A few month's back we asked you to help vote us into our sister magazine Four Wheeler's Top Truck Challenge (Drivelines, May '09), and we're here to thank you. As it turns out, we had just enough votes to make it into the magazine's top 10. By the time you read this we will have competed in its massive quagmire of an off-road event.
In case you missed the whole story, the '06 FJ Cruiser we built for the Ultimate Adventure a few years back has been slated for return to Toyota this summer. Unlike most of your vehicles, this 4x4 was simply on loan, and when it goes back to Toyota it will eventually be run through the crusher and recycled. Not wanting to send a truck to its doom without one last hurrah, we decided to see how it would do against the many homegrown monster trucks that compete in the Top Truck Challenge.
We knew going into this deal that we were the underdog. That's hard to imagine for a truck as built as the FJ, but most of the competition is running 44-inch or larger tires, V-8 engines, and 2 1/2-ton military axles. We, on the other hand, had a supercharged V-6, Dynatrac Dana 60s, and 39- to 42-inch tires. Ever felt like you were taking a knife to a gun fight?
1. When you have less power than all the competition, then you need less weight. The FJ Cruiser was nicknamed Turtle because of its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle resemblance, but with a curb weight of 5,800 pounds we're going to need to trim her down to a more agile fighting weight. The first thing to go was the heavy rear tailgate. | 
2. The Fab Four bumpers were just fine for the expedition wheeling trips of Ultimate Adventure, but since every pound counts, the rear got deleted and the front will be getting some trimming too. | 
3. Inside the Turtle were some comfortable seats, toolboxes from Slee Off-Road, and a full cage, but those are all getting pulled out (except the front seats and cage) to trim the fat. |
4. Lack of visibility has always been our biggest gripe with the FJ Cruiser, but we have a few steps to help see better and lighten up the truck. First of all, we replaced the side doors with tube doors from Metal Tech. Being able to lean out and see the trail or spotter is a huge help for the competition. | 
5. We did all the work at One-Ton Off Road in Pearblossom, California, and one tool we used a fair bit was the shop's plasma cutter. To help us see out and to slim down the Turtle, we took the electric torch to the roof and gave her a giant sunroof. | 
6. In addition to lightening up the truck, we also prepped the powertrain with a full Amsoil lube job. The Synthetic Motor, transmission, transfer case, and axle lube will help release every bit of power, while the synthetic Tractor hydraulic transmission fluid is a good upgrade for the steering. |
7. The Turtle will be in its element for the parts of Top Truck when it will see very deep mud and water holes. This ARB Safari snorkel is designed for the FJ Cruiser, but ours is running a URD supercharger, and as such some modified underhood plumbing is required to connect the intake and the snorkel. | 
8. Not only does the inside of the engine need to be kept dry, but so does the inside of the engine computer. We first wrapped the computer in duct tape, then zipped it inside two plastic bags, then glued and taped it inside a Rubbermaid container with silicone around all the edges and wires... | 
...Finally we filled the container with expanding foam in order to keep it dry. Though this is not recommended for long driving, we feel the heat buildup will be minimal for a short event. |
9. We'll be swapping our steel cable for 80 feet of 3/8-inch Viking Offroad winch rope for multiple reasons. We're banking on some serious winching with our Warn winch, and the winch rope is easier to drag up to winch points and lighter for both the spotter and the FJ Cruiser to haul. | 
10. The last change we'll be making is upgrading to some 42-inch rubber. Goodyear has some new 42x14.50R17 tires with its MT/R tread and Kevlar sidewall. We'll be putting them through the paces in the Top Truck Challenge. Pick up the December issue of Four Wheeler to see how all our upgrades turned out. | |