Builds Fugly's Yota (2 Viewers)

[GW Nugget]

Have you seen the slider style shacke?
Leaf Sliders then you can use short side of leaf. This will lower the ride height.

Custome weld-on slider boxes:
Leaf Slider boxes

Image linked from Wilson on Pirate4x4.
4525 No Quarter Racing modest modified - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I really like those spring perches.

 

[FuglyYota]

Shackles won't restrict droop. In that photo the frame is on jack stands and there's no weight on the front end. So that is almost full droop. They'll be some more extension when the tires add weight and when one side pushes the other down from articulation. That's why I left a little angle in it to allow for the last few inches of forced droop.

I've seen the slider boxes, but not going to try them for this build. Kinda came upon them after I had gotten everything bought and layed out for shackles. Wanted to try something different for shackles too.

Thanks on the perches, easy to make but need to gusset them a lot more. My. Last rig sat very low and still had up travel, this is one way I'm hoping to get that here as well.

 

[FuglyYota]

More progress a little at a time. Front end nearly done. Lots of mock up, bracing, gusseting, welding. Steering box mount is done, shackle and spring mounts done, front crossmember done. Axle placement is set, 7" forward of stock. The old radiator crossmember needs to be replaced and frame strengthened there, and I need to strengthen the motor mounts as the old welding there is sub-par. But it is on it's own weight in the pic with the tire. Height is going to be about 2" more than what it was previously as spring under, which is still pretty low and retaining good up travel.

Front axle is also stripped and ready for gussets on the perches and knuckle balls. Trying to decide if I need to make a mini truss, I've bent pickup front and rears before but these things look like 1/4" wall and the pickups are thinner. It'll be easiest now with it torn down, and I've got some 3"x3"x 1/4" square stock that would work.

I also mocked up the rear FJ60 springs. Plan is to flip them around and drill the mil-wrap leaf so it's on the fixed end. Should push the axle 5-6" back for a total wheelbase of 102"-103". But I'll probably see how it looks without flopping it, supposedly this would be only 3" more supposedly. Still would be 100" wheelbase. I'm trying not to comp cut the rear, have to judge that when the springs are on.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

I really like what you did with your shackle hangers. Nice work!

 

[FuglyYota]

No work progress this past weekend, we went up to Whistler in Canada, friends of ours who live here have a cabin/house up there. But on the return I took a little side trip and picked this up.

SM465 complete with new bearings, NP203 to a '81 FJ60 Toyota LC split case X-fer. Plus a spare NP203 adapter and range box, spare adapter shaft for the 203 to Toy case, and spare split case with most of the guts. And a SM465 PTO unit.

The NP203 is 2:1, and FJ60 split case is 2.3:1, so with the 6:55 1st in the trans, it's plenty low with the small block. I can keep 3.73's in the axles and have some top end for road use while still having double low. Not as slow as the old rig but with 3 times the torque I think it'll do. With the added wheelbase I'm putting in, length isn't an issue.

Next weekend hoping to get the front end done & on the ground, then start going after the rear. Then drop this big fawker in, do the brakes, re-route the exhaust, have a rear driveshaft made, and be done. Want to be driving by summertime.

 

[74fj40]

Making any progress on this build?

 

[FuglyYota]

Yes and no. The front end got done, and drove it around the block in low range with no brakes (foot off gas in 1st gear is better braking than many cars I've owned!)

But the big news is that we moved from Seattle to NJ, just outside Philadelphia. I grew up here, and my family is all here. With 1 little one and the 2nd 3 weeks away, we decided family really does come first. Dad flew out a few days before and we thrashed on the rig until the front end was done, and could move under it's own power. Front end is very low spring over now, sits about 1-2" higher than the rear that's spring under, and it's 7" forward from stock. It's still got no brakes, and the steering & suspension need dialing in because of how low the whole thing sits. But the stance and everything else are spot on, so I'll tune it when I do the rear end. Its currently sitting in Dad's garage with all our junk piled all over, in and under it. But it'll move again this week to the new house. That will be the project for the next 2 months, we bought a place in exactly the neighborhood we wanted, and the price was right. Walk to my parents, walk to my sister's place, walk to elementary school when that time comes, walk to the pool. We're 20 minutes East of Philadelphia in Cherry Hill, NJ. Little over an hour from the beach, little over 2 hours from Rausch Creek, 3 hours to AAOA. So there is camping and wheeling here.

Pic as it sits right now, it'll be this winter's project and goal is to finish everything by my birthday next March.

 

[FuglyYota]

Back up from the depths. Still have the rig, hasn’t moved from the garage in a year. Had another baby girl, it’s almost her 1st birthday. Bought a fixer upper house that was a lot more work than planned, but is nearly done. So back to work on the cruiser soon.

 

[2fpower]

Submarine spotted.....

 

[FuglyYota]

So it ran just after new years. After over a year, quick oil & colant change, and it fired right up. Now its time to see if I can get it done by summer. On the menu:

• Pull the old rear, box the frame, install Fj60 rear axle and springs, looowwww spring over, stretch wheelbase out to 103”-ish. Front’s already 7-8” forward, so I need another 6”
• Pull the engine & current SM465, AA Adapter, and 3 speed case. Clean up frame, rebuild & assemble the new to me SM465/NP203/Split case lineup. New clutch while it’s all out.
• New brakes from Fj80 master cyl, later model 10mm fitting FJ40 hard lines, front FJ60 diacs & rear drums. Make a functonal e-brake.
• Clean up & re-seal the motor as needed, new EFI (Holley Sniper or FiTech, leaning towards Holley). Redo the exhaust to the rear, sidepipes have high probabability to burn the kids and get in the way of sliders.
• New sliders, skidplates, armor. Very likely pull the current cage and go with Metaltech family cage.
• Get it all running, driving, stopping, turning. Do burnouts. Put street miles on it & tune everything.
• Wheel it in this calender year after getting the bugs worked out.

 

[FuglyYota]

Step 1 was to yank the old rear and start mocking up rear axle placement while I waited for new seals and gaskets for the split case portion of the doubler

 

[FuglyYota]

Using the stock mounts with the FJ60 springs yeilded about 100”, not enough. So how about moving it back

 

[FuglyYota]

Meanwhile, I dug into the cases and parts I got from the guy who made the split case/203 doubler. Yep, its a home made adapter. But dude was apparently a machinist of some kind and it seems very well made. Billet aluminum for the adapter itself, and there’s two of almost everything from the NP203 and FJ60 case. 2 custom output shafts from the 203 thru the doubler, two 203 range boxes, 2 FJ60 cases. Came with a new set of gaskets for almost everything, and I knew from talking to him when I bought it that the SM465 and 203 were supposedly rebuilt, and he had started but han’t finished the Split case rebuild. I’ve pulled a bunch of it apart and so far I believe him. Bearings in trans and range box look/feel great if not new, and the split case is complete with also new or near new bearings. I did order a new gasket & seal kit from SOR, and started putting everything back together. Once the trans ans cases are ready, Dad and I will get the engine hoist and yank the motor/trans/case in the rig now and I’ll have a bare frame to start cleaning up.

 

[69LC]

Nice long and determined build! I know well the life setbacks to getting a project like this where you want it while the ideas haunt you in everything else you do.

 

[FuglyYota]

Transfer case it torn down and back together. Used gasgacinch on all the gaskets, hopefully this helps with any leaks. Ruff stuff rear frame strengthening plates get here tomorrow. So time to clean up the frame, get those tacked in, and lock in rear suspension location. Need to also pull the spring packs apart and rebuild with new hardware and paint them.

After that, pull the trans, tcase, and start that process. In the meantime, pics of the case cleaned out just before final assembly.

 

[yotadude520]

Glad to see you're back to work on it! Love the low SOA lift as well. Very nice.

Curious to see what you're going to do with the body lines since the front end is stretched.

 

[FuglyYota]

Little more work this weekend cleaning off the rear frame. Then got the ruff stuff plating kit started, main braces are in and tacked. The rear needs a little more massaging. Started thinking about where to park the cross brace, which will likely hold upper shock mounts. That means I need the rear axle mocked up and located.

Soooo, out of the shed the rear axle came, and started cleaning it up. Brake lines are thrashed, so they’ll get replaced. Next step is to pull the axles and 3rd out, grind all the brackets off, and make new spring perches out of the 3x3x1/4 stock I have.

The real decision is whether i’m going to run the lock-rite that’s in the rear, or suck it up and go full carrier detroit or grizzly now. I kinda dont want to spend the cash at the moment. But I know i’ll be pissed when the small block tells that locker what’s up and it pukes its guts, probably taking a bunch of other crap with it.

 

[FuglyYota]

Picking away at it. Got the rear springs in, mounts tacked, and put it on it’s own weight to see where things landed. The FJ60 springs I have flattened out a lot, maybe a little more than I want, but i’ll run them for now and see how they work with good shocks and a traction bar. Shackle angle needed improvement, first pass left them at about 45 degrees. That would make the springs really soft and potentially cause cornering issues in street driving.

On Sunday Dad came over and tore the front end off getting ready to pull the engine, do a bunch of little stuff including clutch, and swap transmissions. While he did that I reworkked the rear mounts and got everything where I think it should be to get shackle angle corrected. Wheelbase is going to end up right around 102”-103”. By next weekend it should be on it’s own weight with the axle under it bolted up so the spring & shackle mounts can get burned in. The spring perches won’t get welded on until we put the new trans and dual cases in so pinion angle can get properly set.

 

[fjdiesel]

I couldn't find a good set of used rear 60 springs for my 40, and the fronts were pretty saggy like you said. I ended up ordering a set of rear OME 2.5" lifted rears and pulled one spring out(I think it was the 3rd one down from the top) and I shortened it a little and put it in the front stack. I have just recently set the weight on it and put some sand bags in the rear to mimic tire carrier and tire. I think that combo is going to work out perfect. Just a thought for you. Keep up the good work!