FJ40 + HZJ79 = Ultimate Cruiser? (1 Viewer)

[Rocher]

Hey Guys,
The build has finally come along far enough that i figure i should start a build thread.

I'll start with a picture of what i'd like it to resemble once done to give everyone an idea of where this is heading. For reference this an Aqualu tub with a 10" stretch, i'll be aiming for a similar stretch

I'll space it out over a couple of days as there is a lot of info and I will have to go to the chassis shop to get some more photos (as we all love photos)

I've loved 40's ever since i got my HJ47 around 7 years ago, I've since sold it, but it's still my favourite 4x4 I've owned to date. 2H with a turbo and 4 speed (plus fairy OD) meant it wasn't quick but got everywhere i wanted it to go.

Ever since selling it i've been planning a proper ground up build of a 40 series to travel around Australia and with the intention to also travel across Africa for a few months trip

The plan (still more or less going with it atm) is as followed - I'll keep this updated throughout the build

BODY
FJ40 body stretched about 10-12"
Dropped as far as possible over the chassis (there are a lot of multi-story car parks in Melbourne with low clearance)

CHASSIS
HZJ79 chassis, shortened to suit the chassis.
For those that don't know it's in between the era of the 2H and V8 diesel 70 series. It keeps the 5 stud axles in that early 70 series widths, has disc brakes all round and a coil front end

HJ75 chassis shortened with HZJ79 coil front end added. Still using HZJ79 axles, due to engineering issues with a 'new' chassis

ENGINE
Isuzu 4JB1-T
Isuzu 4JH1-T, a 4JB1-T with larger capacity (3l vs 2.8l) and an electronic controlled mechanical injection pump
4JB1-T injection pump
4JJ1-T VNT turbo
FMIC

GEARBOX
2013+ Isuzu Dmax 4JJ1-T 6 speed gearbox

 

[Rocher]

FAQ on the build
I'll keep this section for FAQ's on the build

CHASSIS
Why start with a FJ40 body not a troopy?
Easier to source, cheaper and also will work out cheaper as it will require 10-12" added rather then material being removed to shorten the wheelbase and then the rear overhang

Why not use a FJ40 chassis and just use HZJ79 axles?
HJ75 chassis are abundant in Aus (I paid $100 for mine) it gives a GVM of 3035kg and a towing capacity of 3500kg. This is a massive upgrade over a FJ40 and well worth a $100 investment. Given that a FJ40 chassis would have had to been extended it was also the cheaper option (more labour costs). The chassis being almost identical to a HZJ79 was the reason for using it over any other chassis.
There are also off the shelf GVM upgrades available should it be required

Why not use a 80 series or Patrol chassis if you want coil suspension?
I don't like the large front guards and did not want to widen the body as it's a lot of work. I want this to still look like a stockish FJ40


ENGINE
Why use a diesel?
economy, bottom end torque, reliability. I also wanted a motor without any ECU and to be as simple as possible

Why not a Toyota Diesel?
I looked at all brands of diesels that met my criteria
1. No ECU or electronic controls
2. around 2.5-4 litre with factory turbo
3. at least a 5 speed manual gearbox
4. direct injection

This left 1*BT, 12HT and 1HD from the Toyota camp.
All these engines are great (i had a 12ht in my HJ60), but very expensive. They also weight >350kg, so not light. I would have picked a 13BT if i was going to chose one as it would leave room for a FMIC (being a smaller 4 cyl engine)

the 4JH1-T will bolt up to a 6 speed gearbox and parts are easy to get. The gearbox and complete motor weight about the same as a bare 13BT so a significant weight saving.


OTHER
Why worry about weight, you have just increased the GVM by almost 600kg over a fj40?
less stress on parts
better fuel economy (would be lucky to see any difference)
better acceleration (power to weight)
ensures i won't go over GVM, even when fully loaded

 

[Rocher]

First thing i did was source a FJ40 with the least amount of rust i could find (sorry no pics) and quickly tore it down and placed it on HZJ75 chassis.

I then rung around to find a chassis shop that could undertake the welding on the chassis so it would pass engineering (as i do want to drive it in Aus).

I dropped it all down there and then got in touch with the engineer they normally use, and that's where the problems started.
As the HZJ79 chassis was newish it had much stricter standards (ADR's) that had to be adhered to. To pass engineering i would have to crash test it (once completed) and if it passed i would be allowed to build another one, yeah not going to happen.
I did foresee that there may be an issue with ADR's so was already in the process of sourcing a HJ75 chassis which aside from the front coils was dimensionally identical everywhere it mattered.
This did add a LOT of labour cost at the chassis shop, and when labour prices in Aus are around the $100/hr mark really hurts the bank account

I then went and sectioned the fj40 body into two pieces along the join line and placed the rear on the HJ75 chassis.
To get the body sitting as low as possible i cut the rear section (below the doors) off and welded in a bit of RHS. This lowered the back section by 40mm (~1.5" for those in the US) with minimal intrusion into the floor area.

 

[UltraFJ40]

That'll be a beauty. Thanks for sharing, I look forward to your build.

 

[Rocher]

As the body and chassis is at the chassis shop i've been working on numerous little things over the past few months. There will be more updates and photos next week of the core of the build, but for now here are some of the small projects...

Although i want the fj40 to look stock there are numerous small changes i'll be making, which will mean most (if not all) parts will be modified to improve their effectiveness. As it's a going to be built for touring i'll ensure that the standard parts are still able to be used as an alternative.

I also want it to look as clean as possible, for example i want the dash to resemble an early dash, but with no switches/pull knobs in the centre section. Also the handbrake will be floor mounted as per the later model 40's

To achieve this i have installed a new switch on the steering shaft cover to replace the hazard switch

The lights will stay in the normal spot and i'll also move the wiper switch next to it (already wired up, will upload a photo later)

Air con/heating will be a Vintage air unit (still need to get it over to the local dealer to choose which size) and it will be run off a climate controller from Dakota Digital. This controller will neatly fit into the hole for the radio, with the intention of fitting a radio blanking plate on a hinge to keep it looking 'stock'.

This then removes all of the heating, etc knobs from the dash leaving only the cigarette lighter and ash tray (as the choke cable is mounted under the dash).

I've decided to cut away the innards of the ash tray to use this space to hold all the fuses. The ash tray cover will then cover the fuses up, again making it look stock.
After weeks of looking i was unable to find an automotive fuse holder that i believed would be suitable for the application, so i decided to use 3AG fuses as i could get individual fuse holders that looked like they belonged in a fj40

They can't handle as much current as an automotive blade fuse, but as everything will be LED (and the AC comes with it's own fuse) it's suitable for the amps drawn.

The warning lights will all be the old circular style (brake and filter)

At this stage i'm undecided whether to keep the cigarette lighter or replace it with an out of the way USB charger (one will be installed regardless)

 

[Rocher]

Continuing on with the air con i love the clean look of the install one of the guys here on mud had (sorry couldn't find a link, but saved a pic) where the ducts have been cut into the lower dash pad

As the small vintage air units only have 3x outlets i'll only be using the rectangular ducts shown in the picture.

I would like to integrate the ability to draw in air from the outside, but that's a future project after the car is up and running. For now the factory fan will sit in place to cover up the hole in the firewall.

The last dash modification will be to have a mount to hold a tablet, although again not sure how yet to integrate this so that it's removable.

The stereo system will be based around either using my phone (ideally using NFC to start playing radio or similar when i start the car) or a tablet (4x4 trips where a bigger screen for GPS is required)

Bluetooth is there so my phone doesn't have to be plugged in and can stay in my pocket for quick trips (this car will also be my daily).

This will all fit behind the dash (except speakers) so again will not be seen making it look 'stock'

Now onto the gauge cluster, again wanting to keep it looking like it could have come from Toyota this way I've started to put together some aftermarket gauges to run in the standard cluster.
It will contain the following;
speedometer - tried a GPS one but not too sure on it, lines on the cluster would also have to be re-marked

fuel gauge - standard
Oil pressure - 1.5" autometer gauge
temp gauge - 1.5" autometer gauge
boost gauge (replaces voltage) - 1.5" VDO gauge

basically the same as the below image, but the gauge faces will get re-painted in the fj40 style (and in degrees C)

The tach will be mounted off the steering shaft cover, and i need to still work out the EGT gauge (and type of gauge)

The last little modification i'm about to start is to mount the mirrors to the hinges, this will allow for half doors to be easily mounted, should i ever want to take the hard top off

 

[jomelo]

This will be awesome. Subscribed.

 

[Rocher]

It's been a while without an update.
I haven't finished anything, but have been working away on a bit here and a bit there.

I'll post up more details and photos once each has been completely finished

Chassis has been shortened between the axles and front half of the tub secured with custom body mount (rear is sitting on the chassis rails) As i want to run the exhaust along the outside of the chassis i may need to re-make one of the mounts, otherwise i will not be able to run rock sliders on the drivers side.

The 79 shock and spring mount have been welded into place, along with the radius arm mounts. FYI the 1st photo is the height of saggy standard suspension with engine, gearbox, etc.
As you can also see the engine is in position and the mounts have been stitched in place. The engine will have to be removed again so that the brackets can be fully welded on the underside

You can see how much had to be taken out of the front bib (~35mm) to get the front and back half of the chassis to line up.
I've also got the steering box clamped in place. This will be mounted properly once i'm sure the track bar will no interfere with the radiator, etc
The front overhang will be significantly shortened and i'll have an approach angle just short of 90 degrees. If i wasn't planning on putting in a winch on it, 90 degrees would be easy with only 235/85R16 (32") tyres.
A new cross member will also be added, as to where i'll have to mock up the radiator, AC condenser and intercooler to see what the best way to mount them is.

The great approach angle is achieved by pushing the front axle as far forward as possible. There is only just enough room for the steering box. It's currently touching the spring mount and also the front bib. This is after some 'persuasion' with a hammer and some light cutting of the front bib. And as shown in the first photo (although not the best angle) it doesn't look like it's pushed too far forward.

At the moment i'm trying to decide if it's worth the hassle of putting HZJ79 rear leaves or keeping the HJ75 ones. The 79 ones are longer, but the 75's are already significantly longer then 40 or 60 series springs...

I've also decided to use the original speedo with a pulse generator, although am still unsure of brand and where to mount it

 

[Rocher]

I've also decided on a colour for the 40.

It's 6L4, light olive ( The PPG number is 47627), this is a standard fj40 colour. It looks quite a bit different in person, must be the lighting. Below is a photo of a 40 in light olive for reference.

The roof and bezel will be painted in an off white colour to dull it down a little. I'm picking up a 250ml sample tomorrow to try on the bezel.
I'm also picking up a my windscreen frame after undertaking a 3 wiper conversion (surprisingly also shown in the above photo)

 

[Rocher]

Now for a bit more of a peak at where the build is heading...

Has anyone done anything to strengthen the hinges on the rear doors? Looking to have the lift up window on the top then a single swinging door on the bottom. This will allow me to attach a swing out kitchen, looking at this from Drifta but with a few modifications.

Packed up

Open

They only weight 18kg as and would make setting up camp so much easier. It also makes great use of the space behind the door, allowing you to still enter/exit through the back.
for those interested dimensions are 425 mm high, 1050 long (folded up), 490 deep

Combine this with the pop-up tent integrated in the roof and camp will take no time to set-up.

And now you can see why I've gone through all the trouble of adding ~10" to the body, so that i have room up-top to sleep

Currently planning my fuel tank set-up, i have an in cab/under seat body so looking to fabricate something very similar to this tank

But will drop the floor down on each side between the gearbox and chassis rails to create a bit of a sump and use baffle gates to ensure that there is no fuel starvation when on angles. As there is one of these on each side of the gearbox i will have to split it into two tanks.
I will also modify the gearbox hump to be shorter in that area so that the fuel tank can be squarer. My rough measurement come out to about two 80-90 litre tanks, although i'm happy with anything over 140l total.

I also have an idea for the water tank and deep cycle battery location, but i'll need to take some measurements to see if it's viable.

 

[Rocher]

Back in the full swing of working on the 40 after a few weeks off.
First job tackled was the rear cross member. I don't think i mentioned this earlier but to maximise the departure angle i've decided to use the rear cross member from a 200 series land cruiser as is incorporates the tow hitch as well.

The issue with using this on a 75 chassis is that the 200 chassis is much wider and uses also a taller member for the chassis rails. But nothing a grinder and welder couldn't sort out...

As you can see from the above photo the cross member was put before the rear leaf hanger as the tow hitch would have protruded from past the body if it was put after.
To ensure there was adequate strength the remaining section was boxed, which also creates part of the rear bumper

It angles in like that so that the hitch pin is accessible

And a few of the finished product

 

[CruisingSned]

Rocher
How's the progress?
Awesome project!

 

[Rocher]

it's been a while, but it's been progressing. A little slower then i would like though (house reno's)

FYI most things are 90% done to allow progress on the next item, and so small adjustments can be made as required

Starting from the front of the car (not in the order of completion)

All the manifolds from the donor 4JB1 as well as timing gears and injection pump were transplanted onto the 4JH1 motor

As you can see they look pretty different, but there was enough difference the timing covers also required changing

4JH1 gears

4JB1 gears

The engine was also mounted higher up in an effort to improve the rear driveshaft angle (lower gearbox). Only this week did i find out the angles are still too extreme. Currently looking for a different gearbox that will work better for my application (with 6 speeds).

And you can see the change in manifolds, injection pump, etc

Those with a good eye would have also spotted the steering box mounted and steering shafts in place, as well as a panhard mount/brace fabricated. the tube used has both a larger OD and thicker wall then the original Toyota mount which are known to crack/deform under extreme loads.

New LED headlights were installed (and since wired up) and you can see the approximate position of the radiator. The winch is also mounted behind the front panel, and you can see it poking out below (this will sit a little higher once mounted). BTW the front axle is currently sitting on the bump stops in the photo.
The intercooler and AC condenser will then sit above the winch

And the view from the top

 

[Rocher]

the font section of the cab was mounted, along with a gearbox crossmember

And then an extension panel added in between, and the back half tacked in square

You will also notice the exhaust has been fabricated and installed, although it still needs hangers

 

[Rocher]

now it's all joined together i put the hardtop on and changed the rims/tyres to see how it would look when done

I'm hoping to have the rear floor and mounts in before xmas.

And i've just started on the tail lights, although I still have to sort a reversing light.

There have been lots of little items completed that i haven't taken a photo of (like wirining, aftermarket sensors, brackets, mounts, heater hose plumbing, etc) but if anyone wants any detailed photos of anything in particular let me know and i'll take them

 

[77TLCFJ40]

What are the details on your tires?

Enjoying your build.

 

[Rocher]

It's been a while since i've posted but things are coming along, a little slower then i would have liked but as always there have been set backs. Main issue is that the gearbox is never going to work. Adaptor plate should be done this week to bolt a R151F to the 4JH1 motor.

Here are a few quick pics from a few weeks ago, details to come when i get a chance

 

[Rocher]

What are the details on your tires?

Enjoying your build.

They are standard VDJ 70 series steel rims (not split rims) and tyres (Dunlop super grippers 225/95R16)

 

[Rocher]

sorry for the lack of updates, still plodding along with the build. Will get to updating this thread again sooner or later.

More so for my future reference if you fit a R151 gearbox to a 4J* motor a clutch from 2TR-FE (hilux) part # TYD135US (exedy) fits

 

[Tsvigo]

it is a really nice build. i hope to see more of the build