Builds The LF40 Wheeler Build - Twin Turbo & 8 Speed Auto FJ40

[Toyoland66]

Congrats on getting it wheeling, enjoy your trip.

I would like to hear how you like those corbeau seats. I have been looking at them for my 40.

 

[cbmontgo]

Absolutely awesome. Great work, and good job keeping the pace up to make Cruise Moab. Will look forward to pics

 

[DangerNoodle]

Congrats on getting it wheeling, enjoy your trip.

I would like to hear how you like those corbeau seats. I have been looking at them for my 40.

Thanks! So far, the seats have been amazing. They hold you really well and are really comfortable. I tilted them back a bit to raise the front parts of the seat to make it a bit more comfortable for me. With the custom frame I did, I pushed them back about 3 inches from stock. They have fit a 6'3" passenger comfortably, and I was fine driving 6+ hour days almost non-stop. If you are doing a lot of wheeling, I'd recommend harnesses. Combined with the seats, there was basically no fatigue from holding yourself up over obstacles, the harnesses and seats did it all. Overall, probably the most comfortable I've been in a 40 before.

 

[300blk]

Jed is the man.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Absolutely awesome. Great work, and good job keeping the pace up to make Cruise Moab. Will look forward to pics

Pics. Here they are! I'm still waiting on a whole bunch of videos from some of the guys that we ran trails with, but I have a lot of pictures.

So, as a little backstory, I was throwing rear shocks on this thing at 2 AM Monday night, and we left on Tuesday. The problem is, I have very limited space for rear shocks, and needed about 10" of travel for them. 4 Wheel Parts had some that looked like they would work, so I was able to get them late Monday. The good news is that everything cycles really well, despite not having rear bumps. I got some el-cheapo rear pro comp shocks that are really really stiff, so ride quality suffered. Still, the rear SOA rode really nicely, but the shocks need less rebound and compression. I'm looking at some custom-tuned Bilstein 7100 Short Bodies in the near future.

We left home around 4 PM Tuesday. This is the cleanest the cruiser ever was. It is no longer.

We got to Moab early Wednesday morning after staying the night in Grand Junction. We were both too tired to drive the rest of the way and felt it would be safer to just stay the night instead.

Wednesday morning, I checked in to Cruise Moab, got unloaded, and headed out with some friends to prerun Flat Iron Mesa since they were Leading / Gunning it the next day.

"The Chute"

The Cruiser walked it with no lockers very easily. I was still running about 20 PSI in the tires as well.

@Domofthedead in his Taco up The Chute.

We ran the first part of the trail and decided to bail out to have some time to chill in camp before the Hell's Revenge Night Run.

 

[DangerNoodle]

I got my rock lights wired up then, and I'm really glad I did. The Night Run was a blast. We had a pretty experienced group running it, as there was very little traffic since it was getting dark.

Somewhere near the beginning.

Green River Overlook from Hells.

Jackson Philby getting tippy on Hell's Gate.

Me, screwing around on Hell's Gate.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Thursday Sucked.

Now, I never got my heater running before CM. I had the lines run incorrectly. Whoda thunk that both ports on my water pump were suction? Anyways, I ended up gunning Flat Iron for Dom because he didn't have a gunner. A major front caught up to us about 2 miles in. It started hailing, and the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees. It then started raining. My dad and I both got soaked due to having a bikini and half doors and bailed early again to try to escape the storm. It then began snowing. Adding insult to injury, my wiper motor died as we were starting to leave. Luckily, I got Kurt @cruiseroutfit to poke around at it to fully diagnose the issue. It was great to meet you, Kurt! The 15 miles on the highway back to camp was not the most pleasant. If anyone has a working motor for a 76 40, I'm in need of one.

I got the cruiser inside the arena and got a 5/8 barb to NPT adapter and got my heater working. Funny how that moved up on the priority list after getting cold. I need to relocate my Dakoda Digital Water Temp Sensor elsewhere now, but that is easy. Good thing the sniper has a temp sensor that I could use.

Anyways, It slightly warmed up Friday, but the heater was very nice to have. I gunned Fins and Things with Justin Henry (@40justin . It was a fun, easy trail with a lot of great views.

@40justin in his 47.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Saturday, I gunned Kane Creek. It was a ton of fun, and Hamburger Hill was a good challenge for most of the rigs.

The entry obstacle.

The Squeeze

Playing in Kane Creek.

20210417_121149.mp4 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-7FoM_HYfT_pl9cMo1_NPSHt15YS1zWN/view?usp=sharing

A few pictures from Hamburger Hill. I probably could have made the ledge, but I only tried once to save some time getting the rest of the group up as well. I almost made it, though.

I should get a bunch more video from the SnailTrail4x4 guys, but that will be a little while.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Sunday was supposed to be a quiet day, but Proffit's had one of their builds, "Kitty" tear a light bar off the windshield, and wanted to take it back to their shop. They didn't have enough drivers or trailer space, so I was requested to drive it back. Of course, it was something I could not refuse.

Kitty, back in Orchard City.

(Don't worry, I was driving like 3 MPH here due to an accident ahead)

Anyways, it was loud, cold and a ton of fun to drive back. The 4 BT of the Mega Cruiser Chassis had plenty of power to haul Kitty around on the highways at about 75 MPH. I did burn through about 15 gallons of diesel between Moab and Delta though, so it was about dry when I got to the shop.

Anyhow, it was an awesome week, and I got to meet a ton of cool people.

The cruiser performed amazingly well with very few minor issues that still need to get fixed. It does need a fan shroud to help keep temps from creeping up when going slow. Blinkers are still not working, I need to fix the wiper motor and a bunch of other small things to get finished.

Unfortunately, I added a roll to my driver rocker panel playing on a hard line in Kane Creek and slipped off onto a good ledge. Sliders and fenders are up next to get fabbed, and then tire carrier. I would like to get my doors and top finished before Heading up to Proffits for the summer, but I am unsure if that will be possible.

 

[cruisermatt]

Congrats man. Very few will know that struggle of working +18hr days to prep a new build for a huge trip and how gratifying it is to even get out there, let alone run a whole event with minimal issues (still running and driving, nothing major broken). That part is icing on the cake and NOT easy. That drive and stubbornness is the difference between those of us who are really serious about this craft and those that arent. Proud of you dude.

 

[DangerNoodle]

@40justin decided to take me Potato Salad on Thursday to have some fun. His wife, Jen, took some great pictures.

And a few videos my dad took. I really should have bumped it a bit harder on the second line. It really looks like the cruiser wants to do it. I was running 8 PSI and probably need to drop it more, but I really want beadlocks to go much lower.

 

[DangerNoodle]

Congrats man. Very few will know that struggle of working +18hr days to prep a new build for a huge trip and how gratifying it is to even get out there, let alone run a whole event with minimal issues (still running and driving, nothing major broken). That part is icing on the cake and NOT easy. That drive and stubbornness is the difference between those of us who are really serious about this craft and those that arent. Proud of you dude.

Thanks, Matt! I was really nervous and unsure of how the rig was going to behave on the first day. It got better as it went on. I'm pretty sure it's just luck that everything held together. The push was really taxing, but getting out to Moab was a ton of fun and I'm really happy I made it.

 

[cruisermatt]

Thanks, Matt! I was really nervous and unsure of how the rig was going to behave on the first day. It got better as it went on. I'm pretty sure it's just luck that everything held together. The push was really taxing, but getting out to Moab was a ton of fun and I'm really happy I made it.

The push up front is worth it because now you can daily drive and wheel all summer.

 

[DangerNoodle]

A few complaints/observations/questions for you guys.

1. The SWB (~99") hates ledges. I really wish I stretched this thing about 7" when I had the chance. It would have been much better, ability-wise, driveline-wise, and space-wise. A lot of the minitruck guys were walking ledges that this thing had trouble on.

2. The 383 is both amazing and sucks at the same time. It is absolutely amazing for crawling. The torque curve and power band are as good as you will ever get, especially with the gearing I have. It is so diesel-like and I can idle up just about anything if I have the traction. The big problem is that it requires bumps to get over bigger ledges. The major downside is that I am getting about 8 - 10 MPG crawling. I think that I may have a malfunctioning PCV valve which may not be helping, or my Odometer may be a bit off, but it sucks fuel like crazy. I'll be lucky to get 400 miles out of the 28 gallons I have.

3. Question for you engineering guys (@cruisermatt, @Godfather90): My fuel pump begins to make a ton of noise as the fuel heats up, it seems. It begins to hum like crazy after it's been running for a while. It quiets down as soon as I fill the tank, or if it is a cold start. The noise level doesn't jump, but it does get progressively louder as stuff gets heat soaked. Any ideas why, or possible fixes? I'm running a Holley Sniper retrofit in-tank pump.

4. I'm really glad that I went with the doubler, even though my driveline suffered from it. It is really great for more technical sections, and since I don't like to spin tires much, it makes me feel much better when playing around on hard stuff.

5. The 80 axles were the way to go on this build. The added width feels so much more stable than any other 40 I have ever driven. It's been really amazing to see how much off-camber stuff this thing can do and still be comfortable with. I've probably gotten it past 35 degrees and it feels great.

6. I still think that linking the front was the way to go. The rear rides really nicely, even with the stiff shocks. However, I think that the adjustable front coil overs and links have improved the ride much more than in the rear, at least for the people sitting in the front seats. The links suck up a ton of bumps, and the light rear doesn't care too much. I also like that I have more flex, and therefore better traction on sections that the front flexes out a lot while the rear tries to climb.

 

[DangerNoodle]

The push up front is worth it because now you can daily drive and wheel all summer.

I completely agree. I'm really glad I got it done.

 

[cruisermatt]

I bet you're already wanting to 4-link the rear and put the rear axle back 10-12". That will help with your short driveline as well.

As for the gas mileage, you have a Sniper right? You should play with the tune and lean it out over the lower RPM's. Make sure it's in closed loop as well. But you're not going to make any drastic improvements.

I haven't had time to read through much of your fuel system, what pump and is it in the tank or external?

 

[DangerNoodle]

I bet you're already wanting to 4-link the rear and put the rear axle back 10-12". That will help with your short driveline as well.

As for the gas mileage, you have a Sniper right? You should play with the tune and lean it out over the lower RPM's. Make sure it's in closed loop as well. But you're not going to make any drastic improvements.

I haven't had time to read through much of your fuel system, what pump and is it in the tank or external?

You would be right about the linked rear and stretch. I doubt it will happen, but maybe, eventually.

I'll play with the tune a little. I'd have to disconnect my Dakoda Digital module, but that shouldn't be difficult.

The pump is an in-tank pump. It's a Holley retrofit pump for the sniper. It's one of these: Holley 12-136 Holley Diecast In-Tank Retrofit Fuel Pump Modules | Summit Racing - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hly-12-136

 

[cruisermatt]

do you have any kind of baffling or surrounding walls around the pump? Usually it's a heat issue and based on what you noted it definitely sounds like your issue. Do what you can to keep it submerged.

I'm assuming you have it wired properly with a relay, good gauge wire, good ground that's getting direct battery ground through a bus bar, etc?

 

[A10Driver]

You would be right about the linked rear and stretch. I doubt it will happen, but maybe, eventually.

I'll play with the tune a little. I'd have to disconnect my Dakoda Digital module, but that shouldn't be difficult.

The pump is an in-tank pump. It's a Holley retrofit pump for the sniper. It's one of these: Holley 12-136 Holley Diecast In-Tank Retrofit Fuel Pump Modules | Summit Racing - https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hly-12-136

Did you mount the pump low enough so that it's in as much fuel as possible. Just wondering if as you are using fuel it is getting warmer. I used a holley pump in mine and it actually gets quieter after about 30", I have a smaller tank and don't have any issues from fuel getting hot. Not sure on how you did your baffles in your tank, but if the fuel is restricted to one baffled area then maybe you could heat that area up, but with 28 gallons of fuel moving around I don't think heat would be hot enough to create noise without also making the engine run like crap from vapor lock

 

[DangerNoodle]

do you have any kind of baffling or surrounding walls around the pump? Usually it's a heat issue and based on what you noted it definitely sounds like your issue. Do what you can to keep it submerged.

I'm assuming you have it wired properly with a relay, good gauge wire, good ground that's getting direct battery ground through a bus bar, etc?

Did you mount the pump low enough so that it's in as much fuel as possible. Just wondering if as you are using fuel it is getting warmer. I used a holley pump in mine and it actually gets quieter after about 30", I have a smaller tank and don't have any issues from fuel getting hot. Not sure on how you did your baffles in your tank, but if the fuel is restricted to one baffled area then maybe you could heat that area up, but with 28 gallons of fuel moving around I don't think heat would be hot enough to create noise without also making the engine run like crap from vapor lock

The pump is wired well through the sniper harness. I've confirmed resistance and voltage to and through the pump when it first starting making noise last week. The pump is mounted as low as possible, but the shallow ~7" tank can only allow for so much fuel to be around the pump. I do wonder if that is what is causing the problem as the pump becomes submerged less and less.

I designed a metric boatload of baffling for this tank to keep fuel around the pump as long as possible. The fuel does move around pretty well, but it takes a while. You can hear it running through when parked off-camber or tilting.

The baffles are pretty close to the pump and keep fuel around it really well. It started just fine after sitting on a really steep side-slope opposite of the pump for over half an hour. The tank gets slightly warm, but not hot.