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LandCruiserSteve's Sun Fusion

102K views 416 replies 112 participants last post by  fjooker 
#1 · (Edited)




Is there no end to the time and money that you can dump into these crazy things????





I certainly hope not!!!!




Intended usage and build premise:

- Daily driver and moderate to semi-rigorous off-road rig.
- A professional look to all modifications (no visible or dangling wires, no Velcro, no double-sided tape, no suction cups, no duct tape, no baling wire, etc.)
- Nothing that would intrude upon driver or passenger safety, comfort or ergonomics in the front seats.
- An efficient rear storage / sleep system in lieu of a (never-to-be-used) back seat.
- Appropriately equipped with all necessary emergency, communications, navigation, personal safety and off-road recovery gear.
- Understated and subdued appearance (no bling, no product advertising and no for-looks-only).



The journey began with a bare-bones Sun Fusion 4x4 AT.

Date of manufacture: 11/06
Purchase date: 01/07
Purchase price: $25,700





Time-of-purchase OEM items included:

Locking rear differential
17" standard black steel wheels
Convenience Package
Side curtain air bags
Standard single disc radio



Off-road modifications / aftermarket add-ons:

BF Goodrich 285/70R/17 All-Terrain KO tires
Old Man Emu "Medium" (885/895) 3" suspension
A-TRAC
Toyota OEM rock rails
Warn winch bumper (eventually replaced with All-Pro)
All-Pro front winch bumper
All-Pro rear bumper
All-Pro skid plate package (front / transmission / transfer case) (Post #179)
Warn M8000 winch (w/ under-hood solenoid mount) (Post #313)
Warn Hawse fairlead w/ D-shackle (Post #313)
Poor man's rear winch
Pro-Comp 100W off-road lights (Post #101)
Dual post-mounted Unity 250,000 candlepower spotlights
Four Expedition One "Geri" cans (3 for fuel, 1 for water) (Post #399)
Replaced BFG 285's with BFG KO2 34/10.5/17 tires. (Post #416)


Exterior modifications:

Added OEM roof rack (evetually to be replaced with BajaRack)
Removed all mud flaps
Roof rack HiLift jack mount
Roof rack cross-bar modification for (3) gas can mounting
Painted bezel black (Post #32)
Painted outside rear-view mirrors black (Post #146)
Replaced door handles with black Tundra handles (Post #146)
"De-badged" rear door emblems
Added 2" blind-spot mirrors
Disconnected DRL's
Painted wheel weights to match black wheels
Hidden extra key wing-nutted someplace on FJ
All-Pro trailer hitch
OEM trailer wiring harness
Wheel locks for all five wheels
2nd OEM hi-freq horn (mounted up front next to the original) (Post #179)
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...xiliary-backup-light-install.html#post1048452
BajaRack roof rack installation (Post #367)
Shortened AM/FM radio antenna (Post #407)
Installed NMO antenna mount for UHF / GMRS radio. (Post #416)
Installed PCTEL high-gain UHF antenna on roof. (Post #416)


Interior modifications:

Completely removed rear passenger seats
Full-length rear storage system (The "BOX")
BOX-mounted electric shotgun rack
BOX-mounted 3-cell Maglight flashlight
Streamlight Stinger flashlight (w/ charger mounted in drivers door)
Amerex A417 fire extinguisher mounted behind passenger seat
Galls industrial first-aid kit (mounted on side of the BOX)
Secondary public safety style first-aid kit
Consolidated center switch panel OEM switches (top row) (Post #179)
Installed (4) 4x4mods.com illuminated lighting switches (bottom row) (Post #179)
In-cab winch controls (Post #313)
Removed driver side arm rest (too low for me)
Removed driver side overhead grab handle (too many bumps on my head)
Removable mounted grocery baskets / ice chests
Single-push all doors unlock key fob
Replaced 12V auxiliary jack with actual cigarette lighter
Blacked out all dash and console trim pieces (Posts #148 & #166)
Shortened the AT shift knob by 6 inches (Post #356)
Installed LifeHammer on the forward face of the BOX (Post #341)
Replaced standard MagLight with the rechargeable high-output version (Post #341)
Revised the BOX (Post #341)
Replaced original Streamlight Stinger flashlight with the new LED version (Post #407)
Replaced stock dome lights with FJ Cruiser-specific LED's. (Post #416)
Added folding side window visor (driver's side). (Post #416)
Replaced the rear section of "The Box" with Tuffy's FJC storage unit. (Post #416)


Electronics / communications equipment:

Uniden 15W PC68XL CB radio (mounted to rear console)
Cobra HiPro CB microphone w/ remote front center dash jack (Post #179)
FireStik CB antennas (2' & 4')
Bandi CB antenna mount
Icom F21GM UHF/GMRS 4-watt transceivers (Post #391)
SPOT Messenger
Garmin 276C GPS system (mounted over rear-view mirror)
Garmin MapSource USA and Topo USA GPS software
XM satellite radio system (hard-wired to OEM stereo)
Roof-top GPS and satellite antennas
Dash-mount cellular phone (w/ dedicated power jack)
Installed BlueSea 12-circuit switched fuse panel under dash
Under-hood relay and circuit breaker system for BlueSea fuse panel
Added two auxiliary 12V outlets to the forward area of the console (Post #391)
Replaced in-door speakers with Kenwood 6993PS coax 6x9 speakers
Added Cobra HG-S300 CB extension speaker (Post #407)
Installed Icom IC-F6021 45 watt UHF / GMRS two-way radio. (Post #416)
Added a microphone extension cable from the console-mounted Icom radio to the front dashboard. (Post #416)
















































For some crazy reason, I get the feeling that I'm just getting started . . . .




Some of LandCruiserSteve's lame attempts at humor:

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...30075-top-10-reasons-why-sun-fusion-good.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...67-now-top-10-reasons-why-sun-fusion-bad.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/problems-dealer-service/33989-solution-engine-bay-cracks.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...361-caught-doing-46-mph-over-speed-limit.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/4x2-discussion/53053-4x4-4x2-conversion.html

http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/foru...top-10-fj-cruiser-mods-old-land-cruisers.html
 
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25
#7 ·
Great mods - the back box looks like a masterpiece.
 
#10 ·
Nice job as usual Steve. The storage boxes look great... I know what you went through for those... nice result

Really nice job. I can see lots of thought put into your mods. Thanks for sharing
Don, Steve's an Arizona refugee... lived here for many years suffering in silence with his FJ obsession... until the government tapped him to teach off-road driving...
 
#13 ·
Hey! At least you bought the right color!!!
Great job on the rest of the stuff too!
Now we need a pic of the two FJ's together!!!!!(Oh, and put a guitar or two in there too!):bandit:
 
#16 ·
Awesome Mods! Where did you get the Inclinometer and how much?
 
#17 ·
Great mods, thanks for the before and after lift pics, made a world of difference!
 
#18 ·
The storage boxes and sleep area convert is 1st rate. Excellent work and post. you can now leave home and never come back if you wish (Big Smile). Great job Steve.
 
#28 ·
Thanks. Never being done is half the fun.

Let's see that Demello rear bumper when you get it on!!

you got good taste man.
Thanks, paduka.

You need a shovel and Axe or is that on the other side. Are you going to add a refig and shower or water sys of some type?
I was thinking the very same thing about the axe and shovel, but haven't decided if I'm going to put them up on the rack, or do an inside rear door mount like I saw somewhere on the Forum.
 
#26 ·
aloha lcsteve, i have to say you really do have lots of passion for the lc line. i read ur story on the fj25 on how it started on a pineapple fields here, wow, i really can imagine the 25 working along side with all them farmers back in the days. time have changed, people have changed but the pineapple fields are still here and kicking. kicking on the slow side but still kicking lol.

as for the 07 sunfusion, great mods. and yes it never ends.

thanks for sharing. aloha, p
 
#30 ·
I finally got around to painting the rear bumper wings. (I'll be painting the lower center piece when the OEM trailer hitch arrives next week.)

I used Rustoleum Textured Paint For Plastic (#223717). Roughed up the plastic with ultra-fine sandpaper. One coat of self-etching primer and two coats of paint.

The texture came out perfect resulting in a combination of the existing factory black plastic and the texture of my front Warn bumper.

 
#31 ·
Installed the Toyota OEM trailer hitch. (The most difficult part was trying to find the well-hidden 9-pin connector above behind the dash for the convertor module.)

Since I was swapping out the lower trim panel of the bumper for the hitch anyway, I painted the new one to match the recently painted bumper wings.




And, I added a set of Lund vent/visors to cut down the open window noise. Very easy install. (That's my neighbor, Bernie, across the street mowing the lawn. Don't tell him he accidently ended up in the photo or he'll want some royalties. But, it was his torque wrench I borrowed for the trailer hitch.)

 
#34 ·
Big fan of what you did. Awesome job, very clean. I like the shotgun mount. Where did you mount the button release?

UB
 
#35 ·
Big fan of what you did. Awesome job, very clean.
Thanks, UncleBuck!! I was just reading your contribution to the "What do you love about your FJ?" thread, and Toyota should snatch that up and make a TV commercial/promo ad out of it. Loved it!!


I like the shotgun mount. Where did you mount the button release?
For reasons of super-secret national security (and ensuring that nobody borrows my shotgun without leaving me a note), I won't disclose that here. (I'll drop you a PM.) However, it's in the vicinity of the dash where one can easily push the button with one hand while retrieving the shotgun with the other. Also, for additional security, the release button is wired so that it's only active with the ingnition ON.
 
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