Springtail MPAC 1977 FJ40 Build (3 Viewers)

[hindsight]

More time spent in the shop today and yesterday... Mounting the tranny cover and the MAF Gas Tank went about as well as expected.

The linex really changed the characteristics of the fiberglass tunnel cover...much more solid, much less flexible and thicker. While these characteristics will be good for strength and sound deadening....it made mounting a %$#%$. It had to be trimmed down a bit in order to make room for the MAF tank.
The MAF tank had its own issues with mounting...not exactly a drop in procedure with the PACOL tub. It seems that the Folks at MAF don't believe in leaving a bit of wiggle room and I can't decide if PACOL made the indent edges to shallow or if MAF should have angled the bottom of the tank a little more...none the less, a hamer and a little impromtu body work fixed the issue.
I am just glad that I did not linex the interior...that stuff is tough to cut through !

Doc

 

[hindsight]

I had a little more of what I consider fun with the FJ40 today...measuring and plotting out new products for Springtail and?or just for the build.

First off was the seat mounts...my plan is to develop as low profile of mounts as possible that will be adjustable in height and also with variable configurations for multiple seat types. Whether this actually becomes a Springtail product is up in the air....but since I need to do it anyway, we will see how it develops.

First was to set the FJ Cruiser seat on the tank to get an idea of how it may work. Obviously it is too tall in relation to the steering wheel, those lower mounts will have to go and that should drop the seat height about 1.5-2 inches. Also the steering wheel is not bolted to the dash yet.

The FJC seat is VERY close in dimensions to the original FJ40 seats with the exception of the width of the mounting rails. If I cannot make the FJC seat work the way I expect...I will be moving to some lower profile aftermarket seat.

Next was to measure the cargo area for the MSM Drawer unit that will also serve as a base for my rear seat.

I threw it in just to get an idea of how it may look, it is built by a company called Little Passengers...I liked the clean look of the seat and the integrated seat belts. Once the Drawer unit is in...it will sit about wheel well height. I also like how well it matches the FJ Cruiser front seats.

Dimensions wise it should be 40 inches wide, 27 inches deep and 7 inches high....incidentally, it should fit in the FJ Cruiser as well.

The rest of my time was just spent measuring and taking pictures.

I am putting some steam to this project because I have about 2 months to go before the Overland Expo...I would like to show up there with this and a few other surprises too.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Actually...lots of stuff going on so hang tight

Cool new bat wing air cleaner

Building new seat mounts

Necessity is the mother of invention. After I installed my MAF long range fuel tank...I realized that in order to mount my seats, I would have to come up with something better than what is available out there.
As usual...I figure that if I need this solution, someone else may too.
I have approved my engineers conceptions and we are making me a set to try out. I will be anxious to see how these work.

There will be more structural components to come but I thought that you would like to see a peek. Should see the real thing in a few weeks.

Front Doors

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-seri...odel-fj40-door-installation-instructions.html

Doc

 

[Hoz FJ40 CO]

Doc that batwing air cleaner is awesome. I love it. Nice clean work with great lines.

 

[hindsight]

Doc that batwing air cleaner is awesome. I love it. Nice clean work with great lines.

Yep, I think that will be a "love it or hate it" sort of thing. It is actually a reproduction off of a 49 Caddy. I like the function of the dual intakes and the way that it adds volume to the engine bay

Doc

 

[FJsnoozer]

I like the way it shields the Carb from the water that an open element filter could catch when at the car wash or in heavy rain due to the hood vents!
That inspires me to do something a little whacky and creative as a solution for mine. I runa tiny air filter for the time being to have the clearance with the master cylinder. I may have to build something that at least draws in air from the other side of the motor..

 

[hindsight]

OK....as we get ready for the new adjustable mounts prototypes ready to fit, I took another look at the FJ Cruiser seats...As much as I love them. It would be nearly impossible to adapt them to the FJ40. It is just a bizarre way that the base is set up. I figured I would make it easier on myself and go with aftermarket seats.

So I ordered a set of Corbeau Baja RS with seat heaters

And some cool universal mounts that add no height.

We will see how these work out. Pics of the new seat mounts tomorrow.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

The initial prototypes are in...they look pretty good. A little tweaking and we should be set.

Rear Mount

Rear Mount with spacer

Front Mount...the base was a little short, so I will make a new set that is 1.5 inches longer.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Back to work on the FJ40...This week it was fitting the front end sheetmetal back in place.

Problem number 1 became fairly obvious...the front fenders did not fit over the shocks. An air powered sawzall and it was fixed in no time.

Before

After

After a little wrenching...assembly then disassembly then assembly again etc. It started to come together.

While it was together...I ran over to the body shop and grabbed the hood to check fitment. It is kinda off here and there...SOooo, we will stop any work on that until we have a chance to fully bolt it up. I will figure that one out later

That sums it up for body work today....it is all apart again so the fenders can get a little Linex touch up.

Here is a quick shot of the Corbeau slider and the Springtail adjustable mounts.

I am still waiting for the modified prototypes to come in, then I will start working on that project again.

Doc

 

[myquestoyota]

Looking sweet Doc!

 

[hindsight]

Just a heads up....I already posted this in its own thread.

This unit should fit both the FJ40 and the FJ Cruiser.

Some of you may recall, we tried to make a drawer unit for the FJ Cruiser but while it was very cool....it proved to be way to complex and thus too expensive to produce for the masses.

In order to make the unit more economical we got rid of the dual drawer design which improved the overall production cost by eliminating one set of the very expensive 500 lb locking sliders that we insist upon using. The sliders are the key to making this unit far better than anything the competition has to offer.

The advantage is that the drawer slides will both lock in the inward position (IE no rattles) and also in the outward position so it will not slide shut on an incline.

We have also incorporated a combination lock so you will not have to fumble for keys to open the darn thing.

What is not pictured is the optional rail for the top...this can be used as tie down points for cargo. The drawer unit will be slightly lower than the wheel wells of the FJ40 and those who place this in an FJcruiser, the optional rails will level out about at the level of the wheel well in those vehicles as well.

I anticipate the cost will be around $800 (I don't have all of the components priced out yet but that should be pretty close). Definitely will be making one for each of my vehicles...If you guys like them, I can always make more.

Let me know what you think.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

I got a bit of time to work with the adjustable seat mounts in a practical scenario. So far (I only say that because I am not finished yet), I am very pleased with how the basic mounts have turned out. With the additional spacers....the adjustment capabilities is vast.

I cannot imagine a tougher way to test these than to try to build seat mounts for a Forty with the MAF extended range tank. These have truly have exceeded my expectations. I have been able to save precious millimeters by tweaking the height by making gross adjustments with the basic mount and then using the spacers to tighten up the clearance.

Unfortunately, I was unable to finish because my drill (3 batterys) just petered out.

Take a look.


New revised forward mount...longer bottom piece, better reach.

Rear Mount is rather unchanged for the original prototype

More forward mount

All together with Corbeau Seat sliders

Steering column bolted in place

Corbeau Baja Recliner in place....note the stellar 9+ inches between the seat and the bottom of the steering wheel!

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Able to finish the drivers side today...very happy with the results.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Some more applicable photos of the partial unit in the FJ40

It is sitting on a 1/4 inch thick rubber mat and levels up with the wheel wells pretty well with about 1/4 inch on each side.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Here is todays update....I had a bit of time to work on the passenger seat mounts. It was a little more work than I expected, the MAF Extended Range tank has an elevated vent that I needed to work around as well as figuring a way around the fill tube (see pictures). I ran out of time so I will have to get back to it next week (ish) again.
Sadly my hopes of having it ready for July 4th are going up in smoke but I have a "new ride" that will be taking its place. It is a secret right now....but all of you vintage Suzuki 4x4 fans will go Gaga over this one.

Doc

 

[hindsight]

Been busy with work and more work lately....finally got the FJ over to the muffler shop today.

Doc

 

[toomanytoyzz]

This is one hell of a build!!!

You definitely thought this build through. I can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[Ambrew]

Nice build, nice color! keep up the good work..... and the pics!

 

[nickolai]

Looking good!
What rims are those?

 

[hindsight]

Thanks guys...the build is slow but sure.

The wheels are steelies from an FJ Cruiser....the jury is still out on whether they or the tires will stay.

Doc