Okay, what the heck is this?
Building A Four Door FJ40
- Thread starter FouadHafeez
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
thecrazygreek
A.K.A. TheCraftyGreek
- Thread starter
- #443
I was prowling around the 'net looking up the Lincoln Cosmopolitan, when I actually ran into the sites you've linked. Yes...that is one smokin' ride.
A Lincoln "Cobsmopolitan" in the making, perhaps?
- Thread starter
- #444
I only BARELY managed to resist echoing The Greek's words..."it's the up and down switch, silly"Okay, what the heck is this?
On a more serious note, that's the interior switch for the winch. The winch I fitted to the Phantom does come with a long-cable remote control unit, but this interior one is for those occasions when you'd much rather be seated in the vehicle, while you operate it. An additional switch panel was required for the multi-function lights...I thought I might as well use up the remaining real estate on fixing a switch for the winch.
myquestoyota
SILVER Star
You've been awful quiet Fouad, how about an update?
- Thread starter
- #446
Hi, Mike. Sorry about the prolonged absence...but there was nothing really worthwhile to report on the Phantom build. The beast is supposed to go for the paint job in a few days, following which, I'll have a ton of pictures to share.
On the automotive front, though, I have been busy with a couple of other ongoing projects. Primarily, the "finishing touches" on the '65 and '67 Impalas I own.
The '65, which is pretty much complete, had just one thing which I wanted to rectify...and that was the absence of sound. Again (as always?
), there was much hemming and hawing on my part as to the choice of the music hardware to be installed. Initially, I was planning on something that would look period, but then realised that 8 tracks really aren't the rage, any longer. So I decided a more modern sound system was the better way to go.In retrospect, I'm glad I chose the latter. The head unit is a Pioneer set, which incorporates SD cards, USB drives, iPod/iPhone/iPad connectivity, and is Bluetooth capable with your phone. There is no CD/DVD/Blu-Ray capability, which is just fine...since I think that video whilst driving is a bit of a no-brainer, and with all my music completely digital, it makes much better sense to cram all of my library onto a 32GB SD card, and leave it to sit in the deck, for whenever required. This deck sits nice and flush with the A/C. The wiring is completely concealed, and leads to four Pioneer speakers, with an accumulative output of 2000W. A trunk-shaking, 1400W subwoofer by Pioneer occupies a prime position in the trunk. All of this, is channeled through a 6000W amplifier. I'm happy to report that sound quality, and sound volume, are fabulous. Only trouble is, I find myself flooring the pedal, whenever "Highway To Hell" starts to play. Sigmund Freud would have a field day with that admission of guilt!
Bodywork on the '67 is complete, and the 350 Chevy small block has been polished, buffed, painted, overhauled, sealed...and looks like a beaut in the engine bay. We disassemble soon, and send everything for paint. The expected due date for the '67 is the 20th of November. Let's keep our fingers crossed for that one!
Pictures soon, mate.
Cheers, all.
myquestoyota
SILVER Star
Glad to hear all is well! X2 on the tunes, we could start a whole new thread on "Tunes that make you floor it."
Coolerman
SILVER Star
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2004
- Threads
- 143
- Messages
- 6,766
- Location
- Paint Lick, KY
- Website
- www.globalsoftware-inc.com
Just had to catch up on this thread. Awesome pics, and text to match. Glad to hear Pumpkin is the color for the Phamtom...
On a side note I owned a 1974 Lincoln Continental Mark IV for about a year. Inherited from my grandfather. Electric Blue with a white Landau top. White Leather interior, 460 big block, auto C6 tranny, 9" ford rear end. That car would scoot! It just floated on the highway. We called it the Land Barge. Times got tough and I was forced to sell it to a guy that pimped it out. I still miss that car... I'll look forward to the "Cosmo build"!
On a side note I owned a 1974 Lincoln Continental Mark IV for about a year. Inherited from my grandfather. Electric Blue with a white Landau top. White Leather interior, 460 big block, auto C6 tranny, 9" ford rear end. That car would scoot! It just floated on the highway. We called it the Land Barge. Times got tough and I was forced to sell it to a guy that pimped it out. I still miss that car... I'll look forward to the "Cosmo build"!
Any updates? How goes the paint?
bj40green
Tssss, tssss
Hello Fouad,
Any news? Updates?
Rudi
Any news? Updates?
Rudi
73fj
Tho at sumbitch in ayer!
And...at the very end...a photo of what may VERY well be a future project of mine...
Any Willys fans out there, on a Toyota-centric thread?
Love the 40, bit also love the Willys wagon. I'm neck deep in my own rebuild, check out my build on Pirate, link in my sig line.
- Thread starter
- #453
Sorry about the somewhat prolonged absence from the site, guys.
Some pressing things caught up with me, and the Phantom wasn't getting worked on work, anyways. Will be updating real soon.
Best regards.
Fouad.
Some pressing things caught up with me, and the Phantom wasn't getting worked on work, anyways. Will be updating real soon.
Best regards.
Fouad.
- Thread starter
- #454
Some pictures just to show that the beast still lives, and isn't completely forgotten!
Fitzgerald
Hey! Where'd the mountians go?!?!?
Just found this thread.
Man, I've got to say that's one of the coolest rigs I've even seen.
Congrats on being able to bring your vision to reality.
Man, I've got to say that's one of the coolest rigs I've even seen.
Congrats on being able to bring your vision to reality.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #456
Thanks, mate. That's a very kind comment, indeed.
Like all rebuilds, though...this one is continuing at a snail's pace. Weather, the climate, and the (non) availability of craftsmen for the paint and interior, are all adding up to a prolonged period of inactivity.
On a brighter note, though, the Phantom HAS been readied for all-weather performance. It has a heater that actually works (blower AND defogger) and an A/C that does too. So I guess one should be thankful for the little mercies whilst waiting for the bigger ones.
Cheers.
Fouad
I am truly impressed on may levels.
You took your dream and made it a reality. Your passion for things mechanical shows with the scooter and your car. This carries over to the attention to detail in the Phantom. It looks very proportional and well thought out. This is a monumental feat when putting 42" tires on anything.
When I read your posts, I quickly forget you are in Pakistan. Your english and they way your personality comes through in your writting are superb.
Thank you for posting pictures of the rest of Pakistan. I, like many, only know Pakistan from the news. You have a beautiful country. Please take pictures of your journey up over the mountain pass.
The Pakistan people are true artisens. The finished work they produce is very impressive and when a person finds out they do it all with a hammer, anvil and a stick welder while wearing sandles is just mind boggling.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to the Willy's build.
Dan
I am truly impressed on may levels.
You took your dream and made it a reality. Your passion for things mechanical shows with the scooter and your car. This carries over to the attention to detail in the Phantom. It looks very proportional and well thought out. This is a monumental feat when putting 42" tires on anything.
When I read your posts, I quickly forget you are in Pakistan. Your english and they way your personality comes through in your writting are superb.
Thank you for posting pictures of the rest of Pakistan. I, like many, only know Pakistan from the news. You have a beautiful country. Please take pictures of your journey up over the mountain pass.
The Pakistan people are true artisens. The finished work they produce is very impressive and when a person finds out they do it all with a hammer, anvil and a stick welder while wearing sandles is just mind boggling.
Keep up the good work and looking forward to the Willy's build.
Dan
- Thread starter
- #458
Some More Random Pictures That Basically Have Nothing To Do With FJ40s
One of the main reasons that I've been missing, was because I was upto some nasty stuff with one of the other rides.
The '67 Impala for my son.
Shayaan, is a strapping sixteen year old (soon to be seventeen year old) who seems to have inherited the automotive bug. I have no idea where the **** he gets that from
Legal driving age in Pakistan is 18. So the deal with Shayaan is that he scrubs, washes, polishes, cleans, and basically worships the Impala for the next year. On his 18th birthday he gets the "babe magnet" (his words, not mine!) for his forays into the world of adulthood.
Some photos to tell the tale of Shayaan's first day with the Impala. I have to admit, he makes a great car-slave, armed with a microfiber cloth, washing mitt, and chamois! WHY didn't I think of this, earlier?!
One of the main reasons that I've been missing, was because I was upto some nasty stuff with one of the other rides.
The '67 Impala for my son.
Shayaan, is a strapping sixteen year old (soon to be seventeen year old) who seems to have inherited the automotive bug. I have no idea where the **** he gets that from
Legal driving age in Pakistan is 18. So the deal with Shayaan is that he scrubs, washes, polishes, cleans, and basically worships the Impala for the next year. On his 18th birthday he gets the "babe magnet" (his words, not mine!) for his forays into the world of adulthood.
Some photos to tell the tale of Shayaan's first day with the Impala. I have to admit, he makes a great car-slave, armed with a microfiber cloth, washing mitt, and chamois! WHY didn't I think of this, earlier?!
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #459
Update on The Phantom
It's been a long time in the pipeline, but the Phantom has finally left for its eventual paint job. This paintwork will be carried out in Islamabad by the same artists who've painted the '67 Impala (in the above mentioned post).
There was a huge amount of discussion on the colour choice. Most of which, took place between young Shayaan Hafeez and myself! Till the very last moment, he was keen on a shade of blue, while I maintained that the Phantom would look best in pumpkin orange. Guess who won?
So...pumpkin orange it is.
My reasons for this are manifold. First off, this is such a unique and distinctive colour on the FJ40. I think we've done all the other stock colours on the FJ40 to death, but pumpkin orange has somehow failed to be seen on a great many FJ40s in Pakistan (and the rest of the world, admittedly). I think it'll be a terrific combination with black embellishments (bumper, undercarriage, bezel, kick vents, door and windscreen hinges, smokestack, snorkel, etc). This combination of orange and black also lends itself quite beautifully to the interior, which will be done up in matching shades.
Of course, certain touches in chrome will also be added. The grille of the smokestack exhaust, for example. The grille that lies under the bonnet and is visible through the bezel. Some of the latches on the spare wheel mount. And one area where I'm going to be impractical rather than sensible, is on the axle tube. The rear tube's diff cover is going to get the chrome treatment, too. The shackles are going to get a chrome layer, as well. I know...chrome on an FJ40 sounds like sacrilege. But then...sometimes, man cannot live with mere functionality, alone!
Of course, now that the vehicle is going to be pumpkin orange and black, the bumper-mounted Hi-Lift jack is going to be colour-coordinated to match, too. As are the white Rancho shocks. The only thing that is going to be left white is the fiberglass roof, and the lettering "PHANTOM" on the rear wheel mount.
The flip side to all of this: it's going to take three freaking months.
Please, God...let it be ready in time for spring, before the heat REALLY sets in.
It's been a long time in the pipeline, but the Phantom has finally left for its eventual paint job. This paintwork will be carried out in Islamabad by the same artists who've painted the '67 Impala (in the above mentioned post).
There was a huge amount of discussion on the colour choice. Most of which, took place between young Shayaan Hafeez and myself! Till the very last moment, he was keen on a shade of blue, while I maintained that the Phantom would look best in pumpkin orange. Guess who won?
So...pumpkin orange it is.
My reasons for this are manifold. First off, this is such a unique and distinctive colour on the FJ40. I think we've done all the other stock colours on the FJ40 to death, but pumpkin orange has somehow failed to be seen on a great many FJ40s in Pakistan (and the rest of the world, admittedly). I think it'll be a terrific combination with black embellishments (bumper, undercarriage, bezel, kick vents, door and windscreen hinges, smokestack, snorkel, etc). This combination of orange and black also lends itself quite beautifully to the interior, which will be done up in matching shades.
Of course, certain touches in chrome will also be added. The grille of the smokestack exhaust, for example. The grille that lies under the bonnet and is visible through the bezel. Some of the latches on the spare wheel mount. And one area where I'm going to be impractical rather than sensible, is on the axle tube. The rear tube's diff cover is going to get the chrome treatment, too. The shackles are going to get a chrome layer, as well. I know...chrome on an FJ40 sounds like sacrilege. But then...sometimes, man cannot live with mere functionality, alone!
Of course, now that the vehicle is going to be pumpkin orange and black, the bumper-mounted Hi-Lift jack is going to be colour-coordinated to match, too. As are the white Rancho shocks. The only thing that is going to be left white is the fiberglass roof, and the lettering "PHANTOM" on the rear wheel mount.
The flip side to all of this: it's going to take three freaking months.
Please, God...let it be ready in time for spring, before the heat REALLY sets in.
- Thread starter
- #460
Your words humble me, Dan. Thanks for the interest, the sentiments, and the praise.
This rig is one of the "lifer" builds, I think. It is something that began as a pipe-dream, met with some successes, a whole lot of failures, and has evolved into a project that continues to grow, and shape-shift, and pose different mental as well as logistic challenges along the way. I can see my son working on this, 30 years from now...and thinking: "ok...what next?"
And I think that's the beauty of it. I'm sure once I'm done with the paint, I'll be agonising over the interior. Then the sound system. Then navigation. Then the diff locks. And then, I'm quite certain I'll have some bright idea to go about transplanting a 300 bhp engine in it, at some point in time, too. And so on, and so forth.
Thanks for the words of encouragement, again. They make this build truly worthwhile.
Cheers.
