FJ70 for competition, ideas appreciated

[ngumali]

Hi there.

I'm from Vietnam, and a newcomer here. I recently bought a 1992 FJ70 with 3F engine (petrol i6 4.0L), with great intention to modify this one to a 4x4 beast that can be participating in competitions. Some photos I just recently taken, seen as it is.

I want to shorten the chassis for less weight and shorter wheel-base, installing new suspension system, lockers for front and rear, hydraulic winch, supercharger or turbo inter-cooler, 35 inches M/T tires, just to name a few. I got about 04 months to get things done before the first competition starts in this June. Mod parts and pro kits will be ordered from US and Aussie, as local garages do not stock offroad stuffs. Therefor, any ideas and inputs from fellow offroaders are much appreciated.

 

[ngumali]

For a better view on the competition field's terrain that we have locally, here are some photos

 

[ngumali]

Some more photos in recent competition

I am open for hardcore mods suggestion, since we can compete in extreme Rain Forest Challenge competition. Thanks & g'day.

 

[pocholin]

first you have to consider what are the largest tires you will be using, so you can determine the height of fj70, I think you should check the engine, because the engine does not have a duration of more than 200,000 treating it well, in my case, and what I'm doing in my toyota, I will use coilovers in the front, and the rear spring.

 

[crushers]

i would say leave the chassis length alone.
looks like most of the trucks in the competition are running 34" or smaller so small 2.5" lift
for competition only, i would suggest the rear lunchbox locker as they are robust, simple, cheap and reliable.
upgrade the front center unit to the e/locker since the open unit is a very weak design
OR
upgrade to the older 9.5" front diff and then you can use the lunchbox locker front and rear
change to the 2.48 t/case gears, you don't want to be so low RPM runs out before the tire spin can do anything.
strip the interior, side glass etc for weight savings.
anything you build for the vehicle should be as light as reasonably possible. mud and heavy are not a good combo.

i could be willing to travel to be your pit grunt.

 

[hzj79lee]

I can't give u any advice on car modification, but I agree with Wayne in reducing car weight. Your main rival is the suzuki jimny. 80series, prado & fjcruiser will get stuck easily for being long wheel base

 

[crushers]

i think i would have started with a ragtop 70, pre90. full size diffs front and rear, nice weight saving with the top half of the doors removed, top off glass out, interior panels removed and replaced with light gauge aluminum, double motor 8275, lunchbox lockers with 4.11 diffs, 2.48 t/case, swapped in HJ turbo with propane injection, h55F, mild life and skinny muds.
that would make for a light, fast, reliable rig.
screw the intercooler since you won't be moving fast enough anyway and it will collect mud like a pig collect s***.
a bug screen that is easily removed placed in front of the rad to keep the mud out. once you stop, pull out, shake, reinstall.
snorkel for the water crossings

it seems in 2014, i will be building a rig similar for a customer so a bit of thought has gone into it.

 

[cicak]

my guide
1. Chop drivers and passenger doors top half off and remove the glass and replace with net and plastic rollup windows.
2. Remove rear doors and side windows.
3. Remove all carpet
4. Install GOD winch and big DIESEL toss the crapp y3F away
5. Install RADIATOR in REAR and put PLEXY GLASS BETWEEN seats and radiator.
6. SPare tire in rear floor.
7. Intercooler top mount
8. Toss AIR cond leave compressor fir supplying compressed AIR and spare electric compressor
9. Hydraulic WINCH for get the BELTS will get ruined by the MUD and leave you DNF'ing when a GOD winch will pull you through.
10. Seats eplace with seats that MUD will not affect.
11. 35" sneakers and lockers to match and DIFFS and longfields in front
12. Spare electric winch or GOD winch under rear facing rear or front.

 

[Hulsty]

As others have said, dont bother shortening the WB, if anything I would extended the WB if you are doing any knarly climbs, in the comps here alot of guys are aiming at MWB length, good compromise and doesnt lift and try to go end over on big climbs.

 

[crushers]

i agree with Hulsty on this one, my BJ74 felt much more stable than my BJ70 in the mountains and in the pits.

 

[sadam_husain]

4 months isnt a long time to build and race prep a truck for compettition

most of you wish list has already been covered in the posts above

front and rear difflocks, lunchbox lockers are simple and robust but I prefer selectables and ARB over e-lockers so you can throw them in and out quickly on the move, longfield supersets or you wont be going far with broken CVs, tyres of your choice to suit whatever terain your on with beadlock rims, rollcage harnesses race seats etc, get rid of the leafsprings and put some coilovers in it, dump the 3f, there a great old engine but there plenty of good options for modern competitive engines to get your truck to get up and go, personaly I like V8's over diesels but thats just a personal preference, V8s are hard to keep cool in hot and muddy enviroments so probably not the best option for your application looking at those photos, captive engine and gearbox mounts to keep the drivetrain in place, shove a BIG radiator in the back with some good high cfm fans on it, stick a really good clutch in it and get the bellhousing well sealed up or the mud will kill it, I've got a centerforce clutch in one truck and a home made twin plate clutch made up out of 2x 2F clutches in the other truck and they always keep clamping and dont slip, hydraulic or godwinch, run the hydraulic pump off a pto if your going down that road, long big diameter winch rope and make sure the drum is oversize on the winch to allow the rope to bunch up on the side without coming off the drum when long winching on an angle, definately dont shorten the wheelbase it'll make it too unstable if anything push the wheelbase out a bit, make everything strong and reliable try and eliminate any weak points theres nothing worce than DNFing coz of something stupid

have fun mate

 

[cicak]

the wheelbase is too short needs to be pushed out 6+ inches either end else these things just ROLL OVER and OVER notorious for it, its just too square a wheelbase once you lift them up.

 

[ngumali]

Thanks guys, for your valuable inputs! I will come back with more questions

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Greetings ngumali! Have you met Mustard40 here on MUD yet?

Since you are a newbie to the off-road competition scene in your area, and you only have 4 months to get the truck ready for your 1st event, I would suggest the following:

1) Do all the maintenance items needed on this FJ70 including a full tune-up

2) Install "lock box" lockers (such as the Lockrite) in both axles

3) Install a 50 to 75mm ( 2 to 3 inch) spring-under lift

4) Fit the most aggressive 33 or 35 inch mud tires you can afford

I think with this combo of upgrades and a serviced truck you can have a good time at off-road comps in your area, while also learning about your "new" truck, and developing ideas of how you would like to modify it for future comp events.

Good luck!

Alan

Hi there.

I'm from Vietnam, and a newcomer here. I recently bought a 1992 FJ70 with 3F engine (petrol i6 4.0L), with great intention to modify this one to a 4x4 beast that can be participating in competitions. Some photos I just recently taken, seen as it is.

I want to shorten the chassis for less weight and shorter wheel-base, installing new suspension system, lockers for front and rear, hydraulic winch, supercharger or turbo inter-cooler, 35 inches M/T tires, just to name a few. I got about 04 months to get things done before the first competition starts in this June. Mod parts and pro kits will be ordered from US and Aussie, as local garages do not stock offroad stuffs. Therefor, any ideas and inputs from fellow offroaders are much appreciated.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Hi Ngumali. Where do you guys hold your competitions? Im in Vung Tau and saw a few 4wds with your club stickers on them the other night.
Im with the other guys,leave the length as it is,but you could still find ways to improve your exit/entry angles

 

[cuteo100]

Cool cruiser.

 

[ngumali]

Hi Ngumali. Where do you guys hold your competitions? Im in Vung Tau and saw a few 4wds with your club stickers on them the other night.
Im with the other guys,leave the length as it is,but you could still find ways to improve your exit/entry angles

Oh yeah, that was the weekend hangout trip before Lunar New Year, just a few members with families. As for competitions, there will be Spring Challenge on April 2013 (Saigon), Ha Long Challenge on June 2013 (Ha Long bay, Quang Ninh), Saigon Adventure Trophy on October 2013 (Bao Loc, Lam Dong). We also intend to participating in Rain Forest Challenge this year, fellow guys just won the 2nd (modified cat.) and 1st (original cat.) last year. As for offroad adventure trips, we go to Daklak, Dong Nai, Nam Cat Tien Nat. park, Bao Loc, etc... mostly on the extreme mud. PM me for details and notice should you wanna join us.

Hi there! Cool cruiser. Are there many cruisers in Vietnam? I was born there but left at a young age. Put on a lift, stick in 33 or 35s, install lockers and have fun.

(Ps. Chuc anh thanh cong trong viec choi xe nhe! Than chao.)

Hi Cu Tèo, hope you can guess my nickname meaning

It's so great to see a Vietnamese here. Offroading is not so popular in Vietnam yet, but I am sure this sport is attracting more and more guys & gals in very near future. We have clubs around the country, and fun is everywhere. Hope to meet you if you fly back home for holidays.

 

[ngumali]

Hi All:

Greetings ngumali! Have you met Mustard40 here on MUD yet?

Since you are a newbie to the off-road competition scene in your area, and you only have 4 months to get the truck ready for your 1st event, I would suggest the following:

1) Do all the maintenance items needed on this FJ70 including a full tune-up

2) Install "lock box" lockers (such as the Lockrite) in both axles

3) Install a 50 to 75mm ( 2 to 3 inch) spring-under lift

4) Fit the most aggressive 33 or 35 inch mud tires you can afford

I think with this combo of upgrades and a serviced truck you can have a good time at off-road comps in your area, while also learning about your "new" truck, and developing ideas of how you would like to modify it for future comp events.

Good luck!

Alan

Thanks Alan, I'm not yet having a pleasure to meet Mustard40. As for your suggestion to mod my truck, I don't think suitable for competition but recreational offroad trips only. I want more hard-core mods

 

[ngumali]

the wheelbase is too short needs to be pushed out 6+ inches either end else these things just ROLL OVER and OVER notorious for it, its just too square a wheelbase once you lift them up.

Noted with thanks. So if I have to extend the wheelbase, which side (front or rear) should you recommended?

 

[ngumali]

Hi guys

It sounds everybody agrees that 3F engine is a crap, so maybe I will swap the engine for 5VZ-FE 3.4L or even better, the 1GR-FE 4.0L. The sound of petrol engines at high rev is so nice compare to diezel ones. Here come the list of parts which I intend to get for my truck, even if I have to rob the bank

- Doors top half cut-off, glass removed, rear doors & side windows removed, carpet & craps removed, radiator in rear
- 5VZ-FE or 1GR-FE engine
- TRD supercharger kit
- King Bypass 2.5 x 16" Airshock
- King 3 x 16 x 400lb Coil Springs
- Gigglepin GP82 winch (front)
- Mile Marker H1200 Hydraulic Winch (rear)
- Optima batteries
- Fox Racing 2.0 Steering Stabilizers
- Super Swamper Tires 35x10.50R-15LT, TSL Bogger Tire
- ARB air-lockers (front and rear)
- Four-link Suspension kit not yet choosen, maybe custom build
- VX80 Axles
- Trail Gear Toyota Full Hydraulic Steering kit

And the look of the truck in AutoCAD

Inputs and comments are much appreciated, as always. Project will be starting next week, and more photos will come along.

ps. This is one of my competitors, a Tracker with 5VZ-FE, runs like a beast