RevISK
SILVER Star
I’m a believer in deer whistles. Have them on all my vehicles. My grandfather introduced me to them and he never hit a deer in a very deer infested area.
Build MAR's '76 Forty Refresh
- Thread starter MAR FJ40
- Start date
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There is a tree farm on the way home that can have 100's of deer in the fields. With the whistles working, perhaps 1/3 or more of them will throw up their heads from browsing and look - none of the little ones do - they haven't heard that noise and then seen their parent/kin splatted in the road; yet.
Turning head lights on and off slowly is the best way to break the deer frozen in the head light syndrome at night.
Turning head lights on and off slowly is the best way to break the deer frozen in the head light syndrome at night.
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #143
Yes. I have a rear view mirror that shows 3 different camera views. This one shows the ground immediately in front. Another one on the backside of the rear view mirror shows wide view out front. There is another one mounted in the rear that displays as a normal rear view and zooms in and lowers view when I shift into reverse. They all constantly record.
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #144
Fabbed up a bracket for the dual air compressor and got it installed. One side dedicated to ARB rear locker and the other for on demand air. I have some sheet metal I'm thinking about bending up for a heat shield near the header pipe. TBD.
Mounted a fold down table to the back of the 4Plus basket swing out. It was really inexpensive and worked out great. Plenty of clearance for the door hinge since the pullout extension is recessed. Wasn't sure if it would clear but it's perfect.
Mounted a fold down table to the back of the 4Plus basket swing out. It was really inexpensive and worked out great. Plenty of clearance for the door hinge since the pullout extension is recessed. Wasn't sure if it would clear but it's perfect.
Where did you source the table? I have a similar one but it doesn’t have the slide out
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #146
It's Chineseum and very cheap pricewise, but I find the quality to be great for the money!
VEVOR Tailgate Table for Jeep Wrangler JL 2019 - Present , Carbon Steel Foldable Molle Panel Drop Down Table, Rear Door Cargo Storage Rack Shelf Luggage Holder Carrier Camping Accessories | VEVOR US
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Very cool. Did you have to drill holes to mount it?It's Chineseum and very cheap pricewise, but I find the quality to be great for the money!
VEVOR Tailgate Table for Jeep Wrangler JL 2019 - Present , Carbon Steel Foldable Molle Panel Drop Down Table, Rear Door Cargo Storage Rack Shelf Luggage Holder Carrier Camping Accessories | VEVOR US
Shop VEVOR Tailgate Table for Jeep Wrangler JL 2019 - Present , Carbon Steel Foldable Molle Panel Drop Down Table, Rear Door Cargo Storage Rack Shelf Luggage Holder Carrier Camping Accessories at lowest price, 2-day delivery, 30-day returns. Shop now at VEVOR.www.vevor.com
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #149
Happy 50th Birthday, MARFJ40 — April ‘76 
50 years old this month, that’s pretty wild to say. April of ’76… I was in kindergarten when my dad brought it home. Back then it was just his primary mode of transportation but it didn’t take long before it became part of everything. A lot of memories that stuck with me way longer than I probably realized at the time. Truth is, this 40 isn’t just a rebuild for me. It’s a connection point. To my dad, Mar, to a simpler time, to being a kid again standing at the end of the road staring at what I thought was the coolest “jeep” I’d ever seen. He drove it daily all the way until I was in high school. Same truck. Same presence. Always there. Now here we are. Five decades later and I get to bring it back to life in a way that honors what it meant then and what it means now. Every bolt I’ve turned on this thing has had a little more meaning behind it because of that.
Happy Birthday, old friend.
50 years in and still doing exactly what you were built to do.
50 years old this month, that’s pretty wild to say. April of ’76… I was in kindergarten when my dad brought it home. Back then it was just his primary mode of transportation but it didn’t take long before it became part of everything. A lot of memories that stuck with me way longer than I probably realized at the time. Truth is, this 40 isn’t just a rebuild for me. It’s a connection point. To my dad, Mar, to a simpler time, to being a kid again standing at the end of the road staring at what I thought was the coolest “jeep” I’d ever seen. He drove it daily all the way until I was in high school. Same truck. Same presence. Always there. Now here we are. Five decades later and I get to bring it back to life in a way that honors what it meant then and what it means now. Every bolt I’ve turned on this thing has had a little more meaning behind it because of that.
Happy Birthday, old friend.
50 years in and still doing exactly what you were built to do.
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #151
Test fitting the carrier I have had for years and used on other vehicles. I just ordered a drop receiver that will lower it ~2" so I can open the swingouts and doors. I can also adjust the tray to be closer to the body. Will see final adjustments once the drop comes in. This will be very handy for toting firewood, etc. on camping trips.
Still need to source the roof rack and awning. I really like the EEZAwn K9 from S. Africa but there is only one stateside dealer and the container currently in route has the right brackets but no FJ40 rack. They said it will be August before they expect the next container. That'll be too late for a trip I have planned w/ my boys to Colorado this summer.
Thinking I may go with the Gamiviti. Not sure If I'll do flat rack or the full/half expo that has elevated rails.
Thoughts on pros/cons? Will have my Riversmith Riverquiver 4 banger fly rod carrier on drivers side and a 270 degree awning on the passenger side. Will also put some relatively lightweight items in rooftop container(s) on top.
EEZI-Awn K9:
Gamiviti Flat rack:
Gamiviti Half Expo
Gameviti Full Expo
Still need to source the roof rack and awning. I really like the EEZAwn K9 from S. Africa but there is only one stateside dealer and the container currently in route has the right brackets but no FJ40 rack. They said it will be August before they expect the next container. That'll be too late for a trip I have planned w/ my boys to Colorado this summer.
Thinking I may go with the Gamiviti. Not sure If I'll do flat rack or the full/half expo that has elevated rails.
Thoughts on pros/cons? Will have my Riversmith Riverquiver 4 banger fly rod carrier on drivers side and a 270 degree awning on the passenger side. Will also put some relatively lightweight items in rooftop container(s) on top.
EEZI-Awn K9:
Gamiviti Flat rack:
Gamiviti Half Expo
Gameviti Full Expo
OlYellr
SILVER Star
That’s a can of worms for sure—roof racks can send you down a long rabbit hole.
I hadn’t even heard of EEZ before this post, but I’ve been slowly overthinking what I want on my 40 for years now. What caught my eye with the EEZ is the supports running front-to-back instead of side-to-side. From what I’ve read on MUD (no firsthand experience), that supposedly cuts down on wind noise quite a bit. That said… it’s a 40. Not exactly a whisper-quiet platform to begin with. Not sure I’d notice unless it started adding noise.
There’s at least one other rack maker I’ve seen with that same longitudinal support setup—can’t remember the name (saw it on MUD posts a few times), but if it comes to me I’ll circle back. Gamiviti gets pretty close design-wise too, and he’s been refining his setup for a while now. If anything, I sometimes wish there were just a few more strap points—but clearly people are making it work just fine.
I was looking hard at Gamiviti this February and ended up grabbing his folding awning brackets, rain gutter mounts, and crossbars. Gives me flexibility—I mount the awning, run crossbars however I want sans roof rack, and even strap down the old rack if I feel like it (though I’m not a fan of the one that came with mine).
Running ROAM awnings and have been happy with them so far.
Frontrunner is the other end of the spectrum IMO—full rack system with a ton of accessories. Probably more bolt-on options than Gamiviti if you’re trying to accessorize everything short of a satellite dish.
At the end of the day, I think it comes down to preference and style… and maybe whether supporting a MUD vendor matters to you. Personally, I’ve always liked the old-school Con-Ferr racks. Just fits the vibe of these rigs IMO. I’ve even been toying with going custom—buddy’s kid is a legit welder—thinking old-school look but tweaked to play nice with modern accessories (and use the new rain gutter mounts I just got).
No rush though… I’m still comfortably sitting on the fence.
That said, the “expo” style racks (raised, not totally flat) are my jam.
What direction are you leaning? Sleek and low-profile like that slick stove mount you did on the back? (Yeah… I’m absolutely stealing that idea—appreciate the post.)
And worst case—run one, learn from it, and flip it if it’s not your thing. Consider it tuition for figuring out what actually works for how you use the truck.
RevISK
SILVER Star
I will echo one point Bryan made above @OlYellr
The expo style is also my preference. I have an ARB base rack on my tundra (given to me by a friend leaving the country) and a ConFerr rack for my 62. The security of the raised sides has proven invaluable in very high wind situations.
I'll just leave it at that...
The expo style is also my preference. I have an ARB base rack on my tundra (given to me by a friend leaving the country) and a ConFerr rack for my 62. The security of the raised sides has proven invaluable in very high wind situations.
I'll just leave it at that...
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #154
Thanks for the feedback. I really like the look of the EEZI Awn K9. It's extruded aluminum so I would assume less weight also. I guess for me, my eyes lean towards the flat vs tubular style rack (if that makes sense). Front runner is also what I would call "flat" vs tubular. Although I don't like the short length (front to back) of the frontrunner they market for 40's. Although tubular, Gameviti length looks great, covers front to back well. I'm just torn on basket style vs no basket on that one. Not sure what functional advantages I would miss out on for not having the basket.
This one custom made by Profitts LC looks great to me. It's basket style but I like the flat platform it has. I don't think they do one-offs unless it part of a bigger resto. so sourcing this is unlikely, I believe.
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #155
Thanks. I was thinking having the expo (basket) style would offer more stability for things shifting vertically. Just not sure how much difference if things are already bolted or strapped down securely to the base structure. Peace of mind on high winds is definitely a point to consider.
OlYellr
SILVER Star
Karl @sogncab might have some thoughts on his Gameviti that might muddy the water more for you.
I like it well enough. Haven't used it much. One little excursion to a shooting match I camped at.
Looks nice. Well made. I'm pretty picky.
There's more wind noise, which I'm not a fan of, but I don't know what it would take to improve that.
I did the basket style just in case I suck at strapping something down, there would be a little more resistance to flinging something, either really expensive or really necessary, into oncoming traffic when I took a left too aggressively.
Also I think it looks cool.
I bought it specifically to do one trip that hasn't happened yet. Otherwise, I don't have it on. Long term goal is to put the awning on the trailer, and not on the tow vehicle. The CG on a hard top 40 is miserably high already, I don't want to contribute to that unnecessarily.
It also barely fits in my garage. It drags against the seals. I'm going to have to move before I put 33's on.
MAR FJ40
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #160
@sogncab speaking of the height reminded me that I need to source a ladder or getting things off/on the rack would be a PITA. Thinking I will go with a telescoping ladder that I can strap on somewhere or throw in the back.
Somthing like this is what I am thinking. Collapses down to 2.25' and extends to 7.5'
c6outdoor.com
Somthing like this is what I am thinking. Collapses down to 2.25' and extends to 7.5'
REV LADDER
The Rev Ladder telescoping black ladder can be collapsed or extended to reach most height racks on most vehicles. Independent locks at each step allow the ladder to collapse one rung at a time. Removable rubber-coated steel hooks grab onto most roof rack side profiles for access to the Rev Rack...
c6outdoor.com