Heating up the MBX FJ40

The Matchbox casting of the 1968 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 is outstanding.  The level of detail immediately made this one of my favorite casting and I own quite a few of them now.  You've seen me add a lift kit to my safari FJ40 in the past, here.  This time I wanted to go for something a bit more subtle.

I started by cracking apart two different Land Cruisers, one from Matchbox and the other, the custom FJ40 from Hot Wheels.  The goal, to get the tube bumper off the HW FJ and put it on the MBX.  The nice thing about this swap is that the chassis are very close in dimension, but this is where the niceness ends.  So, I tossed the MBX chassis and the HW wheels and got to work opening the back of the HW chassis to accommodate the tab cast into the back of the MBX FJ.  Using my Dremel and a cutting tool, and keeping the old chassis nearby for reference this went pretty smoothly.  As always, go slow and take a little material at a time, you can't easily put back what is now gone.  Then came the bumper, I did not want to make any modifications to the casting itself, so this meant that I needed to cut a channel behind the bumper to allow the body to recede into it a bit, this was the dangerous part, if I cut to deep I would chop off the very bumper I was trying to mount!  Fitment of the interior/bumper was still a bit of a problem and I needed to cut and grind some internal structure both on the interior/bumper and on the chassis itself.  After that was fitting properly I used my Dremel and cut-off wheel to remove the rear of the original interior, this, with some trimming, would help hold the axle in place and keep the windows where they belonged.

To top it all of I added one of my model truckers, which consequently would not have fit in the cast Matchbox interior.  Now my FJ40 is ready to hit the trails and is still quite street-able.  Pretty sweet.  Anyway, take a look at the photos and judge for yourself.

A Caged Runner

Some of you faithful readers may remember this post from awhile back: 4Run Through the Jungle

So, with your memory whetted I can now show you the latest update.  It all started when I was trying to figure out what to do with one of my many MBX Sahara Survivor castings.  After I had pulled off the roll cage I started thinking, 'It would be great if I could stick this roll cage in another truck'.  Well with a bit of cutting, thank you Mr. Dremel, I streamlined the roll cage and started to test fit it in my 1985 Toyota 4Runner.  One thing that I knew from the beginning was that the fiberglass roof would have to go.  It took quite a bit of massaging, as these things often do, but I think it was well worth it.  I am on the lookout for some cool gear to put in the back, as it looks pretty bare right now, and what hardcore wheeler goes into the woods without a spare tire!  I am going to need one of those too.  It is always nice to breath some life into a long term project and this little Toyota is really coming along nicely.

Is it a Crime?

I really like the graphics on the Hot Wheels 2009 Ford F-150, but a question remains.  Is it criminal to load up some Matchbox wheels underneath?  If so I'm guilty as charged, but she sure is a beauty.

Look Down On Your Prey with a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Lift Kit

I have been wanting to lift the Matchbox Ford F-150 SVT Raptor for quite some time now.  Thanks to my recent experience making the Z bars for my drift cars I had an idea.  In the past my 'lift kits' had consisted of multi-piece chassis that frequently involved more than a bit of cutting and grinding to accomplish.  Another down side with that technique is that it is very hard to find a donor that has wheels that align properly with the wheel-wells on the new truck.  Even then, you may think you have it right only to find that you have just spent an hour grinding away on something destine for the junkyard.

Now that I was almost certain that my Raptor would not end up in the junkyard I set to work.  I carefully drilled the pilot holes in the posts, taking extra care to not break through the plastic floor of the truck bed.  Once I had Dremelled through the mushrooms and cleaned up the posts I set to work making Z bars from .032 brass rod that would accommodate the massive tires I planned on stuffing under the Raptor.

The only modification that I had to make on the chassis was to file some channels for the Z bar to rest in so they would not float about. This was done using a triangular file.  Once the Z bars were mounted I pinched the chassis and the interior together to keep the axles from moving as I mounted the wheels using the .031 crimp tubes I had picked up from the craft store.  This time around I added the slightest drop of super glue gel to help hold the crimp tubes in place.  In mounting the full size spare I did have to do a bit of grinding and drilling but I figured that the results had been so good that I had no problem committing to finish the overall look of the truck.

Breaking Baja

I have a kind of love-hate thing with the Hot Wheels Baja Breaker.  I love the off-road van schtick and the little details like the round portholes and window louvers.  The thing I don't like, nah, even hate is that the axles always seem to be way too long.  When the wheels stick almost completely outside of the wheel-well it is not a pretty thing.

So after drilling and tapping (an all that) I opened up the Baja Breaker and I face another problem.  In most modern die-cast that I have worked on there are posts that hold down the axles in addition to the small clips folded over the axles.  The Baja Breaker is an exception, the only thing retaining the axles are the plastic clips folded over the axles.  This required a bit of ginger manipulation but I was able to flex the chassis enough to squeeze the axles past the clips.  Truth be told I would be reluctant to perform a swap on one of these in the future unless I could find a more sure-fire way to secure the axles.

So here you have it, the Baja Breaker with some nice Matchbox wheels.  A thing of beauty.

Swap Shop: Land Cruiser FJ40 & Sahara Survivor

I always love it when a wheel swap goes well.  I love it all the more when a wheel swap goes both ways.

Having just picked up a few of the 2011 Hot Wheels Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40s I knew at least one of them was going to get some new shoes.  Introduced in 2010 from designer Jun Imai (think Sandblaster) this new FJ40 is a great example of an outfitted desert racer.  There was of course one complaint, the wheels.

After swapping in some wheels from a Matchbox Sahara Survivor I was pleased with the result.  Just for grins I fitted the axles and wheels into the Sahara Survivor and I was quite surprised to find that they were a really nice fit and actually look pretty darn cool. What do you think?

F-150 Redemption

After my deflating fail with my new 1997 Ford F-150 I decided that I had to put the custom axles I had just made to good use.  That could only mean one thing.  I needed to find another truck with the same track width.  As it happens I had one more F-150 lying around from a graffiti 5-pack.  Well, I am happy to report that this time things went smoothly.  Let me know what you think.

Epic Fail : F-150 Tapout

It is with a heavy heart that I begin to write this post.  Not long before, I was happily preparing my shiny new 5-pack Ford F-150 for some Matchbox bead-lock wheels.  As I neared completion, disaster struck.  My plug tap broke.  My tap not only broke but it broke in the worst possible way, stuck in the front post of my new F-150.  Now I have to chuck the whole casting as there is no way that I know of to get the remnant of the plug tap out.  Bummer.  Cheesy bummer.

Follow the red arrow to the source of my discontent.

Gaining Traction in my 1999 Chevy Silverado

I finally got around to putting some new shoes on my '99 Chevy Silverado Stepside from Matchbox.  It looks a lot more capable now.  There is a slight rub on one of the rear fenders but it isn't really noticeable.  I am thinking my next project will have to be a camper shell.  That will likely have to wait until my ambition catches up, though.

The Dune Dog - Matchbox Outfits the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser

The 2011 model year sees a new addition to the Matchbox stables, the Dune Dog.  Modeled after the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser, the Dune Dog gets ready to tackle the harshest environments.  Now, I do feel that the name 'Dune Dog' might be better suited to, well, a dune buggy or that sort of thing, I suppose that it is well suited to certain arid lands.  Oh, but it is also suited to so much more.  Matchbox has fitted a roof rack with all the requisite survival gear, a water tank, gas can, duffel bag, cooler and even a chainsaw.  Mounted to the front of the rook rack are four HID lights, sure to light up the cold desert nights.  The roof rack can also be easily removed to give the truck a nice open feel for the more casual wheeling expeditions.  The engine has been fitted with a snorkel for those hazardous desert river crossings.  The hood has been vented to keep the engine bay as cool as possible to keep performance at a maximum.  The Dune Dog has had all of the glass removed to save weight (who wants broken glass all over anyway) so make sure you bring your sunglasses to keep the sand out of your eyes.  More survival kit is mounted one either side of the SUV, where you can find a fire extinguisher as well as an ax and shovel.  Helping to keep sand and mud out of your face is some nice large fender flares, though they do little to cover the massive Matchbox 44's that hold this desert beast high up off the ground.  I do like the lazy dog sleeping in the back of the truck, and I love the fact that they went as far as to include a water bowl for him in the cargo rack.  At the end of a long day racing about in the desert, one thing is certain, the 2011 MBX Desert Endurance Race has met a rugged new competitor that looks to be, truly, ready for anything.

TJ Skyway - Lifting a Matchbox 1998 Jeep Wrangler

The Matchbox 5-pack always offers some unique opportunities for collectors.  One of my favorite 5-packs as of late is the Desert Adventure No. 9.  It is in this particular pack that you will find the 1998 Jeep Wrangler, otherwise known as a TJ.  Some have distinguished this particular model as the Jeep Wrangler Camper due to it's updated roll cage featuring a cargo rack with an allotment of camping gear.  Now right off the bat you notice the race inspired tampos that feature Superlift Suspension Systems as a would-be sponsor.  This leads into my first problem, this TJ does not seem to be lifted in any way that might glorify an aftermarket suspension.  So I took it upon myself to fix that little problem.

With a cannibalistic donation from a MBX 4x4 (one of my favorites) I began sizing up what it was going to take to fit my Wranglers new shoes.  After what was about the smallest amount of modification I have done yet, I had the interior and frame of the MBX 4x4 fitted perfectly in the body of the Jeep.

 

As you can see the TJ looks awesome with the meaty off-road tires and bead-lock wheels, but after I took the first round of photos I thought something was still missing, a full size spare!

After some drilling and cutting (and kindly asking a dune buggy to surrender its wheels) I was able to mount a full size spare tire on the back of my Wrangler.  I could not be more pleased with how this truck turned out.  Not only can this Jeep Wrangler handle some serious trails as well as some rock crawling, but she's guaranteed to get you to even the remotest of camp sites. Till next time, happy fishing!

Swap Shop: Path Beater, meet Rock Shocker

Some time last year I came across the Hot Haulers 5-pack from Hot Wheels.  A big selling point for me was the very nice looking Path Beater, with a sweet race inspired tampo.  One thing that threw the truck off for me was the wheels.  No, it's not that they are plastic (I actually prefer plastic wheel/tires in some cases) but rather that they are rather wide and have a gold line that all in all gave the truck a bit of a goofy look.  Well, lo and behold, I have found the perfect solution, the Rock Shocker from a Matchbox 5-pack.

The painted red rims from the Rock Shocker are a great fit with the yellow and red flames and as you can see below the truck looks much more realistic with the narrower tires.  I threw the Path Beaters old tires on the Rock Shocker for grins, though it is about to donate its chassis to another project.

This mod did require a spot of super glue to hold the axles in the Path Beater, but otherwise the whole thing goes together with just one screw.  Till next time...

4Run Through the Jungle

I am sure that I am not the only person that was very excited to see the Toyota 4Runner get added to the stables at Matchbox.  The "little Toyota that could" has been a very popular choice for off-road enthusiasts since it's introduction late in the 1984 model year.  1985 saw the addition of the fuel-injected 22R-E I4 greatly enhancing both performance and fuel efficiency, so it is no surprise to me that Matchbox choose this iconic first generation 4Runner for their lineup.

After gleefully tearing open the package and rolling the truck around it became immediately apparent that this SUV needed some bigger rubber and some improved ground clearance before it could really tackle the trail.  The main concerns that needed to be addressed were the approach and departure angles.  The stock front bumper was often the first thing to come in contact with obstacles on the trail and offered little protection. Next the mud flaps, while adding an authentic look, the whole "cast-in-plastic" bit made them to inflexible for trail applications, so they had to go.

So now all I needed was a suitable donor to provide not only some new wheels and tires, but also some suitable protection for the front end of the 4Runner.  After considering a few different options I decided that Matchbox's Rock Shocker would be a perfect match. I think the results are quite impressive.

The 4Runner now has a more aggressive stance and a slightly longer wheelbase thanks to the long-arm suspension from the Rock Shocker.  Gone are the plastic mudflaps and the new wheels and tires give the look of a nice set of some trail worthy 35 inch tall tires.  A nice beefy steel tube bumper offers protection for the front end of the truck, while the stock bumper holds up the rear.  The modifications to the interior of the Toyota where fairly substantial and almost none of the original 4Runner interior survived.  Even the interior of the Rock Shocker needed to be trimmed down quite a bit to get a satisfying fit.

All in all this project was a lot fun to put together and really tested my skills with the Dremel.  I hope that you find this an inspiration.  Till next time.

All Jacked Up - Custom Diecast Lift Kits

The other day I was looking through some trucks in my diecast collection and I was gripped with the burning desire to help my old FJ40 reach new heights, by any means necessary.

Putting a "lift-kit" on a diecast truck has been an idea that I have had on the back-burner for some time now, I was always a little worried that the whole process would just be too expensive, too laborious or just too over my head to really be worthwhile, but a unique solution soon presented itself.

I have always admired the suspension system of Matchbox's Off-Road Rider. Not only does the suspension look good, but with a little care, you can actually get it to give you a little bit of travel. So to start, I grabbed my Dremel and went to work on the Off-Road Rider to see what she was made of. Once I cut free the engine/seat/hood combo and made some other small cuts on the frame I began test fitting all of the pieces.

Now it was time to get to work on my Land Cruiser. I began by drilling and taping a hole for a set screw in the center of the post. Next it was Dremel time, and in no time I had the Toyota in pieces in my hand. After sizing things up I saw only one real option, so I got right to work. What followed was a slow process of making small cuts and a lot of test fitting, resulting in a 1968 Toyota FJ40 that is ready to do some serious rock crawling!

The Land Cruiser is an excellent choice for an overland adventure, right at home riding next to a Jeep or a Land Rover. Like most any truck, the FJ, in stock form, is more of a moderate trail rig than an extreme rock crawler. What the Toyota needed was a lift kit by way of a new four-link suspension, and a new pair of shoes in the form of some 42" tall tires on 17" bead-locks. Also a part of the deal is the new steel tube bumper giving me a place to fix a tow line as well as a place to mount a winch.

I must admit I was feeling pretty smug after I lay down my hex driver and examined my handy work. Excepting a few minor details that need some future attention, the conversion looked excellent! The next piece of this project will have to be a winch, but that will have to wait until I find the suitable parts. Needless to say, I was feeling pretty excited at this point and I decided to immediately search out my next vict... urm... project truck. What I found was the Hot Wheels Path Beater.

The Path Beater is a solid quarter ton pickup that looks like it would be right at home on a beach with a few cold drinks and maybe a couple surf boards in the back. I wanted to test how versatile the Off-Road Rider's chassis was with very little overall modification. With more of a lifted street truck look now, the Path Beater is high rolling on some massive new cleats and a major lift kit!

Looking at the undercarriage of both vehicles does little to translate the effort put in to each truck, the Path Beater ended up being much more involved as a significant amount of the original chassis needed to be cut away and a channel needed to be cut in the original bumper to accommodate the "aftermarket" stinger. By comparison, the Land Cruiser was a more straight forward chassis replacement and other than the set screw in the post, there is no permanent modifications to the original truck. In theory I could unscrew the whole thing and have it rolling on a stock chassis in a matter of seconds and the average passer by would never know the difference.

I am really looking forward to modifying more trucks for some serious off-road action. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and please check back soon to see what other projects I have cooked up.

Raptor Attack!

Fords in-house performance specialists decided to give off-road enthusiasts something to cheer about in 2010. Enter the F-150 Raptor, the purpose built Baja pre-runner designed by the team at SVT.  Matchbox welcomes the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor in the 2010 Desert Endurance Series.

The Raptor is just bristling with appealing features. The bright orange paint and graphics package immediately catch the eye. For those that prefer a more subtle look the deep blue paint will be the way to go. No matter which paint job is to your liking, rest assured that both can be easily spotted in the wilderness.

Once the paint catches your eye the louder than life brick wall FORD grill tells everyone you mean business. Flared fenders help to draw attention to the trucks wide stance and both the fender flares and the running boards offer protection from any debris that gets turned up by the 35 inch tires.

 

The hood is marred by ultra aggressive air extractors, massive vents designed to allow hot air to escape from under the hood, keeping vital engine components cool in extreme conditions. While equipped with a full-size spare under the truck, the MBX model also features a second full-size spare mounted in the bed, this truck is ready for anything. There is even a tow hitch to haul your other toys park.

In closing, like the 1:1, the MBX Ford F-150 SVT Raptor has really captured my imagination. Having the vision to produce a purpose-built off-road performance truck has garnished a lot of respect for Ford and SVT from me personally. I have never been a fan of the "muscle-truck", high performance trucks built for the street. For me pavement has always belonged to the cars, but it is the truck that owns everything else. I really like everything about the Raptor, from the aggressive tone carried throughout, to the borderline flamboyant grill. Even the graphics look to me like the truck has just been viscerally torn asunder by a dinosaur bearing the same name. I think this one is a real winner. That is probably why, dis-spite owning several already, I still have a hard time not purchasing another when I find one at the store.

Consider the Rocks Shocked!

In 2009 Matchbox introduced a rock crawlers dream to their line-up. The Rock Shocker now has a fresh coat of paint and is ready to hit the trail hard again in 2010.

This truck has been striped to it's bones to make it the ultimate rock crawler, the bed, and all glass have been removed, even the front fenders and grill. Instead of a bed, the Rock Shocker features a cage designed not only to mount the shocks, but also to accommodate a fuel cell and a transmission cooling system sporting two electronic fans for some non-stop pedal pounding.

Custom bumpers protect the front and rear, with a roll bar protecting the squish bits inside. Everything  rides on a long arm suspension allowing excellent suspension travel with a stable low stance.

The action doesn't stop when the sun goes down, as this rig is sporting 5 HID lights above the cab as well as two more replacing the stock headlights. The Rock Shocker certainly is all thrills and no frills. In fact we are still speculating exactly what kind of truck she was before all the modifications... On a closing note, this rig does not really seem designed to stray to far from the trailer, as it is not toting a spare tire, so perhaps more of a competition rig than a trail rig. Maybe a little customization is in order.

The Sandblaster

The Hot Wheels 2010 model year sees the introduction of a brilliant pre-runner style off-road truck: the Sandblaster!  Based on the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, HW designer Jun Imai has taken the Raptor to the next level.

Immediatly you'll notice the upgraded off-road tires, wheels, and lifted suspension, offering improved ground clearance for extreme wheeling. Ground clearance has been improved from 2mm on the MBX Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, to 3mm on the Sandblaster.

The next thing that really caught my attention was the pre-runner style bumper, the fiberglass fenders and bedsides, and instead of a bed you'll find a rear cage protecting the sizable fuel cell and a tank of compressed air or nitrogen. Topping all this off is a whopping total of seven HID lights to chase away the darkness. 

The Ford F-150 SVT Raptor is a really exciting truck and I have to tip my hat to Jun Imai for making the beautiful pre-runner rendition that is the Sandblaster. In fairness, to offer some criticism, I would have liked to see a spare tire, as I don't think I would leave home without one. As with any die-cast truck with large wheels bent axles seem to be the rule and not the exception, so it is likely I will upgrade my Sandblaster with more sturdy axles in the not-so-distant future.

I am looking forward to seeing even more exciting off-road vehicles coming out of El Segundo. So before your next big race, be it the Baja 1000 or the Backyard 100, be sure you check out this capable pre-runner.