FJ cruisers are everywhere. Yes, they can be found getting groceries and driving kids to after-school sports, but there's no shortage of 'Cruisers on the trail. From moab to Baja to tellico, FJ cruiser owners haven't held back in the dirt.
With body-on-frame construction, and a gutsy 4L V6, toyota provided FJ cruiser drivers a great platform for a real-world trail rig.
The FJ's suspension is as functional and rugged as the rest of the vehicle. The five-link (four links with a Panhard bar) rear suspension treats the occupants to a smooth coil-sprung ride, and the ifs delivers great handling on twisty high-speed terrain. So far, so good.
It's not all perfect. As competently as the ifs handles high-speed terrain, it is nonetheless shackled with pencil-thin tie rods and breakageprone cv boots and cv joints. Furthermore, there's not enough droop travel to allow the FJ to keep all four feet firmly planted when the rocks get bigger than a microwave oven. We're not saying that the ifs is junk. We're saying it has drawbacks.
We'll call this the 99-percent...
We'll call this the 99-percent shot. The dimensions for the kit have been finalized, and the parts have been tack-welded into place. The front driveshaft will be lengthened before this FJ hits the trail again. There's plenty of ground clearance under the lower link mounts on the hybrid toyota/Dana 60 front axle.
Hardcore trail performance calls for a solid front axle. Properly executed, a swapped-in solid front axle gives gobs of articulation, keeping the rubber on the trail when the boulders get big. Noodle-sized ifs tie rods are replaced with heavy-wall tubing. Finally, two stout u-joints take the place of a quartet of CV boots and CV joints. Properly executed, a solid front axle is a simpler, stronger way to go.
The phrase "properly executed" bears repeating because there are several criteria for a successful solid- axle swap. The resulting trail rig should steer properly without "death wobble." The axle must be squared up under the rig so it drives down the road in a straight line. The axle needs to cycle through the range of suspension travel without hitting vital engine parts. It must cycle without binding u-joints or steering components. Do a solid-axle swap the right way and you've got a sought-after trail rig with newfound capability. Do a solid-axle swap the wrong way and you'll be the not-so-proud owner of a rolling disaster.
Laser-cut bracketry ensures...
Laser-cut bracketry ensures a consistent product. This photo shows the shock towers, lower shock mounts, link pivot brackets, upper and lower links, and the Panhard bar with its attendant brackets. The sas kit moves the axle 2 inches forward, improving approach angle and improving tire clearance when steering through tight turns.
There are two axle options...
There are two axle options with the all-Pro FJ sas kit. Here's option one: a toyota/Dana 60 hybrid. The Diamond-built axlehousing uses thick-wall tubing for impact strength and resistance to bending. One-ton F-450 hubs bolt to Dana 60 knuckles. This is strength that roundly eclipses the stock FJ parts.
Diamond axle welds its centersections...
Diamond axle welds its centersections inside and out. Oil seals are generously sized to keep the slippery stuff inside the housing where it belongs.
All-Pro off-road, in Hemet, California, is no stranger to properly executed solid-axle swaps or to traversing hardcore trails. All-Pro's rsum includes solid-axle swap kits for '86-'95 toyota pickups and 4runners as well as the taco' supreme solid-axle swap kit for the '96-'04 tacoma. Developing a solidaxle swap kit for the FJ cruiser was a natural progression. "We're the leader in the FJ cruiser aftermarket, and we're going to keep that leadership," states all-Pro's Jon Bundrant. "We know that not every FJ cruiser owner will end up swapping the ifs for a solid axle, but enthusiasts need to know that they can turn to us for that product if they want it. Our sas kit for the FJ cruiser is the first kit of its kind. We've done a solidaxle swap on another FJ cruiser, but that buildup was beyond the scope of what we would offer as a kit. We know of a couple of other FJ cruisers out there with swapped-in solid front axles, but no one has offered a solid-axle swap kit for the FJ cruiser until now."
We followed along, lenses and notepads in hand, as all-Pro's lead fabricator Mike Schoffstall and all-Pro ceo Jon Bundrant developed and installed the FJ sas kit using Jon's personal FJ as a lab rat. The kit is based on the highly successful taco' supreme sas kit but is not identical. Although the two kits do share some common parts, dimensions differ between these two vehicles.
The photos that follow capture the prototyping process. Snags were encountered and solutions were found. Stay tuned for the final version of the kit in our coverage of the '08 all-Pro Jamboree in Johnson valley.
How's this for something thick?...
How's this for something thick? All-Pro has seen some third members actually bend their mounting flanges under heavy loads. Diamond axle builds its toyota housings with a 1/2-inch-thick mounting flange - no more bending. All-Pro takes the strengthening campaign a step further and installs 10mm third member mounting studs in place of the stock-size 8mm studs.
If you enjoy metallic carnage...
If you enjoy metallic carnage and live to wrench on your rig on the trail, it's best to Avoid these parts.
The lightweight Wilwood rotors...
The lightweight Wilwood rotors and calipers are not only great stoppers, they're also custom- designed to allow using 15-inch wheels, if desired. A custom mounting bracket ties the Wilwood caliper to the F-450 steering knuckle.
Lower links take quite a bashing...
Lower links take quite a bashing in the rocks, so these are made from .281-wall Dom. There's a 2.5-inch Johnny Joint at each end of the lower links. Johnny Joints are easily lubricated via grease zerks, and the joints' urethane inserts are fiendishly cheap to replace when they wear out. The upper link is made from .120-wall Dom since it's tucked out of the way above the axle.
The FJ cruiser uses a rack-and-pinion...
The FJ cruiser uses a rack-and-pinion steering system in stock form. It doesn't work with the solid-axle swap, so it gets deleted and replaced with a steering box from an '86-'95 4WD toyota pickup. In addition to being the correct configuration for steering the solid axle, the steering box is much stronger than the rack-and-pinion steering system. All-Pro's weld-on mounting brackets are required to bolt the steering box in place on the driver-side framerail.
This is where many captions...
This is where many captions would read, "here's the inferior ifs system that will shortly be eliminated." Instead, we'll say that the stock ifs system works well in many situations, and it works that much better when augmented with an all-Pro upper control arm and an all-Pro bolt-in coilover built by Walker evans racing. Point the ifs system at a hardcore trail, though, and shortcomings start to emerge.
Although he might look a little...
Although he might look a little stressed, head fabricator mike schoffstall is merely sizing up the task at hand. When he's not turning wrenches and welding at all-Pro, mike is busy turning wrenches and welding for corr standout scott Douglas. At this point, the moving parts of the ifs system have been unbolted and set aside. Next, the suspension crossmembers and coilover mounts have to be sliced off of the frame.
This is where a plasma cutter...
This is where a plasma cutter makes life a lot easier. Time and effort were saved versus using a cutoff wheel or a sawzall.
In addition to the a-arm crossmembers,...
In addition to the a-arm crossmembers, the tranny crossmember had to go, too. A length of square tube was stitched into place as a temporary tranny crossmember. We'll show you what all-Pro replaced it with next time.
With the framerails cleaned...
With the framerails cleaned off and the chassis sitting level, the front axlehousing was set on jackstands in its approximate final position.
High-dollar tools aren't mandatory...
High-dollar tools aren't mandatory if you've got skill and experience in your arsenal. Mike used a sharpie marker, a tape measure, and a plumb bob to determine axle placement. The all-Pro FJ sas kit brings the front axle forward 2 inches for a 108-inch wheelbase.
D'oh! This is one area where...
D'oh! This is one area where the tacoma and the FJ differ. Using a tacoma-dimension upper link mount limits bumptravel. The link mount crashes into the a/c condenser.
It's beautiful, man! The crew...
It's beautiful, man! The crew gingerly bolted up the wheels and pushed the FJ out into overcast sunlight for an overall look. Then they gingerly pushed the FJ back into the shop and got it back on the lift. Luckily for all of us, the tack welds held up. It actually wasn't safe to have the FJ on the ground with its weight supported by mere tack welds, so we don't recommend you do this. Before the FJ is driven anywhere, prototype parts will be fully welded.
After a bit of plasma cutting...
After a bit of plasma cutting and a brief trip to the drawing board, a lower profile link mount was created. Changing the upper link's mount meant that the lower links' mounting locations had to be slightly altered to keep the suspension geometry correct. The link mount is tacked into place in this photo and will be fully welded before the FJ gets driven anywhere.
You may have seen coilovers...
You may have seen coilovers mounted to the top of the axlehousing's end forgings (aka "cs"). While the top of the c is a viable mounting spot, it's several inches higher than the location in the photo. When the bottom coilover mount is further up in the chassis, the top coilover mount must be raised an equal amount.
It's the same... But different....
It's the same... But different. The ideal steering box mounting angle for the FJ turned out to be different from that of the tacoma. All-Pro created a set of mounting plates just for the FJ application. They are different from the plates shown in the steering box photo near the beginning of this article. All-Pro also decided to use a flat pitman arm in place of the dropped arm that was originally selected.
Racing technology goes for...
Racing technology goes for a trail ride. Fox 2.5-inch-diameter coilovers with a 12-inch stroke were selected. The dualrate coils are a key element in a progressive, smooth ride. We predict exceptional ride quality and look forward to a test ride. If the shock towers look spliced together, that's because they're prototypes and not The final product. Production towers have the professional, finished appearance all-Pro prides itself on, and will include a mount for the shock reservoir.
Careful planning and clean...
Careful planning and clean execution mean that the tie rod tucks between the drag link and the Panhard bar when the suspension is compressed. The result? More bumptravel at a lower ride height, which translates into better on-road handling and better off-road trail performance.
All-Pro's FJ roof rack is...
All-Pro's FJ roof rack is as functional as it is slick-looking. Adjustable tie-down loops make it easy to secure gear of all shapes and sizes.