2006 Ultimate Adventure - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser Buildup - Part 6

For the past five months we've been giving you an inside view of the buildup of our official Ultimate Adventure Toyota FJ Cruiser. It's always fun to take a brand-new truck and tear it apart in hopes of building something even better than what was offeredfrom the factory, and the UAFJ was no different. Yes, it's a lot of work, especially when modifying a vehicle that has never been offered before to the public, since many of the systems are totally brand new, but it's also great to start with a nice, clean frame and body, fresh from the factory drivetrain, and a unique-to-the-public body style. Plus, we were lucky that a majority of the FJ Cruiser components are used cross-platform with other models such as the Tacoma and 4Runner, and these vehicles have been available for at least three years, making certain modifications less of an uphill battle.

In case you didn't know, BFGoodrich Tires is the title sponsor of Ultimate Adventure, and as such we built this truck around the largest, most aggressive tire they offer, the 39x13.5R17 Krawler T/A. We've run these tires in the past, and with the proper air pressure and enough gearing and motor they never disappoint whether on or off road. Of course in order to run a tire this large and use it on harsh, abusive trails requires body clearance, a strong drivetrain, and supple suspension. Over the past few months we installed exactly that under our Ultimate FJ while it was at All Pro Off Road in Hemet, California. But in addition to giant 1-ton axles, super low ring-and-pinion and transfer-case gears, and the added boost of a supercharger we also installed a custom rollcage, a flexy coilover shock suspension, beefy bumpers, and a hearty winch for extraction help. With this final installment of our Ultimate FJ we'll show you the last few steps involved in getting it ready. We'll go over the parts and tools we carried along to make the trip less stressful, and we'll also tell you how some of the components fared on the trip down rocky canyons, over massive dunes, and through bottomless mud pits.

When we last left off, our Ultimate FJ was ready to roll out of All Pro Off Road and head north to get exhaust, paint, and a few final touches before the trip, but first we had to bolt on the tires and wheels. Again this year we are running BFGoodrich 39-inch Krawlers on bead-locked rims. However, to try something different we tracked down these bead locks from Poison Spyder Customs. In fact, these are prototypes for a new wheel the company will be offering, and they performed flawlessly. In fact, the wheel and tire combo was never balanced before the trip yet easily ran at excessive highway speeds with nary a vibration.
When we last left off, our Ultimate FJ was ready to roll out of All Pro Off Road and head
With the truck running and a few parts still on order, we headed north to Santa Rosa, California. This small town has been home to the final few buildup steps of the last four official Ultimate Adventure vehicles and for good reasons. Flowmaster is located there as well as our favorite paint shop, KC Customs. Unfortunately we also ran into some low-life bandits while there who not only broke into our tow rig and stole our wallets, but also made off with a camera containing the entire exhaust installation photos. Luckily Flowmaster came through with some shots of its new FJ Cruiser kit.
With the truck running and a few parts still on order, we headed north to Santa Rosa, Cali
Though not exactly what we used, the standard kit will bolt or weld on and give the stock 4.0L V-6 a much healthier sound. Dyno tests have shown a 5 percent torque gain, plus both the standard FJ Cruiser kit and the custom system we used on our Ultimate FJ contains 2 1/2-inch 16-gauge aluminized steel pipes with a 50-series SUV muffler and a 4-inch stainless steel exhaust tip.
Though not exactly what we used, the standard kit will bolt or weld on and give the stock

With now more than 3,000 miles on our custom Flowmaster exhaust, we still love the sound it makes. It's not annoyingly loud on the highway or trail, yet it gives off just enough of the appropriate growl that a part expedition, part trail rig should have. When combined with our URD supercharger we installed last month, the aluminum V-6 can breathe deep and pull hard.
With now more than 3,000 miles on our custom Flowmaster exhaust, we still love the sound i
In addition to the paint and exhaust destinations in Santa Rosa, we also visited Fabworx Off Road again this year. The Fabworx crew has always come through with some last-minute assistance on our project trucks and this year was working overtime on coworker Jerrod Jones' Blazer project (see that build begin on page 54). Even so, they were willing to lend us use some space in their shop over the weekend to get some badly needed bodywork finished prior to paint. Notice the blue tape showing how much rear bumper we had to slice off to clear the Krawlers.
In addition to the paint and exhaust destinations in Santa Rosa, we also visited Fabworx O
To clear the 39s we trimmed a small portion of the front of the rear wheelwell and a large part off the rear bumper and rear inner wheelwell. After cutting we took some thin sheetmetal and welded it in to cover the holes. To slowly spot-weld the pieces into place, we used a Hobart MIG welder on one of the lowest settings. Another benefit of doing your first bodywork within the wheelwells is that you can cover it up with a thick coat of spray undercoating if it's not perfect.
To clear the 39s we trimmed a small portion of the front of the rear wheelwell and a large

We also installed the driveshafts from Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts. Woods supplied us with a rear 1350 CV shaft at the Atlas transfer case. We also installed a driveshaft parking brake at the rear of the Atlas that uses a small rotor and caliper attached to the stock brake handle. Up front we have a similar shaft that utilizes 1350 U-joints. Woods supplied a second rear shaft with dual U-joints just in case a rock snagged our stock shaft.
We also installed the driveshafts from Tom Woods Custom Driveshafts. Woods supplied us wit
In order to keep the driveshafts happy and Walker Evans racing shocks from overextending, we installed a set of limiting straps from Poly Performance on the FJ. These quad wrapped straps have nearly zero stretch, and we ended up using a 17-inch strap in the rear and a 15-inch up front.
In order to keep the driveshafts happy and Walker Evans racing shocks from overextending,
Back in our July issue we put the call out to readers that we were looking for a paint scheme for the FJ and whoever submitted the winning scheme would win a set of BFGoodrich tires. The flood of entrants came in with everything from scribbles by 2-year olds to full blown masterpieces. In the end we needed a simple classic design that hearkened back to old-school Toyota days, plus a color that wasn't currently available on an FJ but was still bright enough to pop out in photos. This winning design came from David Spreitzer of Corona Del Mar, California, and its three dashes reminds us of early 80's Toyota decal schemes found on many mini-trucks.
Back in our July issue we put the call out to readers that we were looking for a paint sch

Our first step was to haul the FJ over to KC Customs for a quick sanding and spray job of semi-gloss black on the bumpers that had come in a raw steel finish. We tore off the body cladding and began the sanding to make sure the paint would adhere. This low grit cuts through the factory clearcoat, but you must be very careful to keep any grease or oils off the body, and even fingerprints must be wiped off prior to going in the paint booth.
Our first step was to haul the FJ over to KC Customs for a quick sanding and spray job of
We tore off the body cladding and began the sanding to make sure the paint would adhere. This low grit cuts through the factory clearcoat, but you must be very careful to keep any grease or oils off the body, and even fingerprints must be wiped off prior to going in the paint booth.
We tore off the body cladding and began the sanding to make sure the paint would adhere. T
To get the truck painted quickly (we had less than three days before we had to head northeast to the start of Ultimate Adventure) the KC Customs crew first laid out four patches of brown on the fenders of the FJ. Once dry, the graphic was masked off on the brown sections.
To get the truck painted quickly (we had less than three days before we had to head northe

Finally we actually sprayed the green. Whenever you totally change the paint color of a vehicle there is this point where you question your decision and when the most obnoxious green was sprayed over our truck our hearts skipped a beat. What had we done? Were we about to be cruising around the country is some crazy Incredible Hulk-mobile?
Finally we actually sprayed the green. Whenever you totally change the paint color of a ve
But the next step of a new paint job is about as close to Christmas morning as you can get and that's when you roll the truck out from under the fluorescent lights and strip off the masking tape and paper. Here we finally felt great about our decision. The green was a bit more subdued when viewed in daylight but still bright enough to pop in photos, and the brown accents gave it just the unique, without overdone, styling we were looking for. Thus the Ultimate FJ began its list of nicknames including the Ultimate Avocado and the Ninja Turtle.
But the next step of a new paint job is about as close to Christmas morning as you can get
About this point we had one last stop on the way to the start of Ultimate Adventure and that was back to Advance Adapters for the final installation and tuning of the cable shift levers on our four-speed Atlas. Unfortunately, as we were reassembling the body panels and molding of the truck the driver-side door locked, and neither the key nor the remote access key fob would unlock it. Yes, with just days left to go on this project we were all of a sudden locked out of the driver seat, and to add insult to injury, the passenger door was locked open! This project had for the most part moved along on schedule, and though there were a few last-minute details to button up, we had little time or patience for some electric locks that wouldn't let us in our own truck. After nearly 12 hours of using every four-letter word we could think of (and inventing a few new ones), we were about at the end of our rope. How were we going to go on a weeklong trip in a truck that we couldn't even open the doors?! Luckily the boss (Editor Rick Pw) called and said "ignore the doors, and get that truck to Advance Adapters. We'll deal with it there." Did we ever! A pair of channel locks and tin snips later we had the electro gadget gutted from the door and a homebrew system fabbed up to get us in and out. Maybe the boss is right and true 4x4s don't have doors.
About this point we had one last stop on the way to the start of Ultimate Adventure and th

Our final install before we hit the road was the cable shifters for the Atlas transfer case. We were slightly hesitant about using anything other than a true lever shifter on a trail rig, and the boss was extremely hesitant since he's not a big fan of change. However, after the week of off-road use we can truly say that the cable shifters worked flawlessly. In fact, when compared to some Atlas transfer cases with standard levers we've used, we would call this an upgrade. The lever brackets attach directly to the body, yet the cables have a more direct inline activation of the shift rails, and when the center console was installed everything looked near factory stock.
Our final install before we hit the road was the cable shifters for the Atlas transfer cas
And thus we rolled out of the Advance Adapters shop and hit the road for Idaho for the start of the Ultimate Adventure. Now for most folks this is where the buildup should end, but of course we never want to waste time hanging out with old friends when we could still be adding upgrades to our ride. With all those old friends around we had plenty of spare hands to put to work doing final jobs like attaching the CB antenna, bolting on the Poison Spyder Customs modified rocksliders, and roof-mounting a new Hi-Lift Extreme Jack.
And thus we rolled out of the Advance Adapters shop and hit the road for Idaho for the sta
Just in case we have any carnage on the trail we like to carry a small supply of spare parts. In addition to an extra rear driveshaft, we also pack complete front and rear 35-spline axleshafts and a set of bombproof CTM U-joints.
Just in case we have any carnage on the trail we like to carry a small supply of spare par

Finally, check out the bottom of the FJ while running Gas Tank Alley in Elko, Nevada. The long aluminum skidplate from Slee Off Road replaces the stock plastic unit to protect the gas tank so we didn't end up stranded like this trail's namesake.
Finally, check out the bottom of the FJ while running Gas Tank Alley in Elko, Nevada. The

Retrospect

Now that we've finished the Ultimate Adventure '06 , we look back at the truck and have only a handful of complaints about the performance and bucket-loads of praise for our Big Green Turtle truck. The biggest flaw of the FJ has got to be visibility, both on the trail and the street. We're sure that this vehicle was born in a designer's studio rather than an off-road engineer's notebook, and unfortunately certain flaws resulted. The side mirrors are too small, the taillights too big, the back windows too small, and the hood too big. That being said, we loved the 4.0 for grunty torque, and the six-speed manual tranny, which when matched with the Atlas four-speed gave us a gear for every occasion. The 39-inch Krawlers worked great and when spun by Yukon 5.38 gears and Detroit Lockers, we never had issues.
The suspension worked great, comfy at speed in dirt or dunes due to the adjustable Walker Evans shocks and Light Racing Jounce shocks, and finally tuned by the fabricators at All Pro Off Road. Though some folks thought our Dynatrac axles were overkill, we love the ground clearance, clean fabrication, and brute strength. Plus by adapting the stock FJ brakes we had a perfectly balanced system to halt the Turtle in a hurry if need be. And speaking of the Turtle, the inside of the shell with a tight TIG-welded cage by Poison Spyder and plethora of safe lockable storage by Slee Off Road in the back made for a great home base. Outside our shell was protected by two big Fab Fours bumpers and though the rear got some bruises due to its low-hanging lower lip, both fared well and did the job of protecting the body and engine compartment. Another thing that front bumper did was house a Warn 9.5 ti winch, and more than most years we often had it running to climb vertical ledges or drag us out of sloppy quagmires, and never did it give any hint of quitting. We truly feel this year's Ultimate Adventure truck is one of our best yet, and we may just need to take another week off to go enjoy it some more.