Builds Build #2 - 45 Extended Cab, 80 Frame, iForce 5.7 3UR (21 Viewers)

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After letting the paint dry over night, time to put the engine back in -

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Everything lined up great and it set in without any issues -

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Fuel tank, rear driveline, and exhaust are all in as well -

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Great build. Interested to see how you mounted OEM tank behind the rear coils and how low does it hang below the frame? Additional pics would be great! Doing an FJ140 build and trying to do similar
 
Great build. Interested to see how you mounted OEM tank behind the rear coils and how low does it hang below the frame? Additional pics would be great! Doing an FJ140 build and trying to do similar
I used the OEM 80 series skid plate as a cradle to hold the tank in place. The skid plate is welded to some cross members directly to the frame.

Here are a couple pictures of the clearance. It would have to be a pretty steep drop off to make contact with the tank. I feel pretty good about it.

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I used the OEM 80 series skid plate as a cradle to hold the tank in place. The skid plate is welded to some cross members directly to the frame.

Here are a couple pictures of the clearance. It would have to be a pretty steep drop off to make contact with the tank. I feel pretty good about it.

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Thanks!!! Looks great. So about 4” hang below frame?
 
Thanks!!! Looks great. So about 4” hang below frame?
Yeah, probably 4-5" I'd say. I trimmed some metal on the bottom of the truck bed so I could raise the tank above the frame a bit. It's probably 1-2" proud of top of the frame.
 
I used the OEM 80 series skid plate as a cradle to hold the tank in place. The skid plate is welded to some cross members directly to the frame.

Here are a couple pictures of the clearance. It would have to be a pretty steep drop off to make contact with the tank. I feel pretty good about it.

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So if you want to take the tank out you have to do it by removing the bed?
 
Nice! Any more updates coming on your build?
Yes sir, more updates in about a week. Just wrapping up a last minute project we decided to do before this summer...

Wife really wanted a pool... As with our other projects, I decided to do most of it ourselves.

The beginning -

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Making progress -

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About 18" down we hit solid caliche, which for those not from the desert area, is essentially natural occurring concrete. So, the majority of the dig was done with a jackhammer. It was a TON of work -

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Wife and I also did the electrical and plumbing ourselves. We hired out rebar, shotcrete, tile and decking.

Rebar -
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Plumbing -

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You’re on a different level when it comes to tackling your own projects! Great work!!
Thank you. I have a really hard time paying for something to be done when I can possibly lean it and do it myself. Every person I talked to about digging the pool said absolutely do not attempt it on my own, which made me want to try it even more. It was challenging but I just took my time. A backhoe is definitely not the most efficient tool for that job either.

My neighbor a few houses down is building a pool as well, and he hired everything out. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch his excavators, plumbers, electricians, etc. I learned a lot from them, and probably would not have attempted to do my own had I not used them as a resource. Even watching the simple things like them using a propane torch to bend PVC and conduit was so valuable.
 
Thank you. I have a really hard time paying for something to be done when I can possibly lean it and do it myself. Every person I talked to about digging the pool said absolutely do not attempt it on my own, which made me want to try it even more. It was challenging but I just took my time. A backhoe is definitely not the most efficient tool for that job either.

My neighbor a few houses down is building a pool as well, and he hired everything out. I was fortunate enough to be able to watch his excavators, plumbers, electricians, etc. I learned a lot from them, and probably would not have attempted to do my own had I not used them as a resource. Even watching the simple things like them using a propane torch to bend PVC and conduit was so valuable.

I'm exactly the same- when I'm told I cannot or should not do something, there's something inside me that says "challenge accepted!"

I'm mostly Finnish. My mom claims it's genetic and Finnish folks cannot help but prove they can do something when challenged. The Fins have a word- Sisu, which as I understand it, loosely translates to the capacity of a person to achieve things that are believed beyond thier capabilities.

I like the concept of Sisu.

Very nice work on the pool!
 
Just read the last 22 pages, hungry for more!
Thank you for sharing.
 
So let's see here.... where was I?

After much deliberation, I've decided I want to run a hard top on this thing. I still want a soft top, but I think it will be occasional use only.

My extended cab is about 20.5 inches shorter than an FJ40, so I had to cut out that section -

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Test fitting -

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I wanted to get everything sand blasted to make sure I was working with good metal -

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Since I am only using the rear hatch for a fixed window panel, I don't need the header piece above it. I was going to use 2x3 square tubing, but it bothered me how the bottom of the windows all line up but the top of the hatch window was shorter than the others. Luckily, I had an extra hatch laying around with a rusted out bottom.

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After getting that upper piece blasted, stitching them together -

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That's the look I was going for -

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Cutting up the fiberglass top... Making sure the lines were straight on a curved surface -

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That's one of the best 'proportioned' 40 ute chops I've seen!
 

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