The Mongrel: FJ62 body + FZJ80 chassis + turbo diesel + ???

[RMP&O]

Didn't get much done today other then a pressure wash on the FZJ80 chassis. It cleaned up nicely and is in better shape then I had thought.

Had to do an axle swap on another truck, all part of the plan. As you can see this truck is blocking in the FJ62 so need to get it out of the way!

 

[zimm]

portals always seemed to be a solution looking for a problem on a "car" sized rig.... when one looks at the overall height limitations to Keep a truck livable (assuming this isnt a monster truck build), and all other things being equal, id choose 3" bigger tires over a set of portals.

on a unimog where youve already designed in the tires at their practical maximum size? Portals solve further clearance issues i suppose. on a "nissan 62/80"... are you really gaining anything with the 15,000 bucks? i mean you already own 'em so its 0.00 bucks on the books, but would you do this if you hadnt these in stock already, and if so, why?

 

[RMP&O]

portals always seemed to be a solution looking for a problem on a "car" sized rig.... when one looks at the overall height limitations to Keep a truck livable (assuming this isnt a monster truck build), and all other things being equal, id choose 3" bigger tires over a set of portals.

on a unimog where youve already designed in the tires at their practical maximum size? Portals solve further clearance issues i suppose. on a "nissan 62/80"... are you really gaining anything with the 15,000 bucks? i mean you already own 'em so its 0.00 bucks on the books, but would you do this if you hadnt these in stock already, and if so, why?

The portals and the potential issues with them is something I am definitely spending a lot of time thinking about. Monster truck? No not at all. Think more along the lines of Oilworkers Rover as that is about the size of truck I am shooting for in terms of height. Portals by design put a lot more force and stress on the suspension components. However, I do think the stock 80-series stuff is up to the task. I am planning to run 37" tires but if I find it to tall I could use 35" and be happy.

I spent more time measuring yesterday. The rear axle is going to be a snap to fit. The front will be more of a challenge. Width is also a concern. The portals are 68" WMS to WMS, the 80-series is 63". So it is definitely going to be getting fairly wide with the portals.

Would I buy the portals now if I didn't have them for a build of this type? No I would not! Would I sell them if somebody stepped up with $13,000? Yes I would, I may even let them go for $12k. Who out there in 4x4 land wants to buy these axles though for that price? From advertising them and knowing what I know, I would say it is few to none interested in buying them. If I sold them I would go with super built and blinging 80-series axles along with 4-6" of lift to suit 35-37" tires.

What I will be gaining with the portals is obviously ground clearance. Beyond that though it is strength. This truck is going to weigh around 6,000lbs once done, perhaps more once loaded with gear for a trip. I will never break the portals, ever. Once under the truck I figure I can forget about the portals for good. Meaning I will never need to upgrade an axle shaft or buff something else up in them because I find I am breaking things or am to heavy for the axles I have. Will I use the portals to their full potential? No I doubt I will. However, I am sure I will always be happy with 17" of ground clearance under them. That will be useful in many places including deep rutted muddy roads in the jungle. A good friend of mine wants to see me use Toyota axles. he has good reasons for this, such as being easier to fit under the truck but also that I will likely never use the portals to their full potential. However, unless somebody buys the axles I am not left with many choices. I don't feel like sitting on the axles forever until they sell. And it could take a year or more to sell them. So at this point I just don't see why not to use them. It is like a scale, weighing my options and then deciding the best route to go, all things considered.

I realize this is not your typical bolt on a go overland build. I also realize a lot of people here may think this is a bit much for overland use. Hey I understand! Thing is, this truck is to be my drive out to the Rubicon, run the trail and drive home. Then the next month jump in it and drive down to Panama. On my trips south in the past I didn't do a lot of off pavement, a lot of reason for that was the truck being to mild in it's ability off-road. In this truck I will be looking for off pavement routes!

cheers

 

[RMP&O]

Buying a sand blaster in a few days. Going 50/50 on it with a buddy. We were looking at renting a blaster and large 185cfm compressor for a week but honestly it makes more sense to buy the blaster and rent the compressor as needed.

Here is the blaster we are buying...

http://www.hornetblaster.com/gallery

So, I will be blasting the FZJ80 rolling chassis myself and doing that sooner rather then later! This also means I can use up a bunch of sand blasting medium I have had sitting around for years!

 

[zimm]

i'll tell you where they arnt overkill... russia.

a buddy of mine that was lucky enough to have a "john edwards" style class action suit 20 years ago, started to travel the world on cheap japanese bikes...

(with 20 years non stop under his belt, his advice? buy a 600cc japanese road bike of any brand, throw on some knobbies and go. anything more is a waste.)

... back on topic... he was in japan when putin declared the siberian highway done. he decided to up and go to moscow, and that statement was apparently a bigger overstatement than president bushes operation complete picture... it ate their bikes on more than one occasion. he said if it rains, you need a monster truck.

theres where you should take it. screw central america, in another 5 years the chinese will have it paved anyway. wild russia is where portals belong.

 

[RMP&O]

i'll tell you where they arnt overkill... russia.

a buddy of mine that was lucky enough to have a "john edwards" style class action suit 20 years ago, started to travel the world on cheap japanese bikes...

(with 20 years non stop under his belt, his advice? buy a 600cc japanese road bike of any brand, throw on some knobbies and go. anything more is a waste.)

... back on topic... he was in japan when putin declared the siberian highway done. he decided to up and go to moscow, and that statement was apparently a bigger overstatement than president bushes operation complete picture... it ate their bikes on more than one occasion. he said if it rains, you need a monster truck.

theres where you should take it. screw central america, in another 5 years the chinese will have it paved anyway. wild russia is where portals belong.

Alrighty then, thanks for your two cents. No plans to drive across Russia anytime soon though.

Oh and good attempt at trying to get rid of me!

 

[RMP&O]

Just bought me some used FZJ80 front coil springs on Mud. Happy happy, joy joy!

Oh and I liked this article, especially because it came out right after our discussion about portals!

http://www.expeditionportal.com/veh...ept-now-see-the-original-forward-control.html

True it is a concept but it has some $20+k portals under it. That makes me feel less over the top using mine in this build. Also notice tire size and vehicle height on the Jeep. That is about what I am aiming for, obviously without the forward cab or pickup bed style body though.

I would say average Joe is doing it!

 

[zimm]

theres a dude in PA just north of me selling the infamous white 80 on volvos, i think its only 11-12g. buy that and shorten it. done.

 

[RMP&O]

theres a dude in PA just north of me selling the infamous white 80 on volvos, i think its only 11-12g. buy that and shorten it. done.

You have missed the whole point of this build thread. On top of that I don't really like that 80-series, in particular the engine. And why chop that truck up?

You are suggesting I spend $12,000 to buy something I already have with axles that are nowhere near as good as what I have and to top it off that truck is located well over 1,000 miles from me? Buy it for what? Some super old school, very well used axles with 80-series suspension welded on them? Ummm, real good advice. I already have what I need, why spend money on something not as good?

On top of that the white 80-series with Volvos is no good on the HWY due to the 6.xx gears in the axles and the engine that gets under 10mpg. Volvo portal gears are very hard to come by, you have one or at most two choices for gears and they are very expensive. New gears in my axles will run me tops $150 per axle and are everywhere. Also my axles I can get parts for nearly anywhere since the large majority of what is in them can be sourced at any auto parts store. Not like some 30+yr old Volvos where parts have to be ordered from who knows where.

If you don't like the build Zimm it is fine, no worries at all. But from here on out I think I am going to ignore your posts if they have nothing worthwhile to say.

 

[RMP&O]

Sale pending on seats & hydraulic steering system from my 83 Patrol. Just waiting on a check!

What that does is give me some money to buy some things for this project. First bits I think I am buying is going to be suspension stuff. Then it is time to put the portals under the FZJ80 chassis. I will also buy the 37" ProComps ($200) with some of the cash and get them mounted to my 17" Walker Evans beadlocks. In the meantime I suppose I better get started on chopping down the frame!

 

[RMP&O]

More screwing around with a tape measure, comparing things and all that jazz.

The Patrol and the portals are shockless, sitting on wood blocks as you can see. Ignore the hydro ram, it is getting pulled in the next 48hrs. The axle as it sits in the Patrol now can only compress another 2-3" max before there are problems. So ride height will need to be a little taller then this. It is also sitting on 40s still so I will lose an 1 1/2" by going down to 37s. Ride height is really not looking like it will be all that bad to me, same for width. However, there is a problem...

The 80-series front axle and the coil perches on that axle are approx 44" apart, outside to outside. The flanges on the portal axle are roughly 42" apart. So to fit the front portal axle with the stock coil spring configuration I got to lose nearly 4" in width. Not liking this option or how this would turn out. Moving the upper coil buckets on the frame inboard another 1-2" per side I am pretty sure will create problems under max flex. Raising the coil bucket on the axle to clear the flange is another option but that just gave me another 2+" of lift. The 3rd option is just don't use coil springs and go coilovers in the front. I am really trying to stay away from them due to cost but man I may just have to do it for these issues with width. Also if I link the front using my links and JJ's I won't have to do a lot to the front axle besides reconfigure panhard and maybe the upper link mount.

Any ways, here are some pictures so you can see what I mean.

Height comparison, the Cruiser is on 35s with 4" of lift.

Width comparison, the Cruiser is less than 2" wider over the Patrol body wise. Keep in mind these are 13.5 wide tires and I am going to run 12.5s. I had 2" wheel spacers on the portals before, I took them off the front but they are still on the rear axle.

It is definitely going to be a wide Wagon! By my measurements so far nearly 10" wider axle wise then it is now in my FJ60. That is a lot for cruising down the pavement! I am thinking though regardless how wide it works out to be I am doing fender side bars with a fender flare incorportaed into it. Maybe just cheap plastic garden edging though! Don't want to be getting hassled by cops everywhere I go outside Wyoming so something will have to be done because these axles are going to make it wide!

More screwing around...I dug the links I have out.

Five hours in the cold rain today was enough for me, it is now :beer: thirty!

 

[Bugspray]

are the tires currently on the Patrol too large to use for the project?

 

[RMP&O]

are the tires currently on the Patrol too large to use for the project?

Yeah, way to big. 37s may even be to big. There is a big jump in price from a 37" tire to a 40" tire. I am not rich enough to be running 40s on pavement and buying new ones every few years! Plus I don't want the truck that tall.

cheers

 

[RMP&O]

More blahing on...

Getting ahead of myself here but reading lot's of threads on Mud has me thinking!

First up, I think I decided today I am going to make a rotisserie for both the body and frame. Looks like $200-300 and I can make one and it will save me tons of work plus a hurting back. Either going to make it from scratch or use some things like engine stands from Harbor Freight. Going to use some big wheels so it can be moved around outside easy, gravel driveway and all.

Looked at buying a shelter, to much money so sticking with plan A of building one myself. All I need it for is this project, painting during it and shelter from rain + wind. Still planning PVC pipe frame since I have tons of the stuff and just wrap that in tarps. I also got a bunch of 4x8 sheets of 1/2" plywood so think use that as a floor on top of gravel or just make a pad of crush.

Sent these guys an email...

Gaugeplates.com, your home for custom gauge and switch plates

to see about getting them to do something with this....

This is where I am really getting ahead of myself but I am wanting custom gauges, switch panel, power port and so forth. I also want a new speedo with the new engine. I can't get a new FJ62 one, considering using an FJ80 one since it is still available or use these...

Dakota Digital - Digital Instrumentation and Accessories

I just don't like no km's on the speedo and I don't need a tach that goes that high with the diesel. Most of the speedos I am seeing for sale (Autometer, ect) don't have kms on them, kind of want that for trips south. Not sure how the 80-series would fit into the dash though. Any ways, just sent them dudes at gaugeplates.com an email to see what they say and maybe have some kind of idea on cost. And the switch panel will for sure have at least one zombie light switch!

OTRATTW

Thinking I will have the switch panel built to suit the stock radio location on the right of the dash panel. I do have this tach which is the stock one for the Nissan diesel engine, it kind of would go ok with the 80-series speedo. :hhmm:

Or maybe not! Anyone have a picture of the 60-series or 80-series stock diesel tachs? Are they run off the alternator?

Also got this, it is from a Patrol but would work ok in the Cruiser. It is a Mongrel after all so why not!?

This week I think I am going to pull the portal axles from the Patrol. Do the plasma'ing of the engine mounts and so forth off the 80-series frame, buy some steel for the frame chop and prep for that. Will have the 80-series coil springs this week and kind of wanting those to level up the truck for the frame chop. Probably should get the portals under it before the chop but who knows, might just chop it first! May go as far as to start cutting stuff off the axle housings this week too. Need to buy some consumables and after cutting get to grinding.

cheers

 

[zimm]

You have missed the whole point of this build thread. On top of that I don't really like that 80-series, in particular the engine. And why chop that truck up?

.

i thought your goal was a 60 body on coils and portals. wouldnt you need to chop an 80 frame to fit a 60 body? i dont recall my 60 having an optimum breakerover to rear angle ratio, so i think the frame would need a tad bit of rigging. its been years, so i dont reacll if 303 axles have high and low speed varients, or if that just mogs.

dont take it all so personal. its an unusual build, and im asking questions.