OK guys no newbie sh*t please. I just havent been in here before. Well lets get started. I have decided to leave the Runner IFS, since I just found a 73 L/C for $200. The body needs work, runs great, trans good, transfer good. 4WD works. Frame has some rust but nothing major. Where Do I Start?????? I want this thing to be very offroadable. Dana axles??? Toyota axles???? Of course locked but what do they sell for L/Cs. Detroit/LR???? Spring over, spring under?????? Springs????Any ideas where I should start. I am picking it up next weekend and was hoping to get moving on this thing right away......Ideas?????

well if I were to start all over again, assuming everything is in good shape ex. brakes, steering, etc,. I would first weld the rear, put something simple like a lockright in the front, and do a spring over. Just that much will make it wheel really well. but then if you go SOA then you need new tires, then you will need to regear. I have 350/465/3spd. When it gets to the engine, trans, t case thats all up to you. If I could do it over again I would just go 350/465/205 and 60's and be done with it. Possibilties are endless depeding on how much money, time, and what you want to do. BTW newbie :flipoff2: we are nice on the LC board!

If you want it to be very affordable I would skip the Dana axles and leave it stock. The cheapest lift would probably be a SOA if you want to run 35s or larger tires. I would address the rust first, living in this area you know the salt will be coming out soon. The cheapest locker would be to weld the rear. Next cheapest would be a LR.

It all comes down to what you want to do with the truck. Not many trails around here except Paragon in PA that a stock 40 can't do just fine with open diffs and 31s.

does anybody make spring over kits for these? or are they all fab work???? I have already located some 60s pretty cheap. Springs??????stock????? How much lift out of a spring over? what shocks??

Originally posted by OffroadRunner
does anybody make spring over kits for these? or are they all fab work???? I have already located some 60s pretty cheap. Springs??????stock?????

Dude if you already have 60's do it! dont waste your time and money on stock axles if you have them. I would think stock springs would be fine.

If i would just do an spring over with 60s. what size tires can i expect to fit. what shock do you guys recommend....sorry about all the q's.... I just have this desire for knowledge......need more need more....... i can just see this thing all built up sitting in the driveway......:flipoff2: style

well ok if your going to go all the way I would go 350/465/205 60's and I guess stock springs. Go with the longest shock you can get and prob 9000's weld the rear, depends on pref. on the front. I would also flip each spring which extends your wheelbase. And theres alot more..anybody else care to chime in?

The real questions are:

Budget
Kind of Wheelin you want to do?
Trailer or not?


If you only have $2000 to put into this, you could get tires, LRs and maybe squeeze a SOA in.

If you go D60s it realistically can't be a daily driver in MD. (Unless you are a cop yourself... D60s to me means going to a true 38" tire.

Its easy for us to say 'Go 60's and do it right the first time', but the implications off the bat are big $$$. If you got a good deal on 60's, 38.5s, wheels, gears, lockers, shocks etc you might be able to pull it off for $5000.

If you want to keep the bucks low, do as I suggested above: SOA with 35's, LRs, PS, rollcage, discs, etc and you might pull it off for $3000.

In this kind of situation, buying someone elses built wheeler starts looking like a good deal, depending on:

Time
Money
Personal Skills
Access to tools & fab equipment

Just my ramblin' $0.02

Jim

Oh yeah - Spend a day looking at Woody's site - there is a nice storehouse of knowledge there.

And before the D60 crowd starts flippin me crap, how much does it really cost and what is the other stuff that has to happen (domino theory):nuke:

Well ok i can see your point its going to cost money either way.

No trailer (yet)
But it will not be a daily driver. Mostly to and on the trail.
I want it to go anywhere I want!!!!!

Tools: I work for Toyota, my best friend is a tech. I have all the tools I need. Welder, plasm cutter, air, anything.

Time: Well thats a different story, but you can always make time.

Skills. I wouldnt say that I am an expert but i can hold my own.

Lets say I stay with stock axles with a spring over. Does anybody make a SOA kit or is it fab work?

no kit for a spring over, that i know of..i dont think one exists..even if it did, you'd still have to weld on perches, and do some of your own fab work for shock mounts, steering, etc...you can do it yourself...you can get your housing/knuckles (specifically) cut and turned by a fellow cruiserhead somewhere, try to do it yourself, or get it done at a shop...after that, its just welding on perches and bolting everything together... keep in mind you will want disc brakes to stop, so you could do that at the same time as the SOA

Originally posted by OffroadRunner
Well ok i can see your point its going to cost money either way.

No trailer (yet)

If you go D60s you would want one - I want one and I am SOA on stock axles - have been for 7 years or so.

But it will not be a daily driver. Mostly to and on the trail.
I want it to go anywhere I want!!!!!

Tools: I work for Toyota, my best friend is a tech. I have all the tools I need. Welder, plasm cutter, air, anything.

Good stuff to have or have access to

Time: Well thats a different story, but you can always make time.

Well a good SOA will take some time.

skillls. I wouldnt say that I am an expert but i can hold my own.

Lets say I stay with stock axles with a spring over. Does anybody make a SOA kit or is it fab work?

No kits but Its not super hard. Send your frontaxle housing off to be modified. buy some perches from someone like Butch in Napa and a Hy-Steer kit from Allpro.

Get discs from a mini. Buy rear brackets from Cardinal Fang. Do a PS conversion.

Then you need gearing: an SM420 behind the stock F with a plate adapter to the stock 3 speed tcase will get you there.

Roll cage...

yada yada

You start by selling it to me for the $200 you paid for it so you don't have to deal with it.:rolleyes:
I would start by taking the body completely off and doing a full frame up resto but that is me. If you want to just make it into a reliable runner then check out all the electrical and look for rats nest up behind the glove box(pocket) and behind the heater core. If it is sound mechanically then start by working on the rust. stop it now before another winter takes its toll. Get the body rust proofed and engine/tranny/transfer and diffs free of leaks. Check the body mounts to make sure that the rubber and fabric are still holding together. Heck, Icould go on and on here...just pick the most annoying thing about it and start there.:rasta:

Find out what you want the end result to be and then start with the stuff you can do now and not have to re-do later.
Start with a SOA and lockers in the Cruiser axles. If you upgrade to 60's later, you can sell the Cruiser axles, or if ya have another Cruiser toss um in there like I'm doing.
The thing that will eat money and piss ya off the most is doing stuff over, ie putting in lift, then more lift, then SOA. Or doing a small block and then moving it around several times.
If you are gonna change something, try to get it to your end result, like if ya gotta get drive shafts done, make sure you have the wheel base and lift where you want it.
Power steering and discs are nice and worth it.
Just some of my opinions.
Definately hit Woody's page http://www.ih8mud.com/

Just wheel it and figure out what YOU want everyone has diff. opinions on how they would do things just make sure you do things the way you want so my advise is wheel it then build it

Spend a day-two on my site checking links and seeing what all HAS been done to make them more offroadable.

I'm quite happy with my truck....350, SM465, early case, stock axles, welded rear, lockright front, newfields, 4whl discs, Scout PS, custom SOA, 8 point cage, nice seats, clean (but dented) body, big winch....IMO, tho you aready know Toyotas, you need to experience some Cruisers in action to really know what YOU want. No two people build them the same, since no two people wheel the same. It's taken me over 10 years to build one truck to thie point it's at, and there has been a LOT of experimentation in the middle.

And it's still not to where I want it to be....

WOW! I havn't been on line for awhile and every things diff. I see you are in need of help.
When I bought my FJ40 in 96 it was almost stock with a tired F eng, but it had 35s, pw strg, frt disc and an sm420.
It did allright for easy stuff, but I had constant prob's with trying to get it to run good and parts were a pain to find.
After breaking my rear pinion on a simple river crossing and then freezing up my engine trying to wheel out on front only, I ended up hiking for 12miles. I decided to never let that happen again to me. I made a foolish mistake and rebuilt the eng. It cost about $1500 the cheap route. I did alot of mods to it like carb,exhaust and dist. Had lots of power and finally ran awsome.
Then I took it to the rubicon a couple of times. It was flooding and I still worried about breaking something and I did a couple of times. I was just a little luckier getting it fixed.
So I did a make over, just to feel safe and have more fun.
I installed a T.P.I350 no more flooding and cheaper than stock, D60rear with dutchman axles, ARB and 4.88 no more hiking 12miles, 3/4ton D44front, easier and cheaper to fix, TH400, cause the sm420 was killing me, SOA reverse shk better flex and ride, flip sprgs for better whl base, still 35s but they work till 38s.
I did the work myself so it didnt cost an arm and a leg. Now I don't worry so much and have more fun. The money and time spent has paid off. I have put alot of extras in my FJ just for safety and convienence, they all made a difference.