everything I'm finding says they fit on a 73'-84' but that seems to be far and away the standard size that I'm finding. Can't seem to find an OEM for a 72' that is readily available (and frankly not even sure what the part number is). Is it that the construction changed in 73' but the fitment could still be good for prior to 73'?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom