You certainly need to consider interior removal in your design and balance that with cage functionality. In my case, I considered installing tube clamps (like we used on the engine cage) on the dash cross-bar so that I could remove it. There are the two tubes that mount like this /\ and go from the halo cross-bar to the dash cross-bar. Although, after thinking this through I doubt I would ever be able to get the cross-bar back in once I removed it. I will not be able to remove all of the dash, but I will be able to remove enough so that I can service components behind the dash. In the even that the entire dash needs to come out I will need to cut the A pillars and the two dash bars /\ in order to remove the dash.
I have no idea how the structure of the dash is actually shaped or fixated to the body, but I'd rather design a way to cut the plastic then the metal!
Could you saw and then scab together the dash with a clever seam?
Headliner. Keep it or remove it is the big decision. For me, removing the headliner to gain additional room made a lot of sense.
Dome lights. There are two dome lights (middle and rear). If you choose to remove your headliner you need to think about a solution to add dome lights back.
Headliner speakers. There are two speakers in the headliner. If you choose to remove the headliner they go bye-bye.
Rear view mirror. The mounting point could very easily be covered up making it difficult to remount the stock mirror.
Sun visors. Even though I don't use them much, I do like to have them on bright and dusty days on the trail.
Silver dash HVAC vents. The A pillars block these and make it very difficult to remove.
Driver side glove box. Do you want a dash bar and do you want it to open with the cage in?
Passenger side glove box. The A pillar down tube will interfere with the opening and closing the glove box.
Driver/Passenger kick panels. The A and B pillars will make it more difficult to remove these panels.
Front doors. The plastic on inside of the front doors makes tube placement challenging. Trying to sneak a tube in-between the door and the seat was fun.
Stock sub-woofer. I opted to remove mine so we could bend the C pillar outward towards the body panels and gain a little more clearance in the cargo area. Now I need to sub-delete panels.
Front seat adjustment.
B pillar roof support. There is a large roof support at the B pillar directly above the door latch. We rebuilt this support with flat rolled steel in order to gain a few inches of clearance.
B pillar grab handle and mounts. We cut the sheet metal mounts off and ground them flat. We are building new A and B pillar grab handles out of .75" DOM tube. These will be directly attached to the cage.
C pillar. There is a rather large gap between the interior plastic and the outer halo tube. Jason filled this area in with pretty dimple die sheet metal plate on Todd's cage. I ran my headline down a little farther in the hopes that it looks OK without the filler plate. If not, I will do something to fill it in.
I have no idea how the structure of the dash is actually shaped or fixated to the body, but I'd rather design a way to cut the plastic then the metal!
Could you saw and then scab together the dash with a clever seam?
My hope is that if the dash ever comes out it's because I have decided to pull all the body panels in preparation for the install of my new Ftoy chassis. Let me know if you figure out that plastic cutting and seaming process.
One way to do the mirror. It retains the factory "stem" portion. I cut off the base of that, and drilled a couple holes to fit into the collar (Kartek).
Unfortunately it was an inch or two short. I had forgotten the basics of refraction while doing it. So the view behind me looks down towards the ground a bit, but you can still use it
My hope is that if the dash ever comes out it's because I have decided to pull all the body panels in preparation for the install of my new Ftoy chassis. Let me know if you figure out that plastic cutting and seaming process.
I was imagining just cutting it in the middle with a reciprocating saw, sanding the edges a bit and then covering the cut with a piece of thin 1 inch wide aluminum strip with little screws along the edges fixing it into the plastic. That way you could back out the screws, lift of the aluminum and remove the dashboard in two pieces by opening it like a pair of barn doors (after detatching it where ever else it fixates...). Since I have never been behind the dashobard, I can only guess at the practicality.
An F-Toy eh? ...You're foreshadowing ahead several chapters.
Speaking entirely hypothetically, what of the FJ Cruiser do you envision would be useful to you on a subsequent F-Toy build? Assuming that you're not looking to have BOTH the FJC and the crawler...
I'm sure you'd want those axles. What else? Would you use the V6 engine? How about the stock automatic transmission and your transfer case setup?
An F-Toy eh? ...You're foreshadowing ahead several chapters.
More of a pipe dream at this point. I think it would be cool (but completely fiscally irresponsible(more so then I've already been )) to have a non-spec, non-comp legal 4-seat chassis made for the FJC frame. I cannot see going that far with an FJC. To be honest, I am just about done. The one remaining item on my list of thing to-do is make the top removable. However, that project, if it happens, will not be this year. I've reached the point where I am thrilled with how my FJC has turned out, I now need to start using it. I have a full summer of wheeling planned, so no major mods are in the pipeline.
However, that project, if it happens, will not be this year. I've reached the point where I am thrilled with how my FJC has turned out, I now need to start using it. I have a full summer of wheeling planned, so no major mods are in the pipeline.
What you want to drive the rig you've been modding.
__________________ NUFC
Rig
Black Diamond M/T,Custom XM Inno mount ,Bandi antenna mount/ Yaesu FT-7800r, 4 Piece Budbuilt Skids(still need the gas tank skid), OME 886/895, All-Pro upper and lower links, Procomp 7089, Procomp Extreme M/T's, Project Overkill rails,
I like how you said you were shopping for jack stands and said you couldn't find any so you just made some yourself. Dude, do you know how bad I wish I could say "I just made some jack stands" and have them look like that?! My version would have been a 2X6 board cut into 20 pieces and stacked on top of each other. And the cuts wouldn't even have been straight either.
Awesome work on the FJ, I can't wait to see the finished product!
What you want to drive the rig you've been modding.
I have owned it for 2 years as of Apr 6, 2008. It has 12,400 miles on the ODO and 99% or those were put on when it was still IFS. I have driven it a little more than 200 miles since June 18th of 2007. It has spent ~1 year of it's life up on jack stands or in a shop somewhere getting something done.
So... YES I want to wheel my FJC. I will look like this, when I get to wheel it next.
30 yrs ago) 350 Chevy V8 Conv., 4Spd GMC Truck Tranny, (IT BURNTUP)
I think it would be cool (but completely fiscally irresponsible(more so then I've already been 
I have driven it a little more than 200 miles since June 18th of 2007. 
It has spent ~1 year of it's life up on jack stands or in a shop somewhere getting something done.
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