The 60 I now own was bought out of Victoria BC and as I understand is a compilation of a couple trucks. It is an 87 HJ 60 with 5 speed. I bought it from another mud member and friend of mine RigPig. I picked it up in September of last year. I flew down to see it sight unseen and as I was assured by the owner that it was mint…. It was. What a beautiful truck. I’d never ridden in or driven a 60 before that day. A friend I met while in Prince George had a great BJ 60 turbo that I loved and I had since always craved one. After being picked up at the airport in my new ride we went for supper and the following day I started the trek home to Fort Mcmurray. Here are some pictures of the rig when I bought it…
The truck drove like a champ. We didn’t have a lick of trouble the entire way home. This was a huge plus wince we also didn’t have any tools on board. I was blown away with the ride of the truck and its mileage. During one fuel up we averaged close to 24mpg. The truck came to me with about a 2.5” lift and a new set of 33 x 9.5 BFG AT’s. It also had an empty ARB bull bar on the front set up for an 8274.
One of the first projects with this truck was to build a back bumper since it didn’t have one. I wanted something solid that offered protection and limited overhang. This is what I came up with.
Its been great so far and has certainly got me out of trouble a time or two. It doesn’t have a swing out…. I like the swing outs but I’m in the back all the time with the dogs so I opted out of one.
Next was a set of sliders. A simple tube style ladder design was fabbed up and bolted on. The turned out pretty good too. I have even used them to skid around trees or over the odd obstacle.
Next was the winch and rear locker. I found the winch up in Fort Mac for a good deal and it even turned out to be a 24V..or so he said. It pulled me through so good holes a time or two but eventually died on me after a leaving myself and a friend of mine stuck in the bush. With some chainsaws and jack alls we managed to get out. The locker was the single best upgrade that I have done. It has increased the capability more than I ever imagined. The install was a little time consuming but not that hard. We need to thin down the spacers in the diff in order to get proper clearances. This Aussie locker has worked flawlessly. I was worried at first about using it since I live in snow for about 8 months a year. Even in the snow the truck did better. I rarely used 4x4 unless in deep snow or climbing icy hills. The locker is very stable and predictable. I LOVE it. Once the summer did roll around it still impressed me. Crawling up hills is much easier now even in 2wd.
Can’t remember what was next but sometime during it all I added my other favourite upgrade. The turbo. After buying a turbo I though would work off of Kijiji and installing it on the factory upside down manifold I was away. This install was a little longer but well worth it. At first I was have trouble not blowing oil by the seals of the turbo. Turn out my oil pressure was too high. I installed a needle valve, knocked the pressure down and away I went. The turbo really wakes the truck up. I am currently peaking at about 15psi of boost and a max EGT of 1200f on long hills. IT will pull hills in 4th that used to require third. It can pass a lot more comfortably on the highway and overall seem to work great. I won’t deny I had my troubles though. The first of which was on the oil supply line to the turbo. The fitting on the turbo is a -3 and the block is a 1/8” BSPT. I was unable to get anything to work and had to basterdize a fitting together. This came back to haunt me on a 1400 km trip to the Okanogan at about 9pm just outside of Edmonton Alberta. I removed the turbo on the spot and drove or limped it to Calgary with wide open exhaust…. EGT’s were 1000-1200 the entire time but engine temps were low. The promlems I had were again with the oil line as well as gaskets around the turbo. I was using gasket material that did not have a high enough temp rating. I have since switch it all out and everything seem to work pretty darn well now. I have a buil thread in the diesel section for the turbo.
Through the winter while winter wheeling I often wanted to air down for added traction. In order to do so I needed a way to air up. This meant on board air. I installed a AC compressor from an old Chrysler and move air around very well. It is plumbed to a pressure switch and a tank and manifold in the back.
Another thing I wanted was storage. I built a set of drawer like many others have for the back of the cruiser. This was another great mod that I don’t think I could live with out. I have enough tools and fluids for a lot of trailside work to be done. Once my other air tank is complete I’ll be able to carry a full assortment of air tools as well.
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