Building A Four Door FJ40

[Pearly]

That build looks absolutely AWESOME! If there ever was a factory built 40 series, that would be it!

I see you've painted already, but it would have been great to just apply clear coat to the stripped metal - like the hot-rodders did/do.

Great job - seriously!

 

[71AZFJ]

Great Build. That is so cool looking. I want one !!!!

 

[FouadHafeez]

Wow...once again, I'm humbled by all the positivity and enthusiasm on here. Thank you guys...your input and appreciation makes this build and this thread all the more worthwhile.

 

[FouadHafeez]

Your cruiser is fabulous, BRAVO! I have never been a fan of a black painted 40. IMO, it would look awesome in an oem color, especially white. Dune is okay too, but it is a very common color choice, for a 40. Since there is nothing common about your rig, it will be the "****" no matter what color you decide. Job well done.

Thanks for the comments. White actually creates an optical illusion of making an object look larger than it is, because of the reflection of light off it. In that way, it's quite an ideal choice for a rig that is already so big. The downside to it is that white never really "shines" in the way more warm colours do.

In my humble opinion the Dune Beige is the most iconic color for a cruiser and brings to mind thoughts of an African safari. The only thing more iconic to the "40-ness", is the patina it has in the form demonstrated in the pictures above,... but, as everyone else has already stated, it doesn't matter what you paint it, the Phantom is BAD ASS and will look awesome in any color. Great build and write up.

Ironically, we have hardly ANY Dune Beige 40s out here, and various non-OEM shades of grey and gunmental and pewter are far more popular. How dare they, right?

To be honest, I was very seriously thinking of using just clear-coat over the sheet metal, but later changed my mind for a couple of reasons. For finish and fit and detail to be absolutely perfect (what can I say...I'm a Virgo), paint becomes something vital...or the appearance alludes to things having been left, halfway.

Thanks for the appreciative words!

Nice build! I would never attempt something like that... I just don't have the skill!

On a side note, I think that is the first import motor I've ever seen in a domestic car!

Thanks for the comment.

Actually, my entire role in this build has been more supervisory than it has been participatory...since I have NO skills at all. I've been incredibly lucky in finding artisans who've been able to translate the thoughts in my head, into reality.

Re: Domestic car Vs Import Engine...over here, we're forced to work with what's immediately available. The '65 Impala is one of the most beautiful shapes out there, imho. And it would've been a ******* shame to have allowed it to rust to death. In the absence of readily-available American engines, the fire-breathing 1UZ-FE VVTi with a Tiptronic gear, all-round disc brakes, and a custom exhaust was a tribute of sorts to the iconic '65 Impala (STILL the most popular Chevy car ever built).

can we please fire every news channel and every politician in America and replace them with you as an emissary between our countries. I'm feeling severely lied to and ashamed at this moment. You have a beautiful country

Not to wax philosophical, or climb onto a soapbox...but in this day and age, we've become a product of our perceptions; guided or misguided as they might be. But if the response to this thread is an empirical measure...certain things transcend all of this. An appreciation for beauty, for example. Honesty. Sincerity. Humour. Intellect. Camaraderie. Friendship. Common interests. I'm truly overwhelmed at the way a relatively small cross-section people spanning the globe have come together on this thread...united by a common love for a hunk of steel and metal called the FJ40.

In this age of perpetual cynicism and pessimism, I take great succour from such a thing: in the end, humanity will always win over prejudice and perception. Always, and every time.

So...more Cruiser talk, now?

 

[FouadHafeez]

That build looks absolutely AWESOME! If there ever was a factory built 40 series, that would be it!

I see you've painted already, but it would have been great to just apply clear coat to the stripped metal - like the hot-rodders did/do.

Great job - seriously!

That was the key element to the entire design philosophy: "how would Toyota have built a four-door 40?"

To be honest, I was a bit miffed at the FJ Cruiser. I'm sure it's a capable vehicle. I'm sure it builds on the styling cues and iconic appeal of the 40 Series. I'm sure it's a modern-day incarnation of the 40; seen through the eyes of some visionary designer. But it ISN'T a 40. I certainly didn't want to make a similar gaffe when I went about building the Phantom.

Certain things are simply never changed...which is a styling point that Jeep knows (and adheres to) well. Despite the fact that there's hardly a single panel on this rig that hasn't been modded / reworked...at the end of the day, I want this to be a 40 above all else. Strange concept that, when it has 60 axles, a 70/80 drivetrain, and a pickup tub...right?

Great Build. That is so cool looking. I want one !!!!

Thanks for the very kind comments. But yeah...build your own, mate.

 

[bj40green]

Hi Fouad,

I was re-reading your great thread and was looking at the cab - bed transition and noticed that you went 100% with the Toyota design. Here are pics of tow trucks that are still on the road here in Costa Rica.





Rudi

 

[FouadHafeez]

The Build's "Mid Life Crisis"

It was about this time, that I'd formulated a series of "corrections" that needed to be applied to the Phantom. Some of the "flaws" I'd detected thus far, which required redress were:-

1) The Stance. The Phantom sat nicely enough, but I wasn't quite satisfied with the front articulation, and the way the rear wheels were too close to the fore edge of the fender flares. Additionally, to the naked eye, the rear seemed somewhat lower than the front...making the beast look much less aggressive than its size and intimidating dimensions SHOULD have made it appear. The Solution: Add a couple of leaves to the forward and rear spring stacks. Add long shackles at the rear. A spring flip (ie, rotate the front end of the rear springs back-to-front. The off-centred nature of the 60 stack would move the axles aft, accordingly). Lengthening the shaft accordingly.

2) The Fender Flares. The flares were certainly beautiful...but seemed to droop towards the end. Giving a rather lackadaisical look...one that was at variance with the originally hoped-for razor-sharp image I'd hoped the Phantom would project. The Solution: Shear off the mud flaps that'd been incorporated into the original fender flare design.

3) The Snorkel. The jury is still out on exactly how much of a difference a snorkel actually makes to the breathability, fordability, and efficiency of a 4wd vehicle that is intended to be driven hard. In my personal view, the addition not only enhances the looks of a vehicle, but also provides it with a cooler, cleaner intake point. The Solution: Safari

4) The Exhaust. Thus far, we'd taken every step possible to ensure that the ride height of the beast wouldn't be compromised by under-the-belly fittings. The exhaust system posed the most significant challenge to all of this. If a muffler were added below the belly, it'd actually serve to lower the clearance of the Phantom, and make for repeated repair work when the vehicle would be driven hard over rough terrain. The Solution: An arrangement of pipes underneath the belly, that would stay under the line of the sidestep / belly-sliders, connect to an upright muffler in the rear tub, and emerge at the top facing rearwards. The desired sound should be fitting with the "nature of the beast": a low, rumble at low revs and "normal" driving...and a bestial, animalistic bellow at high revs!

5) Ergonomics of The Tub. Creating the rear doors had certainly limited the number of options available to mount the meaty spare tyre at the back. It HAD to be placed at a raked angle, so as to not rise above the roof of the Phantom. The only choice we really had was whether it should be mounted with or without a "cover". The Solution: A covered, enclosed wheel mount at the rear, incorporating a two piece, custom built solution. Why covered? You'll see in the pictures.

Hopefully, the next series of pictures, should be able to provide you with some idea of how we went about achieving all of this.

 

[FouadHafeez]

Hi Fouad,

I was re-reading your great thread and was looking at the cab - bed transition and noticed that you went 100% with the Toyota design. Here are pics of tow trucks that are still on the road here in Costa Rica.

Rudi

An extra special word of thanks for your post, Rudi.

I'm quite amazed to see that the design is 100% identical...since my decision to do the tub the way it is, was quite coincidental!

Personally, I wanted to put the chopped off rear end of the original donor vehicle to good use, and figured that it would add to the apparent "originality" of the vehicle, instead of using a 45 tub. The fact that it DOES indeed resemble running vehicles in Costa Rica (the other side of the globe) makes me all that much more happy!

Cheers mate!

 

[FouadHafeez]

And fook me sideways...but that red FJ tow truck you posted, is ABSOLUTELY identical in basic design to the Phantom, other than the fact that the red rig has a single door, and the Phantom has two. Note the positioning and shape of the filler cap, and the almost identical size, dimensions and position of the tub viz-a-vis the rear wheel arches. That makes me SO glad!

Another beer, Rudi...*clink glasses*

 

[bj40green]

OK Fouad, so that's settled.

And by the way, don't worry about the strenght of your "Phantom".
This is how much a 40 can carry.....



The caption of this pic says: Chilas City and looking at the trucks in the background..... is this pic from Pakistan?

Rudi

 

[FouadHafeez]

OK Fouad, so that's settled.

And by the way, don't worry about the strenght of your "Phantom".
This is how much a 40 can carry.....

View attachment 665224

The caption of this pic says: Chilas City and looking at the trucks in the background..... is this pic from Pakistan?

Rudi

Well spotted. The trucks in the background are indeed, Pakistani.

Chilas (pronounced Che-laas) is a town on the Karakoram Highway (KKH) that connects the Northern Areas of Pakistan to the rest of the country. This is one of THE most challenging roads in the world...and has literally been carved into the cliffs and gorges that straddle the Himalayas, the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges. The road eventually leads upto the Khunjerab Pass (which connects Pakistan to China). The highest point of this pass (over which the road leads) is 15,397 feet above sea level. For comparison, Mont Blanc (the highest peak of the Alps) is 15,782 feet. Mount Elbert (the highest peak of the Rockies) is 14,440 feet.

It's quite a marvel of modern engineering for a road to even EXIST there.

When I'm done building this rig...the KKH and the Khunjerab Pass are definitely two landmarks that I'm going to challenge! Hopefully, though, I won't be lugging around that sort of timber / cargo, though!

And I must also thank you, Rudi...for (perhaps-unwittingly) providing me food for thought for the next "Photoshoot Pakistan". Some pictures of the sights adjacent to the Karakoram Highway. Hopefully, in the weeks and months to come, I'll be posting pictures of a "finished" Phantom...at these very sights!

Yaks, grazing along the side of the KKH.
http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3285/kkh1a.jpg

A suspension bridge on the KKH. Notice the glacial-blue of one stream, and the muddy-brown of the main river it falls into!
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6518/kkh2.jpg

A small lake, just off the KKH. These tiny water ponds (often man-made for fish-farming), are witness to some of the most amazing trout-fishing experiences in the world. Bar none.
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/2230/kkh3.jpg

Exploring a rock cave / glacial waterfall, just off the main highway.
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9383/kkh4.jpg

Shogran...another beautiful tourist destination located a short drive away from the main highway.
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2752/kkh5.jpg

Mount Rakaposhi. 25,551 feet of magnificence...viewed from the KKH.
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/2240/kkh6.jpg

A hamlet near Haramosh.
http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8528/kkh8.jpg

At the foot of The Nanga Parbat (The Naked Mountain). This is also called "The Killer Mountain" because of the number of lives it has cost mountaineers over the years. This is the 9th highest mountain in the world at 26,660 feet. Due to tectonic movements and geo-seismic realignments, this is also the fastest "growing" mountain in the world. It's estimated...in a couple of million years, Pakistan will have the highest peak on Earth! Not that any of us will be alive to read about it, of course
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/6299/kkh9.jpg

An unmetalled portion of the highway. There's a huge amount of damage that's inflicted upon this unique road by Mother Nature. Avalanches, erosion, rock-slides, flash-floods...the works. We're rather proud of the fact that (less temporary closures) we keep this highway functional, 24/7/365.
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/8210/kkh10.jpg

 

[FouadHafeez]

Back To The Rebuild!

So...here're some of the "re-modified" modifications I was telling everyone about, earlier...

 

[cult45]

OK Fouad, so that's settled.

And by the way, don't worry about the strenght of your "Phantom".
This is how much a 40 can carry.....

View attachment 665224

The caption of this pic says: Chilas City and looking at the trucks in the background..... is this pic from Pakistan?

Rudi

Jesus Christ, even the bezel has bent!

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[FouadHafeez]

My Prince Of Wales

This is a picture of my son, Shayaan, standing next to the Phantom.

Someone said a while back: "FJs are never really finished". I agree. They never are. And in the same way, FJs are never truly owned...they're simply kept in running condition for the next generation.

Shayaan has that "thanks, Dad...this is SO mine" look on the face.

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[FouadHafeez]

Why This Ride HAD TO Be Called "Phantom"

Somewhere in the thread I had promised to explain why I'd chosen Phantom as a name other than its definitions and meanings. Well...the word itself is seven characters long. The "N" letter comes dead centre, and is surrounded by interesting, complex letters. P for example. H, A, N, M...are all deliciously complex. An amalgam of all of these letters APPEARS visually exciting.

Now, while other work was continuing, the wheel cover of the beast was being readied. I hope these pictures manage to relay the amount of excitement to all the viewers, that I initially felt when I saw the "finished", hand-crafted product...

Here, I might add...this lettering was crafted by hand, from a printed font, by a man who can't read or write a word of English. If that isn't some sort of skill...I don't know what is!

 

[FouadHafeez]

More on the rebuild, later.

Cheers.

Fouad.

 

[TARTOOSH]

MASHALLH
IT IS REALLY VERY NICE WORK

WELL DONE