[VTCruiser]

Okay, I'm home...finally. So how about some tech?

The first incarnation of my Cruiser took place back in 2004. I was in the market for a college vehicle and bough an '86 HJ60 in Toronto with a blown engine for $1700.





The plan was to have the 2H rebuilt while I was away at school in the spring so it would be ready when I came home in the summer, but the initial $4000 estimate in January became $7000 by February and I simply didn’t have the cash. I took it back in pieces and put it into storage until spring. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out the next move.



Clearly, I couldn’t afford to pay someone else to do the work. I was going to be home for the summer but had a full-time internship so finding time to rebuild it myself was going to be difficult and unrealistic considering my experience rebuilding diesel engines. My only option was to swap in a used, running engine. I contacted G&S Cruiser Parts for some options, and luckily they had a complete 1HZ powertrain ready to ship for only a little more than I was planning to pay initially for the 2H rebuild.

The 1HZ arrived by July but my work schedule restricted me from making much progress until August. My window of opportunity was about two weeks at the end of the summer between the end of my internship and my departure back to South Carolina for fall classes. I cut it close but the cruiser was running and road-legal the day before it’s 1000-mile maiden voyage.









The trip was surprisingly uneventful. I was expecting the worst but it was made in good time and disaster free. I was finally back in a 60 after almost 10 years. It wasn't long before I put on some shackles, and 33" MTs. I decided that the body and frame were too far gone, but that was really just an excuse to wheel it.







to be continued...