Hello everyone!
My name is Mike, and I've just purchased my first FJ (and honestly, first off-road/expedition type of vehicle... I come from the car world) and I couldn't be more excited about it.
I figured I'd make a thread as a place to both share and document my progress and ownership.
Without further rambling: my '88 FJ62.
I can't say I'm very knowledgable when it comes to these trucks. I've learned a bit here and there, read through the FAQ, and have down my own googling to make sure I'm in a position to purchase one, but past that, there's a lot to learn about their intricacies.
I think I've purchased a relatively sound truck, although I'm still trying to assess if I over-paid for it. $3700 brought her home (Orange County, SoCal), and I've put in a few afternoons of work cleaning it out, fixing lots of little things, removing tint, and other simple tasks.
It has 270,000 miles on the odometer, which no longer works, so it's anyone's guess as to how many miles it really has. But overall, it's a good starting platform, at least for my first FJ. The body is straight, and the undercarriage is perfect. The truck has some pretty serious rust at the top of the windshield, but I haven't been able to find anywhere else (floor boards, body mounts, rockers, fenders, rain rails, etc) so despite that, I bought it. I do intend on cutting the rust out, but it'll be a very intense project that I'm going to push back for now.
The first change I've made is a new set of tires - the 245/75/16s that were on it were worn out and cupped, so I called my friends at Nitto for a set of Tera Grapplers. I went with 285/75s, which are bigger than I meant to order, but I think I'm happy in the end. If anything, it's an excuse to lift the truck slightly, and replace some worn suspension components while I'm in there.
The interior is probably the truck's worst part. While everything is there and works, it's both rough and dirty. The driver's seat is torn, but everything else is in decent condition - mostly dirty. Stains on all of the seats, and the headliner is surprisingly dirty as well. The carpet in the back is nearly black, but overtime I'll piece together some nicer bits; however, I don't want a truck that is too lean to use. The rear seat came with a camo seat covert that was removed in short order.
In all, I couldn't be happier with the truck and the purchase. I've had a lot of fun in the few days I've owned it, and I'm anxious to do a bit more maintenance and to start exploring.
Next on the list is to get rid of the awful wheels, and potentially a slight lift and overhaul of the suspension.
My name is Mike, and I've just purchased my first FJ (and honestly, first off-road/expedition type of vehicle... I come from the car world) and I couldn't be more excited about it.
I figured I'd make a thread as a place to both share and document my progress and ownership.
Without further rambling: my '88 FJ62.
I can't say I'm very knowledgable when it comes to these trucks. I've learned a bit here and there, read through the FAQ, and have down my own googling to make sure I'm in a position to purchase one, but past that, there's a lot to learn about their intricacies.
I think I've purchased a relatively sound truck, although I'm still trying to assess if I over-paid for it. $3700 brought her home (Orange County, SoCal), and I've put in a few afternoons of work cleaning it out, fixing lots of little things, removing tint, and other simple tasks.
It has 270,000 miles on the odometer, which no longer works, so it's anyone's guess as to how many miles it really has. But overall, it's a good starting platform, at least for my first FJ. The body is straight, and the undercarriage is perfect. The truck has some pretty serious rust at the top of the windshield, but I haven't been able to find anywhere else (floor boards, body mounts, rockers, fenders, rain rails, etc) so despite that, I bought it. I do intend on cutting the rust out, but it'll be a very intense project that I'm going to push back for now.
The first change I've made is a new set of tires - the 245/75/16s that were on it were worn out and cupped, so I called my friends at Nitto for a set of Tera Grapplers. I went with 285/75s, which are bigger than I meant to order, but I think I'm happy in the end. If anything, it's an excuse to lift the truck slightly, and replace some worn suspension components while I'm in there.
The interior is probably the truck's worst part. While everything is there and works, it's both rough and dirty. The driver's seat is torn, but everything else is in decent condition - mostly dirty. Stains on all of the seats, and the headliner is surprisingly dirty as well. The carpet in the back is nearly black, but overtime I'll piece together some nicer bits; however, I don't want a truck that is too lean to use. The rear seat came with a camo seat covert that was removed in short order.
In all, I couldn't be happier with the truck and the purchase. I've had a lot of fun in the few days I've owned it, and I'm anxious to do a bit more maintenance and to start exploring.
Next on the list is to get rid of the awful wheels, and potentially a slight lift and overhaul of the suspension.
Welcome! You've definitely come to the right place! We will steer you right.... And deep into debt 
She is in beautiful shape! Reminds me what mine SHOULD look like... Love that color.
