How to convert your Jeep TJ to a Toyota Landcruiser

[miller]

So I did my best to make my Jeep look more like a Land Cruiser because I'm a big Toyota fan. The first mod was to body fill the trademark jeep slots and cut out some type of grill that was toyota-lookingish. It's the metal mesh backing supplied with the body filler I used. Then the TOYOTA lettering in the back was done with the armygreen...and that's about as Toyota as I could make it besides more lettering

Then I grooved out every low lug on my tires and siped them horizontally. I found that it made no noticable differnce with the tires reverse rotated. The most noticable difference was after the siping. I'd like to get another set and just sipe them. Taking out lugs on "real" tires just helps to clear out mud...but this isn't used in the mud. I think siped stock tires will be the best, without the lugs the wheel has to travel more before the next lug bites an edge of rock compared to stock tires....so I'll have to try it some time.

Then after some fun I was getting caught up on my fenders and doors on rocks so decided to tube the fenders, sort of, and make tube doors so the doors wouldn't catch. The tube is solid galvanized steel which was a pain to bend...I didn't know about the brake line cause I'm a noob. But I love the way it looks. I had it epoxied to the plastic rock sliders but that didn't hold so I made metal ones and tack welded them together. I also made a rear bold on bumper that was tied in to the plastic rocksliders with epoxy, those broke and I lost them. Eventually I'll make new ones cause it looked wicked. I still have to grind down some of the epoxy on the tube doors to clean it off and clean up some of the black marks from tacking stuff together.

Stock

You can see here how the metal sliders were set up. I drilled to fit then pressed them in the cut stock mounting brackets.

On this you can see where I was getting caught up on rocks with the scratches. Having the tube doors there now should help a bunch.

The weight of the tube makes it sit about an inch lower which is cool, but maybe it's from the suspention mods...those are next.

 

[miller]

So for the suspention I hated the clicking and clanking of the springs binding on the "perch" after compressing after full extention and also wanted more flex without sacrificing stability.

So I flipped the springs around so that the attached end was on the lower portion so when it flexed out the spring would travel down the shock body and get rid of the clanking.

I also swapped shocks front to rear and outboarded the rear shock mounts more and raised them. Then I drilled out the bumpstops on the axle. The Shock mount were set up so the shocks were fully compressed at full compression with the bumps stops drilled out. This still gave me extra flex and keeps it super stable. It's a lot more stable than stock. I have the use of my pop's stock truck to compare. I'm not sure if it's the lower stance, the added low weight of the solid metal sliders and rear bumper, the removal of the rear bed cover and roll bar, or shock set up. Most likely it's a combo of it all.

I had to chop out part of the rear. I think I'm gonna make a little metal box for it and chop part of a hex axle off and screw it into it so it's a spare tire holder. I could put the cover back on it but don't like it and I think the spare tire box thing would be cool. Sometime I'm gonna make a cleaner setup of sheet metal than I have now for the relocated shock mounts.

Check out the front tire. I thing the siping made them super extra soft but it's pretty sweet. That's with a lot of pressure on it, they ride really well on the rocks. Could be standard though without the lugs, I just didn't notice till now.

So I have a lower stance...somehow. Stock tires sit level so it's not the tires. Probably the weight of the "tube" and the shock setup. There is barely any spring pressure at ride hight, it's really soft. I love it. Tube doors, cut and sort of tubed fenders, metal low profile rock sliders, rear bumper and about an inch more flex than stock. I think the next thing on the list will be a tummy tuck, but not for a while. I was also thinking a full exo but I love the stability it has now and don't want to add anymore weight to the body.

Joe

 

[Otto Man]

Yeah....mine squats real low too. I believe inboarding the shocks, in essence - makes them shorter if that makes any sense. It actually looks real good. I've had my tires cut like yours for about a month now, they seem to work awesome. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't notice a lick of difference mounted forward or backward. I also cut the lugs down the center of the V's so the tire carcass flexs better. Stock, it's slightly indented to show the lugs are separated, but now they really are.

 

[miller]

Yah, I think the reversed tire is just a fad someone started :roll:. I imagine there is a reason mickey thompson mounts them forward and not reversed.

I measured it up and I have 9 inches of flex. I think stock might be around 8. To me this is perfect, any more would be lame in my opinion. On full flex my tire is almost running on the beadlocks, any more flex and it would riding on the rims...kinda unrealistic and I'm a fan of it being as realistic as possible.

Notice with the outboarded shocks my drivers rear shock is straight up and passengers is almost in the stock location. I think this is really what gives it more stability.

Later, Joe

 

[icu_runnin]

nice progress. Hope you dont start getting flamed on again.

 

[Mutt]

If you kept cutting the lugs just a little more, and took off the big side lug like this

You would notice a difference between forward and reverse, and with this pattern it barely travels at all before the next lug grabs, my lugs are also siped with a "/" apposing the lug so if the lug is at an / angle it gets a \ sipe.

Also, MT makes the tires like that because they have to follow DOT guidelines and on the road if you run a directional tread in reverse you usually receive poor wet weather handling which doesn't get too many good reviews, also running a directional tire in reverse produces excessive noise and odd treadwear patterns.

 

[SlammedMini469]

looks good! i think the lower hieght has more to do with the suspension mods than the tubing, it would take a lot of weight to compress these springs an inch straight down.....

 

[miller]

I tried to tone it down a bit so I wouldn't hurt anyone's feelings...

Yah it would make sense for the lower stance to be from the shock set up. Shorter fronts and very little spring pressure on the rear. As for the tires... I get all the DOT stuff but Mutt you have a full finger width of wheel spin before your next lug bites and then now you have less sidewall tread for traction. I'm gonna run a test on stock siped wheels against mine on the same "track" of rocks and maybe take some video of it if it shows any difference...but this isn't a tire thread...I can't believe I'm spending this much time on this thing:roll: but it's just so cool. :mrgreen:

 

[SlammedMini469]

as far as stock vs flipped tires goes, i didn't notice any difference on rocks flipping them, but on SMOOTH surfaces (windows of my car) it would climb both the front and back like it was flat ground, but when i flipped them, it just sat and spun.......

i flipped them back and it climbed it.....

 

[miller]

as far as stock vs flipped tires goes, i didn't notice any difference on rocks flipping them, but on SMOOTH surfaces (windows of my car) it would climb both the front and back like it was flat ground, but when i flipped them, it just sat and spun.......

i flipped them back and it climbed it.....

Stock direction climed or flipped from stock climbed?

 

[SlammedMini469]

noticed no difference on rocks.

on the glass, stock climbed 100% better

 

[mtxride]

sweet job miller. the tube work looks good. i was gonna do the same thing with my shocks too... outboard and raise the mounts.

 

[gregman_1]

Good work! The tube stuff has me thinking...

 

[Mutt]

Well two of my buddies have their tires cut exactly like yours and theirs don't perform near as well as mine, he tried his both directions (cut like yours) and it made no difference), but I put my set on just his fronts (running backwards) and he started walking stuff, when i put the full set on he snapped a rear coupler.

as far as stock vs flipped tires goes, i didn't notice any difference on rocks flipping them, but on SMOOTH surfaces (windows of my car) it would climb both the front and back like it was flat ground, but when i flipped them, it just sat and spun.......

i flipped them back and it climbed it.....

 

[miller]

Well, that was confusing...couldn't find my thread then I realized it was renamed...I guess for searching purposes? So some updates.

Suspention:

My shock set up was cool untill on the "trail" so I did the standard triangulated shocks. Rear shocks in the rear and fronts in the front. WAY better results. I get full stuff with very little rub and my shocks don't disconect which was happenning to me all the time on my last set up.

Triangulated....one side disconnected once in about an hour of good use...and I think it's because when I drilled my holes one side is about 2mm higher...that's what I get for eyeballin it. No problem though....love this set up.

Full stuff

Steering:
With my second gen chassis my belt was slipping bad. Did some reading and saw Mutt's mods but after taking things apart I didn't see any need to use a socket...the plastic pitman arm is beef. So I took a first gen steering box and put that in...no more slipping belt. I guess they were tighter. Then I made a new metal draglink and put that 3" screw through the knuckle. WAY better and mine dances like Mutts.

Also clearanced out the steering box...but be carfull not to chop off your contacts for your servo position sensor thing....oops. Worked out well though to replace the steering box with a first gen box...blessing in disguise I guess. You can also see in the picture my spring wrapped around the lower mount so that it doesn't catch and make that annoying clanking sound. Instead the spring slide up and down the shock body.

By far my favorite mod. First gen steering box, metal draglink, stronger steering knuckle stud.

The results in really bad quality...but you can see the wiggle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB9GH1_z8T0

 

[miller]

Drivetrain:
Front and rear belts were slipping like crazy. Replaced them with my first gen belts front and rear and no more slipping. Everything works wicked now. I only get slipping when things are really bound down...so it's perfect and hopefully I won't get any stripped gears.

Works really really well.

I have some video that I'm working on and will get that up tonight and will also deal with this reversed tires myth....I have evidence.

Joe

 

[miller]

Vid of the mods workin on the rocks....no complaints but a tummy tuck is next on the list... I like 911rc's style of doing it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyxrMZjkhVg

 

[ColquittCustom405]

This almost looks real....

 

[rig it]

i dont like toyota, but you did a nice job on the grill and i think the next set of tires i get im gonna sipe them like urs

 

[adawg69]

nice work man i always wanted to do a full tube chassis on my nylint like this

this is one of this guy that i know..(its not mine but hey a man can wish cant he)

this is how i cut my tires and this cut with it reversed it crawls 50 times better!!!

sorry i couldnt find just a pic of the tire but as you can see i cut it too look like a swamper bogger look i cut every other rowm of tread, and i will tell you what it seems to me work the best !!