Leaping Deers FJ45pb

[Leaping Deer]

Well I haven't done a build thread on my truck and have posted a couple things here and there. First a little history

After the Yankee Toys Fall Gathering in 2005 where I had wheeled Class VI roads in my Tacoma I had gotten hooked on the 40 series. Not a month later I purchased a basket case 40 on ebay for cheap money sight unseen. I pick it up and it turned out to be a real piece of junk. The frame and body were shot and it had a mouse living in it. From there I started to collect parts to rebuild it. Two years later all I had was a bunch of parts.

I started talking to Jsaltick here on the board who was also a member of Mud and YT and he was trying to get my to buy his 64? LV. I told him that I was waiting for him to bring in a pickup. I was joking but he said that he had on coming over on a boat and it would be here in a couple of months. Well it comes in and I told him that I didn't have the money. He told me to come check it out which I did. I still didn't have the money but a month or so went by and I went to look at it again and we struck a deal. This is what it looked like when I got it home.

 

[Leaping Deer]

From there I cleaned it up, built a wooden bed and cut down the kangaroo crusher that was in the front until I could build a real bumper. I picked up a set of FJ60 wheels off of Fogblanket after asking for them for a while and picked up a set of $100 swampers.

 

[Leaping Deer]

Last year I sent the truck off to Poor Wally's Land Cruiser Emporium after talking to him about building a bed for me that looked factory but was a little shorter so I didn't drag the rear of it along the rocks. He did a great job. I thought about trying it myself but it would have been a lot of money and my fab silks aren't that good and I wanted it to come out nice. Wally builds some beefy stuff, its all 1/8" steel.

 

[Leaping Deer]

Then I got a Superwinch EPi9000 and ordered some synthetic rope for the bumper which I built. Mounted the winch with a Budbuilt winch plate. Since they still had drum brakes in 77 in AU I used FJ60 knuckles and converted. It was my first knuckle rebuild and damn is it greasy.

 

[Leaping Deer]

That pretty much takes me to where I am now.

I have an RHD FJ60 box which Jsaltlick imported so that I can set up power steering.

John is also importing a container of parts and I am planning on getting an H55 too

see the import thread to order something before Nov 7th
https://forum.ih8mud.com/ma-nh-yankee-toys/247024-group-parts-buy-australia-cheap.html

I also have plans for an Aussie Locker, Alcan 3-4" lift, 35x10.5.15 SSR's, and some home fabbed sliders.

The truck is currently at North Country Land Cruisers and Kina is putting in a cage. I'll hopefully have pics of that soon.

 

['69 Yota]

I sure do like the proportions with the Wally built bed. I always thought I'd bob it if I got one and now that I have one, I don't know if I could, but I sure do like the way that looks. Good job.

 

[fogblanket]

is the bed the same color as the cab?
can't wait to see the cage. it is looking really good
Jason

 

[Leaping Deer]

I sure do like the proportions with the Wally built bed. I always thought I bob it if I got one and now that I have one, I don't know if I could, but I sure do like the way that looks. Good job.

Thanks. Wally did a great job. I have to agree with you, if I had a factory one I don't think that I could cut it up. They are too rare. To the average person I don't think they don't know that the wally bed isn't factory which is exactly what I was hoping for.

is the bed the same color as the cab?
can't wait to see the cage. it is looking really good
Jason

Of course its the same color. Its tan.

Yeah I can't wait to see some pics.

 

[cruiserland]

OK
Jason dropped off the 45 and said cage it
This is the inside
not much room in there
decided to mount to dash

 

[cruiserland]

out with the seats and tank
must be something good under there...
$2AUS
.38 and .22 live?
sweet, john smuggled in cash and ammo....

 

[cruiserland]

bent up main hoops
made up some mount plates and backers, drilled out dash
front hoop is painted and mounted
rear plates done and welded
more pix to come...

 

[cruiserland]

front hoop..

 

[Leaping Deer]

Looks great Kina. Can't wait to see if finished.

 

[nuclearlemon]

.38 and .22 live?
....

i don't think it's a true cruiser without at least one .22 in there. shotgun shells are popular also

 

[Chamba]

Those bullets must be from before 1996. That was when the Aussie government completely dis-armed their entire populace- now only the criminals have guns. The funny thing is that now there are shootings almost every night on the news! I guess if I were going to be a criminal, I would much prefer doing it here than in the US, because here I know that I will be the only person with a gun.

The Aussies had the largest mass shooting in history down in Tasmania in 1996. So in true-blue Aussie fassion, the government responded by taking away everyone's guns.... Handy for the government here that Aussies do not have a Bill of Rights to protect them.

Cheers,

Josh

 

[FJ-Dave]

Those bullets must be from before 1996. That was when the Aussie government completely dis-armed their entire populace- now only the criminals have guns. The funny thing is that now there are shootings almost every night on the news! I guess if I were going to be a criminal, I would much prefer doing it here than in the US, because here I know that I will be the only person with a gun.

The Aussies had the largest mass shooting in history down in Tasmania in 1996. So in true-blue Aussie fassion, the government responded by taking away everyone's guns.... Handy for the government here that Aussies do not have a Bill of Rights to protect them.

Cheers,

Josh

Damn government can't win here, if its fun
Had to hand in my riffle.

Dave in AUSTRALIA
Might take up stick fighting.... are sticks banned yet?

 

[cruiserland]

Damn government can't win here, if its fun
Had to hand in my riffle.

Dave in AUSTRALIA
Might take up stick fighting.... are sticks banned yet?

at least they have yet to take away your huge bumpers

 

[Awl_TEQ]

at least they have yet to take away your huge bumpers

Oh - but they have - there is a regulation about the front overhang on the Rooguard being under a certain amount?? Another member mentioned it somewhere.

Where will it all end

It's just not Australia without enormous cattle/Roo/ Moose/bear/elk/deer bumpers. Here in western Canada the "Rooguard" bumper is very common on highway transport trucks. In fact when I used to work on the trucks 20 years ago they were not common at all and I had to straighten a few Peterbuilt bumpers (from minivans not wildlife).

 

[Awl_TEQ]

Oh - and keep up the posts and pics on the rollcage. There is very little room in those cabs. Mine will be a daily driver and so I plan on getting very tight in the corners to maximize cabin space. I'll be going through the dash and might be notching the dash pad (mine's a 78) to pass the "A pillar" tube closer to the windscreen. Are you doing another piece to pick up behind the dash and carry on down to the floor?

 

[82cruiser]

Sweet cage Kina. Have you ever run supports from behind the dash -where the front hoop mounts- to the floor?