A heartwarming newby intro

[151fab]

So I've been lurking here for a few months and now, with the keys to my first Land Cruiser in hand, I thought I’d introduce myself. My name is Todd and I own a FJ60.

I started out on this journey looking for a Land Rover Disco 1 or 2. (My wife and I have a 9 month old and another due in 3 months and the Bronco is getting cramped) But, after spending months reading muddy oval (Landy website) I couldn't get over how horribly unreliable the vehicles are unless you have the service records going all the way back to birth that show constant dealer attention. I still love the looks of the Disco and we all know how capable all Landys are off-road but I couldn't get past the reliability issues. Then one day I was reading a post about a trip a few of the disco guys had gone on and one of them said: to get home just follow the oil trail left behind from their Landys, another guy said something about the Land Cruisers (negative comment) and then the other guy said don't be too hard on them because we might need them to make a parts run while on the trail. That sold me! If the Discos have the upper hand off-road (according to a Landy website), the Toyota's have the upper hand in reliability (admitted by all on a Landy website).

Following a reference to this site from the Landy one, I started looking for a FJ80. A funny thing happened next... I found the 60s. I'd seen them on the road and always thought that they where a cool car but new little else about them. I liked the pigs too but they were too old and too much work to take on at this time in my life. But the FJ60s and the FJ62s were perfect, new enough to have good defrosters, heaters, and A.C. but old enough to have a carburetor and solid axles.

Ah the FJ62, with a transmission my wife will appreciate and the off-road features I wanted, plus auto windows and a fancier dash. BUT, they seemed over priced (I was searching for a project that would run within a week or so and I HATE rust), and I just couldn't completely come to terms with the square headlights. Oh, whom was I kidding anyways, the wife would never drive this thing and I could find 60s, in comparable condition, for half the price.

THE SEARCH WAS ON!


And there it was, a tan 60 runner… With a blown transfer case. San Francisco was 800 miles away and “there is no way you can travel that far to check out a Junker”, visions of my wife’s words were dancing through my head. Next step; introduce myself to the owner and introduce the concept of a Land Cruiser to my wife. Surprisingly both intros went well. The wife thought that FJ60s were pretty cool looking, especially when I showed her a few “cleaned-up” versions from Ih8mud. The owner answered all my questions with what I wanted to hear: passed smog last year, A.C. works great, absolutely no rust, clear title… He sent some more pictures and I was hooked. I asked a few more questions but the answers didn’t matter much. What happened to the t-case, I asked. Well, the wife was driving it and it started to make a whirring sound so she pulled over and called the tow truck, the mechanic said the t-case was totaled, so it’s for sale; he said. Great, will you move on the price? No, darn, game over! The next day he called and said he rethought the price and was willing to come down a little. SOLD!

…Paypal, transport company, friend schooling me on geography (turns out San Fran. is only 450 miles from me, who knew), Loomis arrives. I named it Loomis after the town it came from: Loomis, CA. Loomis got a new battery and after ten minutes of the lifters ticking (he was sleeping for two months while his previous owners tried to sell him), he purred like a kitten. Did some more reading and downloaded all the Toyota manuals and less than a week after he showed up at my door his t-case is out and the rebuild kit should be here tomorrow. He’ll be on the road by the end of the weekend. I paid $1100 for it, the interior is mint except for the driver seat (the usual tear at the edge by the door), the AC blows cold, the tires are new, the only rust on the entire car is the surface rust on the leaf-springs (seriously!), and soon he’ll be hitting the trails.

I mention the price only because I found it on cruizers.com. Sitting there for two months at $1250. This was not a “under the tarp, hidden in the recently deceased neighbors garage” deal. And as many of you know, when dealing with old cars, if the A.C. blows and she passes smog, she’s mint.

Nobody wanted Loomis but me… Cut to the movie scene where the lost dog runs down the dusty road and leaps into the joyous little boys arms. Home again, Loomis, home again.

[151fab]

Oh ya, picture:

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by 151fab

... (My wife and I have a 9 month old and another due in 3 months and the Bronco is getting cramped) .

Nice story about the rig, and it looks like a nice rig at that. I am more worried about you having 2 kids in the house under the age of 1!!! I wish you luck finding time to work on a rig with kids that young. Not trying to be a downer, but that can be life sometimes.

God speed!

and welcome

[vipergrhd]

hello todd,first of all welcome to a great cruiser site (mud) and i would like to say a big AMEN to your story.i was in a similar situation a few years back when my kids was a bit younger,i knew that rovers were a great off-road rig but i am a toyota loyalist.it took me 2.5 years to find the cruiser that i like (no rust) and my wife nearly filed for divorce when i took her home,she said she wouldn't even pay 500 bucks for the darn thing.i convinced her that i don't have a habit (smoking ,drinking gambling etc.)and this is my way of letting of steam when i had enough of the daily grind.i love driving this thing on the road some ppl think it's cool,i'm currently keeping up w/ all the needed tlc at this time and hoping to take her off-road this summer.pardon the hi-jack,SEARCH is your friend in this site and don't hesitate to ask if needed,i have learned a lot from the guys and gal here.






john

[Nemesis Gnat]

reminds me the way we got my cruiser...

my brother and i were born in rapid succession (13 months!), and my moms old mg convertable wasnt cutting it... so she did some research, and found our 85 fj60 a couple years used and mint!

now its my car (im 20 now) and showing some signs of wear, but she passed the love for sweet rides on to me... shes always had awesome taste in cars (she now drives a dodge 2500, can you say cummins?)

its a lil late and thats why i rambled a bit, but take good care of it and dont be afraid to get a lil lost on backroads with the kids (apparantly the back seat on these aimless drives was my favorite place in the world to nap)... trust me, theyll remember it forever, and maybe one of them will catch the bug and have their own adventures in it like i do

but back from memory land... looks clean, and this site is amazing in terms of the wealth of knowledge and the willingness to help

right on

[Young Pete]

sweet color!

[RredFJ40]

Good rig. A little work and you may find that a comprably equipped disco won't have a chance off-road

[samba]

congrats! nice find. we need more 60's in the orange county area. way to many disco's already.

[Nemesis Gnat]

haha i shouldnt be on forums late at night... i get a lil sappy

but sweet find dude!

[worshhim]

Nice rig! I love to hear about stories like that. My wife and I have our 62 and my son, 18mo. just learned to say 'Land Crusier'....this might be one of my proudest moments. We also have another baby on the way. Welcome to the addiction! (kids and cruisers).

[overhanger]

Originally Posted by worshhim

Nice rig! I love to hear about stories like that. My wife and I have our 62 and my son, 18mo. just learned to say 'Land Crusier'....this might be one of my proudest moments. We also have another baby on the way. Welcome to the addiction! (kids and cruisers).

Hope he learns how to spell Cruiser real soon!

[GAS-A-LOT!]

I wanna cry...... wait... you hear that? those damn violins in the backround again!

I have to say that I wish I would have had a find like yours.. but none the less my 60 was/is in running condition.... so I don't mind paying more than you... oh well...


Hope you don't have the same struggles I've got. I want to keep her stock. She looks real sexy running down the hwy at 55mph.... but I also want to upgrade thus reducing her stocky beauty...

Decisions, decisions....Augh!

[Spike Strip]

Very nice find. Good luck with it!

You're near the Orange Circle?

[mel lowe]

Nice looking rig!


Are you rebuilding the case?

Did you pull the tranny also?

[Heartworm]

The price you paid was good! Get the TC fixed and then start the addiction. Everyone pays to ride..most do it through a car payment or lease. You will find that you will be spending money on the thing, but it will be far more economical than some new mall cruiser. The downside will be the time and effort that will be involved. For those of us who love these rigs, that is not a problem. Concerning the driver's seat, I would thoroughly recommend the replacement seat bottom sole by Spector Off Road. They are a lot of $ but you will love it. Put the new foam it, re-install your torn seat upholstry, and then get a seat cover over that. I did Wet Okoles which have worked out well...expensive but nice. Kid puke will just wash off. While you are messing with the TC, consider making the free alteration to the shifter gate so that you can go to 2WD low (do search). This is a no-cost mod that allows you to back a trailer with great diliberation or pull out of an icy spot or other inconvenient situation.

[1967 TLC]

Welcome !! Great to hear there's another 60 in Orange County!

Check this link to the Orange County Land Cruiser Club. Southern California Toyota Land Cruiser Club We meet once a month and try to go off-road as often as possible.

Can't wait to see your Cruiser!

[151fab]

I'll definitely do the 2wd low conversion while I have the TC out. I'm also going to do the 4runner brake upgrade. I figure I'll get all the free-bes out of the way first then settle into the SOA and lockers. I've got the T-case apart and it looks like the output shaft might need to be replaced. It isn't too small yet but it's definitly galled up. I was suprized to see that the rebuild kit doesn't come with the bushings that go in the two gears that ride on the output shaft. I'll need those too. Anyone have a output shaft they don't need?

[Spike Strip]

Originally Posted by 151fab

I'll definitely do the 2wd low conversion while I have the TC out. I'm also going to do the 4runner brake upgrade. I figure I'll get all the free-bes out of the way first then settle into the SOA and lockers. I've got the T-case apart and it looks like the output shaft might need to be replaced. It isn't too small yet but it's definitly galled up. I was suprized to see that the rebuild kit doesn't come with the bushings that go in the two gears that ride on the output shaft. I'll need those too. Anyone have a output shaft they don't need?

I have one, but it's a little galled, too... You're welcome to it if you want it.... BUT,

You're better off replacing with:

Longfield Super Axles

(halfway down page)

I paid $175 for a Japanese aftermarket 'cuz I didn't know about the Bobby Long item.

[151fab]

That one looks like it's been welded and re-machined. You can see the three beads of weld and the shrink created by the weld. I figure that "worst case scenario" I could just grind down the shaft and order a bushing with a few thousands smaller I.D. I'll check out the Longfields right now, thanks. To tell you the truth I was hoping the MAF low gears would come with a shaft; that way I could just tell the wife it was a necessary repair.

[151fab]

The Longfield one doesn't look like the shaft I need. However, the picture you posted does look like the one I need.

[Snailtrail]

love the colour, any idea what the paint code is?

Feel free to add some more pic's

[TLCAddict]

hey 151,

great story...=)
I'll share mine as well. I'm jonathan from monrovia, ca [15 mins east of pasadena].

I've been in love w/ cruisers for a looong time, so when it was time to go cruiser-hunting, I almost bought a FJ55, w/o the engine or transfer case. well, with some of you 'cruiser families', we all know working on a project like this could take yrs, and I don't have time..=/ so, we narrowed our choices to either a 60s or 80s series.

n after two yrs of pain-staking searches for a good bone-stock cruiser, we found an 88 FJ62 in the s.f. valley [sherman oaks to be exact] from a guy who bought the cruiser from jay, the svc mgr at TLC [cruiser heads in van nuys who built the ICON]. 200,00 miles. little rust under the tailgate light, but body is perfect! interior is immaculate.

funny and scary... how slowly addicting it is every night going on the MUD forum. I have the time to read up on the MUD forum, sign up on threads, spend countless hrs every evening till 2am reading up on various MUD topics. my lady doesn't complain how late I stay up, cuz I'm on this site enriching myself [as I call it] about our newest addition, instead of wasting my time on facebook or myspace...

we've had the cruiser for about a month now, n with three kids, I've only had time to work on the cosmetic stuff, like engine cleaning, replacement of bulbs, fluid chk n replacement. I'll be sending it to TLC for a total tune-up [I'm not good w/ diagnosing or engine work] and an OME heavy/heavy 2.5" lift-kit [pics to follow]

I have to give props to my lady cuz she's sooo totally cool w/ me modifying the cruiser, cuz my addiction could be worst [don't gamble, smoke or do drugs] - I have the green light to work n spend on it as much as I want!! -of course, after all the bills are paid- so as long as I make it a sweet n unique ride. she's very well impressed w/ the MUD forum, n she's confident that I'll be getting good advice from ya'll. she's becoming a cruiserhead too! here are some pics our cruiser [no name yet]. I look forward to sharing stories n pickin up great advice!

cheers!
jonathan

[FJ40Jim]

Originally Posted by Spike Strip

You're better off replacing with:
Longfield Super Axles
(halfway down page)

The Long piece is for Minitruck case, not Cruiser.

[Spike Strip]

Originally Posted by FJ40Jim

The Long piece is for Minitruck case, not Cruiser.

I thought he makes one for the LC split case, too.

(No, not the one on his webpage pic)

[Trapper50cal]

Good to see another Tan One.

Team Tan has another soldier!
Now it just needs to be a "Black and Tan" (beer pun intended)


By trapper50cal, shot with EX-Z60 at 2008-04-08

Welcome to the best Clubhouse on the Planet!