Brooke Spencer/ Ron Adams: 2009 Custom FJ40 Buggy

Buggy class:No Small Potatoes
Toyota-themed vehicles don’t often get picked for Top Truck, but Brooke Spencer’s FJ40-bodied buggy is the exception to the rule. With big power, mad-low gearing, and max suspension travel all baked into the mechanical mix, this Idaho-based buggy, piloted by Ron Adams and co-driven by Ben Spinney, aims to be the first-ever Toyota-inspired competitor to take top honors at TTC.

The Details

Owner, driver name/city: Brooke Spencer, Ron Adams/Sagle, ID
Occupation: Self-employed
Vehicle model: 2009 custom Toyota FJ40 buggy
Estimated value: N/A
Engine/aspiration: Propane-injected 440ci Mopar V-8, balanced and blueprinted; Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, dual 2½-in exhaust
Transmission: K-Case TH350 w/six-pinion planetaries
Transfer case: 32-spline NP205/Klune-V 2.7
Suspension (f/r): Double-triangulated four-link, 18-in 2.5 RaceRunner coilovers/double-triangulated four-link, 18-in 2.5 RaceRunner coilovers
Axles (f/r): 2½-ton Rockwell/2½-ton Rockwell
Axle ratio: 6.72:1
Wheels: 20x12-in steel Stazworks double beadlock
Tires: 54x19.50-20 Mickey Thompson Baja Claw TTC

Brooke Spencer/ Ron Adams, Team #12

Most looking forward to:“The Mini Rubicon. I really like rocks.”
Not looking forward to:“Mud Pit. Not looking forward to cleaning!”
Playing on his iPod/CD player:“Black Label Society.”

Inside the FJ, Corbeau buckets keep driver and co-driver comfortable while a Grant wheel turns the Claws. A host of Auto Meter gauges keep an eye on pressures and temps; a 12voltguy panel houses the winch switch; and a Hurst quarter-stick shifter engages the mega-built TH350 sporting six-pinion planetaries, machined pistons, extra clutches and “two big coolers.”
Inside the FJ, Corbeau buckets keep driver and co-driver comfortable while a Grant wheel t
Out back, a 2½-ton Rockwell (front) axle gets the full hydro-steer treatment, receives its power from a 32-spline NP205/Klune-V combo, and is located by the same four-link/18-inch-travel coilover arrangement as in the front. Like the front, it too is stuffed with 6.72:1s and 300M shafts. A custom pinion brake aids with stoppage, and a smart-looking skid protects the rear sway bar.
Out back, a 2½-ton Rockwell (front) axle gets the full hydro-steer treatment, receives its
Mo’ power from Mopar: 440 beautiful propane-fed cubes of it, to be precise. The block was balanced and blueprinted, and houses milled and polished 426 (real Hemi) heads, which, along with the Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and dual 2½-inch exhaust, help the V-8 crank out an estimated 400 horsepower at 5,000 rpm. An Optima YellowTop cranks it to life, and an MSD Pro-Billet distributor and Blaster coil regulate the juice.
Mo’ power from Mopar: 440 beautiful propane-fed cubes of it, to be precise. The block was