Dozer18
SILVER Star
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for stopping by! I tend to talk a lot, so give me a few minutes and allow me to introduce myself, my brother, and the Grey Ghost. I'm a career Navy guy approaching the end of said career; for the last 18 years I've mostly been known as Dozer. I acquired the Grey Ghost, an '88 FJ62 w/auto, from the second owner in San Diego back in 2006. The second owner, a kid who couldn't afford the care and feeding of an old '62, had owned it less than a year; I was a slightly older kid myself with a CJ7 and some extra Navy scratch who had always wanted an FJ6X. Though it had been rode hard in SoCal, it hadn't been put up wet, and it served as an admirable DD for the next 7 years, getting me through the birth of a daughter and a few tougher years. In June 2012, with an overseas move looming, my 5yo daughter and I, with heavy hearts and no A/C (it had been busted since I bought it), drove it from DC to my Dad's shop in Georgia, where it has mostly sat until now. This is where my brother comes in...
@Dsellers (Dakota), my less-better-looking-but-infinitely-better-wrench-turning younger brother
, is ready to help transform the Grey Ghost into the TLC we dream about. I'm still overseas but preparing to return this summer, and he wants to take on the Vortec Swap - something that used to seem impossible but has become quite attainable thanks to this forum! Kota has been learning the ropes in the family shop for the last few years and has become an impressive wrencher. He particularly enjoys custom 4WD work and is making a name for himself in our SE Georgia hometown doing just that. This project will be a learning experience for us both, but we hope to leverage the vast knowledge and experience on this forum to successfully do the job in a reasonable amount of time. Kota will be doing most of the wrench-turning while I supervise and provide support (and money) from 9,000 miles away - the proverbial 9,000-mile screwdriver (wrench?).
Before getting started, a huge shout-out to those that came before us - and those that have recently done this - that inspired us and made us believe that we, too, could do this: @iaintscared1969, @MANUCHAO, @theron, @torfab, @NCFJ, @rover67, @dbleon, @FJ60Cam, and so many others. Currently following along with @fjeng and @35inchoverdrive and others as we get started. There's no question that this would be impossible for us without this forum.
Last thing: Kota and I have scoured these swap threads and taken pages and pages of notes. However, it gets confusing sometimes parsing between FJ60 and FJ62 specifics, and it gets difficult to keep up with who put what year-model 5.3 into which 60 or 62. There are so many differences once you get into all the variations and specifics. That's to say nothing of the things that are subject to personal opinion when there are many ways to accomplish a task. So, when we ask a question, seek input, or request information or recommendations, it's NOT because we haven't done our homework. Rather, we've probably done too much homework and have confused ourselves. Most likely, we've just seen so many ways to skin a cat that we're trying to solve a particular problem related to our particular truck and new drivetrain. That said, please be patient and don't immediately refer us to the "Search Feature."
So, please sit back, pop some corn
, put on some Lil Wayne or George Straight or whatever puts you in your zone and enjoy the show. We very much welcome advice, solicited and unsolicited, and very much want to give back in real time and in the future so please ask questions (or call us out) as we go. My next post will discuss where we are and where we're going....
Thanks for stopping by! I tend to talk a lot, so give me a few minutes and allow me to introduce myself, my brother, and the Grey Ghost. I'm a career Navy guy approaching the end of said career; for the last 18 years I've mostly been known as Dozer. I acquired the Grey Ghost, an '88 FJ62 w/auto, from the second owner in San Diego back in 2006. The second owner, a kid who couldn't afford the care and feeding of an old '62, had owned it less than a year; I was a slightly older kid myself with a CJ7 and some extra Navy scratch who had always wanted an FJ6X. Though it had been rode hard in SoCal, it hadn't been put up wet, and it served as an admirable DD for the next 7 years, getting me through the birth of a daughter and a few tougher years. In June 2012, with an overseas move looming, my 5yo daughter and I, with heavy hearts and no A/C (it had been busted since I bought it), drove it from DC to my Dad's shop in Georgia, where it has mostly sat until now. This is where my brother comes in...
@Dsellers (Dakota), my less-better-looking-but-infinitely-better-wrench-turning younger brother
, is ready to help transform the Grey Ghost into the TLC we dream about. I'm still overseas but preparing to return this summer, and he wants to take on the Vortec Swap - something that used to seem impossible but has become quite attainable thanks to this forum! Kota has been learning the ropes in the family shop for the last few years and has become an impressive wrencher. He particularly enjoys custom 4WD work and is making a name for himself in our SE Georgia hometown doing just that. This project will be a learning experience for us both, but we hope to leverage the vast knowledge and experience on this forum to successfully do the job in a reasonable amount of time. Kota will be doing most of the wrench-turning while I supervise and provide support (and money) from 9,000 miles away - the proverbial 9,000-mile screwdriver (wrench?).Before getting started, a huge shout-out to those that came before us - and those that have recently done this - that inspired us and made us believe that we, too, could do this: @iaintscared1969, @MANUCHAO, @theron, @torfab, @NCFJ, @rover67, @dbleon, @FJ60Cam, and so many others. Currently following along with @fjeng and @35inchoverdrive and others as we get started. There's no question that this would be impossible for us without this forum.
Last thing: Kota and I have scoured these swap threads and taken pages and pages of notes. However, it gets confusing sometimes parsing between FJ60 and FJ62 specifics, and it gets difficult to keep up with who put what year-model 5.3 into which 60 or 62. There are so many differences once you get into all the variations and specifics. That's to say nothing of the things that are subject to personal opinion when there are many ways to accomplish a task. So, when we ask a question, seek input, or request information or recommendations, it's NOT because we haven't done our homework. Rather, we've probably done too much homework and have confused ourselves. Most likely, we've just seen so many ways to skin a cat that we're trying to solve a particular problem related to our particular truck and new drivetrain. That said, please be patient and don't immediately refer us to the "Search Feature."
So, please sit back, pop some corn
, put on some Lil Wayne or George Straight or whatever puts you in your zone and enjoy the show. We very much welcome advice, solicited and unsolicited, and very much want to give back in real time and in the future so please ask questions (or call us out) as we go. My next post will discuss where we are and where we're going....
So excited...
