it will be as it reads in the title.....pretty much...
...yes.....I could make my life easy and just build/bought a prerunner.....but what fun is that?
Plenty of nice pre-runners already built running around socal for sale.....that said, I'm in love with my FJ.
So Fuck it.
I always seen built Bronco's and really like them and considered them initially but in the end the FJC caught my eye back in 2010 and I got the right deal.
I enjoyed it as my "work/daily driver" for many years.....many offroad trails, trips, adventures and miles were enjoyed.
I found myself driving faster and faster offroad....which of course created a few "oh shit" moments and a cooled it and realized it was time to re-think things.
At the same time a side business I started went from zero to sixty really fast and in 2 years now we have 4 CNC machines and ship my camera accessory inventions all over the world.
Which is kinda important when you wanna go fast as we all know......speed costs money.
So.....I ended up at a shop in riverside that had just completed another serious FJ with a good reputation.... and to make a massively Long story short.......
8 Months later.... very little had been done and one day the doors were closed (massive shop) and the security guard gave me a phone number to call.
Luckily I dodged a bullet to the head. Thankfully one of the partners in the business employed a mediator and we were able to come to a fair agreement.
I got a fair financial resolution and I got my truck back (in pieces) but in the end I was more glad to exit that mess.
Basically they had started the cage and fabricated the front ARMS.......but many things were not adding up and since I was able to essentially do a "re-set" on the build, I started to re-evaluate a few key things. especially the front suspension.
In any case, the truck is in the very talented hands of Jordan Knudert ( @dertco on IG) in Las Vegas now and we have a plan and are back on track. Jordan is a talented fabricator and one of the best suspension tuners around. He tunes Strobel TT and has worked on BJ baldwins suspension also.
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So the plan.
-Toyota FJ body/frame/soul
-GM Performance LS3 built by Mullenix racing engines with their stage 3 cam kit.
-4L80 with 300m output shaft/4130 forward hub built by Culhane
-Atlas2 transfercase 300M input and HD case.
-Ford Bronco TTB D44 front end.
-KING shocks
-4-link rear with 55" links.
-37" tires
So why TTB?
Well after thinking about this alot....
The problem with the a-arm solution we were working on was always be CV angle. The weak stock front FJC diff....etc. the other shop had some ideas on how to address those issues but everyone that has a LT FJ has suffered from lots of CV issues. He was thinking we would use a tundra front diff and a few other crazy ideas. Solo motorsports does have a 19" LT kit for Tacomas that uses a 930 innerCV and Dana44 outer u-joints....people I talked to usually strap it at 17". The Arm that were built for my FJ were cycling 17" at the spindle face. So should of ended up just about the same as the solo kit...around 18-19".
RCV cv's are megabucks. Cv's in general are expensive and failure prone when used in these extreme uses.
That and there was alot left to be figured out to make those a-arms they made work....and the designerfabricator was now out of the picture.
So I fell back on one of my original ideas.
Putting a Ford TTB front end on my FJ.
Why? I dont have to preach to the choir here in GFB forum but a few things sway'd me....
TTB has lots of the strength of solid axle with the ride of IFS design, it's rather "easy" to get 20" travel and still be 4wd capable for when you need it. 37" tires, 550ish HP will be hard on the dana44 u-joints then again most of the time I will be in 2wd. When I do use 4wd it will be a more controlled a smart way. That said d44 u-joints are dirt cheap compared to broken CV's. From what I have read u-joints will fail before I brake axles in a TTB.
There are hundreds of very heavy Bronco pre-runners running TTB front ends with 35,37" tires and the D44's actually hold up quite well(AFAIK). Beams have been used for decades off road and have a proven track record and history and when built right proven winning performance.
I was tempted to actually I-beam it but wanted to keep it 4wd, keep some of the "fj-ness" but it was never meant to be a crawler...but it will be nice to get out of silt beds and will come in handy running fun trails out there with my friends, camping with my buddies. Basically I just want to be able to do the same kind of trails I did with my FJ before, which I think I should be able to do.
I might have some "haters" for all the "mixing" I'm doing .....but in the end I'm the one building and paying for my version of my offroad dream machine. So wish me luck.
I joined the forum to read up on TTB see everyone's builds and learn what I can.
Also, The Bronco is actually a decently similar to my FJC for comparison on how it might perform when done. So it's a good measuring stick how what to expect from my finished result.
Stock 4th&5th gen Bronco wheelbase? 104.7"
Stock 2010 FJC wheelbase? 106"
So despite the FJC "looking" smaller than a bronco...In stock form it's actually just a bit longer.
That said we are stretching the wheelbase as much we can. Not sure where we will end up. Maybe 110ish? Not sure what Bronco Pre-runners usually stretch their wheelbases too...
For comparison to other popular pre-runner trucks
So a regular cab Tacoma is 110"
late model Ford Ranger 111"
So it's not so horrible.....no doubt the "short" wheelbase will limit my ultimate top speed thru whoops as things start getting a bit "loose" above 60mph.....but with some expert tuning I think I should be able to push it pretty hard.
But then again I'm not trying to build a competitive serious racetruck.
lets face it......60mph+ thru whoops is enough to get my blood flowing and bring a smile to my face.....
....and with expert tuning.....lets see how it will do...
In any case I'm excited to find out.
