Body mount chop?

[NoHandleBars]

I'm about to do a body mount chop to future-proof my tire upgrade, however I'm not sure exactly where to do it...if anybody has done it, or if anybody can take a pic and circle out the area, I'd greatly appreciate it. Is it possible to use a dremel on this point to make it quick and painless? I plan to use quick-steel to fill it in after I'm done. I'll prob be going with 33" Toyo M\Ts. Also, I'm sporting the TRD 16" wheels...what size tire would I be going for?

 

[tddfj]

if you do a search on the site you will find pics thats how i got mine just dont remember the nome of the thread. as far as dremel it would take quit a while thats pretty stout steel. had mine cut wth plasma neat and clean.

 

[adso]

somewhere in the following thread are pictures of how I approached it:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj-cruiser/192020-body-mount-chop.html

 

[ckline]

if you do a search on the site you will find pics thats how i got mine just dont remember the nome of the thread. as far as dremel it would take quit a while thats pretty stout steel. had mine cut wth plasma neat and clean.

Good work on doing it yourself. I will do most of the work on my truck, but there is so little to work with on this. my advise is to find a local offroad shop that has done a few, check there pics out and ask for references. we have a guy here that does them, and it looks like it came off the assembly line. haven't run into one person who has had a complaint, and these are lifted high and rode hard rigs. very clean.....and he is about to do mine.

 

[FJCcrawler]

I'd just use a torch or plasma cutter to do the job. Check out the fjcruiserforums, a lot of guys there have done it.

 

[Toledo FJ]

PM Ti Tank on the blue forum and ask to see pics of his. We are near toledo, which is close to the Toyota facility in Ann Arbor. Don (ti tank) is a friend of one of the toyota engineers up there and he talked to him about doing the chop for advice. The engineer said you DON'T want to just cut it and leave it open or bend the lip back over the hole. If you do it, make sure you weld a plate over the hole to restore the structural integrity of the fully boxed frame. Don's turned out REALLY nice! I'm gonna do it exactly like his when I do mine. When it is done properly, it looks like a factory job.

When we put his new wheels and tires on, we had to do an initial hack just so he could drive it home. We used a reciprocating saw and an angle grinder to make the rough cuts . I'm thinking you'll have a hell of a time trying to cut it with a dremmel. That frame is pretty tough and it took a while using an angle grinder with a cutting wheel. Your best option is to use a plasma cutter, but I don't know if you have access to one. We have lots of friends who are welders and fabricators here, so it was easy for us to get access to one. Good luck, have fun, and be careful! Let us know how it turns out!

 

[NoHandleBars]

Well. I have a 2 gal 150 PSI air compressor, and last night I saw Walmart has all these cutoff\air tools that are now on uber clearance (since who the hell goes in walmart and buy stuff like that?) so I might TRY their steel air cutoff tool. If it breaks, big whoop, 10$ down the drain. This is the one: air cut off tools, cutoff tools, Campbell Hausfeld TL1135 Pneumatic Air Cut-off Tool - 20,000-rpm - OneStopShopCatalog.com

 

[joebob2586]

ive used those tools to chop the body when i lowered my first truck it will get the job done you just need to be carefull that before you start spinning that tool you check for fractures in the disk and you dont hit into the metal to fast because if that thing shatters it will tear right into you.

 

[Mike H]

ive used those tools to chop the body when i lowered my first truck it will get the job done you just need to be carefull that before you start spinning that tool you check for fractures in the disk and you dont hit into the metal to fast because if that thing shatters it will tear right into you.

Well that last post made it perfectly clear to me that I won't be doing any body chops by myself on my FJ. Thank you very much.

 

[KightOwl]

This is the way that i'm going to do it myself. IMO if your going to cut the mount off you might as well do it just once.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj-cruiser/137655-how-fix-tire-rubbing-please-help.html
Or I may just take it to All Pro Off Road and have them do it for me.

 

[NoHandleBars]

Well that last post made it perfectly clear to me that I won't be doing any body chops by myself on my FJ. Thank you very much.

People use these all the time. The chance of the blade flying off and hitting you is VERY slim. Just just a grinder.

 

[joebob2586]

i wasnt talking about the blade flying off i was saying to check for fractures in it because if it is fractured when it gets up to speed it can shatter. Happened a few times to a couple of guys who got complacent at our machine shop.

 

[NoHandleBars]

Interesting. Good to know. I do know when I was chopping plastic with the dremel for rear speaker placement in the FJ that the blade did snap and fly off. Hm...in reality I don't see a truely safe way to protect yourself unless you wrap yourself in massive layers of bubble-wrap. I'm still not sure if I NEED to do this. I have a 2.5" Daystar lift for now (going OME by the time I get new tires) and I'll be going up to 33" Toyo M\Ts...what do you guys think? I'll also be adding Spidertrax Wheel Spacers.

 

[ckline]

so i got the the MT/R 305/70/17's installed today. I rub just a little on the drivers side doing a hard driver turn. since its only rubbing there, i may hold off on the chop. if its bad on the trail, then i will for sure get it done. but rubber on polished steel is not something that worries me. The tire measures a true 34"'s. So 35's will for sure need the chop. Keep in mind im only running a 3 inch lift.

I've read before, and I am not sure why...but it is only a rub on the drivers sided, on a drivers turn. pass side doesn't rub at all, nor does it rub on a hard pass turn. I don't quite understand how that is, with even loads sitting in the front seat...but it is what it is.

Anyway, i love the tires. an inch more rubber on the road makes it look cool. if you look directly from the back or front you can see the tires bubble out from the frame....i love it.

 

[Toledo FJ]

so i got the the MT/R 305/70/17's installed today. I rub just a little on the drivers side doing a hard driver turn. since its only rubbing there, i may hold off on the chop. if its bad on the trail, then i will for sure get it done. but rubber on polished steel is not something that worries me. The tire measures a true 34"'s. So 35's will for sure need the chop. Keep in mind im only running a 3 inch lift.

I've read before, and I am not sure why...but it is only a rub on the drivers sided, on a drivers turn. pass side doesn't rub at all, nor does it rub on a hard pass turn. I don't quite understand how that is, with even loads sitting in the front seat...but it is what it is.

Anyway, i love the tires. an inch more rubber on the road makes it look cool. if you look directly from the back or front you can see the tires bubble out from the frame....i love it.

Dude! we need pics!!!!!

 

[Brock]

anyone near Charleston SC that has done a good body mount chop and then welded it closed with nice cleanup. I may want to do mine soon and looking for options other than being guinea pig for a new shop...


i am traveling to Wash DC in couple weeks so one in that area would be fine as well.....as I will have sunday and saturday free for travel or body chopping if needed...LOL