Greetings from Phoenix! I'm the owner of the ashes from a 1977 FJ40 (OME 2.5" + OME shackle reversal, 1998 EFI 350 swap, Saginaw PS, 35" tires). In the fire, I lost every non-metal component in the vehicle, including the engine's air intake and EFI system. At this moment, I have the body fully disassembled and will be fixing the warped floor pans.
Issue 1: I don't have much experience with sheet metal work. I was thinking about welding the large cracks first, then use a combination of heat and a mallet with a couple of 2x4 boards. Is there anything I could do different that would make it easier? I'm also seriously considering a 28 gallon saddle tank and would like to know how others have reinforced the floor pan in the past. With a couple of fatsos in the seats and 28 gallons, that would come pretty close to 1000 pounds.
Issue 2: I would like to lengthen the wheel base by moving the rear axle backward. It seems that a flipped FJ60|62 rear leaf would give me 3.5," although I would be happier with something closer to 4-5." If I do go with the 60 spring, do I grab the 2" lift or the 3" (assuming I can keep the OME fj40 front spring)? Or do I switch all the springs? I ask because I vaguely remember that my OME setup gives me closer to 4 inches of suspension lift rather than the 2.5" advertised on kit...but maybe my memory is off. The motivation behind this is that I have a Dodge 29 spline NV4500 and atlas pair that I want to include. Although I'm not going to be working on the drive train for a while, now is the time to figure out the rear wheel wells. I want to paint and undercoat the tub before it starts getting more humid and wet.
Thank you!
Issue 1: I don't have much experience with sheet metal work. I was thinking about welding the large cracks first, then use a combination of heat and a mallet with a couple of 2x4 boards. Is there anything I could do different that would make it easier? I'm also seriously considering a 28 gallon saddle tank and would like to know how others have reinforced the floor pan in the past. With a couple of fatsos in the seats and 28 gallons, that would come pretty close to 1000 pounds.
Issue 2: I would like to lengthen the wheel base by moving the rear axle backward. It seems that a flipped FJ60|62 rear leaf would give me 3.5," although I would be happier with something closer to 4-5." If I do go with the 60 spring, do I grab the 2" lift or the 3" (assuming I can keep the OME fj40 front spring)? Or do I switch all the springs? I ask because I vaguely remember that my OME setup gives me closer to 4 inches of suspension lift rather than the 2.5" advertised on kit...but maybe my memory is off. The motivation behind this is that I have a Dodge 29 spline NV4500 and atlas pair that I want to include. Although I'm not going to be working on the drive train for a while, now is the time to figure out the rear wheel wells. I want to paint and undercoat the tub before it starts getting more humid and wet.
Thank you!