My First Land Cruiser - BJ60 "Wabi Sabi" (4 Viewers)

[PapaGiamati]

Nice to see a BJ60 getting some love - that one looks to be pretty good. I'm deep into a BJ60 full restoration (changing the 3B for a 15B-T but otherwise keeping it pretty much stock) and it's interesting so see the engine shot from yours (though mine is single battery, right-hand drive). I bought mine from the first owner who bought it in early 1990.

If I were you, I would do the welding myself - start on the non-cosmetic stuff that you have revealed, then build up to the more skilled repairs you'll inevitable find. The roof gutters and rear wheel arches will almost certainly be rusty, a good chance that the bottom of the doors are too.

People flock to the HJ61s but in some ways I think the BJs were the ones to have - the 12H-T and 3F-E engines (HJ61 and FJ62) were both the last generation of those engine families. With the 3B, Toyota/Daihatsu were only getting started with the B engine. They are still being made as far more powerful direct injection, turbocharged engines which can drop pretty much straight in (no changes to engine mounts or transmission/driveline) in place of the 3B in case you want the extra power. Or just enjoy the slow, reliable 3B.

Yeah, the iH8mud forum has convinced me to do the work myself. I have found a buddy who lives here who is going to help me run 220V to the garage and install a subpanel. So all welding work will have to wait until after Xmas! But I will be doing it myself.

Yeah mine was owned by a gentleman who worked at a heavy duty diesel mechanic shop and he did all the work on this (greased all the nipples and areas religiously, replaced the fluids religiously, replaced the front knuckles and greased them, added the plumbing between transfercase and transmission "mod", re-greased/packed the bearings, replaced various items on the engine (he mentioned he has had the 3B out of the truck before, etc etc.)
I was very lucky to have found the truck through a friend of mine who knew the guy. He didn't even post an ad online, he was looking for the "right" buyer to pass this truck along to. I was luckily him...Apparently he had been looking to sell it for 3 years.

Yeah mine has 2 batteries (which are from 2015 and getting sad now).

There is no rust on any of the door sills, no rust on the roof gutters, no rust on the door panels, and anywhere else honestly. The rear 1/4 panels were replaced years (2000's era) ago by some company from Texas. So they are thicker gauge metal on the rear 1/4 panels. But they did a half decent job that seems to have held the test of time. I did a lot of research before checking out the truck and made sure that I was diligent in checking all the classic rust spots before laying down an offer. Im sure i will find more rust with the more projects i dig into however. No way its lasted nearly 40 years without some hidden rust.

Only rust I have found, is the rear wheel wells (inside and on the lip - as seen in pictures), and the rear C channels have that "rippling" going on, but its not horrible. She was kept in a garage most of her life.

 

[Gimme a 60]

As a BJ60 enthusiast, I will say this is better than 99% or BJ60s on road.


I NEVER EVER see these things driving around other than my Frankenstein BJ62.

 

[sschruff]

So I parked her in the garage for the first time and am getting ready for a season of tinkering.

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More to follow!

Absolutely love seeing a fellow 60 owner getting their rig home and immediately tearing it apart to make it their own. . .and of course, fixing known/unknown issues. Beautiful rig and good luck with the projects!

 

[PapaGiamati]

Got off work early and you know what that means. Immediately drive to pick up items so I can work on the LC

So after I got the steering damper done I was crawling around under the truck and noticed a LOT of grime under the truck. Here’s what I think:

Assuming that the oil pan gasket is shot at the front? (turns out, yes, yes it was...as were all the cork and old paper gaskets and the front main seal!)

Take a look at the pics and let me know what y’all think.

Sorry for the close shots, I don’t have the front of the truck on stands as I only own one pair.

Also I saw this ground wire (black with yellow stripe) sitting here disconnected. The truck ran fine without with? Assuming it’s from a starter some time ago???

 

[PapaGiamati]

Also here is an appreciation post of the custom mud flaps that the previous owner made. These are likely the #1 reason the truck has such minimal rust in the wheel arches.

When I bought it, he was very happy to tell me he made them and made sure that they didn’t touch the body so that it didn’t cause any extra ware on the body panels.

Bonus pic cause I realized that my snowboard that I used to use has a 60 series on it. It’s destiny that I bought one. Haha

 

[Eurasiaoverland]

The propeller shaft looks like oil is dropping onto it.. but they do leak grease (by design). Nothing to worry about.

The engine obviously has multiple oil leaks - very normal for B engines of this age. If you want to source the leaks, clean it down thoroughly and watch where the oil reappears from. Pushrod cover gaskets almost always leak, valve cover gaskets harden over time, but your front and rear main seals may also be leaking. If you want a clean, leak free engine you probably need to re-seal it.

That thick black cable with a yellow strip hanging near your starter is an important starter/engine/battery ground but the copper strands have broken from the terminal and it is doing nothing, so that needs replacing.

 

[alex cortopassi]

Congratulations on the purchase of the beautiful BJ60 landcruiser!
Here in Italy it is impossible to find one, they are all HJ60, so yours is a rarity
I will follow your entire restoration carefully, the color is also beautiful.
What you see in the photo is a BJ60 in Niger when I went to the dinosaur cemetery in Gadoufaoua in 1998.
The BJ was from the Touareg guide.

 

[PapaGiamati]

After that wonderful artic outflow where it reached nearly -40 near my place, I am able to work in my unheated garage again! It was a balmy 3 degrees today and felt like patio season!

I took on a small project currently as I still need to spec out the new electrical for the garage before getting into the welding part of it all.

So I attacked the soggy and "beat-to-sh*t" interior panels. I figured this would be an easy job. An so far so good.
I went to home depot and bought some hard board 1/8", 4'x4' to replace the busted up panels. My intent it so re-use the same vinyl and carpet to keep that "original" look. Will just steam clean the whole interior once its all buttoned back up.

You can see how smashed up the old ones were. Since the previous owner was a diesel mechanic, im assuming he used this rig for years as his parts truck. A lot of the rear interior was covered in some oil or fluids of some time. Assuming there was an engine or transmission or large heavy item transported in the back at some point that leaked fluids and smashed up the side panels/tail gate panel.

Proof of how saggy and broken the tail gate piece was.

 

[PapaGiamati]

was easy enough to remove the vinyl, staples and glue and foam. Only thing i didnt buy was 2mm thick foam sheets. So i will need to buy that this weekend before I stitch it all back up. Templating and cutting below:

Close enough!

Fit half well, need to sand down the edges more to get a perfect fit once i layer on the vinyl.

And finally, all the pieces done. Just need the foam then ill get it all back in and ready to install once the rust holes are fixed. Easy hour or so job to get this far.

 

[PapaGiamati]

Back Panels are all finished up.

Took a lot longer than I planned due to life getting in the way so less pictures this time around.

I had a friend come out and help me on the work on her birthday and she was stoked to be a part of the process! What a great B-Day present.

We each took a panel and worked long to make sure they fit perfectly and the plastic panel clips lined up with the holes on the body. I bought some 2mm foam sheets from an arts and crafts store to layer on behind the vinyl façade. Once the hard board was cut into the right shape and the foam was templated and cut, I then used a ludicrous amount of hot glue to stick the foam to the hard board backing. Once that was done, I stretched out the vinyl over the backing boards and glued the back side down to the back of the hard board with hot glue. I removed all the staples as well. It worked a lot better with a localized heater nearby to keep the vinyl soft and malleable.

Fit them back in the cargo area and I'm pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. Which is to say, they look almost underwhelming and back to stock which is perfect.
Not perfect, but functional. Wabi Sabi style (This concept is all about finding beauty in imperfection).

I ordered a swath of parts recently as the weather is getting better and the days longer.

To Do:

- Entire gasket kit for the diesel 3B engine. (need to fix all the oil leaks prior to the "Out-of-province" inspection to register the vehicle. A money grab IMO)
- 4x New NGK 7493 glow plugs
- 2x new V-Belts. (the old ones are cracked)
- new rear cargo area carpet. The old one is soaked in oil and god knows what and is haggard.
- 50 sqft of sound deadening for the floor and rear 1/4 panels.

Need to give the 60 another clean out as every time I start a project, I find more packed up Manitoba farm road dust in every single nook and cranny.

More to come!

 

[mcmlxxxv]

Very nice ! , wish mine was this clean

keep the good work

 

[Smithtec]

A turbo will help... It will still be slow, but at least you can keep up with traffic. I run 65-70 on the freeway with no issue.

 

[Gimme a 60]

A turbo will help... It will still be slow, but at least you can keep up with traffic. I run 65-70 on the freeway with no issue.

Meh, I have driven 7+ hours a day in a NA BJ60.

It’s not fast by any means, I have no problems. I think a low PSI turbo would blend nicely with the 3B.

 

[PapaGiamati]

Meh, I have driven 7+ hours a day in a NA BJ60.

It’s not fast by any means, I have no problems. I think a low PSI turbo would blend nicely with the 3B.

My buddy who drove it ~1,150 km in one sitting on the Trans-Canada highway (MB->AB) said he was averaging ~100km/h. 110km.h downhill and ~85km/hr uphill lol. I will be driving through the Rockies quite a bit, so maybe a turbo down the road. But I don't mind being in the slow lane for now.

 

[lacalvette]

You're not wrong, I have welded in the past and done a course during my mechanical engineering degree on MIG/TIG and stick welding.

I think I could make it happen. The issue lies with the garage. I have a cheap-o garage that only has a measly 15A breaker sending power to it. No sub panel either. I blew the fuse 2 times when I was running the heater and the angle grinder hahaha. So that's where I'm not sure I have the facilities to accomplish the job!

edit: loving the FJ40 Basket Case build. Now there's some sheet metal work!

I use a 110v MIG 140 welder for body repair which is fine.
Your truck looks good.

 

[PapaGiamati]

more prep for when the weather eases up this week and I'm able to work without freezing my fingers off. It was a "warm" 4 degrees C today.

Took the 60 out to wash off some of the grime in the engine bay before I start working there. Then worked on getting the body mounts off so i can raise the body off the frame when i need to do some welding on the floor pan. Didn't go exactly as planned, as was the flavor of the day.

Here is the finished rear area from the previous work, fixed a lot of the tailgate locking and closing issues, which was just finicky work with the latches.

I'm planning on only taking off the 3 through 6 frame mounts to be able to lift the body off the frame only a few centimeters to be able to cut and weld the floor pan so its not resting on the frame rails.

I didnt take any photos of the failures, but the #4 PS (passenger side), #5 DS and both PS 5,6 mounts were very rusty. The sleeve on the #4 PS was shredded even after soaking all the mounts in penetrant for a week. I completely sheered off the #5 DS. Need to get that out tomorrow. As well, I took off the protection plate under the gas tank filler neck, and every. single. bolt. sheered off.
It will be an easy fix with a drill and tap set...just annoying.

Link to fj60 mount reference numbers: 60, 80 & 100 Series Body Mounts - Specter Off-Road - https://www.sor.com/cat/105b

I was wondering where the top of the #5 bolts were, i figured they were under the black plastic caps in the cargo area of the 60. When I popped them open, I just saw this. Figured they were captive nuts in the frame or something? Then I remembered this truck spent its entire life on gravel roads. So I started to fish around with my finger.

And like Indiana jones blowing the dust off some ancient artifact, I uncovered the bolt head under at LEAST 2 inches of road dust....

crazy. I need so seriously clean this thing out once spring officially hits.

More to come...

 

[PapaGiamati]

Tear down begins to see how the beating heart of this LC has lasted the last 40 years.

Plan is to do a bit of a refresh on the 3B in prep for the out of province inspection I have to pass in order to insure the vehicle legally in Alberta.
As well I was working at taking all the body mounts off to be able to lift the body off the frame to be able to conduct some of the welds on the floor pan that run up against the frame cross members. (might have bit off more than i needed to doing this...but oh well.)

Main goals:

- Preventative Maintenance check up
- top end check - not sure how deep i want to go (ie: take the head off, but i would be interested in seeing what the pistons and head looks like)
- wash down of all oil leaks (basically tar at this point) to determine where the leaks are coming from and replace applicable gaskets
- clean engine bay!
- radiator flush
- Oil pan gasket change and clean

How it looked after i removed the air box and the batteries. The air box was so covered in grime it was so satisfying to remove a thick layer of grime from all the components as i took them off.

I had a hell of a time getting the #5 and #6 body mounts off the LC on the passenger side and #5 on the driver's side. I broke 2 bolts. One i sheared the head off AND the bottom end. I quickly realized that instead of drilling them out and wasting hours, i just grabbed some metal punches i had, and hammered those suckers right out. Worked like a CHARM! (after i broke a small drill bit off inside one of the bolts...see pic below for carnage.

the #5 on the passenger side was a PAIN. The whole assembly had fused together.

I think i can have my buddy turn some of the sleeves on his lathe and find some bolts to replace these. As for the rubber, thinking some rubber blanks from princess auto or somewhere else and have them turned on a lathe. No way I'm paying $160 for a single on of these for something that can be home made.

 

[PapaGiamati]

While I was clearing out the passenger footwell, i finally found the source of all the cotton fluff and mouse nest looking material. I knew since the truck lived in the prairies that it would likely have some unwelcome guests. Who knows how long this lil guy had been in there. He was hard as a rock.

Here is the massive pile of dust that had been inside the channel of the rear body mount. No idea how that much got in, but there is probably twice that still in there. Just cant get it out! There is so much packed dust in the frame rails too. Its insane. Need to take this truck to a proper car wash and blast it all out.

While tearing down the accessories, I went to test fit the belts that i ordered off Rock Auto. The size is hilariously off. Oops. Lesson learned.

Forced a win today by cleaning the fan from all the built up gunk. Feels good to be slowly cleaning up this truck.

Used a bunch of engine degreaser on the engine today to get so much tar off. That front cover was black when i first took the fan off. Still so much cleaning to do. But its a fun process so I want more sunny warm days so i can run the hose and wash this thing down.

i think tomorrow is taking the remainder of the cooling system apart, the hoses to the heater cores and then popping off the valve cover. The radiator had a LOT of rusty water in it. Seemed like the coolant had not been changed in some time. I flushed it all out til it ran clear. The thermostat is covered in rusty residue as well but im not sure i need to replace it. This is something that i can do down the road as well if needed. So i will keep the old one for now and keep and eye on it.

until tomorrow....

 

[Gimme a 60]

While I was clearing out the passenger footwell, i finally found the source of all the cotton fluff and mouse nest looking material. I knew since the truck lived in the prairies that it would likely have some unwelcome guests. Who knows how long this lil guy had been in there. He was hard as a rock.

View attachment 3565532
Here is the massive pile of dust that had been inside the channel of the rear body mount. No idea how that much got in, but there is probably twice that still in there. Just cant get it out! There is so much packed dust in the frame rails too. Its insane. Need to take this truck to a proper car wash and blast it all out.
View attachment 3565533

While tearing down the accessories, I went to test fit the belts that i ordered off Rock Auto. The size is hilariously off. Oops. Lesson learned.
View attachment 3565534
Forced a win today by cleaning the fan from all the built up gunk. Feels good to be slowly cleaning up this truck.
View attachment 3565536

Used a bunch of engine degreaser on the engine today to get so much tar off. That front cover was black when i first took the fan off. Still so much cleaning to do. But its a fun process so I want more sunny warm days so i can run the hose and wash this thing down.
View attachment 3565537

i think tomorrow is taking the remainder of the cooling system apart, the hoses to the heater cores and then popping off the valve cover. The radiator had a LOT of rusty water in it. Seemed like the coolant had not been changed in some time. I flushed it all out til it ran clear. The thermostat is covered in rusty residue as well but im not sure i need to replace it. This is something that i can do down the road as well if needed. So i will keep the old one for now and keep and eye on it.

until tomorrow....

Awesome! Replace thermostat!

 

[Gimme a 60]

Taking the head off the 3B is a lot of work.

I wouldn’t personally attempt to do it by myself - although it should be done for precups.

Read some threads. Plenty of them here.