2007 FJ Cruiser - Lifted and locked - 410Fortune wifes rig build thread

410Fortune · 10-08-2007, 05:51 PM

OKay so my GF/future wife Julee (love her) has a 2007 FJ cruiser 4x4, 4.0L Auto
The truck has been dubbed (by me) as her "Fun Julee"

She loves this truck, she loves fourwheeling, she loves Toyota so it was a perfect fit...

Last weekend (yesterday) I/we installed a lift kit on her truck.
The kit is sold by Toytec, which basically is a set of 3" Old Man Emu lift coils (884, softer coil) with a custom machined aluminum spacer that mounts on top of the strut to gain a true 3" of lift in the front.

The Toytec kit also goes one step further and replaces the factory rear coils with some custom medium duty coils. Many OME lift owners on these vehicles complained the OME coils were too soft and saged a bit, so Toytec had some custom coils made, again for a true 3" of lift

I also picked up a 1" front differential drop kit, to help with the new CV angles. I have not installed this kit yet, we will likely wait a bit until we go with even more lift in the front.

On to the pictures:

truck in the garage before lift:

front to fender masures 34-1/4":

Toytec lift kit, including OME 884 coils, aluminum strut spacer, diff drop kit, and new rear coils:

tire off:

disconnect the front sway bar:

front lower ball joint (knuckle from lower control arm):

Factory Strut removed:

factory coil compared to OME 884 lift coil:

New OME lift coil installed on Harbor Freight strut compressor:

(slow going here)

front put back together with strut and Toytec spacer:

Front done, measured 37.5" to fender before settling:

The front took us about 5 hours total, the springs are a bitch to compress and the hooks on the HF spring compressor are large so with the tight winds of the OME coil it was hard to get the strut back out of the compressor.
The first side took us twice as long as the second.....
The next day we tackled the rear, the total install on the rear was about 1 hour

Rear tire off:

remove rear sway bar:

remove rear shock:

we also unbolted the trac bar to help get the new coils in.
Here are the factory rear coils compared to the Toytec rear coils:

rear springs installed with factory rubber bump stop:

rear done

The truck out of the garage:

We will be getting new longer rear shocks shortly, the factory units will limit rear travel.
I will also be making some sway bar disconnects.

The truck goes in for alignment Friday after the new coils have been allowed to settle

Julee is shopping for tires and wheels...Looking at Pro Comp Xtreme MT 33x12.50x17 and 17x9" black chrome rims

This lift kit rides AWESOME, seriously in JUlee's own words "It took the car out of my truck".

I too am very impressed with this truck and this lift...I wish Gen II Explorer's rode on struts instead of t bars!!!

**MountaineerGreen** · 10-08-2007, 06:00 PM

I saw a lift kit install on Extreme4x4 where the cut a factory crossmember to allow the driveshaft room after the diff was lowered

I'd be interested to see how the front diff drop kit goes in. Looks good, watch for ripped firewalls!

Its a shame the Explorer never saw aftermarket support like what is available for this.

**RangerX** · 10-08-2007, 06:13 PM

Nice, Jamie! Did Julee help? Pic?

Any plans for front and rear bumpers, etc?

410Fortune · 10-08-2007, 06:30 PM

plans for bumpers, winch, lockers, tires, roll protection some more skid plating and the list will go on and on.

Have been watching the inner fenders for the FJ cruiser cracking problem, her truck does have a slight buldge on the pass side, we will keep our eye on it...apparently the lift kit will help reduce the risk of further cracking!

Aside from being visability challenged the wheel base and track width of the FJ is awesome on the CO trails...even stock!

Big time future plans include Total Chaos, this OME lift is temporary

**FROADER** · 10-08-2007, 06:49 PM

I was waiting to read, "Next it's getting 33s, because I happen to have some lying around".

Looks great Jamie, and congrats Julee!

410Fortune · 10-08-2007, 08:46 PM

the ones I have laying around fit 15" wheels LOL hahahaha don't worry we'll use em on something!

*Hokie* · 10-08-2007, 08:59 PM

Looking forward to seeing it wheel on Saturday!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 410Fortune

Julee is shopping for tires and wheels...Looking at Pro Comp Xtreme MT 33x12.50x17 and 17x9" black chrome rims

ProComp has their buy 3 get one free deal going on right now. Of course they jacked the prices of the tires in the last month to accommodate it

Quote:

I too am very impressed with this truck and this lift...I wish Gen II Explorer's rode on struts instead of t bars!!!

I hear ya on that one!

410Fortune · 10-09-2007, 10:34 AM

Julee is looking for 5 rims and 5 tires, 4wheel parts even withthe buy 3 get 1 free is still a bit higher then the local competition......if you can believe that!

I have 4wheel parts, national wheel and tire, and our local boys at Performance wheel and tire all trying to beat each others price...we will see who comes through, so far its the local guys

we are looking forward to Saturday for sure, the Aspens are changing big time so it should be gorgeous!!

410Fortune · 10-10-2007, 07:34 PM

Oh baby the truck looks so sick!
She ended up with Dick Cepek DC1 rims, 16x8 with 4" offset.
33x12.5 Goodyear MTR's
5ea

The truck looks amazing...pics coming as soon as she gets home!

*Hokie* · 10-10-2007, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 410Fortune

Oh baby the truck looks so sick!
She ended up with Dick Cepek DC1 rims, 16x8 with 4" offset.
33x12.5 Goodyear MTR's
5ea

The truck looks amazing...pics coming as soon as she gets home!

Out or curiosity, why'd she go with the MT/R's? Sick deal?

**IZwack** · 10-10-2007, 09:15 PM

Cauz the MTRs pwns the rocks

**MountaineerGreen** · 10-10-2007, 09:27 PM

So where are the pictures of the new meats?

*techieman33* · 10-11-2007, 08:02 AM

Where are the pics? Anyways we should all seriously consider changing the name of ef, to the DC-1 forum.

410Fortune · 10-11-2007, 09:58 AM

Great wheel at a great price, I wouldnt mind having a set of the DC-1's on my Bii either....who cares if there's more then one set on your driveway of the same stuff hahaha Hey maybe MT will give us a sponsorship??? hehehehe

I took some pictures last night but they didnt come out, I am off to the tire store to grab the 5th wheel for the spare, I will get some pics of the truck when I get back...it looks great! It needs alignment, but its not too far off....

We went with the MTR's because after pricing wheels and tires with the guys at Performance I pointed out to them that they were pricing me on the MT ATX, not the MTX like we wanted from day one...the MTX is out of stock...so after being there for 4 hours they found a set of MTR's and reduced the price on them dramatically, we were not even looking for MTR's because they are typically $20-30 more per tire....

Here's a teaser pic from my cell phone:

*manaen* · 10-11-2007, 09:59 AM

I hate to say it but I really like those trucks, that was my original direction before I got my mounty. I just couldn't justify the expense of the brand new vehicle. And the whole super unleaded thing kinda sucks....

Let's see some pictures!!! Looks sweet so far

410Fortune · 10-11-2007, 10:03 AM

we run 85 in the truck, in Denver you can get away with this with no detonation. Julee drives for her business so she needs reliable, she traded in her 99 4runner for the FJ....it was a great move! It's trail ability is just a huge added bonus...the 4.0L still has plenty of gusto even with the 33's!!

*manaen* · 10-11-2007, 11:18 AM

Sweet looking truck

man those 33's really set that thing off.

you beat me by a few seconds on the post with the picture.

Here in the east with the mountains, humidity, and heat, I would have ended up running high test through the summer for towing, and I just couldn't get over that in my head.

BTW.. that is a great advertisement for Performance Wheel and Tire

410Fortune · 10-11-2007, 12:42 PM

the 5th tire and wheel was not ready yet so no matching spare yet

*manaen* · 10-11-2007, 12:48 PM

Nice!!!

410Fortune · 10-11-2007, 11:38 PM

Sirius, GPS, and Kenwood install teaser pics, I really like working on the FJ

10-08-2007, 05:51 PM	#1
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	2007 FJ Cruiser - Lifted and locked - 410Fortune wifes rig build thread OKay so my GF/future wife Julee (love her) has a 2007 FJ cruiser 4x4, 4.0L Auto The truck has been dubbed (by me) as her "Fun Julee" She loves this truck, she loves fourwheeling, she loves Toyota so it was a perfect fit... Last weekend (yesterday) I/we installed a lift kit on her truck. The kit is sold by Toytec, which basically is a set of 3" Old Man Emu lift coils (884, softer coil) with a custom machined aluminum spacer that mounts on top of the strut to gain a true 3" of lift in the front. The Toytec kit also goes one step further and replaces the factory rear coils with some custom medium duty coils. Many OME lift owners on these vehicles complained the OME coils were too soft and saged a bit, so Toytec had some custom coils made, again for a true 3" of lift I also picked up a 1" front differential drop kit, to help with the new CV angles. I have not installed this kit yet, we will likely wait a bit until we go with even more lift in the front. On to the pictures: truck in the garage before lift: front to fender masures 34-1/4": Toytec lift kit, including OME 884 coils, aluminum strut spacer, diff drop kit, and new rear coils: tire off: disconnect the front sway bar: front lower ball joint (knuckle from lower control arm): Factory Strut removed: factory coil compared to OME 884 lift coil: New OME lift coil installed on Harbor Freight strut compressor: (slow going here) front put back together with strut and Toytec spacer: Front done, measured 37.5" to fender before settling: The front took us about 5 hours total, the springs are a bitch to compress and the hooks on the HF spring compressor are large so with the tight winds of the OME coil it was hard to get the strut back out of the compressor. The first side took us twice as long as the second..... The next day we tackled the rear, the total install on the rear was about 1 hour Rear tire off: remove rear sway bar: remove rear shock: we also unbolted the trac bar to help get the new coils in. Here are the factory rear coils compared to the Toytec rear coils: rear springs installed with factory rubber bump stop: rear done The truck out of the garage: We will be getting new longer rear shocks shortly, the factory units will limit rear travel. I will also be making some sway bar disconnects. The truck goes in for alignment Friday after the new coils have been allowed to settle Julee is shopping for tires and wheels...Looking at Pro Comp Xtreme MT 33x12.50x17 and 17x9" black chrome rims This lift kit rides AWESOME, seriously in JUlee's own words "It took the car out of my truck". I too am very impressed with this truck and this lift...I wish Gen II Explorer's rode on struts instead of t bars!!! __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted Last edited by 410Fortune; 10-12-2007 at 04:13 PM.

10-08-2007, 06:00 PM	#2
MountaineerGreen Towing Moderator North East Arkansas 2012 F150 4x4 Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7,583 Vehicle Specs	I saw a lift kit install on Extreme4x4 where the cut a factory crossmember to allow the driveshaft room after the diff was lowered I'd be interested to see how the front diff drop kit goes in. Looks good, watch for ripped firewalls! Its a shame the Explorer never saw aftermarket support like what is available for this. __________________ -Evan Febuary 09 Feature Truck - Elite Registry - Photo Gallery - Feedback - Go Elite! - My Write Ups - EF Vendors

10-08-2007, 06:13 PM	#3
RangerX Moderator Elite Ranger Omao, Kauai '93 Ranger XLT 4X4 Join Date: Jul 1999 Posts: 7,230 Vehicle Specs	Nice, Jamie! Did Julee help? Pic? Any plans for front and rear bumpers, etc? __________________ Bill Collins 93 Ranger XLT 4X4 "Beauty is only sheet metal deep."

10-08-2007, 06:30 PM	#4
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	plans for bumpers, winch, lockers, tires, roll protection some more skid plating and the list will go on and on. Have been watching the inner fenders for the FJ cruiser cracking problem, her truck does have a slight buldge on the pass side, we will keep our eye on it...apparently the lift kit will help reduce the risk of further cracking! Aside from being visability challenged the wheel base and track width of the FJ is awesome on the CO trails...even stock! Big time future plans include Total Chaos, this OME lift is temporary __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-08-2007, 06:49 PM	#5
FROADER Moderator Huntington Beach, CA Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 20,049 Vehicle Specs	I was waiting to read, "Next it's getting 33s, because I happen to have some lying around". Looks great Jamie, and congrats Julee! __________________ COLIN IGNACIO FORUM RULES My 2010 Explorer - Explorer #1 (sold) - Explorer #2 (sold) - My F-150 (sold) - My Ranger (sold) - My Videos

10-08-2007, 08:46 PM	#6
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	the ones I have laying around fit 15" wheels LOL hahahaha don't worry we'll use em on something! __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-09-2007, 10:34 AM	#8
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Julee is looking for 5 rims and 5 tires, 4wheel parts even withthe buy 3 get 1 free is still a bit higher then the local competition......if you can believe that! I have 4wheel parts, national wheel and tire, and our local boys at Performance wheel and tire all trying to beat each others price...we will see who comes through, so far its the local guys we are looking forward to Saturday for sure, the Aspens are changing big time so it should be gorgeous!! __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-10-2007, 07:34 PM	#9
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Oh baby the truck looks so sick! She ended up with Dick Cepek DC1 rims, 16x8 with 4" offset. 33x12.5 Goodyear MTR's 5ea The truck looks amazing...pics coming as soon as she gets home! __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-10-2007, 09:15 PM	#11
IZwack Germantown, MD Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 22,381 Vehicle Specs	Cauz the MTRs pwns the rocks __________________ »»»»»...how'd the moon get there, how'd the moon get there?

10-10-2007, 09:27 PM	#12
MountaineerGreen Towing Moderator North East Arkansas 2012 F150 4x4 Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 7,583 Vehicle Specs	So where are the pictures of the new meats? __________________ -Evan Febuary 09 Feature Truck - Elite Registry - Photo Gallery - Feedback - Go Elite! - My Write Ups - EF Vendors

10-11-2007, 08:02 AM	#13
techieman33 Elite Explorer Topeka, KS 00 V8 Mountaineer Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 8,218 Vehicle Specs	Where are the pics? Anyways we should all seriously consider changing the name of ef, to the DC-1 forum.

10-11-2007, 09:58 AM	#14
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Great wheel at a great price, I wouldnt mind having a set of the DC-1's on my Bii either....who cares if there's more then one set on your driveway of the same stuff hahaha Hey maybe MT will give us a sponsorship??? hehehehe I took some pictures last night but they didnt come out, I am off to the tire store to grab the 5th wheel for the spare, I will get some pics of the truck when I get back...it looks great! It needs alignment, but its not too far off.... We went with the MTR's because after pricing wheels and tires with the guys at Performance I pointed out to them that they were pricing me on the MT ATX, not the MTX like we wanted from day one...the MTX is out of stock...so after being there for 4 hours they found a set of MTR's and reduced the price on them dramatically, we were not even looking for MTR's because they are typically $20-30 more per tire.... Here's a teaser pic from my cell phone: __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-11-2007, 09:59 AM	#15
manaen Xterra Forum Member Clear Spring, MD 2011 Xterra Pro-4X Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,835 Vehicle Specs	I hate to say it but I really like those trucks, that was my original direction before I got my mounty. I just couldn't justify the expense of the brand new vehicle. And the whole super unleaded thing kinda sucks.... Let's see some pictures!!! Looks sweet so far __________________ Rusty... 2001 Mounty 4x4 4.0 SOHC 4.10's 180K miles Current Mods: replacement Engine, TT, Shackle, AAL, Tranny Cooler, Exhaust, Transgo, Air shocks, ATF Temp & PSI ga., Ext Tranny Filter, UD Pulley, E-Fan, BW EPC, Custom Bumper, Body Lift

10-11-2007, 10:03 AM	#16
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	we run 85 in the truck, in Denver you can get away with this with no detonation. Julee drives for her business so she needs reliable, she traded in her 99 4runner for the FJ....it was a great move! It's trail ability is just a huge added bonus...the 4.0L still has plenty of gusto even with the 33's!! __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-11-2007, 11:18 AM	#17
manaen Xterra Forum Member Clear Spring, MD 2011 Xterra Pro-4X Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,835 Vehicle Specs	Sweet looking truck man those 33's really set that thing off. you beat me by a few seconds on the post with the picture. Here in the east with the mountains, humidity, and heat, I would have ended up running high test through the summer for towing, and I just couldn't get over that in my head. BTW.. that is a great advertisement for Performance Wheel and Tire __________________ Rusty... 2001 Mounty 4x4 4.0 SOHC 4.10's 180K miles Current Mods: replacement Engine, TT, Shackle, AAL, Tranny Cooler, Exhaust, Transgo, Air shocks, ATF Temp & PSI ga., Ext Tranny Filter, UD Pulley, E-Fan, BW EPC, Custom Bumper, Body Lift

10-11-2007, 12:42 PM	#18
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	the 5th tire and wheel was not ready yet so no matching spare yet __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

10-11-2007, 12:48 PM	#19
manaen Xterra Forum Member Clear Spring, MD 2011 Xterra Pro-4X Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 2,835 Vehicle Specs	Nice!!! __________________ Rusty... 2001 Mounty 4x4 4.0 SOHC 4.10's 180K miles Current Mods: replacement Engine, TT, Shackle, AAL, Tranny Cooler, Exhaust, Transgo, Air shocks, ATF Temp & PSI ga., Ext Tranny Filter, UD Pulley, E-Fan, BW EPC, Custom Bumper, Body Lift

10-11-2007, 11:38 PM	#20
410Fortune ELITE BRONCO2ERER Crawlorado B2 Mod Join Date: Aug 2000 Posts: 22,097 Vehicle Specs (Original Poster)	Sirius, GPS, and Kenwood install teaser pics, I really like working on the FJ __________________ 96 Explorer daily driver build-1996 XLT 5.0L AWD to 4x4 conversion complete on 33's 88 BII 5.0L conversion - BII 5.0l drivetrain thread My Bronco II - 1988 Bronco II 4x4 V8 on 35's - registry and updates Wifes 07 FJ build - 2007 FJ cruiser locked and lifted

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