Building A Four Door FJ40

[FouadHafeez]

STILL crawling towards the finishing line...

 

[FouadHafeez]

Wow. A 100K page views. 500 comments. It's kind of serendipitous that this milestone was hit whilst the Phantom stands on the cusp of being "completed" (yeah, right...who'm I kidding?). Thanks for the continued interest, everyone. Thanks for the advice, opinions, encouragement, critique, good cheer and humour that's come along the way.

 

[FouadHafeez]

And...perhaps my most favourite Phantom pic...ever. I mean...for now, that is.

 

[lostmarbles]

Whether The phantom or The Panda, she sure is impressive Fouad.

 

[FouadHafeez]

Whether The phantom or The Panda, she sure is impressive Fouad.

Ta, Tom. And as always...good seeing you, again!

 

[Vossie]

Hi Fouad,

ive been reading this thread for the past day, trying to catch up so i ca say,
this is one EPIC, truly EPIC rig
i think i speak for most people when i say that every time i look at my 45 i think, it could be a double, you know, if i had the perseverance that you have had

and i congratulate you on your choice of styling. i like the stock look just as much as the next guy, but what you have done needed more than stock, and the black tie suit really suites the phantom. congrats

keep the pics coming, they are an inspiration to us all. and also the ones of the beautiful country in which you live

 

[FouadHafeez]

Hi Fouad,

ive been reading this thread for the past day, trying to catch up so i ca say,
this is one EPIC, truly EPIC rig
i think i speak for most people when i say that every time i look at my 45 i think, it could be a double, you know, if i had the perseverance that you have had

and i congratulate you on your choice of styling. i like the stock look just as much as the next guy, but what you have done needed more than stock, and the black tie suit really suites the phantom. congrats

keep the pics coming, they are an inspiration to us all. and also the ones of the beautiful country in which you live

Thanks for the kind words, Ross. They're very encouraging, indeed.

I have a belief that trucks like ours (all of ours, not just overbuilt ones...but bone-stock 'unrestored' ones, too) never truly stop being a labour of love. For me at least, the Phantom is one of those trucks that is probably never going to stop being rebuilt. It'll simply continue to evolve. In some way, shape or form.

Tomorrow, it gets some covers for the pipe-doors, a hand-crafted console for the gear-handbrake cluster, and (hopefully) a bikini top. I'm really keen on installing air lockers, at some point in time. Conceivably, a few months down the line, it could get an engine upgrade to perhaps a Toyota V8. I have a Toyota V12 lying around...which could possibly be a part of the Phantom's future evolutionary life. And that diversity - that ability to grow and evolve and reformat - is what makes these trucks so wonderful, so distinctive, and so unique.

Once again, thanks for the words of encouragement mate.

 

[FouadHafeez]

And just a couple of more add-ons...

Saddlebags for the stallion...and the custom logo for the grille.

 

[FouadHafeez]

And a shot of the Phantom during the Pakwheels Car Show 2013.



Courtesy and Copyright: Clicks by Mohammed Omer

 

[HENDOG]

I think you should start Mass producing them!!!

 

[myquestoyota]

That thing is sweet! The saddlebags are a little too "Gucci" for my tastes but you have done a wonderful job. Congrats.

 

[bj40green]

And just a couple of more add-ons...

Saddlebags for the stallion...and the custom logo for the grille.

I love those little white details! Good job Fouad.

Rudi

 

[FouadHafeez]

I think you should start Mass producing them!!!

As in all things pertaining to such suggestions, there are a great many impediments, too. Some enthusiasts on here have appreciated the workmanship on various items, and have shown a lot of keenness for said items (embossed bezels, pipe doors, bows, tops, body panels, etc) to be mass produced and exported.

You'd realise that this is very difficult to do, given that such a venture would require "mass pre-orders" to match...involve absolutely inflexible quality control...and would also entail a huge amount of logistics in exporting such heavy and bulky items abroad. This last aspect alone - the 'teeth to tail' ratio - may simply make such an option completely impractical.

Most importantly, at this point in life, my career is elsewhere...and I wouldn't have the time nor inclination to grapple with the mechanics of such a full time venture. The thought is very exciting, though...using this global 'community' of enthusiasts from all over the world, to bring workmanship, skill and artistry together, in the form of cheap, easily-available, high quality aftermarket parts.

I realise: I just wrote out an entire thesis in reply to a single line.

 

[FouadHafeez]

That thing is sweet! The saddlebags are a little too "Gucci" for my tastes but you have done a wonderful job. Congrats.

LOL. Those photos made me laugh REALLY hard, mate. Talk about "Spaghetti Westerns", huh?

The saddlebags are actually two-sided (large storage pouches inside and outside), removable within 5 seconds each (they attach with Velcro), are waterproof, scuff-proof, singe-proof, In that way, they serve both a utilitarian as well as an aesthetic purpose.

 

[FouadHafeez]

I love those little white details! Good job Fouad.

Rudi

Hi, Rudi.

This is a photo I got from a friend, when he emailed me after seeing the Phantom in real life, for the first time. Interesting white details, huh?

 

[skidplate]

^^ my thought aswell when I saw this pic. Fouad, you've done remarkable work. Truly a unique Cruiser.

 

[FouadHafeez]

^^ and THAT just happens to be my LATEST favouritest picture of the Phantom!

 

[PabloCruise]

Holy Cow!

 

[FouadHafeez]

One LAST contemplated mod: upgrading the 15-42-15 Super Swampers, to 15-44-20 Bridgestones.

Who'm I kidding? This is just never going to stop...is it?

 

[SouthBostonFJ40]

One LAST contemplated mod: upgrading the 15-42-15 Super Swampers, to 15-44-20 Bridgestones. Who'm I kidding? This is just never going to stop...is it?

Building a 40 series is a journey, not a destination.