FZJ80 + HJ61= ?? (2 Viewers)

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mcguirejohnson

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Oct 16, 2011
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Well I have exactly a week until finals are done and I can escape back home to spend my break in the shop building what I think is going to be the ultimate 60 series. And I need a break from studying so I decided its time to start a thread to document the madness.

I had been pondering finding a set of fzj80 axles and doing a 3 link in the front while retaining my SOA in the rear. And then last spring my dad let me know that there was a locked 95 in Louisiana on craigslist and it was for a steal! I figured we should at least get it for the axles and lockers, then I came to the conclusion after our close friend @fl4031003 started doing an fzj80-60 series mashup in our shop that I might as well do the same since I will be able to get pointers from him as I move down the line.

So that brings us to the present time. I have a super rough locked 95 fzj 80 that needs everything on the drivetrain rebuilt, including the front pinion sadly... The locker still engages though which is good. And my 87 Fj60 which has been converted to a LHD spec HJ61 with the better headlights and more utilitarian dash (just kidding 62 guys) ;)

I have exactly a month starting on the 11th of December and ending in January whenever I go back to school to get to the point that I can trailer it up to my house here in Lubbock and finish the little stuff out in the garage (brakelines, fuel tank, etc.). My goal is to get my 60 series body on the fzj frame 100% and have my drivetrain in place. Then at that point it will be able to be rolled on a trailer and brought back to my tiny garage back at school to be finished out. And luckily I have access to lifts and any other tools that I may need through work (part time at Toyota) so I should be able to get it done in time for round-up in March which is the goal as of now.

I'm kind of going at this with the mentality of more fabrication equals less cash so 100% of the work will be done by me which means I have a few things to learn along the way (reason for making the thread and why ih8mud rocks!!). I have never messed with Toyota E-Lockers so that will be fun when the time comes. Also, a tig welder was purchased so I need to learn how to use that in order to make an aluminum extended fuel tank! Figured it was smarter to get a welder than to spend 1K on one to be built...

I have a rough example of a build sheet, which will more than likely change as I go along but this will help keep me organized as I move through with this.

Suspension/Steering:
-Leaning hard towards the 50mm Autocraft Slinky Coils. Most likely in a heavy duty flavor for the weight. Plus no need for castor plates and all the other fancy stuff. I want to keep it LOW but still able to move around in the rocks.
-All new link bushings & some hardware have been ordered through Toyota.
-New 80 series tie rod ends
-West Texas offroad Hydro Assist (already have it)
-Maybe some beefier links from metaltech, but it won't be 100% necessary so probably not till down the line.

Drivetrain/Axles:
-12HT & H55 will remain of course
-Just put a down deposit on a black box planetary gear box so this bus is gonna CRAWL. And triple sticks will look cool
- Factory 80 lockers. They engage as of now, but I will freshen them up with new seals.
-Rebuild front and rear axles hub to hub. They need EVERYTHING, all of the brakes are fried.
-4:11 gears will remain since I will be moving down to 35s.

Random Stuff:
-Shooting for a 40 ish gallon fuel tank, that should put me at a near 800 mile cruising range.
-Definitely keeping the old school ARB and my winch so I will have to make that work
-Might keep the rear bumper, or might give it to my dad for his build since I need one with quarter protection
-Sliders will be fitted back on
-Moving down from 37s to 35s since I honestly do too many highway miles getting to the trails in Colorado and 37s are way to expensive to run on the street. Super awesome off-road though!

That is all I can think of as of now. For those who want to tune in, let me know what you think. I am not 100% on all the suspension stuff so opinions are definitely welcome.

Here are a few pics of the 80 and of Jeff's bad-a build. Also a picture showing what my rig is coming from, big SOA with 37s:
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Here are a couple more of my current build, since I'm too lazy to start my own thread. 156k locked 40th.
 
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If this becomes the build thread, Im subbed.
I have an FZJ80 just waiting to go under my 60.
Then our rigs would be nearly identical haha

Keep up the good work man!
Cool, are you starting soon? Yep this is the thread, thanks!
 
im liking it
 
is that engineer pass? you could always convert the e lockers to cable lockers if the wiring becomes too complicated. The kit is around 400 per diff but the e locker motors are worth something

Imogene, and I will actually look into that. Wiring should be a breeze since I have the donor vehicle to rip it all out of, but I would prefer mechanical.
 
You should put an LS in it
 
Awesome!! Looks like you got your hands full. I'll be watching this one anxiously....I'm definitely going to come visit you guys when I'm back in SA for Christmas vacation. I'm pretty decent with a tig as well ;)
 
Awesome!! Looks like you got your hands full. I'll be watching this one anxiously....I'm definitely going to come visit you guys when I'm back in SA for Christmas vacation. I'm pretty decent with a tig as well ;)

YES! please do, I totally forgot you were a whiz with all of that. I will probably get in touch with you soon soon so that I can figure out what sort of gas to get, etc. Text my dad when your in town and we can figure out a good time!
 

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