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192 Posts
Some decisions to make - input is welcome. I just bought my 8th FJ40 (it's a 71), but unlike the prior 7 that I wheeled until someone offered me wayyyy too much money for them, this one is going to stick around....
a picture of the transfer case
if you'll notice, the cover is missing and what they did was "convert" it to 2wd. The rear housing is gone, internal gears are gone, brake, .... it's just a housing someone pressed a bearing into. I always thought this one was odd because the rear differential was in the middle (they're offset right) on all FJ40s. Someone put a toyota pickup axle in this... and emptied the front housing. I know it seems like I got screwed, but there's a huge contingent out there that thinks FJ40s should be restored - now I have carte blanche to ignore that.... so what to do? despite my love/hate relationship with birfields, there are good quality ones out there - so I'm seriously considering just refilling the front with good bits... cheap to do too, so that's not a huge deal.
Rear axle... if I put the FJ one back in, it's offset and it limits me to the FJ transfer case - there's good and bad to that (all gear, pto availability, generally bulletproof - against - I have to adapt a transmission to it, so that's $600). An Atlas II transfer case is a bit spendy, but once you subtract the street price of a transfer case ($1000), and the $600 for the adapter kit - I can buy a brand-new one for $2200... and it'll last longer than me, they are the best there is - however, none of them are right/right outputs.... so what do I do for a rear? I have a Ford 9" that would work, and parts, lockers, everything would be cheap.... or do I get a full floater like a dana 60 or corp 14 bolt?
the rest of the suspension goes like this: 3 link front, 4 link rear, coil overs front, coil springs and shocks rear. The motor will be the 400, my brain says put a 4L80e in it, my heart says NV4500... But I also have a NV3550 (Aisin AX15) .... that one could win out because it's the best of all things - it's what I have.... we'll see which wins.
Thoughts?
a picture of the transfer case
if you'll notice, the cover is missing and what they did was "convert" it to 2wd. The rear housing is gone, internal gears are gone, brake, .... it's just a housing someone pressed a bearing into. I always thought this one was odd because the rear differential was in the middle (they're offset right) on all FJ40s. Someone put a toyota pickup axle in this... and emptied the front housing. I know it seems like I got screwed, but there's a huge contingent out there that thinks FJ40s should be restored - now I have carte blanche to ignore that.... so what to do? despite my love/hate relationship with birfields, there are good quality ones out there - so I'm seriously considering just refilling the front with good bits... cheap to do too, so that's not a huge deal.
Rear axle... if I put the FJ one back in, it's offset and it limits me to the FJ transfer case - there's good and bad to that (all gear, pto availability, generally bulletproof - against - I have to adapt a transmission to it, so that's $600). An Atlas II transfer case is a bit spendy, but once you subtract the street price of a transfer case ($1000), and the $600 for the adapter kit - I can buy a brand-new one for $2200... and it'll last longer than me, they are the best there is - however, none of them are right/right outputs.... so what do I do for a rear? I have a Ford 9" that would work, and parts, lockers, everything would be cheap.... or do I get a full floater like a dana 60 or corp 14 bolt?
the rest of the suspension goes like this: 3 link front, 4 link rear, coil overs front, coil springs and shocks rear. The motor will be the 400, my brain says put a 4L80e in it, my heart says NV4500... But I also have a NV3550 (Aisin AX15) .... that one could win out because it's the best of all things - it's what I have.... we'll see which wins.
Thoughts?
