OK, it's been a long, long road. I've endured ribbing from you my wonderful clubmates, which has only made the time fly faster (ahem) but, I'd rather it be done well than half-assed, and thankfully my patience is paying off. I was at Redline earlier this month and the final tasks are being done now in July. First a few teaser pics:
Width: it's big. the track (outside width of stock axles/tires) is the same as the donor 80, but the 80 has fender flares with the actual body narrower than the flares; but here think of the body's "box" being as wide as the fender flares' width: (note the split bench in second row to fit 5, vs. his usual dual buckets to fit only 4, this was a custom change, wrapping an early 80 series bench with the same material as the fronts; the front seats are Corbeau with seat heaters and lumbar bladders):
Wheels: street/DOT legal beadlocks from Hutchinson, with New Cooper 37x12.5" STT Pros:
Theme/Period: it's modeled after an early (1958-1973) generation Series 40, with the 'tuna can' front lights... (even the rear 4x4 labs/Redline custom bumper with hitch and dual swing-outs keeps the round lights. more on that later):
Body: the front doors are the same size/shape as a stock 40, so a skeleton door for a 40 will fit. The rear doors are 'new' in that the true 40 never had 4 doors. But like a "real 40" this body 'angles in' at the B-pillar as you approach the front, so Redline took off my IPOR sliders, recycled them to a client, and built me body-angle-matching sliders (not my wheels):
Suspension: new 'slinky' springs from down-under imprted via Redline. The challenge with the FJ-UTE (more on the name below) is that it is 1100 pound ligher than the 80 when you remove the steel body and replace it with the aluminum body and softop+rollcage. The stock springs and the J/heavies are both way too stiff. These "Slinkies" were the springs Justin found best. Paired with Icon external reservoir shocks and it's very sweet (I drove an 80 in Colorado for a week with this spring/shock combo and it was awesome, adjustable dampening was dialed and rebuild kits for life means hopefully the last set of shocks i'll need):
So, onto the name. Justin came up with the FJ-UTE name as a play on "utility" and the Ute pass/natives from Colorado. But for someone not from CO it just conjurers up a pickup-truck from Aussie land. This vehicle will qualify for antique plates come Jan 1, 2019 at which point a vanity/custom Antique plate will be ordered. but "FJ-UTE" is not what i want on the plate.
Icon... ($200K no kick vents!!)
...names their 4 door 40 themed truck the "FJ44" (ie: 4 door series 40) which makes sense. But i don't want to call it an FJ44 because it is not an Icon.
As of now I'm still running a 1FZ and it is all Toyota OEM parts (save Icon, slinky, etc) but all engine and brakes etc. So I'm not bashful about mounting the new old stock OEM rear passenger corner badges which thanks to Ebay are already in hand (not my pic):
I even got a new pair these, too:
SO, what should this thing be called? FJ-48? FJ-84? If you come up with the name that ends up on the plates, there will be a prize of some sort. (No not borrowing the truck for a week, but a case of beer, that type of scale and bragging rights, of course)
anyways, wanted to share the good news.
Width: it's big. the track (outside width of stock axles/tires) is the same as the donor 80, but the 80 has fender flares with the actual body narrower than the flares; but here think of the body's "box" being as wide as the fender flares' width: (note the split bench in second row to fit 5, vs. his usual dual buckets to fit only 4, this was a custom change, wrapping an early 80 series bench with the same material as the fronts; the front seats are Corbeau with seat heaters and lumbar bladders):
Wheels: street/DOT legal beadlocks from Hutchinson, with New Cooper 37x12.5" STT Pros:
Theme/Period: it's modeled after an early (1958-1973) generation Series 40, with the 'tuna can' front lights... (even the rear 4x4 labs/Redline custom bumper with hitch and dual swing-outs keeps the round lights. more on that later):
Body: the front doors are the same size/shape as a stock 40, so a skeleton door for a 40 will fit. The rear doors are 'new' in that the true 40 never had 4 doors. But like a "real 40" this body 'angles in' at the B-pillar as you approach the front, so Redline took off my IPOR sliders, recycled them to a client, and built me body-angle-matching sliders (not my wheels):
Suspension: new 'slinky' springs from down-under imprted via Redline. The challenge with the FJ-UTE (more on the name below) is that it is 1100 pound ligher than the 80 when you remove the steel body and replace it with the aluminum body and softop+rollcage. The stock springs and the J/heavies are both way too stiff. These "Slinkies" were the springs Justin found best. Paired with Icon external reservoir shocks and it's very sweet (I drove an 80 in Colorado for a week with this spring/shock combo and it was awesome, adjustable dampening was dialed and rebuild kits for life means hopefully the last set of shocks i'll need):
So, onto the name. Justin came up with the FJ-UTE name as a play on "utility" and the Ute pass/natives from Colorado. But for someone not from CO it just conjurers up a pickup-truck from Aussie land. This vehicle will qualify for antique plates come Jan 1, 2019 at which point a vanity/custom Antique plate will be ordered. but "FJ-UTE" is not what i want on the plate.
Icon... ($200K no kick vents!!)
...names their 4 door 40 themed truck the "FJ44" (ie: 4 door series 40) which makes sense. But i don't want to call it an FJ44 because it is not an Icon.
As of now I'm still running a 1FZ and it is all Toyota OEM parts (save Icon, slinky, etc) but all engine and brakes etc. So I'm not bashful about mounting the new old stock OEM rear passenger corner badges which thanks to Ebay are already in hand (not my pic):
I even got a new pair these, too:
SO, what should this thing be called? FJ-48? FJ-84? If you come up with the name that ends up on the plates, there will be a prize of some sort. (No not borrowing the truck for a week, but a case of beer, that type of scale
and bragging rights, of course)anyways, wanted to share the good news.
