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Ghost FJ Build

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Loganbeere

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Premium Member
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1,895 Posts
Discussion Starter • #1 • (Edited)


MY BACKGROUND
I always wanted an FJ since I saw a Voodoo Blue when they first came out. Just thought they were neat looking vehicles but I wasn’t aware of their off-road capabilities. Fast forward a few years and I was in a place financially to buy one. I had been lurking in and learning from this forum for a year during my search. I finally pulled the trigger and purchased my new to me FJ Cruiser on July 18, 2015. I ended up with an Iceberg because my wife liked this color the best. It's my first off road vehicle and it's been a blast to mod, daily drive and take it off the beaten path. Daily life takes up most of my time including work, my wife and my young daughter but as a weekend warrior I do all the modifications myself and get out there when I can. Thanks for following along.

STARTING POINT:
This was the day I bought it: July 2015



SPECS: 2013 Iceberg 4x4 AT stock, bought used from Carmax with about 20k on the odometer with the convenience package and most importantly the Rear diff locker. Originally a WA state vehicle.

BUILD TIMELINE PICS:


CURRENT:


I decided to name my FJ "Ghost" from Game of Thrones. "Ghost" is one of six direwolf pups that are found by the children of House Stark. He is adopted and raised by Jon Snow. Ghost is an albino with white fur and red eyes. Though he was the runt of the litter when he was born, he quickly grew to be as big as the rest of his siblings.



BUILD LIST

BUMPERS/ARMOR:


LIGHTS:

  • PIAA 520's crystal ion fog lights x 2 (front bumper)
  • 22" 120W spot/flood CREE LED lightbar (front bumper)
  • 5" 18W CREE LED flood flush mount x 2 (rear bumper)

WINCH/RECOVERY:


EXTERIOR:


INTERIOR:



UNDER THE HOOD:


ELECTRICAL MODS:


COMMUNICATIONS:

  • All-pro CB antenna Bandi mount
  • 3' firestick CB antenna (black)
  • Midland 75-822 CB radio

SUSPENSION:


TIRES/WHEELS:

CAMPING/OVERLANDING GEAR:


MAINTENANCE:

  • Engine Oil: Mobile 1 Synthetic 0W20 6.4Qt/ OEM oil filter every 5K miles
  • Transmission Flush: Toyota WS ATF every 50K miles
  • Gear oil (front diff, transfer case, rear diff): Redline Severe Gear Oil 75w90 every 30K miles
  • 5 tire rotation every 5K miles
TRAILS AND PICS:

REMOVED MODS:
[STRIKE]

  • NFAB nerf bars
  • Stock roof rack
  • ViperMax winch
  • Toytec Ultimate Lift kit
  • Fox 2.0 rear shocks with resi/adjusters
  • SAW rear springs 1.5"
  • Front facing camera
  • Hella supertones horns
  • Mastercraft Courser MXT tires
  • Cover King seat covers
  • SPC LR UCA
  • Bajarack full mesh rack
[/STRIKE]
 
Loganbeere

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Premium Member
Joined
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1,895 Posts
Discussion Starter • #2 • (Edited)
Mod Highlights

Adding the Dashpod...cutting this square with a dremel was nerve-racking. Measure twice cut once. Some think it's useless but I find myself using the temp and compass often.

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/interior-exterior-visual-tech/83917-dash-pod-gauges-install-w-pics.html)







Android Head unit installed. Ordered directly from Carjoying's website (https://www.carjoying.com/).



Replaced the OEM usb/aux port with this one (https://www.sonicelectronix.com/item_68608_Axxess-AX-USB-35EXT.html?utm_source=ebayenterprise&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=43737&utm_source=ebayenterprise&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=43737). Works well.



GPS antenna placed here hidden under the dash pod cover. Strong GPS signal in this location.





Round 1 Suspension lift: Toytec Ultimate Lift and SPC light racing UCA and a set of used SAW 1.5” rear springs





Round 1 Tires: Mastercraft Courser MXT LT285/70/17 Load E tires mainly for the aggressive mud terrain tread pattern, good reviews and also they are one of the lighter MT’s on the market (56lbs each). Made in America by Cooper tires. Only draw back is the 2-ply sidewalls. I have had 18K miles on these now, with every 5k mile rotation. They are wearing well and I expect to get about 35-40K miles on them. Road noise was minimal at first but is more noticeable now. Soft, smooth ride on road and does pretty well offroad





Front Bumper: Decided to go with a tube winch bumper to save on front end weight. Went with Trailworx Fabrication which looks better in my opinion with the option of the 3 hoop evil eye design. It's light (60-70lbs), strong and provides very good approach angles. These are no longer being made.






DIY windshield washer fluid bottle relocation due to aftermarket bumper exposing the bottle. Decided on this $20 option.

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcforums.com/forums/off-road-tech/6268-2010-washer-fluid-reservoir-2.html#post322324)





Bottle: 1.5 Quart Natural Tank w/Mounting Tabs 7.74" L x 3.62" W x 5.9" H (2-1/4" Neck) | U.S. Plastic Corp. (http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=46229&catid=934)

Cap: 2-1/4" Un-vented Black Nylon Cap | U.S. Plastic Corp. (http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item.aspx?itemid=84512&catid=934)



Its very good quality, fits right into that slot without any modifications

Get a hole saw for the drill to make the holes for the 2 pumps, i drilled one on the bottom and one on the side

I got some galvanized steel wire at Home depot to make the bracket to hold it in place

Does not rattle at all, no issues offroad

For $20 there is your windshield fluid bottle relocation






Round 1 Winch: Went with the Vipermax 13K winch based on good reviews by many members on this forum. Added Ellis precision red aluminum hawse fairlead and Factor 55 prolink to the mix. It was at this point that I decided red was my accent color.




Winch solenoid control box was initially relocated to the top of the fuse box

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/misc-technical-discussion/163823-engo-winch-install-solenoid-relocation.html)





The cables were too messy to me so I relocated the winch solenoid again to behind the grill. I have a remote and still have some space to plug the wire controller in.





An in-cabin winch kill switch was added with PAC 500 solenoid for safety.








RCI Metalworks steel skids (front, transmission and transfer case) were next and painted red to match the other accents. The small window for oil changes is key as these skids are heavy. A rear diff skid may be in the works in the near future.

 
Sanderhawk

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3,954 Posts
#3 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

2 posts and its already built? LOL its a great looking rig. I like those rims blacked out. Are they holding up to offroading? :)
 
Loganbeere

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Premium Member
Joined
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1,895 Posts
Discussion Starter • #4 • (Edited)
Mod Highlights (continued)



DIY Dual Battery system with NVX BIR500 500 Amp Relay Isolator, 2 AWG battery cables, 250amp fuses

Batteries: Diehard AGM Gold Group 34 (main) and Odyssey 34R-PC1500 (aux)

(Mod resource: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/77503-How-to-make-a-cheap-isolated-dual-battery-setup-for-50)











I ordered battery cables from this eBay seller. Multiple lengths and configurations to pick from.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Gauge-AWG-Custom-Battery-Cables-Solar-Marine-Power-Inverter-Copper-Wire-/271564807829?var=&hash=item3f3a861e95:m:myKRgn6I9mdLPjUjgzJK0Tg



Aux battery monitor placed here

Mod resource (http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/stereo-electronics-electrical/621289-usb-charge-port-question.html)







Scuba mod for rear diff and E locker. Didn't do the front breathers due to 2013 ones being high enough under the hood already for me. SoCal terrain is mostly dry desert with rocks so not much in the way of water crossings but I anticipated some water crossings at FJ Summit X so went ahead with this relatively easy and cheap mod.

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/4x4-off-road-tech/29229-scuba-driver-transmission-transfer-case-rear-differential-e-locker-breather-mod.html)









Round 2 Suspension Lift: After a few stories on Facebook of Bilstein 5100’s folding over at the lower stem, I decided to upgrade the front suspension with Fox 2.5 Factory Series Coil-Over IFP. The Toytecs were better than stock and while on road they were fine but washboard roads were rough. Fox's feel alot smoother offroad. Fox's for the rears are also on order to match the front. [/B]









Hayden aux transmission cooler installed and transmission fluid was flushed with 14qt of Toyota WS ATF at this point with 43K miles on odometer. I don't do any towing but climb 4000 ft mountains regularly. Will help protect the transmission with slow crawling off road as well. Easy enough mod and makes it super easy to flush the transmission now which i plan on doing every 50K miles

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/engine-performance/28194-installing-transmission-cooler-instructions-pics.html and http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/transmissions-transfer-cases-traction-aids/96199-diy-auto-transmission-flush.html)







On Board CO2: I was using a VIAIR 88P air compressor which was relatively slow and gets hot with use so I pieced together an on board CO2 system with a Beverage Factory 10lb CO2 aluminum tank and The "Source" Hyperflo 150psi fixed regulator purchased from Wheeler's Offroad. Mounted it in the back with piece of wood and two super quick fists. Will mount the fire extinguisher next to it as well. Used it last week and was able to air up all four tires in about 2-3 minutes from 20 psi to 38 psi. Also aired up another SoCal forum member's tires in the same setting as well. There was a little bit of frost on the regulator after airing up 8 tires but no problems with flow. Using rubber hose made from recycled goodyear tires and a gas station style tire chuck. It impressed me.

(Mod resource: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/4x4-off-road-tech/128078-build-your-own-co2-tank-system-high-quality-lowest-cost.html)









Continue with mods here: http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forums/member-build-ups/598818-loganbeeres-iceberg-build.html#post8038458
 
Sanderhawk

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3,954 Posts
#5 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Loganbeere said:
Lol, thank you. it's been ongoing just decided to document it now. The wheels are good for the most part. No chips. But the rim will scratch if hit up against big rocks
Click to expand...
I`ve had my FJ for almost 10 1/2 years now and its getting close to getting a rebuild. All my mods are pretty old now. I want to get it painted get the kings rebuilt and refurbish a few of the other mods I got. It just started snowing tonite so all this will have to wait until at least spring just because .....its cold :)
 
Loganbeere

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Premium Member
Joined
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1,895 Posts
Discussion Starter • #6 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Sanderhawk said:
I`ve had my FJ for almost 10 1/2 years now and its getting close to getting a rebuild. All my mods are pretty old now. I want to get it painted get the kings rebuilt and refurbish a few of the other mods I got. It just started snowing tonite so all this will have to wait until at least spring just because .....its cold :)
Click to expand...
:rocker:give us feedback on the WILDPEAK A/T3W TIRE, they look great!
 
Sanderhawk

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#10 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Loganbeere said:
:rocker:give us feedback on the WILDPEAK A/T3W TIRE, they look great!
Click to expand...
I ended up driving in the snow yesterday. I live on very steep hill they stuck great never spun the tires once. The tire is perfectly quite on the freeway. I love the look of them. When I bought them on Friday Discount tire said the were redesigned from the first set that I had on my truck. I cant wait to get on a trail with them the side walls look like they will bite into anything. :)
 
FJX2000

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4-Corners Moderator
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4,850 Posts
#12 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Looks super good and is super solid! Sweet build!
 
Joabmc

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Premium Member
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2,080 Posts
#15 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Thanks for taking the time to compile all of this! Well built and very informative. Nicely done. I've been meaning to do this for awhile now and you gave me some inspiration to start cataloging stuff before I forget!
 
Iconic_

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Premium Member
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7,248 Posts
#17 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Like your build. Unique and well thought out color scheme, hints of red are just enough. And that front bumper is a beauty!

javi_air87 said:
I've had my FJ for six months and all Ive done is upgrade the tires... =(
Click to expand...
Gotta start somewhere! :bigthumb:
 
ateamnm

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111 Posts
#20 •
Re: Loganbeere's Iceberg Build

Rowdy build, beyond most FJ's. I would love to see some interior photos and mods.
Thanks for sharing.
Ateamnm
 
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