Box Rocket 1995 FZJ80 Build

One other note on the 37's. I personally think 37's are just the right size for these trucks to look right proportionally. 35's are close and still look good but 37's make them look they way they should. All that said, I'm not building this to be a rock crawler. It will spend some time in the rocks but that's not the main goal so it's not going to hurt much to stick with the 35's.

 

Here's some pics of the updates over the last few days. Some new 315s on the factory wheels. I'll be stripping and repainting the wheels in the next couple weeks just to get them cleaned up and looking nice. I also have a set of 1.5" spidertrax wheel spacers that will go on just to widen the stance a little.

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A few pics of the rear bumper. This thing took some elbow grease to get all cleaned up, but it turned out nice I think. I need to make final adjustment to the latch but it's all working well. This was a bumper kit designed by Wildyoats and there were about a dozen kits made a few years ago. I'm glad I got one of them while they were available. I really like the lines of the bumper and it works great.

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Finally a couple better photos of the ARB front bumper. This bumper is 15 years old and shows it. It took a lot of work to clean it up and there is a little pitting on the top surface, but it's still structurally sound. A winch will be added at some point but I like the clean front face and it will look nice with a haws fairlead.

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The front of the bumper was tough to get totally smooth so I did what I could to get it close and then used some scraps of carbon fiber vinyl I had and laid it down across the front. Turned out pretty good I think.

 

Haven't done anything with it yet. It's still getting parts pulled off and swapped into it, then it will get sold.

 

beauty, love this gen

 

So far I haven't had to come up with anything. Shouldn't need to either. The only thing my '93 didn't really have was locking diffs and this new one has them so once the suspension and sliders get moved over, and a few little things like the radios, this truck will be good to go.

Parts are readily available for these.

 

Goodness - I love your builds. all of them, this one is already amazing!

 

sub'd - my dad has a '97 LC with 315,000 miles all original drivetrain no rebuilds - these things last forever!! can't wait to see what you do with this one!

on a side note what kind of MPG are you getting now that you added all that weight? thanks

 

looking good adam!

 

Question: I read a little on another forum about your other LC80 with the Aussie. Granted, we're talking different wheel bases from my T4R but would you recommend them ? I read countless grips and complaints about wet/snow condition performance but rarely have those people even driven with an Aussie Locker. Thank you.

 

I heard all those same complaints before I bought the Aussie locker for the cruiser. I anticipated some occasional weirdness with the locker after putting it in. I think the biggest factor is the weight and wheelbase of the FZJ80, but I have never once had a single hiccup or bump from the Aussie locker. The only times I'm even reminded that it's there is when it will make the ratchet sound when turning on pavement or when it does what it's supposed to on the trail and gets me through an obstacle when I wouldn't have made it with open diffs. Otherwise it has been 100% transparent in it's behavior.

However it seems that smaller, lighter or short wheelbase rigs have more little quirks show up. A friend of mine has one in his FJ40 and it will occasionally do weird things. Some similar things will happen on another friends early minitruck. I believe it is all factors of wheelbase and weight.

So I can't predict for sure how it will behave in your 4Runner but I would guess that 99% of the time you won't even know it's there. I've been totally impressed with the Aussie locker for a cheap way to get locked axles.

 

dirty winter pic after our drive home from Idaho for the holidays.

 

Adam,

I appreciate the thorough feedback and look forward to seeing more of this 80 build.

 

I have recently been reading about some LED headlight upgrades for the Cruisers on MUD and I went ahead and ordered a set. Label says they are 2000 lumens and they're straight up plug-n-play so it won't get much simpler. Should make for a much brighter whiter headlight. They are CREE LEDs. I ordered them from ebay.
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Came in this box

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packed like this

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and where are the night pics? and they are from china I assume?

 

Patience. they literally just got here. I haven't had a chance to put them in yet.

 

but they are simple....lol

 

How did you paint those flares to make them look so good and not at all like a rattle-can job? I'd like to steal your technique.

 

I'm curious about those myself. The lighting on my '91 is kinda dim too, at least on low beam. High beams are acceptable. I'd like to upgrade the low beams and just get an LED lightbar for highway driving.

 

..................waiting for nightshots so I can buy.