Corey's 2007 FJ Cruiser Build-Up Thread

[Corey]

Originally Posted by shazaam aaahh I remember cutting the hole in the fender for my snorkel. I think it was easier to cut open a person then it was for me to take that hole saw to the side of the truck. looks good. Be prepared to get alot of looks, and questions. I turned my head when the doctor was doing the cutting. I hate the site of blood Thanks, got a few looks already. There are only three FJs in the whole US with the snorkel on right now, and two of them are in WA. state. Originally Posted by Toddski Very nice!!!. Did it feel weird having the snorkel sitting there? Next time i swing by i'll have to make a wish and drop a coin down the wishing well Thanks Todd. I can not even notice it unless I move my head way forward, then all I see if the intake head of it. No coins please, but $1 bills are OK to deposit. Swing by if you can. I will be starting at 3 or 3:30 tomorrow, so at the latest I will be cutting out at noon. Will be keeping these hours until about mid December I think.

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[Corey]

The first phase was to remove the factory headunit detailed earlier in this thread back at the end of March 2007.

The second phase consists of getting rid of the junk factory speakers and going with better ones that let the real music come through, and also an amplifier to power the speakers in all their glory.

The following components were installed stealth, you can not tell they are there.
1. Focal 165V2 6.5" component speakers with tweeters.
The Focals replaced the factory 6x9s in the doors, and the tweeters replaced the factory speakers up in the dash.
The shop made custom plates that matched the factory ones to hold them in the cavity of the door.

2. Infinity Kappa 3.27KF 3.5" speakers for the very rear in the cargo bay.
We were going to do Focal 4" speakers, but they were to deep to fit in there.
Plus the Kappas were close to $100 cheaper.

3. Alpine PDX-4.100 amp which is a four channel amp pushing out 100 watts each channel.
This is powering both sets of speakers.

4. Dynamat Xtreme two door kit to make the Focals sound even better.

Below are some pictures I pulled off the web of the components since all my gear you can not really see.





The sound is great, but I still have some tweaking to do with the equalizer on the headunit to fine tune it to the way I like it.

Phase III will consist of a JL Audio W6 10" woofer housed in a custom shop built fiberglass enclosure covered in black carpet, and another Alpine PDX amp, the 1.600 which pumps out 600 watts mono.

I need to see if I can move the ARB fridge first to the rear seat on the drivers side when it is in the down position to make room for the sub.

Links:
Focal 165V2 speakers
Infinity Kappa 3.27CF speakers
Alpine PDX-4.100 amplifier
Dynamat Xtreme two door kit

[ISurfer88]

Corey, lookin good. How much was ur tab on everyting? Those Focals are pretty pricey arent they?

[BT17R]

Very, very nice. I'm checking into what speakers work best with the OEM upgrade headunit. Something that sounds good at both low and high volume, but it seems most are replacing the headunit too.

[Corey]

Isurf, thanks.
It was a lot!
Lotta labor too lets just say.
Close to 6 hours alone for the one guy (tech shop manager) who did all the work.

I did get all the stuff much cheapr though than you will see it listed around the Internet.

Bob, most replace the factory headunit with something that has a lot more range as far as built in EQs and more.
I am very partial to the Pioneer headunit I have since it is also a full blown navigation unit.

Plus if you are into using your iPod for music, the headunit I have integrates it on the touch scree of the headunit.

I do realize though that I will not be totally satisfied with the system until I have the sub and another amp added in later.
Then the sound system will be done for good.

[CRAZYDRE]

where did you mount the amp? Where are you going to mount the other amp for the sub? I'm trying to figure this out right now. can you post some pics of it. Thanks.

[Corey]

Amp is under the seat, more than likely the other one in the future will go there too.

[BT17R]

Corey, you might consider blocking off the under seat heater vents to help prevent heat damage.

[Corey]

I will have to look into that Bob, thanks.
I paid extra for a four year protection plan though, anything blows, it is on their dime.

But I will look to see if the heat is anywhere near it.
Rain all weekend, did not get a chance to scope it out.

[CRAZYDRE]

Can you take pictures of the amp in place.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by CRAZYDRE

Can you take pictures of the amp in place.

I will try to snag one tonight or tomorrow.
Maybe even a shot in the dark, it has a blue neon light on top, and I think underneath

[Corey]

OK< here is a crappy picture.
Kind of hard to get the camera down there, I had to look upside down at the LCD screen too.

[Sparman]

Corey, I love that amp.

I can't believe how small it is and how little space it consumes under the seat.

I can't wait for a performance update for it and the speakers.

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Sparman

Corey, I love that amp.

I can't believe how small it is and how little space it consumes under the seat.

I can't wait for a performance update for it and the speakers.

Thanks Sparman.
And from what I have read, I may able able to stack the bass amp right on top.
If not, it will go under the other seat.
Also there is no heat issue with these amps.
They have been tested a lot, and they are one of the most efficient amps when it comes to dealing with heat.

I gave it a good workout with the way I have the EQ and other settings tweaked on the headunit on the commute yestermorning.

I had it cranked up with some AC/DC and it sounded crystal clear, even at high volume.
I have not listened to tunes that loud since I had the 4Runner, as it had a killer system in it which I did most of the work on.

The Focals were pumping out some bass, but not the type that will massage your back of course.
That will be where phase III comes into play before to long.

The Focals are very accurate sounding, and the tweeters can be nice and bright, or you can tone them down via the headunit.

When I am driving it sounds like the band is right out in front of me mid dash.
Another good song to test is War Pigs from Black Sabbath.
I had that cranked on the way into work too.
That song has a lot of imaging that the guitar licks are sweeping back and forth between the right and left channels.
Never did it sound like the music just switched back and forth, it sounded like it floated back and forth, a euphoric feeling came over me as I was listening to it

Now the big decision will be two run 1x10 or 2x10s.
It (they) will be JL W6s.

You can also see some other ideas for amp mounting in the FJ Cruiser here.
You can see the double stack of the PDX amps there too.
http://www.fjcruiserforums.com/forum...-location.html

[Nate C]

Corey... how much do you have invested in your FJ at this point?

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Nate C

Corey... how much do you have invested in your FJ at this point?

Not sure Nate, it would take me a long time to add it all up.
Base cost was $29.5K out the door.
Mine was pretty much loaded with the exception of side airbags.

And I am not done yet, but I am near completion on it.
Looking into a roof top tent down the road.
Still researching a few brands, and a few of them will actually work with the stock FJ rack.



The there are some other mods I am going to go back and redo such as the fridge/freezer.
I want to relocate it to the back of the rear drivers side seat.
If it will not fit, I may take out the rear seat entirely.

May put a pair of lights on the bumper, and also will be doing a rear bumper either the Kaymar when it is done, or the Expedition brand one.
The latter one works with the factory hitch and also lets you reuse the backup sensors which using both is a big plus in my book, something a few of the other bumper makers out there failed to do.

[Corey]

The contents of my M-Packs does not really constitute a mod to the rig, but I feel it is a requirement to have in the rig if there was a disaster that would keep me at work or somewhere else where I could not get home such as an Earthquake or another terrorist attack.

I thought I was going to be able to get all of the contents as see in the first picture into one of the bigger packs on the door, but nope, so I had to use two.
The pack with the two-way radios has the cooking pot and stove, and a few other things, and the other pack has all of the Mountain House freeze dried food and some dehydrated fruit in it.

Also seen on one of the packs is the Gerber LMF II Infantry Black survival knife I just picked up.
It has a built in sharpener in the scabbard, and the end of the handle can be used as a hammer, and the point on the end of the handle is one of those window smashers just like the Life Hammer in case you need to break out one of your rigs windows.
http://www.gerberstore.com/index.php...empage&xid=757

In the first picture below is a Camping Gaz stove with cartridge, an MSR cooking pot, the granola bars in the baggies fit into the pot for storage.
Emergen-C packets of vitamin C that boost your immune system, one twin pack of 5 Hour Energy Drinks, dehydrated fruit, a small blow torch for lighting the stove, or setting on fire a terrorists beard, and plenty of freeze dried food with breakfast and dinner entrees, and plastic forks/spoons.

Not shown between the rear seats and the cargobox are two six packs of bottle water.
That will be used for reconstituting the food after it is brought to a boil on the stove, and for drinking water.

Work even tells us we should have a survival pack in our vehicles, as if we were stuck at work for some reason, the cafeterias would run out of fresh food awfully fast.
I have about three days of food there.

[sdstud212001]

Originally Posted by Corey

Daily
Well, the fridge is not in there all the time.

Now you wanna talk about gear, http://www.yotatech.com/f153/how-muc...s-pics-128138/

ha ha ha thanks for the link to my thread, before I clicked it I was thinking if they want to see gear on a daily basis they should check out my thread,

And is that the Gerber LMF II I see in the picture? I have one and I love it! I keep on my trauma bag, been there since I was with the Marines. They say it can cut through the fusalodge (sp?) of an airplane, have you tested that yet?

[Corey]

That indeed is the Gerber which I did not know existed until I read a review on it over at fjcruiserforums site.

The guy who runs the shop where we got the group buy on the M-Pack racks and molle packs did a review on the knife, and the next day or the same day I went out and bought it.

I have a link to it in the post above you.

I am still going to install one of those Life Hammers up front though.

But the knife is cool, it is my first survival knife.
Always a first time for something

So these are actually a real military knife then?
Cool...

When my son comes home on leave from Iraq I will have to show it to him.
He was pretty impressed with my Colt AR15 last time he was here.
Of course he could field strip that in his sleep if he had to.

[b.miller123]

Originally Posted by Corey

That indeed is the Gerber which I did not know existed until I read a review on it over at fjcruiserforums site.

The guy who runs the shop where we got the group buy on the M-Pack racks and molle packs did a review on the knife, and the next day or the same day I went out and bought it.

I have a link to it in the post above you.

I am still going to install one of those Life Hammers up front though.

But the knife is cool, it is my first survival knife.
Always a first time for something

So these are actually a real military knife then?
Cool...

When my son comes home on leave from Iraq I will have to show it to him.
He was pretty impressed with my Colt AR15 last time he was here.
Of course he could field strip that in his sleep if he had to.

Hey Corey,

This is way off topic, but did you know that someone is using a pic of your old 4runner? They are using it on this site:
http://www.4by4connection.com/totrsuvarbbu.html
Just scroll down and click on, well, the picture of your 4runner
I don't know if you care or not, just thought you might want to know,

And when your son gets back from Iraq, tell him I said thanks for protecting our freedom, and that comes from a Navy veteran

[Corey]

Originally Posted by b.miller123

Hey Corey,

This is way off topic, but did you know that someone is using a pic of your old 4runner? They are using it on this site:
http://www.4by4connection.com/totrsuvarbbu.html
Just scroll down and click on, well, the picture of your 4runner
I don't know if you care or not, just thought you might want to know,

And when your son gets back from Iraq, tell him I said thanks for protecting our freedom, and that comes from a Navy veteran

Hi B, yes, I asked them long ago if they wanted to use my picture, as the one they had at the time was very pixelated.

Will do, I will let my son know.
And thank you for serving for our freedom in the past too.

[Joe's Toy]

Corey I just wanted to tell you, you have the sickest FJ I've ever seen/read about. I'm definitly getting some of those "M-packs" to throw behind my seat. Any news on the tent?

[Corey]

Originally Posted by Joe's Toy

Corey I just wanted to tell you, you have the sickest FJ I've ever seen/read about. I'm definitly getting some of those "M-packs" to throw behind my seat. Any news on the tent?

Thanks for the comps man, they are much appreciated.

The M-Packs rock, even my supervisor likes them when he saw that I carry survival kits in them.

I am still debating on the roof top tent.
Taking a break from doing mods for awhile too with the nasty weather here.

May have the body mount chop done within a few months, then later this spring I will look into a rear bumper.

[Corey]

Spring has sprung, thus a new year of mods having been dormant over this past winter.

There is a constant joke on a few FJ Cruiser forums that goes around in threads asking "Can you sleep in it."
Of course you can, member LandCruiserSteve (a moderator over on fjcruiserforums.com) has proven that by building a nice bed system in the back of his rig that accommodates him very well.

With the way I have my rig setup in the back, that will not work out for me.

I have been looking at roof top tents as of late, and finally settled on a fiberglass one made in Italy like Wayne has.
Many thanks to Wayne (member KD7NAC_07FJ) for helping me make a selection on this model, it is the same one he has on his FJ Cruiser, the medium model.

Wayne used Yakima Lowrider clamps on the stock FJ rack, and then 58" crossbars held in place via the Lowriders.
The AirLand mounts to the crossbars.

I went to the shop Friday the 21st of March to get it installed, and they recommend I use four crossbars instead of two to distribute the weight, as that is the way they have been doing them.

I just got done opening it up for the first time since I left the shop after the install, and I am really impressed with the quality of the AirLand unit.

It cranks up just like a tent trailer (I have owned two of them in the past) after undoing two latches up front, and one latch back aft.

After cranking it up you can grab the aluminum ladder from inside and extend it.
It is fully adjustable to accommodate any vehicle.

Once I had the ladder up I climbed inside and took out the three pillow it came with and put the flannel pillow cases on that I bought.
For the medium AirLand tent, full size sheets are a perfect fit.
The bottom sheet is a fitted one, with the top sheet being the normal tuck in type.
I still need to pick up a warm down comforter, and the size that will fit will be a twin as to not have to much over the sides.

Getting up and down the ladder for me was not that difficult at all.
Now when exiting the tent and coming down backwards, you want to use caution since you can not see the rungs, you feel for them with your feet.
If I can do it, anyone can.

After getting the sheets on and the pillows in place, I climbed up inside for a few pictures of the interior, then I laid out like I was going to sleep in it.
There is plenty of room, and my feet do not even touch the ends of the tent wall.
I am about 5'10", and I did not feel cramped at all.
There is plenty of room for a second person too, and possibly a child if you have one.
It would be better with just two people though.

And not once did it feel rickety to me.
It was very stable, and a very cool feeling being up in the air like that.
I have a feeling I am going to sleep very well in this tent.
The best thing of all is being able to pull into a site whether in a regular campground, or when you are out 4wheeling, Overlanding/exploring, and just whip out the hand crank and crank up the tent and have your bed all setup in less than one minute.
This is the real advantage to a unit like this.

Here are a few pictures of the AirLand.









Links:
Maggiolina AirLand tent
Autohome's main site in Italy
Lowrider clamps
58" crossbars
Rack n Road Bellevue, WA. store
Full size flannel sheets
The comforter I may get if they get it back in stock

The Rack n Road store I visited (official reseller of these for WA. state as seen on AutoHome's website) has a team of top notch installers/manager working there.
Evan (store manager) and Colin were the two installers who installed it.

Shortly before I left too YotaTech member nickr9287 showed up, he also works for the Bellevue store and is an installer.

If looking for a system like this or any Yakima or Thule type of gear for your rig around our area, give these guy's a call.
Great team to work with.

Probably around sometime in May I will have some camping pictures from up at Greenwater with the tent all setup in the outdoors, and some other new camping gear I have been hoarding up on for a good time out in the woods.

With this I think my rig is nearing completion.
Still have to settle on a rear bumper, there are still a few in works.
The selection is getting bigger all the time.

[aviator]

Looks pretty sweet Corey...
I'm surprised your younger son did'nt insist on sleeping in there the other night when he was over...

Just read some of your other posts... Boeing Want the employees to carry there own "survival" food in case they get "stuck" at work for an extended period? Hope they pay for it...
I don't know that I'd go to work with the tent on top... if your bosses are anything like my boss they'd want you to stay all the time because "you'don't need to go home to sleep"...
You might want to try one of those Thule/Yakima wind deflector things on the front of your roof rack to help stop the air from getting under there at highway speeds, it will help cut down your wind resisatance, reducing the stress on the attachment poibts of the tent and improving your fuel consumption #s... just a thought...
of course a full set of off-road lights would look sweet up there too...