Box Rocket 1995 FZJ80 Build

[Box Rocket]

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

The truth is I got that bumper as part of the purchase of my old '93 Cruiser back in 2000. The seller had started the mods but hadn't finished them. I finished them up and it's been like this for the last 15 years. The goal was better clearance and a cleaner look. The guy who started the mods never intended to run a winch so it doesn't have any of those pieces. But I'll be adding a winch to it sometime in the future and it won't be hard to make that work. When I do add a winch I plan to use synthetic rope on it so I wouldn't want all the bracketry for the roller fairlead anyway so this will allow for a clean face for a haws fairlead.
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the short answer is better clearance

 

[Box Rocket]

Sliders are here. Now to find some time to do a little welding.

 

[Box Rocket]

Also my roof rack has been delayed. The shop doing the laser cutting had a break in and some things were stolen including the aluminum sheet that the parts for my rack were being cut from. Bummer.

 

[Box Rocket]

I picked up a pair of BH3D emblems this week to replace the two "sombrero" ones on the truck. I replaced the one on the grill and this one on the rear hatch.

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I was also pleased with the number in the bottom left of my Ultragauge. I think that's the best I've ever had from a full tank in an 80. Yes, it was mainly highway miles but still a good number as far as 80s are concerned.

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

Congratulations on the gas milage, however how you do that?

 

[Box Rocket]

Congratulations on the gas milage, however how you do that?

It's definitely not "typical". I'm sure it has much to do with driving style and that it's primarily highway miles. I drive pretty conservatively (which doesn't necessarily mean slow) and those miles were almost all highway on that tank.

 

[Box Rocket]

**Prinsu Design Roofrack teaser.** I can't begin to describe how freakin cool this rack is going to be. Zach Scott is doing a fantastic job with it. We test fit the very first set of 80 Series rails on my truck today. *Don't mind the backward TEQ" , the guys that laser cut it forgot to flip the logo for this side. It's getting fixed. Rails are 1/4" aluminum. Might be hard to tell in the pics but the rail has one bend in it. It sits in the rail and angles in toward the center slightly and then goes vertical. The rails will be powder coated right away. Crossbars are black anodized aluminum and they are BEEFY. I love how this rack runs the entire length of the gutter to spread the load over a much larger surface. You can see 4 sets of 4 holes on the rail (laid out in a square), these will be where the mounting feet attach. so it will be held to the truck with 4 feet per side. It will have a wind deflector across the front and I like how the angle of it matches the angle of the windshield. I mentioned this before but this rack with require removal of the OEM roofrack. I wanted it to be as low profile as possible and it's about as tight to the roof as we could get it without worrying about any contact.
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Should have it powder coated and ready to go in the next 10 days or so. Just in time for an early spring Moab trip! Can't wait.

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[SmoothLC]

Nice!

 

[Box Rocket]

Finished up the sliders over the weekend. Not many people use the Trail Gear sliders, but I ran a set on my old '93 for years and was very impressed with them and how well they've held up. As will any slider, proper gussets at the frame are key to keep them from flexing. There is some fabrication involved with the Trail Gear sliders since they are made for Tacomas. The sliders ship with the main slider fully built but with the legs un attached so that you can set the angle of the slider where you want it. The forward leg that is supplied is too short so that what you need to handle on your own. I used some 1.5" 0.25" wall square tube for that front leg. It's crazy beefy but since it's a longer leg it helps to have heavier material. I made some big gussets from 0.5" plate. The sliders are welded to the frame using some 3/16" scab plates on the frame with the slider/gussets welded to the frame plates. On the passenger side I needed to bend the forward leg to pass under the cats. All in all I think they turned out nice and for the cost, they are the best bang for the buck sliders out there for the 80 IMO even with the extra work involved. Hard to go wrong for roughly $200. You'll want the 67" versions.
https://www.trail-gear.com/TG/Rock_Slider_Kit_58_/i_0_0_3212/_120001-1-KIT.aspx
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[java]

Looking good! I used the TG silders on my 03 4runner, they worked well for me also.

 

[Box Rocket]

Few small updates. I was having some steering wobble but had a good alignment so I got looking at the brakes and the new wheel spacers. I took the wheel spacers off last night and so far the wobble seems to have gone away. I'll re-install them later and see what I can figure out. The brakes had been pulling to left slightly and from what I was able to do on my own everything looked good but I had the local dealer inspect them today to check for warped rotors and/or a seized caliper. Everything checked out perfectly. The pulling is a result of one of the stainless braided brakelines I swapped over with the lift. It has a very small leak and isn't pressurizing completely so it's pulling a little to the opposite side. I have a new brakeline to swap in so no biggie.
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I've needed to get my fridge, CO2 and Aux power sorted out a bit. I got my fridge slide mounted in the rear cargo area last night along with my CO2 tank. I added some bracing behind the plastic panel and the bracket is bolted to that so it's nice and solid. Also fed a simply 12V plug to that panel just behind the middle row so I can plug the fridge in. Nothing fancy but it will work.

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[TheOneKnownAsMe]

I must say, very impressive build so far. I can't wait to see what that roof rack looks like once it's done.

 

[RMP&O]

definitely a good looking Cruiser!

Strange on the brake line, I would have guess stuck piston in the caliper.

Cheers

 

[Box Rocket]

definitely a good looking Cruiser!

Strange on the brake line, I would have guess stuck piston in the caliper.

Cheers

I agree. I was sure it was a stuck piston on the caliper too.

 

[Box Rocket]

Big props to Ratio AV for some help with interior goodies last night. New Pioneer touchscreen DVD/HD Radio deck in the dash with Bluetooth. As well as a dropdown DVD (10.3" display) with wireless headphones in the back for the kids. The overhead unit is 1080p with SD Card, USB, RCA and HDMI ports. Long trips will be nice moving forward. Pretty pumped about it all and looking forward to trying it out.

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Bluetooth mic on the A-pillar

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