The BIG question, to MOD. or not to MOD.

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

O

OinkOinker

Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Threads
13
Messages
299
Location
Brisbane, Australia
Website
www.practicalaquaponics.com
im faced with a moral dielema... do i go ahead and start to chop bits off my pig to make it 'robust'? ie turn the rockers into RHS sliders and the lower rear quarter panels into sliders and other common mods that i have come across here or do i restor her to her former stock(ish) glory? Then do these mods as it get damaged (not a matter of if but when i believe :P)

im of the mindset that mine is close enough to stock so i might keep it that way? mild lift with some 33"-35"?? i know thats the start plan but i have a habbit of kinda going a little over the thop once i get into it :P (4" lift and 37" here i come haha). but i am also held back by my knowledge, or lack there off... but thats why i joined you blokes on this the interweb :)

her are a few pics of my PIGGIE as she stands now. https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pig-preservation-society/237146-new-piggie-block.html
 
Oinker you do have a delimma. As always lots of body work to be done on these rigs. You should hear soon from the rest of the circus since they have lots of body experience. Really gonna depend on what you plan on doing with her. Back to her glory or do you want to give it hell on the trail. Everybody will have an opinion--LC_Hamma gonna say chop chop and use the rig as it was intended. Others will say keep it stock but it depends on how much cash you want to put into it. Do you have a place to keep it out of the weather? I don't at present so all I think about is corrosion...drives you nuts.

Looking forward to your decision.....either way-----------Dave
 
Buy two pigs, mod one and restore the other...

Simple. :)

OINK! OINK!
MY FJ55's 009 copy.webp
 
Lucy_FJ55 said:
Buy two pigs, mod one and restore the other...

Simple. :)

OINK! OINK!
Click to expand...

Definitely the perfect solution! :D
=
2 schools of thought on that.
If your name is on the title its yours to do what you want.
But I always feel if I have a clean unmolested pig, or anything for that matter, it probably lends itself to preservation. The mods you mentioned would seem to be an upgrade, and any running piggie is a good one!!
 
You have a sound platform to BUILD on, so I say let the :idea: flow & make it a unique :pig: Everyone knows what a stocker looks like :meh: You wanna wheel or Sunday drive? Life is too short to settle for a stock :pig: We gots too many of those on this forum :rolleyes: :D
 
It is difficult isn't it? I love Carlos' pristine pig but I really want to drive the trail rig....stud looking. I don't mind a little trim from the bottom but if my top is good I want to keep it intact.
 
Lucy_FJ55 said:
Buy two pigs, mod one and restore the other...

Simple. :)

OINK! OINK!
Click to expand...


thats an AWESOME plan. now can u swing me a few more bucks to help me add a second, maybe even a third piggie to my sty :P
 
My top & most of the upper part of my :pig: was in good condition, not so much the lower rust proned areas. I just wanted to be able to wheel where the SWB 40's go. So BUILD/ CHOP/ BOB it for the trails you intend on running.
 
Do you want excitement or entertainment?

If you want something that is gonna make you grip the steering wheel hard and make you want to yell out once you have made it through an obstcle. Then I say build it.

If you want something entertaining with no yelling but casual wheeling then stay stock.


By the looks of your rust you are gonna have a handfull getting rid of it. I'd probably just treat the rust slap some bondo on it and cut the rest that is to far gone off. Slap a lift and tires on it and enjoy it.

Not a whole lot of pigs out there. I have seen more modded or stockish than I have seen stock. Stock 55's are getting rare. Makes it harder and harder for anyone to see a need to produce sheetmetal for one considering all the modded ones that don't need it.

I like the stock 55's just because they are rare. In UC we have got about a dozen 55 owners out of 160 members. Of that dozen there is only one stock 55. And it's in my driveway.

I say build what you want but enjoy it. Being stock is hard. Lot's of research goes into it. Lot's of small details. Lots of waiting. With a stockish 55 you have little of that. Modded is a lot of work also. Great thing about stockish cruisers are you get satifaction pretty easily and economically.
 
Trollhole said:
I like the stock 55's just because they are rare. In UC we have got about a dozen 55 owners out of 160 members. Of that dozen there is only one stock 55. And it's in my driveway.
Click to expand...

Not quite, there, Mr. VP. I am also the proud owner of stock piggy (OK, technically...not completely stock because the PO put in headers, a Weber carb, and an electric fuel pump, but she's going back to Aisin carb, etc.).

I am also restoring her. I have a shop here locally doing the metal work and body work, then she'll come home one day (eventually) and get put back together.

Truth be told, I am going to put replacement springs on her because her stock springs are flat. She'll get a little lift to fit 33's, but they are on stock wheels and hubcaps. So, outside of the headers and a slightly beefed up suspension, she's stock.

But, that being said, you should do what you want.
 
It's true, there are very few strictly stock piggies. I want mine to look stock but it isn't and never will be totally stock. I like to think it retains the looks but is an improvement over what was available in '76.
 
k9crazy said:
Not quite, there, Mr. VP. I am also the proud owner of stock piggy (OK, technically...not completely stock because the PO put in headers, a Weber carb, and an electric fuel pump, but she's going back to Aisin carb, etc.).

I am also restoring her. I have a shop here locally doing the metal work and body work, then she'll come home one day (eventually) and get put back together.

Truth be told, I am going to put replacement springs on her because her stock springs are flat. She'll get a little lift to fit 33's, but they are on stock wheels and hubcaps. So, outside of the headers and a slightly beefed up suspension, she's stock.

But, that being said, you should do what you want.
Click to expand...


In my book that is stockish.

I consider stock. Being of that it has parts only intended for that vehicle by Toyota I do think dealer installed equiptment is okay. As well as reproductions. IMO.
 
Trollhole said:
I consider stock. Being of that it has parts only intended for that vehicle by Toyota I do think dealer installed equiptment is okay. As well as reproductions. IMO.
Click to expand...

Does that mean mine might be considered one of the mythical BJ55's?? The engine with the turbo, lift and carpet/sound deadener are probably the only non-FJ55 parts, though a "B" series engine would have been used in a diesel powered BJ55. I've even got a working OEM AM radio though I'd like to know if an AM/FM stereo was ever an option. I'm sure H41 trannys were available somewhere on '55's. OK the long range tank is not strictly OEM either.
 
yeh maybe 'stock' isn't the correct term.i mean it will look like a stockish vehicle to the untrained eye. i want to do a few mods like 4 wheel disks, lockers maybe, but yeah try keep it looking as 'unmolested' as possible, for now.... once it is more effort to repair it to stock ill get at her with a grinder and play chop chop i think.

i love hearing opinions of every one, and take on board what you all say. in saying that, if i take a path that differs from your POV please dont think i disregarded yours, just not the right one at my point in time :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom