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

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It seems pretty difficult from the builds I've seen to get the proportions correct with a 40 body on a 80 chassis. Getting a fj44 frame from aqualu and then swappping the suspension from the 80 right over might make it significantly easier to make the proportions right. The 80 suspension is pretty basic and easy to swap over. It's a strong and simple suspension that rides nice. The 80 axles have a lot of great parts on them. If u use a LS motor, over 300hp with fuel mileage in the low 20s should be easily attainable. Maybe the reason u may have spent so much time on engine placement is that many of the toyota Z series motors are fairly big and bulky. LS motors are more compact and lighter, they are also a bit easier to work on.
 
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Subscribed! Excited to be “live” with this build instead of spending an entire weekend reading like I did on the UZ
 
Subbed! (and salivating...:clap:)
 
It seems pretty difficult from the builds I've seen to get the proportions correct with a 40 body on a 80 chassis. Getting a fj44 frame from aqualu and then swappping the suspension from the 80 right over might make it significantly easier to make the proportions right. The 80 suspension is pretty basic and easy to swap over. It's a strong and simple suspension that rides nice. The 80 axles have a lot of great parts on them. If u use a LS motor, over 300hp with fuel mileage in the low 20s should be easily attainable. Maybe the reason u may have spent so much time on engine placement is that many of the toyota Z series motors are fairly big and bulky. LS motors are more compact and lighter, they are also a bit easier to work on.

I agree with you, most body swaps look out of place. The good thing about this one is I only have to center the front tires/wheels. The back will have a bed, which will be built around the rest of the truck. I'll do what I need to make the front look good, and the rest will fall into place.

Sorry, not putting an LS in anything I own. I appreciate them for what they are, I just have no desire to use one.
 
Like I said in my first post, there is nothing I would have changed about UZJ40, but I did learn a lot, and there are things I want to do different with this one. In no particular order-

Keeping the cost down. I planned on spending around $10k on the last one. I far exceeded that. It was one of those 'might as well' things. It got so nice I was afraid of it. I didn't mind using it off road, but it depended on the trail, the weather, the trees, etc. I just didn't want to hurt it because it was too nice.

Time. My last build took 6 years. That's not happening again. I want to be driving this thing within a few months.

Stock fuel system. For some reason, I had a lot of issues with my last fuel system. I used a factory tank, 100 micron filter, inline fuel pump, 40 micron filter. The problem is that the sheet metal in a 40 gets so hot that especially on a hot day, the fuel would get HOT. The sheet metal gets hot, the fuel tank gets hot, the fuel gets hot, the fuel pump gets hot, the fuel pump gets loud, the fuel smells bad, etc. I had two instances where the fuel pump got so hot it shut off. This was all made worse when the fuel level would get below 1/2 tank. I realize an in tank pump would solve some of that, but I don't want the fuel that hot in the first place. I want a stock pump, stock tank, stock lines. I'm just gun shy about it at this point, and I don't want to mess with it again. I think the factory 80 tank and pump will be great.

Fuel capacity. Using the stock 16 gallon tank wasn't that fun on road trips. I really had to sit down and plan where I was going to get fuel.

Ride quality. I could never get the ride I wanted off road without airing down to 8psi or so. The tires really had to absorb everything. If I didn't air down, it was unbearable. Especially out here in the rocky desert... it was way too choppy of a ride and I couldn't go over 5mph. I want a nice, factory ride on coil springs and linked suspension.

Appearance. I loved the look of the last one, but I'm after something different now. I want a stock look. Stock dash. Stock switches and knobs. No LED's. Nothing modern here.

Space. I ran out of space in my 40. I want a bed on this thing, so the cab will be transformed into something more 45 ish. Still thinking about cab length, but it will be between 4" and 24" longer than a stock 45. I have yet to see an extended cab 45 that looks 'right' to me though. I think it's the windows in the extended part that I'm not in love with yet.

Handling. This goes with ride quality, but the linked suspension, coils, and sway bars will fix the body roll and overall sloppy handling of a 40. The steering should also feel more crisp using an 80 box and linkage.

A/C. I'm not sure I can fix this one, but the last A/C was never as cold as I wanted. It moved a ton of air, but the temp drop wasn't great as the sheet metal in the cab would get hotter in the summer.

No Swing Out Bumper. I won't have one anyway since it will have a bed rather than wagon, but I got really tired of the tire and cooler swing out. On camping and off road trips I just got tired of opening 2 sides to the carrier and 2 doors to get in the back.

Height. I want it shorter this time. Tall looks cool sometimes, but you give a lot up for that.

Those are some major things, and I'm sure I'll think of more. I'll add them as I remember.
 
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Those are all realistic issues that you bring up. It will be interesting to follow your build and how you plan to over come these bumps in the road. It`s really kind of exciting to see this kind of build happen. I`m sure you will come up with some great solutions.
JP
 
Like I said in my first post, there is nothing I would have changed about UZJ40, but I did learn a lot, and there are things I want to do different with this one. In no particular order-

Keeping the cost down. I planned on spending around $10k on the last one. I far exceeded that. It was one of those 'might as well' things. It got so nice I was afraid of it. I didn't mind using it off road, but it depended on the trail, the weather, the trees, etc. I just didn't want to hurt it because it was too nice.

Stock fuel system. For some reason, I had a lot of issues with my last fuel system. I used a factory tank, 100 micron filter, inline fuel pump, 40 micron filter. The problem is that the sheet metal in a 40 gets so hot that especially on a hot day, the fuel would get HOT. The sheet metal gets hot, the fuel tank gets hot, the fuel gets hot, the fuel pump gets hot, the fuel pump gets loud, the fuel smells bad, etc. I had two instances where the fuel pump got so hot it shut off. This was all made worse when the fuel level would get below 1/2 tank. I realize an in tank pump would solve some of that, but I don't want the fuel that hot in the first place. I want a stock pump, stock tank, stock lines. I'm just gun shy about it at this point, and I don't want to mess with it again. I think the factory 80 plastic tank and pump will be great.

Fuel capacity. Using the stock 16 gallon tank wasn't that fun on road trips. I really had to sit down and plan where I was going to get fuel.

Ride quality. I could never get the ride I wanted off road without airing down to 8psi or so. The tires really had to absorb everything. If I didn't air down, it was unbearable. Especially out here in the rocky desert... it was way too choppy of a ride and I couldn't go over 5mph. I want a nice, factory ride on coil springs and linked suspension.

Appearance. I loved the look of the last one, but I'm after something different now. I want a stock look. Stock dash. Stock switches and knobs. No LED's. Nothing modern here.

Space. I ran out of space in my 40. I want a bed on this thing, so the cab will be transformed into something more 45 ish. Still thinking about cab length, but it will be between 4" and 24" longer than a stock 45. I have yet to see an extended cab 45 that looks 'right' to me though. I think it's the windows in the extended part that I'm not in love with yet.

Handling. This goes with ride quality, but the linked suspension, coils, and sway bars will fix the body roll and overall sloppy handling of a 40. The steering should also feel more crisp using an 80 box and linkage.

A/C. I'm not sure I can fix this one, but the last A/C was never as cold as I wanted. It moved a ton of air, but the temp drop wasn't great as the sheet metal in the cab would get hotter in the summer.

No Swing Out Bumper. I won't have one anyway since it will have a bed rather than wagon, but I got really tired of the tire and cooler swing out. On camping and off road trips I just got tired of opening 2 sides to the carrier and 2 doors to get in the back.

Height. I want it shorter this time. Tall looks cool sometimes, but you give a lot up for that.

Those are some major things, and I'm sure I'll think of more. I'll add them as I remember.

I look forward to seeing this over all build I will have to bring my 40 up and check out you build. Too bad I didn’t get a chance to check out the finished UZJ40 aniticipating all the great things that will go into this build.
 
So rad.

Your UZJ40 build stopped me in my tracks on going down that road with a 4.7 in a 40. Too much for a non-techno wiring guy. Amazing build though and I read it over and over.

Two things,

1. I will be following this one for sure. Hoping for a sweet FJ45/80 combo.
2. Don't wait till the end to post up, let us walk the road with you!
 
The 40 wasn't exactly a 40 when I picked it up... it was more like a bunch of body panels. This kept the cost down though. I paid $1500 for the tub, frame, and all the panels including two hard tops.

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I got it home and took the hard top off. I cleaned it up and got it down to basics so I knew what I was working with.

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The tub was pretty nice except for the rear sill. I knew I didn't need it, so no big deal. I got to work with the Sawzall and grinder and tried to make as clean of a split as possible.

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One step closer to being a 45

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And setting the cab on the 80 frame for the first time. It's amazing how light it is in this form!

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The 4.7L in my 100 is a night-and-day difference from the 4.5L in my previous 80. In a lighter 40/45/80 hybrid, a strong running 4.5L might be awesome and a whole lot easier than the 4.7L swap. Maybe not for you, as you've done it once already, but the 4.5L is a good motor that produces great torque when it's not blowing head gaskets and worn out. Have you decided what the drivetrain will be? I scanned quickly over this again, but I didn't see it.
 
The 4.7L in my 100 is a night-and-day difference from the 4.5L in my previous 80. In a lighter 40/45/80 hybrid, a strong running 4.5L might be awesome and a whole lot easier than the 4.7L swap. Maybe not for you, as you've done it once already, but the 4.5L is a good motor that produces great torque when it's not blowing head gaskets and worn out. Have you decided what the drivetrain will be? I scanned quickly over this again, but I didn't see it.

That's kind of what I'm banking on... I'm hoping with the light weight of a 45 cab the 1FZ will be more than adequate. The other thing is this will only be a toy for local use, or get trailered to the trail. I used to be worried about pulling the camp trailer up a steep freeway grade in the summer.... not anymore.

I love the 2UZ. It's an amazing engine, and I would put it in this project if I hadn't already done it before. I don't really want to do the same thing again. I've done a couple headgaskets on 1FZs, so I don't mind working on them. The thought of a 1FZ turbo has crossed my mind a few times, but I'm not convinced it's worth the headache yet.

I've also thought about a diesel, but there isn't one that gets me so excited that I want to pull the 1FZ. For now, I'll stick with the inline 6 and I'll keep thinking about other options in the meantime.
 
Turbo 1FZ is interesting, but I don't know enough about turbos. I doubt it would build enough boost at the peak torque RPMs to be worth the trouble. Maybe if you were looking for passing power on the highway, but it doesn't sound like that's what you're building. I'm sure there are more knowledgeable turbo experts here. I just never thought the juice was worth the squeeze for a trail truck.
 
You sticking with stock seats for this build?
 
I'd love to to see a turbo on this 1fz, they handle them well and many people have turbo'd the 1fz. I just hope that you wont miss the power of the 2UZ.

Also if i remember correctly i am pretty sure that the proportion issue with the 40 body on the 80 chassis is that the wheels need to sit back towards the cab more. I'm sure that you'll fugure it out though, looking forward to this build.
 
A/C. I'm not sure I can fix this one, but the last A/C was never as cold as I wanted. It moved a ton of air, but the temp drop wasn't great as the sheet metal in the cab would get hotter in the summer.

I'm surprised to hear this about the AC you installed. I thought it was a good system and considered it for my truck, I especially liked the way you had it tucked up and the vents run through the dash.
I ended up going with the newest version of the Vintage Air system. While I don't particularly care for the way it looks, the performance is top notch. The temperature drop is significant enough in my soft top in the Texas summer that I often turn the temperature up a bit because it gets too cold.
 

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