FJ40 Build thread - Hell's Kitchen

[Dirty Harry]

There was simply no room to use a fully triangulated 4 link. Even using a traditional steering box was out of the question. We ordered a single ended ram system from PSC and I was able to fit it behind the tie rod and low enought to clear the panhard bar and frame.

So you are using a single ended ram and an orbital valve? Will this Cruiser be street driven? What prevented the use of a steering box?

 

[Chaser88]

All you need is money. I've got the time...

haha...but seriously...one day..

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

So you are using a single ended ram and an orbital valve? Will this Cruiser be street driven? What prevented the use of a steering box?

Yep, single ended ram from PSC. We bought the entire kit from them including a beefcake PS pump and the Eaton orbital valve.

This will not be a street truck so I had complete liberty to build it as I saw fit. I don't like using heims on a street driven truck anyway so if it were a pavement pounder, I would have engineered it to use a Toyota mini truck box and one tone TRE's from Parts Mike with an intersect style drag link.

Ride height and packaging is one of those inverse relationships that make life miserable for someone like me when trying to build a front suspension. I really wanted to keep the ride height down to a minimum. The narrow frame rails of the FJ combined with the mass of the D60 diff did not leave me much room to play with anyway. Even without a steering box and drag link, getting everything to fit at full bump took a lot of time. One thing to point out is that since there is not going to be a drag link, I was pretty much able to have the panhard bar set at any static angle I liked without the worry of bumpsteer. Would I have liked it flatter, sure, but I'll take what I got.

We chose the single ended ram over the double ended ram for cost reasons. The cost difference between the two kits is substantial.

 

[Dirty Harry]

It was clear from the start that the rear frame section and the rear portion of the body would not be able to be used. The options were: Lengthen the body, Clip the body in a "half cab" style, Clip the body and leave it open. We decided that the cheapest option was to clip the body and built it into the roll cage. This decision leaves a lot of room for variations and we will strive to keep it looking like an FJ throughout the rest of the build.

After cutting the rear frame section and the front frame horns, how much more effort do you estimate it would be to build an entirely new frame? You mentioned the packaging issues regarding the frame interference with the steering and I was wondering if a new frame is a possible solution. Have you seen the Jeep buggy that Savvy and Currie built for King of the Hammers with a frame that is narrow in the front and rear but splays out all the way to the edge of the tub in the middle where the drivetrain is mounted?

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Building an entire frame has it's benefits and drawbacks. If for some reason, the owner of this rig ever wants to register it through DMV, having a custom frame makes it a lot more difficult.

As compared to the Savvy/Currie Jeep, this body and roll cage are going to be removable from the chassis, which presents it's own set of problems. One problem is since the rear shocks are to be cage mounted, the triangulation at the rear of the cage and where it meets the frame has to be very rigid, both for performance and durability reasons. The second hurdle was to make it easy to remove the body from the frame. I had Jim Christiansen, formerly of Inchworm gear, machine up some tube inserted bungs that will make bolting the cage to the frame a piece of cake (pics below).

One feature of this FJ that was very important to the owner was that it be a 4 seater and that getting in and out of the rig be easy for the rear passengers so cage triangulation is now important not only for the suspension, but for the safety of the passengers. That means I can't have a bunch of roll cage tubes in the rear where I need them the most. We will be building the cage here shortly so expect an update on that front soon.

Here are some pics.

Bungs for the cage mounts welded into the very rigid slider assembly.









Reinforcing the body tub where the cage tubing will pass through. The tubes will be fully welded through these areas.





Additional plating in the center to support the seat belt bars and seat mounts.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

These pics show the sturdy sliders and outriggers where the cage and body tub will mate with the frame. It looks massive and heavy and it is, but it will be rigid.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

It was a shot in the dark posting this thread here on ExPo. I'm moving it over to ih8mud. For those of you interested in watching the progress, here's a link. http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fj40-build-hells-kitchen.852041/

 

[JPsLC]

Bummer. I was enjoying the build.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I don't see the traffic here for this type of build.

I suppose I could keep it going here, if people want to see it.

 

[njtacoma]

I understand your desire to move the build thread.

I like it here because I don't have to wade through all the garbage to see good posts and valuable comments.

I agree that it is not the typical build on the portal and that may keep exposure down.

Great work, if I have to go over there to find it I will!

 

[JPsLC]

I'm watching. I typically don't comment, but I do enjoy keeping up with the build. Consider me this guy --> :lurk:

 

[tweeek]

Im watching on MUD now

 

[Expedition.Report]

I'm subscribed, just staying quite for the most part as I am learning off of your posts and have nothing constructive to add

 

[Mushin_Noshin]

I'm watching and envious of your skills! I like builds like this on here because they are different and unique. You never know where the next idea for your rig may come from so seeing different is great. I hope you keep it here as well.

 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Thanks for the response guys. I will try to keep them both going, but aside from any outside comments or discussions started, the updates will be the same. For that matter, you all can see my daily (weekly sometimes) updates on my facebook page.