Build Wyoming 1994 FZJ80 Build

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Didn’t plan on acquiring another 80 this weekend. Local ad popped up for a 97 40th anniversary with 133k miles. 2 owner with a stack of maintenance records since new. Made an offer I thought he’d refuse, drove it home later that day and immediately took it out in the hills. Seller told me it’s always been a garage queen at their second home so I felt like I had to.
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Removed the pin stripes this morning. Couple of cosmetic things to fix but over all a really clean rig. Fun to drive a stock 80 again - not that I dislike the mods on my 94 at all.

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residualboulders said:
Didn’t plan on acquiring another 80 this weekend. Local ad popped up for a 97 40th anniversary with 133k miles. 2 owner with a stack of maintenance records since new. Made an offer I thought he’d refuse, drove it home later that day and immediately took it out in the hills. Seller told me it’s always been a garage queen at their second home so I felt like I had to. View attachment 3903565

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Removed the pin stripes this morning. Couple of cosmetic things to fix but over all a really clean rig. Fun to drive a stock 80 again - not that I dislike the mods on my 94 at all.

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Nice find, Looks really clean !!
 
Coupla mods this weekend on my 94. @Delta VS rear spring clips.

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I've had this redline steering wheel cover in my center console for about 2 years. Finally stitched it up. Not the very best fit, but probably good enough for who its for. That lower spoke just didn't want to sit right. If I find a better solution some day, maybe I will redo it.
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Spent a few hours buffing trail stripes out of the paint, waxing and polishing so that we could get some more rain. It's like doing a rain dance. Just as I was finishing it started to rain and didn't let up. Drove it anyway.

Sliders coming soon. I hope.

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Installed a Window Rocket tonight. Easy install other than it’s in the most inconvenient spot to access. The window speed actually wasn’t terrible in the summer. In the winter sometimes I wondered if the windows were going to make it back up.

Roll up and down speed is less than half of what it used to be. Not an inexpensive mod but cool that folks are making neat stuff for our classic off-roaders.

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Got my sliders mounted up today. They are stout. Quality and precision you’d expect from Delta.

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Trimmed the rear flare rubber sweep to fill the void in the back and scribed the front mud flaps on the from with a gap for movement. I know, they will get ripped off when wheeling difficult trails. I remove them when needed.

Started installing the skid plates but the front section is not compatible with radius arm drop brackets which I still have installed. Will have to get radius arms installed before I can mount up the front skid plate. If anyone is wondering - you could install Delta sliders with a Slee belly plate with some modifications. Due to the location of the U bolts for the sliders you would need some 1/2” Spacers for every bolt I think to get it to work. Not ideal. This is probably the case with most sliders though.

I do wish the gap between the tread plate and the rocker panel were a little tighter for a more finished look. I guess I’m used to my 200 where the Slee formed sliders look nearly factory they way they tuck up under the rocker. I am sure there is a reason Delta designed them this way. Maybe it’s so they would be easier to clean, which would make sense. I probably won’t care once the install isn’t fresh on my mind.

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A few more mods left. Also wired a USB-C charger and mounted a MagSafe wireless charger on a ram mount off the center console. I think I’m going to remove the Alamosa Antenna and go to a stubby. Those upper BD lights reflect off the antenna and it’s a little annoying.

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residualboulders said:
Got my sliders mounted up today. They are stout. Quality and precision you’d expect from Delta.

View attachment 3995672

Trimmed the rear flare rubber sweep to fill the void in the back and scribed the front mud flaps on the from with a gap for movement. I know, they will get ripped off when wheeling difficult trails. I remove them when needed.

Started installing the skid plates but the front section is not compatible with radius arm drop brackets which I still have installed. Will have to get radius arms installed before I can mount up the front skid plate. If anyone is wondering - you could install Delta sliders with a Slee belly plate with some modifications. Due to the location of the U bolts for the sliders you would need some 1/2” Spacers for every bolt I think to get it to work. Not ideal. This is probably the case with most sliders though.

I do wish the gap between the tread plate and the rocker panel were a little tighter for a more finished look. I guess I’m used to my 200 where the Slee formed sliders look nearly factory they way they tuck up under the rocker. I am sure there is a reason Delta designed them this way. Maybe it’s so they would be easier to clean, which would make sense. I probably won’t care once the install isn’t fresh on my mind.

View attachment 3995772

A few more mods left. Also wired a USB-C charger and mounted a MagSafe wireless charger on a ram mount off the center console. I think I’m going to remove the Alamosa Antenna and go to a stubby. Those upper BD lights reflect off the antenna and it’s a little annoying.

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Can you share a picture of the under side of the sliders ?

Rig is looking great !!
 
Broski said:
Can you share a picture of the under side of the sliders ?

Rig is looking great !!
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You bet. Here is the drivers side. I can take some pics of the passenger later and post them up. If anyone is considering these and have questions, fire away. They aren’t inexpensive so I get it, happy to share what I know of take pics.
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This plate in the middle that covered the support sits flush with the outer tread plate shell. But is on top of the base of the skid. All the bolts on the angled section are countersunk.
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I bought their skids too, as I mentioned can’t mount the front skid up until I swap out the drop plates for new radius arms.

I do appreciate @Delta VS skid plate design. It has a sub plate that supports the t-case. The actual bash plates are separate so they can be removed without losing the support. My Slee skid was stout and a great product but it was also the support. More of a convenience thing for cleaning or maintenance, but well thought out.

I think the worst part about these is that someone coated the underside of my 80 with wool wax or something that attracts the dust and it impossible to remove. So I have these beautiful new sliders and a dirty frame. I guess I’ll just have to get them dirty to match.

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I need to figure out how to remove this heavy film that was once clear on the fenders. Any ideas on how to make the rubber sweep black again?

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efjayatee said:
How heavy are the belly plates?
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Plenty heavy for anything I’m going to do. I’m not with it, but I think it was 1/4” steel. Maybe @Delta VS can chime in on thickness and lbs, don’t see the specs on their website.
 
Removed my Iron man control arm drop brackets and factory arms and replaced them with the Delta 3L arms. The shop said the caster between the two was nearly identical. It feels like it handles better to me with the Delta arms, but I might just be trying to justify the cost in my mind. Mostly kidding, I really think it does handle better. I haven't figured out how its better, I think it's maybe more of a planted feel. I had read that the drop brackets offer better handling, but on my build I don't think that is the case. The arms have certainly given me quite a bit more clearance.

I picked it up just after the tech had taken it out for a test drive. The first thing he said was "holy smokes that thing rides like a Cadillac" which is probably more of a reflection on the Dobinson's suspension than the new arms - but he was also very impressed with @Delta VS build quality. They look pretty dope under there too.

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Meanwhile, the 80 build for my daughter has escalated. I was just going to hurry and send the seat belts off to get repaired and shampoo the carpets last weekend. I'm not a dog person and I just hated the residual dog odor from the previous owners. After shampooing the smell remained. We pulled the seats out to do a more thorough cleaning but decided to just pull and replace the carpet. Then I had several "while you're in there" scenarios and some suspension parts i removed from my 94.... You might say, one thing lead to another. But it's been fun to work on with my last little girl who seemingly overnight is turning 16 next month.

Current mods under way:
Replacement Steering Wheel Leather (Custom Craft)
Rebuilt front seatbelts (Safety Restore)
New carpet kit (stock interiors)
New OEM Seat Foams for front seats
Replacement upholstery (Mosely)
Heated Seat Pads with OEM switches
Dobinsons 2.5" Lift VT Springs (Used previously on my 94)
Dobinsons IMS Shocks
Dobinsons Steering Stabilizer
Iron man control arm drop brackets (from my 94)
Delta VS Panhard Drop and Sway Bar Drops
OEM Extended Brake lines
Alpine CarPlay head unit
Pioneer speaker replacements in doors, dash, cargo.
Pioneer amp and sub
Backup cam
Sound Deadening on floor, quarter panels and doors.
OEM replacement front Bumper
Solve Function Cup Holder
Replacement Anniversary Edition Decal

I could have gotten her a nice Subaru for much cheaper and less hassle than all this, but this is more fun.

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residualboulders said:
Removed my Iron man control arm drop brackets and factory arms and replaced them with the Delta 3L arms. The shop said the caster between the two was nearly identical. It feels like it handles better to me with the Delta arms, but I might just be trying to justify the cost in my mind. Mostly kidding, I really think it does handle better. I haven't figured out how its better, I think it's maybe more of a planted feel. I had read that the drop brackets offer better handling, but on my build I don't think that is the case.

I picked it up just after the tech had taken it out for a test drive. The first thing he said was "holy smokes that thing rides like a Cadillac" which is probably more of a reflection on the Dobinson's suspension than the new arms - but he was also very impressed with @Delta VS build quality. They look pretty dope under there too.

View attachment 4019996

Meanwhile, the 80 build for my daughter has escalated. I was just going to hurry and send the seat belts off to get repaired and shampoo the carpets last weekend. I'm not a dog person and I just hated the residual dog odor from the previous owners. After shampooing the smell remained. We pulled the seats out to do a more thorough cleaning but decided to just pull and replace the carpet. Then I had several "while you're in there" scenarios and some suspension parts i removed from my 94.... You might say, one thing lead to another. But it's been fun to work on with my last little girl who seemingly overnight is turning 16 next month.

Current mods under way:
Replacement Steering Wheel Leather (Custom Craft)
Rebuilt front seatbelts (Safety Restore)
New carpet kit (stock interiors)
New OEM Seat Foams for front seats
Replacement upholstery (Mosely)
Heated Seat Pads with OEM switches
Dobinsons 2.5" Lift VT Springs (Used previously on my 94)
Dobinsons IMS Shocks
Dobinsons Steering Stabilizer
Iron man control arm drop brackets (from my 94)
Delta VS Panhard Drop and Sway Bar Drops
OEM Extended Brake lines
Alpine CarPlay head unit
Pioneer speaker replacements in doors, dash, cargo.
Pioneer amp and sub
Backup cam
Sound Deadening on floor, quarter panels and doors.
OEM replacement front Bumper
Solve Function Cup Holder
Replacement Anniversary Edition Decal

I could have gotten her a nice Subaru for much cheaper and less hassle than all this, but this is more fun.

View attachment 4019998
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Ride quality difference could very well be from new OEM bushings, what was in there before?
 
Delta VS said:
Ride quality difference could very well be from new OEM bushings, what was in there before?
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I actually had just replaced my OEM bushings on my factory arms a couple of months ago. I was chasing an intermittent rattle that was driving me nuts. Turned out the originals were actually hardly worn out due to it's low mileage. But since I had already bought the parts and had the arms off, they were replaced. The rattle turned out to be a missing washer on one of the shocks. The washer beneath the shock tower has a lip large enough to allow the lip of the washer on top of the tower to nest inside it. If one of those is missing, you get an annoying rattle here and there. 😂 I replaced several parts trying to track down that noise.

He did make some minor adjustments to the alignment after installing the arms. Maybe that was enough to make it feel better.
 
The Delta arms will have higher anti-dive than the previous setup with drop brackets, I’d expect sportier performance braking and cornering and harsher hits on square edged bumps and less consistent performance getting the front tires up onto rock ledges when rock crawling with the new arms.
 
BucketEighty said:
The Delta arms will have higher anti-dive than the previous setup with drop brackets, I’d expect sportier performance braking and cornering and harsher hits on square edged bumps and less consistent performance getting the front tires up onto rock ledges when rock crawling with the new arms.
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it sounds like you are not a fan?
 
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