April 2008

Thanks for reading the April issue of FJC Magazine!

About April 10th we'll have all the content online with more photos for all of our articles.  Please leave feedback about this issue, we really want to know what you think!

Enjoy the April issue!

--The FJC Magazine Team 

About Colorado FJ's:
Colorado FJ’s is a family oriented off road group open to anyone with any type of Toyota FJ (FJ Cruisers, FJ-40, etc). We run every type of trail, from easy trails passable with any stock 4x4, to more advanced rockcrawling.


Colorado is known for it’s beautiful mountains, amazing ski slopes, and of course, off road opportunities. Colorado FJ’s is a great group of FJ lovers that hang out & hit the trails together. There are no dues, fees, or regularly scheduled meetings. We get together when it seems like a good idea, and help each other out as much as we can. With over 300 named off road trails in Colorado, we’d rather spend our time in the dirt than attending meetings.

The few meetings we do have are productive and informative. Our latest get together was hosted by Stevinson Toyota East, in Aurora, Colorado. The main topics covered at this event were benefits of HAM (amateur radio) communication compared to CB radios. There was an introduction to the upcoming Dirty Toys School (off-road driving school)  hosted by Chris Nelson & Bill Burke, info about Georgetown Ice Racing, and ideas for future events and mod parties.

The Stevinson Service Manager Jeff Tossie, took great care of the group. In addition to offering a free oil change to each of the attendees, he asked three service techs (Kevin, Tanner, and Eric) to join our party and answer questions about our FJ’s. The hghlight of the event for everyone was the technical discussions. Several members were allowed to put their trucks up on lifts in the Stevinson shop so others could see examples of different mods and setups. Eric Ross, a contributor to FJC Magazine, showed off his highly modified VooDoo Blue. Everyone got a great close up look at his full set of Bud Build Skids, his ARB bumper, and other mods. We also got to see first hand what a small body bulge looks like. When asked about this issue, Jeff informed us that Toyota is aware of the body bulge issue, and is handling the problem on a case-by-case basis. If you’re truck is experiencing body bulges, we highly recommend that you take it to your favorite Toyota dealer as soon as possible.

If you're going to be wheeling Colorado, stop by coloradofjs.com, or find us on fjcruiserforums.com and let us know. We're always ready to hit the trails! Colorado FJ's will be sponsoring 2 convoys to the FJ Summit. One will start from Denver, and the other from Colorado Springs. Visit fjcruiserforums.com for more information or if you'd like to convoy with us, meeting times and locations will be decided soon!

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When talking with other FJ Enthusiasts, one name comes up almost religiously, Jeff T. (CO-Jeff).  His rig is a head-turner, a built VooDoo Blue that has been featured in hundreds of threads, and was the February 2007 Cruiser of the month on FJCruiserforums.com. 

Jeff’s FJ is built to withstand everything he can throw at it. One of the most unique features of this rig is the sound insulation. Jeff used Dynamat to seal and quiet down his entire FJ. He then upgraded all the speakers & the subwoofer, added an amp, and a Pioneer AVIC Z1 to drive this great system.

For front & rear protection, Jeff chose Fab Fours bumpers. While these are not the least expensive options, they provide the function and toughness to handle anything. The front bumper has a very open top for easy access to the winch, 2 welded recovery points, and provides one of the best approach angles of any aftermarket bumper. Jeff added the Warn 9000 winch with synthetic line and a Roktek fairlead for getting out of sticky situations. The coolest feature of the rear bumper is the swing away tire carrier. It can accommodate up to a 40” tire, and swings well out of the way so you can still open the rear door when needed. 

Jeff lifted his truck 3” using a combination of components. He uses DR Coil Overs in the front and DR Rear shocks with custom rear springs in the rear. He added the Total Chaos Upper Control arms for additional strength, and his rear control arms were done by Sonoran Steel. Underneath, is a full set of custom armor from All Phase Off Road, including the All Phase Differential Skid. Up top, Jeff chose the very popular Gobi Ranger with PIAA lights and added Yakima mounts for skis. His tires are the beefy MTZ 33/17/12.5, mounted on the stock steel wheels.

There is no doubt that Jeff’s VooDoo FJ is a go anywhere, do anything truck. You’ll definitely know this FJ when you see it coming, so don’t forget to wave.

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Racing legend Rod Millen has said “Preparation is key, the event is just a formality.” This holds true for a race, a job, or a long distance trip. Another great anonymous quote is “There are no big problems in life, just small ones that didn’t get dealt with”. I am quickly learning the difference between a week-long, free spirited, camping trip and an expedition that is time-line dependent, goal oriented, and multi-vehicle. Jump in the passenger seat and come along for the ride!

It's hard to know where you're going and what you should be doing along the way without a “why”. When it comes to a weekend trip you might just want to get out of town for a bit. However, when it comes to a longer expedition style trip there is usually a goal in mind. That goal is your “why”. It could be to transverse Death Valley, visit Copper Canyon in Mexico, or even retrace the Baja 1000 route. No matter what the goal, it influences time-line, fuel needs, food choices, water supply and more. The goal will direct your planning and without a clear goal there isn’t a clear plan.

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