FloridaLife
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This beauty was on Facebook marketplace awhile back. I had to grab some pics for threads just like this one.
View attachment 4072171
Worst FJ40 Upgrade Ever
- Thread starter FloridaLife
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FloridaLife
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FloridaLife
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Maybe at some point that was a dualie...front and rear? Bonus points for the extra creative hood scoop, if that's what it was supposed to be.
And they must have been short because they put those things on the front corners to be able to tell where they were?
Electric Power Steering
FloridaLife
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For those of you who said you did Electric Power Steering, I've got a question for you. Do any of you also have a V8? Maybe an LS? If so, was the steering column/shaft and/or box in the way? If so, how did you overcome that? Thank you.
FloridaLife
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Wrong thread.
Onur, looking for clarity, does the dash thing apply if my fj40 came with a plywood dash, 1/4", CDX, unfinished & 3 miles of THHN for wiring, never exceeded 3 wires in a wire nut tho. Wasnt much dash left to drill thru but I found a spot 
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6f40j9
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I’d have to say, the PO’s idea to randomly spray most everything under the hood, along the dash, seat frames, etc with black rattle can paint.
I know not the reason for this, but it has made for lots of hours of unpainting (as if stripping off the re paint(s) on the outside to bring out the OG Capri wasn’t enough).
I know not the reason for this, but it has made for lots of hours of unpainting (as if stripping off the re paint(s) on the outside to bring out the OG Capri wasn’t enough).
Black paint stops the rust don’t ya know
For me, back in '83 was when I had to put in a GMC 350 swap I did my own rewiring and I used odds and ends not sticking to color codes..what a mess but it worked fine. However, I have slowly been cleaning up the mess but am still reorganizing the color codes over that last few years, what a hassle!
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Since I didn't see this before it was revived: I too made the mistake of a body-mounted spare tire carrier, later removed and the holes welded in. I don't know what possessed me. And I'll add a new one: the "Holley 350" carb from Downey. It ran great on the road and like absolute garbage on the trail. And yes, I did all the band-aid "solutions" like the extended vent pipe, etc. etc., and had it tuned and tweaked and massaged by one of the best mechanics in the country. Completely worthless for an off-road vehicle.
For me, worst mod ever was using extended shackles and add a leaf on stock springs to gain lift. Paired with cheap Rancho shocks pretty much gave me the worst riding fj40 in history. I was young, dumb and broke back then and thought I could build a budget suspension. Never skimp out on springs or shocks was the lesson I had to learn the hard way. Cruiser was bucking like a deranged horse on the easiest trails and was exhausting to drive. 
Considering how few people actually wheel 40s anymore (@brian was just mentioning this in 25 chat) the Holley could still be considered an upgrade for the cars and coffee crowd that can’t properly sort out an Aisan carb.
FloridaLife
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For me, worst mod ever was using extended shackles and add a leaf on stock springs to gain lift. Paired with cheap Rancho shocks pretty much gave me the worst riding fj40 in history. I was young, dumb and broke back then and thought I could build a budget suspension. Never skimp out on springs or shocks was the lesson I had to learn the hard way. Cruiser was bucking like a deranged horse on the easiest trails and was exhausting to drive.
When I bought my FJ40 and posted pics it was pointed out by a couple of people that someone had added 3 springs to the front and 2 to the rear, and that it would probably ride like a brick! Those have been removed.
Hard to imagine a worse ride, but I had one. When I got Ruftoys 41 years ago it had one of the original Rancho lifts: 3 leafs, each one HALF AN INCH THICK! I wheeled the Dusy and the Rubicon with those mofos for a few years until…I actually snapped the main leaf of one of them.For me, worst mod ever was using extended shackles and add a leaf on stock springs to gain lift. Paired with cheap Rancho shocks pretty much gave me the worst riding fj40 in history. I was young, dumb and broke back then and thought I could build a budget suspension. Never skimp out on springs or shocks was the lesson I had to learn the hard way. Cruiser was bucking like a deranged horse on the easiest trails and was exhausting to drive.
I had the 3 spring lift in the beginning. The main leaf finally broke. Choices back then were limited. I no longer get excited when I lift a tire on the trail with a more flexible suspension.
i’ll second the butchered roof. PO put an RV vent in the roof that leaked like it wasn’t even there every time it rained! spent what spare time i’ve had the past few
months reversing that.
months reversing that.
This should be punished
Rough Country lift springs, too short, over arched, never flattened out, shackle angles were wrong.
PO drilling a cheap roof rack into the fiber glass. Thankfully the holes were smaller than the sun roof mods and I was able to fill them with marine epoxy.
PO drilling a cheap roof rack into the fiber glass. Thankfully the holes were smaller than the sun roof mods and I was able to fill them with marine epoxy.