fj62 gets a lift... now becoming more of a build thread
well i've been a long time reader of mud and have posted a few questions here and there. i have owned a fj40 for about 5 years and now an 1989 fj62 for about a year. now that i am done school and have stopped paying for exams i can start fixing up my trucks. so here is where i started. bone stock fj62 in pretty good shape. minor body rust and dents, front seats wearing but still not bad. otherwise surface rust on undercarriage but it was undercoated early on and still has pristine paint on some areas of the frame. it runs strong and clean, so i figure i have a solid place to start.
over the past two weeks (yes weeks not days arrgh) i have replaced the springs and rear shocks. it is something i am glad to have done but will never do again with only a pocke of tools (i have moved away for a year for a little extra training and all my garage is 3500 km away). it took way longer than it should and i had to buy a torch, grease gun, jack stands and grinder part way through to get those stinking frame side spring pins out (i already have all these at home but didn't think to bring them). well after cutting, banging and grinding and blood sweat (not so bad for tears). my 2 year old son learned his first swear word though through it all. make sure you have all the tools you need and a bunch of things you don't think you'll need before you start. riding your bike to canadian tire with a backpack is so time consuming!! and don't do it using the factory bottle jack either. have a good floor jack. it worked but soooo sketchy!!
what i found was two broken rear leafs on one pack, the long leaf on the other broken and very flat front springs. i put on old man emu heavies all 4 corners with man-a-fre anti inversion shackles and greaseable spring pins. i also put on extended swaybar links. once the springs were on though my rear shocks were to short to even attach much less travel. the front fit though they severely limit droop. well i then ordered a set of bilstein 5125 for the rear. if you ever hear that the 5/8 bushing goes on the 3/4 inch post easily with some grease and force don't believe it. i just spend four hours putting on two shocks and my bushings took a beating. BUY THE RIGHT BUSHINGS!! well after two weeks of not having a vehicle (i left the others at home as they wouldn't pass safety yet in ontario (yes another canadian here) i finally got to go for a ride. it was so much smoother. my wife even commented on how her teeth were still in her head so you know the springs are good. the only thing that is the trouble now is that i have a growl at low speeds and it starts to shake between 40-45 km/hr and then above it settles out. i had no noise or shakes before the new springs but now i do. any ideas? does this sound like a u joint that is worn that is now at a steeper angle? anyone else had this problem?
i guess the other trouble (non mechanical) i have found is that my rear end of the truck is about 5-6 inches higher than it was before and my dog will now need a ramp to get in and out. he is 170 lb mastiff and i had to lift his rear end into the truck because he can't jump. now it's to high for him to even get his front feet up. the heavies will ride nicely with his weight though. i'm quite thrilled overall right now but have to figure out this growl and then save up for 33s. i'll post some picture in the next few days though. i'll have to buy a star first i guess.
well i've been a long time reader of mud and have posted a few questions here and there. i have owned a fj40 for about 5 years and now an 1989 fj62 for about a year. now that i am done school and have stopped paying for exams i can start fixing up my trucks. so here is where i started. bone stock fj62 in pretty good shape. minor body rust and dents, front seats wearing but still not bad. otherwise surface rust on undercarriage but it was undercoated early on and still has pristine paint on some areas of the frame. it runs strong and clean, so i figure i have a solid place to start.
over the past two weeks (yes weeks not days arrgh) i have replaced the springs and rear shocks. it is something i am glad to have done but will never do again with only a pocke of tools (i have moved away for a year for a little extra training and all my garage is 3500 km away). it took way longer than it should and i had to buy a torch, grease gun, jack stands and grinder part way through to get those stinking frame side spring pins out (i already have all these at home but didn't think to bring them). well after cutting, banging and grinding and blood sweat (not so bad for tears). my 2 year old son learned his first swear word though through it all. make sure you have all the tools you need and a bunch of things you don't think you'll need before you start. riding your bike to canadian tire with a backpack is so time consuming!! and don't do it using the factory bottle jack either. have a good floor jack. it worked but soooo sketchy!!
what i found was two broken rear leafs on one pack, the long leaf on the other broken and very flat front springs. i put on old man emu heavies all 4 corners with man-a-fre anti inversion shackles and greaseable spring pins. i also put on extended swaybar links. once the springs were on though my rear shocks were to short to even attach much less travel. the front fit though they severely limit droop. well i then ordered a set of bilstein 5125 for the rear. if you ever hear that the 5/8 bushing goes on the 3/4 inch post easily with some grease and force don't believe it. i just spend four hours putting on two shocks and my bushings took a beating. BUY THE RIGHT BUSHINGS!! well after two weeks of not having a vehicle (i left the others at home as they wouldn't pass safety yet in ontario (yes another canadian here) i finally got to go for a ride. it was so much smoother. my wife even commented on how her teeth were still in her head so you know the springs are good. the only thing that is the trouble now is that i have a growl at low speeds and it starts to shake between 40-45 km/hr and then above it settles out. i had no noise or shakes before the new springs but now i do. any ideas? does this sound like a u joint that is worn that is now at a steeper angle? anyone else had this problem?
i guess the other trouble (non mechanical) i have found is that my rear end of the truck is about 5-6 inches higher than it was before and my dog will now need a ramp to get in and out. he is 170 lb mastiff and i had to lift his rear end into the truck because he can't jump. now it's to high for him to even get his front feet up. the heavies will ride nicely with his weight though. i'm quite thrilled overall right now but have to figure out this growl and then save up for 33s. i'll post some picture in the next few days though. i'll have to buy a star first i guess.
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