FJ40 lift advice

[Mongoose]

Hi,
I'm new to the site, thanks for the URL Bill found lots of good info already.
I'm in the process of reassembling a restored '76 FJ40 that I bought half-done from a guy up in Nelson. The end product is hopefully going to be fairly hardcore, big lift, big tyres and hopefully a V8 at some point.
Does anyone have any thoughts on the way to go with getting 35" tyres under there? I've read about spring over axle conversions but it seems pretty involved if you want to do it right, with the other option being reprofiled leafs with more of a curve. Which do you reckon is the best way to go, I'm after the best articulation I can get without spending a fortune.
The body is not currently fixed to the chassis and I don't have all the mounting bolts and spacers and looking at it I reckon putting in longer spacers and longer bolts wouldn't cause too many problems. Any thoughts on where to go with this would be appreciated like what's the best material to use for the spacers, what's a reasonable lift to go for without needing major work to the brake lines etc. I notice I'd need to do something with the steering column to make it angle up, what have other people done?

Thanks in advance for the help and hope to join some of you canterbury guys on a few trips once the old cruiser is back together.

Cheers.
Greg.

[Mongoose]

By the way, that's not my truck unfortunately. A new avatar is on it's way once I've fitted the FJ45 truck cab I just bought off trademe to make the 40 into a swb ute.

[wopass]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auct ... d=37601602

sprung over diffs ready to go ...

just a thought for ya

[DieselBoy]

Cmmon Ben, give him the goods!!!

Bens being shy. He has 36's under his with only a LOA.

He has retained V good artic by stopping at this.

Comparible to coils infact.

His rear gaurds rub, but you ain't gonna have that problem

Welcome aboard!!!

[Mongoose]

Yeah I saw those on trademe Wopass, pretty tempting but he didn't seem sure the steering arms were done correctly, plus I'd still have to do something about the angle of the driveshaft back to the transfer case unless those knuckles have been cut and rotated to compensate. Plus I'm a bit skint just now having just bought the fj45 cab for mine. If someone would just buy my bloody Pajero it'd all be sweet though.
Is there a thread on your LOA conversion on the board? Couldn't find anything when I searched.
Cheers,
Greg.

[wopass]

I did my leaf over years and years ago mate,before i learned how to type ... (not that im any good at it now)

however, doing the spring perches is most of the drama out of the way.

all you need to do is...(from memory )

front drive shaft=more angle,can be achieved by grinding out the inside of the flange to create more pivot of the U.J(this is what i did as it was free and it hasnt broke yet so must be strong enough)... or using safari drive shaft which has bigger U.J mated to fit the flanges(not to costly if you know where and who to go thru) havent seen it done but something i was thinking about after seeing petes rear shaft on his safari

steering= mines a mess at the moment as i have done it differently than how those are set up. the way those arms are set it would be piss easy to do your steering,as the guy says "hook up you steering link rod and go" but its never that easy so count on some pissing about with tie rods and the likes, not bad on the pocket but frustrating

brakes= you need a longer hose to get to the diff,mix and match at your local repco or brake specialist. no to bad on the wallet.

bump stops= you need to drop them so that you dont over flex the spring, i have experience in that area as i have broken 2 sets in the rear finding out how much to drop the bumps by more than i first thought..lol. this is an inexpensive exersize also: unbolt your bump stops from the chassis and bolt a bit of box section in between(i think mine is 50x50mm...) but check your measurements and go from there.

instant HUGE CRUISER just add massive tyres and mud...

AND.... the propper abreviation is

S.O.A

spring
over
axle

[Mongoose]

Thanks for all that Wopass, I may come back to you for more detail when I decide to go ahead and do it, that seems the way to go though. Maybe I should get that guy to relist thost axles that are already done.
Looks like I won't be able to get pictures of the conversion from you though as I see that very same picture on Trademe this morning!? Seems a shame to sell it mate.

AND It's Dieselboys fault about the LOA thing, he started it in his post I've always seen it as SOA.
AND If we're being picky it's axle not axel.

Thanks again for the advice, if anyone else has any comments to make it's always good to have plenty of opinions.
Cheers.
Goose.

[DieselBoy]

Got me. To much time on American forums

[wopass]

hahha Axle you are correct

or if you just want to do the massive curve springs that is easy as well then you can fit in 35" tyres no probs.much easier than a S.O.A conversion but not as much fun

when i get my camera sorted mate ill take some pics of the spring perches and steering and D shaft etc for ya.... and post them..HERE

watch tis space

[Mongoose]

See now you've confused me
I fancy the idea of the SOA but I was really looking for reasons for or against either SOA or high-lift springs left where they are. Is one better for articulation, ride quality, off-road performance, that kind of thing or does it all come down to price or what is available when you come to do the mod. There must be a reason to choose between the two and go with a particular mod and I don't know enough about suspension design etc. to be able to decide. Obviously on the face of it the reset or replacement springs idea looks more attractive due to the simplicity.
Help!

Thanks for the offer of the pics, would be much appreciated.
Cheers.

[muddy]

I've just had the springs re-set (up 3 inches) with a new long leaf, then pulled a couple of other leaves to drop it back a little & keep the springs soft for articulation. A bit of trial & error to get it right, but I'm running 35in tyres & just put a 6mm packer under the suspension stops to prevent too much rubbing. As the springs sag, I can just add the leaves back or extend the shackles. Longer shackles are also a good option to lift the back end without stiffening the springs. I believe it's not so good for the front because it changes the caster angle & upsets steering alignment. Have a look at this link for some interesting ideas from a guy in Wellington - something I never thought of - he had new main leaves made, a couple of inches longer then standard - that way he could put a bit more curve in it & keep the shackle angles good. Lots cheaper then lift springs. The only problem with lifting too much is you then need longer shocks & extended brake lines.

http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php? ... t=gertrude

If you want to go SOA, try to get a set of 60 series axles cos they're slightly wider & have disc brakes. If you go up, it's nice to go wider as well so it doesn't get too tippy

[wjw]

Hiya greg.. hope you recovered from the hang over , had a drive by your house looks cool ... dont worry about these guys their good at confusing people

[muddy]

Sorry - didn't read your first post properly. If you just add about a 30mm body lift when you put the tub on, you'll keep the centre of gravity low, and should fit 35's with standard suspension. The old springs will have more flex than any new ones, & you can lift it a little with longer shackles if the arse is starting to sag. Longer travel shocks if you can afford it will give better articulation, but for the same dough you could look at a locker (or two). That's pretty much my wish-list anyway....

[wopass]

ok saggy cruiser springs are supple and flex VERY well so to get lift and have sooper flex and height you do SOA.... not as simple as just doing sooper curved springs

sooper curved springs will give you the height and by removing some of the pack you will get flex as well... BUT remember that springs sag and by removing half of the pack strength they will sag pretty fast(i may be wrong so please tell me if i am) and then your back to a low cruiser that will only ride on 31"tyres

and yes i forgot about the shocks so ...

front shocks=what ever you like spending money on,me im a cheap bastard and used a set out of a sigma station wagon(mid 80's) cost me $10 or you could use some out of anything that will give you the length of travel ( go to the wreckers and have a mow thru thier stuff

rear shocks= re-mount the bottom shock pin from the underside of the leaf pack to the top of the leaf pack and use the same shocks you have allready

[Mongoose]

Hey Bill, yeah I was pretty sick the the whole day, shame really from the photos and video it looks like you guys had a bloody good time at McLeans Island. I've not done the track for 6 months at least and it looks A LOT worse now. The last time was in my old Niva, now that was fun. How's it going with the prospective jobs? Give Zoe and the lump a hug from us.

Thanks for the thoughts Wopass and Muddy.
My springs are pretty much flat and nice and soft, not had the chance to ac tually try it out off-road yet as half of it is still in boxes but it's pretty soft when I've driven the half that goes up and down the road in the village.
What you're saying makes a lot of sense Wopass, to leave the nice soft springs the way they are and "just" shift them above the axles. But then the body lift looks tempting too as it's not bolted on just now and I'm missing some of the spacers and bolts anyway..........................

Basically I love the look of the truck and hopefully it will be staying with me and gradually evolving so anything I do I'd like to do right. Although money is a consideration if the most effective mod isn't necessarily the cheapest that doesn't really matter. Wish list is:
Lift, enough to comfortably fit....
35s hopefully either Simex or possibly the classic BFG Mudders but then that's a whole other thread.............
Lockers, maybe ARB($$) maybe just Lockrights or similar
Front discs, I thought 80s Hilux was the way to go so it's interesting you say 60 series axles instead Muddy
Some nice flame graphics along the side and a hoooj sub enclosure behind the cab and an exhaust the size of a bucket(nahhh just kidding )
Maybe a V8 at some point in the future but that's last on the list.

That's it really. So I guess that sort of helps, I think. So it's definitely SOA
Or body lift
Or Reset springs.
Or fabricated mounts and coilovers to get rid of the those bloody front shackles sticking 6 feet out the front of the truck
Or SOA
Or...........

Oh dear.

[Mongoose]

Hmm just fitted the FJ45 shorty cab I got and there seems to be something missing from the top of the windscreen, should there be something in there for it to bolt onto? I've got bars that run along the tops of the doors and brace the windscreen back to the cab but the top of the windscreen doesn't seem to be the same shape as the underside of the roof or have anywhere to bolt the roof down onto.

Sorry for all the questions but it's like some huge incredibly complicated jigsaw puzzle where some of the bits seem to have got lost somewhere but luckily I do have 9 sets of bonnet hinges so there's no way that bonnet is coming loose. I thought it was bad trying to reassemble a car I took apart myself but this is a whole new nightmare.

I'll wait eagerly for those photos Wopass. Cheers mate.