Box Rocket 1995 FZJ80 Build

Dr. Freud

New member
Wow. So nice! Crazy how much the wheel spacers balance out the stance. Are you still exploring seating options for the middle row? Maybe drop your old tacoma buckets in there?
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Wow. So nice! Crazy how much the wheel spacers balance out the stance. Are you still exploring seating options for the middle row? Maybe drop your old tacoma buckets in there?
Actually, I'll be leaving the factory middle row in place. I got looking at it with a pair of buckets and even had them picked out. But it meant I'd need to use the full 3rd row with the family. That meant I had no room for my fridge. So I'll be leaving the middle row and 3 of my kids will ride in the middle and one of them will ride on one side of the third row leaving the other side of the back open for the fridge.
 

Dr. Freud

New member
That sounds like a good plan. In my mind I can see a fridge between buckets in the middle row but I bet in reality the dimensions are a lot less. Either way, I bet your kids will love it. Now you can have one in the way back handling fridge/snack operations.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
That sounds like a good plan. In my mind I can see a fridge between buckets in the middle row but I bet in reality the dimensions are a lot less. Either way, I bet your kids will love it. Now you can have one in the way back handling fridge/snack operations.

Yeah not enough room between the middle buckets for a fridge. That would also defeat the purpose. The main reason we wanted to do the middle row buckets was to give better access for the kids to get to the third row. Oh well, no big deal.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Nice touch, smog go ok?

Yep no issues. Needed to repair a couple of the marker lights to pass safety but no big deal. Funny story about that the driverside rear marker light (little red one on the side) was in bad shape. The bulb had fallen partway out of the housing and the bulb had melted the plastic housing. Again, not a big deal but something I'd never have even looked for otherwise.
 

pmccumber

New member
Those spacers, from my time trying to be a baller in my sc300 (just kidding - but I do remember reading about it), some people talked about spacers putting strain on the wheel bearings. What's your take on that?

BTW, we have startlingly similar rigs going :) I need to reconstruct a build thread on that thing.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Those spacers, from my time trying to be a baller in my sc300 (just kidding - but I do remember reading about it), some people talked about spacers putting strain on the wheel bearings. What's your take on that?

BTW, we have startlingly similar rigs going :) I need to reconstruct a build thread on that thing.

My take is "yep" spacers can put added strain on wheel bearings. Which is why I try not to go too crazy with how big the spacers are. I've seen guys with huge 3" spacers, and that would definitely put a ton of leverage on wheel bearings and other components and the scrub radius is also affected. These 1.5" ones are the biggest I would ever consider. If I could have found some good quality 1.25" ones I'd have probably used those but these were what was available for the cruiser. Yes it could mean that the bearings need to be replaced more frequently, but chances are I'll be doing a front axle service again to fix leaking seals anyway and can just do bearings then.
 

CreeperSleeper

Looking for bigger rocks.
Beautiful rig! It makes me miss my 80 a lot... However, with that much lift, I think you need some 37's! I had the same suspension set-up except I cut 3" out of my front fender as well. This is how it sat on 37x14.50x17 Bias Iroks and 17x8 wheels (3" BS).

P7180008.jpg
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Beautiful rig! It makes me miss my 80 a lot... However, with that much lift, I think you need some 37's! I had the same suspension set-up except I cut 3" out of my front fender as well. This is how it sat on 37x14.50x17 Bias Iroks and 17x8 wheels (3" BS).

I looked at 37's and was going to run some 345's but nobody had them. But I'm not looking to hack up the fenders to fit a bigger tire. I could run 37's and not have to do much cutting but it would mean a lot of bumpstop. That's wasn't ideal either. So the 35's made the most sense.
 

CreeperSleeper

Looking for bigger rocks.
Hind sight being 20/20, I didn't have to trim the fenders at all IF I would have gone with a 12.50 wide tire. Just food for thought in the future.

Here she is flexed out with the spacers removed and the beadlocks are an inch wider, but still 3" backspace:
2.jpg

RockyUp-Hill.jpg
 

mouse007

Explorer
Thanks guys. Did a couple other things last night. I have a set of Spidertrax wheel spacers that I installed last night. I've like the spacers on my Tacoma so I thought I'd try them out on the cruiser. I think it is the perfect amount and puts the tires out flush with the flares. Feels a bit more stable and adds a little weight to the steering feels which I like.

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Also got the wheels repainted. They had been painted before but were a little faded and chipped. So, cleaned them up and shot them with a few coats of VHT Satin Black wheel paint and few coats of clear.

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Here's a couple shots of the wider stance with the spacers.

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NICE....!!! Any reason you did all the mods to the ARB Bull Bar...?
 

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