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

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Mark my word, if I go LS there is no way in hell it's a stock take-out 5.3.

:grinpimp:
 
There are aftermarket engine rebuild kits for the 12ht platform in Australia like there are for SBC 350s here in the states. So they will stick around. But your right, not a lot of love from Toyota in that department sadly..
 
(to get away from the engine swap topic that never fails to come up in this thread)

WING WINDOW INSTALL

@reevesci @MANUCHAO

I bought these as a "kit" that included everything, all glass, the glass seals that were different, and the different regulators.
So the only big issue I ran into was that both my right-side main glass and regulator didn't play nicely with each other. And the main glass side to side had different mounting methods, the left side has bolt tabs like the normal front glass, whereas my right side glass had a slider tab like the rear windows. See picture.

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My original plan was to weld bolt tabs onto the glass channel but ended up modifying the regulator, making it into the style of the rear doors. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of this process as I had no idea if it would work.
I'm the end it works, it's not amazingly smooth so I'd like to source another piece of glass and regulator eventually.

As for getting the wing in, in needs to be screwed in to the forward door frame however two of the three required holes are not present, it's lower-most hole intercepts with one of the exiting holes used to hold the original frontmost window track in. The green arrows show roughly where the holes need to be drilled, I only drilled the uppermost hole and everything is fine.

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The doorsill weatherstrip needs to be cut on both sides of the glass, I don't know how it would look if you are still running the chrome strips. Luckily I'm not so its a quick slice with the Dremel.
On the inside the chrome strip and seal can be easily removed from the door card, cut, and reinstalled.

@reevesci one of my window seals was new as is one of my regulators (unfortunately the one I had to modify), did you source those or not? I'd like to be able to find good future replacements for when things run out. Thanks for putting the "kit" together for me!!! I love it besides the mods I had to make but I don't blame you for that :)
 
45 pages and it's still on worn out springs??? By the time it's done, you'll have 200 pages! LOL.

Just a word of caution and I realize you are not looking for advice. But...No way around the fact that a spring over 60 is a MONSTER truck. I tried to keep mine down and it is still the size of lifted bro trucks. It's almost embarrassing to drive because everyone looks at you funny. The only time it looks right is on difficult bouldery trails like the Rubicon. Then all of a sudden, it looks normal.

So if this is your only car, I'd stay spring under on 33s. If you have another car, the sky's the limit, but it will be huge. Few pics of mine on the gear installs website to give an idea:

Toyota gear install

I didn't read your whole thread, but are you going to widen the track at all? I put an 80 axle in the rear of mine and like the extra width when off camber, and trust me off camber takes on a whole new meaning when you have a spring over!

Nevermind-I see you have an 80 rear. Good choice.

I'll go back and work through your build.

:cheers:
Wow Cruiserdrew, that is an awesome write up! Do you have one on doing the 63" springs?
 
Wow Cruiserdrew, that is an awesome write up! Do you have one on doing the 63" springs?

That write up is one of many that Ken aka "ZUK" aka @gearinstalls.com puts on his site when he rebuilds your differentials. They are hugely entertaining and instructive. I've learned a ton going through his writeups.

Sorry, nothing similar on the 63 inch spring thing. I got the spring hangers and shackles from RuffStuff. Lucked out on the springs on Craig's list.

Now back to the regularly scheduled @cruisermatt show...
 
Just got done with my final for school so I'm off from that for about a month, going to be putting in some hours at work but I hope to get a couple things done on the 62. Immediate priority is rebuilding my front axle, the screwed up inner is still inside and the seal is all torn up so gear oil is spraying all over my drivers side wheel (lol). I want to do what I've been sort of neglecting forever and that's spring bushings and replacing all of the axle hardware with upgraded stuff.
Since I plan on having pretty much all of this apart again in the next couple months for the spring-over I'm trying to keep that in mind.

Buy list is:
-Terrain Tamer knuckle kit (as per the norm)
-CCOT rubber spring bushings (only need to last me six months)
-fresh-stock u-bolts (going to have to cut mine off)
-Upgraded knuckle and hub studs
-new spindle bushings
-backing plate deleters
-new Aisin hub (currently have my trail spare on the drivers side as I blew my normal one up a few weeks ago, it was so fresh too :( )

That should about cover it...
 
Hey Jason...
Price on both plz.

I rather have them and not need them over the opposite..
Im going to start up all my upgrades this February/March.

Thank you..
 
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Last call, anyone need a really nice rear crossmember? It's (hopefully) getting scrapped this weekend to be replaced with something much beefier :grinpimp:

Also my trailer hitch receiver is for sale if anyone is interested.

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I'm officially starting my rear bumper/crossmember/hitch receiver/frame boxing/inner c-channel repair/recover points.

I want to relocate and french my rear shackle hanger for the 63" springs which means I need to box the frame, which means the notorious rusty inner c-channels need to come out, and my existing hitch receiver hangs down too low, and I want quarter panel armor and recovery points.

So this is what I dug out if the scrap pile, my old rear bumper I made a couple years ago (one of my first ever metal projects)

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And chucked it up in the bandsaw to take the middle 40" out of it

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Take some 2.5"x2.5" and drill a hole in it

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Check the radius of the corners

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And sink it into the main bar (drill four 3/8" holes and cut to each with a grinder, end mill woul work too but I was lazy)

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Today I got my 3/4" thick bar (4" wide) from onlinemetals.com (convenient!)
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Doodled on it a bunch

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And drilled two 15/16" holes then cut the corners off with a grinder. Not too bad.
Then cut it in half. With a grinder. :hillbilly:

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Tubes are 1.5" x 0.188" DOM

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Getting the upper tube to wrap over the hitch receiver was kind of a pain to do but I think it will look nice

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So this is what I'm shooting for except mine will have a 1/4" wall 2x4 hiding behind it. And I'm going to actually bend the tube instead of using cutting and welding pre-bent sections :rolleyes:

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You got a bender?
 
I haven't figured that part out yet but the way it's designed I can add the 1/4 protection later.
 
Chopped the crossmember and got it all welded in today. Started with the recovery points. Then had to spread the frame (it bowed in about 1/2-3/4" when I cut the end off). All I had was the factory bottle jack and a 4x4 and it actually was really easy to spread. Then I welded the main bar in and the decoration tubes.

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Looks great bro!!! I'd recommend coming up with a way to bolt the side rails on instead of welding them on. They will undoubtedly get bent by someone or something, no matter how thick they are, and it'd be nice to be able to just unbolt them to replace.
 

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