i own a jeep here, but have acquired an 1978 FJ-45 LWB truck. my grandfather bought it new from the factory. it has a straight six, 4-speed, full-floating rear axle, and the tag says it's a 1.5 tonne capacity.
the springs are sagging from years of farm use, but it is a very complete machine--all original, even its factory fog lights and stereo, and original rims.

my questions: i want to do a SOA to fit 33 or 35 inch tires, but the rear spring packs are very thick. will it be feasible to do this or will it be better to stay spring-under and just get lift springs? i've also read that the steering can be difficult to deal with, but can flipping the steering arms on the knuckles reduce any angle problems? :smokin: it's a bitchin' truck.

shit, i can't figure out how to post a pic!

thanks for any input.

Hi there newbie! 45s are always welcome here! Post some more stats on your LWB in our 45 registry [at the top of this page].

I don't know a lot about SOAs, but this is prolly THE BEST forum around to learn about them on. I have the same situation with really thick spring packs on my 76HJ45, which I am contemplating a V-8 and SOA on. I figure to take out at least 3 leafs if I do it. An anti-wrap bar should still be used tho.

And I wouldn't take that 1.5 ton capacity too seriously!

You ought to run that thing by my shop sometime. I'm in Burbank.

Sounds like a good hand me downer, wish my grand daddy left me a toy like yours.

I no longer have the star, sure someone else will chime in and offer to post the pics.

Congrats.

Rob
www.raddcruisers.ca

email me the pics along with a link to this thread and i'll post em for ya.

welcome to the club you newbie! :flipoff2:

and starting off in this forum with a 45 is definetly one way to make friends fast! :)

I think all 45LPB's had a 2200lbs-ish rating, even with a semi floater. If I recall even the short beds had the same rating

sounds like a neat 45, wish my grandpa had one :)

like to see pics

Congrats on the 45

John

To fit 33" tires, and nice flexy 2.5" lift will suit you best. There are several good options: ARB's Old Man Emu stuff is very nice, also pretty pricey. Belton make a kit that performs similarly, costs somewhat less. Alcan and National Spring can custom make whatever the heck you like. TIC Parabolic springs, available thru Great Basin Rovers are a nice and much cheaper option. While new to the US, they are not new to Cruisers, and are very popular with Rover guys here, and Rover and Cruiser guys in Europe. You can see a review of them in the Jan/Feb issue of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association magazine-Toyota Trails. Back issues are available for sale by calling 605.388.8522, or emailing Jackie Miller at membership@tlca.org. Jackie (fyi, she's a she) is very nice to talk to and can get you the back issue in the mail pronto.

I would not recommend soa for 33" tires, too much lift in my opinion. If you need to run 35's, and plan on going on trails that are tough enough to put that long bed in serious jeopardy, the soa is probably a good idea, along with some serious boady armor. Marlin, All Pro, 4x4 Labs and many others sell replacement steering arms. There are also several peopel who will cut and rotate the steering knuckle to an appropriate angle to compensate for the lift, Cruiseroutfitters, Profitt's Cruisers, and 4x4 labs to name jsut a few.
Good luck with your project, you have a really great Land Cruiser!

Official Newbie Welcome :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

Chef

thank you everyone! very helpful and welcoming replies. i certainly am a newbie when it comes to FJ's. i'll send some of the pictures to orangefj45--thanks for the help. i will register as well--it seems there's more camaraderie here than the jeep section. and chef, you bring up good points. i would like a SOA because that's what i have on my jeep with a high-steer knuckle, and it is one of the best mods i've done. by extension, it probably would be a good mod for an FJ-45. but i hear that TLC's have steering issues, right? not sure though.

Are you sure it's a 78? If so cool but it must be Canadian or non-USA then. Cool enough though. You will have a sweet rig but I echo comments about beating it up off road especially since they are rare enough but sure are sweet when they are all setup... :)

To answer your steering arm question, you can't just flip them upside down, there is a large "pin" beneath that four bolted flange that keeps the knuckle together. Not like a Dana steering arm. In order to have "hi steer"- you'll need to cut and reweld your arms (not recommended unless you're one hell of a welder) or purchase hi steer arms from someone like Aqualu, 4x4 Labs, All Pro, and probably others I can't think of now. And welcome to the ever growing 45 club. Luke

if it has a FF(stock) its 75+. From the factory.......well that would be a long and very wet drive ;)

back in those days it was no problem buying a 45 new in Canada and bringing into the US. I have an artical someplace about a guy in CA that did this back in the day.



Are you sure it's a 78? If so cool but it must be Canadian or non-USA then. Cool enough though. You will have a sweet rig but I echo comments about beating it up off road especially since they are rare enough but sure are sweet when they are all setup... :)

if it has a FF(stock) its 75+. From the factory.......well that would be a long and very wet drive ;)

back in those days it was no problem buying a 45 new in Canada and bringing into the US. I have an artical someplace about a guy in CA that did this back in the day.


Wait a second, do I understand from the above that John, you have old articles related to Cruisers? Holy crap, do you have more than one? :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

thank you everyone! very helpful and welcoming replies. i certainly am a newbie when it comes to FJ's. i'll send some of the pictures to orangefj45--thanks for the help. i will register as well--it seems there's more camaraderie here than the jeep section. and chef, you bring up good points. i would like a SOA because that's what i have on my jeep with a high-steer knuckle, and it is one of the best mods i've done. by extension, it probably would be a good mod for an FJ-45. but i hear that TLC's have steering issues, right? not sure though.

You can't flip steering arms on cruisers: the underside has a kingpin to hold the bearings in place. Cruisers have no steering issues other than 40 year old worn out components. Well maintained cruiser steering hardware functions just fine. If you already have power steering, you're set. If not, it's easy to swap in a 79-85 minitruck box and saginaw pump. Only a little harder to use a saginaw pump vs the minitruck box. But, with new tre's, center pivot box, and a well adjusted steering box, you should have no issues at al.

I did untill yesterday, it was burn barrel day.......and I needed some more paper for the fire...........so I tossed everything in :D

Wait a second, do I understand from the above that John, you have old articles related to Cruisers? Holy crap, do you have more than one? :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

I did untill yesterday, it was burn barrel day.......and I needed some more paper for the fire...........so I tossed everything in :D

Liar :flipoff2: