Help on Lift and Wheels

[Gmoney]

I've owned a 1978 FJ40 for 5 months now and the only
thing done to it is replaced the clutch.

I need help in choosing what kind of lift it needs
if I plann to put some 35 inch tires on.
also any help on where to get all these parts
at the cheapest price. thanks in advance for your help.

Gmoney
1978 FJ40

 

[BDSeff1fitty]

im a newb but from what i have read so far on here

if you want 35's i would add power steering as well.

i think most people with 35s have 4+" of lift. SOA would give 5-6" of lift and give you better performance offroad.

if you dont know this already the bolt pattern is 6 on 5.5 and you need about 3 1/2" of backspacing on the wheels if you stick with a 15" wheel

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi All:

Good basic info there "BDS" ! I cannot disagree!!

"GMoney," as the saying goes around here, make use of the "search function!"



That said, the "HFS" 4 inch lift suspension from CCOT seems to work alright with 35 inch radial tires.

Good luck!

Alan

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

Street or Trail? If trail how much realistically? What are your resources/skills. SOA is cheapest if you can do it yourself (welding cuting etc.) however probably the most expensive if you have it done. Also SOA is not the best choice if you are talking street only but then again is this your daily driver or a weekend street vehicle? More info please and the guys here will hook you up with lots of ideas but first as mentioned search search search and check out the tech link at the top of the page

EDIT - 35's with trimming the fenders or not?? If you go SOA you will also probably need to cut and turn the front housing if you are driving it on the street. TRAIL RIG WHO CARES THEN!! Hope this helps

 

[Brian in Oregon]

My opinion is 33" is the absolute maximum you should run with uncut wheel wells and a 4" lift. Even then you will still have some rubbing at extreme articulation. Worse, there is barely enough clearance for chains, and they can and will strike the wheel well opening.

If you cut the wheel well opening, then you can go larger.

As to the desirability of cutting the wheel well opening, my FJ40 is in nice enough condition that I won't cut it. If the body was rough, I'd cut it and not look back. But it's YOUR truck and only YOU can decide what to do with it.

 

[bsmith123]

cheap wheels

personally I like the stock wheels but when I first got my FJ I found that summit racing will custom make white spokes with the right backspace

mine has 33s with 4 inch lift --I like it and plenty of room and it is surprisingly tall

over 33s plus 4 and you may have trouble getting it inside a standard garage door

plenty of nice rigs on 35s ---just my pref

 

[fj hunter]

69 w/6 inch lift

I have a 69. I had a six inch lift put in. I am running 33's and they worked good with no problems. my next set will be 35's on Mano-free rims. I dont recall the rim details, but they are 15 inch dia and 8 inch width. the offset is greater than the factory rims, and clearance seems certainly wide enough to allow for the 35 inch tire. I have NOT done serious technical work yet with a 35, so there may be things to learn yet. I strongly suspect so.

 

[Box Rocket]

Definitely not necessary to have a SOA conversion to run 35's. I ran 35's on my 40 with OME springs and 2" extended shackles. Rear fenders were trimmed. They settled a bit after a few years and I got a little rubbing. Then I used some custom Alcan springs. I LOVE the Alcans. They will build the specifically for your truck based on it's weight taking into consideration, winches, bumpers, tools etc that add to the weight of the truck. If it were me, I'd get some 4" Alcan springs. They have a tendency to run lightly taller but that helps when they break in and settle a little. The combination I had of Alcans and Bilstein 5150 shocks was really nice. The Alcans I had were actually 5.5" but I was also running 37's. That's why I think 4" would be about right.

One other suggestion I would make if going with Alcans is to ask them to move the center pins. I think they can move them up to 2". That way you can increase your wheelbase up to 4" (2" front, 2" rear). 35's can fit very close to the front of the rear wheel wells so moving the center pin can help with that. Lastly, I would ask Alcan to make the springs 1" longer than normal to give a better shackle angle which will improve ride quality. Without that extra inch the shackle angle is too close to verticle for my liking resulting in a harsher ride.

OME (2.5") springs and RS9000 shocks, 2" extended shackles and 35's in Moab.

same truck (after rebuild) OME (2.5") springs and RS9000 shocks, 2" extended shackles and 35's on the Rubicon. Stuffing and no rubbing.

5.5" Alcans, Bilstein 5150 shocks, 2" extended shackles and 37's on the Rubicon again. Stuffing and no rubbing. You can also see the improvement in flex when compared to the above picture with the OME springs.

 

[Box Rocket]

And who says that SUA doesn't flex as well as a SOA?............













..........well, I do. But my SUA still flexed really well and I didn't have the funky handling characteristics that can be possible with a SOA.

 

[FR3533]

what color is your 40

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

Another thing to consider is the true height of the tires you purchase. The tire manufacturers seem to be gettiing truer but there was a time with some tires that a brand spanking new 35 was no where near a 35 so that could also play a role on how high you seek once you choose your tires

 

[Box Rocket]

what color is your 40

Kind of a light minty-grey-ish-green. I think it was called "spectramaster green" , I found it in a PPG swatch booklet.

 

[GarnerFJ40]

I love the color, a little lighter than Nebula, but pretty snazzy!

 

[mr_manny]

go team SUA