New to Portland Oregon (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Sep 15, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
9
Location
Portland Oregon
A9FE7CDE-C27A-4660-96A6-C868E2E40228.jpeg
I moved to Portland a little over a year ago. I surf so there are my trips to the coast. That means mountain passes. During the winter months it snows so I will need chains or snow tires. I also want to build out from the inside out. I do not really off road so I’m more interested in the stuff needed for camping and making my FJ run better stronger and more efficient. My FJ is stock at the moment. Any recommendations on modifications?
 
It looks like a clean pallet and I'm sure there must be a lot of accessories for an FJ. It doesn't snow all that much in Portland....maybe over the mountain passes. A good set of snow tires should do the job. One of the first things I'd consider is a dual battery system and a refrigerator. Makes it nicer than you might think.

Welcome to town.....
 
I always own a set of chains, never used the ones for the FJ. Though I did resort to using chains on a previous few 2x and 4x vehicles. Starting in snow was never an issue, but stopping with snow or ice everywhere was hair raising a few times. Even subtle hills around PDX are an issue if you are headed down one and something gets in your way.

If you are serious about making the FJ stronger, there are Supercharger options - 350 BHP at the rear sounds like a great upgrade.

There are steel bumpers, rock rails, and steel or aluminum skid plates available. Great to have when crawling, but some like the looks of an orange armored underbody and angular bumpers. And with the bumpers comes the need for a 12000 lb winch and second battery. 35" tires on new bead lock rims and a 3" to 6" lift with sway bar disconnects finish the start of a serious offroad 'look'. But I'd also consider the tranaxle offset mods with anything more than a 3" lift.

Then the ARB fridge, Puma onboard compressor, a preferred tent rack, and of course 400w lights on the roof and 200w lights above the bumper. And snorkel.

fj801b.jpg
 
It looks like a clean pallet and I'm sure there must be a lot of accessories for an FJ. It doesn't snow all that much in Portland....maybe over the mountain passes. A good set of snow tires should do the job. One of the first things I'd consider is a dual battery system and a refrigerator. Makes it nicer than you might think.

Welcome to town.....
Thanks for the input. Why the dual batt? Where would you recommend storing it? Brand and kit?
 
I always own a set of chains, never used the ones for the FJ. Though I did resort to using chains on a previous few 2x and 4x vehicles. Starting in snow was never an issue, but stopping with snow or ice everywhere was hair raising a few times. Even subtle hills around PDX are an issue if you are headed down one and something gets in your way.

If you are serious about making the FJ stronger, there are Supercharger options - 350 BHP at the rear sounds like a great upgrade.

There are steel bumpers, rock rails, and steel or aluminum skid plates available. Great to have when crawling, but some like the looks of an orange armored underbody and angular bumpers. And with the bumpers comes the need for a 12000 lb winch and second battery. 35" tires on new bead lock rims and a 3" to 6" lift with sway bar disconnects finish the start of a serious offroad 'look'. But I'd also consider the tranaxle offset mods with anything more than a 3" lift.

Then the ARB fridge, Puma onboard compressor, a preferred tent rack, and of course 400w lights on the roof and 200w lights above the bumper. And snorkel.

fj801b.jpg
First off. Wow! That is a truck. Awesome build my dude. I envy that for sure. I do not need something that impressive though. I would consider bumpers and skid plates. Compressor tent and lights I could also benefit from.
 
Welcome... just got back from Indian Beach. Your FJC will get you there and back everytime :)
Sick! How was it? I surfed Wednesday. Head high. Kinda fat though. I was thinking about putting a subfloor in the rear half of the FJ. It is just me so no backseat drivers. Driving back and forth to the coast is there anything you wish you had to make the drive better?
 
Well - I had that option when I purchased my truck. Dealer had a fully tricked out unit on the showroom. But those tricks (sans Supercharger) were worth an extra $20,000 to the dealer. I opted for pure stock 4x4 automatic with factory off-road package. I later added better mixed-use tires, a minor spacer lift, and rock rails. Pretty happy with the truck as-is now. Photo in Avatar. That black monster is some ad piece from a vendor site but very similar to what my dealer was offering.

Aluminum plate is available instead of steel skids, almost as strong and half the weight. Haven't seen any aluminum bumpers though. I'd think they'd make some sense since I'd rather bend the bumper than the frame.

First off. Wow! That is a truck. Awesome build my dude. I envy that for sure. I do not need something that impressive though. I would consider bumpers and skid plates. Compressor tent and lights I could also benefit from.
 
First off. Wow! That is a truck. Awesome build my dude. I envy that for sure. I do not need something that impressive though. I would consider bumpers and skid plates. Compressor tent and lights I could also benefit from.

Also remember that these seem to be super sensitive (in my opinion) when it comes to a correlation between modifications (lifting, tires, bumpers) and gas mileage. They came from the factory more than capable so for those reasons I'm trying to keep mine as stock as possible.

I have the all weather floor mats which are nice and I'll prob invest in some durable seat covers. Most importantly I've baselined everything mechanically.

Like you, I will probably look into a storage type unit for the back. I've been thinking about making something that is low profile so my dog can still ride in the back with plenty of headroom.

I'd like something to give me the ability to not only gain some space for storage, but to level out the back for sleeping on. Right now as it is if you put the seats down you have a step-up so it's not level. For that reason I'd be looking at just a small 4-6" in depth

If anyone had pics I'd love to see what they did.

2007-toyota-fj-cruiser-cargo-space-jpeg.2384
 
I've seen drawer systems that do just that: a flat bed surface and ample storage for "stuff" ... you give up the rear seats, but gain volume.
 
Driving back and forth to the coast is there anything you wish you had to make the drive better?
Better MPG :) ha ha Really your stock FJ Cruiser will do great back and forth to the coast.
 
I lost some mileage when I went to Kevlar tires instead of the OEM low rolling resistance tires. Small, but measurable.
 
Also remember that these seem to be super sensitive (in my opinion) when it comes to a correlation between modifications (lifting, tires, bumpers) and gas mileage. They came from the factory more than capable so for those reasons I'm trying to keep mine as stock as possible.

I have the all weather floor mats which are nice and I'll prob invest in some durable seat covers. Most importantly I've baselined everything mechanically.

Like you, I will probably look into a storage type unit for the back. I've been thinking about making something that is low profile so my dog can still ride in the back with plenty of headroom.

I'd like something to give me the ability to not only gain some space for storage, but to level out the back for sleeping on. Right now as it is if you put the seats down you have a step-up so it's not level. For that reason I'd be looking at just a small 4-6" in depth

If anyone had pics I'd love to see what they did.

2007-toyota-fj-cruiser-cargo-space-jpeg.2384
My idea is to remove the backseat. Maybe build is as high as the wheel wells.
 
Even during the winter months?
yup... the coastal range doesn't get much in the way of snow... mostly rain.... a lot of rain in the winter. never hurts to carry a pair of chains but you will probably not use them unless you head east in the winter... and then the highways are kept pretty good...
 
First off, welcome to the neighborhood! Central Oregon has a fantastic network of trails and destinations to conquer! Coastal range is a lot of fun too. There is a TLCA Cruiser group that is based in Tigard, Good group of folks. They put together a few group runs a year, lots of fun.
 
Sorry that I missed your question about the dual batteries. Everything that I've done over the last 20 years or so on my 60 has been a result of something "happening." Stuck in sand? Buy a compressor so I can air down. Stereo runs the battery down? Install an extra battery. All the ice melts in the cooler in the Baja? Buy a refrigerator. On and on.

I don't know what kind of room is under the hood on an FJ but if you have room the extra battery and isolator is really nice to have especially if you are running accessories in a remote location. Might save a long walk.

Check out the clubhouse tab. There is a somewhat active group under the Portland Chapter. Post up there about a meeting and you will get several folks to attend...esp if the venue is a brewery.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom