The Phantom Of City Sadar Road

4X4 and Off-Road Vehicles

General 4X4 Discussion

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fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 05:40:40 +0500 #921

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 05:42:40 +0500 #922

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 05:46:01 +0500 #923

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 07:09:06 +0500 #924

When we were finalising the design for the winch and the bumper, the cardinal point that I had in mind, was for something brutally simple, something highly efficient, and something unobtrusive and laidback.

The very nature of this vehicle makes one want to go overboard...with ornate bumper and sideskirt setups, bullbars, nudgebars, and roof-bars. The tendency to go overboard with the bumper was very elegantly handled by Jamil Ustaad. As you can see, the bumper is VERY minimalistic. In effect, it's just a plain iron girder which is tapered towards the outer ends. The winch fitting is absolutely lovely. Perfectly hidden, and with a minimum of fuss, at the front end of the vehicle.

I'm lovin' it!

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 07:27:39 +0500 #925

The roll cage is another piece of art.

A tri-bar setup; it conveniently balances the weight distribution of the vehicle in case of a roll-over, and manages to provide some much-needed structural rigidity to the insides.

We've constructed this out of 2 inch dia, sawa sootar gauge pipe. Once fitted, it should appear fairly unobtrusive, yet function well, Insha Allah.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 07:38:13 +0500 #926

We had also put in a great deal of discussion about the sidebar / sidestep.

Jamil Ustaad was of the view that a 2 inch dia pipe would be sufficient, and my personal belief was that 2 inches would be far too "skinny" for the Phantom's overall size. At my insistence, thus, we opted for a 4.25 inch dia, sootar gauge pipe, to act as the sidestep, and the rock slider.

I must say, the impact is completely proportional to the dimensions of the Phantom. Another thing we've decided on...NO ADDITIONAL STEP OTHER THAN THE SIDEBAR. Jiss Bhai ne iss mein charhna hai...apni taangon aur baazoo'on ke zor pe charh jaaye!

Usman (vague_one) was with me on this visit to City Sadar Road (having come here from Lahore). His logic was completely in line with a design philosophy I'd spoken of earlier..."we don't want people to get too comfortable, Fouad Bhai"!

Truer words have never been spoken!

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 07:48:01 +0500 #927

Yet another aspect demanding some attention were the wheel flares / trim.

Now, all of us off-roaders know, that we spend huge amounts of money buying oversized tyres, just to increase / make the stance of our rigs look broader. A cardinal rule which we're all aware of, is "tyre gaadi ki body se thora baahar hona chahiye".

Now, when you have a beast whose tyres are as wide as this one, you ALSO have to make sure that there is some sort of protection, to ensure that all the muck being kicked up, doesn't find its way onto the body, when you're off-roading. The answer to this, is wheel flares. The Phantom's custom trim, is just right, I think. It gives some coverage to the tread, but stops teasingly short of covering all of it. A perfect combination of form and function.

Well done, Jamil Bhai!

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 08:00:05 +0500 #928

Another thing which I realised (thanks to some input from Usman) was that in a vehicle this tall, the UNDERCARRIAGE of the vehicle HAS to appear as pretty as the upper portion. The reason for this is, that standing at normal height, you get to have a clear look at the Phantom's guts and entrails (which you normally don't notice in less-tall SUVs).

Thus, the paint job for the Phantom is going to HAVE to incorporate some underbelly aesthetics, too.

An interesting suggestion by Usman: "Fouad Bhai, is ke haandey ko zaroor chrome karwaana". Great idea. Some snazzy, yet functional options for the underbelly are definitely on the cards.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 08:06:53 +0500 #929

Whew!

That's all for today!

dms664 2012-05-26 08:28:57 +0500 #930

Jiss Bhai ne iss mein charhna hai...apni taangon aur baazoo'on ke zor pe charh jaaye!

lol so only physically fit people can take a ride in the beast.

good show sir

qwertypoiu (qwertypoiu) 2012-05-26 09:43:12 +0500 #931

i dont like the idea of a hollow side bar. even a little bit of a scrape will put a big ding on it

further more few ideas for skid plates

about the bull bar design it is perfect but i feel it will limit the approach angle of the phantom.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 10:05:17 +0500 #932

A solid, cast-iron sidebar then? For what it's worth, I believe it's going to take the combination of a VERY steep incline and a VERY large obstacle to "belly" this vehicle. The thing about pipes is...if the damage is inevitable (which it usually IS), then replacement / repair is easy.

further more few ideas for skid plates

about the bull bar design it is perfect but i feel it will limit the approach angle of the phantom.

Thanks for the ideas!

hidalgo (hidalgo) 2012-05-26 10:56:58 +0500 #933

like my dad and mother say koi tumhen bikes ke sath busy daikh kar kon kahay ga hamara beta parha likha hay
but panga is good
one should not let the thrill of experimentation to die
good luck

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-26 14:38:58 +0500 #934

Dost...issi "thrill of experimentation" ke tau dassey huey hain!

vague_one (vague_one) 2012-05-27 03:48:30 +0500 #935

Had a chance to meet Mr.FJ40 himself.......

Was a pleasure indeed....since I`m on a fam tour....wont be posting too much at the moment....will be back in Lahore tonight and will do the comp write up......along with pics.....till then! Enjoy!!!

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-27 04:12:13 +0500 #936

Thanks for the post, Usman. And the pleasure was entirely mine, brother!

Hot tee-shirt in that picture...

Ranger_ofthe_North (Ranger_ofthe_North) 2012-05-27 05:25:28 +0500 #937

And one hell of a thread.....
Keep it up Fauad Hafeez saheb....
I have recently joined the TLC40 Community, by buying an old beat up BJ40. Hope to benefit from your elaborate details of 'How-To's'.
Best Wishes for the final Cosmetics.... May I take the opportunity to suggest something.. In one of the pics, the fender flares (left, rear) may appear as if the outer lower skirt is a bit longer and lower than where the body stops,.. it could all be the angle of the shot or because I have not seen the marvelous piece itself, but just may be... If you see it and consider re-adjustment, it is cheaper now, before the final paint.
All in all, a great project. Hope to see it some day.

fouadhafeez (fouadhafeez) 2012-05-27 08:32:55 +0500 #938

Many thanks for the kind words of appreciation and good wishes, Boss...and a very warm welcome to the FJ40s Fan Club!

If this thread manages to provide an amrit dhaara of sorts, for people who're planning to restore FJ40s...I think it's well worth the effort that everyone has put into it. Certainly, I can't take any credit for it, solely.

Best Wishes for the final Cosmetics.... May I take the opportunity to suggest something.. In one of the pics, the fender flares (left, rear) may appear as if the outer lower skirt is a bit longer and lower than where the body stops,.. it could all be the angle of the shot or because I have not seen the marvelous piece itself, but just may be... If you see it and consider re-adjustment, it is cheaper now, before the final paint.
All in all, a great project. Hope to see it some day.
Well spotted, Dr Sahib. Indeed, the flares and the mudguards ARE slightly out of sync with the sidebar. That correction has already been noted, and will be implemented, so that the mudguard, the sidebar/step, and the wheel flare will seem to merge into oneness. The rear of the sidebar will be truncated slightly (with a slight qalam cut) and the front will be lengthened slightly (with a qalam cut of its own). Again, where the body extends inwards beyond the flares, we will be slicing away the excess, so as to provide greater space for the wheels inside the wheel-wells. That should do the job nicely, Insha Allah.

Thanks for the post, brother!

vague_one (vague_one) 2012-05-27 13:31:46 +0500 #939

Sir, JazakAllah for the hospitality an the lift as well! Indeed so hot that the kids get it taken off!

Every angle counts big guy!!

Indeed...you want comfy.....go get in a sedan!!!

vague_one (vague_one) 2012-05-28 02:40:59 +0500 #940

This is one of those moments in life where everything clicked in soo fast......I Pmed Fouad Bhai, exchanged digits......got talking, an out of the blue the family wants an outing.....an so I ended up seeing the "PHANTOM!" The owner turned out to be a gem of a guy, kind enough to grab me from home an haul me till the site....an this is the first shot that caught my eye

an I was left awe struck at the sheer size! Now this week the front end had been tinkered with...an heres the bumper on an the winch in!

Gotten some character......met with all the people involved in the process....Nikku Ustad an the gang! Talented Indiviuals! But then what would you expect from a crew working on a project of this scale! Lemme point out at this time, the whole market where the Phantom is being done is filled with jeeps, but this rig....just steals all the glamour on that road....every passerby stops to admire it, and does his own lil routine! Couple that I heard....."yeh pani mai teray ga !"......."ena wada taair?" Anyway, had a few discussions over the stairs an the undercarrige.....heres a mock of the stairs that were planned

but they got scraped...... tough luck people......we want a show from whoever gets their lucky self in there!.... Some randoms that I have lying about

an I saved the best for last..........while we were all admiring the rig....Fouad bhai very stealthily disappeared........I for one started looking around desperately......afterall he was my ticket home......an it was then that I heard a human voice going " grrrrrrrrr, GRRRRRRR, VAROOOOM! VAROOOOM!!, grrrrrrrr!!" an not wantin to loose the moment, I snapped this pic.....I think no further explanation is needed on what was going on..........

Sanu wi lay chal naal way, bau soni gaddi walaya!!!

JazakAllah Fouad bhai for the hospitality...it was a blast being there an gettin to know the Phantom ! Will InshAllah be waiting for you to get the Impala to us in Lahore.....an eventually the phantom as well! Till we meet...Keep smilling bro !