My '83 (non-US non-turbo diesel, 4 speed manual):
1. I've owned it since Nov. 07. It is a DD, road tripper, and mountain climber. It has 290,000 kms on unrebuilt anything. Bolivian roads are some of the worst in the world, both for rock, washboard and mud, so most of it's life has been spent at under 80 km/h (or about 40 mph). On mine, I know for sure that when I change the engine to the 13B-T, that I'll also be remounting the spring hangers like I did on the '76 Pig - they really clunk when I drive.
2. I'd check the wiper seals on the ball joints in the front axle - specifically that they are either in good shape or a good buildup of wet gunk (means the axle has oil in it regularly). Jack up the respective axles and rotate the tires. Listen for weird noises and clunks. With the tranny in neutral (no load on the axles and tires blocked against rolling), rotate and shake the drive shafts - looking for worn u-joints/worn bearings in the diff. If you have the energy, open the oil fills on the tranny and the transfer case to see if the oil is in good shape.
Rust? RUST? Rust is just an excuse to buy a torch and spend ridiculous amounts of time either chopping off body panels, or fixing them with patches. Proceed cautiously
3.Go with your gut. Unless you have a thing for automatics or installing 5-speeds, I'd stay away from the '62. Plus, it doesn't have round eyes.
4. I've heard so many crappy rebuild stories, that I would put less faith in someone else's "rebuilt motor" than an original that blew blue smoke and had no exhaust past the header. The only exception would be if you personally knew the mechanic who did the rebuild, in which case you are probably buying a famous '60 that someone on MUD had redone. I've only owned a total of 2 2F motors, but man, they really have to get bad to need help!
5. Show the wifey how other women REVILE you as you drive by in the '60
Doesn't also hurt to mention that SHE will be able to park wherever the heck she wants, including on top of the pesky Prius.
