McGuire's '87 FJ60 Build: SOA/ 12H-T swap

[The Phoenician]

I will have to look Into the military tires. How's the tread wear/ road performance?
Mj

they are radials, and the tread wear is good. Compared to my creepy crawlers they are quiet and narrower by two inches. There are several kinds of tires so be careful which ones you decide to go with. The earlier goodyears (the ones I have) are notorious for weak sidewalls.

 

[mcguirejohnson]

We'll I took a look at my steel pile and a light bulb went off in my head.. What can I make out off 1"x1" 14ga square tubing and some sheet metal?

Well if you guessed a roof Rack then you were correct! I am going to make one similar to the "diamondrack" design and most likely use their rain gutter mounts.

Mj

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Just don't overbuild it... 14 ga~1# per ft adds up quickly and will make for a top heavy rig very quickly. ASK ME HOW I KNOW!!

J

 

[mcguirejohnson]

Just don't overbuild it... 14 ga~1# per ft adds up quickly and will make for a top heavy rig very quickly. ASK ME HOW I KNOW!!

J

I was looking for your rack in your last build but I couldn't find it.. What did you do for rain gutter mounts? And I will keep that in mind, it's going to be a low profile rack so that one day I can utilize a rooftop tent.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I was looking for your rack in your last build but I couldn't find it.. What did you do for rain gutter mounts? And I will keep that in mind, it's going to be a low profile rack so that one day I can utilize a rooftop tent.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-85-fj60-blue-2.580995/page-2

Posts 22, 40 and 48 .. I built my own mounts, have a different idea for the new rack, but until I build one, it's hard to say if I'll like it..

J

 

[mcguirejohnson]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/another-85-fj60-blue-2.580995/page-2

Posts 22, 40 and 48 .. I built my own mounts, have a different idea for the new rack, but until I build one, it's hard to say if I'll like it..

J

I am going to try and come up with my own like you did. Looks to be a pretty straight forward task. My Rack design is basically the same as yours, but instead of the angled edges, I am going to bend them at 90* with a tube bender. Did the ladder come in handy?

 

[ouroutdoorfamily]

I ran a roof rack that I made out of 1x1x.083 wall sq. tubing with 14g a plate for the wall gussets. I used 8 of the regular diamondrax gutter feet, and that mister of a roof rack saved my truck on a wheeling trip. It never really felt top heavy, but I was running it on my SUA FJ60 with heavy springs, I'm sure it would feel a little sway'y on my SOA 60. But as I was saying I was coming up a hill and there was a tree leaning over the trail, nothing I couldn't fit under, but the truck slipped and slide sideways into that tree and the rack hit the tree very hard, I only got a slight ding in the gutter by one foot, but the rack distributed the weight nicely.

Also, I had two piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet cut as the floor for my roof rack, and that was one of the best things I ever did, it completely shields the roof from the sun, so in the middle of the day in summer I could go out to the truck, with the windows cracked just a hair and put my hand on the roof, (I don't have a headliner) and it was cool to the touch.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

I am going to try and come up with my own like you did. Looks to be a pretty straight forward task. My Rack design is basically the same as yours, but instead of the angled edges, I am going to bend them at 90* with a tube bender. Did the ladder come in handy?

Used it a time or two, not really. It might come in more handy with the taller rig this time around.

J

 

[robustbambi]

McGuire, you and Bluehawk are really making me want to do things to the suspension of my truck :hmmm:

 

[mcguirejohnson]

I ran a roof rack that I made out of 1x1x.083 wall sq. tubing with 14g a plate for the wall gussets. I used 8 of the regular diamondrax gutter feet, and that mister of a roof rack saved my truck on a wheeling trip. It never really felt top heavy, but I was running it on my SUA FJ60 with heavy springs, I'm sure it would feel a little sway'y on my SOA 60. But as I was saying I was coming up a hill and there was a tree leaning over the trail, nothing I couldn't fit under, but the truck slipped and slide sideways into that tree and the rack hit the tree very hard, I only got a slight ding in the gutter by one foot, but the rack distributed the weight nicely.

Also, I had two piece of 1/8" aluminum sheet cut as the floor for my roof rack, and that was one of the best things I ever did, it completely shields the roof from the sun, so in the middle of the day in summer I could go out to the truck, with the windows cracked just a hair and put my hand on the roof, (I don't have a headliner) and it was cool to the touch.

That's good news about it not feeling top heavy! I was actually thinking about using an aluminum base for mine as well. I'm not planning on using it as a life saver like you did lol, but I guess it shows the diamondrax mounts are pretty sturdy.

 

[mcguirejohnson]

Used it a time or two, not really. It might come in more handy with the taller rig this time around.

J

I might just have to copy your design on the ladder.. Hopefully you don't have a paten on it

 

[mcguirejohnson]

McGuire, you and Bluehawk are really making me want to do things to the suspension of my truck :hmmm:

Go SOA and never look back! Do you have the mojave or the safari SR lift? I can't say anything in regards about the Mojave kit, but the SO is night and day compared to my old safari lift on and off-road.

 

[robustbambi]

i have ironman springs and the 4+ SR, but seeing how well you documented... started getting me thinking its not as impossible as i believed it to be haha.
Already started putting my parts list together. Look out for a PM or two from me in the future

 

[mcguirejohnson]

i have ironman springs and the 4+ SR, but seeing how well you documented... started getting me thinking its not as impossible as i believed it to be haha.
Already started putting my parts list together. Look out for a PM or two from me in the future

It really isn't difficult at all, all you need is a welder, grinder, torch and common tools. Pm me your email and I will send you a full parts list later today with prices and phone numbers of all the stuff I used when I did my SOA conversion.

 

[mcguirejohnson]

Here is a quick update on my rig:

Been working on my roof rack off and on, all that needs to be done is the horizontal crossbars that the rain gutter mounts attach too. Still on the fence about making my own or just buying some.

Then took my rig out to a local spot with one of my friends that drives a j**p. His front lunchbox locker was acting up so he turned into a photographer lol. Here are some pics:

Enjoy!

Mj

 

[bluehawk]

Looking good there Mj. Hope to be done with the traction bar this coming week and then the axles are off to powder coat. That is a good looking rack you have there, lol....

 

[mcguirejohnson]

No pun intended lol? And please post pictures when you get the traction bar setup finished. I'm going to be getting my FF rear axle at the end of this month so I'm going to go ahead and install one then.

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Nice flex MJ, rack looks like it is coming along nicely. What bender are you using?

J

 

[mcguirejohnson]

Nice flex MJ, rack looks like it is coming along nicely. What bender are you using?

J

Thank you sir. The bender is from school, I think I posted a picture of it in this thread a while back when I was making my shock hoops. I can't remember what brand it is, but can check on monday!

Mj

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

No worries, just curious.

J