Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum - Member Build Ups

My Bronze B!tch

TUFF IFS LUX — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:25:12 GMT

Guys,

I know it aint an FJ but my 2007 Hilux shares the same platrform design (Toyota 120) and I thought I'd finally do a buildup thread here for those of you that may be interested since both our vehicles share similar components.

I did have an introduction thread but thats a good 2 years old so I will abreviate my buildup and continue any future mods in this thread.

Before this hilux I owned an 03 V6 Hilux that was lifted 2inches with 265/75x16 MTR's.....looking back now, Im cursing I sold it, coz she was almost payed off and I could have gone more nuts with her than this one.......(i.e. bodylift, 35's etc...easier for an SAS)

So the day I sold her I bought my 07 Hilux. Heres the virgin below at the dealership-

Within a week of getting her, I fitted a suspension kit and 33" tyres to her...3" Desert Fox Foam Cell Shocks and Dobinson Coils on front, Reset Factory leaves,1" lift block and Desert Fox Foam Cell Shocks at the rear....for the meantime.

This is how she flexed back then -
****

Since then, Ive fitted ARB Winchbar and Siderails/Brush bars, steel 16x8 Black Dynamic Wheels, Silverstone MT117 Sport in 285/75x16, Colour coded Flares, TJM Bashplate and Transmission Guard, Snorkel, Straight through 3" exhaust system with 3" dump pipe and no muffler, Lightforce Spotlights, Black powder Coated SR5 Sportbar. And how could I forget the front ARB airlocker.

Its my first fourby with a diff lock in it and mate, what a difference offroad....

Ive done a few small mods meself, like modify the factory towbar to sit 2 inches higher, made my own transfer case protector which will get replaced at some stage with a proper one incoporating a crossmember and a larger skid plate.

Heres some pics of her now-

Another mod Im proud of is my custom "high clearance" front skid design -

I had drawn up 2 or 3 different designs and contemplated heaps about whether to keep the sway bar on or off.....if keeping it on, whether to make a bashplate like the Artic Trucks with the lower portion of the swaybar exposed through the bashplate or to cover it completely.....well,.....I decided to keep the swaybar on and ended up with a fourth idea. You know, kind of progressing and modifying as you go along.

Artic Trucks Bashplate below-

This is what I ended up doing - My TJM FUG (Front Underbody Guard)I decided to make use of, be a shame not to, so I used the rear portion of the front bashplate. The brackets that go between the engine crossmember to the radiator crossmember where removed and cut on an angle to not only provide a support for the bashplate on either side, but also for a mounting location for the rear portion of the TJM FUG which I had cut into 2 pieces.

Pic below is of the 2 brackets as they sit. as you can se they are the limiting factor for clearance under the front. The FJ and Tacoma in the USA do not have these fitted to their rigs.

In the pic below you can see one of the brackets that has been cut to suit the future profile of the new bashplate, and in the distance you can see the standard bracket as a comparison. Also, note, that the bottom of the swaybar will not stick out past the bashplate-

Another view of the cut bracket-

And both brackets cut and mounted up-

Before I cut the TJM FUG, I fitted it onto where it would go with the newly modified brackets behind it, and measured where I would need to cut it-

I had a long strip of 5mm thick steel plate lying around so I measured up bolthole locations where the brackets used to mount upon and fitted the plate to the radiator crossmember. This will be a mounting point that I will weld the bashplate to between it and the modified FUG.

Heres another view-

When I get round to it, I will weld that plate onto the TJM Guard, and the steel plate, then I will make another smaller plate to replace the ARB one which is weak as piss, to go from the steel plate forwards towards the ARB bar.

This bashplate design gives me 2" more clearance in height, and puts the first and lowest point of contact behind the front of the tyres, 4" further back then before...I think thats not a bad improvement in clearance.

I think Ill find Ill more than likely impact things at the front lower edge of the bullbar now before the actual bashplate.

One thing the newhilux's are reknowned for is clearance in this area, but this surely has improved it abit.

Heres a pic of the side plates and front plate tacked in place before removing to finish the weld properly.Damn its hard to weld with one hand upside down when the other hand is holding the pieces in place!

Heres more of a side view. Its hard to tell because I cant get the camera exactly side on but the bottom corner of the bashplate is about 3 inches behind the front of the tyre....awesome!

And an aerial shot....still have to clean up the weld, grind them flat and smooth and complete the welds on the inside.

I tried using some metal filler to smooth out the corners, but it dont look like it went too good.

The long awaited High Clearance Bashplate is complete and on the vehicle....woohoo! :lol:

Just in time for my trip tomorrow to Gough Bay at Lake Eildon for some offroading. Also got the rear suspension re-done on wednesday, removed the 1 inch block and added an extra leaf, greasable shackles and a full nolathane bush kit back and front.

Anyways, heres some pics of it finished....was abit fidly to install, the welding as you may know tends to re-adjust metal so had to clean up a couple holes and it weighs a tad more than before but all is good.

Front View

Side View

Lawndart 145's buildup

lawndart145 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:34:17 GMT

It all begins with the first mod I guess.

So here goes.

I don't have an unlimited budget so why throw out a perfectly good set of Bilsteins and a set of stock tires that only have 750 miles on them right?

So I figure until its time to replace the tires with something bigger I would set the stage with a set of Toytec front coils with the adjustable collars to level her out.

I know I could have gone cheaper with spacers but this way as I get more cash to add metal I can just crank up the collars.

Enough of my banter what you guys really want are some pictures.

Before...

After...

Not much yet but this is a good start.

"Tin Can" Coming Soon

Mightyboss — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:12:22 GMT

I have to shoot last coat of paint on roof Tomm, and finish My Alpine Oh My God Audio Monsta, then I will post my Build,

I give you REX for your viewing pleasure

Sharky — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:48:22 GMT

This is the front of my ride:
Homemade bling skid, homemade light brackets, wings are gone!

Rear:
Blacked out wings and lower, homemade nerf bar, blacked out tire cover.

Side:
Rockrails, I painted the wheels, blacked out door handles, mirrors.

Roof:
Home made wind screen, home made roof rack basket- everything is aluminum, some welded some pop riveted.

Rear Nerf:
Fabbed from store bought rear step.

Bike Rack:
Made from 1" square and pipe, and a left over trailer hitch. We have 4 mt bikes.

Detector Mount:
Homemade out of an exercise mat.

Pathrat's custom built rear bumper

pathrat — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:29:26 GMT

I have done things to my 2007 Voodoo Blue but nothing that was built from scratch (ok, other than my LCA skids) until now. Two friends of mine from our local Denver area 4x4 group came up with a new bumper and a solution to the exhaust tip getting banged against rocks when I lacked rear clearance. Other bumper designs that we found on the net would tend to put the exhaust tip in a position to get crunched between a good quality steel bumper and whatever obstacle might loom up to meet it.
My exhaust was cut, rebuilt and rerouted. The bumper was cut out to allow for the passage of the tip, and said tip welded in. The stock panels were taken off, trimmed down to fit closer to the body, new tabs cut in, and then re-attached. Tube steel is snugged around the body in the rear and sides. The tow hooks are integrated and welded, and my tow hitch was removed and re-welded higher on the frame, thus increasing clearance.

I am including the build thread link that the builders put up on my local forum.
Pathrat's Rear bumper build - Front Range 4x4 Forums

If you are local and want one of these, contact Peter Brody at peterbrody4@gmail.com (posted with permission) However, the Hello Kitty stickers are not included in the package :-)

The Tale of Father Jenkins (enjoi1018's build)

enjoi1018 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:06:24 GMT

THE TALE OF FATHER JENKINS

So much more than a car.
Born in Japan, raised in the USA.

And so finally, the story can be written for the masses. On Christmas 2007, I opened the last present from my parents in front of the camcorder that my dad turns on every Christmas. A little Bass Pro Shops gift card tin appeared from beneath the wrapping paper.

"Great!" I said. "Now I can go buy some cool stuff I've wanted."

But inside the tin wasn't a card, rather it was a picture. Black and white with the body panels highlighted in by my dad. It was a Xerox of an FJ Cruiser. Mine. Highlighted to represent the Sun Fusion paint.

I don't get to flustered by things. I can take a lot and not show how much it affects me. My mom said the only time I've looked like I did that moment was when I had the flu. I got light headed, and sort of had a "full body buzz" if you will. That buzz/high/feeling hasn't gone away... it was feeling that changed my life.

I can't express how thankful I am to my parents, grandparents, and the rest of my friends and family who worked on getting my FJ for me. It was a Christmas/graduation/birthday present from everyone. Thank you guys so much, I love you!

Another thing that I am very proud of is the fact that I'm only 20. I've been working at my best friend's dad's law firm for over four years now, while also going to school at Auburn University. Every single mod on the vehicle has been purchased by me or given as a gift from my money, and everything but the tires was put on the vehicle by me. I know a lot of people who just ask and ask for stuff for their big ole pickup truck, and that's fine. It's a much better experience when I work for and turn a wrench on everything. That's why I'm so fond of this car.

Meet Father Jenkins:

All of the pictures in my build up are only as early as October 2009, when I received a digital camera for my birthday. So no pictures of him all coming together. I want this build thread to be a reference, an entertainment, and a way for me to share what an awesome trip I've had with this vehicle.

Simply put, you won't find a person who loves his FJ more than me. I don't have the crazy love (i.e. "OMG there is a spec of dirt on my paint LORD HAVE MERCY!!!"), but I literally view Father Jenkins as a friend of mine. My dad used to tell me that he saw a face in every car (we're both car guys ;)) and I agree.

Whew! Sappiness over! On to the rig:

I took delivery the third week in January 2008. I think it was the 21st, but I'm not positive. He had everything I wanted, and nothing I didn't. If I would've special ordered one, it would be the exact same.

2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4x4
steelies, roofrack, rear diff lock, auto.

The first thing I did was get on the forum and research. That led me to the $44 A-trac switch:

I got to try it out about a week later (no pics) and I was stunned. Clearly, this vehicle was going to be a lot more incredible than I thought.

When my dad drove him home for me, he had already put this custom sticker on the back glass...

It's the Liverpool Football Club slogan, I'm a massive soccer fan and they're my favorite team. Also, I like the quote just to live by. :)

Now onto the more major mods:

EXTERIOR:

Over the course of my build I've added small, cheap, personal mods that I will collaborate here. Usually consisting of just spray paint and/or cheeeeeep parts from Home Depot.

This is a dog collar hook that holds the rear glass open... I shrink-wrapped the end to prevent too much rattling:

Painted the hitch red. Why? I like the whole "Remove-before-flight" red stuff:

Around then, I painted the rear bumper black ala Dragon and Shadow-Warrior:

A short while later (Feburary 2009), I got a screaming deal on a set of 285/70-17 Firestone Destination M/T's. There was a post on the forum about 35% off a set of any tires from Firestone before March 1. I found it, called my dad to pull some money out for me and met him at our local Firestone shop. Five of 'em out the door for just over $159 a tire. I didn't want to mount them without a lift and with the Duncraps having a little life still, so I stored them until right before Summit. Ordered an OME medium setup with the N71E's in the rear. My dad, brother-in-law David, friend Charles and I put the lift on, the tires were mounted the next morning. Finished product:

In the below pic, you can see how I removed the center caps on the steelies and painted the hub to match...

With a group buy, I got a set of Jason Demello's round tube sliders and a 3-hoop front bumper. Long story short, my truck was one in a thousand that the bumper wouldn't fit to properly, but Jason and his excellent customer service trailered one to Summit and sold mine to another member. A big, big thanks to Jason and Kim for their help on this. They wouldn't have anything other than me being 100% happy. Pics:

As you can see in the bumper picture, I found a thread from Brock and Volhoo (Vince) that linked to a $7 eBay auction for some headlight protection. I slid them behind the bezel, and painted it white while I had some of the clips removed:

The forum badge made its way on as well :bigthumb:

A few months went by without major mods, just a few tinkering jobs on the interior. I'll cover those in the interior section a bit later.

When the break did end, Christmas of 2008. My parents got me four Hella 500's and a light bar for the stock roof rack. These lights aren't expensive and light up the night plenty for me. I drilled the hole on the wrong side of the bar like a dumbo, so we wired them down the passenger side A-pillar and directly to the battery so I can use them whenever I need, key or not:

I had a punk come by in the middle of the night one night and cut my roof lights and steal my antenna. I rewired the lights, and used the missing antenna as an excuse to purchase a shorty rubber one:

Rounding out the exterior mods are the Scuba mod, I have an All-Pro high clearance exhaust sitting in my living room, and my stickers.

Oh my stickers. I get a lot of comments on how many I have and I love every last one of them. The back glass are all my personal stickers, one's that mean something to my character. I'll go throught them pretty quickly:

Driver side from top to bottom:

HD- This sticker is in memory of my girlfriend's brother who was tragically killed in an auto accident. He was an incredible friend, and everyone that he touched misses him and loves him very much.
∑N- Sigma Nu Fraternity, Auburn University.
The Crest of the Rebellion- What can I say? I freakin' love Star Wars.
The Avett Brothers- Artwork from my favorite band. They're incredible.
Geocaching.com- In no way or shape am I advertising, but if you haven't heard of it, go to the site. It's one of the coolest things I've ever done.
PSIF- Public Safety Insurance Fund. It pays for insurance for firefighters/cops/paramedics in Montgomery County, AL.
GPS- Another Geocaching sticker.

Passenger side, top to bottom:
Goat- My boss always joked on how many stickers I have on my car, and he jokingly gave me the random goat. It now adorns Father Jenkins. :lol:
OSA Shield- Outrider Suspension Armor gave me some shock bash plates for having a raffle ticket at Summit that matched theirs. I figured I could rep them!
Tread Lightly- Keep the trails open, keep the sport respected.
Ouray, Co- I think there is some cool FJ show there or something...
Keystone- Keystone, CO. Quite possibly my favorite place on earth. Snowboarding in winter, mountain biking in summer. Beautiful!
Subaru Rally Team- I'm a supporter.
Porsche 250- A Cup race that is held in Birmingham every year. ALMS series race that is such a cool weekend.
American Flag- USA! USA! USA!

The two rear quarter windows are arranged the same, they are all companies that have given me great products and customer service. MetalTech is the only company I don't have a product from, but after hearing what Mark does for the sport I had to throw some on my rig:

More next post...

White Lightning 08 TT supercharged

Jacob D — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:29:38 GMT

Here's a video i made for a member asking to hear the supercharger. more to come, it sounds different when driving vs in neutral.

YouTube - FJ Cruiser

Judd's 08 Brick

.:Judd:. — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:54:52 GMT

Just picked her up last night :)

2008 - 11k miles w/ most of the factory upgrades. Also has TRD cat back exhaust.

And so it begins ;)

Well the first of the mods. They are small but have to start some where.

Next will be tires.

Russians go ahead!!!

sanyprado — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:51:28 GMT

Hi guys,
Once it was a stock Toyota FJ Cruiser.
But now is a real road warrior.:ninja:
Do you know how wrecked roads in Russia? :king:

Attached Thumbnails

Toytec 3" lift installed

HypnotizeMinds27 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:01:22 GMT

Finally getting around to posting some pictures after the 3" Toytec lift was installed. I got the Adjustable Coilovers in the front to go with bilstein 5100's in the front and rear. In the back just the 2" toytec coils. Install took around 5hrs, nothing to bad. Don't have the funds yet to upgard the tires, but as soon as i do i will be getting some 285 75 R16's, not sure yet.

First time taking it off road....all stock

This is next to my buddy's Taco, you can see how low it sat in the front.

It was time for a lift, and after much research and help from this forum i went with the ToyTec.

My Turn

DocEldridge — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 03:16:29 GMT

Well after owning my FJ for almost 2 years now (and lurking on this forum!), I've decided to play around with it a bit. I first painted my stock wheels black, then the silver bumper fascia. Then a seat heater install. I liked all of this so well that I decided to bite the bullet and bought the RC 6" lift and XD revolvers with 35" procomp xterrains. I did the lift install myself and a 2 day project turned into a 4 day project and a broken front tooth (another story:mecry:). Unfortunately, the RC instructions are pretty bad so I relied upon fellow forum member TripC. I'm sure he was tired of the daily calls with questions but with his help I got it on - I still owe you a case next time I'm in Dallas! I still have more blackout work to do and more add-on's to do: bumper, winch, etc. But an indirect thank you to all of you guys for the inspiration.

D

Attached Thumbnails