Nothing is normal about this 45 build (1 Viewer)

[Frankenstein45]

G'day all , I'm a new member so I hope I've posted this build in the correct thread category.
I've always loved 40/45series and a few years back acquired a 1972 fj40 ( for free). It was completely rusted other than the doors and chassis.
So, with no mechanical experience, limited four wheel driving experience and no financial support from my wife, I decided to build myself a vintage landcruiser.
I set myself some goals... it has to be a ute , it has to have a shorter wheelbase , it has to be a 4 cylinder diesel , it has to be covered in dune bage
and most importantly of all.. it must be done without spending any money.
So I got to work, I completely stripped the forty and sold every usable part except the chassis and the doors. I used the money I made from the shorty to buy my uncle's clapped out hj47 farm truck which I also stripped and sold including a quite healthy 2h and 5speed box .
So I started my very own wrecking business all to finance my project and picking a few parts up as I go.
I'm building a shortened fj45 out of bits and pieces, nothing is standard or normal, so without further ado, I'll walk you all through the build.

The shorty chassis sandblasted and 450mm added.

the tub I bought off an old farmer . It's an early model that has been hot dipped galvanized!
So no rust ever!

you can see where I made the chassis extension, obviously all cab mounts where all moved and modified to allow for the fj45 cab.

the moment of truth.... if my calculations and measurements are actually going to work?

 

[Frankenstein45]

fits like a glove , I wanted a shorter wheelbase than a standard fj45 , however I still wanted it to look proportional.

Even where it sits now in this photo a huge amount of work has gone into this truck , sandblasting , rust and panel repairs and two full days fabricating the chassis extension and mounts.

 

[Frankenstein45]

View attachment 2724476fits like a glove , I wanted a shorter wheelbase than a standard fj45 , however I still wanted it to look proportional.
View attachment 2724477
Even where it sits now in this photo a huge amount of work has gone into this truck , sandblasting , rust and panel repairs and two full days fabricating the chassis extension and mounts.View attachment 2724479

Not the best painting conditions lol...

 

[Frankenstein45]

The next step was engine, as I said earlier it must be a 4cy diesel. Vehicle registration in Australia is quite expensive ( you pay more for 6cyl , v8 ect..)
So the logical conclusion would be a 13bt or something similar. However sourcing one for the right price proved to be a drama.
I managed to get my hands on a 2006 model surf with a 1kz-te in it , not my first choice, however my wife has the exact engine in her parado and it pushes along quite well and so far been reliable.
The surf had been in an nasty accident and completely totalled ,but the diesel starts , runs and only had 180 000 kms on it.
So its perfect
so its

 

[Frankenstein45]

so out comes the 1kz-te and the insanely long automatic gearbox.
Sooo much wiring , is it ever going to run ever again?
I was having some second thoughts that perhaps I've attempted a task that requires a higher intellect then what I possess.

 

[Frankenstein45]

Fitting the diesel and transmission was a drama ,
The auto is so long , and needed to sit the engine deep in the bay so I would have correct drive shaft angles ( for my spring over hi- steer set up)

well it's in .
I've approximately got enough room for radiator,
The auto shifter is approximately in the correct location .
Drive shaft and tail shaft angles look ok.
I'll fab up some engine mounts ..... to be continued......

 

[macdaddy59]

This build is awesome. keep up the good work.

 

[Pura Vida]

Wow epic. Subscribed.

 

[whitey45]

Great build mate, you said you have no mechanical experience??? This build takes years of mechanical knowledge??

 

[Pura Vida]

Great build mate, you said you have no mechanical experience??? This build takes years of mechanical knowledge??

Sounds like he was being relatively modest. He has enough knowledge to fit a 45 tub on a 40 and change mounts to “fit like a glove”, already fitted an engine amd trans that really shouldn’t be there, that sounds like a lot more than “no mechanical experience”

I think he should be okay as long as he gets some other opinions from other more mechanically inclined people.

 

[Frankenstein45]

Thanks sooo much for the feedback fellas, and yes , no real mechanical experience, however I'm a boilermaker by trade so the fabrication and panel work has been smooth sailing .
Also got a lot of advice from this site, so thank you all !
Will put up more of my build later.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Welcome aboard, nice to see another Aussie on the forum. Looks like you're making good progress!

 

[Frankenstein45]

Very technical planning for the relocation of cab mounts , lol

 

[Frankenstein45]

So used the standard engine mounts that I cut off the surf it worked quite well.

 

[Frankenstein45]

The gearbox mount was a little more tricky, obviously it needed to be modified to suit the with of the chassis. The standard surf auto mount is also quite chunky , it was about 60mm thick.
My plan was to keep maximum clearance, however it needed to be strong , so I also modified the cradle to be flattened.

 

[Frankenstein45]

 

[Frankenstein45]

Also some 20mm spacers needed to sit between gearbox crossmember and chassis, and some high tensile bolts hold it all together.
If I ever need to drop engine and box out , It will be an easy process .

 

[Frankenstein45]

The engine and box just fit !
Any further forward and I wouldn't fit fan and radiator, any further back and the auto shifter would become impracticable for use.
The truck has almost become a mid engine, with majority of the vehicles weight central between the wheels.
The front drive shaft is approximately 300mm longer than the tail shaft.
After working out the correct length I modified part of the surfs drive shaft to the cruisers .
Eventually both tail and drive shafts will need to be balanced.

 

[Frankenstein45]

Next up ........suspension and power steering,
I'm sure many of you will find my efforts very unorthodox!
I lot of trail and error !

 

[Frankenstein45]

So first up steering column and power steering assembly ...