sbechtold's FJC gets some tube thrown at it

[fc187]

in the next few weeks I will be doing some tube work to Sol's VERY cool FJC, so I thought I would share some pics and ideas.

There is allready ALLOT of nice work on this rig. Sol has done a bunch of work to it himself that looks GREAT! and Demello Off Road has allot of really nice work on this little FJ that gives it some attitude! Im just stoked to contibute to such a BITCHEN project!

pics will be posted as I go,.... :beer:

[fc187]

couple pics of the int prep. the removal of the headliner gave us a TON more headroom! Sol is gonna use sound deadening material with a headliner material prior to cage fitment. I cut plastic panels to protect all the glass in addition to welding blankets. all seats and floormats are removed,...

[fc187]

,.....

[fc187]

gonna do a full "halo" type cage so most of the would be hard to reach welds can be done out of rig. a full circle obviously requires a joint or two somehwere. pics,...

[fc187]

couple pics of the halo on the floor. 17 bends so far to hug the lid and use every bit of space. material used is 1-3/4 .120 DOM for all main tubes (halo/legs) and 1-3/4 .095 DOM for spreaders....

[fc187]

good notch=easy welding,...

[pitchitpitchit]

Nice work so far.


Scott

[sbechtold]

Hey Don thanks for letting me hangout and take up space in your shop today while I did the dynamat thing. The halo looks killer!

Here are a few more pics. The first one is with the headliner out. I originally thought leaving it in would workout, but my head was too close to the tube. Taking the headliner out gave us a good 3"+ more room to work with. Don's going to stuff the cage up as high as possible.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4741.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4743.jpg

I installed Dynamat on the ceiling today to help deaden some of the road noise.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4755.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4758.jpg

Then I used headliner contact adhesive to installed some graphite colored headliner material that I picked up at a local auto upholstery shop. It turned out OK.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4761.jpg
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4764.jpg

[fc187]

here are a couple more for the weekend,...

blind side rattled,
pressed into place,
positioned with ratchet straps,
B and C knocked out,...

[sbechtold]

Cool Don! Looking good.

[fc187]

A's done, grabs in, and a couple saddles at the B'.

A crossbrace at the B hoop is allways a good idea when it comes to strength but sometimes compramises must be made. After test fitting the seats, I was just not comfortable putting tubes in front of children. specially with space that tight in that back seat. After talking with Sol, we decided to leave them out for now and save them until after a couple flops and the top comes off :D





couple more before paint....

[sbechtold]

Awesome Don! Killer job on the cage. I'm looking forward to flopping it now cause I want the roof off. :flipoff2:

[sbechtold]

I got a chance to drive out to FC Fabrication and take some more pics of the cage and a few other things that Don is working on for me. The cage is now complete except for the A pillar frame captures. Everything else with the cage is finished and turned out awesome. The cage fits nice and tight to the roof, dash and side interior panels.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4951.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4960.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4969.jpg

Frame capture at the B pillar:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4973.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4974.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/Cage/IMG_4952.jpg

[sbechtold]

One of the other projects that I asked Don to work on was building a traction bar for the rear to help with the axle wrap. I run 62" soft Deaver leaf springs in the rear and they wrap up pretty easy. Don has most of the traction bar finished and was working on the tube shackle portion of the traction bar that mounts to the cross member. Here are a few pics of the traction bar and axle mount.

The bottom tube is .25" wall DOM tube, so it will be able to take a beating and hold up.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4967.jpg

The grade 8 bolt is 7" long and welded into the tube. The FK heim has a tube adapter on it that will be welded into the tube shackle that will mount to the cross member via a bushing.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4964.jpg

Axle mount heims (jam nuts will be added, they weren't on in the pic).

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4966.jpg

Rear axle mount with a little bling bling dimple die action. This thing it super beefy.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4976.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4977.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4978.jpg

Shackle mount at the cross member. Needless to say I will be redoing my exhaust now that the traction bar is going on.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TracBar/IMG_4979.jpg

[GRMhick]

Very nice. I'm looking to the next time im in town so I can see the work.

[fj40forlife]

this is one bad ass fjc. Got a overall pic of the rig?

Eric

[sbechtold]

this is one bad ass fjc. Got a overall pic of the rig?

Eric

Thanks Man! The first 2 pics are the end of last year riding on 35's. The last two pics are a few weeks ago after the winter upgrade of the rear Diamond full floater and 37's.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/TTORA/2007-11%20Deer%20Valley/IMG_4222.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/TTORA/2007-11%20Deer%20Valley/IMG_4189.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/Diamond/IMG_4685.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/Diamond/IMG_4737.jpg

[fc187]

here are a couple last pics.....

thanks again Sol!!

[fc187]

....

[fc187]

tube doors,...

[sbechtold]

Thank you Don! Everything turned out incredible. You are an artist when it comes to tube. Amazing tube work and everything fits like a glove! I'll see you in a few weeks for phase two. ;)

One more of the doors! I still can't imagine being able to see the front wheel. :smokin:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/FCFab/TubeDoors/IMG_4613.jpg

[b2dude]

i'm surprised to see that you used the shackle for the anti-wrap bar rather than a slip joint...might not have needed to mod the exhaust

[sbechtold]

I had planned to redo the exhaust before Don even started on the traction bar. The issue was more with the 50 gallon drum that Toyota calls a muffler. The muffler was to big and wouldn't fit between the frame rail and the traction bar. The other problem is that Toyota smashed the cross over pipe flat. I've always planned to replace the cross over pipe, so now is the perfect time.

[Sillyneck]

gorgeous work don!

(mentally stealing solutions if I ever have to do amanda's) :D

[Booger Weldz]

holy shit!! everything looks great, the tube doors are the shit! are those dimple dye impressions near the hinges? you just bumper the press on them without punching a hole? again, looks amazing! im looking to copy the tube doors!

[MissFJ]

Hell, Sol, that was a lot of cage work just so you can have tube doors! :flipoff2: No rattles with the clam shells when flexing?->that's cool!



gorgeous work don!

(mentally stealing solutions if I ever have to do amanda's) :D

Yea before memorial weekend :D

[sbechtold]

Hell, Sol, that was a lot of cage work just so you can have tube doors! :flipoff2: No rattles with the clam shells when flexing?->that's cool!

:laughing: I'll remind you of that post when your cage and doors are finished...:flipoff2:

[Splash]

Don

Excellent work. You are right the tube doors ROCK. I sent a link to Rob. I would bet you will here from him soon...

[fc187]

i'm surprised to see that you used the shackle for the anti-wrap bar rather than a slip joint...might not have needed to mod the exhaust

it was an option, but with the belly pan that low, it would have made the bar really low. my thoughts? I put it where I need it to be. and make the rest the exhaust guys problem.

( my exhaust guys dont like me ):flipoff2:

[fc187]

gorgeous work don!

(mentally stealing solutions if I ever have to do amanda's) :D

thanks dood! :beer:

[fc187]

holy shit!! everything looks great, the tube doors are the shit! are those dimple dye impressions near the hinges? you just bumper the press on them without punching a hole? again, looks amazing! im looking to copy the tube doors!

thanks!

yup, just a bump with a run of the mill DD :beer:

[lildave]

got to see it at rubithon, an damm!! just plain bad ass!!:smokin:

[Mossyrocks]

turned out sweet Sol. Hows the swapped Fj workin out for you these days? Havent heard much about it lately.

[sbechtold]

turned out sweet Sol. Hows the swapped Fj workin out for you these days? Havent heard much about it lately.

Thanks! It's working awesome. I finished the rear Diamond and a bunch of suspension tuning and it's running and driving great. I've got a couple of upgrades planned for it that I will post up once finished. I just ran it through the Rubicon a week ago and had a blast. I'll be taking it to Moab in a couple weeks, then back through the Rubicon a couple more times this year. :D BTW, the 4Runner is looking good, can't wait to see the finished links.

Here's a few pics of it working on the Rubicon.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/trips/2008%20Rubithon/IMG_8235.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/trips/2008%20Rubithon/IMG_8284.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/trips/2008%20Rubithon/IMG_8286.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/trips/2008%20Rubithon/IMG_8302.jpg

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c7/sbechtold/FJC/trips/2008%20Rubithon/IMG_8318.jpg

[Mossyrocks]

I have to come run that. Ive kinda had plans to when I get done. Im wanting to hit everything. Rubicon, Moab, and definately the Hammers.