Project FJ: Building the Ultimate Off-Road Vehicle for Outdoor Photographers

BretEdge

Adventurer
I'm a professional landscape and adventure photographer in Moab, Utah. I'm also the proud owner of a 2007 FJ Cruiser. Living where I do and doing what I do, it goes without saying that I spend a fair amount of time exploring well away from paved roads. I'm not one to drive a trail just for the sake of driving a trail, though. When I go out I'm on the hunt, looking for landscapes that inspire me to dig out my camera and tripod.

I placed the order for my FJC in January, 2007 and took delivery of a shiny silver FJC with every option other than a subwoofer and side airbags in March, 2007. I'm incapable of letting any vehicle I own remain in stock form for longer than a few weeks. In April, 2007 I installed an Old Man Emu lift and 285/70/17 Good Year Wrangler MT/R's that have since been replaced with BFG KM2's. In 2011 we bought a Maggiolina roof top tent for a trip along the Oregon Coast in my wife's 4Runner. As soon as we got home we swapped the tent over to my FJC for another trip into Colorado's San Juan Mountains. Until recently, these had been the only modifications to the FJ.

And then, a few months ago, I concocted a plan to build my FJC into the Ultimate Off-Road Vehicle for Outdoor Photographers. My lovely wife was thrilled. Just thrilled. Luckily, we cut a deal. I could mod out the FJ but every time I added something new, she got to spend some quality time shopping on the internet. I may not be a smart man but after thinking long and hard (about .5 seconds) we shook hands and the deal was sealed. Actually I don't think we shook hands for I was too caught up in the moment, squealing like a little girl who just won a beauty pageant.

At any rate, I sat down and came up with some criteria for the build. I knew my goal was to build the FJ into a capable overlanding rig with a focus on the specific needs of an outdoor photographer in mind.

- The first and main priority is to build a capable, RELIABLE, off-road vehicle. I'm not building a gnarly rock crawler. I need a vehicle that is comfortable on-road as it is my daily driver but it also needs to be able to negotiate trails like Lockhart Basin, all the stuff in the San Juans, etc.
- Photographers tend to carry around a lot of expensive, power hungry equipment. It's a good idea to have a safe, secure environment in which to store it and the ability to easily recharge batteries in the middle of the middle of nowhere.
- We often travel to and from the locations we photograph in the darkness of pre-sunrise and post-sunset hours so we need enough auxiliary light to pummel the trail into submission.
- The last thing we want to do at the beginning or end of a long day is set up or put away a tent, inflate or deflate sleeping pads and pack away sleeping bags. And, it isn't uncommon to be in the field, away from civilization, for days on end with no way to replenish ice, water and food. My build needs to provide for a way to set up and tear down camp quickly, keep food refrigerated without ice and carry enough water and grub for several day's sustenance.
- Finally, despite all the advice to the contrary, we often head out into the wilderness alone. There are few people with the patience to put up with a dedicated nature photographer who might sit in one location for hours waiting for precisely the right moment to release the shutter. When we're out there alone we'd better damn well be able to self-rescue out of most situations.
- As a bonus, if I can use the rig to advertise my business, that wouldn't suck. Obviously, built up rigs attract attention so I might as well utilize that to my benefit, right?

With this criteria in mind I started planning out the build. First up - a partial wrap to advertise my business. Yeah, I know, it's not exactly a critical element of the build but I theorized that by starting with the wrap I might generate some extra business that would help offset the cost of the build. Sounds logical, right? And you know what? It's working. I had a friend with a sign business do the wrap for me and it turned out quite nice. Not long after the wrap was installed I realized that the stock silver rims needed to go. A quick trip to Chip's Grand Tire in Moab and I had a set of flat black Ultra Wheels "Bolt" wheels on order. Soon thereafter boxes started arriving addressed to my wife from places like Amazon.com, Title Nine and Banana Republic.

The only photos I've got on hand at the moment are a couple iPhone pics. I promise to post better photos as the build progresses.

Here's the pre-build FJ en route to Imogene Pass a couple years ago. I'd just finished leading a fall photo workshop in the San Juans and decided to drive over Imogene Pass on the way home. I didn't make it. Less than a 1/2 mile from the top I had to turn around in a whiteout as the road got too slick.
fj original sj.jpg

This is a photo on the Gemini Bridges road north of Moab. I'd just mountain biked the top section of Mag 7 and was on my way home. Obviously, this is after the wrap and wheels were installed with the RTT up top. In my next post I'll detail the first major mods (bumpers and a winch) and add some higher quality photos.
fj  wrap wheels.jpg

More to come in a few days...
 
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VATACO

Adventurer
Love the vinyl wrap.

Might eventually want to look at a lower profile roof rack to bring that maggiolina in closer to the roof. Would net you some saved fuel and also reduce the snag potential.

Tagged for future updates.
 

BretEdge

Adventurer
Love the vinyl wrap.

Might eventually want to look at a lower profile roof rack to bring that maggiolina in closer to the roof. Would net you some saved fuel and also reduce the snag potential.

Tagged for future updates.

Low profile rack is already on the list for the reasons you listed and to lower the center of gravity a little bit. I haven't decided which rack I'll go with yet as I may opt for a different RTT to free up a little room on the rack for additional gear storage. My only gripe with the FJ is that it's a bit small for a family of three and I'm having to get creative with gear stowage options.

Thanks for subscribing for future updates and for the rack suggestion!
 

BIGGUY

Adventurer
Tuffy makes a locking storage drawer for the FJ. Springtail Solutions makes racks to hang the molle style bag on for the back door, rear sides, and console. They have just released a new drawer too. They also have a divider rack for the cargo area and seating area which can be used to hang stuff also.

Good old Chip. I'm about ready to go visit him for another set of tires again.
 

loup407

Adventurer
I have a Ti 2008 FJ. Although we pull an A/T Horizon on most trips, we've gone a lot of places in the FJ. As BigGuy pointed out above, there are a lot of places to tuck stuff. Yes, the FJ isn't huge. I liked my 4Runner. We used a Titan for trips for a while. I LOVE my FJ (105,000 miles on it). I use SpringTail Solutions Molle bags on the driver side rear and the rear door. A Trasharoo can hold more than just trash. We have an ARB fridge on a slide on the passenger side and use A/T drawer next to the fridge to store miscellaneous stuff. I have a Gobi Rack, but my RTT is on the trailer, which makes a big difference. The Gobi isn't light, but can carry a lot...most recent trip I had two bikes, 10 gallons of water, two fly rods, shovel, axe, and a box of recovery tools on the roof rack.
Also, if you don't need it, since the back seat is split, remove the lower part of the seat that isn't used (two bolts). You'd be amazed how much room you gain. Have fun!
 

ANDYROO

Adventurer
Looking forward to seeing you build your FJ out Bret. I love my Taco but definitely miss my FJ.....

Andy
 

BretEdge

Adventurer
We're now moving on to the next phase of my build: bumpers and a winch. Why bumpers and a winch at this step? I'll be honest. If I'm going to spend a fistful of money I wanted something to show for it – the most bang for the buck, if you will. Arguably, nothing changes the look or off-road capability of an already lifted FJ more than aftermarket bumpers and a winch. The new bumpers would give me better approach and departure angles as well as increased durability. No more cheaply made but expensive to replace Toyota OEM plastic crap getting thrashed after gently massaging some sandstone.
I'm a research whore and as such, I spent way too much time online looking at every aftermarket off-road FJ bumper I could find. There are some good ones, some bad ones and a couple excellent ones. I don't like tube style bumpers which immediately knocked a few out of the running. Other than that, my criteria were pretty simple: high quality, functional, reasonably priced and well designed to fit with the FJ's lines. For the rear bumper I also mandated that the back-up sensors and factory tow hitch be retained. Before anyone says it – yes, I do realize that keeping the stock tow hitch decreases departure angle. I tow a 4,500 pound trailer from time to time and so the hitch had to stay.

After many hours and lots of telephone calls with various manufacturers over a period of several weeks I made the decision to slap on some Expedition One bumpers. Their bumpers met all of my requirements AND they're based in Ogden, Utah, so it was an easy trip for me to do in a day from Moab.

I also looked at a couple different winch manufacturers. I opted for a Superwinch Talon 9.5i SR. Expedition One sells them and they fit perfectly in their bumper. I asked a few friends with winch experience and most said the same thing, “Either Warn or Superwinch”. So, there you have it.

Next on the build agenda: new front suspension. Details are forthcoming...

Enough blabbering. Y'all are here to see the photos so let's get on with it.

Yesterday in Lockhart Basin
FJCruiserinLockhartBasin-Edit.jpg


FJ in Autumn Fog, La Sal Mountains
lasalfall0912-22-Edit.jpg


En Route to Dome Plateau
fj-4-Edit.jpg


Detail of Expedition One Rear Bumper
fj-8.jpg


Does this bumper make my butt look phat?
ExpeditionOneRearFJBumper-Edit-2.jpg
 

BOHICA

Adventurer
Subscribed...I too use my FJ for scouting landscape photo sites (hobbyist) and have yet to make any mods to my truck. I went with the RTT for a while but hated the setting up and packing camp everyday so I now have an off-road teardrop trailer. Just made my initial test run on a 4 day trip to Death Valley. On my short list are bumpers, winch and skid plates.
Ken
 

dsrtdcab

Adventurer
Great looking FJ. Makes me miss mine and Moab for sure. I will certainly vouch for Richochet, I bought the full set. Turns out I ordered the wrong front skid before my trip from the east coast to Utah. Upon calling them 5 days before my trip, one of their guys offered to simply meet me in Moab, then install it. Quality and service like none other.
 

Ramjet

Explorer
Moab

Great build you have going. I've been building my FJ for 5 years now. I'll be in Moab in May next year and would love to get some recommended spots to camp for a few days to mountain bike. Thanks.
 

sumnrfam

Active member
SWEET!!!!

Awesome build Bret,

You are a lucky man, to live where you live & do what you (love to) do :sombrero:, Nice wrap & nice gallery :wings:, my wife & I fell in love with Moab this past spring during our National Parks tour week, & enjoyed taking in your gallery on Main st.

Keep the build photos coming, Thanks!

Wade
 

antarctican

Observer
You should have come to the FJ Cruiser summit in Ouray CO this year Bret. Lots of great ideas to be discovered. I'll be going to Cruise Moab in 2012 and possibly the summit again. As a photog myself this is why I built my rig. I do believe we know a few pros in common. Maybe will see you there.
 

STREGA

Explorer
It was great meeting you in Moab last month, hopefully seeing Ace's and my FJ helped you out with some ideas. Your FJ is looking good. Will have to get together with you sometime and do some wheelin in Moab or the San Juans. Doug
 

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