New addition, 85 FJ60

[darwink1]

The rest of the pics/vids.

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[darwink1]

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[darwink1]

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[darwink1]

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[darwink1]

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[darwink1]

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[darwink1]

Beat on the van pretty good and nothing seems to have broken, nothing thats apparent as of yet. I think I flexed out the springs pretty good and every spring clamp/clip was spread apart on all 4 corners. One got stuck between the leafs and we had to pry it out on the hill but it wasnt hard to do. Oh, the drivers exterior door handle quit working on me during the run so I guess something did break.

Might be the last run of the season for me so Im glad I went out.

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[darwink1]

Installed the A pillar handle and the handle above the ds door I got from a fellow mudder. The one above the door was straight forward and after finding the factory threaded holes I screwed it in. For the A pillar handle I went to a local fastener place and they had these pop jamnut things that worked awesome. Basically looks like a top hat, drill the hole, insert the doohickey, hold the collar with pliers, and tighten the screw/bolt. The part thats in the hole gets compressed and they end up nice and tight. I removed the pinch weld trim around the A pillar, pulled back the headliner, and removed the foam that is behind the liner before drilling.

Worked out mint and its way easier to get in the damn thing now.

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[darwink1]

Found a set of b pillar handles I had stashed that fit the 60 perfectly. Used the existing threaded holes behind the headliner to mount them.

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[darwink1]

Threw on my winter tires today (thanks Chris), I think theyll be all right. I might get them studded...

Ive always wanted an aussie style grab bar mounted to my dash but couldnt justify spending $150 and up on an oe one. I had some round stock stashed and figured Id try making my own.

This is what I came up with.

Its mounted with 4 studs I welded into predrilled holes in the mounts. Primer/paint tomorrow.

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[darwink1]

Wow, Ive always been in a hurry to fix junk on this thing so Id be ready for the next trail ride. Now that its in the garage I still seem to have it in my head that I have to do as much work as possible even though Itll be in there for at least 6 months.

I guess it doesnt help to have a week off every month.

I managed to finish up and mount the glove box handle yesterday, turned out ok.

Id been having a hard time shifting lately and it seemed like I couldnt push the clutch in enough to get into gear. A couple buddies were over and I talked them into helping bleed the clutch mc/slave. I was pleasantly surprised that the bleeder came loose without any hassles and the whole job went smooth and took all of 10 minutes. We flushed all of the old, black, brake fluid out and replaced it with fresh dot 3. Made a huge difference in the pedal feel.

Also, on my last run of the year I was a little hard on the van and a couple leafs in my ds leaf pack were a little cooked. The spring clamps on both ends of the pack were spread apart allowing the 2nd leaf to slide out of the pack a bit. I undid the ubolts a little and pounded everything back into place.

I am now thinking about either welding a strap across the top of said clamps to keep them from spreading again. I could also go a step further and extend the clamp a little and throw in a bolt to keep them from spreading kind of like on a set of ome leafs.

Next job I might take on is hooking up the snorkel. Ill have to move the washer reservoir and figure out another spot for it but otherwise it shouldnt be that bad. I do have to find an air filter box form something that will fit in the space I have since the van doesnt have the oe air can. A buddy has one from a 4l ranger that looks to be about the right dimensions.. Otherwise I plan to use some mandrel bent 90's and 45's to go from the motor to the apron.

A couple crappy pics of the engine bay, any suggestions would be welcome.

Id ultimately like to end up with something like this.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=300866&stc=1&d=1235345450

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[darwink1]

Replaced the messed up shift fork boot on the tranny the other day. Wonder how long thats been like that.. Also ordered some Amsoil fluids for it and the transfer case.

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[darwink1]

Been messing around a little.

Got the snorkel hooked up, just need a new air filter. Mounted the windshield washer bottle on the ds fender with a bracket I jiggered together. Also removed the charcoal canister.

Threw a little strut in the tuffy console so it wouldnt open all the way and flop onto the back seat every time I needed something. Also put in a pocket in the head unit spot to hold random stuff. Better than a hole.

Repainted the grille and light bezels. What a pain in the ass it was to scrape/sand all the old paint off. Looks 10x better though. Rerouted my winch wires at the same time.

Got a new screen for the snork from sierra expeditions along with some staun deflators.

Tie down points in the cargo area 1/2 done.

Goop for the trans/xfer.

And the best addition of all is this cool old school aluminum sticker I found. "Low Range Determinator", classic.

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[TLC Norway]

Holy crap that sticker is insane!! DETERMINATOR!!!

I like the idea of mounting the air filter in a ammo box. I am not eager to put my old big stock filter canister in and weld and plumb for snorkel.
If i find some kind of clampthingy for the 3" hose, i'll steal your idea!!
Or did you just weld in 3" pipes to clamp to?

 

[darwink1]

I picked up some 3" exhaust tubes and welded one on each side of the can. If youre careful the ammo can wont warp too bad....

DETERMINATOR!!!


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[darwink1]

Tidied up the interior a little yesterday. I hated how the wiring for the arb switches was exposed under the dash so I made a little cover for them. Looks a bunch better.

I was bored and painted the xfer knobs bronze just for the hell of it. Managed paint the recessed lettering black but after some sparkly clear you cant really tell. While I waiting for the paint to dry I took out the basket I made for around the trans shifter and redid one of the tubes that was too close to the xfer lever. Lots of clearance now.

Then Peetie came over and inspired me to rip off the gayrb bumper. We took off all the crap hangin from it, cut the fender tubes and pulled it off with the winch still bolted on. We cut the fender tube at the slider too. Looks all naked up front now.

Before

During

After

Gonna mess with some cardboard and make up a winch box when I have time then I have to blackmail my buddy Sam into bringing his tube bender over.

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[klinetime574]

Looking good.

What are the plans with the front end? Tape lines and stuff.

Did I miss something? haha

 

[darwink1]

The tape lines are experimental and top secret. Nah, I want to clearance the bottom of the front fender a bit. Nothing drastic though, just messing around with the tape.

I want to do a tube bumper for the front with a plate winch box.

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[klinetime574]

The tape lines are experimental and top secret. Nah, I want to clearance the bottom of the front fender a bit. Nothing drastic though, just messing around with the tape.

I want to do a tube bumper for the front with a plate winch box.

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I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Wish I was closer to you and had money. I'd offer some $$ for that ARB. Those things are getting expensive.

 

[Biche]

Nice rig! Love the color and rear bumper.

I'm excited to see what you come up with!

Wish I was closer to you and had money. I'd offer some $$ for that ARB. Those things are getting expensive.

Me too, I'm closer but just far enough. If you ever came near the Quebec border, I can help you get rid of that bumper...