FJ43 Build from Far Far Away.

[addicted56]

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NOOOO!!! Why anyone would use that piece of s*** manafre garbage is beyond me. Did no one try and stop him??!! Dude that MAF kit completely fxxxs up your approach angle. Your better off leaving it shackle forward. And if your honestly going to throw power steering and a S/R on it, why not spring it over?! The whole "stock" thing went out the window long ago. And why would you waste your money on a 6 stud setup when your just running open stock axles and small tires(not to mention leaf under)?? Sick cruiser man but I feel your doing your chassis all wrong...

I appreciate your feedback and spent a long time thinking it all thru.

#1: Didn't really want 4" of lift but needed it for engine oil pan clearance.

#2: Don't want larger tires (fuel economy) as this will be on the road 99% of the time as a daily driver on the interstate and in the city. But if I ever wanted to go bigger I can easily. I would have kept the H41 if I wanted to wheel but I will be on the road and gravel roads more than I ever will a super technical trail.

#3: Power steering is for the daily driver part of it, not for off-road ease and to turn big tires.

#4: Just decided to keep it SUA as again I don't really need to go SOA and complicate the build anymore. I already have to much lift for my needs. I needed new springs and parts no matter what and the MAF kit might not have been the best way to go (hated their customer service) but it is a proven product that works and saves us some more fab time. Approach angles do not concern me. If I'm ever at that point that I need an approach angle that high I will find another way around or just take my time and stack some rocks/logs. I'm in it for the slow ride. Looking for a soft ride and those drop brackets allow for a softer spring with less arch. Good for me 99% of the time.

#5: In regards to the six stud knuckles it just made sense at the time. Was it necessary no, but I was already completely changing the entire suspension and outers for the axle for the disc brakes so it was a small thing that I could afford to do while it was apart. Better to do it while apart than come back and need to do it later. That and I had just witnessed two other rigs a few weekends prior strip out studs in their knuckles and smash their steering dampeners so I just made it right the first time. Just because it is over built in areas and not others does not mean it was not worth it. I will always be upgrading and changing the vehicle over time.

#6: Lockers will be coming later. Not to help me get to places I don't need to go, but to get myself out of places I should have never been if you get my drift. Or to get myself over something with a little bit of brains instead of bronze so I'm not bashing in body panels unnecessarily.

I've had a cruiser or two that were meant for wheeling and didn't give a s*** if they rolled off a cliff. This is just not one of those builds. I'm not a fancy smancy rich kid or some middle age man with a mid life crisis that has to show off. Just a hard working guy who has an understanding wife and the ability to bring a rare vehicle from the ground up and bring it into the 21st century. In the end this will be cheaper than all new cars and most used ones at that.

Love how it is coming along and can't wait to hit the road.

 

[Toast]

Well I certainly do enjoy the taste of my own foot every now and then....
Hey your rig your choice I suppose. Sounds like as far as the purpose of your rig goes it will be a mild back roads get up....for now. The second you stuff lockers in her your gonna go places, trust me. Yea MAF sucks, your power steering mod is well done (didn't knock that) and your six stud is nice just extreme overkill. I know I had to pinch serious pennies on my build so just trying to save you a few bucks here and there. The only thing I don't like is the MAF kit, but if it is exactly what you needed then carry on

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Glad to see this moving along nicely should have noticeable improvements when your deployment is over

 

[addicted56]

Well I certainly do enjoy the taste of my own foot every now and then....
Hey your rig your choice I suppose. Sounds like as far as the purpose of your rig goes it will be a mild back roads get up....for now. The second you stuff lockers in her your gonna go places, trust me. Yea MAF sucks, your power steering mod is well done (didn't knock that) and your six stud is nice just extreme overkill. I know I had to pinch serious pennies on my build so just trying to save you a few bucks here and there. The only thing I don't like is the MAF kit, but if it is exactly what you needed then carry on

No worries, I didn't take it hard. Plus I love your Avatar

Ohh and I just ordered the A/C from Old Air. Here is to hoping that all works out. I plan to roll around with the soft top on 9 months out of the year but driving to work in full fireproof uniform every day in the Savannah heat is not this Oregonians cup of tea. Here is to hoping it keeps me from coming home drenched in sweat.

Plus it needed a heater anyway as they don't come with them in Colombia.

 

[Chamba]

Good call on the old air. That's the only drawback to rhd- no old air option.

 

[addicted56]

So the Powersteering cooler I purchased was about twice as big as I thought it would be. And as pointed out earlier I won't be on the hot trails turning 37's back and forth in the rocks but I sure as s*** won't have to worry about it over heating .

Same with the winch. Went way to big. Not sure if we are going to stick it on top or as you see it here. It was just a test fit to see if it would fit. It does. Only problem is that puts the front bumper a few more inches forward and thus reduces approach angle as noted before as well. But eh it will work 99% of the time anyway.

 

[addicted56]

Starting on the last piece of real welding before going to paint. For those approach angle lovers you are not going to like this. I really should have spent the money on an 8274, and some synthetic line and then stuck it back further. But I had got the winch and before i knew it he had started on the bumper. Doesn't help that the winch is so big.

I figure if I ever get into hard core wheeling in the rocks I can pull out the welder and torch and start over with something new. But it sure will hold up to anything we can throw at it and it should look good for a home brew and his first shot at a bumper.

Speaking of paint I've used Rustoleum in the past to paint a couple of cars. Didn't turn out great but was tuff stuff. A local friend who is a painter recently painted some frames with some mixed with some other professional hardner/thinner and it turned out great and was tough as nails. Looks great, tuff, and cheap. I like it so the frame will be getting sprayed and we should know how it turns out in a few weeks, but hopefully sooner.

 

[addicted56]

OK resolved the issues with the approach angle and the bumper sticking out so far.

Removed the heavy wire cable and will replace with synthetic line. Should save around 15 lbs. Placing a hawse style fairlead in the front of the bumper. The rear portion of the bumper will be removed and the winch tucked inside to protect it. Thus the bumper will be nearly flush with the extended frame horns from the 4x4 labs plating. Next to the fairlead will be the original TEQ bumpstops. Near the frame horns we will weld on tabs to hang D-rings, welded all the way thru for strength. Not sure where we will place the control box yet though.

So thoughts on the hoop from metal tech? Thinking I might not like it afterall. If anything likely bolt it on so I can take it off if I don't like it.

Anyone know where I can find a right hand side snorkle? Everything seems to be for the gas version and on the left hand side for the FJ40.

Was also going to use the stock oil cooler from the Mercedes but they are prone to breaking so we decided to use the big oil cooler I was going to use for PS and then use a smaller one for the power steering.

 

[Chamba]

Kevin (AWL-teq) makes a lovely right side snorkle. I thought Safari still makes the right side snorkle (B version) but not the left (F and H version), but I could have that wrong.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

I'd be interested in hearing the secret mix with rustolum. If you don't like the hoop leave it off, you don't need it to protect the radiator right now. I don't think I have any pictures right now but my hoop is bolted on has runners down to bumper and can be pulled off with bumper

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Best picture I have on my phone right now. Decide which bumper designs you like and if the hoop doesn't fit leave it off

 

[Chamba]

I vote ditch the hoop for what that's worth. I like the sexiness of the Cruiser front end to be unobstructed.

 

[Toast]

Where did You get your bumper design idea?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Personally, I like the hoop... but I am usually wheeling to the point where I will use it to save the radiator.

 

[addicted56]

Thank you all for the advice. A quick good search didn't come up with AWL-TEQ except for an old article in Four Wheeler. I'll have to search around here.

In regards to the hoop I'm still torn. It will stay off for now and I will bolt it on later likely. Give me something to do when I get home.

I will post up the exact mixture of the paint for the frame after they spray it and let you know how it works out.

In regards to the bumper design I don't know. We just googled a bunch of bumpers and I sent them to him and he went from there with what he though he could make easily and cheaply. Metal is expensive these days.

Here is a few more pictures. Coming along nicely. He is getting busy between fixing an old camper he purchased to use for the camping season, and this truck so hopefully it doesn't slow down to much.

Here are a couple of fuzzy pics from today.

 

[Toast]

Reason I ask is cause its a mirror image of the bumper my buddy and I came up with. Search, newbie 73 FJ40 build and you will see the same bumper on my and my buddies rig. Kinda funny is all

 

[Chamba]

Awl_TEQ is his mud name. Look up '81 BJ42' as he has a resto thread. He has the link for his products in his signature. He's Canadian, up in Alberta, but don't hold it against him, he's a hell of a bloke and an amazing fabricator.

 

[cruiserjunkie]

Think he has taken a break from fabricating for awhile. He made awesome replacement parts for 45's

 

[addicted56]

This is all we have for now. Forgot to attach the steering stabilizer bracket and trying to work out some fuel tank designs for the extra rear tank. I want to keep it around 20 gallons to make it worth the effort. It has a different frame design on the rear of the FJ43 though so we couldn't use the aftermarket 40 tank I ha.

Setting a somewhat arbitrary 15 September finish date as it looks like I might be getting home around that time. So just over 4 months and we haven't even finished tearing it apart

Good thing is my dad is a master body work guy and painter so pending some electrical wiring it should just bolt all together. Much easier working with new stuff than the old rust I am used to.

 

[addicted56]

Doing a test fit to make sure the Metal-Tech cage will fit under the soft top. It does. LOVE the rigging. May be awhile before we get to tear it all apart as we are going to notch the cage weld it up and sadly mount it to the frame. More of a safety thing. Not looking foward to the vibrations coming thru to the body.

Looking for options to isolate it. We have a couple of ideas of putting some very thing padding between the frame mounts and the plates on body.

Any ideas or anyone used anything that helped in the past? Anyone tell me how bad the vibrations really are that get transfered thru to the cab?

Seems no matter how I rotate the photo it comes out sideways.