fj middy

[hill billy]

hey everybody i am the owner of a 85 fj73 its my first 4x4 and i was just wondering what other people think of their middy's and how they well they go off road, with what mods.
cheers
cale

[Bluey]

Cale,
Middy's are great, even better with a few mods. mine's a '85 model, 3b diesel with aftermarket turbo, 35" claws, rear detroit, cheezy front bar and himount winch. offroad i've found diff and spring clearance catches me up where it doesnt for coil spring truck, but that is mainly covered now with the claws, which led to servere lack of power until the turbo went in. pretty much get most places now, and with some good mates you will get everyhere.

if youre not in a club or have mates who have fourby's to, join one and get out there and have fun


Lance

[hill billy]

thanx for the reply lance, when i bought it came with a suspension lift about to inches, i have the 3f powering mine, im in perth and also use the www.perth4x4.net forums but i dont have my license yet so dont get out often, also being shorter wheel base do you ever feel like you are going to put it on its side or roof
cheers
cale

[hill billy]

thanx for the reply lance, when i bought it came with a suspension lift about to inches, i have the 3f powering mine, im in perth and also use the www.perth4x4.net forums but i dont have my license yet so dont get out often, also being shorter wheel base do you ever feel like you are going to put it on its side or roof
cheers
cale

[toy73]

i got a 85 mwd with 3b axt turbo & 33 coopers, mine goes great but it needs a bit more power. Compared to my 73 fj40 with 2f it is slow Around town is great little car, misses loves it & great on juice, 13L per 100km. Have added a bit of stuff inside though such as door pockets and roof console to stash some crap.Seems preety stable for small car can lift a wheel & not feel scary.Fj 40 is a lot worse ride on road & feels like will fall over all the time. Im in perth as well. I have a little dream of an intercooler

[midi73]

I own 2 middys, one with a 3b and one with a 3bturboed. I love them , they are great cars of road- being a middy they are not to long and not to short, so good for most offroad applications.
Mine has a 2" suspension lift and a 2" body lift with 33muddies soon to be 35s.
for suspension I recommend (2"lift) extended shackles (greasable) extended main springs with 1 or 2 leafs taken out of the spring packs (unless you are going to do a lot of towing or heavy carrying). This will give a lot more wheel articulation and only costs about $500 from allset springs.(Queensland)
With this done and your petrol engine and a set of 33"muddies you will find it to be a very capable 4x4 of road.
A snorkle is a good mod as well.
Then there are the big buck things like diff locks, winch, coil conversion and the list goes on and on and on etc.
Cheers.
Dave.

[midi73]

With this done and your petrol engine

I said," and your petrol engine" because I find the 3b lets me down a little on hills etc because it is underpowered. the petrol engine should have more than enough power for all that you need it to do.
Cheers.
Dave.

[hill billy]

thanks for the replys keep them coming, are extend shackels legal in wa do you know, are they easily spoted? how many leafs are in other middys spring packs i have 8, as for 33" ive currently got some new 235 at's on it at the moment as thats what it came with. im still usure about my fuel economy but i think its roughly around 17ltr per 100kms is this allrite for the 3f, are you guys running 5 speeds or auto's im a 5 speed could you also please inform me of any problems you have had with yours.
cheers
cale

[Bluey]

i have dobinson springs, 2" over standard. this allowed me to run 33" bfg's, now with 2" bl i can fit the 35" claws. more power would be awesome, either a much better diesel or a v8, and less weight. i've had a few times where it felt it was going to tip, but i've gotta get of my arse and take some leaves out front and rear.

oh yeah, extended shackles would be good or anti inversion shackles at front a must, i inverted shackles 3 times in couple hours on my last trip. (no ext shackles/anti inversion stuff on and sway bar disconnected)

[Bluey]

edit: double posted somehow

[hill billy]

what are anti inversion shakels bear in mind im new to 4x4 and arnt up with all the lingo and products oh and how many leafs are in your springs?
cheers cale

[midi73]

when you get maximum articulation (wheel travel, dropping a wheel into a rut), this causes the spring pack to bend into more of an arc. this causes the two ends of the spring pack to come together. if this happens to far the shackle will go the other way and lay up against the chassis rail (invert) An anti inversion shackle is designed with a stopper so that it can not go to far therfore returning back to normal operating position.

My springs have 7 leaves ( have not had them done yet). I may not take any out of the front because I have a high mount winch I need to hold up, but on the back I wil prob take 2 leaves out, and of course extended leaf. Only realy need to extend the shackles because of the extended leafs.
Not sure about legality but they are not really noticable if you dont go to long.
Yes, get rid of the sway bar, you dont notice any difference, (or very little anyway) on the road. but it makes a big difference off road

[midi73]

more power would be awesome, either a much better diesel or a v8

Go a 14bt, they are a kick arse diesel and they bolt straight up.

[hill billy]

this may be a stupid question but which is the sway bar? so with 8 leafs that could be why its a lil bit harsh off raod, do you guys have the rear seats in your middy's, what cb would you guys recomend im looking at a gme tx4000 or tx 3200
cheers cale

[roscoFJ73]

I also have a FJ73 fitted with a 1HZ diesel and the toque difference is amazing.The old 3F was getting tired and had lost of power in the lower RPMs.
The 1HZ can plough through anything including soft sand with ease.
It was a fully rebuiilt unit using Japanese pistons and bearings.
The pump was also fully rebuilt with new piston and head,ouch.
Also has a new radiator,reconned injectors.

I have a 2 1/2" Dobinson spring lift which has settled in nicely.
Still tight unloaded but with some camping gear and a couple of passengers it rides like a big limo.
Like most 73 series owners Im running 33X10.5 BFG

I have a rust free body and plan on painting it soonish,colour undecided.

An elederly neighbour stopped to talk about the middy the other day,he said he wished he had one and was very approving of the diesel engine swap and commented on how good it sounded coming down our street:D

[midi73]

The sway bar is a spring steel bar that is bolted onto the axle housing and each end is connected to the chassis by short steel rods with threads on each end. They are used to stop the car leaning over in corners.
Yes 8 leafs would make it a bit stiff.
you cant go past a GME tx 4400, and they bolt straight into the dash either above or below the stereo.
Cheers.
Dave.

[midi73]

An elederly neighbour stopped to talk about the middy the other day,he said he wished he had one and was very approving of the diesel engine swap and commented on how good it sounded coming down our street:D

Yes the middy seems to be popular with both young and old.

[hill billy]

well i dont know about over east but the middy isnt all that common in perth as im noticing it the same few that i keep on seeing and most of them are the fj not bj. Rosco how did you find your 3f before it got a lil tired how hard is the 1hz conversion. what are the reports from your passengers comments on the ride in the back? ive got a six seater, which i think arnt as common, 3 seats up front and back, does any one take their roof off ill have to look at these swaybar things tomorrow because it a lil dark out side.

[fastone]

i got a fj73 which had a 3f engine till i did a conversion to an EL Falcon with EB fuel injection to do away with the smart lock and tons more poewr and better fuel economy. easy to do and all up under $3000

[Thommo 73]

i have a 87 fj73 with a 3f, and wouldn't have anything else.
and getting the 35's very soon will be sweet, and would love some coils.

[hill billy]

what fuel ecconomy are you fellowmiddy owners getting?