"So I was replacing the rusted-out front shocks on the new FJ40 today (with some cheap ones just to get the rusted ones off it) and figured while I had the wheels off I'd see if the stock wheels and tires that came with my FJ Cruiser would fit on the 40. I'd heard that 31-inch tires would fit a 40 without a lift and, sure enough, they did. They're 265/70R17's, which makes them close to 31 inches. The 40 came with 235's on 15.5-inch rims, so I think I gained about 2 inches of clearance under the diff, which gives me a little more than 9 inches now.
Couldn't get the back shocks on. The upper nuts are almost rusted on. I got one to the end of the bolt, using a 3-pound sledge, before giving up. The other upper bolt snapped off. I'm going to drop it off at All Phase on Monday to have them fab up a new upper shock mount.
The leaf springs will be next, but I'm not sure when. I noticed that, with the Cruiser wheels and tires on the 40, the leaf springs look almost flat. Anyone know if that's OK?
I also had to do an unintended addition today. The 40 wouldn't start when I went to test out the new shocks and tires, so I took the battery out of the Cruiser and put it in the 40. It started right up, so I went and got a new battery for the 40. While at the store, I figured, what the heck, I'd get some new terminals. Good thing, too. I replaced the positive terminal, then decided the negative one was fine. While I was tightening it, it broke (you could get the idea that I tend to break things), so on went the new negative terminal. Now the 40 has five shiny new parts.
Hey, it's a start.
Here's what it looked like when I bought it last week.
Here it is with the FJ Cruiser stock wheels and tires.
And one of the cheap front shocks.
You'll have to imagine what the new battery and terminals look like. I don't believe I've every taken a photo of a battery before and didn't want to start down that slippery slope."
Cruiser wheels on FJ40
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