Another piggy resurrection..

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MoabFJ

MoabFJ

Joined
Jul 6, 2010
Threads
8
Messages
46
Location
*Nor-Cal*
Greetings esteemed pig fans :flipoff2:

A friend and I had been looking for a classic Landcruiser to wheel.
A few weeks ago I found this little piggy down in South Lake Tahoe. It had most of the (non-purist) mods that we were looking for: V8, Auto trans, Power disc brakes, SOA (started), and Power steering.

The intent is to build a pig we can wheel local trails like the Rubicon, and that will hold 3 people, a dog, and gear. We are not concerned with a stock look, its more about a reliable trail rig.

We have a goal of making her roadworthy enough to attend Surf & Turf in September, and (fingers crossed) Rubithon next June.

So here is where we start.
The first big hurdle is the front suspension. The PO started a SOA. The perches are welded to the axles, but I believe the ft axle needs to be cut and turned? I understand that I will need a high-steer kit as well, to correct the horrendous angles in the steering. You may also notice the ultra cool invisible front shocks :hillbilly:.

We are from the red headed stepchildren of the cruiser world (FJC), so the classics are newish to us. I would appreciate any comments pointing us in the right direction. Anyone in the bay area near Alameda that wants to take a look is welcome, I would buy you a beer or two for your troubles.
Piggy Front.webp
Ft Suspension 1.webp
Ft Suspension 2.webp
 
Speaking of front shocks, I would rework those shock towers in the front... that looks sketchy

Other than that she looks pretty nice, I like the switch on the colors... thats different.
 
CarmMontana said:
Speaking of front shocks, I would rework those shock towers in the front... that looks sketchy

Other than that she looks pretty nice, I like the switch on the colors... thats different.
Click to expand...

I thought those must be the Ford shock towers folks recommend.
Hmmm..
 
MoabFJ said:
I thought those must be the Ford shock towers folks recommend.
Hmmm..
Click to expand...

The ford shock towers sit flush on the frame, that looks like channel just welded to the frame to me.. I may be wrong but better safe than sorry.
 
The front end is a total dangerous hack, but the nice paint and the general lack of rust, says it's a good start spot.

Many, many corners were cut during this "build" and with so may obvious flaws how many others are hidden? Work on brakes and steering before you do anything else. Pay particular attention to how the power steering was done, as a poor conversion will kill you. The steering linkage is not even drivable as I'm sure you know.

The front axle needs to be completely reworked with high steer, real shock mounts, stronger shackles, new brake lines etc. The brake lines look particularly bad-how are the rest of the brakes? BTW-It appears to have rear drum brakes.

Hard to know about the cut and turn without knowing the existing caster measurement, but I would consider tipping the pinion up, rewelding the perches in the right spot and then doing the cut and turn to get the steering geometry right.

The rear axle re-used the stock spring perches and flipped them over. They are too short to help with axle wrap and should be re-done with the far superior ones from Ruffstuff.

Good luck, it is a looker for sure. Does it run?

What year is it? This matters for what version of front brakes you might have.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
The front end is a total dangerous hack, but the nice paint and the general lack of rust, says it's a good start spot.

Many, many corners were cut during this "build" and with so may obvious flaws how many others are hidden? Work on brakes and steering before you do anything else. Pay particular attention to how the power steering was done, as a poor conversion will kill you. The steering linkage is not even drivable as I'm sure you know.

The front axle needs to be completely reworked with high steer, real shock mounts, stronger shackles, new brake lines etc. The brake lines look particularly bad-how are the rest of the brakes? BTW-It appears to have rear drum brakes.

Hard to know about the cut and turn without knowing the existing caster measurement, but I would consider tipping the pinion up, rewelding the perches in the right spot and then doing the cut and turn to get the steering geometry right.

The rear axle re-used the stock spring perches and flipped them over. They are too short to help with axle wrap and should be re-done with the far superior ones from Ruffstuff.

Good luck, it is a looker for sure. Does it run?

What year is it? This matters for what version of front brakes you might have.
Click to expand...


The truck is a '73 and the rears are drums.
It runs great, tranny shifts fine, brakes seem to stop OK at low speeds. The steering is job 1. Anything more than a fast walk and it will bump steer you into a ditch.
The PS pump is supposed to be a 60 conversion, which looks ok at the frame, but the arm angle is no bueno (figure it would be better after the high steer?).

I was considering changing over to 60 axles as they are supposed to be stronger and wider. I want to get the axles settled before I start locker hunting.

The brake lines will be replaced once the front axle is fixed/replaced, but as bad as it is they still seem to work.

I appreciate the feedback. I am just starting the list of jobs and figuring out a logical order.
 
It looks like a great place to start... I for one love the black tape steering wheel cover.. = )
 
MoabFJ said:
The truck is a '73 and the rears are drums.
It runs great, tranny shifts fine, brakes seem to stop OK at low speeds. The steering is job 1. Anything more than a fast walk and it will bump steer you into a ditch.
The PS pump is supposed to be a 60 conversion, which looks ok at the frame, but the arm angle is no bueno (figure it would be better after the high steer?).

I was considering changing over to 60 axles as they are supposed to be stronger and wider. I want to get the axles settled before I start locker hunting.

The brake lines will be replaced once the front axle is fixed/replaced, but as bad as it is they still seem to work.

I appreciate the feedback. I am just starting the list of jobs and figuring out a logical order.
Click to expand...


I like the idea of FJ60 axles. They are not stronger, but they are 3 inches wider. They have some specific advantages too, like lager pattern knuckles (I cant really tell what you have), and better and more logical rear brakes with an associated e-brake. If you plan to offroad this truck, upgrade all the inner axles-Longfield 30 spline up front and Polys in the rear. Could you take a picture of the front hub with the wheel removed?


For sure your steering box is not FJ60. It looks like possibly a Scout box (good) but from the limited pictures it's hard to say. The pump cannot be seen in the pictures, but there would be no reason to use the FJ60 pump in a Chevy engine conversion. The Saginaw pump is better, much cheaper, higher pressure and will fit on a factory bracket with that motor.

The more I look at the spring over work that was done, the less I like it. I would get rid of everything associated with it and start over. You need to reweld everthing (what present in the pictures is extremely poorly done) and you need to use better quality perches. Those front shock mounts are bad too-use either Ford F250 shock towers (decent and cheap) or better have shock hoops welded in.

That dangling brake line thing up front is just waiting to be snagged and torn off. Please, fix the brake lines to something that will be more safe.


Good luck-recommend professional help---Mudrak, Valley Hybrids, 4x4 Labs etc.
 
Another "interesting" Pig shows up in NoCal...is it a full moon or something?
You could put 60 axles under it, but would have to outboard the springs. Current axles will work just fine and may be quicker and easier. Your 60 steering box will work for Surf & Turf, but if you want to do Rubicon I would suggest a Scout steering box. What size tires are you planning on? Anything smaller than 35s look silly on a SOA Pig.
Do you have the necessary fab skills for serious (like steering) welding?
Fortunately, there are several seriously skilled fabricators near you, and several sources for serious steering and suspension stuff.
Your front axle could look more like this in a short time...
axle 002.webp
 
Cruiserdrew said:
For sure your steering box is not FJ60. It looks like possibly a Scout box (good) but from the limited pictures it's hard to say.
Click to expand...


I'm thinking that is not a Scout box...as we all know, we like the Scout box because it has the forward facing Pitman. And the mounting bolts don't look the same as my Scout box. Also check Lil'Johns FJ55 build, his more recent Scout box install has some goods pics of what your steering should look like.
box 001.webp
box 002.webp
 
Good points Pighead. Mabe it's Astrovan or one of the odd ball Saginaws. It is not FJ60 (or Scout!)
 
Update the front, and put a antiwrap bar in the rear. The 55 just needs a wider stance. I'd pull those axles out and build something about 62 to 64" wide. A hi 9 dana 60 are an 80 axle. This rig is far too too nice to hack. drop alittle more cash and you can wheel this thing till you die.
 
Cruiserdrew said:
Good points Pighead. Mabe it's Astrovan or one of the odd ball Saginaws. It is not FJ60 (or Scout!)
Click to expand...


I was poking around over on Pirate, and the steering box looks suspiciously like an IFS mini-truck box.
 
You are right. I just walked out to my truck and sure enough that looks almost exactly the same. And it throws the arm that way as well. Interesting.

Cruiserdrew said:
I was poking around over on Pirate, and the steering box looks suspiciously like an IFS mini-truck box.
Click to expand...
 
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