What to look for when buying an F toy

[Gearhead177]

Well I am thinking of selling my jeep and buying an f toy. I don't yet know a lot about them, but it looks like they are pretty capable and sell at a good price. I know a little about the axle and t-case side of it but as for the chassis, motor setup and the way its put together. Is there any do and dont's i need to watch for? Any help would be great. F toys aren't real popular here in OK from what i've seen. Thanks all!

[longone4x4]

There are a ton of build threads in the f-toy section you will find that most of them share a simular build direction. I am in SW Oklahoma and have got #128. I dont know of any other f-toys in OK. You are more than welcome to stop by and check out 128 if ya want.

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[Gearhead177]

Thanks a lot! I may take you up on that one of these days. Still trying to figure out exactly what I wanna do. Haven't sold my TJ yet.

[a2b]

what are you trying to learn about? which bling toyota parts to look for on the build? or are you wanting to know if an certain ftoy is fabbed together correctly?

i assume you know that you will need to have some fab skills and shop (welder, torch, etc...) to maintain a buggy of any kind.

[ftoy507]

Look no further / Wonder no more
#507 is for sale and has so many spare parts you will be covered.

[MT4Runner]

Gearhead, if you've done any fabbing or more than bolt-on mods to your Jeep, you should be able to recognize good fabrication. Good fab on any used rig should be your #1 guideline to see if the rest of it is put together well.

Beyond that, look for rub marks between the suspension and other components, cracks at welds, leaks, etc.

If an FToy has been raced, chances are it's been run hard enough that the owner/builder will have found any huge flaws and fixed them. You will want to go through everything, tighten nuts/bolts, check fluids just like you would any used vehicle, but doubly so for a rig that has gone through the stresses and vibration of racing.

[Gearhead177]

Thanks all. I do have some fab skills. I don't have any experience with leaf setups. Or toyota stuff. Wanting to mostly make sure I get a buggy that is going to be put together correctly enough to flex and wheel well. Ive been in leaf setup toyotas that just wheel terribly. Way too stiff. That has scared me away from leafs in the past. My Rubicon Has a long arm setup on it. Triangulated in rear and a three link in front i setup. It does really well.

[Gearhead177]

Oh and also what is the better setup to look for. If i have a choice. As far as link or leafs and one chassis as to another. If it was a bought chassis and not a home made.

[a2b]

Originally Posted by Gearhead177

Oh and also what is the better setup to look for. If i have a choice. As far as link or leafs and one chassis as to another. If it was a bought chassis and not a home made.

ftoy chassis r not home made. they are built at hendrix motorsport. the suspension however is custom made.

ftoy by pure definition is leaf sprung all the way around. there are some people who have linked theirs. choice is yours.

my suggestion is to find a clean one, buy it, wheel it, then start changing what you don't like.

for a parts list of things to look for, here's the toyota short list of desirable parts:

22r with gotpropane.com kit or 22re
L52 tranny freshly rebuild by marlin of course
dual cases with 4.7 in rear
marlin 23 spline input
bobby long output shaft
30 spline chromo birfs and axles in front
a stock WIDE rear end is fine.
non bent stock housings or aftermarket axel housings
stock knuckles with arp studs and marlin kingpin up grade or six shooters with arp studs trunion eliminator kit
hysteer with heims
stock toyota u-joints on a hi desert driveline

non-toyota desirable parts

PRP suspesnion seats
17" aluminum beadlock
37" krawlers
springs kits for a mini truck. 4" to 5" is normal and then you can customize how you like as they wear out.

air bumps, shocks, fuel cell, switch panel, lights, race radio, com, nice fab work etc... its this stuff that will seperate a 7k ftoy from a 20k ftoy.

[Gearhead177]

Thanks that is great help! Best help I have came across here. Makes me want to have an F-toy to become part of a good group. Kinda disappointing knowing there is only one here in Oklahoma. Seems to be popular on each coast just not in the middle.

[a2b]

Originally Posted by Gearhead177

Thanks that is great help! Best help I have came across here. Makes me want to have an F-toy to become part of a good group. Kinda disappointing knowing there is only one here in Oklahoma. Seems to be popular on each coast just not in the middle.

there's a few in texas. i am sure its not a far drive

[Ricks72ntx]

Originally Posted by a2b

there's a few in texas. i am sure its not a far drive

I'm almost a 10hr drive away

[maveric]

Originally Posted by Gearhead177

Kinda disappointing knowing there is only one here in Oklahoma. Seems to be popular on each coast just not in the middle.

There are getting to be more in the middle. There are at least 6 in Colorado/Wyoming that I know of.

[fourwheelerjeff]

Originally Posted by a2b

there's a few in texas. i am sure its not a far drive

there are 2 in Lubbock TX. #509 that I sold to a buddy here to buy #57
#57


#509