Help Bill Upgrade his FJC Thread

[CandyPants]

Here ya go Bill....your very own thread.

Darn, missed it.
Just realized this morning that was last weekend.
At the time I was getting over the shock from Ralph Hayes Toyota. Took Bonnie in for the 5000 mile service Saturday and they informed me I had wheeled too hard and damaged a shock. Also various other miscellaneous not-too-serious damage underneath. They said that if I was going to be doing that I need to get a lift. [I guess they didn't notice that I knocked the rear end out of whack so far none of the plastic fits back there anymore and the exhaust pipe is purt near flat.]
So I'm going down to Clemson 4wheel Center today to talk to them. Also will go by Greenville 4X4.
Any advice will be appreciated. I guess I'm thinking OME with the stiffer springs as I will be putting steel bumpers when I can decide on them (waiting for the IPOR one for the rear). Will shocks come with that or if not what should I do to replace the one I busted?
I was going to put this in a separate thread but I don't know how (OK, old and in the way but surviving).
b

 

[GXO]

OME heavy lift all the way. Will support you in what you do now, and when you get the armor on. It will come with shocks, springs, etc. The ATL crew is pretty darn good at putting them on too, we are down to 1.25 hours start to finish on the last one I think

 

[informationjunky]

Plenty of jack stands available just down the road!

 

[GXO]

If you do install yourself, ping me first, there are some pretty good shortcuts I have learned from doing 4 or 5 of them now.

 

[BillWright]

D'OOHHH!

I should have waited I guess. I'm a kinda impulsive guy. Life is short.
I wondered where my post went from your thread Heather. I thought I must have somehow forgotten to send it or something. Thanks for fixing me up girl. I only have one day off a week and I have to put it to use. I wanted more altitude before I went to Cullowhee.

I just ordered a lift kit at Foothills 4X4. I went down to Clemson 4 Wheel and talked to them. They had done a couple of FJCs with OME. On the way home stopped in at Foothills 4X4. Bought a 3" Rough Country kit from them. Half the price of OME, installed. This is not the final solution however. I'm going to stay with my tires until I tear them up or get some wear on them. When I get new tires I'll get more lift too. Rough Country has a 6" kit coming out. With that I could run 35s. I don't hear that name mentioned around the Toyota circles but I've used their stuff on trucks.
The Foothills guys are pretty deep into OHVs. They work on some competition class rigs. I don't think I will be hurt going this way for the moment. My man Buddy there thinks Emu's are way over-rated. His $0.02 but he has a lot of experience.
He's just up the street and while I'm there I'm going to see if I can bang the rear end back into place. Right now the rear trim misses tucking into the backers at the wheel wells by nearly an inch. I refastened the starboard quarter trim to the backers by strapping it down with a cargo binder and putting in a half dozen sheet rock screws.

While I was in Clemson I picked up a winch. They had bought 3 or 4 pallets of Warn M8000s several months ago and had four left. $550 which I just learned I can get all over the net but that's delivered.
So now I need to pick out a winch bumper.
Can we change the name of this thread to: Help Bill upgrade his FJC?

I wanted to keep it stock because I'm leaving the country in 2010 and I can't take it with me. But I've deflowered it so badly now it'll never sell for stock, might as well go whole hog.

Dan thanks for the offer, I will take you up next time unless I've blotted my copybook by buying Rough Country. I'll definitely be fitting a front bumper when I decide on one. Rear bumper probably when IPOR brings theirs out. Some more skids. An onboard compressor would be cool. Loved the original Hummer with air up and down from the dash. Probably some lights. What else?

Love you guys, sorry I spaced on the meeting. See ya in Cullowhee.
b

 

[Trollhole]

Can we change the name of this thread to: Help Bill upgrade his FJC?

b

Mods can do anything.

 

[BMThiker]

Skid plates are definitely in order. I've got All-Pro across IFS/engine bay. Heather's got Bud-built across about half of her FJC. All-Pro has been a bit slow on the rest of the skids (t-case, tranny). Bud-built has almost the full set from engine to gas tank now. All-Pro also has a r diff shield that must be welded in place.

Don't upset anyone here by going to Man-it-ain't-free.

We met a local Atlantan who has a fab shop (Knuckle Busters) in Cartersville, GA last night and he offered to do custom work for what seems like a pretty good deal. He showed us his 80 with custom rear bumper and his ballpark figure was $350 sans gate. I am definitely going to talk to them about a rear bumper w/swing out gate soon. They may be able to punch something out before IPOR.

 

[jfz80]

just a thought when you say youll get more lift in the future regarding the rough country.... first all i dont know squat about the fjc's but there is a guy on the ttora board sportin the fabtech 6'' and 35's as another option; but its a drop bracket kit like the tacomas. and procomp has a 5.5'' kit as well. this will be fun to watch bill; cant wait to wheel with ya again in cullawhee.

 

[Mtbcoach]

At this point, all the lifts beyond 3" are drop bracket kits. From my understanding, the extra "lift" does not increase articulation but will allow 35's to fit. I agree with the others that money well spent would be on some skids by Bud, some Sonoran rear trailing arms and OME suspension. That and some sweet shoes and the FJ can handle most anything...

 

[BillWright]

OK thanks ya'll. I hear you about the skids. The guy that's getting me the lifts is friends with Tim Scully who teaches wheelin' for Toyota and Land Rover. He had a full underbody skid and the last time he was in Greenville he went by Foothills and grabbed the plasma cutter and burned most of it off because it had gotten so knickertwisted. FWIW. I'm thinking more towards armoring the most vulnerable parts like LCAs and whatever gets beaten up. Just thinking.

Now sound this thinking for me pls. With the 3" lift I'm only gaining about an inch of unsprung height by re-tireing. Yes? No? Main advantage is grip. I'm trying to find some tall skinny cheap tires to try, maybe Hankooks. Or just run on the OEs for a while see how much difference the lift makes, try to decide whether to sweeten up the 3" and get shoes or go radical.

Jerry sent me a good link from the FJCruiser Forum about bumpers. They all look real gnarly and cool and I could definitely do some serious urban warfare with them but what I'm really looking for is a winch mount. I think. There's one from somebody named Lucrum in 'Dago that just replaces the plastic bit between the two black plastic breasties with a steel winch mount and cover. So here's my question: How often do you actually bounce off things with your front bumper? Do I really need armor there? We're talking about 5-8 large and 50-100# up there of what I'm thinking might just be attitude. I've got a hatful of attitude already and maybe I don't need to buy more and hang it on the front of my truck. Or am I just lucky I haven't creamed my front yet in the tiny bit of wheelin I've done so far?

S

 

[BillWright]

Sorry I hit some button here and the previous post got loose unfinished and unedited...please forgive the wordiness and the wordy durds.
Thanks for your help.
b

 

[CandyPants]

Bill, the first thing I did was the front bumper. It's not just about bouncing off things. In fact, the bumper I have (AllPro) is relatively light weight. What it does do is increase the approach angle by a bunch and opens up the tire face for a better grip and no plastic carnage.

IMHO, if you go with the winch mount and the plastic bumper, you will just tear up your plastic bumper around your winch.

Besides, I have heard stories about how you wheel...you need steel.

 

[Mtbcoach]

Bill, the first thing I did was the front bumper. It's not just about bouncing off things. In fact, the bumper I have (AllPro) is relatively light weight. What it does do is increase the approach angle by a bunch and opens up the tire face for a better grip and no plastic carnage.

IMHO, if you go with the winch mount and the plastic bumper, you will just tear up your plastic bumper around your winch.

Besides, I have heard stories about how you wheel...you need steel.

I would second that opinion...

 

[blue98stang]

I once heard that if you don't break something your not wheeling hard enough. And trust us... Bill wheels hard enough..

 

[BillWright]

You guys made me chuckle twice then laugh out loud

A light came on for me today at work and this is what I'm thinking right now: I'll do the winch mount and just tear up the rest until it falls off then get some beams and bars fabbed up for wings and maybe stinger and brush bar.
Foothills is fabbing a rear bumper for a friend's brand new Taco which he backed into something. They're doing it for about half what he could order one for.

Scars are better than tattoos I always say. The back plastic is already sprung and screwed. Sheetrock screws and duct tape til it won't hang anymore then I'll get some bars fabbed up. Meanwhile I'll have a cheap (well . . .$500 or so) winch mount on a sturdy I-beam for the center section and a base for the final solution.

I'll think about it some more until I spend a day in the shop with these people next week plus see Phil's Taco rear bumper plus if any are at Cullowhee take a long look at the approach angle advantage.

BTW for the rear bumper I like the one Iron Pig is developing. If it's not too too spendy I'll probably go that route for the rear. So far (what? a whole 20hrs, maybe 40 miles of wheeling?) I've had more trouble with the rear end in harm's way than the front.

Or maybe I'll just go with the flow and buy a front. I think Demello was lightest steel one, ARB might be aluminum, Clemson 4X4 say they can get a good deal on a Warn. Road Armor looked good, like something from Mad Max.

Thanks. Keep the dialogue going please. This really helps me think this through.

 

[Mtbcoach]

Thats the problem, there are many good choices and for most, it comes down to what they think looks the best.

If you look at the "stock winch bumper", I have problems with how the winch is installed. If you look at the pics, there is a solid "floor" under the winch which would catch water/mud/sand/etc with nowhere to go. It also doesn't offer any additional approach angle improvement nor wheel clearance for getting the front tires up on rocks. Once you tear off the tupperware corners, you will be wanting to upgrade to something steel anyway since those pieces are pretty pricey to replace.

I'm waiting on who comes out with more options for the rear. What I want to see is someone that will move the exhaust through the bumper to help with not having to crush the tail pipe.

 

[BillWright]

Coach I had that same problem. Also height for the control box for my M8000. Also acute right angle pulls are into the plastic nerf bars.
Demello is only a hundred $$$ more and 25# if you paint if yourself, I did a spread sheet last night off the link you sent me Jerry.
And I like the idea of nosing up to an abrupt climb, like a creek bank or slick rock or jeep tire (lol) and climbing up on it. Or storming a sniper's nest and driving through concrete block walls. Or mowing down inconvenient saplings if I decide to bypass a section I can't scale.
Maybe I'm getting older, saner? Teachable? Arrrgh.
I tell people they shouldn't ask my advice if they won't listen to it. I guess I should practice what I preach. Thanks again for the help here.
I'll look at the pics some more tonight, also see if there's any more input. I need to cool down on this. But that new Warn winch is burning a hole in my garage floor.
Does anyone make a porta-mount that slides into a receiver hitch?

Somebody, and I'm thinking it's Demello, is coming with or has an exhaust pipe that bolts on which is supposed to give much more clearance at the crush zone. Mine is almost flat back there and if I can't pry it apart I'm going to have to cut it off and weld on a new piece. . . . . thought: If I did that I could go through the plastic maybe, cut a big old hole. ???
Have you seen the Iron Pig rear bumper mockup? It's going to have a cage around the quarters. That seems to be the vulnerable area on FJCs. On one of my near-flops at Tellico I got up on the rear tail light and cracked it. I also sashayed sideways once or twice and would have hit something if the kickouts on the AllPro sliders hadn't come into play. If I'd been past them I'd have needed that IPOR rear bumper.
b


Yeah, maybe if I get Demello they'll ship the Hi-Lift mounts with it postage free. My McScottish blood talking lol.
b

 

[CandyPants]

I am thinking that I am going to have a local guy fab me up a rear bumper so that I can have exactly what I want. He came the Georgia Cruisers meeting this week with his built 80. He did the bumpers, etc. Nice work...and I think less expensive than what some of the commercially made bumpers are.

Where are the mock ups of IPOR's?

 

[BMThiker]

Still waiting on IPOR, the only reference is that 4R picture floating around. Was supposed to hit market about now.

Bill, I definitely think you can spend wisely on a steel bumper now, instead of sinking 5 large into a winch mount.

All-Pro is the tightest and offers the most approach/clearance. Next I would say is Demello OR or Exp One. The Road Armor looks good and beefy, but it has similar approach dims to the Warn. Look at how much flat space is on the top edge and eyeball how far it measures from the face of the grill. The winch basically mounts in front of the face of the grill on those latter two, extending your vehicle length by several inches. On the AP and Dem OR models, the winch mounts into the space below the grill and is almost tucked under it.

 

[BillWright]

I had a thought today that is the only obstacle for me getting a full bumper.
How does the airbag sensor work? Lucrum is the only one that claims to retain airbag functionality. I thought those things were impact sensitive? Is this an issue? One of my reasons for the FJC instead of building something (probably would have been a Samurai or a Lada Niva) is things like airbags, ABS, VSC, and all the other creature comforts of a good DD like good stereo, air/heat, cruise control ad nauseum.
Heather; Rick gave me the link for the Iron Pig bumper. I forgot it was on a 4R. I couldn't keep the PM because at the time my inbox was very small.
Rick I can't tell much about clearance from the pictures. I'm sure you studied this and I'm going with your suggestion. The AllPro is about $200 more than the Demello. The Demello doesn't have a plumb winch mount, I don't know if that could cause an issue for fairlead versatility. OTOH the Demello has 1/4" winch mount and AllPro 3/16. 33% more meat under the winch is signifigant.

I'm thinking buying them unfinished. I like that because I'm thinking "why have something powder coated that I'm just going to scratch up". I want a heavy finish. Options I'm thinking about are: Undercoating, Rhino Liner and Toxic Waste Barrel Paint.
JFZ80 aren't you the Jason that had the front fenders painted with undercoating? How did you do that and what price?
Dan are you serious about Toxic Waste Barrel paint?
Anybody know how Rhino Liner prices out?
Any other ideas out there?

Finally (maybe). What about hoops? Do I need them? Do I need big ones? Do I need to be talking about lights at the moment?