As some of you may have read/seen in the "Intro" forum, I mentioned that I was having an ICON FJ40 built. Recently, Micheal Kelly asked if it was finished. Unfortunatley it isn't, but in my reply to him, I included some pics on the progress.

Got some more pics from Jonathan (the builder) yesterday,... & instead of adding them to the existing thread, in the "Intro" forum - I thought I'd start a new thread here, for those who might be interested.

I expect to get pics regularly, as the build progresses. I'll add them here, as I get them.

More Progress:

Cheers!

~CLK

Very Nice! 

lucky!

Schweet!

Not that I could afford it, but I wish they offered an HZJ-75 body

Hey Andy,

Yeah I did - Pretty good & funny.

For anyone interested - Below's a YouTube link to the segment:

youtu.be/C0HagS2gWig

Cheers!

~CLK

Hey Keith - I agree!

For me, a hard-top is/was a must. Currently, the only ICON with that option is the FJ40. Otherwise, the extra room of the FJ43 0R FJ44, would've be nice as/for an overland vehichle.

I didn't order my ICON as an exclusive expo/overland vehichle. However, once I started thinking more about overlanding, I recognized the vehichle's short-comings (lack of storage space, short wheel-base, etc).

I talked w/ Jonathan at TLC, about creating a custom FJ, for Pan-American overlanding/expo use. He had some really cool ideas,... & they've already put out some great rigs, along these lines. The one that interested me was - A '93-'98 FJ80 series frame, suspension & lockers,... on a 60/62 series body. Also, re-powered with GM 5.7 V-8 & a long-range fuel tank. The idea would be to achieve the looks of the 60/62, which I like, with the suspension & off road attributes (lockers), of the 80 series. We called it an FJ140 (80+60). It has the rugged looks & utilitarian nature of the FJ60,.... plus the ride comfort & off-road capalities of the FJ80. For long trips, or on the trail - It would work great.

As for the interior - I would have Adventure Trailers work with TLC, to create the same type of interior habitat, that AT has in the JK Habitat. Essentially, I'd remove the back seats,... have custom draws & water system laid in, plus a refrig. Finally, aside from a RTT, it would be a vehichle that I could simple sleep in, if I wanted/needed to. Finally. Below is a link the type of interior I was thinking of:

youtu.be/wb3hWU5mEng

Below are some pics of 2 different "FJ140s" (80 Series Frame, Suspension, Lockers, on a 60/62 Body, Re-powered w/ GM 5.7 V-8 or GM's new E-ROD LS3, w/ 430hp) that TLC's made.

This one went to Nicaragua:

Another one - Same color (which I dig), but w/ some minor difference:

I had already placed my order for my ICON, plus Jonatahn told me it'd take about 12 months for them to finish a custom FJ140 for me. I decided I'd pass for now,... get my rig & use an off-road trailer (probably an AT Teardrop) - And I'm excited & can't wait! If at some point in the future, I want to expand my travels, wo/ the use of a trailer, & perhaps in more comfort - Then I might order something similiar to the above, & customize it for overland/expo use only..

Cheers!

~CLK

I reallllllly like that combo too. I only mentioned it, because as Keith noted - it would be nice if they offered an ICON w/ the 75 body. Since they don't, a custom/restored 60/80 combo, made by TLC, seemed like the next best thing.

If by 'the show', you mean the Adam Carolla show, then no. That is/was a "Baja" edition. Mine will be a standard FJ40, w/ a hard-top. Below are pics of similiar vehichles (except mine has the new Art Morrison chassis & suspension - no leafs,... different front bumber,... & all LED lighting,... & a roof-rack)

My front bumper will be a lower profile than the ARB bumpers above. It's one that TLC custom created for the ICON. It allows for better turning dynamics. Below is a pic of an FJ43 that has the same bumper & LED fogs lights, that I'm having done:

Cheers!

~CLK

Thanks Andy!

I'll update the thread as things progress.


Cheers!
~CLK

PS - I live in Seattle.

Yeah dude, you can pick up a beater toyota for around $2k easy. If you are actually going to take this truck offroad it would be a really, really good idea to get some wheel time in a truck you don't care about before you take your new rig offroad for the very first time and put it on it's lid or scrape against a tree! One moments inattention and you can easily take a out a whole body panel.

Oh crap, I just looked up how much these things cost! Dude I just about shed a tear the fist time I dented my nice 4Runner that I valued at 10% of what your rig costs.

Sweet truck, looking forward to seeing you and it on the trails someday!