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"The other woman build"

109K views 313 replies 77 participants last post by  BCzuk 
#1 · (Edited)
I picked up my 65 cruiser about 5 months ago. My last build was a cherokee xj and I was sick of the unibody. Anyway, my girlfriend calls the Fj "the other woman" so it seemed a good name for the build. It's got a 350/350 combo and saginaw power steering on it already, but which ever previous owner did the swap was a real hack and I've got to redo most all that they did. I've been collecting some parts and now that I've sold my XJ, I should be able to move along on it a little more steadily. Plans are:

FJ40 front springs/FJ55 rears (already got'em)
FJ62 axles (already got'em)
Full cage,custom bumpers, tire/cooler rack, etc.
Suspension seats (kept from the XJ)
Full Autometer gauges (kept from the XJ)
Bilstein 7100's w/res (overkill, but again, carried over from the XJ)
38x12.50x15 swamper sx's on Allied 15x8 beadlocks w/2" BS

Those are the highpoints.

Here are a couple of pics the day I brought it home



 
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#276 ·
The small 3/16" stuff that comes in a roll is fairly forgiving. If you make a mistake (within reason, lol) you can usually save it or tweak it to work. I just measure and bend as I go with the 3/16". The 3/8" stuff I got in full sticks was a different story. I measured and drew up all those lines up front. One wrong bend and that stuffs toast!
 
#278 ·
Made a mounting bracket for the license plate today. I made it from 1/8" aluminum and matched the shape of the stock light housing to keep it simple. Of course it was all just so I had an excuse to put the plate on for the first time. I still need to pull it back off and paint it as well as the light housing. I got the plate back when I first got the cruiser like 11 years ago. Ended up running it on our truck till we sold it a year or so ago. Nice to finally get it on the cruiser where it belongs.
 

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#286 ·
She runs!

Can't seem to upload the video but we fired the engine the other night around midnight. It went very well. Made the switch to a GM TBI setup. Went very smooth with a harness from Howell. Hopefully get to actually DRIVE it this next week. Here are a couple pics from the night I completed the wiring. No idea why I was looking forward to wiring it, it took twice as long as I expected (I have an OCD problem for sure). If you're needing to wire an entire vehicle I can't recommend American Autowire enough. Quality materials and very comprehensive diagrams for each section. It was a very daunting task made much easier for a first timer with their kit.
 

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#287 ·
Couple photos of said OCD. It turns out that I put the timing gear on a tooth off 11 years ago when I was changing the timing set. Not before running hot enough to melt some plug boots as it was running hot due to incorrect timing. Still stoked to finally hear it run. Turns out the Magnaflow isn't too loud, sounds just right. Still no luck uploading any video.
 

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#294 ·
Thank you! It's been a nonstop thrash fest since I got the formal invite to #UA2019. We finally got her out on the trail early this morning for a shakedown run in the rocks. She did great. Pretty much ready to go now aside from a few more storage solutions we're going to be addressing tomorrow.
 

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#296 ·
To say I'm excited would be the understatement of the century. It wasn't even finished when I applied nor was it when I was invited. Couldn't have pulled it off without some truly phenomenal friends and family. Just driving it feels surreal. Can't wait to get under way!
 
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