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2010 Iceberg Build - Colorado Edition

18K views 44 replies 15 participants last post by  LoganFJ2011 
#1 · (Edited)
I have deemed that my FJ is finally in a stage of it's life (as of 2018) to warrant a build page :)

Introduction:
My name is John and I'm originally from St Louis MO and moved to Denver CO in 2016. My wife and I love everything outdoors and thus the move to CO. We are avid bikers and Moab is like a second home to us :) The FJ is our main exploration vehicle and with just the two of us it's the perfect-ish size.


Story behind the purchase:
I can tell you the exact date I fell in love with the FJ Cruiser... January 2006 @ the Detroit Auto Show. It was the Vodoo Blue 2007 ARB FJC that started it all for me. Since that moment I knew that I'd have an FJ in my life one day. From 2006-2009 I always kept the FJ in the back of my mind. Only a few years out of college, I was not quite at a point in my adult life where I had the financial means to purchase a $25K+ vehicle. So I got my fix with a 1993 Jeep Cherokee Sport 2-door. Not going to lie, I still miss the XJ to this day. Fast forward to mid-late 2009 and I was in a position to really think about buying an FJ. At this point in history (similar to the FJ buying landscape today in 2018) it was a only a few thousand dollar difference to buy a new FJ vs a used one. I stopped looking at pre-2009 FJ's and started shopping the dealer lots for 2010's. In early 2010 amidst the snow and crappy weather, my wife decided to go for a drive around the local Toyota dealers and stopped in at Lou Fusz of Kirkwood as they had a bunch of FJ's on the lot. Honestly, I didn't even know that in 2010 the FJ had gone thru some changes (I currently prefer 2010+ over the 2007-2009 versions), we just happened to like the full Iceberg color. They also had a Sandstorm Trail Team version on the lot that I absolutely loved but in the end my wife didn't prefer the color :( I still kick myself for not being more persuasive in that discussion but alas here we are with an FJ after 8 years of marriage :) That night, we drove our new Iceberg off the snowy lot to it's new home.

How did the mod bug strike?:
I'll try to keep this brief in (3) timelines...

2010-2013
The FJ stayed stock for around the first 3 years of it's life. We did purchase a professionally installed Hollandia 790 sunroof about a month or so into ownership (thread here). Other than that, the next biggest "mod" was the HID Retrofit headlights (see link below) and removing the black vinyl tape from around the door windows. I got my fill of FJ rowdiness with some fellow FJ'ers that are/were on this forum back in STL (fjrohrs and jbell = thanks guys for the inspiration). These guys had some built rigs and I got to ride along on some cool trails with them. The trails around MO are mostly tight trees and rock gardens so their FJ's typically saw some type of trail scar on every run... I was not ready to commit my FJ at that point.

2013-2016
Fast forward to 2013, I was able to purchase fjrohrs's ICON front coilovers / ICON billet UCAs and MT rear springs with ICON 2.0 shocks. They didn't go on the FJ for another year but I got time to think about the rest of the build and how I wanted to build the FJ. When it finally came time for new tires, the lift was ready to go on! Knowing that I still wasn't going to be too hard on the FJ, I went with a decent Falken Rocky Mountain AT2 (285/75/16) tire on the OEM wheels. The FJ was now lifted and the mod bug was officially biting at the wallet. The FJ stayed in this form (with an OEM roof rack on and off) for the next 3 years in STL.

2016-Current
Let's bring this up to 2019. We moved from STL to Denver in 2016 and the mod madness began! Driving around CO I saw the coolest rigs and learned what mods worked for this mountain state. To jump backward a moment, wheeling in STL consisted of tight, wooded trails with lots of rock features and thus the original build plan centered around maximum articulation... heim joints, uniballs, sway bar deletes. In CO now, the theme of the FJ has changed to exploration and *gulp* overlanding... let's not fixate on that word. Anyway, gone from the FJ now are fancy ICON billet UCAs with heims and uniballs and in their place are simple SPC UCAs with cheap/easy fix ball joints. The Metal Tech Long Travel rear kit as evolved from medium springs and ICON 2.0 shocks to a full blown Stage 6 kit w/ sway bar delete and ICON 2.5's w/ CDCV. Shortly after that came armor, nice steel armor. Bumpers, sliders, skids and misc protectant bits. Also, regretting the decision to not get the swingout version of the EXP1 rear bumper, I found some awesome rear carrier solutions for a jerry can and propane tank from refinedcycle.com (a FJC owner too, Craig Wheat). Finally, the Falken AT2's wore out after 4 years and I stepped up to some meaty shoes and new wheels. This meant the FJ looked and performed well enough to take the final plunge of badassery to remove all the fender flares and warrant this build page :)

What's the FJ's current purpose?
One word: exploration. It's my version of a solid built rig with a mixture of performance suspension parts and OEM style joints. Hopefully parts that require less maintenance and simpler trail replacement in case of breakage. Moreover, parts that keep NVH to a minimum. My wheeling criteria in CO is different. It's more about the marathon rather than the sprint. We are going longer distances on trails, more remote locations and less technical/tight lines. Don't get me wrong, the gnarly stuff still exists but there's a choice in terrain out here in CO that a dedicated super flexy, trail style rig is less of the focus for us... or maybe I'm just getting older and don't want to break stuff or deal with race car parts that make race car noises :) The FJ has an amazing hardshell RTT and stand alone awning now so that home is where we stop for the night. Again, it's part of the fascination that we can travel 1-6 hours in either direction of Denver over a weekend to see some amazing views and be self sufficient overnight or way longer.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?:
If you read anything above, ironically the answer to this question is going to be hypocritical... I would love to have a Total Chaos 2+ Long Travel up front or a SAS (I mean aren't all FJ owners supposed to say that want SAS one day, ha). Both of these options re-introduce flexy, complex, noisy components back onto the truck but wouldn't it be great to have either? I do truly want a flexier rig someday and maybe just removing the front sway bar could scratch that itch. Although the logical side of me knows that this is still a daily driver in the mountains and I am carrying a bunch of weight up top. To that end I still think a TC LT 2+ kit up front would be great. I think the MT long travel rear setup is bound to stay on for a while as it performs great. Who knows, if this is just going to be a wish list now maybe I'll just start typing words like...37's, a supercharger, an atlas t-case with tummy tuck skids, long tube headers, full stereo upgrade, (insert more words here).
 

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#38 ·
Just some recent shots from camping in Crested Butte.

Also trying our hand at pancakes on the skottle... propane tank holder from refinedcycle is proving invaluable :)
 

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#39 · (Edited)
Late night wheeling trip to Pole Hill Rd.
 

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#40 ·
5th Gen 4Runner "big brake" upgrade day at all 4 corners.
 

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#41 ·
Finally got some ECG 4.56's installed... way overdue with all the weight that's been going on the rig.
 

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