Tiny! My FJ80's Thread (1 Viewer)

[UnlimitedPD]

Whats up everyone!

Starting to build my 80 to go off roading and expedition camping with the guys down here in So.Fla.

Hes pretty stock for now, but the parts are already coming in.

I plan on doing a good amount of fab work myself (building the front and rear bumper/tire carrier)
i'm no fab master but im pretty handy with a mig and it'll be fun to get dirty and build something unique

So here are the first pics and info to start off the build

1997 Lexus LX450 "Tyson"

Going to build it to handle going camping and trekking off roads, but also be usable enough for my family to use it around as a work truck and as a hauler and track support truck for my other car

All input and suggestions good or bad are welcome!!

Parts and mods going on so far:

-Badlands 12,000 lbs winch
-BFGoodrich All Terrains (265/70/16) (came off an OEM 2014 Tacoma XSP, almost new)
-Custom front bumper to hold the winch and open up the tires
-Remove OEM side steps
-Herculiner and Plasti-Dip fun!

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Tyson! My FZJ-80 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[California80]

Thats a wierd place to mount the winch...

Looks like a clean rig... cant wait to see the progress

 

[UnlimitedPD]

finally got to do some work on the rig today

dirtyyyyyy loll going to do a good scrubbing once the fab work is done

got started on mocking up a bumper, will be picking up up the steel tomorrow i think

going to build the winch mounting point as the solid main structure and then build the wings from there

any suggestion on what thickness steel plate i should use?



20140624_144913 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140624_145049 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140624_152513 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140624_153645 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140624_164524 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[UnlimitedPD]

soooo

i kinda got the off roading bug a little bit and decided to do a bit more the truck

i was able to find locally:
VPR 4x4 front bumper
OME 2.5" lift

and a set of Dick Cepek FC-II 315/75/16

going to try and get everything installed this week...should be fun!

Viper Front bumper and Old Man Emu 2.5 " lift kit by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr


Viper Front bumper and Old Man Emu 2.5 " lift kit by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Viper Front bumper and Old Man Emu 2.5 " lift kit by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Viper Front bumper and Old Man Emu 2.5 " lift kit by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140906_154345 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140907_112208 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[half k cruiser]

That bumper looks like it hangs three feet off the front of the rig, should keep the crowds at bay. A little off topic, but is that your FD parked next to the 80 in the garage photo ?

 

[UnlimitedPD]

That bumper looks like it hangs three feet off the front of the rig, should keep the crowds at bay. A little off topic, but is that your FD parked next to the 80 in the garage photo ?

yup! that was the first thing i noticed as well
i really just bought it to mount the winch and it was a steal that i couldnt pass up

then i mounted it up and now i cant park head in at alot of places! winning! lmaooo

yup that FD is mine the 80 will be used as a track support / tow rig as well

better view of how far the bumper stretches out LOL

Viper Front bumper and Old Man Emu 2.5 " lift kit by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[jkilcullen]

holy bumper lol. But watch those Dick Cepeks closely, I had a set fail on me prematurely. Look for lugs literally lifting off tire and falling off. This happened on a 100% street driven rig in the 315/70/17 flavor. (all 4 tires had this failure happen around half life one nearly blew out) Other than that they were an alright tire with little road noise good in snow etc...

 

[UnlimitedPD]

holy bumper lol. But watch those Dick Cepeks closely, I had a set fail on me prematurely. Look for lugs literally lifting off tire and falling off. This happened on a 100% street driven rig in the 315/70/17 flavor. (all 4 tires had this failure happen around half life one nearly blew out) Other than that they were an alright tire with little road noise good in snow etc...

thanks for the advice!
do you mean that the thread blocks were breaking off the tire itself??

i will definitely keep an eye out for that! i picked these tires up for next to nothing from craigslist and they're almost new hopefully they will last a while

 

[half k cruiser]

Wow, now all I want to do is talk about that RX7, time to start another thread. Also, on your bumper, depending on how deep the pockets are that accept the frame rails, you may be able to cut that thing back and get it to slide under the front grill area.

 

[UnlimitedPD]

Wow, now all I want to do is talk about that RX7, time to start another thread. Also, on your bumper, depending on how deep the pockets are that accept the frame rails, you may be able to cut that thing back and get it to slide under the front grill area.

hahaha many thanks brother!
Her name is Roxy and she was a dream i've always had and i was lucky enough to be able to make it happen

she was featured in the august 2013 issue of Super Street magazine
check it out you can read up on everything i did in there!
http://www.superstreetonline.com/features/1308_1994_mazda_rx_7/

and heres her complete life build thread over on rx7club.com:
http://www.rx7club.com/build-threads-292/my-cars-build-thread-project-roxy-959587/

and thanks for the idea of pushing it back! i'm gona check that out next time i get to work on it...i'll probably mount the winch and see how far i can push back from there cus i dont want that issue of the winch handle hitting the a/c radiator

 

[jkilcullen]

thanks for the advice!
do you mean that the thread blocks were breaking off the tire itself??

i will definitely keep an eye out for that! i picked these tires up for next to nothing from craigslist and they're almost new hopefully they will last a while

Yes that's exactly what I mean. I figure they are fine just wanted to point out my personal experience with them since its such a potential danger if they fail ( I regularly road tripped that truck at 80mph on the freeways). Hopefully I just had a bad batch.

 

[UnlimitedPD]

finally got an update!!

all the parts have arrived...hopefully will start installing this weekend

-OME steering damper
-OME castor bushings
(these were missing from the lift i bought second hand)

-53" Curved LED light bar
-Snorkel
-8" pro-comp 130s for the bumper
-6000k HIDs (headlights, pro comps)
-OEM second battery tray setup
-Cabela's TrailGear seat covers

-waterproof cover for the winch
-tree saver
-30' recovery strap
-smittybilt snatch block

and i also picked up a plasti-dipping machine and will be doing a proper dip on the car in my buddy's paint booth


pics!!!


Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Parts have arrived! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[UnderDawg]

How do you like those seat covers? I seen em at Cabela's the last time I was there. They look good. Do they stay in place well?

 

[UnlimitedPD]

been on for about 48 hours now and i love em, and its great to just not have to worry about the leather
plus they have some pockets on the back to keep stuff

 

[FloridaFJ80]

Great build!!!! Keep the pics coming.. Love the rx-7... Get it built so we can go wheeling. There is a trip up to Orlando on October 10 for camping and wheeling. try to tag along

 

[UnlimitedPD]

Great build!!!! Keep the pics coming.. Love the rx-7... Get it built so we can go wheeling. There is a trip up to Orlando on October 10 for camping and wheeling. try to tag along

October 10th! that sounds like one i can actually make it to!!
texting you now for info man lol

 

[UnlimitedPD]

So i finally got some updates on the truck

i had some exams so this was a great way to de-stress after i took them LOL
and hanging out with the shop pup Mimi

installed the lift (ome 2.5 heavy springs)
put on the tires
holy crap did that change things completely a bit!!

and i bought horns 2 Grover 1510s

ran into a beat up old work horse 80 that looks like its been through hell and spit back out, but then again thats when these trucks are just getting broken in

i was really worried i wasnt going to be able to make it back in to the parking of my building, but i cleared it on hopes and dreams and miracles

oh and i realized that if i put that cartoon effect on my parking spots at home it looks like Initial D!!! lmao!


20140926_120845 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr


20140925_120615 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140926_092919 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140926_132102 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140928_173141 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

20140928_170859 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

lifted with 34s! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

lifted with 34s! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

lifted with 34s! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

lifted with 34s! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr lifted with 34s! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

10706952_1715433645348805_736325382_n by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[UnlimitedPD]

Hey everyone!

Its been a while since i've posted up here last, work got crazy and got myself into a start up so that chewed up most of the time!
but busy is good right!
well one good thing that cam out of it is that the 80 got some work done!

in the last post i had put on the OME lift, the front bumper, and the 35s

since then I've...uh...changed a few things?

- i had the whole truck repainted!
I had it painted in the actual Sherwin Williams Desert Storm enamel paint used by the US military!
this paint is so badass!!! i've taken my nails and scratched it as hard as i could and nothing!
i'm tempted to throw a rock at it cus i think it'll be fine, but i'll just let that happen on its own to see if it can take it LOL
also all the fenders and moldings have been shot in rhino-liner, they're there to protect against brush scratches right, might as well let it do its job till they come off on their own right?
Wheels are getting painted either semi-gloss or gloss black today...i think probably semi-gloss
All the trim thats chrome or gold now, including emblems and all, will also be sprayed in hotrod flat black

-BajaRack Flat Utility Rack (wide version)

- CVT Mt. McKinley RTT
this thing sleeps 4 people with 2 bedrooms and 2 separate entrances with stairs lmao!!!
yeeeeeesssssss!!!!

-4x4Labs Rear bumper w/ Tire Swing, Ladder, 3 Can Holder, Hi-lift attachment
this is waiting for me at 4x4labs in california where the car is getting transported to after the work in Miami is done.
4x4labs is about 3 hours from my office in NorCal so i'll drive out there and have them throw it on the truck with some other gear

- 5x Toyo M/Ts

No more talking, pics!! more will stream in as they finish assembling the truck



IMG_6296 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6301 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6297 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6300 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6732-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6739-1 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6736-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6742-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6743-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6744-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6734-3 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

IMG_6735-2 by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

 

[Walletclan]

Very nice. I have a '96 LX and I have taken notice. It looks so much better with 315s! Well done.

 

[UnlimitedPD]

Alright so its finally out of paint and body!!
I'm ecstatic with how it turned out...exactly what i wanted!

Pretty much all thats left now is:
the RTT
the 4x4Labs rear bumper (that i will put on here in NorCal at the 4x4Labs shop)
all the light bars (3 total)
pull out awning

check it out!

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr


Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr

Fresh out of Miami Autoworks! by Vidjai Doerga, on Flickr