AT FJ55 Project Vehicle

elcoyote

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
We are very fortunate to have been bequeathed a beautiful 1972 FJ 55 by our good friend Andrew. Not only is this beauty a restorers dream retro expo rig, she came with a tote bin full of new...yes new parts and a 3F EFI engine.

Although she was hard to get started after sitting for 7 months in a garage, with a phantom electrical problem, within the first day, we have managed to get the battery to hold a charge and she fires up on the first try! Gotta love the venerable pig!

Our goal over the next year is to turn this beauty into a retro expedition rig and our daily parts gofer with some juicy updates to make her a reliable head turning rig. Here's our preliminary list of items that we will be addressing during late night wrenching sessions at the AT workshop:

Front disc brake conversion
Rear disc brake conversion
Replacing original engine with the1993 3F EFI
Replacing 4 speed SM420 with an HF55 5 speed transmission
Power steering
Rear Ozi locker
Vintage Air A/C
Dual group 31 AGM batteries
Body rust repairs & paint (we're going 2 tone with Chaser Olive Gray & White)
Interior upholstery & refinishing
3" lift
33 x 15 x 10.50 BFG M/T on the stock rims

Future late night wrenching sessions will result in cool expedition goodies like:
Warn 9000 winch with synthetic winchline rope
Custom built front & rear bumpers (rear receiver hitch of course)
Engel 45 (duh!)
Eezi-Awn 1400 T-top
2 meter radio
GPS
Satellite Radio
Whatever other geeky expo stuff we dream up

Stay tuned here to see how this progresses.
 
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DaktariEd

2005, 2006 Tech Course Champion: Expedition Trophy
Sounds like a great plan, Mario!
Good luck....will be looking forward to see what you guys come up with...

So...when you're all finished with her, wanna bequeath her to me???

:sombrero:
 

Andrew Walcker

Mod Emeritus
Yes, the Pig LIVES!!! She looks great parked in front of AT World Headquarters! Glad you guys are going to take care of her. The 55s', IMHO, are what an overlander vehicle was all about in the late 60s and 70s and set the bar very high for Rover, Jeep and International in the 4 door market. The only thing tougher than the 55 was the rust that has plagued so many of them. They are the predecessor of the modern SUV with 4 doors, seating for 6 and an electric rear window and functional tailgate. I think that besides the old Nissan Patrols, they are the rarest of the older expedition vehicles found in the states anymore. I see maybe two a year in SoCal driving around.

Growing up I remember many a trip in a 55, driving up and down the coast with sailbaords strapped on top searching for wind! I even read somewhere that Steve Irwin, RIP, grew up in OZ driving a 55.

I love the direction you are taking the build as I think the planned mods will enhance the already legendary reliability and pedigree and compliment those, "OH, SO SEXY" lines! Long Live the PIG! :victory:
 

locrwln

Expedition Leader
I'm jealous, I love 55's. There was a couple that moved into the area where I grew up with a green and white one. I was probably 7 years old and I thought that thing was really cool. Must have been one of the first LC's I had ever seen.

Jack
 

gillti

Adventurer
Mario, I couldn't believe it when Andrew said that you guys drove it away!! This is going to be fun to watch happen. Good luck!
Timothy
 

spressomon

Expedition Leader
It's begun!!! Can't wait to see the project as it progresses...and...oooooo: What will be the inaugural excursion to christen it when completed?!
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
I have wanted to put a 7M-GE in one of those for a couple years. Figured that would make it much more livable on today's US highways and still keep it all Toyota.
 

elcoyote

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0004
The 55 is very nostalgic for us too. Growing up in Ethiopia & Kenya in the early '70s, the vehicles to have were either the FJ55 or the LR109, and of course if you were a corrupt despot, you had a Range Rover. Scotty, our shop Mgr, has been around vintage LC & LR stuff so much of his life that I think he may have been conceived in the back of a 55! That man can wax poetic about cruiser lore.

Perhaps the inaugural Overland trip should be a quest for wind & waves...and that of course means fish. Hmmm, isn't there a quaint little peninsula a couple of hundred miles south of here? :sunny:
 

Andrew Walcker

Mod Emeritus
elcoyote said:
Scotty, our shop Mgr, has been around vintage LC & LR stuff so much of his life that I think he may have been conceived in the back of a 55! That man can wax poetic about cruiser lore.

:jump: Well that clears up some questions I had about Scotty! :jump:

elcoyote said:
Perhaps the inaugural Overland trip should be a quest for wind & waves...and that of course means fish. Hmmm, isn't there a quaint little peninsula a couple of hundred miles south of here? :sunny:

Yes please!!!
 

Andrew Walcker

Mod Emeritus
gillti said:
Mario, I couldn't believe it when Andrew said that you guys drove it away!!
I won't even go into how many "small infractions" would have resulted from a routine police traffic stop just in case this site is monitored by the DOT.:) Only in a TLC could you pull off something like that!!!
 

Martyn

Supporting Sponsor, Overland Certified OC0018
bj70_guy said:
The only thing cooler than a 55 is a....diesel 55! Throw a 1HD-T in it instead :drool:

We still want to do a diesel swap, our thought initially are to convert with an International 2.5 turbo. It will take some time to locate the engine and all the associated parts.

The 3F EFI engine will be an interim measure to get the vehicle going, the diesel conversion our long term plan. All we need now is the time to do all the work.

We could hold Portal Parties at the shop, where all of you guys turn wrenches while we direct operations while holding clip boards. Sounds fair to me. ;)
 

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