Building A Four Door FJ40

[FouadHafeez]

Hi, Tom.

Agreed. I'll lay out the details of the build for Sleipnir separately, but I do agree with the points you've raised. The rear tyres are 315/75/16 (35 in) and the front ones are 205/55/16 (25 in). Much as I would've loved for them to be wider...this was just not to be had in our local market. The current engine is a 1UZ-FE V8 (3rd Gen, non-VVTi version) mated to a 4 speed auto tranny that I had lying around. The plan (eventually) is for it to get not a 16 cylinder engine (like the one you posted) but a V12 Toyota 1GZ-FE VVTi...which is why these ornamental exhausts are going to stay on hold until the eventual engine swap.

By the way, does the build thread for this 'other' car qualify as an FJ40 build (and thus, be chronicled in this section), since it's based on a 40 Series chassis...or should this be outlined in some other section of the site?

 

[lostmarbles]

.....
By the way, does the build thread for this 'other' car qualify as an FJ40 build (and thus, be chronicled in this section), since it's based on a 40 Series chassis...or should this be outlined in some other section of the site?

Hi Fouad.

Not only the chassis .... I'm sure I spotted a 40-series hood latch there too...

It wouldn't offend me to see it here in this forum.

Besides... The mods can move it if they, in their unquestionable wisdom, think it should lie elsewhere.

So maybe you should just stick it here and we'll just follow it if it migrates elsewhere...

Those artisans there in Pakistan never cease to amaze me with their skills.

BTW. At first I thought that engine I found on the Internet might be a V16 based on it's appearance (rather than just a straight eight) and 16 risers of that diameter (emitting mega-decibels) would be awe inspiring...

It looks like you've got such a lot of room there for a MONSTER engine...

 

[MrMoMo]

حیرت انگیز

Fouad, let me start by saying it is truely amazing reading through this thread, I applaud you for making the Phantom rise from your vision and the hands of such craftsmen. I find that your level of attention to detail is not only extremely evident in your vision, your selection of mastercraftsmen is second to none, and that above all that, your writing is truely able to capture an audience and entrap them like flies on an upturned sheet of duct tape smeared with peanut butter and honey, on a sweltering day in the desert sun.

As I read though this entire threat, jaw dropped in awe at each step along the way - for some reason the soundtrack rattling through my brain was that of a narration by Anthony Bourdain. Though instead of his passion for food, it is for yours of vehicles - with a side order of your homelands culture and scenery. If you are not familiar with his show, I provide a link to a small snippet below - with plenty more available on YouTube. If and when you ever get bored of building amazingly crafted works of rolling art, I expect you could very easily step into the world of writing (if you are not there already), and have a very captured audience. I would place a wager that if you sent the beautifully written story of this truck, or any of your other works of art to BBC, TLC, Travel or Discovery channel - you could create an amazing documentary series that would be far better than what they seem to put on TV these days. Further to that, I implore you to log your travels once the phantom is complete (enough!), through the amazing scenery of your country - and turn it into a book! Many have commented on your excellent grasp of the English language, but you have so much more than that - you have the ability to craft with language, much as you do with the vehicles you create.

Every part of the Phantom is perfection - don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Every part on it makes it what it is - the massive smoke stack is exquisite and I love how it is reflected in the opposing corner by the snorkle. Your choice to keep the black, and add the white is the perfect match for the opposites that this vehicle is. It is a wildly insane monster, but at the same time able to carry 4 people from A to B.

The thing that bothers me most these days is the loss of skill we are seeing on this side of the world (North America). While it is true that there are still plenty of skilled people here, we are turning more and more into a buy new and throw away the old society. People don't fix things any more, and they don't know how. (I refer here to the masses, there are many skilled fabricators and restorers, especially in the land cruiser community, but just not compared to the craftsmen that there could and should be.). It used to be when one took a vehicle to a garage to get fixed, that's what they did. Now, they just take parts off, throw them away and sell you new parts. To see the skill level of what you are able to have made, makes me wish that society here could understand the importance of this type of skill, instead of how to chart sales, graph profits, and have meetings to fill out forms, about the graphs, charts and forms that have been created. I wish people would get out and see the rest of the world, to open their eyes to what other countries and people are really like - not just the medias version of what they want people to think is out there.

Well done old chap indeed - though I'm not sure that statement even does justice to what many of us feel. You have shown that the impossible is possible, to believe in your vision no matter what people say can't be done, and that though half a world away, there are kindred souls who are just as infected with cruiser addiction as those of us who are looked upon as crazy by our friends, family, co-workers and strangers alike. Please, don't ever let anyone convince you to stop creating....


A short clip of Anthony Bourdain...

 

[FouadHafeez]

I really don't have the words to thank you for such an eloquent appreciation of this thread. I'm quite gob-smacked - not to mention humbled - by some of the accolades you've used in there. Coming from one enthusiast to the other, I think that is the highest form of praise that could be lavished upon another. For that, I thank you.

When I went about starting this thread, the primary reason was for it to serve as an online scrapbook of sorts; for it to be a repository of anecdotes, technical specs, experiences, and experiments that went into building the truck. To serve as an aide memoire of sorts for ME, but also, for it to be used by other enthusiasts who might be contemplating - or undertaking - a build of this sorts. I wanted it to "read" easily; for people like myself who are completely at sea when they start to see multiple digits, decimal points, and various unit measures pertaining to horsepower, torque, pressure, force, and weight. Which is why the thread is long on bombast, and terribly short on technical details.

Another all-important thing I wanted, was to showcase the "common man" (yours truly) from Pakistan. To afford a snapshot, as it were...of how we're just AS car-crazy as anyone out there. How we value the outdoors life. How family is intimately and intricately interwoven into our social fabric. The importance we accord to food and drink, travel, and generally having fun. How lucky we are to be blessed with amazing terrain, weather, biodiversity, and nature's beauty. And how blighted we are to be beset by the scourge that is the militant and extremist mindset of a tiny minority of our population, the imagery of whom, often taints the majority of us with the same brush, in the view of others.

Regarding your splendid idea of a video travelogue; it's something that I'm very seriously considering. But all in due time. For now, professional and personal obligations don't permit the liberty of something like this - that would be a labour of love, but also, very labour-intensive, as well. A couple of years down the line, though...who knows WHERE the Phantom might end up and be captured on video, and have its experiences narrated in words.

Once again, thanks for the encouragement and kind words, mate.

Cheers.

 

[FouadHafeez]

And as for Anthony Bourdain...my family also considers me a bit of a "foodie" in addition to being a gearhead. Serendipitous then, that you should mention him and his works.

 

[MrMoMo]

Regarding your splendid idea of a video travelogue; it's something that I'm very seriously considering. But all in due time. For now, professional and personal obligations don't permit the liberty of something like this

Once again, thanks for the encouragement and kind words, mate.

Cheers.

Just mount a GoPro on each corner, and a few facing the inside ;cD

You are more than welcome, and thanks for the return.

 

[Sporty Forty]

Hi Fouad,

Love the 40 especially the rear doors.

I am doing a quad cab thing myself (well, thats the plan) by using the front cab of a ute and the whole cab of a swb added behind that. It should be shorter than a troopy and have room for my kids (5 in total but 2 will be using it to come away with me and the missus)

I will be coiling the axles and running a 1HD-FT out of a late model 80 series in a LWB chassis, I might put a few extra inches into the wheelbase as well to make the body look right with wheel arches etc...... as you dont want to have too much of the wheel arch protruding into the body work, I think yours is pretty much right by the way.

Anyway, just wondering on the rear doors, I really like the look of yours by the way, top job and the right proportions. On the 45 degree angle at the bottom how far did you come in to start that. Looks like the best part of 8-10 inches in from the corner have gone. Also what is the total width of your door after you took the 6 inches out. I was thinking of running a rear door about 28-29 inches wide.

There's a few people here in Australia who like your Phantom and appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Anyway, loved hearing about the project and seeing some photo's of Pakistan. I come from NZ (now live in Aussie where's theres a lot of 40's(I have 5)) and it has some great mountain scenery as well, but like a lot of others here I didn't realise what you had in your country.

I hope you enjoy getting out there with the family.

Cheers

Fabricating The Rear Doors

After getting the front doors affixed to the front half of the body, the obvious challenge was in crafting the rear doors to go along with them. In order to do this, we decided to make a visual "model" for reference. One, that could be replicated in terms of dimensions and positioning, after we'd tinkered around with it, and adjusted it to our liking. To this end, we hacked an old, rusted door into two pieces, by slicing away approximately 6 inches from the very centre of the door frame. This was necessary, since we wanted to retain the basic shape of the door - keeping it identical to the front one - and also, because it'd save us from the bother of getting the ends and curves and contours just right, on one made from fresh sheet metal. Besides, body mods that go wrong, can be expensive and time-consuming, when you're fabricating from scratch. Always a good idea to develop a template/blueprint of sorts, from expendable items.

After getting the basic size and shape right, we dwelt upon the taper towards the bottom...which would give it a more "natural" look, rather than it appearing as if this was a photoshop transplant. A necessity, since we wanted it to look like something straight out of the Toyota plant, rather than something that'd appear as if it were an aftermarket add-on. A taper angle of 45 degrees was chosen. Close to the taper of the front mudguards, but a little more gentle, so as to add shape to it. This was bolted onto the hinges (which we'd loose-welded to the B pillar), and after visual inspection, a bit of adjustment, and much hemming and hawing...we decided it was just about right.

Pictures!

 

[Honger]

Finished the whole thread... in a day. Wow. Love the vehicle... love Pakistan. I'm an American currently living in the UAE and I know a few Pakistani's here and have met many more. All of them tell of the beauty of their homeland and share a disgust with the blight of terrorism you guys struggle with. I've long wanted to take a Land Cruiser deep into the north of Pakistan and India for a few weeks and your photos just reinforce that.

Regarding the Phantom, amazing. Personlly, I may not have done everything the same as you on the build... but that's the point really. This is YOUR crusier and it's a gem. You've made it yours and it reflects your functional needs as well as your personal aesthetic. Bravo.

Show us more of the FJ40-framed chop job.

And show us more of the Phantom on long treks through the Punjab and elsewhere.

 

[78fj40mg]

The phantom is a LEGEND all over the globe! Great 40 Fouad!

 

[FouadHafeez]

Hi Fouad,

Love the 40 especially the rear doors.

I am doing a quad cab thing myself (well, thats the plan) by using the front cab of a ute and the whole cab of a swb added behind that. It should be shorter than a troopy and have room for my kids (5 in total but 2 will be using it to come away with me and the missus)

I will be coiling the axles and running a 1HD-FT out of a late model 80 series in a LWB chassis, I might put a few extra inches into the wheelbase as well to make the body look right with wheel arches etc...... as you dont want to have too much of the wheel arch protruding into the body work, I think yours is pretty much right by the way.

Anyway, just wondering on the rear doors, I really like the look of yours by the way, top job and the right proportions. On the 45 degree angle at the bottom how far did you come in to start that. Looks like the best part of 8-10 inches in from the corner have gone. Also what is the total width of your door after you took the 6 inches out. I was thinking of running a rear door about 28-29 inches wide.

There's a few people here in Australia who like your Phantom and appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Anyway, loved hearing about the project and seeing some photo's of Pakistan. I come from NZ (now live in Aussie where's theres a lot of 40's(I have 5)) and it has some great mountain scenery as well, but like a lot of others here I didn't realise what you had in your country.

I hope you enjoy getting out there with the family.

Cheers

Hey, mate. I'm obliged for the kind words. Thanks.

The 80 series axles and engine is a fabulous idea, but begs the obvious question...why not use a LWB chassis from an 80 series to begin with? You'll get the engine and transmission ready-mounted, coil-sprung, drivetrain-ready, and the LWB is about right for the extended cabin version you're talking about. Just a thought.

As for the dimensions of the rear doors, I just went down to the car to measure 'em for you.

The bottom edge of the doors is 18 inches across. Following a generally 45 degree angle, it slopes up and widens to 28 inches. The total height is 44 inches. So your 28-29 inch idea is absolutely spot on! With regards to the wheel arches, my plan was to build the car around a SOA conversion and a minimum of 42 inch tall tyres (the ones the Phantom's currently wearing), from the very outset. Your positioning of the wheel arches is going to be dependent on how high you're lifting your rig, and what sort of tyres you're planning to run. Then axle positioning is also going to be important to get the wheels to sit dead centre in the arches. Minor adjustments of course, can be done with wheel flares (if you're planning any), but these things are going to be crucial in getting the rear wheels, arches, door and filler cap to look natural, rather than grafted on abstractly.

Once again, thanks for the kind words about the countryside in Pakistan, and your appreciation of the build. I hope you have a really great time building one of your own.

Cheers.

Fouad.

 

[FouadHafeez]

Finished the whole thread... in a day. Wow. Love the vehicle... love Pakistan. I'm an American currently living in the UAE and I know a few Pakistani's here and have met many more. All of them tell of the beauty of their homeland and share a disgust with the blight of terrorism you guys struggle with. I've long wanted to take a Land Cruiser deep into the north of Pakistan and India for a few weeks and your photos just reinforce that.

Regarding the Phantom, amazing. Personlly, I may not have done everything the same as you on the build... but that's the point really. This is YOUR crusier and it's a gem. You've made it yours and it reflects your functional needs as well as your personal aesthetic. Bravo.

Show us more of the FJ40-framed chop job.

And show us more of the Phantom on long treks through the Punjab and elsewhere.

I'm really obliged for the very kind words of encouragement.

When I started this build, I had a look at about a hundred different 40s from all over the world, and what struck me was how every single one of them was absolutely unique in its own way. Little touches. Paint. Seats. Drivetrain. Suspension. Brakes. Power steering or not. Bull bars. Bumpers. Winches. The list goes on and on. And you're absolutely correct when you say that every single one of these rustbuckets we love, have their own particular sense of character.

I'm happy to report that the Phantom is getting its fair share (probably more than what its due) of love and attention and hard use. It's been gawked at at truck shows, participated in some mud rallies, and has even been a part of a peace rally in our neck of the woods! Having concentrated more on driving it (no one but me gets to drive it! ) I'm going to have to beg some mates for snaps that they've taken of it in action. I'll be sure to do so.

Cheers.

 

[FouadHafeez]

The phantom is a LEGEND all over the globe! Great 40 Fouad!

Wow! That's a memorable picture, Mike!

This was taken as we were 'dollying up' the Phantom for a car show in which it was due to participate. The super glossy looking Super Swampers are a bit of an indicator of this!

 

[FouadHafeez]

Some new pictures. Because we all love cruiser-porn.

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[FouadHafeez]

 

[Sporty Forty]

Hey, mate. I'm obliged for the kind words. Thanks.

The 80 series axles and engine is a fabulous idea, but begs the obvious question...why not use a LWB chassis from an 80 series to begin with? You'll get the engine and transmission ready-mounted, coil-sprung, drivetrain-ready, and the LWB is about right for the extended cabin version you're talking about. Just a thought.


Fouad.

Fouad,

The 45/47 has a longer wheelbase than the 80 series and now I have gone back to the 4 door troopy type of thing and not a dual cab as we call them here in Australia. Also the 45/47 chassis is stronger than the 80 series and our engineers that have to approve the builds like that. Also as the car is older we can run it on club plates and not pay the $600Au each year for registration and also there is less hoops to jump through with our ADR'(Australian Design Rules) that we have to comply our vehicles with. For a 96 car I would have to meet the ADR's of the 96 year, with the 1984 car, I have to meet those and there's way less of them. It's a real pain in the backside and we would love to have it more open where you can shove anything in there, but thats vehicle mods in Australia for you.

I have also changed my engine to be the 1VD-FTV 4.5L turbo diesel V8. I purchased a wrecked car and have started pulling bits out of that.

So far I have the 45 series down to a bare chassis, some 4.8L Nissan Patrol diffs and all the suspension brackets. The 1VD-FTV will be used along with the gearbox.

This is my write up on the project that I hope to complete by this time next year. The chassis is going to have its suspension stuff done next month then it will be a rolling chassis and the body work will start as soon as I have pulled the 2009 79 series apart.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/qu...g-shortened-troopy-extended-swb-build.805511/

Here's my donor vehicle for box and motor. The banana as it had been involved in some bad accideent and there isn't one panel there without some damage. The motor starts and runs fine as well as the gearbox.



Cheers and still love the workmanship you achieved on the Phantom.

 

[FouadHafeez]

Fouad,

The 45/47 has a longer wheelbase than the 80 series and now I have gone back to the 4 door troopy type of thing and not a dual cab as we call them here in Australia. Also the 45/47 chassis is stronger than the 80 series and our engineers that have to approve the builds like that. Also as the car is older we can run it on club plates and not pay the $600Au each year for registration and also there is less hoops to jump through with our ADR'(Australian Design Rules) that we have to comply our vehicles with. For a 96 car I would have to meet the ADR's of the 96 year, with the 1984 car, I have to meet those and there's way less of them. It's a real pain in the backside and we would love to have it more open where you can shove anything in there, but thats vehicle mods in Australia for you.

I have also changed my engine to be the 1VD-FTV 4.5L turbo diesel V8. I purchased a wrecked car and have started pulling bits out of that.

So far I have the 45 series down to a bare chassis, some 4.8L Nissan Patrol diffs and all the suspension brackets. The 1VD-FTV will be used along with the gearbox.

This is my write up on the project that I hope to complete by this time next year. The chassis is going to have its suspension stuff done next month then it will be a rolling chassis and the body work will start as soon as I have pulled the 2009 79 series apart.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/qu...g-shortened-troopy-extended-swb-build.805511/

Here's my donor vehicle for box and motor. The banana as it had been involved in some bad accideent and there isn't one panel there without some damage. The motor starts and runs fine as well as the gearbox.

View attachment 944151

Cheers and still love the workmanship you achieved on the Phantom.

Tell me about restrictions on mods.

In Pakistan, we have basically one rule, and that pertains to the chassis number / VIN. In order for it to be registered, the portion where this number is (on a 40 it's at the very front right-hand corner of the frame), has to be uncut, free from all welds and un-tampered. With the Phantom, then, we added a total of three feet to the frame. two feet between the wheel wells and a foot at the very rear. This gave us the space needed to lay out the cabin and the tub at the rear.

But yes, in view of the restrictions on mods in Aussie, sticking to the original frame makes sense. I imagine it'll also save time and effort on mounting the body on an 'alien' frame, later on. The 1VD-FTV is a fabulous engine choice; and I'm quite certain it'll be a great fit and drive. Again, the choice of Nissan diffs is a very good one; I've used 'em in a modded '65 Impala, and they're absolutely indestructible.

I'll be sure to pore over what you're doing in the thread you posted!

Cheers, and best of luck.

 

[FouadHafeez]

In the great wild outdoors.

 

[JohnnyC]

in pakistan you guys come out with some neat ideas... found this one some time ago... do you know this truck? has a prado dash