Builds Bean! The Adventure Continues (1987 FJ60) (4 Viewers)

[Rockymtnreaper]

How did you notice there was an issue? Could you feel it in the steering or hear it clunking around?
I think I got lucky...i'm pretty sure mine was still just holding on by a thread in the front!

Well, I wasn't so lucky. It was a sudden failure. I was wheeling and it snapped the weld and pushed forward as I dropped off this rock ledge. Dropped onto the bump stop and stuffed the tire into the wheel well so I couldn't turn. I was able to back up onto the ledge and push the shackle mount back into place and strap it to make the turn. then 10 ft from that we had to jack up the front with a hi-lift and do a trail fix. My frame was fine, just really poor factory welds from Toyota.

 

[Bullzi]

Rear Drawer System - (August 2019)

I was able to get a set of used ARB drawers for the back of the Bean. Overall, they were in great shape. They were the short length drawers and left about a foot of space between the back of the drawers and the seat. Initially I saw this as sub-optimal, but the drawers were a great deal and I didn't want to pass them up. So...I got to work designing platform to tidy it all up. In the end, I think it worked out better than having the full length drawers!

I decided to add a platform in the back of the drawers to bridge the gap between the drawers and the rear seat. I also wanted a 'wing' platform for side storage on the passenger side. Lastly, I felt it was important to have easy access to a 5lb fire extinguisher in case anything got out of control with the cooking or campfire. We also keep a 2.5lb fire extinguisher mounted behind the center console.

I was able to procure some carpet from ARB to match the look of the existing drawers. I also used some thin rubber sheeting to clad the outside of the drawers for less clanging around back there.

We largely use the drawers for holding our kitchen and camping stuff. In the wing on the passenger side, I keep my tool bag and a few other miscellaneous items that I do need to access every once in a while (spare TP ). We use the space under the rear platform for spare parts, fluids, recovery gear and a few tools...mostly the stuff that we don't need to access that often. I left the space on the driver's side open for longer and/or taller items and am able to strap my stove in that spot nicely.

I added a bunch of tie down points to the top of the platform. These work really well for tying down our cooler!

Overall the build worked out great - The drawers make it really easy to just hop in the truck and go on an adventure!

 

[Bullzi]

Rear Airbags - (2020)

So if you've followed along thus far, you will have noticed that the Bean was starting to get a little thick in the hips and could use a little extra support. With the added weight of the RTT and drawer system, every time we went over a largish bump, we would bottom out.

Riding a little low in the back!


The Bean used to be equipped with 11 leafs in the rear leaf-pack, but when we bought it, it had 9 leafs. I talked to Torfab about adding the leafs back in, but Tor had a better idea...adding airbags!
The Bean had airbags back in the day, but these were located forward of the axle and gave the PO some issues. They had been removed from the truck before we purchased it. The brackets that I designed for the bean allowed the airbag to sit on top of the axle and work with the 4-plus u-bolt flip kit. The mounts were designed to utilize the Dominator airbags from Airlift, which are also super beefy and shouldn't have any durability issues.

Note - I also designed a set of brackets for use with the stock axle setup (no U-bolt flip kit needed).
If your interested in more info on the airbag topic, check out the thread: 60 Series Air Bags and Brackets Build

The airbags work great! The Bean is super heavy and they level everything out with ease. I usually set them to around 12psi each and they maintain a good height with a full or empty fuel tank (38 gallon). We haven't had any issues with the rear bottoming out on bumpy roads and haven't noticed any ride quality issues...in fact, the ride quality feels exactly the same with maybe just a little more cornering support.

3-5psi in airbags:

13psi in airbags:

35psi in airbags (just to see what it looked like):

I often get asked about suspension travel, and I haven't noticed any differences. I think there is probably a very minimal travel loss, but it has not been an issue so far. We did a flex test at Torfab, and the travel was the same with or without air in the airbags.

 

[Bullzi]

Caster Shims and Leaf Spring Bushings - (April 2020)

Ever since we bought the Bean, it had a tendency to wander at highway speeds. I figured the first place to start was an alignment, so I took it to Torfab to have them baseline it. Things looked pretty good, but it was a little low on caster angle, so we added a few 2deg shims (I think they were 2deg ). It helped a bit, but it still wasn't great.

The other issue that I was having was that the truck’s suspension would make a loud popping noise when I would corner. I was told this could be the metal sleeves in the ends of the OME springs sliding around in the eyelets as I was turning. I took the springs off the truck and found that the sleeves were very loose in the spring eyelets. I tack welded them into place and added new OME bushings (side note – I naively thought I would be able to reuse the old bushing after taking them out of the springs…what a joke. I had to fully destroy them to get them out!). Anyways, after welding the sleeves, the popping noise went away. I also think the new bushings really helped with the wandering issues. The Bean is much tighter and drives straight now!

Picture above shows the spring sleeve protruding out of the eyelet. A few of the sleeves had to be tapped back into place with a hammer and others were so loose they just fell out.

Picture below is a sleeve that fell out when I removed one of the poly bushings.

Above - my wife getting in on the "fun". In this picture she is practicing her welds in preparation for tacking the leaf springs.


"While I was in there", I took the rear leaf packs apart, sandblasted them, and gave them a fresh coat of paint. They were looking pretty rusty and I figured it was worth it...I would not recommend this. The work to reward ratio is not very good. It was a ton of work. Yes - now they look nice, but I'm sure in a year or two they will be rusty again . The front springs did not get the paint treatment after realizing how much work it was for the rear.

To finish off the project, I added new inter-leaf pads and clip liners. All of these were either damaged or missing.

 

[Bullzi]

Refurbished Transmission (6L80) and 80 series transfer case with 3:1 gears - (December 2020)

Wow, so this thread is almost caught up to present day (March 2021) - I still have one good cat in the bag, but first lets talk about the new transmission and transfer case that went in the Bean recently.

Background:
As discussed in a few previous posts, there had been a really annoying whine in what I believed to be the transfer case. Rebuilding the t-case didn't help and now the transmission was starting to make a strange noise. I thought maybe the noise could be in the 4L65E or the adapter. The transmission had about 150K on it, but was shifting perfectly still. It was heating up a bit quick on hills at slow speed, but that was solved with an extra trans cooler in the front (I later found out that the primary trans cooler fins were dirty and the airflow was a bit obstructed). Whenever the trans temp would climb above 200F, there was a solenoid in the transmission that would make a super loud buzzing noise. I took the truck to a trans specialist and they diagnosed it a bad EPC solenoid that was making noise when the transmission was hot. They replaced it, but they said it didn't fix anything...they only charged me for a flush and fill, but I never heard the noise again. They said the transmission seemed to be in good health otherwise.

After much consideration, my wife and I made the decision to replace the transmission and t-case. I was going to put in another 4L65E and split case, but was drawn to the idea of a 6-speed and 80 series t-case. @torfab had been using the 6L80 and 80 series t-case behind their R-2.8 builds and only had good things to say about the trans/t-case combo.

So we ended up with:

• Rebuilt 6L80 from Zero Gravity
• Trans to T-Case adapter
• FZJ80 t-case
• Part time kit
• 3:1 gears
• Gear position indicator
• Tap shift switch

Out with the Old:

In with the new:

We had Torfab do the work (and I'm glad we did!). I think the install was a little trickier than expected due to the girth of the new transmission and transfer case. Usually, Torfab swaps an engine/trans/t-case and everything can be positioned optimally...they have this down to a science now! In my case, the engine was staying put - moving it would mean modifying a bunch of other stuff. The issue came with getting the t-case to tuck properly so it wasn't hanging down too low. Luckily, the guys at Torfab were able to rotate the drivetrain a little to gain the proper clearance. It's a tight fit, but its in there!

The transmission runs super smooth and 1st gear is so much lower than the 4L65E. Everything feels solid so far!

My only complaint is the tap shift button needs a little work. I'll take full responsibility for this...I gave Torfab the button and they installed it exactly where/how I had asked. I knew it was going to look bad, but I wanted something there as a place holder for when I figure out where I want to wire it and with what switch. I actually don't mind the location, but the switch is so out of place and looks terrible - I really want an FJ60 (not FJ62) antenna switch, but they are super rare. If anyone comes across one or has one they want to part with, let me know!! Also, if anyone has any other ideas for tap shift switches/buttons and placement, I'm open to ideas!

 

[BMThiker]

Following intently. C'mon, you want to install the paddle shift steering column! I'm currently bringing a 6L80 online in our project truck - we opted for the electronic floor mounted shifter sold by Zero Gravity as well. See sig line ~ Grand Cruiserneer. I am now considering throwing TT's 80 axle conversion into the mix.

 

[Bullzi]

Following intently. C'mon, you want to install the paddle shift steering column! I'm currently bringing a 6L80 online in our project truck - we opted for the electronic floor mounted shifter sold by Zero Gravity as well. See sig line ~ Grand Cruiserneer. I am now considering throwing TT's 80 axle conversion into the mix.

Looks like a fun project. Those Wagoneers are cool rigs! My dad has a CJ-7 that I’ve done a ton of work to over the past 15 years, so I have a secret appreciation for the Jeeps

Haha- paddle shift steering column...the Bean ain’t no race car

I thought about the floor mounted electronic shifter unit, but for the FJ60, it just wouldn’t look that good IMO. Lokar makes a nice one too, but you would probably have to mount it in a center console type deal. I like the look of the Lokar that is in there right now. The only time I’ll be using the tap shift is going slow off road - mostly to stay in 1st or 2nd.

 

[BMThiker]

Some alternative inspiration

 

[Bullzi]

Nice haha, I saw that there was a push button option for the 6L80. I’m not that cool

 

[Bullzi]

A few months ago I picked up some grab handles for the A and B-pillars. Pretty easy install and the outcome was excellent!

A-pillar handles:

I didn't have any holes in the A-pillar, so I had to drill holes and add riv-nuts to bolt in the grab handles. Not super tricky, but always a little nerve wracking drilling into the body of your rig!

First step was to figure out where the handles should go...I used pictures of FJ62s to estimate, but in the end I just chose a spot that looked and felt good.

There are a lot of ways to cut a clean hole in fabric for drilling, but I am partial to the leather punch. This is my go-to tool for this type of task.

A few taps with the hammer and you have a nice clean hole!

Now the scary part... I first drilled it with a small bit, then graduated to the correct size for the riv-nut.

I cleaned the bare edge of the hole and painted it with a small paint brush.
For installing the riv-nuts, I like to use a little Locktite. This seals the hole up and gives a little extra adhesion to keep the riv-nut from spinning in the hole. It's not needed, but I like the little bit of extra insurance.

Riv-nuts installed:

Grab handles installed:

 

[Bullzi]

B-pillar handles:

Super easy install and these are the most useful handle ever! I never knew what a pain it was to get into the back seat until I installed these! The holes/nuts are already installed under the head liner, you just have to find them with a needle and punch them out.

 

[Bullzi]

So last week I mentioned that I had one more cat in the bag to get you all up to speed on where we stand with the Bean...

The latest news is that the Bean was recently shipped to AZ for rust repair and paint work by @kelly saad. This had been in the works for a while, but about a month ago we finally got the truck shipped off! We are super excited for this to happen!

I live in the boondocks right now, so I had to trailer the Bean to Tacoma, Wa to meet the driver. My buddy let me borrow his trailer and my brother let me borrow his truck!

Shout-out to Aaron (@Riverrunner) at Summit Auto Transport for brokering the journey. Aaron is super helpful and really knows his stuff. He was really great to work with and I will definitely be calling on his services for the Bean's trip back! Thanks again Aaron!

All loaded up!


This was a huge decision for my wife and I, but the Bean has some rust that needs to get fixed before it gets too out of control and we plan on having the truck for a long time. The paint on the Bean actually looks plenty good enough for us, but there is a good bit of underlying rust. The new paint will be nice, but that’s just a bonus compared to getting rust and bad bondo taken care of. The inner rear wheel wells and fenders are especially bad. You can see right through them! We are a little nervous because its hard to see the full extent of rust until you tear into it.

In preparation for this, I stripped the interior and exterior of the Bean. The hardest part by far was taking out Dynamat and Noico where Kelly would be doing his work. I probably spent 50hrs removing Dynamat from the inner and outer door skins…that stuff really sticks!

Luckily, I was able to get a little help from my wife and dad!

Here are a few shots of the removal stages:

I sent some new parts with the Bean so Kelly can use them as he reassembles. I also have a few new parts to put on it once it comes back!

Hopefully Kelly will be able to start working on it soon and I'm sure he will be keeping us updated!

I have a giant list of projects to complete while the Bean is away - I'll touch on those in a future post.

 

[Bullzi]

Here's a picture that Kelly posted a while back... look in the background!

 

[TheNeek]

Not sure if you've ever had a car or truck repainted. It is a special joy that is specific to gear heads. There isn't much in this world that is as exciting as watching something become new again. Congratulations.

 

[Bullzi]

Not sure if you've ever had a car or truck repainted. It is a special joy that is specific to gear heads. There isn't much in this world that is as exciting as watching something become new again. Congratulations.

Thanks!

This is our first repaint, and your correct - it does feel like a special type of excitement! We can’t wait!

 

[kelly saad]

So last week I mentioned that I had one more cat in the bag to get you all up to speed on where we stand with the Bean...

The latest news is that the Bean was recently shipped to AZ for rust repair and paint work by @kelly saad. This had been in the works for a while, but about a month ago we finally got the truck shipped off! We are super excited for this to happen!

View attachment 2622755
I live in the boondocks right now, so I had to trailer the Bean to Tacoma, Wa to meet the driver. My buddy let me borrow his trailer and my brother let me borrow his truck!

Shout-out to Aaron (@Riverrunner) at Summit Auto Transport for brokering the journey. Aaron is super helpful and really knows his stuff. He was really great to work with and I will definitely be calling on his services for the Bean's trip back! Thanks again Aaron!

View attachment 2622756
All loaded up!


This was a huge decision for my wife and I, but the Bean has some rust that needs to get fixed before it gets too out of control and we plan on having the truck for a long time. The paint on the Bean actually looks plenty good enough for us, but there is a good bit of underlying rust. The new paint will be nice, but that’s just a bonus compared to getting rust and bad bondo taken care of. The inner rear wheel wells and fenders are especially bad. You can see right through them! We are a little nervous because its hard to see the full extent of rust until you tear into it.

View attachment 2622769

View attachment 2622754

In preparation for this, I stripped the interior and exterior of the Bean. The hardest part by far was taking out Dynamat and Noico where Kelly would be doing his work. I probably spent 50hrs removing Dynamat from the inner and outer door skins…that stuff really sticks!

View attachment 2622770

View attachment 2622744
Luckily, I was able to get a little help from my wife and dad!

Here are a few shots of the removal stages:
View attachment 2622738

View attachment 2622741

View attachment 2622746

View attachment 2622747

I sent some new parts with the Bean so Kelly can use them as he reassembles. I also have a few new parts to put on it once it comes back!

Hopefully Kelly will be able to start working on it soon and I'm sure he will be keeping us updated!

I have a giant list of projects to complete while the Bean is away - I'll touch on those in a future post.

I am excited to start Bean! I move it in and out of the shop everyday, and just love firing up that LS! I love the shifter, it is so cool! Good job removing that Dynamat, I would have freaked out on that job.

 

[Miloslavich]

Hell yeah! you're in good hands. That's my rig with the new quarters and Bean in the background.

stoked to see @kelly saad 's Crusier resto business really taking off!

 

[Bullzi]

Hell yeah! you're in good hands. That's my rig with the new quarters and Bean in the background.

stoked to see @kelly saad 's Crusier resto business really taking off!

Nice! I've been following along with the Tatonka bodywork/paint thread...cant wait to see paint fly! Also, interested in how that Lizard Skin turns out. The skill it takes to replicate some of those panels from scratch boggles the mind!

 

[Miloslavich]

Nice! I've been following along with the Tatonka bodywork/paint thread...cant wait to see paint fly! Also, interested in how that Lizard Skin turns out. The skill it takes to replicate some of those panels from scratch boggles the mind!

you and I both!

thinking Lizard Skin with the dynamat type product over it is about as good as it gets for noise insulation. excited to see how it turns out

 

[Bullzi]

I am excited to start Bean! I move it in and out of the shop everyday, and just love firing up that LS! I love the shifter, it is so cool! Good job removing that Dynamat, I would have freaked out on that job.

That shifter is sneaky - everyone thinks it's a manual until they really look at it.

I definetely had a slight mental breakdown removing all that dynamat! It was worth it though!