Builds Cruisermatt's FJ62 Build-up (5 Viewers)

[cruisedeisel]

Traction bars save leaf springs, I had to learn the hard way. Blew 2 sets or rears without a trac bar.

 

[cruisermatt]

Went wheeling with the FLCA this weekend, the first time on my new setup. The week before was a bit of a scramble getting the driveshaft made, getting my triple shifters installed (FAIL) and going though the truck fixing a couple things, new fan clutch, redid winch wiring, another oil change, reinstalling rear locker, etc.

With my shifter design I wasn't able to get the splitcase into low, something is wrong with my linkage I made, and I was able to get the 203 into low but that shifter required so little force to shift that the boot was popping it out of gear. So I had to have someone in the passenger seat holding it in low the whole time
My 4WD shifter didn't have enough bend in it to get through the hole in the floor so I omitted it for now and just got under the thing with a big screwdriver to put it in 4WD.

Spent Saturday morning tooling around in the national forest for a few hours, easy sugar sand roads just nice to enjoy nature, then headed over to the off-road park our club frequents. In between that trip partly out of laziness and partly out of curiousity I left in 4WD and got on the road, and went faster and faster, and the front driveshaft I did went 70MPH with no vibrations!!! I was blown away. I probably just got lucky

Anyways. Here's some poser pictures as no one got any pictures of me on obstacles
I had it on some rocks and some good hill climbs, it's F+R locked all the time so it makes me look like a good driver. Kind of like cheating.

Somehow I managed to blow another birf, I pulled the remnants out Saturday at midnight and was in kind of a rush (tired + ) so I didn't take any pictures... I have the remnants in the back of the truck I'll take some bench pics of.. It took out my Aisin and I couldn't pull the inner shaft so I'm worried I might have broke the locker as well, I'll pull the whole front axle apart this weekend and find out

 

[cruisedeisel]

Loooks like fun. I too broke 7 birfs before i bought longfeilds. Running huge tires with not much room to flex will make contact with the fenders and snap. How are your bumb stops? maybe a wee bit of a body lift or smaller tires would benefit your wheeling experiences. I would be real surprised to see if it broke your locker too? Although you were not able to engage the super low, it must be nice having that option. What size tires are you running?

 

[cruisermatt]

Loooks like fun. I too broke 7 birfs before i bought longfeilds. Running huge tires with not much room to flex will make contact with the fenders and snap. How are your bumb stops? maybe a wee bit of a body lift or smaller tires would benefit your wheeling experiences. I would be real surprised to see if it broke your locker too? Although you were not able to engage the super low, it must be nice having that option. What size tires are you running?

These are 315's (35's). I decided I'm going SOA this weekend.

 

[cruisermatt]

Why? Your truck is nice and low. I would fix your transfer case shifting, and put some chromoly birfields in first.

Let me rephrase that, this weekend I decided I'm going SOA. Probably start collecting parts and do it over spring break in March.

So far the plan I've formulated (after riding in @GLTHFJ60 's truck and a few local guys) is
-62 rear springs up front (RUF) with shackle reversal and frenched shackles
-3/4 ton 63" Chevy springs rear
-grind spring perches to lower springs on axle tubes

This should met me about total about 3" higher then I am now.
I like how low it is but for what I want to use it for I think I'd benefit from more lift, the number of members on here happy with SOA lifts is huge. And they successfully run the trails I want to. One day I'll buy a beater truck and copy @90FJ 's ultimate low-rider setup.

 

[cruisermatt]

How much suspension lift do you have now? What kind of springs? What is it about your suspension that you feel is inadequate? Just the height? Travel? The reason I ask is a soa can be a lot of work and money (not as much as linkes suspension but it still adds up)to dial in, and there is likely some stuff you can do to your current sua setup to make it perform quite differently depending what you want out of a suspension.

I currently have a Cool Cruiser's 2.5" HFS lift that's about 15 years old. And OME shocks that are about 10 years old. Everything is completely worn out, bushings, the springs are starting to "W", and it rides like crap. And there's harly any suspension travel, getting maybe 3" of up travel and 6" of downtravel. I would also like more ground clearance.

I know exactly how much work and money will be involved. I've done my homework.

I want to link the front. I REALLY want to link the front. My long=term plan is to have the front linked and the rear SOA, so I feel if I SOA I'm halfway there and it will keep me satisfied for awhile until I am able to link it.

 

[cruisermatt]

I would think u could link the front for almost the same amount of money parts wise as doing soa front. Mainly because you wouldn't have to invest in hi steer. It would be significantly more labor. That is if u just did coils rather than coilovers. If u just installed a front fj80 suspension it would be dirt cheap and about the same labor as a soa front. U can get decent travel out of it, and that suspension seems to hook up on climbs really well. U could upgrade to a three or 4 link with coilovers if u get more money.

First of all I will be doing hi-steer regardless (I've had a pair of arms on the shelf for awhile now). Since I decided not to use the 80 front axle I will most likely end up with 6-shooter knuckles.

Secondly when I link the front I will be using ORI's or coilovers for sure.

You seem to be very thoughtful of my financial standing, I'm grateful for that but I much prefer to hold out longer for what I really want rather than what is cheaper. If I can't afford something immediately I will save money until I can. I fully intend to keep this truck for the long haul.

Thanks for the input

 

[White Stripe]

Im just throwing ideas out there. I just figured it was for financial reasons that you want linked suspension but your going soa rather than pro rocks, links, and triple bypasses. Seems like financial reasons are a lot of the reason build threads go the directions they go per individual. Anyway hope it goes well.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Im just throwing ideas out there. I just figured it was for financial reasons that you want linked suspension but your going soa rather than pro rocks, links, and triple bypasses. Seems like financial reasons are a lot of the reason build threads go the directions they go per individual. Anyway hope it goes well.

White stripe, why did you delete all your other posts?

Going links is more expensive than going SOA, that's a well-known fact. Yes, the direction of the build thread, including suspension design choices are decided in part by cost. If I had the $$ I would have gone with ORIs all around and not messed with leaf springs anymore, but I haven't figured out how to keep my money tree alive yet, so SOA it is.

 

[White Stripe]

White stripe, why did you delete all your other posts?

Going links is more expensive than going SOA, that's a well-known fact. Yes, the direction of the build thread, including suspension design choices are decided in part by cost. If I had the $$ I would have gone with ORIs all around and not messed with leaf springs anymore, but I haven't figured out how to keep my money tree alive yet, so SOA it is.

I thought my comments were worded in a way to suggest my ideas were better ideas, which I really am not sure if they were or not, but I felt like they were worded as if I am a know it all. So I erased them. I don't want to convey ideas that way.

 

[cruisermatt]

I thought my comments were worded in a way to suggest my ideas were better ideas, which I really am not sure if they were or not, but I felt like they were worded as if I am a know it all. So I erased them. I don't want to convey ideas that way.

It's cool dude!!

I'll have links one day when I can afford to do it right. At this time can afford to go SOA correctly, with good shocks and components.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Timing belt on a diesel is something I can't get past personally. Toyota is great, but they do not s*** gold.

Yes that does kill the whole Toyota diesel for me!

The timing belt on a 1HZ is the very least of your worries on a most reliable engine.. There are some warning signs regarding the timing belt ,like Kevlar dust filtering out of the timing cover. But this is so rare it never gets a mention.You can change the belt in around 20m and they are as low as $20 for reputable aftermarket belts.

 

[sk8salomon]

my $0.02. 35's seem to look and perform best on SOA using old saggy springs. When you AAL old saggy springs, or buy all new springs, 35's are not the right look IMO. I think the look you have right now is perfect, 35's w SUA so try and keep that same wheel well filler if you can. If I were to do my SOA again, I would have not done AAL's. My truck sits up a little too high and has a little more body roll than I'd like running 35's. The overall wheel well opening to tire is too much IMO. I'm in the process of going to 37's, just saving $ at the moment.

 

[cruisermatt]

my $0.02. 35's seem to look and perform best on SOA using old saggy springs. When you AAL old saggy springs, or buy all new springs, 35's are not the right look IMO. I think the look you have right now is perfect, 35's w SUA so try and keep that same wheel well filler if you can. If I were to do my SOA again, I would have not done AAL's. My truck sits up a little too high and has a little more body roll than I'd like running 35's. The overall wheel well opening to tire is too much IMO. I'm in the process of going to 37's, just saving $ at the moment.

The plan is use my worn-out 2.5" lift rear springs in the front.

 

[mcguirejohnson]

my $0.02. 35's seem to look and perform best on SOA using old saggy springs. When you AAL old saggy springs, or buy all new springs, 35's are not the right look IMO.

Ya Matt stay away from AALs unless you want to look like Shaquille O'Neal wearing a size 11.5

 

[cruisermatt]

McGuire while you have you body off your frame do you wanna do me a favor and just trade shells with me? Yours looks so nice and rust-free And the right color too!

 

[cruisermatt]

I'm think along these lines..

 

[cruisedeisel]

I love body roll, then again, mothers do reach for their children when I drive by. SOA is the s***. If you havn't done a cut and turn yet, its pretty fun. 6 shooters are over kill unless you are building a trail/rock crawling V8 truck your gonna jump. BJ 74 springs work great for SOA on a 60. They are a we bit longer and correct the shackle angle for better ride and flex. Keep with the leafs until you get a raise. chevy 63's work great for the rear.

Dirty 30's are the best grand I've spent on my truck.

 

[cruisedeisel]

oh and don't forget a rear traction bar or you just eat up rear springs.

 

[cruisermatt]

I've had a mysterybox in my warehouse for months.. Since July I think? I told my self I would install them until truck was on the road, today is the day I think