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Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...(silkyslimibehim)

6K views 34 replies 18 participants last post by  diggity 
#1 ·
Now that I have your attention, I've had my stock Voodoo Blue for just over a year now and finally have been able to start mods. I simply can't stand having a vehicle preciely like anyone else's. I didn't plan this post out when I started a few weeks ago so let's see if I can do this from memory:

First, a pic of the (relatively) brand new FJ:



First mods were to install a TRD CAI and TRD Exhaust (and clean up the engine with Simple Green):





Here's how the engine usually looks on the weekend:



Yes, I like it loud. And yes, I do know what this does to the HP and MPG lift of the intake. The cover goes back on when I hit the highway.

Next was a passenger side armrest and two cargo nets. We'll skip those pics. But there was an intense cleansing inside and out:






I know it's odd posting those pics in a build post but you should have seen it before!

Next was supposed to be ARB sliders which I found cheap in black to be stripped and rubbed down with Scotchbrite so they'll match the wheels, door handles, etc. Unfortunately, one showed up bent pretty good and I just got my replacements on Wednesday so that is this weekend's project.

On Monday, I got my Aries bull bar:





Yes, she does appear to be a tad crooked. I guess that's what happens when I get assistance from my bro AFTER his daily appearance at the local bar. I'll straighten this out over the weekend as well.

Now for the reason you probably looked at my post (thanks for reading so far or at least scrolling down this far): notice the lack of roof rack above. I dropped it off last Friday to get painted/powder coated white. I should have it back from the shop and bolted on by Wednesday so stay tuned!
 
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#2 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

How do you like the TRD cold air?? Notice any diffrence from stock? MPG, Sound?? I'm curious because I just ordered one.
 
#6 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

I have noticed a bit of a boost in MPG and HP. CAIs are great as long as you can keep your foot off the floor. But stomp on it with the cover off one time and you may be hooked on the ridiculous growl.

No extra speakers - that's my cordless inflator. No one is ever in the back seat so I stow it there and keep the back open for storage when needed.

I think my filter is good. It's only been there for about three weeks. Thanks for the observation.
 
#7 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Welcome, JDub. I can't wait to see that white roof rack, it oughta look cool on that VooDoo!:)
 
#8 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

White roof rack, Now that's different. I can't wait to see how that looks. I'm sure you'll get some guy's on here that'll blast you about that,but remember 1 thing- It's your truck. So far so good. Are you going to lift??
 
#11 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Are you going to lift??
Thinking about it but I'm pretty ignorant on the subject. Is there a recommended height? I'd like to throw some bigger tires on it too once I finish balding these.
 
#10 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

What does taking off the cover of the TRD intake do??

It's a lot louder but you lose most if not all MPG gains.
 
#12 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Funny Since I have a tough time keeping my foot out of it I have never really noticed any MPG gains with the CAI.
 
#13 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Sorry all, apparently the painting is done but the actual powder coating was supposed to go down today. I think I can get it back tomorrow and I will definitely post pics of the white rack if that is the case.

On another note, the sliders are still a work in progress. I'm trying to figure out a way to remove the black powder coat myself without paying 100 bucks a pop to have it done. I did a little research and found some chemicals that may work but if anyone has done this, please let me know.
 
#14 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Sorry all, apparently the painting is done but the actual powder coating was supposed to go down today. I think I can get it back tomorrow and I will definitely post pics of the white rack if that is the case.
Whoa :popblood:

On another note, the sliders are still a work in progress. I'm trying to figure out a way to remove the black powder coat myself without paying 100 bucks a pop to have it done. I did a little research and found some chemicals that may work but if anyone has done this, please let me know.
bang it on some rocks :grinbiginvert:
 
#19 · (Edited)
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

im anxious to see how this is gonna look.. i was just putting a pic of my fj into adobe and turning certain things white.. im considering doing the silver accents, white. i think im going with white wheels too. i have the titanium fj and im putting black projectors in...i think those, with the black accents and the black roof rack will look pretty sweet... and i think the if i turn the silver accents white .. it may end up looking really really cool. ... i like to play around with the photo in adobe first tho and make sure.. before i make any rash decisions ;)

well.. i finished playing around with it.. i think ive decided to only do the side mirrors.. the wheels and the part around the head lights in white... everything else is staying the same.. looks nice in silver bec i have the titanium fj. but the other parts in white look great with the roof :)
 
#20 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - The white roof rack is imminent...

Well the white rack is not quite so imminent as I thought. The powder coating is done but if you have ever taken the rack completely apart you know there are a whole bunch of plastic parts which have to be painted. Anyway, the shop doing the work was sent the wrong paint so I have an outside shot of getting it back today, maybe not until early next week. That would make it about 2 1/2 weeks of me driving around with painter's tape on the roof. It makes a lovely whistling sound at 70mph. In any event, as soon as they are done I will post pics. I'm starting to feel like the news broadcasters who keep teasing the same segment which of course doesn't get shown until about 11:57pm. Stay tuned... Midnight is just around the corner.
 
#21 ·
Finally, three weeks, several hundred bills and three hours of reinstall later I have my white roof rack. IMHO, it looks fan-freakin'-tastic but feel free to say otherwise. I do not highly recommend removing and replacing the roof rack EVER though. I ran into the same problems many others have detailed here. That included having to partially remove the headliner because two of the bolt "receivers" became dislodged and lost in space. Also, don't ask where I got this done. The shop did awesome work but the owner made me promise not to tell anyone who did it since it was a major pain in the rear for him. This from a guy who used to paint stock cars for a living. It wouldn't be bad at all if the entire rack was actually metal and could therefore be powder coated. Instead there are lots of plastic parts. Anyway, check out the pics. The paint matches the powder coat ridiculously well.







 
#27 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - Part Deux (Return of the White Rack)

It does look kinda cool and different but........how's the paint gonna hold up if you have to use it?
Well, like I said the guy who did it used to paint stock cars for a living and he did a lot of research to get it right. That's why the paint cost $150 a quart (not that you always get what you pay for - see $4 gas). Anyway, it should hold up just fine. But you do make a fair point - this is not a job where you can just get by on Krylon.
 
#24 ·
Re: Crack's FJ - Part Deux (Return of the White Rack)

That's different.....I think I like it.
 
#28 ·
I think it looks very cool - different is good in my book. I did the mini mee 1/2 stock rack conversion and am very pleased with the result. I too had some major issues with the dang locktite on the bolts - had to get very creative to get them all out without damage, but it was a close call...

thanks for sharing the pics - definitely unique - good for you!
 
#29 ·
Looks nice! That's the first white roof rack I have seen. Chris
 
#30 · (Edited)
The Crack Build Part III

First of all let me say, do not try this at home. Although I can definitely say I earned my sliders. I found a fantastic deal on ARB sliders a while back although they were powdercoated black instead of silver like I wanted. Smart guy that I am, I say how hard can it be to strip these things? Well, now I know why dude wanted to charge 150 a piece. I found some airplane (yes, I said it) stripper at an auto parts store and it worked like magic. Some elbow grease was required but the first slider was done fairly easily:



Unfortunately, the stuff can only be used when the temp is above 70 so I had to take a break when winter arrived. Once it warmed up, I couldn't find the same stuff. I found a different brand though - much weaker. I'm hypothesizing someone killed himself using the strong stuff and they had to weaken the formula. Anyway, after four sprayings of the new stuff on slider 2 (including one left overnight) along with much scraping it was not looking good:





Finally, we had to give up and power grind the rest off, followed by a rubdown with Scotchbrite and four coats of clear. Whew! What a way to spend a weekend.



Next it was time for a tire and wheel upgrade - American Racing Fuel Black wheels and 285/70 Nitto Terra Grapplers.







 
#33 ·
not sure about the chrome color sliders ...
That's actually just the raw steel painted with clear. We were going for a brushed look.
 
#32 ·
now i know that powdercoat on those ARB sliders i have isn't coming off with a slight brush on a rock, haha.
 
#34 ·
You gotta get that baby up into the air a little bit. Call the guys at Toytec. They will hook you up right! :bigthumb:
 
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