Techster’s 1973 FJ55 buildup... (9 Viewers)

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It was in this spot. this pic is from a couple of years ago.
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Did you fix it yet?
 
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Lol. Nice sig.

Yep. Used th400 and NP 203 from CL. Still need to change the valve body and pan from the other one. Took the opportunity to build new shifters and a new center console. I moved the ignition to the console because my keys keep falling out. One of these times I'm gonna lose them.
Moved all the electrical to where I can reach it easily and eliminated the glass fuses that had a lot of conductivity problems and were hard to find in the middle of nowhere while wheeling.

Still managed to keep the dash uncut. I get flack from purists, but I could save a lot of time, weight and money if I hacked more pig out. I've worked hard to keep some things very fj55. The view from the drivers seat, the body lines and the front clip in particular are still very much like they are supposed to be. The rear window even still works.
 
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I also rebuilt the fox remote reservoirs. I had to buy one new one because I bent the shaft and then broke it while trying to straighten it. Built some Gingerbump bump stops. Put some LEDs in the wheel wells too with a fancy rock lights switch.
 
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Relocated the battery behind the passenger seat so I'd have room to mount the York. Not a lot of on board air LS motors but I found one on Pirate that used a aftermarket sandyne compressor mount.
York on an LS engine - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
Then I just built one like it. Finding a belt has been a pain. I got the length down, 115", but this one is too wide. I cut a rib off for testing and now know exactly what I need.
 
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Relocated the rear shocks to the wheel wells. Looking for new springs. Leaning toward stock 80 fronts, but might try some wrangler lifted springs if the guy gets back to me. The tires hit the bumper just before they hit the shocks and they don't seem to contact the frame when they swing down on full droop. Obviously, the truth is in the rocks. You can only test so much on the hoist.

I looked into threaded bodies for the fox shocks while I was rebuilding them, but by the time I bought springs and all the parts I was well over the cost of new coil-overs or ORIs. I have other things I'd like to spend that kind of coin on. Tires and gears specifically.
 
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A friend of mine from the chicago area made some and posted it up on Pirate or yotatech. They are 6"x1.25" pipe with a cap on one end. A brass bushing one the other. A 1" bolt for the plunger and Kong toys for the absorber material. Seems to be the strongest elastomer out there.
 
Any updates?
I've been looking at your old photos for the last year or so for inspiration on my 55 buggy build and would like to hear about any recent changes.
 
 
x-posted to my local club's for sale thread. GLWS, really enjoyed watching you put this thing together back in the day. Crazy to think I've been following this thread for 13 years :lol:
 
Sold! Many thanks to Clay for giving her a good home and keeping it on the trail. I hope the build continues for another 13 years.

After a long drive to Gumby and back, Cerdito is now safe and sound here in KY. I'm excited (not quite as excited as my 8 year old son!) to get to work on having it ready for GSMTR in a couple of weeks. There's two more events here in KY right after getting back from Windrock so it should certainly be put through the paces fairly quickly.

The plan right now is to source a new set of tires (and a possible change to 17" bead locks depending on tire selection) as well as getting the left rear cargo glass installed (possibly a windshield and door glass as well) and attempting to reinstall a heater core and blower motor (the wife would prefer some heat for the planned winter wheeling, such a lightweight!) if the parts can be sourced for that.

There's some light welding we'll do on the exo-cage in a couple of spots, clean out the fuel system, check suspension etc and hopefully be back on the trails soon. I'll update this thread as work progresses and hope to provide lots of pics along the way. Thanks again to Todd for trusting me to get this Pig back on the trail where it belongs.

Loaded up and leaving Michigan.
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Safe and sound in KY early this morning.
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