Builds Stretched 1-Ton FJ40 (8 Viewers)

[Ditcherman]

I don’t have the a/c charged yet because I need to build custom lines to get around my suspension brackets. I may not have that part done this year but the heater cranks.

We have a legit hydraulic hose crimper at the farm shop and I've been crimping some AC hose with it. Actual AC crimps look a lot different but I'm like "how can this not hold?" Well we'll find out. Some of the stuff from Vintage Air didn't fit in my build. Got a supply of fittings and hose and it worked really nice.
Working with the AC fittings is actually really easy and I've heard good things about the mid-priced crimpers off amazon. To buy a set of dies for my Eaton crimper is like 600-1000$ which makes no sense. If these blow off amazon crimper it is.

Does it seem like some of the Vintage Air knobs are backwards, rotationally? Something seems off about them, and it's odd to not have a detent for off on the fan but it's a really nice fan that moves a lot of air quietly.

 

[Broski]

Back on track. It is as good as I can get it as it’s hard to get the grinder in place. I didn’t want to take the cage off as I had to use the Nextdoor app to find enough help to get it on. Most of my neighbors are out of town. It will work.

@Broski can give it a smiley face now. I still need 91 days to finish…this set me back a day.

View attachment 3914768

When I looked at you dilemma I thought that might be the solution

 

[Mike Shull]

We have a legit hydraulic hose crimper at the farm shop and I've been crimping some AC hose with it. Actual AC crimps look a lot different but I'm like "how can this not hold?" Well we'll find out. Some of the stuff from Vintage Air didn't fit in my build. Got a supply of fittings and hose and it worked really nice.
Working with the AC fittings is actually really easy and I've heard good things about the mid-priced crimpers off amazon. To buy a set of dies for my Eaton crimper is like 600-1000$ which makes no sense. If these blow off amazon crimper it is.

Does it seem like some of the Vintage Air knobs are backwards, rotationally? Something seems off about them, and it's odd to not have a detent for off on the fan but it's a really nice fan that moves a lot of air quietly.

I really wanted A/C for driving around SW Colorado during the summer as I am not a fan of the dust, but I am running out of play money and time so I need to take a pause. I’m pretty sure that I will need a compressor, and I doubt that I can do all of that work before July.

If I were Vintage Air I would have reversed the heat/cool function but I have gotten used to it. I just hit 1k miles on it since it’s been back on the road and I love the heater. I’ve said this before but it cranks!

 

[Mike Shull]

I’ve been radio silent this week and making really good progress. I will get some more pictures tomorrow. I have the cage in and all inside wiring done, plus I have music!!!

I’m heading up to Idaho Springs, CO tomorrow to do a shake down run. I might use the lockers for more than making noise on the street. I hit 1k miles earlier this week and it’s going strong. I can’t wait to get it in the rocks tomorrow!

I gave it everything that the 4Runner’s winch could handle to get the rear cage bolts in. I am glad that I did those last as I don’t know that I would have been able to winch the cage forward.

The front license plates have finally been installed after nearly 25 years of being stored in the backseat pocket. I’m not sure what got on the plates but I think I might just leave it that way.

 

[Broski]

I gave it everything that the 4Runner’s winch could handle to get the rear cage bolts in. I am glad that I did those last as I don’t know that I would have been able to winch the cage forward.
View attachment 3917648

Glad you got it worked out. I was wondering how the install would go as I didn't see ant temporary bracing in the pictures of you doing the final welding.
That has come back to bite in the a** in the past

 

[Mike Shull]

Glad you got it worked out. I was wondering how the install would go as I didn't see ant temporary bracing in the pictures of you doing the final welding.
That has come back to bite in the a** in the past

You also didn’t see me do the final welding. It only moved by 1/4” and I didn’t want to drill the holes larger

 

[Broski]

You also didn’t see me do the final welding. It only moved by 1/4” and I didn’t want to drill the holes larger

We only see what you show and tell.

 

[Mike Shull]

We only see what you show and tell.

Who knows what I am hiding

 

[Mike Shull]

We had a great time hitting the trails for the first time since the start of this build, and we figured that we might as well hit an 8-rated trail for the first run! We made that decision because this was the last trail that I ran in this Cruiser before taking it apart and the comparison from before is crazy.
The Cruiser did amazing! I have a few things to work on, including ironing out some sort of starting issue when it gets hot. The crawl ratio is perfect and it feels like the same old Cruiser that is crossed with a bull dozer.

We only recorded to the halfway point as it got dark. We were winching over 3-4’ snow drifts at the end.

 

[DangerNoodle]

I really wanted A/C for driving around SW Colorado during the summer as I am not a fan of the dust, but I am running out of play money and time so I need to take a pause. I’m pretty sure that I will need a compressor, and I doubt that I can do all of that work before July.

If I were Vintage Air I would have reversed the heat/cool function but I have gotten used to it. I just hit 1k miles on it since it’s been back on the road and I love the heater. I’ve said this before but it cranks!

Ac lines can be super fast. Someone, I'll have to remember who, makes a dual clamp system that I have found seems to work better than the crimp style, and you can do it at home pretty easily. Also Parker Hose can do all the crimping if you build thread lines and mark the fittings.

 

[Mike Shull]

Ac lines can be super fast. Someone, I'll have to remember who, makes a dual clamp system that I have found seems to work better than the crimp style, and you can do it at home pretty easily. Also Parker Hose can do all the crimping if you build thread lines and mark the fittings.

I have the custom hose kit from Vintage Air for two of my lines. After yesterday, I may just go ahead and do it in June/July before heading over to the cabin. It was super hot in the Cruiser when we started crawling. The engine temperature seems great for a hot LS. It constantly ran at 206°F and topped out at 213°F. Running the A/C will be the real test but I know that I can make it run cooler with a different fan switch. I was running 195-200 last summer when I had my ECM controlling the fans but it seems to have more power at 205-210.

 

[peesalot]

If you recall, what did the link lengths end up at ?

 

[Mike Shull]

If you recall, what did the link lengths end up at ?

I don’t remember but I will get a tape on them when I get back home. What I can confirm is that I have almost zero axle hop and this thing plants down to the ground when I am throttling through the snow. I can’t wait to get it on a steep obstacle to see how it hooks up at an angle. I was too unfamiliar with it to try the wall and I don’t think that I need to tackle that one anymore.

 

[peesalot]

See you are doing R&D for the rest of us. Thnx for the vid, virtual wheeling for some of us.

 

[Mike Shull]

See you are doing R&D for the rest of us. Thnx for the vid, virtual wheeling for some of us.

You bet. I plan to get a couple of GoPros and make more videos. I need a new hobby for a few years.

Here are my link dimensions. I double checked the lower links and they match.

 

[peesalot]

X or Z ? that pic makes me want to stay with leaf springs.

 

[Mike Shull]

X or Z ? that pic makes me want to stay with leaf springs.

That won’t bother me any. I love my setup. X,Y, & Z measurements are above

 

[peesalot]

No, I meant is X or Z the link length ?

 

[Mike Shull]

No, I meant is X or Z the link length ?

Oops. X is the length and Z is the height from the ground.

 

[Ditcherman]

Oops. X is the length and Z is the height from the ground.

Well technically the link length is the x frame end minus the x axle end…so your rear, upper link is 35.13 minus 1.38 long and the lower rear is 39.25 minus 4.13, to clarify for @peesalot .
It’s how you fill it out in the form, and when your filling it out on the later versions it’s much more visual and makes more sense than seeing a chart IMO.