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Polishing a shiny turd

99K views 390 replies 49 participants last post by  Turbokidd 
#1 · (Edited)
Current Mileage: 190k

Future plans (am i getting ahead off myself?)
√ Replace all fluids with synthetic
√ Gas/water can carrier
√ Long travel
√ Cam tab, shock tower
Engine mount gussett
Trans cooler

Engine
√ Amazonbasics/KIRKLAND full synthetic high mileage 5w-30
OEM oil cooler mod
Derale 13249 power steering cooler with PSC reservoir
√ Magnuson supercharger
√ URD Ucon
√ Denso VKH22 Super Tough Iridium
√ Ripp coil plugs
√ Wix air filter

Suspension/Wheels/Brakes
√ Wheels: Titan T-AK1 17x8.5 -8
√ Tires: bfg km3 39x13.5 r17
√ JD fab lower pivot kit
√ Locked off-road hydraulic bump front
√ Wheelers bumpstops rear
√ King 2.5x8 LT coilovers with CSS rear springs +.5" 205 lb-in
√ ZerosFJ coilover covers
√ JD Fabrication Long Travel +4
√ Whiteline adjustable panhard
√ 2" Bulletproof Offroad hubcentric wheel spacers (rear)
√ RR Racing--Wilwood Aero6 DS 6 piston calipers with BP-20 pads
√ EBC slotted rotors (front)
√ Centric Stoptech pads (rear)
√ Centric Premium rotors 120.44128
Addco 2301 7/8" rear sway bar
Centric Brake shoes

Interior
√ Recaro Expert/Sparco side brackets/Planted base mount
√ Sparco 350mm rally wheel/NRG slim mount hub/10mm spacer
√ RAM mount tab holder
√ Joying 8" android head unit
√ 2.5 lb Halon fire extinguisher (driverside mount)
√ 2.5 lb All purpose fire extinguisher (trunk mount)
√ OEM JL subwoofer
√ ARB twin air compressor to 3 gallon air tank
√ RTIC 45qt cooler


Exterior
√ Factory fender removal
√ Trailer Products front fenders/McNeil Racing rear fenders
√ Scuba Mod
√ Billy Drake prerunner bumper
√ Philips h4 ultinon led
√ 4x Baja Designs LP4

Armor
√ BudBuilt skids to custom tuck
√ RCI gas tank skid
√ Iconic fab charcoal canister skid
Amp Research power steps

Removed
Bluetooth adapter
Coverking seat covers
Demello sliders
RCI skids
9" round led
Rocksteady aluminum skids
16x8 -25 wheels
315/75R16 Goodyear Duratrac
Toyman gussetted spindle
Allpro UCA
EBC Green Stuff 7000 pads (front)
EBC slotted rotors (front)
Method Roost 17x8.5
7" Lightforce HID driving lamps
Sparco Pro 2k

10/22
Tire Sky Wheel Grille Vehicle


2/20
1159637


10/20/18


9/8/18


7/12/17
 
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#2 · (Edited)
10/7/16
Here's a picture from the Autotrader ad. Yes, I'm sentimental.



I got some SCS F5 from fellow member Laobron. Stand up guy to deal with. These are 16x8 3.5BS. Mounted some 295/75 on there. Probably a little bigger than I should have gone with but out of aesthetics, the 295 looked more in proportion than 285. Also I like the ground clearance.
Hankook Dynapro 295/75


12/10/2016
Attempted to fit 295. Caster could be adjusted but a solid body karate chop will due for now. Removed and relocated fender flares to trash receptacle.




12/14/2016
I don't know how people removed their fender trim. Ended up hacking it up for the front and rear to keep the plastic door trim flowing and the same theme. I haven't had time to finish the driverside. Also, I know it's doing the lean in the front, but going to wait for proper suspension.






12/27/16
AFE exhaust install. Hi-Tuck model in 2.5" as I wasn't looking for a loud increase BUT I was looking for straighter piping unlike the stock which has lots of dents in the piping for clearance. Also hoping the straighter flow of piping might allow the engine to expel the exhaust gases more efficiently.



12/28/16
FJToymanoffroad.com gussetted spindles. Replaced the haggard gaskets National Oil Seal PN#710573 and Toyota o-ring PN#90301-92003
Kind of a jump in mods. I knew I wanted to upgrade the front end so I ordered these with rear shock skids from FJtoyman but there's a core charge so I had to get it on sooner than later.





1/6/17
Skids by RCI. I had these from their recent group buy and was lagging to put them on. Finally made time to mount up. Also lubed the driveshaft while i was down there. Bottom side stouter than a pint of Guinness!
Mileage:119k


1/13/17 Demello. Installing hybrid sliders



 
#3 · (Edited)
1/28/17 The build continues. Finished a no name 10lb co2 tank. Used on 1/29/17 and super happy with it. In the future I plan to carry an impact wrench so for emergency situations.


2/2/17 Baja flat rack. Can't wait to have a future RTT. It's my dream to tour across with my girlfriend. Also, my rack mounts are questionable at the moment. I'm using basket rack mounts which are lower flat utility mounts. If you ever need more clearance, this is the go-to. My air dam touches my roof at the moment. Currently cutting up spacers. Will update.



2/7/17 Stant locking cap installed No more siphon pirates allowed!

2/9/17 Changed oil at 122k with Castrol full synthetic 5w30. Not sure what was last in it. Current avg mpg is 16.5mpg

2/10/17 Installed ram mounts with a 10" tablet for a map source. Gaia Maps works awesome! Also good for entertainment for the passenger.



Hitting the mule Canyon/Phillips loop trail in Calico 2-11-17


2/17/17 Rainy days here in so cal so I thought I would start planning out my gas/water situation. Looking at adding about 140 lbs of weight on the rear door. Bad idea? Probably, but I'm not planning on a rear swing out. And Rotopax carriers aren't my preference. I've had a bad experience with poly gas cans expanding in the sun and when going to deserts at 120* it's not something you want to worry about.


2/21/17 this just happened! I need to have tower, cam tabs and engine mounts gussetted. May just get that done before the shiny stuff.


2/22/17 Couldn't wait. +.5" CSS springs, 10% stiffer.


Sitting there wrenching my life a quarter turn at a time. Install tip Have an angled ratcheting wrench set. 19mm for these. Would have gone much faster and made life easier.


FJ Toyman Shock Skid. One of the best thought out designs for a shock skid (IMO) compared to what the others are putting out for the same price.


3/11/17 These orange boots ain't made for walking


3/12/17 Rear gas mount mod to a Olympic 4x4 rotopax mount



3/23/17 Whiteline Panhard. Thrust angle is barely off, but I'm a bit of a stickler for those things. If you're into cars and driving fast, you might know Whiteline. Many people use them for HPDE/solo/rally cross because they're solid and budget friendly. Weighed in at 12.6lbs. Stock is 12.2lbs.



3/29/17 Rotopax gas can mount fitted and base plate fabbed. Extra 10 gallons!



4/10/17 Replaced the front and rear diff fluids with Shaeffer Manufacturing parasynthetic 75w-90 @127kmiles. Finally finished rear scuba mod! So easy and I don't know why I waited lol.

4/25/17 Installed limit straps on the front. But I think it needs another .25" adjustment. For now it's fine, I just want something to aid the droop, not cut out the travel completely.
 
#4 ·
Im sure most of those worries are forum based. I assure you once you get it out there you will be pleased. Dont feel the need to throw a bunch of parts at it until you try it out!
Interested to see the build! Welcome aboard.
 
#5 ·
Agreed^^^ Don't worry the FJC is quite sufficient out of the box for what 98% of people do. What you see on the forum is what 2% of people do with their FJ. IMO spindle gussets aren't needed unless you are hitting curbs at 40 mph, OE rear lower links will get you by on moderate trails, and even skids IMO are optional with a lift and decent driving, even while rock crawling.

Don't be afraid to wheel it in its current condition to get a feel for what it can do.

Just trying to give you some advice before you spend your hard earned $$.

Can't wait to see what you do with it! :)
 
#6 ·
I came from a land rover that didn't really need much from factory to conquer most California trails. Realistically, I don't have time to upkeep an old vehicle . But after getting the FJ, I feel like so many parts need reinforcing. Weak spindles, control arms/links, skids, fender ripping, elocker that doesn't lock etc. Please don't think I'm bashing the FJ, i feel like there's so much from the factory that needs attention.
My advice would be to try the FJ on some of the trails you want to run first. A stock FJ can do every trail but Poughkeepsie (which the main issue is ground clearance) at FJ Summit, and I've run Traildamage rated 4/5 difficulty trails here in Colorado with factory FJ's that still have the dealer plates on them.

There are two types of people who build their FJ's like you're talking about: the ones that want to use their skidplates to get over obstacles, and the ones that want to have the skidplates there in case they mess up and hit an obstacle. For the trails you're doing, which are they: equipment or insurance?

As for fenders ripping and your e-locker not working, (a) they fixed the fender bulging in the 2010+ trucks and (b) the e-lockers take a bit of back and forth sometimes to get locked. Not to say that yours can't be broken, but odds are it isn't unless the previous owner did something stupid to it. For the level of trails you say you're doing, you should never need the locker. Does your truck have an ATRAC button? If not, get that and enable ATRAC. I wheel some of the hardest trails here in Colorado and have used my rear locker 5 times: ATRAC is that good.
 
#9 ·
My advice would be to try the FJ on some of the trails you want to run first. A stock FJ can do every trail but Poughkeepsie (which the main issue is ground clearance) at FJ Summit, and I've run Traildamage rated 4/5 difficulty trails here in Colorado with factory FJ's that still have the dealer plates on them.
We even had one completely bone stock FJ make it up the wall this year. Didn't meet the driver but met someone in his group and I guess the guy was a really experienced driver and they were in an FJ they borrowed from their friends.:bigthumb:
 
#7 ·
I feel like the FJ has so many shortcomings as an stock vehicle. Or I guess you could say potential to be positive. :grin
I have a 1990 4runner setup as a pretty legit. Baja rig, which is my basis for comparison. Off the lot, even without proper tires my FJ is really impressive and can even do some things my "prerunner" can't do when it comes to crawling type activities.

Every vehicle has it's limitations, modified or not and the more you modify a rig, the narrower it's application becomes. As a novice, I find my stock FJ gets me over the gnarly washed out NorCal roads I can find an excuse to drive. . . but it wouldn't like the black diamond trails at Hollister Hills SVRA without more ground clearance. That ground clearance can be had without getting too crazy ;)

- Robot
 
#8 ·
I have basically the same setup you, but I leveled the front with Bilstein 5100's and run 285/70/17 tires. I ran some pretty rocky trails this past weekend and never scraped once. On the rocky hill climbs, I used 4 low with atrac engaged and had no problems at all. I never used my locker. I understand what you are saying, but these FJ's are very good off road. Even my friends with Rubicon's agree.
 

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#12 ·
A lot of good advice piling up here but what needs to be said with this and threads like http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/general-discussion/511034-terrible-ice-snow.html is that the FJ is a tool and is only as good as the driver who wields it.
Ive seen heavily modified FJ's get stuck where a stock FJ had just passed, just a few months ago I saw Tarver King fight his way out of a deep mud hole in a stock FJ with worn all season tires. (all the other FJ's present declined and did the work around).
The
The FJ is an amazing vehicle and can make up for many driver short comings but in the end its only as good as the person behind the wheel.
 
#13 ·
I think my initial post was taken a bit too serious. The FJ is very capable. If I didn't have the experience or capability, I probably wouldn't go through all this just to see the vehicle transform into something ideal for myself. I've driven 4runners extensively but have plenty of drivetime with the 120 platform.

I very much agree with everyone's advice. I see others making so many changes to their vehicles and some of us go too far down that rabbit hole. I'm not planning to go down that path. If I can bolt it on between lunch breaks at work, maybe I can swing it but I don't have time or space for a trailer queen. :shinner:
 
#19 ·
As she sits right now. I'll be honest, this took a good couple mornings to do. At no point did I feel I couldn't drive my FJ, so I was relieved since I don't want a "project" vehicle sitting in the driveway. BMC done by cutting relief cuts in the mount and just need to weld her back up. Also I wanted to keep the door trim even all the way across. I chopped the front/rear fender flare to maintain the line. As for the front rake, I'm going to wait it out for proper suspension. In the past, I've always asked for advice and got different opinions. I realized it's best to research, wait it out and make the proper purchase. Otherwise, I end up leveling it, spending twice and getting the coilovers I originally wanted.

 
#20 ·
Personally I like the rake, but a lot of people seem to want to level it for some reason. I like that I can load it up and still be near level, rather than shining my headlights in everybodies eyes.
 
#22 ·
Good! You realized i don't take much of this building seriously. This is more of a recollection of things I've done to the vehicle and hopefully others that are in my same boat can find it useful. For example, when I searched people with 16x8 -25 offset on the FJ. Only Tacoma Tundra threads showed up. The closest was 16x8 -13 with smaller tires on the "boontoolies" FJ. It was extremely helpful at the time so if anyone is interested, maybe my useless blabbering may confirms someone's idea.
 
#23 · (Edited)
AFE exhaust on today. You can see that the stock exhaust looks a bit more complex than the AFE. Not sure if AFE took everyone's advice from 2008 but I read there was fitment issues with hitting the rear crossmember. I did not have those issues. Although they could have made the rear axle half a bit more solid, but it feels pretty tight once the 2.5" clamp connector is on. By the way, I kept with the 2.5" piping. I think stock is 2.3 inches. Not expecting any gains other than keeping things out of the way. If you know about exhausts, you're bound to crack something eventually if you like to use your exhaust as a slider when wheeling, it acts like a huge lever. If you think that's cool, good for you, but I've learned plenty from my ricer days of building a proper exhaust for clearance and how easy it can be to create leaks or crack manifolds. I love the FJ more and more as I dive into her. Hope you guys don't mind all the posts. Been waiting on some oil seal gaskets, but tomorrow I'll tackle the gussetted spindles.


 
#24 ·
..... I love the FJ more and more as I dive into her. Hope you guys don't mind all the posts.....
Good to hear!
I look forward to seeing your new additions and modifications! :rocker:
:cheers:
 
#25 ·
1/6/17
Skids by RCI. I had these from their recent group buy and was lagging to put them on. Finally made time to mount up. Also lubed the driveshaft while I was down there. I had a slight vibration accelerating from a stop and it seemed be almost gone with the driveshaft lube. BUT found a leak in the power steering, maybe an aged hose.

Cheers. Bottom side stouter than a pint of Guinness!
Mileage:119k
 

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#27 · (Edited)
1/9/17
Ordered kings with heavier 600lb front and 205lb rear springs. I heard king is slow with build to order stuff. I hope not!!

1/15/17
No one takes my picture because I'm usually anchor


Not an FJ but it's a Toyota :grin:
 
#29 ·
Thanks for following along! I figured people were taking me a bit serious with the thread title and that I probably should just keep this to major updates or something important to say :lookaround: But thanks for the good words and if you have any suggestions on any build parts or install advice, please do so. Ie. "James you haven't done the scuba mod. Are you biggest poser mobile that only crosses puddles at the Krispy Kreme car meets?" That's quite possible! But I prefer my donuts in the 33" variety :lol:
 
#31 · (Edited)
Scuba mod still not completed :lol. I'll bolt on my dz ladder tomorrow and continue on with the gas can rigging. Picking up some jerry cans. Building is gonna take a back seat as I drive up the PNW next week up to Vancouver and get some sightseeing in. But I'll be sticking to two jerry cans for 10gallons... About 90lbs on the rear spare mount. I'm confident it'll hold it. Not sure about an additional water jug mount. That's an additional 50 lbs for 5gallons. But maybe I'll reduce to a 2.5gallon to decrease weight. Then again, it'll be nice to have access to 15 gallons of fuel....?

Things awaiting install (not in order)
×Roof rack spacers (need paint)
×Dz ladder
×3rd overhead dome light
×Side sun visors
×Sun spot corrector (rear view mirror)
×Scuba mod
×Fluid replacements
Rear links and skids
×Jerry can mount
3rd can mount fabrication

 
#32 · (Edited)
So I just got back from the PNW. Glad to say mileage stay consistently around 15-17mpg. Although when I hit OR, I started to notice the tank "topped off" but I was consistently a bit less than when I fill up personally. I usually fill 1/3 gallon more at least so when I had someone else fill my tank, I wasn't used to it. Sorry OR, I think I do a better job topping off my gas :grin:

Before I left, my suspension came in and I was getting those in so I could have them settle in. I didn't get to my gas can carrier, but started working on that this week. Chopped and gave it the ol' BFH treatment. Tomorrow, I'll drill the holes at work in our workshop for the 6-5.5 pattern. I just held it up to the spare through the backing and marked the two holes necessary. The bottom hole seemed to match up fine and the mount seems to sit straight, exactly in the middle of the spare's hub hole. Also need to pick up some a metal plate to bolt the Blitz can mounts too. I'll try and weigh everything and keep anyone updated how it effects the rear door.

Rear gas mount mod to a Olympic 4x4 rotopax mount.









 

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#33 ·
I was hoping to improve ride quality after my recent install of new suspension. Not only to drive comfortably daily but on the trails. Previously i had removed my sway bars. One of my favorite "mods" and it's free! The FJ would eat up bumps for breakfast, lunch and dinner :grin.

But the car was exhibiting so much roll in the corners on and off road. Even on new coilovers with an increased spring rate, with the new higher center of gravity. Driving faster, this causes unsettling of the suspension and when you want response, you need the car to plant itself and go where you tell it. Enter the disconnect swaybar endlinks with OEM sway bar. This is just first half of the equation. I'll be changing the rear to a currie adjustable set up for improved oversteer and understeer balance.

Other small changes: fumoto drain valve 103N model shortened to spec, fresh castrol full synthetic 5w30, and switched diff fluid from unknown to schaeffer manufacturing 75w90 (gomack certified for big rigs/semi trucks).
 

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#34 · (Edited)
Maintenance day.

Replaced Diff T-Axle seals: Toyota PN#90311-47027 Type-T Axle Shaft Oil Seal (LH) and PN#90311-47013 Type-T Axle Shaft Oil Seal (RH)

First axle diff seals. Ugh. Lots of work but hoping my leaky diff probs go away. I found the easiest way to remove axles was hammer those nubs on the axle with a large screw driver.

I hadn't changed my transfer case fluid so I changed it from unknown brand to Schaeffer manufacturing 75w-90 to match my other gear oil. @129k miles

Installed Moog sway bar bushings and tie rod ends. It was $8 for thermoplastic d- bushings. Much stiffer than OEM. Not sure that's good or bad yet. My car is turning more colorful every mod though :grin:

Tomorrow, alignment.

To do list:
Hit the trails
Hayden trans and power steering coolers
Hit the trails
Coil tower and cam alignment tab reinforcement
Hit the trails

Not in this exact order but no time line in the mods. Just want to drive :roller:
 

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#36 ·
Thanks deb! I have total chaos coil tower buckets. I'm sure you've seen them but they're welded to both sides of the tower tying the upper control arm bolt in a solid structure. Toyota should had done this in the first place in my opinion. I was going to get a welder, maybe a mig but decided it's better to ask a fabricator to do it much better than I could.



I order Schaeffer from Amazon. I think it's $13/qt shipped which is fine with me since gear oil brands are limited in stores. I used Redline gear oils in the past but they're very top shelf and I don't need all that performance. Also Schaeffer is a semi- synthetic if that matters.
 
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