ROTW ROTW HawkDriver (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Feb 1, 2002
Threads
97
Messages
3,322
Location
No. Ogden, Utah
Website
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Hey Mudders! I guess it’s my turn. I just got this when the ROTW signup sheet was first posted and in my excitement I jumped on it. Now I kind of wished I would have waited for a later date as I havn’t had much time to work on her. But I guess this will provide a reference for the before state later. So… here goes.

1975 FJ40
Fiberglass tub from firewall back
Chevy 350 (dual exhaust, holley 4 barrel, be cool aluminum radiator with dual auto electric fans, oil cooler)
OME 2.5” suspension
Saginaw PS
4 wheel discs
32x11.5x15 BFG Mall Terrains (completely worthless tires)
6 point roll cage
Stock 4 speed Trans and Tcase
Stock axles with open 4.11s
Custom tube front bumper (which I don’t particularly like and will be building new one soon)
Tube stepbars (again, will be building new sliders soon)
VDO tach, temp, and press gauges
FloFit seats
Conferr center console
Kenwood 10 disc system with Bose speakers
Grille guard
Roof rack
Cibie lights


I’ve only had time to do a couple little things to it in the 2 months I’ve had it. I built the Hi-lift mounts for the front bumper, removed the custom rear bumper, added the ball hitch, and fixed the tail light housings, oh and I built the roof rack for my fishing canoe from scratch (probably my biggest accomplishment this far, yay!).

The fiberglass tub seems to be an older one (like 8 years I’d guess) and is different to get used to, but over all I like it. I will probably stick with original steel tubs from now on though. The guy that did most of the work seemed to really be good at everything he did. The inside dash and the firewall have the original steel panels cut to fit the fiberglass so it’s metal, sturdy, and looks original. The entire tub interior is covered with two layers of about 1/8” rubber which keeps the noise down inside, protects the tub, and looks cool. Best of all, I never have any rust to worry about with it. It also has a power lockout key thingy in the glove box which I can pull if I ever need to park it long-term or downtown. The fuel shutoff hidden below the center console is also another nice theft deterrent.

The 350 and Holley seem to provide plenty of power, and aside from getting 9.4 MPG on a 14 gallon tank it’s pretty nice. And there’s still room for upgrades on it later if I get all crazy huge with this beast.

The cage is the old roll bar with the pieces added on. It’s not tied into the frame right now but will be in the future and I don’t get too crazy wheelin it so I’ll get to it when I can. The guy put the OEM pads on the cage at the knees and over head, they look cool.

The seats are pretty nice, which I’ve mentioned on a few posts already, they’re made by FloFit and have an air pump lumbar support which is fun to play with, leg extensions, and they are super supportive and comfy. It has the old fold down jump seats in the rear which are in pretty good shape. I’d like to go to a wide bench in the rear someday though.

The suspension rides pretty soft, the brakes and powersteering make it nice to ride in and the wife will actually drive this one because of this. The tires are too small and basically worthless for any type of offroading.

I plan to change out the springs with stock (perhaps 55 rears) and go SOA with 35s. Definitely need to get locked up and regeared, and need a winch too. Just trying to enjoy it as it is and all the goodies will happen in due time. Aside from the seats and gauges it’s mostly stock feeling and I prefer the stock layout inside compared to custom gauge clusters and switch panels. I think that Toyota made it look the best and had it right when they made them that way.

Thanks for all the support and inspiration on the forum. Rock on!

I’m all about pics and I got the star so here ya go!
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great looking rig. how well does the fiberglass hold up over time? is there any spiderwebbing of the body at all?
 
How did you mate the metal fire wall with the fiber tub?
 
Nice rig. Is the 9.4 mpg with or without the canoe? :)
 
thats one sweet ride man, first time i ever saw it. I really like that color and its almost flawless...you must be a careful wheeler. Your rig is all around nice, makes me feel bad about mine lol but i guess some of us gotta have da beaters....
 
looking good hawk, when we going out to wheel foo??
 
awesome looking rig.the color really makes it.
im confused about the bolt on vent next to the kick vents???? i thought those ended in like 65 or something.did you just cut a hole and bolt em on?those are sweet ive always liked those better than the late style.
 

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