Howdy folks, after searching for my second Cruiser for nearly 6 months, browsing ads several times daily I saw this ad pop up one evening. I ended up calling the guy within 20 minutes of the ad being posted, and after a long conversation on the phone I was heading down the the next weekend with a flatdeck. The truck is a 1984 BJ60, in probably the roughest condition you could imagine. I ended up picking up the truck knowing it was going to need a significant amount of work, but it was SOA and the engine and transmission were in exceptional condition. The truck was built about 12 years ago at North Shore Offroad in Vancouver. The truck had sat for over a year, the batteries were dead and the keys were lost; I showed up hoping my either my Dad's or my old Land Cruiser key would work, and once batteries were hooked up my old key started the truck first try, with nothing but a mere quick puff of blue. You don't even know what I payed for the truck, it was too much looking back now, but after searching for so long and having a buyer for my Cummins available I gave in.
The truck:
-1984 BJ60 5 speed.
-Sprung over, ford shock towers, custom rear shock mounts, re-enforced frame is several locations.
-ARB front bumper
-Custom rear bumper with spare tire on swingate.
-ARB air lockers front and rear.
-Warn 8274-50
As for the work needed on the truck, well I'll just make a list:
-Both front and rear pinions had significant play.
-Tires were old, sidewalls were cracked.
-Rusty, holes in the roof, quarterpanels, etc. I did not realize the extent of the rust until I got the truck home. The frame is solid though.
-Starter was shot, cranking very slow.
-Water pump had significant bearing play, huge play, but no leaking.
-Rad hoses were shot.
-Interior was extremely dirty. The seats are still full of dust and have been vacuumed several times.
-Bad alignment. Blown shocks. Bent tie rod.
-Exhaust was rusted out, leaking everywhere. Ended up falling of from the manifold while driving at one point.
-Ignition and door locks re-keyed.
-I could go on and on, these are just the major issues.
This is the night I brought it home. I ended up going from an HJ60 to a 2002 Cummins, to this big piece of junk. I miss my Cummins a lot, but I've been a Land Cruiser guy since I was about 4 years old.
After dropping nearly $2500 on the rear end getting rebuilt I focused on the rust. (I needed new spider gears for the ARB locker, new 4.88 R&P, and all gaskets if you are wondering why it was so expensive.) I had no idea how bad the rust actually was until I started cleaning the truck out that night, literally shoveling mud that had sat wet under the rear seats for over a year! This is a BC truck, but looks like it's from Ontario. I did not take pictures at the start, but I should have; you could stick your head through the rear rearwells into the cab.
Oh, and I deliver pizzas with this truck five days a week! I've put over 15000kms in 5 months. I trail it about once a week on average, and have taken it almost to British Columbia; the real BC run will be in two weeks from now.
Notice the exhaust in the truck. It fell off.
After the rust was tackled I got some new rear leafs because the ones in the truck were sagging pretty bad. I ended up snapping these leafs no more than two weeks later while camping May long weekend. Got more lights for the front, and new Cooper Discoverer STT tires (35x12.50). I'll leave it at that, I'm tired; I'll post up more tomorrow.
Check out my ae86 in the background.;p
The truck:
-1984 BJ60 5 speed.
-Sprung over, ford shock towers, custom rear shock mounts, re-enforced frame is several locations.
-ARB front bumper
-Custom rear bumper with spare tire on swingate.
-ARB air lockers front and rear.
-Warn 8274-50
As for the work needed on the truck, well I'll just make a list:
-Both front and rear pinions had significant play.
-Tires were old, sidewalls were cracked.
-Rusty, holes in the roof, quarterpanels, etc. I did not realize the extent of the rust until I got the truck home. The frame is solid though.
-Starter was shot, cranking very slow.
-Water pump had significant bearing play, huge play, but no leaking.
-Rad hoses were shot.
-Interior was extremely dirty. The seats are still full of dust and have been vacuumed several times.
-Bad alignment. Blown shocks. Bent tie rod.
-Exhaust was rusted out, leaking everywhere. Ended up falling of from the manifold while driving at one point.
-Ignition and door locks re-keyed.
-I could go on and on, these are just the major issues.
This is the night I brought it home. I ended up going from an HJ60 to a 2002 Cummins, to this big piece of junk. I miss my Cummins a lot, but I've been a Land Cruiser guy since I was about 4 years old.
After dropping nearly $2500 on the rear end getting rebuilt I focused on the rust. (I needed new spider gears for the ARB locker, new 4.88 R&P, and all gaskets if you are wondering why it was so expensive.) I had no idea how bad the rust actually was until I started cleaning the truck out that night, literally shoveling mud that had sat wet under the rear seats for over a year! This is a BC truck, but looks like it's from Ontario. I did not take pictures at the start, but I should have; you could stick your head through the rear rearwells into the cab.
Oh, and I deliver pizzas with this truck five days a week! I've put over 15000kms in 5 months. I trail it about once a week on average, and have taken it almost to British Columbia; the real BC run will be in two weeks from now.
Notice the exhaust in the truck. It fell off.
After the rust was tackled I got some new rear leafs because the ones in the truck were sagging pretty bad. I ended up snapping these leafs no more than two weeks later while camping May long weekend. Got more lights for the front, and new Cooper Discoverer STT tires (35x12.50). I'll leave it at that, I'm tired; I'll post up more tomorrow.
Check out my ae86 in the background.;p
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