ROTW - Mainlander - Ruby

mainlander · 10-07-07, 02:24 PM

Well, like some of you I've only been "cruisin' " for a short period of time. I would certainly love to say that my dad bought the truck back in the day and now it's mine, but I can't. But I can say that I'm going to do my best to pass down Ruby to my Son when he's ready for her.

OK, I've been a cruiser owner for only the past 6 1/2 years. It started out when my wife and I needed a new vehicle, the civic just wasn't going to last us much longer. I went to a friend who is a car dealer and also a Landcruiser owner and started to ask about them. Now me, I was ready to jump into Cruiserdom right away, but it sure took some convincing to get the wife there, "This thing is so loud, and bumpy" etc..... you've all heard it before. But after about a week or so, she realized that the cruiser would last us a long time and we would really get some great use out of it.

That was the first cruiser, a 1983 BJ60 we named 'Bruno'. Bruno was a great truck, lots of power (for a gutless wonder that its) and we quickly got to using it for camping trips, sleeping in, hauling what ever we needed here and there (for everyone else too). A couple of years later we had our first child and Bruno brought her home from the hospital. Bruno was our only vehicle and by now, my wife really liked him (although she never would admit it for a few more years). Yup we were having a great time with Bruno, till his cancer got to bad and we parked him under a tree so we could rob him of his former glory for the new rig if we ever needed.

A couple pics of Bruno

Now he may not have looked that bad, but the rear wheel wells were totally gone, and with a young child, we just didn't want to risk the fumes etc. (besides, I know next to nothing about body work and I didn't have the time to learn either). So parked he was and we went back to the same friend who we first bought Bruno from and started to ask about another cruiser. Well, the friend/car dealer had one in his garage which was "restored" about 6 years prior and had very little road time since than. Well we took a look at it and thought "that's it, we'll get this one" (see the wife really wanted another cruiser and it took no convincing). Little did we know, she was far from restored.

So we picked up 'Ruby' and we were happy (not my daughter though, she cried when we parked Bruno)

Here's what Ruby looked like when we got her.

Right away, I transfered the roof rack over to Ruby and took her out to see what she was like in the bush

Well, of course I took my daughter out with me and the first washboard road we got on I started to hear this clunking noise and though WHAT IS THAT!!!! see, I'm not much of a mechanic, I can change my oil and coolant but that's about it. I had no idea what was making this noise.

I took it back the next day to the guy I got it from and this is what we saw underneath.

Classic eh? Especially up here in BC where we get rain 300+ days of the year (just kidding, it's more like 299

). So, he "fixed it" with a new piece of angle iron and that was it. A welder friend of mine and I since have fixed the shock mount cross member much better.

Well, that was fine I guess. I still longed for a truck to really wheel in, not just some dirt roads but we just didn't have the $$$ for any mods.

Fast forward a few more years, another kid a new job, a second car and finally a 3rd kid on the way. Well, the car we were using more than Ruby but we knew that it couldn't fit 3 car seats in it so we started to realize that Ruby was going to be the family vehicle, the one that would take us everywhere.

So, new suspension was needed for this next kid right

and we got the OME parts from Steve at EBI Cruiser parts and slated in some time with another friend (he bought Bruno off us earlier this year and is working him over) and did the suspension. It took us a day and well what a world of difference.

Before

And after

She rides really nice now, and the new baby will be nice and safe with Ruby as it's (don't know what we're having) Chariot.

Now the list of mods that I want to do is considerably longer than the list that I have done but all in due time right.

The next mod on the list is a turbo (which I have) for the 3B, need some more pepper for the hills around here.

Than the frame is after that. It's pretty rusted and within the next couple years it'll have to be swapped out, maybe a trip down to South America is in order and have Cruiser Guy hook me up

mainlander · 10-07-07, 02:27 PM

Ok, enough yakking. Since I don't wheel it hard, mostly logging roads and the odd rough road to get into a pretty little lake for fishing, I don't have any extreme 4x4 pics but I will put up what I have as you're all picture hungry.

Thanks for reading, enjoy the pictures.

Exploring with my little "dora" (My daughter, see her in the front seat?)

Checking out a clear cut area,

Out on a fishing trim with my daughter

Sleeping in Ruby sure is fun, even during the day

And this is just to cute to not add. (And the boat I made and my daughter named it, Ruby II)

A couple more than I'm done.

Nothing to extreme, but she gets me where I need to go.

Thanks for looking

Dirtgypsy · 10-07-07, 03:24 PM

she is absolutley beautiful. I am a big fan of the red cruisers. very nice with the lift and the rack.

cliNt

CruisinFJ60 · 10-07-07, 05:26 PM

looks awesome. i wish i had a diesel cruiser with a rust free body.

lowtideride · 10-07-07, 05:30 PM

Nice classic look...

Enjoy the ride

samba · 10-07-07, 05:42 PM

clean rig. the 80 series wheels look good on her.

phono13 · 10-07-07, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Wow! A basketball hoop mounted to the roof rack. And I thought I was the only one with that mod.

I'm looking forward to some outings in the 62 with my little one. Congrats. Looks fun!

AKcruiserfreak · 10-07-07, 11:05 PM

Lookin good! I am also planning on giving my Cruiser to my daughter in... 10-15 years. After I have fun with it.

TK

brokenparts · 10-08-07, 02:31 PM

very nice lookin...

Landcruisin'60 · 10-08-07, 03:31 PM

I'm just curious why you didnt notice the rusted out shock tube when you took a good look at the frame. You did take a good look at the frame, right? Topside looks pretty good, wish I could have a rust free cruiser.

sk8salomon · 10-08-07, 07:00 PM

great looking truck! glad to see there are more people like me who use it more for a family wagon than a hard core wheeler. i'm in need for some DD shocks front & rear. any suggestions? what are you running for that soft family ride?

love the pic of your little 60 camper in the back of the truck. why does it sit up so high? air mattress?

mainlander · 10-08-07, 07:58 PM

Quote:

I'm just curious why you didnt notice the rusted out shock tube when you took a good look at the frame. You did take a good look at the frame, right? Topside looks pretty good, wish I could have a rust free cruiser.

Well....................I bought this truck before I knew anything about looking at the frames, I trusted the guy (is still a friend regardless of the rusty frame issue) and that was something he said was also 'restored', but I think his memory was failing in regards to the truck and all that was 'restored'. I know it's my own fault for having a rusty frame truck, honestly though, good luck finding any truck up north here with 330,000 km's on it that doesn't have a rusty original frame. See with the body work done and the 3B diesel able to last me another 300,000 km's what's the big deal with doing a frame swap down the road. Really though, it's my own stupidity for not checking the frame. I would have still gotten it, maybe just negotiated the price a little bit more.

Is there such a thing as a rust free cruiser that's 24 years old?

Quote:

great looking truck! glad to see there are more people like me who use it more for a family wagon than a hard core wheeler. i'm in need for some DD shocks front & rear. any suggestions? what are you running for that soft family ride?

I'm using the OME shock absorbers that are part of the package (I won't say kit because there isn't really a kit).

Quote:

love the pic of your little 60 camper in the back of the truck. why does it sit up so high? air mattress?

Thanks, we love sleeping in the back. I have a plywood bed I made, it sits on the folded down rear seat all the wat to the back of the truck. I put a double wide air matress on it. It's very very comfortable.

redcorn · 10-09-07, 03:29 AM

Nice ride and gredat to see your daughter out with you.
That's the stuff Cruiser girls are made from!

sk8salomon · 10-09-07, 08:47 PM

thanks, how would one get a hold of "Steve" from EBI cruiser parts?

mainlander · 10-09-07, 11:13 PM

Not that I don't want to keep revenue coming Steve's way but he gets his OME components from ARB in Seattle I'm pretty sure. I'm sure there are OME suppliers closer to you than British Columbia, Canada.

It might be a good idea to start a new thread and ask some of the other's what shock absorbers they use. I honestly believe it has more to due with the spring pack than it does with the shock absorbers.

It ain't no Cadillac mind you, but a nice smooth ride as far as a Landcruiser goes.

Creeker · 10-10-07, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samba

clean rig. the 80 series wheels look good on her.

I agree - looks v. nice. I was wondering what those wheels were.

chicago · 10-13-07, 03:35 PM

Nice Rig!
I get so jealous when I see clean 60's out there, and not in my driveway!
The lil "shortie" looks like she has a blast in it!
The "dad bonding" trips are priceless memories when you are older, and Im sure shell forever remember it!

I do of the ones with my dad!

Thanks for sharing!

Chicago

cruiser_guy · 10-13-07, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mainlander

Than the frame is after that. It's pretty rusted and within the next couple years it'll have to be swapped out, maybe a trip down to South America is in order and have Cruiser Guy hook me up

Don't wait too long, BJ60 specific frames are harder to find than HJ60 frames! Besides I need an other vehicle to go through the Copper Canyon (Barranca de Cobre) in Mexico next summer in case the river crossing is too deep.

btw, does Bruno still have his tranny?

mainlander · 10-14-07, 11:11 PM

Well Charles, Bruno still has his trany, xfer case and engine working strong for it's owner (who isn't me).

I sold Bruno to another cruiserhead and good friend of mine. Same guy who helped me with the suspension install and who will help me with the turbo.

I'll start talking with the wife regarding the frame. Maybe next summer would be possible. Hard to say though, we have our 3rd child on the way so we're going to be busy.

cruiser_guy · 10-15-07, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mainlander

Well Charles, Bruno still has his trany, xfer case and engine working strong for it's owner (who isn't me).

I sold Bruno to another cruiserhead and good friend of mine. Same guy who helped me with the suspension install and who will help me with the turbo.

I'll start talking with the wife regarding the frame. Maybe next summer would be possible. Hard to say though, we have our 3rd child on the way so we're going to be busy.

They do well with larger families in latin America. Belive it or not it's probably safer travelling with a family as well!

Just tell your wife that we'd stop at Mazatlan and probably Acapulco as well. That should pique her interest! You could hit Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo and all the other resorts on the Pacific side but the road from Tepic through to south of Acapulco is very curvy and slow.

You'll want to make a decision by say March or April at the latest so the frame can be sourced and prepped before your arrival.

jtreehorn · 10-16-07, 11:57 PM

Awesome rig! Looks like my 62, minus the round peepers and roof rack.