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Is this possable??

STPPINZ

STPPINZ

Registered User
Location
Utah
I have been out of the main stream of wheeling for a while and want to throw this out there and see if it is possable....

I am debating on starting a new platform to wheel in. Nothing wrong with the Pinz...Its just that time I guess. Looking around, there are 3 requirements that I would like/have to have in a rig.

1. seats 6 - got to have the whole fam on the trail
2. Street Legal - Not a Daily driver but can be driven on road
3. Capable enough to do trails like Pritchet

What I am thinking about right now is in the FJ80 realm. I don't know a lot about them, but could I keep part of the cab, tube it out, put 3 rows of 2 bucket seats in, throw some mog axles under it and possible engine swap?

Would something like this be street legal? I understand the obvious lights and fenders etc...But how much of the original body is needed to be street legal? Any other rigs that this would be possible with?

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
cruiseroutfit

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Sounds possible to me... alot of work but completely possibly. The 80 Series never came with a traditional 3rd row seat, it was a fold down seat secured over the rear wheel wells. So while it would be entirely possible to add a 3rd row of buckets, you would be starting from scratch on the 2nd and 3rd rows.

Engine swaps and axles swaps have all been done, Volvo portals, Portal-Tek portals, Cummins 4BT, 6BT, V8's, etc. Sky's the limit...
 
jet_aj

jet_aj

Just loosing my mind
Location
UT
It is very doable... greatscott has built a rig to seat six that is street legal when needed, or not when doing the harder trails.

He can take the front clip off, and what remains of a bed, and doors and look like the pic i've posted. Or he can put it all back on and is street legal... just barley... even with the 44" tires.

But what your wanting to do is very possible, just need to do your homework and go with what rig you want to build.

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STPPINZ

STPPINZ

Registered User
Location
Utah
Thanks for the replies. I have thought about going the full size route, mainly with a unimog, but worried that they are to big for most trails that I run. Greetscotts rig is awesome, looks like something out of MadMax Beyond Thunder dome.

So I am thinking of morphing tube and body to make a it work. I am afraid that even if it is street legal on the books, just because it "looks" illegal it will get dinged. But I guess there is always a way around it. It seems like it is the perception now a days and not the written law that is followed.

I guess the trick is to find a platform that will require less "customization" than others.
 
G

great scott

Well-Known Member
Location
Carbonvil/Price Utah
I chose the 1 ton Chevy for a few reasons. I had most of the parts from my old Blazer and 1 tons can be legally lifted higher in Utah. I would tell ya I don't care how they look but that would just be an excuse for mine looking the way it does :D. There have been times that it's size gets in the way(more width then length) and I have thought about narrowing the cab and adding rear steer. One day :rofl:.
 
Tacoma

Tacoma

Et incurventur ante non
Location
far enough away
Those 3rd row seats in the 80 Series' would be VERY difficult to get into if the 2nd row was buckets-- you fold down the passenger side to get in to the back, then fold it back up for the middle row passengers to get in. Plus, the stock 3rd row fit over the wheelwells, as Kurt already mentioned.

If it was me, I'd get a Suburban, lop off about a foot out of the back and use Blazer side windows, and wheel the snot out of it. They hold 6 easily, can be lifted to clear 42's legally, have 60/14bolts available pretty readily, you can get big block power, etc etc .


They are wide though. :(
 
gijohn40

gijohn40

too poor to wheel... :(
Location
Layton, Utah
extreme 4x4 took a fj80 and tubed the rear half and made it look pretty nice... if you added some frame to it you could put a third row on it and have the seats looking backwards so they could get in from the back instead of the front... it would be were all the kids would want to sit to watch the run from behind... lol

a surburban would also work as well... I personally have an expedition sitting on 35's with just a 4 inch lift but it would never do pritchett... tooo big a aproach and departure angle...
 
STPPINZ

STPPINZ

Registered User
Location
Utah
I am kind of thinking out of the box on this one. The degree on how much I want to tube out is something I have been milling over. I am leaning on making it a soft top and tube out the rear and extend it into the cab. With out having the chance to look at an FJ80 close yet, I am wondering if I would have to just cut the back third off all together to fit buckets in the back, or if they will fit with the floor still in with out making the tube that much higher. Moving the axles forward is also something I think will need to be done.

Kind of a big job but I think it would be fun. A good excuse to get a bender and plasma cutter!

The next question is power plants...I have been looking into a 4BT swap. That would be pretty sweet, but I have never wheeled with a diesel. Has anyone around here had any experiences with a diesel on the trail...sound, smoke etc?
 
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STPPINZ

STPPINZ

Registered User
Location
Utah
Houndoc said:
You already have a Pinz, and thats not different enough?
Click to expand...

Different is good, right? That's what the commercials told me.

I still think the Pinz is a great rig. Nothing out there can do what it does, carrying what it can being a stock vehicle. I guess I am just in the need of a new project. Never Content...

I am thinking that a 2/3 tubed out FJ80 with a LT1 motor rolling on Mog axels is pretty different.
 
Houndoc

Houndoc

Registered User
Location
Grantsville
STPPINZ said:
Different is good, right? That's what the commercials told me.

I still think the Pinz is a great rig. Nothing out there can do what it does, carrying what it can being a stock vehicle. I guess I am just in the need of a new project. Never Content...

I am thinking that a 2/3 tubed out FJ80 with a LT1 motor rolling on Mog axels is pretty different.
Click to expand...

Can't argue there. I just have a bad case of envy. If I ever have cash sitting around waiting to be spent, I want a Pinz!

For a family wheeling, the FJ80 sounds like the best thing to start with.
 
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