FJ40 converted to a FJ45 cab and body swapped on to a 87 4runner chassis...good idea or not??? (2 Viewers)

[rustED71]

So I have a 87' 4runner SR5, 22RE/5spd, it runs great, but the interior is completely gutted and the body has alot of rust and dents, I also hit a deer so the core support and driver's inner fender would need replaced as they are buckled. The 4runner runs great tho, it was my dd for a couple of years and one of the most reliable rigs I've ever owned. But after hitting the deer I lost interest in fixing it up. I recently bought a nice one owner 91' extended cab pickup and have been driving it, so the 4runner has just been sitting. I also bought a 71' FJ40 that came with another one for a parts rig. The 71' I would like to keep stock(ish) ...someone has already swapped a 2F motor in it, so it's not all original, but I'd like to keep it stock looking. But the more I look at the FJ40 parts rig, the more I want to do something crazy with it. It's just cowl, tub , frame and axels. The rear sill is rusted out, but from the cowl to behind the doors openings are all pretty solid. I think it would make for an excellent candidate for a 6" ( or longer) stretched FJ45 cab. Measuring out the 4runner, the wheel base is around 104" compared to the doner FJ40's 90"-ish wheelbase. I have a mini truck front axel, so I can do a SAS on the 4runner, and stretch the wheelbase more in front if needed, same with the rear axel if it need to be moved back to get the FJ45 wheelbase proportions to look "right". I could probably even lengthen the rear of the frame if needed to accommodate the bed length. I would reuse all the 4runner wiring, eliminating what I don't need, (rear electric window, defrost, etc) and probably keep the 4runner steering column for the tilt and to make all the electrical easier. I think the 22RE/5spd would be fine, I can't see a stripped down FJ45 weighing in more than the 4runner with the fiberglass hardtop...I guess I'm just thinking out loud here, but I'd be glad to get some opinions, is this just a crazy waste of time, or should I go for it? I probably should be more focused on the my 71' FJ40, but I want to do it all right and use replacement panels and do more of a restoration...but at the moment this Frankenstein FJ45/4runner monstrousity sounds like alot more fun. I can chop and cut and weld and modify without fear of doing any harm because neither doner vehicle are nice enough to worry about... thanks for listening to my ramblings...if there is any interest I can post up some pics of both doner vehicles... thanks

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

It’s just money and time. Go for it if you have both. Enjoy the journey. Others may have a different opinion. @CaptClose, a good and trusted friend is importing Fj45 beds from Columbia. Tap into him if you need one. He is also doing an Fj45 build. I would start with and Fj45 frame if I was doing it. Much less fitment issues.

 

[rustED71]

Thanks for the heads up on your friend importing FJ45 beds, that's good to know! Im hoping to keep my costs down, using as much from the 4runner as possible, but I will need the whole front clip (bib, grille, hood etc) for the project, and I know how things snowball quickly. As for the frame, I thought about stretching the FJ40 frame and just swapping the motor, trans, and t-case etc over from the 4runner, but I think I can work with the 4runner chassis and between doing the SAS and possibly moving the rear axel back I think I could get the proportions to look right for a short bed FJ45.

 

[rustED71]

Here's some pics of the 87' 4runner. The first few are after I hit the deer, with the hood open you can see the drivers inner fender/wheel well is pushed up and crumpled, the core support was also pushed in and the new Koyo Aluminum radiator get twisted, but still holding up. I used a come-along to pull the the core support back out and a 3lb hammer to beat the hood out...dd it for a couple more years lol.
Passenger rear quarter has lots of rust, I cut some out behind the rear tire.

 

[rustED71]

And here's my FJ40 parts rig. The top is pretty rusted out, the fiberglass cap is in good shape. I'd probably just go topless or bikini top for awhile until I gather the parts to do a full chopped down FJ45 hard top.
So anyways, this is what I have to work with...comments are welcome!

 

[joseywales]

I love the idea. What are the width differences in the bodies? I’m usually a big fan of keeping things fairly pure, but the two candidates are not exactly likely to undergo full restoration are they? Might as well make something fun out of them!

If you need to get rid of the 4Runner top, I have some room at my place up by Blaine Wa.

 

[rustED71]

I love the idea. What are the width differences in the bodies? I’m usually a big fan of keeping things fairly pure, but the two candidates are not exactly likely to undergo full restoration are they? Might as well make something fun out of them!

If you need to get rid of the 4Runner top, I have some room at my place up by Blaine Wa.

Thanks for your comment, I appreciate some positive feedback, I agree with you I think it would be a fun project and fun to drive as well. I was starting to think maybe this idea was to crazy, although I've seen some similar builds using FJ80 chassis, and thats kind of where my idea stems from, but I think I can keep the cost fairly low since the 4runner is a running driving doner, I shouldn't have to mess with the fuel system, brakes (except when I do the SAS) and the electrical should be pretty much the same, all of that should save me some time and money. Where it's going to end up costing me is for the front FJ40 fenders, bib, hood, and other little bits and pieces I'm missing off the parts rig. You are correct, neither doner vehicle would be seeing a restoration, the 4 runner would need both rear quarters replaced, the drivers fender , grille headlight bezels, bumper, and the front core support and inner wheel wells too. The FJ40 parts rig is just a stripped down shell, I will keep the axels and the frame as a spare for my 71' but other than that I don't really need any parts from it. If you are interested in my 4runner top it's in good shape & your more than welcome to it once I start tearing it down.

I measured the frame differences and they are pretty close, both the 4runner and the FJ40 frames are roughly 28" up front and then they slowly kick out and get wider towards the rear. I think the 4runner is around 41" wide at the rear and the FJ40 is pretty close to the same. So I'm thinking I might be able to reuse the body mounts, or at least the two front one from the FJ40 frame, or worst case scenario modify and or build my own from scratch. I don't really see any fitment issues with putting a modified 40/45 cab on the 4runner chassis.

 

[msahr]

Well you can make anything work with anything. Proffitt's puts a 79 series body on a 80 series chassis with a cummins 2.8 diesel so I'm not sure if you can get much more Frankenstein than that. I think a 40 is quite a bit heavier than a 4Runner so the 22RE may be underpowered?

 

[rustED71]

Well you can make anything work with anything. Proffitt's puts a 79 series body on a 80 series chassis with a cummins 2.8 diesel so I'm not sure if you can get much more Frankenstein than that. I think a 40 is quite a bit heavier than a 4Runner so the 22RE may be underpowered?

Yeah I agree as far as body swaps go I don't think this will be as difficult as some of the others that have been done, especially if I cheat with the wheelbase. Being able to move the front and rear axels forward or back should help in getting the proportions of the FJ45 to look right. As far as weight, I don't think this Frankenstein'd FJ45 would outweigh the 4runner so I don't think it would be any more underpowered than it was originally. The FJ 40 sheetmetal might be thicker gauge, but then your losing the weight from not having the fiberglass 4runner hard top so it might kind of equal out. I guess it will also depend on what I end up doing for a bed. I looked at the beds that Captclose imports that ceylonfj40nut told me about, they are very nice, almost too nice... if I were doing a restoration that would definitely be the way to go, but for a pieced together rig like I'm considering I'll most likely build something myself. I'm leaning towards a short bed like this, but maybe with the rear wheel wells further back

 

[rustED71]

I spotted this little gem locally when I was in town today...I think it's a sign

 

[Manhattan]

That would be a very cool project. And I agree - neither donor truck is headed to Pebble Beach. You'd be doing a service to each

It's really a question of level of skill, available resources (tools, money, money) and degree of commitment (time, money, money). The guys at ACC Garage married a 55 and an 80. It was so badass - outside looked like a restored 55. Underneath and inside was all 80 - leather seats, the dash (which had to be narrowed) the drivetrain was all 80. It was a monster project. But, they had the skill and resources... the client had the money!

 

[joseywales]

I think a 40 is quite a bit heavier than a 4Runner so the 22RE may be underpowered?

I’d say you’re correct on this, but the reason the 40 is heavier is the F/2F engine, the trans/transfer, axles and frame. None of which is going to be used. I’ve done multiple body swaps on 40s (putting Aqualu bodies on) and the original 40 tubs are not all that heavy. The 22R should be ok.

 

[joseywales]

rustED- you seem to be on “the dry side” of Wa. Where about s are you located? The photo of the 45 you saw “in town” looks Leavenworth-y, minus Heidis house...

 

[rustED71]

^I agree with what joseywales said about the FJ40 drivetrain and weight, I couldn't believe the weight difference between the mini truck front axel and the one from the FJ40! Also the 2F inline 6 weighs around 700lbs and the 22RE about half that, but like joseywales mentioned, I won't be reusing any of that , it will just be a body swap so I think the 22re will be fine for power, although still underpowered, lol.

 

[rustED71]

rustED- you seem to be on “the dry side” of Wa. Where about s are you located? The photo of the 45 you saw “in town” looks Leavenworth-y, minus Heidis house...

You are pretty close! That pic was taken yesterday in Republic, Wa. If you have never been there, the main Street does slightly resemble that of Leavenworth, although we are about 3 hrs north of there.

 

[joseywales]

I fish Bonaparte lake fairly regularly, and hunt turkeys just north of you around Grand Forks. I’ve been through Republic a bunch of times. Hwy 20 has burned up a fair bit of rubber on my 3500! I also sold an Airstream to people that live just west of Curlew along the river.

 

[rustED71]

That would be a very cool project. And I agree - neither donor truck is headed to Pebble Beach. You'd be doing a service to each

It's really a question of level of skill, available resources (tools, money, money) and degree of commitment (time, money, money). The guys at ACC Garage married a 55 and an 80. It was so badass - outside looked like a restored 55. Underneath and inside was all 80 - leather seats, the dash (which had to be narrowed) the drivetrain was all 80. It was a monster project. But, they had the skill and resources... the client had the money!

Thanks for the positive feedback Manhattan, and I appreciate everyone else's positive comments as well! I think this will be a fun project. I think I have enough skills to convert the FJ40 tub into a FJ45 cab, I've done an off-road camping trailer project that required alot of metal fabrication and sheetmetal work. I also did a SAS and 302 V8 swap on a previous 86' 4runner several years ago. So I have confidence in my ability, I guess it comes down to the other two things you mentioned, time and money lol. I think I will start on converting the tub into a FJ45 cab. I've been doing alot of research and have found several build threads that have been really helpful. So far I really like the looks of 47coemans cab. I've read his build thread Skips FJ35 build several times and really like the 8" stretched cab he built, I think it looks very proportionate and would give my 6-'1" frame adequate legroom. I thought about going with a longer stretched for the cab for addition space, more of an extended cab, but to me they just don't quite look proportionate, and that would also be pushing it with the wheelbase I have to.work with.
I think by starting with the cab modifications that will give me time to figure out the suspension. I'd plan on doing a SAS on the 4runner chassis and already have a front axel for it, but I don't want it to be really tall, I'd like to keep the center of gravity low and run no bigger than a 33" tall tire. I've been thinking about a spring under setup and have been trying to find some info or some build threads on that subject. I love to hear some commits or opinions on that subject as well! I've done one SAS before, and it was on my 86' 4 runner. I didn't buy a IFS eliminator kit, I was on a very tight budget, and so I did alot of trading found parts on CL, I did have to buy the high-steer kit but I did the whole swap for less than $700 that's including my front axel. But I'd like to do this one different, keep it low, I was thinking about having the shackles up front like the FJ's originally were, from what I have read this will eliminate the need for a long spline front drive shaft, and has a few other benefits as well. Here I go rambling on again, lol...thanks again for the comments guys, keep them coming, and I'm interested in hearing your opinions on suspension setups too, spring over vs spring under, shackles up front vs the typical shackles in the rear etc...thanks in advance!

 

[rustED71]

I fish Bonaparte lake fairly regularly, and hunt turkeys just north of you around Grand Forks. I’ve been through Republic a bunch of times. Hwy 20 has burned up a fair bit of rubber on my 3500! I also sold an Airstream to people that live just west of Curlew along the river.

That's cool, it's a small world! I live inbetween Curlew and Republic in Malo. My kids go to school in Curlew. Yeah there is some good hunting up in this area. My brother lives in Port Angeles but he always comes over here to deer hunt. We hunted up around Bonaparte Lake this year and then made our way down past Wauconda then up to Scatter Creek cutting over by Swan Lake and heading back down to hwy 21...anyway my brother ended up getting a really nice 4 point Muley up there this year. The spread on it's rack wasn't huge, but the body was massive, biggest buck I've seen in person, easily 300+ pounds...these pics don't really do it justice, but it does kind of make the bed of my 91' Toyota pickup look small, lol!

 

[joseywales]

Damn that is one big mulie! I’m still sporting an empty freezer at this point, but will head out for the WT rut north of Tonasket on the B.C. side.

We were in P.A. and out to the west side of the Oly Peninsula in September. That is close to what I hunt near home. Wet steep coastal blacktail country. It’s nasty stuff to hunt. I prefer the Okanagon...

 

[Gumby]

A franken45 sold here last summer. 40 tub, mini bed, Chevy everything else. Brought a stack of cash from someone who didn’t care past what it looked like.