The Restoration And Build Thread For My 1992 FJ80

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Thanks you guys! I haven't done really anything to the truck lately besides starting to buff out some of the many scratches from the last trip. I'm about to start ordering the parts for my passenger side swing it and should hopefully be making some once I'm done with this semester.

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

I've been working the past several days on making parts and prepping my truck for installation. So far I have most of the lower pieces for 3 swing outs completed.

I need to drill out more 2x4 pieces for the frame mounting extensions, the rest of the parts that go above the swing out arms, stop plates, and latch drop downs.

Unfortnuately, the wrong spindle sleeve length was ordered, but after several calls and emails, they said they had correctly changed our order and we're sending me the correct length. I happened to assume they would be correct until I went to weld in the spindle sleeve and noticed it was way too short. Hopefully I will be able to find tubing locally tomorrow and get the welding going.

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Finished up the arm with latch and stop plates. I plan to build the basket for the Yeti out of 1" OD tubing tomorrow.

 

[Willman]

Hands down one of the best early model 80 builds i have seen. Nicely done!

Keep up the great work!

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Hands down one of the best early model 80 builds i have seen. Nicely done!

Keep up the great work!

Thanks!

I didn't get as much as I planned to this weekend, due to not having all the materials I needed and I got pretty distracted when my friend brought over his 5th gen 4Runner with the BP51s on it. Tomorrow I plan to pick up some 1" sq tubing for the floor and front/back uprights between the two hoops on the basket. I also kept thinking about the design, and while I have no plan to ever get rid of the Yeti cooler, things do happen so I decided to make it bolt on to the swing out arm. I am also angling the top hoop upwards so I can still have a large fold down table on the backside, but not have tubing covering up the Yeti's rubber latches. In between the two front hoops will go the JDM license plate holder and license plate.





I actually helped install the BP51s several weeks ago, but he had to get home and we weren't able to play with the compression or rebound that day. Anyways, they are really nice.

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Finished the passenger side swing out for the Yeti 45. I also put the tent back on for an upcoming trip

The JDM plate holder was awesome. I just unplugged the harness from the one in the tailgate and the everything fit right in!

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Some friends and myself headed out late Friday evening to attend the Yeti Cycles demo day in the Palo Duro Canyon. We had been wanting to ride there for awhile, and with Yeti taking all their bikes out to demo for free, there was nothing stopping us. 750 miles overall and the cruiser performed flawlessly and averaged 11.2mpg even with me keeping the pace above 75 most of the time.









The Yeti cooler on the swing out is a life changer. Having it back there made it a breeze to get things out, place things on top as another table top, and opening up a lot of needed space in the back of the truck.

 

[NM-Frontier]

Favorite Yeti you rode? I'd love to get some time on a SB6C.

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Favorite Yeti you rode? I'd love to get some time on a SB6C.

I started with the SB6C and it was a lot of bike for the trails. I never felt like I was even getting close to its potential on the trails there and could never really let it rip. The tires were also pretty slow rolling for those trails. Overall, it was amazingly smooth and I just kept looking for bigger and bigger things to hit. It felt like a tank. I would love to ride it again somewhere in the mountains like at the bike park in Crested Butte.

Then I rode the SB5C and WOW! That thing was unbelievable. Super playful and just felt more alive than the SB6C. If I hadn't just bought an SB66 and had the money, that's the bike I would go for. Probably not a 1 bike do it all, but pretty dang close. I was riding it and didn't realize it was only 127mm of rear travel. I thought it was a 150 bike on downhills and a 110 on the up hills.

Then I rode the SB4.5C after a friend pretty much forced me to as I'm not a fan of 29ers, but once again, I was blown away. The rear chain stay is actually shorter on that bike than the SB5C and I had no problems cornering or it feeling to tall, and once again, I felt like it had the same travel as the SB5C, but it only has 114mm of rear travel. I'm not sure if the tires had more air, or if the suspension had a little more air or if it is due to less travel, but the ride was a little more jarring than the 5c, but still super confident dropping off ledges and getting into the air.

 

[wrenchMonkey_]

Just went through the whole thread.

This LC is what everything I want an Expo vehicle to be.
Everything I want my Tundra to be.

Lots of nice custom touches and fab skills my friend.

Enjoy!

 

[NM-Frontier]

I too was a nay sayer to 29" wheels for a long time but with the new geo and kinematics of these short travel 29ers I am 100% all about them now. I picked up an EVIL Following this summer (the SB4.5C has similar numbers) and it has totally changed the way I look at trails and think about bikes. Wheel size is only one part of the picture, is everything comes together and makes a ripper then who cares what size wheels are on it. Case in point, I'm just a stoked on my Following as I am that you picked up a SB66!

How does the swing out get along with the bike rack?

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

Just went through the whole thread.

This LC is what everything I want an Expo vehicle to be.
Everything I want my Tundra to be.

Lots of nice custom touches and fab skills my friend.

Enjoy!

Glad you liked it. Thanks!

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

I too was a nay sayer to 29" wheels for a long time but with the new geo and kinematics of these short travel 29ers I am 100% all about them now. I picked up an EVIL Following this summer (the SB4.5C has similar numbers) and it has totally changed the way I look at trails and think about bikes. Wheel size is only one part of the picture, is everything comes together and makes a ripper then who cares what size wheels are on it. Case in point, I'm just a stoked on my Following as I am that you picked up a SB66!

How does the swing out get along with the bike rack?

Yeah it blew my mind. I started building up my 66 last night and it looks like it was hardly ridden. No cable run through the paint, and the only paint issues where from when the guy said he crashed in some rocks and it left the paint kind of black but it buffed right out.

Swing outs clear the rack if I fold it down. One of the fork grabbing uprights was slightly catching on the swing out as they point outward on the passenger's side and inward on the driver's side.

 

[tlin]

SCJ - I'm in-between meetings at the moment, thought I'd inquire with you but one teeny-tiny little thing still causes me pain and it's the lack of power in my '92 on long freeway runs (uphill being the culprit). Knowing you also get out on some long treks, what's your long-term plan? Are you ever going to turbo, go 2FE, do a swap, etc. or are you fine with the 45 mph/2nd gear/3800 rpm runs up any/all 6%+ grade freeway hills for the remainder of your relationship with your own '92?

Take care.....long live the 3FE!

--t

 

[Summit Cruisers Jr]

SCJ - I'm in-between meetings at the moment, thought I'd inquire with you but one teeny-tiny little thing still causes me pain and it's the lack of power in my '92 on long freeway runs (uphill being the culprit). Knowing you also get out on some long treks, what's your long-term plan? Are you ever going to turbo, go 2FE, do a swap, etc. or are you fine with the 45 mph/2nd gear/3800 rpm runs up any/all 6%+ grade freeway hills for the remainder of your relationship with your own '92?

Take care.....long live the 3FE!

--t

Really the only time my 3FE is really slow is when I'm up in the mountains. On my recent trip to the Palo Duro where there were 4 of us, 4 bikes, gear, and the RTT I was able to go 65+ all of the way and sometimes 75-80.

If you haven't regeared, I would start with that. I can't remember if you've told me if you have or not. Otherwise, I have really only two routes I would like to do. As I want to drive the 3FE until it dies, a turbo and a H55 swap are the only things that allow me to do that. If the 3FE got to a really bad condition to where a rebuild wouldn't be worth the time and money for no gain, and if I were in the position to do a 1HDT swap I would. Otherwise, I have no interest in going with a non Toyota drivetrain. A 2UZ-FE wouldn't be terrible, but if I were trying to make a swap that complicated I would rather go with the newer 5.7, but as far as I know, no one has successfully swapped one of those into anything due to the computers. Not to mention axles and a lot of underbody modifications would would need to be performed as the transmission/transfer/driveshafts drop on the other side.