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The Big Blue Build

8K views 30 replies 7 participants last post by  Firemedic831 
#1 · (Edited)
I guess I've been around long enough and done enough to earn myself a build thread :bigthumb:
Picked her up in October 2015 with 105K miles on it. '07 Voodoo w/ Diff Lok (UPDATE: 205K miles Sept. 2023)

More to come!

Suspension/wheels:
-255/80R17 mix-n-match. lol
-Stock wheels
-SpiderTrax 1.25" wheel spacers
-BMC
-Wheelers Offroad bumpstops

Front:
-Light Racing UCA's W/ V2.0 sealed joints
-Walker Evan's 2.5 non-resi
-Eibach Shock Sox
-Total Chaos spindle gussets
-GX470 Big Brake kit conversion
-No sway bar

Rear:
-MT long travel springs
-Icon VS 2.0 shocks
-Resz Fab upper & lower links (Duroflex, now defunct company)
-Eimkeith weld-on PCK
-No sway bar

Armor:
-RCI steel skids - engine, trans & transfer case
-BudBuilt fuel tank skid Custom skid on LRA tank
-PureFJ sliders (refinished myltiple times & going strong)
-Lzalusky lower link cups
-Aluminum front LCA skids

Electronic:
-Lifetime LED headlights (Now defunct... not very "lifetime")
-Icom 2730 (Ham & GMRS)
-Kicker 8" shallow sub in OEM housing
-Pioneer bluetooth head unit w/ backup cam
-Diode Dynamics everything
-Hella Supertones
-Ultragauge MX-1.3
-LUX microMAX rock lights (a more mature removed them, rock lights are kinda silly...)
-Baja Designs Squadron Pro's on DBC cowl mounts
-Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15
-175W Renogy solar panel

Recovery:
-Lucrum hidden winch bumper
-Smittybilt XRC Comp 9.5 winch
-Iconic_ rear recovery shackle mounts

Performance:
-AFE cold air intake
-Stainless steel extended brake lines all around
-Marlin Taco Box dual transfer case (Install thread here)
-Marlin 4.7:1 competition gear set (23 spline)
-GX470 front & rear 3.91 differentials (to eliminate the problematic ADD actuator)
-Transmission cooler
-Poly motor mounts
-Poly transmission mounts (Custom Cross-member)
-CSF high flow all-aluminum radiator
-URD timing gears
-URD high pressure fuel pump w/ external filter
-NST lightweight pulleys and harmonic balancer

Exterior:
-TT bumper wings
-TT door handles
-Rad Rubber Designs splash guards
-Warrior full flat rack
-AVS window vents
-Iconic_ Rear WIY high clearance bumper (In the works!)

Interior:
-LED dome lights
-08+ side visors
-GZilla mini Mag mounts
-DIY heated seats
-Lighted door handles & pockets
-Clazzio napa leather seat covers
-8 Ball style shifter knobs
-5lb Purple K "BC" fire extinguisher on a Refined Cycle seat mount.

Other goodies:
-Bandi 1/2" body lift
-Disabled DRL's
-Custom drawer system w/ slide-out
-Fumoto oil valve
-Tuffy flip-up license plate winch mount
-Adventure Trail Gear G.A.R.B.
-Whynter 45 quart fridge/freezer.
-Long Range America tank 30 gallon (Modified down to 26 gallon...)
-CVT St. Helens hard shell (Now on custom M416 offroad trailer)
-Custom built M416 offroad trailer

Mods still in the box...
-N/A


First wheeling trip out. Found the FJ's cousin (with a 454 in it!)


The first round of suspension goodies! MetalTech Long Travel rear, and TJM lift struts with 650lb Eibach springs.



The first round of 285's (picked them up cheap used). Loved the Duratracs, but god they're expensive!


Lifetime LED headlight(s) installed. What a difference! I'd venture to guess 20-25% brighter than OEM.


New shoes! 285 kanati mud hogs. Dirt cheap (~$180/tire) and wicked tread, give them 7.5/10 after 5 months of use and several major snow storms.



The second round of front suspension goodies. Walker Evan's 2.5 coilovers (AllPro- discontinued) with 650lb springs and Light Racing adjustable control arms (set to +2.0°). Ditched the sway bars. Also added coil wraps for the winter, I hate NE salt...
 
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#6 ·
Just in case anyone is curious what an FJ looks like next to a Tiger Tank. Popped out of the woods on a test-n-tune wheeling trip in May and stumbled into a WWII re-enactment. The crew was nice enough to let me drive it!
 

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#7 ·
Got these sexy lights in the mail today! Having my DBC cowl mounts sand blasted and painted at work Friday. Should have it all on the truck this weekend, Including my new LUX rock lights...
 

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#9 ·
Got some more done this weekend. Plasti Dipped the grille and rims, installed my Lucrum hidden winch bumper, and got my Hella Super Tones installed.

Winch bumper and mirrors will get coated next weekend.

(Not FJ related, but also got my CCW :rocker: )
 

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#10 ·
Huge shout out to Northeast Overland for a wicked awesome Memorial Day weekend on their "Wicked Waterfall Ride". 4 days camping in Maine searching out some awesome waterfalls, hikes, and trails.
 

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#11 ·
It's been a busy summer so far. Haven't gotten as much done to the FJ as I'd like. But I did start my Mini-Me project :bigthumb: 1/10th Tamiya FJ body on a new SCX10 II rc chassis.
 

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#13 ·
Nothing new to report for the build beyond extended rear brake lines, I've had them in the box for a while now though.

Just returned from Maine with the Northeast Overland guys though (NortheastOverland.org) LINK - 180+ Pics of the trip
Ran their "Fall Foliage Tour" and would highly recommend it for anybody in New England.
The tan FJC on 35's towed a T@G trailer the whole trip, that was pretty cool.
And here's a short vid the guy in the white 4Runner shot of the trip
 

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#14 ·
Another trip up to Maine with Northeast Overland for their BBQ bash. Tooled around on their woods course, made the truck a little bit narrower and painted a tree in Voodoo Blue... DOH! Good times :bigthumb:
 

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#20 ·
It wasn't. haha. They wanted a short woods course on the property where we were having the BBQ but didn't want to be cutting trees down just for that, so we made it work... kinda. hahaha

White 4Runner was a close second for body damage, but walked away unscathed.
 

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#26 ·
Another Northeast Overland (NEO) trip in the books. 5th annual Christmas Tree Run. If you guys are ever up in Maine or look these guys up. They run several trips a year that are definitely worth checking out, everything from mild (the waterfall or foliage runs) to wild trips (MOTL). :bigthumb:Northeast Overland (LINK)
 

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#27 ·
Nothing too exciting to report today... But adding more fire extinguisher! Front seat floor mount from Refined Cycle came in. Looks quality! Just waiting on the extinguisher now and I'll install it all at once.
 

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#28 ·
Here's the fire extinguisher mounted @debFJVT . It took a little getting used to having something there, it was obnoxious the first couple days but now I don't even notice it. If you think that would be an issue for you and wanted a smaller profile a 2.5lb fire extinguisher is nearly 1.5" smaller in diameter.

Mounting was easy, I had to ream one mounting hole in the bracket about 1/4" but being aluminum a hand file and Dremel sander was plenty to do that (after talking with the owner of Refined Cycle I think this may have been a freak fitment issue. A+ customer service). I used the extinguisher holder that came with the extinguisher itself as it was a tighter fit with less movement than the one provided by Refined Cycle, save a couple bucks and order the bracket without a holder. The mounting holes in the holder matched the mounting holes in the bracket, must be a standard mounting type?

The extinguisher mounting holes in the Refined cycle bracket aren't centered either (by design I believe). This allowed me to flip the bracket and move the extinguisher left or right about 2" depending on mounting preference. And then the holder can be flipped too for even more adjustment. I might leave the bracket and flip the holder 180* so the extinguisher handle is towards the transmission hump, my left heel catches on it when I swing out of the truck sometimes and this would solve that.

Overall, I like it and would give it an 9/10 only due to the fitment issue. The safety factor of having a fire extinguisher within reach of the driver is greater than the (Pretty tiny) inconvenience it added. And that's more of a "getting used to it" inconvenience than anything else.
 

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#29 ·
Thanks for the info! Looks good. So you think a smaller dia extinguisher would intrude significantly less into left foot room? I agree - really important for the driver to have IMMEDIATE access and the rear cargo area is just too many seconds away. On X-country drives I need room to move my left foot around....but it's a worthy compromise!
 
#30 ·
So you think a smaller dia extinguisher would intrude significantly less into left foot room?
If you had a smaller diameter extinguisher, and flipped it so the handle is on the other end you'd have almost all the same room as without the extinguisher on the left foot side.
 
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