Stevo's Unofficial Build Thread, FJ60 + FJ62 + FJ80 Axle = FJ68?

[StevoJonesFJ60]

I managed to get a little bit done over the weekend, Started pulling apart the rear fj62 springs, cleaned one of them up, got it painted and reassembled with a long AAL. Hopefully with the rears up front the SOA will look pretty balanced and not give me that "stinkbug rake" or lowrider look.

Also got to cleaning up the new frame a little bit. Ground down the old rivets that held the stock rear spring hangers in place, hit them with some rusty metal primer, than some of that rattle can bedliner.

I still haven't decided on what to finish the frame with once all of the modifications have been done. I was thinking either POR-15, Rust Bullet, or just painting it with some Herculiner. Either way the spray on stuff should keep it safe from the elements until then. If anyone has any suggestions to the finish, feel free to let me know your experience with either of the products.

Now some pictures

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Wheels

Also I need to decide what rims to get for the truck, Since I will be running the FZJ80 out back, I was planning on running some 16x10, 4" backspaced rims. Do any brands come to mind? I found these rock crawler rims that weren't too expensive. Rock Crawler Series 52 Flat Black Powder Wheel-RH3

I just wanted to see if anyone had any suggestions.

 

[MANUCHAO]

With the 4" BS on those rims... you will be making your your tires stick out an additional 1/2" on each side... I would suggest getting a 5" BS so your tires will be tucked in a little more

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Yeah, I noticed that. Do you think it would make that big of a difference? Would having the rear tires stick out have an impact on driving the vehicle?

 

[Spook50]

With the 4" BS on those rims... you will be making your your tires stick out an additional 1/2" on each side... I would suggest getting a 5" BS so your tires will be tucked in a little more

I guess I went a little overkill with my new wheel/tire combo then. From the stock 15x6" wheels with 4.5" backspace to 15x8" with 2.5" backspace

That should give me a nice wide stance.

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

I think he might have been talking about the backspace with respect to the fact that my rear axle will be 5" wider than my front. Spook, I think you should be good. Isn't the stock backspace 2.5"?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

More reading on the spline twist issue. The shafts can twist after the locking collar and between the collar and side gear. Not sure how the shaft would twist between the collar and side gear if it's locked, but who knows.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/239583-twisted-rear-axle-shaft.html

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

I think it might have something to do with the way the e-locker works. I'm going to avoid that I think, unless someone can come up with a good way to prevent the getting shafts stuck.

So back to wheels and tires what are people running. I have been looking at the KM2's which seem really nice, but still have time to make a choice about wheels and tires.

 

[MANUCHAO]

Spook.. you should be fine.. you are using the stock fj60 axle I assume?
Stock BS is 3.75" I think....
Stevo, you should be fine driving it it.. but you might have issues with the DOT Police if them wheels are sticking out too much...and your body side panels will also take every single piece of debris and put a permanet scratch on your rig..not that it matters much but it will promote rust...on the long run..

My wheels stick out about 1" maybe 1.5" on each side with the stock BS....

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

The police where I live don't really care about tires sticking out, but the debris getting thrown up on the body panels is a concern. Thanks for pointing that out. I will probably stick with a 5" backspace. Guess it's going to be custom wheels for me. Anyone know off the top of their head a good place for some custom wheels.

I know the words custom and inexpensive rarely go together, but I don't really want to drop $2000 on new wheels and tires.

 

[Spook50]

I think he might have been talking about the backspace with respect to the fact that my rear axle will be 5" wider than my front. Spook, I think you should be good. Isn't the stock backspace 2.5"?

Yeah I think he was. Though I'll be following your 80 series axle conversion because I'd like to do it myself if it proves to be feasible in the future. Would certainly be an easier option (sourcing wise) than a FF 60 series axle. If my new wheels have little enough backspace that they'll clear the calipers (I read in another thread that stock 15" wheels won't clear them), it'd be good news for me.

Then to convert the 80 series locker to cable if I can get my hands on a leftover Downey kit or maybe fab one up myself.

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Good to hear, once I get the axle which should be this weekend i'll document all the steps I take to get it ready to go under the frame.

From what I have read you will need to run 16" wheels. I'm looking for a nice set now. And you might want them to be custom backspaced to keep the width of the axle down.

 

[Spook50]

Good to hear, once I get the axle which should be this weekend i'll document all the steps I take to get it ready to go under the frame.

From what I have read you will need to run 16" wheels. I'm looking for a nice set now. And you might want them to be custom backspaced to keep the width of the axle down.

I'm really hoping I can avoid 16" wheels since that automatically makes tires more expensive. I'm gonna take one of my new wheels over to my friend's place this weekend and see if it'll bolt onto one of the rear hubs of his FZJ80. If not, that'll eliminate the conversion for me (having to buy new wheels and spending extra for tires to fit 16" wheels would tip the scale back in favor of sourcing a 60 series FF). If it fits, I'll have to see how wide my truck sits with the new wheels and tires in place, then measure to see if I can afford the extra 2.5" of protrusion on each side.

fingers are crossed that i can pull it off

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Let me know how that turns out, I would love to run some 15" rims if I could.

Stevo

 

[MANUCHAO]

If I remember right.. I think the 15's I tried were touching the rear caliper...
Some have grind off the caliper so the wheel can sit flat on the drum/rotor....
I ran 16's cause I already had 16" alloy wheels and I needed new rubber...
hope yah'll can run the 15" rim....

 

[Spook50]

If I remember right.. I think the 15's I tried were touching the rear caliper...
Some have grind off the caliper so the wheel can sit flat on the drum/rotor....
I ran 16's cause I already had 16" alloy wheels and I needed new rubber...
hope yah'll can run the 15" rim....

Were they OEM 15" wheels? If yes, hopefully mine will clear with their inch less backspace (I think I was wrong before, IIRC the backspace for OEM wheels is 3.5").

 

[MANUCHAO]

Not OME.... After market steelies... With a 4.5bs

 

[Spook50]

Not OME.... After market steelies... With a 4.5bs

Oh groovy. Hopefully with the extra 2" of room then, things will clear.

Now to watch and wait for Stevo's writeup and pics

 

[StevoJonesFJ60]

Thinking about it, I am probably going to just get some custom wheels made up, of the 16" variety, that way there should be no problems when it comes to clearances. I need wider rims anyhow.

Right now I'm waiting on the SOA kit I bought from ruffstuff. Should be here soon. In the meantime I'm freshening up the rear FJ62 spring packs with some long AAL's and getting them ready to be hung up front.

 

[Spook50]

Thinking about it, I am probably going to just get some custom wheels made up, of the 16" variety, that way there should be no problems when it comes to clearances. I need wider rims anyhow.

Right now I'm waiting on the SOA kit I bought from ruffstuff. Should be here soon. In the meantime I'm freshening up the rear FJ62 spring packs with some long AAL's and getting them ready to be hung up front.

I'm curious to see how much they sag with all the extra weight on them up front. Since i have AALs on all four corners, I was thinking it'd be likely that I'd have to scrap the front springs and put their AALs onto the rears (doubling up basically) to handle the constant extra weight.