Builds Conde Cruiser Build---1971 FJ40 FST

[CondeCruiser]

I’ve wanting to swap mine for some shorter ones. I assume you ordered 9/16” bolt size? Did you need to put any kind of finish on them?

I did order 9/16". I did not put any finish on them. I will spray some Fluid Film on them in the next couple days and be done with it.

 

[CondeCruiser]

CVT had an awesome end of year sale a few weeks back, and I picked this 2.3M 270* awning up for $400 shipped. New they are 1k.
This past weekend I drove the 40 300 miles round trip to do some camping at the roof top tent rally here in VA. at James River State Park. It was loaded pretty heavy and managed 15.5 mpg at around 60 mph the whole way. I love this truck more and more every time I drive it. It's running great.

 

[CondeCruiser]

Picked up some sliding windows for the hardtop from @FJ40GURU. Going to be putting these in a good rust free set of panels I have, and then doing some patina matching paint on them.

 

[CondeCruiser]

Swapped out the 2.5" Pro Comp springs for some 4" Skyjackers. Had to put 4* caster shims in the back do to a slight driveline vibration. I'm probably going to just order a driveshaft from Tom Woods because I cut and lengthened my rear one and I can feel it vibrating at 60mph. I thought I had it straight but I guess not.
Ordered a set of 35x10.5x15 Kanati mud hogs and will be grabbing a set of factory wheels from a buddy this week.

 

[clrussell]

Swapped out the 2.5" Pro Comp springs for some 4" Skyjackers. Had to put 4* caster shims in the back do to a slight driveline vibration. I'm probably going to just order a driveshaft from Tom Woods because I cut and lengthened my rear one and I can feel it vibrating at 60mph. I thought I had it straight but I guess not.
Ordered a set of 35x10.5x15 Kanati mud hogs and will be grabbing a set of factory wheels from a buddy this week.

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I’m going from a 4” with 33-10.5s on stock wheels to 35-10.5s on a 17” wheel if my tires ever show up. Seems narrow 35s are all the rage these days. The 35s on a 4” are just right.

I really considered those same tires you are going with so I could keep the factory wheels.

I love your build. So many things I would like to follow along on.

Merry Christmas

 

[Grayscale]

@CondeCruiser Are you going to straighten the driveshaft by rotating the axle and installing a double-Cardan-type shaft to deal with the vibration? Or was it just the welding and balancing on the shaft itself?

 

[CondeCruiser]

@CondeCruiser Are you going to straighten the driveshaft by rotating the axle and installing a double-Cardan-type shaft to deal with the vibration? Or was it just the welding and balancing on the shaft itself?

No need for a double cardan shaft. It was 2 separate issues. When I installed the 60 series 4speed and split case, it was about 2" or so shorter, so it exposed the splines a bit. No big deal. Then when I put the 4" kit on it exposed the splines more. So I cut and lengthened the driveshaft. Its probably fine because it is very slight, but it will bug the hell out of me so just easier to have one made. The caster shims fixed the vibration I had after the lift was installed.

 

[CondeCruiser]

I’m going from a 4” with 33-10.5s on stock wheels to 35-10.5s on a 17” wheel if my tires ever show up. Seems narrow 35s are all the rage these days. The 35s on a 4” are just right.

I really considered those same tires you are going with so I could keep the factory wheels.

I love your build. So many things I would like to follow along on.

Merry Christmas

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I've enjoyed watching your build as well. I looked at the Kenda MT as well but the price compared to the Kanati was huge. Plus I wanted to go back to the 15" wheels to get a little more sidewall.

 

[clrussell]

I've enjoyed watching your build as well. I looked at the Kenda MT as well but the price compared to the Kanati was huge. Plus I wanted to go back to the 15" wheels to get a little more sidewall.

I agree more sidewall looks better on these ole rigs. This build is what gave me confidence that the 17s wouldn’t look out of place with the correct tire size.

I’m still not 100% on the Kenda MT. The size sold me, availability through my supplier has not been great.
I’ve been tempted to change size to a 12.50 which I could have a slough of tires next day for. I just wanted a little narrower look on the 40. I feel it will drive better as well.


This reminds me I need to check my rear pinion angle sometime. I have a slight vibration as well at higher speeds and I have a new driveshaft.

 

[CondeCruiser]

I agree more sidewall looks better on these ole rigs. This build is what gave me confidence that the 17s wouldn’t look out of place with the correct tire size.

I’m still not 100% on the Kenda MT. The size sold me, availability through my supplier has not been great.
I’ve been tempted to change size to a 12.50 which I could have a slough of tires next day for. I just wanted a little narrower look on the 40. I feel it will drive better as well.


This reminds me I need to check my rear pinion angle sometime. I have a slight vibration as well at higher speeds and I have a new driveshaft.

I can almost bet you caster shims will do the trick on the vibration. I never thought about it until I was researching on Tom Woods site for a D/S and they said that if you just installed a lift it could be angle. The shims definitely fixed the issue.

 

[Mightymes]

I’m going from a 4” with 33-10.5s on stock wheels to 35-10.5s on a 17” wheel if my tires ever show up. Seems narrow 35s are all the rage these days. The 35s on a 4” are just right.

I really considered those same tires you are going with so I could keep the factory wheels.

I love your build. So many things I would like to follow along on.

Merry Christmas

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What wheels are these in this picture? And the size? They look great!

 

[clrussell]

What wheels are these in this picture? And the size? They look great!

More info here

What do I have? 40 newb

Me too. It is a good read. What an around-the-world adventure. They travelled 42,252 miles in a stock 1965 soft top Toyota FJ40, towing a trailer. 581 days across deserts, and barely drivable roads.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[CondeCruiser]

Got the steering box off today. Have a mini truck kit coming from @orangefj45. Should have power steering by Monday.

 

[orangefj45]

Got the steering box off today. Have a mini truck kit coming from @orangefj45. Should have power steering by Monday.

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Thanks fir the mention and for sending business our way.
We love being a part of so many cruiser builds in our little community!

Georg @ Valley Hybrids

 

[CondeCruiser]

Tires showed up today. They are pretty sweet. I have to finish getting the wheels cleaned up and painted so I can get them mounted up.
My minitruck power steering kit showed up as well. All I can say is that I wish I knew about this kit about a month or so ago. Not sure how I missed this. I may buy another one for the wife's '76 I just finished. If you are thinking of swapping to mini truck P/S reach out to @orangefj45 and get this kit. It has everything you will need to do the job. No holes to drill no bolts, belts or fittings to track down. I will be putting it on tomorrow morning in about 30mins. I highly recommend it. Thanks Georg!

 

[CondeCruiser]

Finally had some time to get the p/s installed. Tomorrow I will prep and paint my wheels so they will be ready for the tires to be mounted on Thursday.

 

[CondeCruiser]

Wheels got the wire wheel treatment today and with some help from my Buddy heater and a steel plate, I got them warm enough to get a couple coats of paint on them. Still waiting on my 5th wheel to be fished from storage.

I know people are asking frequently about wheel color match for factory gray. I read somewhere on here about Rustoleum Massy Ferguson gray was a close match. One of my wheels still had factory paint showing, so I did a test with Cruiser Corps wheel gray, and Massy Ferguson. I have them marked next to the OG paint. Massy is dead on. CC has a lot of blue in it.

 

[CondeCruiser]

23* F this morning, so I hooked up my block heater and let it warm up for an hour then pulled it out of the shop and took it for a spin to check the p/s and new tires out. Checked tire pressure before I left to see what the shop set them at. 3 were at 35psi and one was at 40psi. Set them all at 30 and went for a ride. They road pretty good but ended up going down to 20psi and may go to 15 once a drive it some more. Steering box that I bought from a guy on Fakebook marketplace leaks. No biggie. I will rebuild it this spring and put it on the shelf as a spare for either 40. I hit the easy button on a new one from Summit, because it's too cold to sit out in the shop to rebuild it now.

 

[clrussell]

That’s lovely

 

[Land Shark]

23* F this morning, so I hooked up my block heater and let it warm up for an hour then pulled it out of the shop and took it for a spin to check the p/s and new tires out. Checked tire pressure before I left to see what the shop set them at. 3 were at 35psi and one was at 40psi. Set them all at 30 and went for a ride. They road pretty good but ended up going down to 20psi and may go to 15 once a drive it some more. Steering box that I bought from a guy on Fakebook marketplace leaks. No biggie. I will rebuild it this spring and put it on the shelf as a spare for either 40. I hit the easy button on a new one from Summit, because it's too cold to sit out in the shop to rebuild it now.

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Going to drop a heat lamp in the engine bay over night while we get through this extreme cold. Your cruiser is looking sooo good