New Toyota pickup is a $&#@ beast

[Jason C]

(Not the typical lusted-after vehicle on the forum, I know. Just thought I'd include it for its industry significance)


1st thought: Wow, they're really going for the domestic jugular on this one.

2nd thought: Damn, something that big came out of Japan?

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/15-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/06-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/02-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/07-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/04-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/29-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/28-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/14-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/27-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/11-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/13-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/33-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/32-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/31-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/16-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/12-07-Tundra.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/02/IMG_4476.jpg


- 5.7-liter i-Force V8
- 6-Speed Auto
- 10,000lbs towing capacity


Now, if only Toyota would expend some of their massive profits (last years were enough to buy GM) and build us a modern AE86.

[Optimus Prime]

looks like a dodge ram to me

[blee]

It's simply inevitable that Toyota will be the world's biggest auto manufacturer in short order. How long before the "Big Three" will no longer refer entirely to domestic marques?

[Rob]

The "Big Three" already refers to a German corporation. Toyota is definately on a take over path, and it's not likely GM can turn stuff around in time.

[hfh330i]

looks like a dodge ram to me


My thoughts exactly, almost as if they just swapped grills.

[SteveM]

Wow, 5.7L OHC - it must scream. Is that an air intake at the top of the hood brightwork (above the grill openings)? It looks like it in the first photo, but not so much in the others.

[ff]

Damn, it's about time! I guess they got tired of the Tundra being the fluffy little pussy of the pickup world. With the Titan and now the new Toyota, I seriously can't think of a reason to buy a 1/2 ton Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.

[blee]

Damn, it's about time! I guess they got tired of the Tundra being the fluffy little pussy of the pickup world. With the Titan and now the new Toyota, I seriously can't think of a reason to buy a 1/2 ton Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.
See, this is exactly the problem with American cars. Given a choice of competing products in the same segment, the instinctual reaction is to pick the Japanese model.

Can't say I blame anyone for thinking this way over the last generation. It will be interesting to see how our former heroes react to becoming underdogs, and to see whether they'll ever make up for lost ground and lost trust.

[ff]

It's simply inevitable that Toyota will be the world's biggest auto manufacturer in short order. How long before the "Big Three" will no longer refer entirely to domestic marques?

Man, good point. I've seriously been noticing all the good, new offerings from Toyota/Lexus in the past several months. They've noticed how the Big 3 are barely treading water, and and moved in for the kill. Taking no prisoners.

I couldn't be happier for them.

[Rob]

Damn, it's about time! I guess they got tired of the Tundra being the fluffy little pussy of the pickup world. With the Titan and now the new Toyota, I seriously can't think of a reason to buy a 1/2 ton Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.

Yes, but you are so seriously anti-U.S. biased that you will look for ANY reason to not consider the big 3 products. When one of the Ford executives was asked if he was concerned about the Titan, he responded that Ford would sell as many trucks in a day as Nissan sold in a quarter. Maybe not the best attitude, but it puts the newcomers in perspective.

Chevy makes the longest lasting, most dependable trucks on the road today (as long as you don't include GMC - if you do, Ford is next). That is a good enough reason to consider them, isn't it? I know it would be a big factor in my considerations if I was looking for a work horse.

[Plaz]

I wish all the manufacturers would stop putting little pussy brakes on gigantic heavy vehicles.

[Jason C]

Corrections Department:

I said earlier that something so massive (said to dwarf the current F150 visually) could not possibly come from Japan... which is why it's being built at a brand-new truck facility in San Antonio.

Apparently, even the Toyotas are 200% bigger in Texas!

[Optimus Prime]

Chevy makes the longest lasting, most dependable trucks on the road today (as long as you don't include GMC - if you do, Ford is next). That is a good enough reason to consider them, isn't it? I know it would be a big factor in my considerations if I was looking for a work horse.


I agree. When I'm not riding the beemer, I'm driving a truck. Always have. I've owned both Ford and Chevy's, and been around them my whole life. They both make trucks that take a beating and keep going strong. I'd like to see how these bigger trucks from Nissan and Toyota last under heavy use. However, I have a feeling that the guys who seriously beat on their trucks will buy "American" until they die.

[JST]

Damn, it's about time! I guess they got tired of the Tundra being the fluffy little pussy of the pickup world. With the Titan and now the new Toyota, I seriously can't think of a reason to buy a 1/2 ton Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.

I just have to say, once again, that if any American manufacturer tried to build a product slathered in this much cheap plastic, none of you guys would ever stop laughing and crowing about how sh!tty the products are.

http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/il/news/2006/0209/tundra.interior.500.jpg

Be interesting to see what the horsepower figure is, but I have my doubts about whether Toyota has built a better truck engine than the GM small block.

[ff]

Yes, but you are so seriously anti-U.S. biased that you will look for ANY reason to not consider the big 3 products...


Isn't that my choice? If that's what floats my boat, then so be it. I've had enough shitty experiences with shitty American cars, and enough flawless experiences with Japanese cars, that I think I've earned the right to form an opinion.

[Optimus Prime]

Isn't that my choice? If that's what floats my boat, then so be it. I've had enough shitty experiences with shitty American cars, and enough flawless experiences with Japanese cars, that I think I've earned the right to form an opinion.

The wife's Mazda6 has been falling apart since 25k miles, and the service has been shitty. Of course her old Grand Prix wasn't any better. :dunno:

[JST]

Isn't that my choice? If that's what floats my boat, then so be it. I've had enough shitty experiences with shitty American cars, and enough flawless experiences with Japanese cars, that I think I've earned the right to form an opinion.

Sure, it's your choice. But loudly trumpeting prejudicial views on the merits of foreign v. domestic cars necessarily calls into question any perspective you might have on the merits of particular foreign cars v. their domestic competition.

[Rob]

Isn't that my choice? If that's what floats my boat, then so be it. I've had enough shitty experiences with shitty American cars, and enough flawless experiences with Japanese cars, that I think I've earned the right to form an opinion.

I didn't say your opinion was wrong. I just said it's more or less meaningless regarding the merits of Japanese products or of U.S. products. Then I gave a reason why *most* people would still have a reason to consider trucks from the big three. :dunno:

[ff]

Sure, it's your choice. But loudly trumpeting prejudicial views on the merits of foreign v. domestic cars necessarily calls into question any perspective you might have on the merits of particular foreign cars v. their domestic competition.

Loudly trumpeting? :rolleyes:

[lemming]

compared to the new F150 interior (which is quite nice), the new Tundra interior looks worse than Nissan-level for "quality". the new Silverado will likely be a nicer interior, too.

if Toyo doesn't get it right on the first try, they'll keep plugging away until they do. it's just a matter of time.

personally, when it comes to real trucks, anyone here would be hard pressed to find me in anything but a silverado. but that's just me.

[pintnight]

Damn, it's about time! I guess they got tired of the Tundra being the fluffy little pussy of the pickup world. With the Titan and now the new Toyota, I seriously can't think of a reason to buy a 1/2 ton Ford, Dodge, or Chevy.I bought a 2005 Tundra and it's plenty powerful for me for what I need it to do.

[pintnight]

Yes, but you are so seriously anti-U.S. biased that you will look for ANY reason to not consider the big 3 products. When one of the Ford executives was asked if he was concerned about the Titan, he responded that Ford would sell as many trucks in a day as Nissan sold in a quarter. Maybe not the best attitude, but it puts the newcomers in perspective.

Chevy makes the longest lasting, most dependable trucks on the road today (as long as you don't include GMC - if you do, Ford is next). That is a good enough reason to consider them, isn't it? I know it would be a big factor in my considerations if I was looking for a work horse.I avoided the big three trucks when I was looking. The big 3 trucks drive like sh!t, all mushy, bounce around. The Tundra drives like a "sports car" compared to the big 3 trucks.

[Plaz]

Canyonero.

[iateyourcheese]

The wife's Mazda6 has been falling apart since 25k miles, and the service has been shitty. Of course her old Grand Prix wasn't any better. :dunno:

Isn't the 6 built in MI alongside the new Mustang. :dunno: It's not really what I would call a Japanese car.

[Optimus Prime]

Isn't the 6 built in MI alongside the new Mustang. :dunno: It's not really what I would call a Japanese car.
:mad2:

(that's our little secret)

[lupinsea]

While I'm not in the market for full size truck I'd certainly like to take a close look at the full-size Toyota offering and crawl around on the rig for a bit. Same with the Nissan. Just to see how things compare and stack up. I'm sure, as others have said, that Toyota will catch on very fast but Ford has been building 1-ton trucks since 1917.

Hm.

Ford full size trucks = 89 years of manufacture and development
Toyota full size trucks = 1 year

Yeah. . .

And Chevy and Dodge have a similarly long history with a lot of experience in the business of making serious, strong, reliable, full-size workhorses of trucks.

A few other points.

Ford's F150 has a towing rating of 9,900 lb. pretty much matching the Toyota. However, if you need to tow a bit more try these:

Ford F250 - 17,000 lb. towing capacity
Ford F350 - 19,200 lb. towing capacity :eek:

I'm sure Chevy and Dodge offer something similar but I'm not looking up there stuff right now. And maybe Toyota will offer a HD version of the Tundra down the road. . . who knows.

As to the ride. Sure, the Toyota has "sport car" like ride which is fine for cruising the highways but there's still a lot of trucks that get used on farms, out in the country, up in the mountains and many places where the road surfaces are very very poor. I wouldn't want to feel like I was riding in a sports car on those roads. I'm thinking Ford knows their customer base and what's needed in this case.

My family still owns a 1976 Ford F250. It was the truck my Dad drove my mom to the hospital in the night I was born. I guess you could say that was my first ride. Well, after 30 years and about 300,000 miles of solid work the truck is still going strong. Dad's still using it to haul trailers, pick up building supplies and generally do truck stuff with it.

My Aunt has a 1986 GMC crew cap 3/4 ton pick up. It's 20 years old still and apart from checking the oil now and again it's running perfectly fine. I still use it to haul my sandrail on 400 mlie trips to the sand dunes in Oregon and back with out worry about its reliability.

Anyways, it'll be cool to check out one of the Toyotas some day but I'd have no reservations at all going with a Ford truck. (or Chevy or Dodge)

[lupinsea]

Ah.... found some info. Engine specs.

Toyota - Available engines for the Tundra. These are for '06. No 5.7L listed.

4.0L V6
236 hp @ 5200 rpm
266 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

4.7L V8
271 hp @ 5400 rpm
313 lb-ft @ 3400 rpm



Ford F-Series Engine Options

4.2L V6
202 hp @ 4350 rpm
260 lb-ft @ 3750 rpm

4.6L V8
231 hp @ 4750 rpm
293 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm

5.4L V8
300 hp @ 5000 rpm
360 lb-ft @ 3750 rpm

6.8L V10
362 hp @ 4750
457 lb-ft @ 3250

6.0L Turbo Diesel V8
325 hp @ 3300 rpm
570 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm



Dodge - Jeezus but Dodge has some heafty engines available:

5.7L V8 (Hemi)
335 hp @ 3500 rpm
375 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm

5.9L Turbo Diesel I6
325 hp @ 2900 rpm
610 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm


And might as well toss Chevy into the mix:

6.0L V8
300 hp @ 4400 rpm
360 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

6.6L V8 Diesel
360 hp @ 3000 rpm
650 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm

[ff]

Dodge - Jeezus but Dodge has some heafty engines available:

5.7L V8 (Hemi)
335 hp @ 3500 rpm
375 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm

5.9L Turbo Diesel I6
325 hp @ 2900 rpm
610 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm <<<< :eek:



The cummins diesel is a beast. I understand there's talk of putting a MB diesel into the truck somewhere in the near future, which supposedly puts out over 700 lb/ft of torque.

[FC]

The cummins diesel is a beast. I understand there's talk of putting a MB diesel into the truck somewhere in the near future, which supposedly puts out over 700 lb/ft of torque.

I'm sure. Right now they are getting 515lb-ft out of a 4.2L V8.

But yeah, the cummins is ridiculous.

[bren]

The cummins diesel is a beast.
Yeah, and the Chevy has even more power.

[ZBB]

Ford full size trucks = 89 years of manufacture and development
Toyota full size trucks = 1 year

Yeah. . .



Its not like Toyota hasn't built any trucks ever :dunno:

They have plenty of experience with trucks... My first car was a '65 Landcrusier, and that FJ-40 had already been evolving for 14 years. If TLCs are known for any one thing, its their durability. Reference:
http://tlc.toyota-europe.com/main_frame.html

And this is their 3rd attempt at a "full-size" truck -- while the first 2 weren't quite full-size -- Toyota is learning...

Also -- did anyone see the Superbowl add for the small Toyota pickup, where they put a red truck on a beach, the tide comes in and tosses it around and it drives off after the tide goes out? Made a silly commercial, but that is based off something Top Gear did -- they took a mid-late 80s vintage Toyota were on a mission to kill it. One of the things they did was to put it in the sea and let the tide come in. It was full of sand, but it started up and drove off after being cleaned off (and no new parts added). Top Gear kept trying to kill that truck -- and kept failing. It even started up after being driven off a 50 foot building (but it couldn't drive off anymore).

[FC]

Its not like Toyota hasn't built any trucks ever :dunno:

They have plenty of experience with trucks... My first car was a '65 Landcrusier, and that FJ-40 had already been evolving for 14 years. If TLCs are known for any one thing, its their durability. Reference:
http://tlc.toyota-europe.com/main_frame.html

And this is their 3rd attempt at a "full-size" truck -- while the first 2 weren't quite full-size -- Toyota is learning...

Also -- did anyone see the Superbowl add for the small Toyota pickup, where they put a red truck on a beach, the tide comes in and tosses it around and it drives off after the tide goes out? Made a silly commercial, but that is based off something Top Gear did -- they took a mid-late 80s vintage Toyota were on a mission to kill it. One of the things they did was to put it in the sea and let the tide come in. It was full of sand, but it started up and drove off after being cleaned off (and no new parts added). Top Gear kept trying to kill that truck -- and kept failing. It even started up after being driven off a 50 foot building (but it couldn't drive off anymore).

LOL. Reminds me of an old (one of the first, I think) articles in Maxim magazine when they tested the durability of watches. The Casio G-SHOCK survived boiling tests, freezing tests, sveral drop tests, and outlived all other watches. They eventually took a 10-lb sledge hammer to it... and it took a couple of whacks.

[Rob]

Maybe, but . . . Chevrolet builds the most dependable and reliable trucks on the road today. Toyota - does not. Iirc, Ford is no. 2.

And the G-shock was indestructible, more or less. But I would have to call that over engineering. :lol:

[lupinsea]

I'm not saying Toyota doesn't know how to build trucks. I'm just saying there are differences between the compact trucks and the full size ones and Toyota doesn't really have much experience designing and building to meet full size truck needs. I was also picking up a domestic-trucks-are-poo attitude that seemed very undeserved. Maybe people were confusing the general pooness of the domestic manufacturer's car offerings with their much better truck offerings. That's one of the things that I've noticed over the years. The domestic auto manufacturers seem to be able to deliver a very good full-size truck but their cars and compact trucks leave muuuuuch to be desired. Who knows, maybe it's just because there hasn't been any other competition to compare the full-size trucks to.

Oh, and the Top Gear video of the Toyota truck was awesome. Unbelievable, the order of abuse for the little pick-up:
Drive it into a tree
Scrape it into a wall
Chain it down to a sea wall and let the tide come it (tide was so strong it broke the chains and dragged the truck out to sea)
Drove it through a house
Dropped it from 10 ft off the ground
Set the truck on fire
Placed truck on top of a 24 story (240ft+) high rise apartment building and demolished the building
Top Gear Toyota Truck Abuse (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2402060372341641699&q=top+gear+toyota)

No new parts were added (beyond windshield for safety) and the mechanic could only tune up the truck with basic hand tools. It fired up every time. By the end of all the trials the truck was in BAD shape . . . but it still fired up and was drivable under it's own power.

[ZBB]

Oh, and the Top Gear video of the Toyota truck was awesome. Unbelievable, the order of abuse for the little pick-up:
Drive it into a tree
Scrape it into a wall
Chain it down to a sea wall and let the tide come it (tide was so strong it broke the chains and dragged the truck out to sea)
Drove it through a house
Dropped it from 10 ft off the ground
Set the truck on fire
Placed truck on top of a 24 story (240ft+) high rise apartment building and demolished the building
Top Gear Toyota Truck Abuse (http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2402060372341641699&q=top+gear+toyota)

No new parts were added (beyond windshield for safety) and the mechanic could only tune up the truck with basic hand tools. It fired up every time. By the end of all the trials the truck was in BAD shape . . . but it still fired up and was drivable under it's own power.

Thanks for the clarification and link... When it hit my TiVo, I watched it a couple times before it deleted...

[Plaz]

Didn't they drop a camper on it, too?

:lol:

[lupinsea]

Yeah, I forgot about the camper. Can't remember where it ended up in the schedule of events.

[ARCHER]

I was just watching that yesterday. It's up on the TG front page now.

I can't say I was at all surprised at how well the Helix help up, having grown up with Land Cruisers (still 3 in the family) and owning two 4x4 pickups myself. Toyota trucks have always been overbuilt and super reliable. That's why they are the vehicle of choice in the world's harshest and romotest areas. They will get you home.

Everyone boasts about the Dana 44 axles on the Rubicon but the stock axles on an old FJ-40 are still stronger-almost as strong as a Dana 60. Same holds true of most other components on the Toyota. If I had the time to build an FJ-40 to my spec's, I wouldn't have bought the Rubicon. I still plan to build one when my kids are older.

[ZBB]

By the way -- Top Gear started back up on Discovery this week...

But they are mostly re-runs for me -- BBC Canada airs the full unedited UK version shortly after it runs in the UK... One of the things that the Discovery show edits out is the celebrity track times in the reasonably priced car -- mostly because 90% of the celebrities are very UK specific. Of those that I could see Discovery picking to show are the two women from "What Not to Wear", Jamie Oliver (the Stig took his Porsche-engined VW Bus around the track with Jamie making a salad in the back -- hilarious), and Pactrick Stewart.

By the way -- I really miss my old TLC... I wish there was a way I could have kept it back then -- it would have been fun to restore with a handful of enhancements. Mine was mostly stock; the original owner had welded an ammo box just behind the front bumper but ahead of the grille for lockable storage of a took kit, and added A/C (just after he bought it, but it had a freon leak and would only work for a couple days before helping to destroy the ozone layer). My dad had the interior reupholstered (with tan MB-Tex -- looked great). I added a roll-bar (the top had never been off before I got it), a radio (mounted in the glove box with a cheapo boom box speaker for sound), and 3-point belts for the driver and passenger to replace the stock lap belts (I admit it... I used Jeep Wrangler parts). Other than that, it was bone stock -- thin tires, unlifted, etc.

[ARCHER]

By the way -- Top Gear started back up on Discovery this week...

But they are mostly re-runs for me -- BBC Canada airs the full unedited UK version shortly after it runs in the UK... One of the things that the Discovery show edits out is the celebrity track times in the reasonably priced car -- mostly because 90% of the celebrities are very UK specific. Of those that I could see Discovery picking to show are the two women from "What Not to Wear", Jamie Oliver (the Stig took his Porsche-engined VW Bus around the track with Jamie making a salad in the back -- hilarious), and Pactrick Stewart.

By the way -- I really miss my old TLC... I wish there was a way I could have kept it back then -- it would have been fun to restore with a handful of enhancements.

Seen this? http://www.tlcicon.com/

[ZBB]

Seen this? http://www.tlcicon.com/

Yeah -- but almost forgot about it... They've really improved their site...


But aren't they almost rediculously expensive? Its really too bad Toyota didn't evolve the FJ-40. The new FJ Cruiser harks back to it, but just isn't right for me...

[ARCHER]

Yeah -- but almost forgot about it... They've really improved their site...


But aren't they almost rediculously expensive? Its really too bad Toyota didn't evolve the FJ-40. The new FJ Cruiser harks back to it, but just isn't right for me...

Yup. That thing is stupid expensive... to the tune of about $80k.

I could do a full frame-off build with a new V-8, air, power steering, disk brakes, lockers, bla... bla... bla... for a lot less than that. Basically, it would be a radically updated FJ-40 in the neighborhood of $25-30k.

The Icon is cool but at that price, I'd be afraid to park it at the grocery store, much less actually wheel it hard.

[ZBB]

Yup. That thing is stupid expensive... to the tune of about $80k.

I could do a full frame-off build with a new V-8, air, power steering, disk brakes, lockers, bla... bla... bla... for a lot less than that. Basically, it would be a radically updated FJ-40 in the neighborhood of $25-30k.

The Icon is cool but at that price, I'd be afraid to park it at the grocery store, much less actually wheel it hard.

Yup... I thought the Ikon was something like that 'spensive...

I sold my '65 for $3k in '92. It was in pretty good shape -- a couple of minor dings and one big dent in the body. ~95-96k original miles. Engine was good (so could get away with not poping in a GM V8).

Most of the rubber seals and parts on it going. The '65s still had individual windshield wiper motors, with the wipers hung from above. Below the windshield was an air vent that hinged up when opened -- and the hinge was nothing but a rubber gasket that had mostly failed (I carefully closed the vent and just never opened it).

The paint was very worn, and we had an inexpensive paint job done about 3 years before selling it.

I always thought it would be fun to restore it at some point. It just was a great truck...

[lupinsea]

The Toyota drivetrains are built really stout compared to the Jeep. You hear a lot about snapped D35 axles especially, or the money put into building up a Jeep but the Toyotas are relatively cheap by comparison. Stock axles on the Toys are good enough to leave alone by and large. Part of it is you can get some older Toyota trucks for dirt cheap and have more budget to build-up from there.

Still, I REALLY like the solid front/rear axle setup on the TJs with the coil springs. It's probably one of the best setup factory suspension systems I've seen for off-road trail work. I'm glad to hear it carried over onto the new Wranglers.

The new Land Cruiser coming out leaves me cold. It just looks like some bloated RAV 4 or something. And the IFS . . . well why that is on there for something playing up it's rugged, off-road background / history I don't know.

[ARCHER]

The Toyota drivetrains are built really stout compared to the Jeep. You hear a lot about snapped D35 axles especially, or the money put into building up a Jeep but the Toyotas are relatively cheap by comparison. Stock axles on the Toys are good enough to leave alone by and large. Part of it is you can get some older Toyota trucks for dirt cheap and have more budget to build-up from there.

Still, I REALLY like the solid front/rear axle setup on the TJs with the coil springs. It's probably one of the best setup factory suspension systems I've seen for off-road trail work. I'm glad to hear it carried over onto the new Wranglers.

The new Land Cruiser coming out leaves me cold. It just looks like some bloated RAV 4 or something. And the IFS . . . well why that is on there for something playing up it's rugged, off-road background / history I don't know.

Agreed on all points. If/when I build a '40, I will not stick with leaf springs. It will be something similar to the Rubi's setup. Not that I have any buyer's remorse. I love my Jeep. But here is just something about the old '40's. I just don't see many of them outside my own family and I have history with them.

Stick me in a DD situation and the Rubicon is, by far, the clear choice. As a dedicated trail toy, well, that gets a bit more complicated. Right now, the Rubicon playes both roles very well - for me at least. I'll probably keep it for a long, long time.

As for the new FJ, I'm with you. It holds no appeal to me. Then again, the LR3 seems to have suffered a similar fate. But that's another story. I can't afford to wheel the Discovery anywhere near its limits. Repairing the Rubicon is cheap by comparison. I can do that in my own garage for the most part.

[lupinsea]

Hm... Maybe you should come on up to Seattle. Tons of guys run the FJ40's up here in the Northwest :cool: :

http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E80DB00846011D9.jpg
One of our "Jeep Club" members runs this blue FJ.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E8138EA846011D9.jpg
His son drives this one.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E80FA14846011D9.jpg
One of the other guys we met on the trail did some slight modifications.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-18%2010.53.13%20-0700/Image-C00F878C212D11D9.jpg
Another guy in our club runs this tan/khaki colored one
with a Chevy 454 big block under the hood.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-07-20%2001.34.36%20-0700/Image-5812C3E0F8F611D9.jpg
Ron, a friend of a friend, runs this silver one with a road-sign
used as a roof panel.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-09-13%2011.59.17%20-0700/Image-222AA852248711DA.jpg
Encountered this yellow FJ last summer on a, er, camping trip.
Took us a while to figure out who was going to back up.

[ARCHER]

Hm... Maybe you should come on up to Seattle. Tons of guys run the FJ40's up here in the Northwest :cool: :

http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E80DB00846011D9.jpg
One of our "Jeep Club" members runs this blue FJ.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E8138EA846011D9.jpg
His son drives this one.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-02-21%2015.35.36%20-0800/Image-5E80FA14846011D9.jpg
One of the other guys we met on the trail did some slight modifications.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2004-10-18%2010.53.13%20-0700/Image-C00F878C212D11D9.jpg
Another guy in our club runs this tan/khaki colored one
with a Chevy 454 big block under the hood.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-07-20%2001.34.36%20-0700/Image-5812C3E0F8F611D9.jpg
Ron, a friend of a friend, runs this silver one with a road-sign
used as a roof panel.


http://homepage.mac.com/jgreening/.Pictures/Photo%20Album%20Pictures/2005-09-13%2011.59.17%20-0700/Image-222AA852248711DA.jpg
Encountered this yellow FJ last summer on a, er, camping trip.
Took us a while to figure out who was going to back up.





Nice! I'd love to wheel up there some time - beautiful country.

Are many of the FJ guys doing V8 conversions? My brother was on the fence about it for years but he finally did a Stroker conversion a few years ago and never looked back. It's a beast.

[lupinsea]

I think most of the guys are tossing in the 454 ci V8's. It seems to be a popular mod.

[ARCHER]

I think most of the guys are tossing in the 454 ci V8's. It seems to be a popular mod.

The Toyota I-6 is a great motor but a V8 is a V8. I'd love to do a conversion on mine one day. The AEV Hemi setup is nice but it won't bolt up to my 6-sp. best I can gather. It's only a matter of time...

[lupinsea]

I'm sure if you really wanted a V8 you could find a way. I think a lot of guys who do that also get an appropriate transmission that matches (or will meet up with an adapter). Might need to be some custom mounts welded up but otherwise they find a way to make it fit.

Probably one of the easiest things to do would be to find a tranny that bolts up to the GM Ramjet 350. (http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/3508/products/463/Ram-Jet-350-PFI-GM-Performance-Parts-Crate-Engine-Assembly.htm) It's an EFI crate engine (V8 of course) where EVERYTHING is all setup on the engine ready to go (ECU, wiring harness, etc). Just hook up a fuel line and a 12 v electrical connection and it'll fire right up. GM Performance parts developed this engine for easy drop-in applications.

350 hp
400 ft-lb


http://www.sdpc2000.com/images/products/2769371_8535580.jpg




Or, if you want to go a bit nuts, they have this bad boy, too: Ramjet 502 (http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/120/products/693/502-Ram-Jet-GM-Performance-Parts-Crate-Engine-Assembly.htm). 502 ci V8 big block with 510 hp and 550 ft-lb. Same deal as above as far as intallation goes. Hmm.... one could get a little mad at the possibilities . . . dual turbo setup. . . :eeps:

http://www.sdpc2000.com/images/products/2747158_9040449.jpg




More GM Crate Engine, incl. latest Z06 engine (http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?action=catalog_start&catid=120)

[ARCHER]

I have no doubt it could be done, and those are very impressive looking crate motors. I do like the idea of staying with Mopar. The automatics bolt up very easily without much modification. All the harnesses are pretty much plug and play.

Of course, I could always just go with an Atlas...

Whatever I do, V8-wise, will be way down the road.

[lemming]

More GM Crate Engine, incl. latest Z06 engine (http://www.sdpc2000.com/cart.asp?action=catalog_start&catid=120)


zz4 is what's inside my stingray. ;)