building my 95 fj80 for overland

[krokarthecrooked]

Well heres the deal im planning on building my 80 series cruiser for overland travel first trip will be in 3 years across the us would appreciate any help advice or tips on building this rig for overland travel. will be pulling my adventure trailer as well.was thinking engel fridge, aux fuel tank,lockers front and rear,4 inch lift with 35's,winch,armor,5;29 gears ur thoughts and am i missin somethin Thank you.


Dan

 

[Hltoppr]

All of the above will work just fine. One thing to think about...I've seldom needed larger than a 31" tire for travel purposes. 33s maybe. Outside of major European or North American countries, it's going to be difficult to find 35" spares.

Other things to think about such as sleeping arrangements, water storage and gear/spares storage can come into play. I prefer a cargo floor instead of drawers, because mine is a daily driver and gets tons of day to day gear put in the back.

Check some of the other build threads here and you'll get a great idea of where to start and what works.

-H-

 

[roamingaz]

If your building it for "overland" it has to have a snorkel.:coffeedrink:

 

[Cackalak Han]

You ain't gonna get much e-cred without any pics.

 

[SoCal_80]

I would say 33's and 4:88's would be more than enough and a 4'' lift.

 

[krokarthecrooked]

Yes i plan on havin a snorkel just forgot to list it Lol. reason i was thinkin the 5;29's is i will be pullin my adventure trailer along as well. and yes i will be postin pics of my 80 as the build goes along i will also post pics of it stock before the build starts. also am plannin on an Argentina trip 7 years after the cross country trip plan is to start in Nevada my home state and try to reach Maine staying off highway with the exception of fuel and supplies when needed and where i have to go paved road to get to the next section


Dan

 

[sprocket3]

Do you really need the 4" lift? I hardly need my 2" lift and I've covered thousands of dirt miles. I don't rock crawl though.

33' with a 2" lift does a lot. Also the Slee Short Bus front bumper and 4x4Labs rear bumper will give you lots of front and rear clearance when going up and down.

Don't overbuild your rig!

Dual swing outs on the back is a pain when you need to grab something from the back that you forgot after you closed it all up.

It will be very heavy and slow on the highway. Mine feels like i'm driving a big barge around compared to stock. I have 33s with stock gears.

 

[Big Blue]

33“ – max. 3“lift – 4.56 - perfect for the trailer
35“ – 4“lift – 4.56 /4.88
37“ – 5“ or 6“ lift – 4.88

5.26 is to short

Stefan

 

[Guambomb]

Everything in your list sounds perfectly fine to me except the gears. I would not go with anything but 4:88's. 5:29's would only be beneficial about 5% of the time. Don't think you would like them very much at 70/75mph. I run right about 2400/2500 rpm's at 70/75 with 315's and 4:88's.

I've had a previous Cruiser with OME 2/3" springs and 33's with stock gearing and it was plenty capable offroad. It would have been nice to have 4:88's though, especially if pulling a trailer. Build it as much as your heart and wallet will allow. Goodluck!

 

[krokarthecrooked]

ok um im still lookin at ideas wether to go 33's 0r 35's is still the question i understand that i can do pretty much anything with 33's and a 2.5 in lift now for the gearing i dont really care if i can do 7o or 75. now i do do rock crawlin with a 70 fj40 but i also understand overland is a diff animal but i also want this rig set up for anything that i might encounter no matter what. Im sure that some of what i will encounter will be Technical as im plannin on staying off highway as much as i can so that being said im not sure im over building as much as just prepin for anything that comes my way. I want this rig set up to handle anything and thats what im lookin at not just for overland but for anything. I greatly appreciate your thoughts and advice it give me clues as to what im lookin at Thankz


Dan

 

[Guambomb]

If you have trails right out your back door and don't require spending any time on the freeway to get there, then go with the 5:29's. If you're like most people and need to spend a few hours getting to the trails, then don't get 5:29's. They're not going to make that much difference on the trrail though unless you're going with 37's. Good luck.

 

[sprocket3]

Then go with the 35s and 4 inch lift. Pick your gears and you are set. 33s are nice but since you don't seem to have a budget or other factors holding you back go big.

 

[krokarthecrooked]

yes and no on the budget im just lookin at settin up this rig for anything.and yes i have trails really close to home like i said im plannin on using this rig for overland travel i want to leave Nevada and go to Miane off highway as much as i can and only hit paved roads if i have to please read my posts i want this rig set up for anything not overbuilt but deff capable of handling anything i can throw at it and will be towin an Adventure trailer as well. some of u have givin me good advice and its much appreciated thats why im postin here. I want to know if im in the ball park or jus pissin in the wind Thank you for ur Time and advice

Dan

 

[Wheelingnoob]

I think if you are building a truck for Overlanding as you have said. Then you need to know what the truck can do and know when you are on a trail that is more than it can handle. If you are going to be covering large distances on or off road I would build the truck capable. Not something that can get up a dry waterfall or over a rock garden.

You also need to take into account the wear and tear those larger tires and lift are going to take on things like drive lines, steering, bearings and even transmission and engine.

Comfort is a huge thing too, doing a trip like you have outlined you are still going to be spending hours on hwy. Screaming along at 2800rpm at 65MPH is going to wear you out.

I would stick to what will work 99% of the trip and not something needed for that 1%. Chances are that 1% is easily bypassed or a different rout not far away.

Good luck with the trip ether way.

 

[sprocket3]

yes and no on the budget im just lookin at settin up this rig for anything.and yes i have trails really close to home like i said im plannin on using this rig for overland travel i want to leave Nevada and go to Miane off highway as much as i can and only hit paved roads if i have to please read my posts i want this rig set up for anything not overbuilt but deff capable of handling anything i can throw at it and will be towin an Adventure trailer as well. some of u have givin me good advice and its much appreciated thats why im postin here. I want to know if im in the ball park or jus pissin in the wind Thank you for ur Time and advice

Dan

33" Tires
4.88 Gears
2" Heavy OME
Slee Short Bus front bumper *
4x4 Labs rear *

That's what I run and have been real happy. I think it would work great for you as well.

*I think these are the two lightest bumpers system you can go with. They also give you really good approach angles due to the design and fitment. I would guess your approach angles with these bumpers and a 2.5” lift will be higher than some of the other aftermarket bumpers with a 4” lift.
There is also a lot more expense and complication with the bigger lifts. Check out the prices and ask around. The 2.5” lift is pretty easy and a great value. You seem to have some drifting goals with your project. If you are going to tow a trailer around how extreme do you need the tow vehicle. If you are really doing mostly long distance overland travel 99% of it could be covered with a stock 80 and a good set of tires. The other 1% could be avoided.

I have driven about 4000 miles on unpaved roads in the last few years. All seasons including winter snow and mud. These are the only issues I've had with my overland cruiser on 33” AT Geolanders:

1) Pulled off the side of the road in December to park and sank up to the axels in a spring that didn't look any different than the road we had been driving on. Nothing but sage brush to winch off and the HI-Lift was useless in the mud.

2) Got to the end of a 20 mile loop last month to find a canyon with too much snow and a side hill that would have been cruiser terminal to slide off of. About 50 miles from pavement with no cell service.

3) First trip I ever took I got a piece of “Wax Wood” about the size of a tooth pick in the sidewall. I couldn't find a tire shop that would fix it and had to toss a new tire in the dumpster. I guess sidewall punctures are hard to fix.

I guess my point is that additional tires or lift would not have helped in any way.