What have I done.....81 FJ60 aka Tetanus (1 Viewer)

[Crzywlf]

Well I'm usually the guy who figures out he wants a certain classic 5 years after they become popular and decent examples become expensive and the rest are a ton of work. I decided I wanted a 60 bad enough to take on a pretty big project. I doubt it's the most rusty but it's definitely going to teach me a lot about body work and everything else. I'm hoping to learn a ton from this forum and honestly reading through ih8mud is what convinced me to actually take the leap. I will add more pictures as I start working on it. The rust is pretty much in a bunch of places. It's going to need floor work from leaks. Lots of what I'm hoping is mostly surface rust on the roof, rain gutter, just above the windshield. The body is actually very straight with a few small dents in the roof that I think will push out after dropping the head liner. I'm hoping to get my 11 and 9 year old sons interested in cars by involving them in the work and decisions along the way. I was told the motor has no compression in 3 and 4 so I'm currently assuming a blown head gasket after a little preliminary research but I plan to adjust the values and do some diagnoses myself.

So the specs.

1981 Toyota Land Cruiser (FJ60)
Cream(not sure of the real name) with brown interior.
I didn't bother checking the miles yet.
Mostly complete but pretty torn down so until I go through everything I won't know.

 

[JayDoc]

Yeah, you got some work to do but I've seen worse rust. Hell, I have worse rust.
The engine will be the real kicker though. Let us know how it progresses.
Good luck.

And just to share your pain a bit; here is just one spot on my particular rust bucket.

 

[Crzywlf]

Yeah, you got some work to do but I've seen worse rust. Hell, I have worse rust.
The engine will be the real kicker though. Let us know how it progresses.
Good luck.

And just to share your pain a bit; here is just one spot on my particular rust bucket.

View attachment 2618091

Yeah I can see the ground through the floor in several places and almost from the front to back on the driver side. Once the rain stops and I clean out all the bits I'll post more. I don't think the wheel wells are rotten but who knows. I do like your blue interior not sure the brown will last as the carpet is already long gone and the dash is rough so might get replaced also. It's really amazing how rusty these vehicles get.

 

[Spike Strip]

Good luck and welcome (official MUD greeting)

You've got the right attitude, it seems. A great project to teach you and your kids about cars and metal working. Plus, when it's done, it's a great truck to haul the family on trips.

Buy a Silver-Star subscription so you can post unlimited pix. You're gonna need it. Plus, everybody loves progress pictures.

 

[Crzywlf]

Good luck and welcome (official MUD greeting)

You've got the right attitude, it seems. A great project to teach you and your kids about cars and metal working. Plus, when it's done, it's a great truck to haul the family on trips.

Buy a Silver-Star subscription so you can post unlimited pix. You're gonna need it. Plus, everybody loves progress pictures.

Thank you sir for the welcome and the suggestion!

 

[Crzywlf]

So I was bored between meetings and went outside and took some more pictures of Tetanus's beauty marks.

 

[Crzywlf]

More pics!

 

[Crzywlf]

Last set for now.

 

[JayDoc]

Ouch man. You're either going to set this thing on fire from frustration or you're going to be an automotive god by the time you're done with it.
Would it be uncouth to ask how much the seller was asking?

 

[Nostradamus]

You'll definitely be a metal repair guru when you're done. As for the engine, zero compression on 3 and 4 prolly means valves are stuck open. I'd think that unless the head gasket is totally blown out, you'd at least see a few PSI on cylinders with HG damage vs a big fat zero. Keep us posted on what you find out.

 

[Crzywlf]

Ouch man. You're either going to set this thing on fire from frustration or you're going to be an automotive god by the time your done with it.
Would it be uncouth to ask how much the seller was asking?

That it the "saving grace" I paid $1200 knowing I might need to do a motor swap and a ton of metal work. It was a price where worst case scenario if I start to lose my mind I could probably get some if not most of my money back in parts. Even if that isn't the case it's not such a huge loss that my kids won't eat or get to do what we want. I have a buddy who likes rusty things and he is coming over this weekend so we can plan out how to stop the current rust and start cleaning it up and getting it ready to replace. I will admit I'm a bit scared and excited about all the work. We will see where I am in 6 months lol

You'll definitely be a metal repair guru when you're done. As for the engine, zero compression on 3 and 4 prolly means valves are stuck open. I'd think that unless the head gasket is totally blown out, you'd at least see a few PSI on cylinders with HG damage vs a big fat zero. Keep us posted on what you find out.

Thank you for the advice any quick tips for getting them unstuck? In a lot of ways making it somewhat mobile are pretty high up my list with stopping the ongoing rust. I plan to do my own compression testing and investigation.

 

[WSOPgold2012]

Welcome to the insanity....and a huge TY for helping me LOVVVVVE my rig even more!!!

 

[Crzywlf]

Welcome to the insanity....and a huge TY for making me LOVVVVVE my rig even more!!!

That is why this is a sickness. I've walked outside 3 times today to look at it take pictures and such. I just bought it last night and honestly I love the thing already and I've never even sat in it yet. The looks are just killer and classic and I can't wait to dig in. I get so sad when I see one that just gets cut up to bits even if it is to help other rigs live. I just don't think most of the modern vehicles have the staying power of rides like this. I drive a 19' Taco as a DD and love it for completely different reasons. I doubt it will ever be "done" as a project but I'm hoping I can look back and the pride of what I did out weighs the mental scars of the process LOL

 

[Spike Strip]

Yeah, you've got a lot of work ahead of you, but it will be worth it in the end. I bought mine with a blown HG for $1500 and went through it bump to bump about 12 years ago. Along the way, it did get frustrating but words of encouragement from folks who have been at it way longer than I kept me going and I'm very glad I didn't chuck the wrench down and let the beast sit.

It will also depend greatly on your end goal for the rig: I suspect you're not after a show-piece, but rather a family camping hauler so your metalworking won't need to be museum quality, just sound.

Holy Welding, Batman!

 

[zapatius]

'Tis but a flesh wound!

My FJ62 is languishing a little bit due to the 80 needing a head gasket. At least there are replacement quarters and dog legs out there. It looks like it could have been a lot worse on yours. Yes, lots of work and cursing but at least you're not in it for $10,000 with a bunch of covered up issues.

 

[Crzywlf]

Yeah, you've got a lot of work ahead of you, but it will be worth it in the end. I bought mine with a blown HG for $1500 and went through it bump to bump about 12 years ago. Along the way, it did get frustrating but words of encouragement from folks who have been at it way longer than I kept me going and I'm very glad I didn't chuck the wrench down and let the beast sit.

It will also depend greatly on your end goal for the rig: I suspect you're not after a show-piece, but rather a family camping hauler so your metalworking won't need to be museum quality, just sound.

Holy Welding, Batman!

Exactly! I don't want a rat rod but it will never be perfect and honestly who wants a perfect trail rig? Functional and Safe will be the main works to describe the repairs.

'Tis but a flesh wound!

My FJ62 is languishing a little bit due to the 80 needing a head gasket. At least there are replacement quarters and dog legs out there. It looks like it could have been a lot worse on yours. Yes, lots of work and cursing but at least you're not in it for $10,000 with a bunch of covered up issues.

Yes and while not super cheap for the price I paid I've kinda built in a bunch of replacement parts. I can't get under it at the moment but when I bought it the frame looked ok not great but I've seen worse on here. I'll post pics of it when I don't need to lay on the wet ground to get them. I'm interested in what the guys who have been through it think and besides wire wheel and other methods of cleaning and then POR15 to attempt to keep the rust at bay. What other things should I do to make sure it lasts. I'm debating a sand blaster honestly. Anyone think with the level of my rust that would be a good investment to get the rust off?

 

[zapatius]

Exactly! I don't want a rat rod but it will never be perfect and honestly who wants a perfect trail rig? Functional and Safe will be the main works to describe the repairs.



Yes and while not super cheap for the price I paid I've kinda built in a bunch of replacement parts. I can't get under it at the moment but when I bought it the frame looked ok not great but I've seen worse on here. I'll post pics of it when I don't need to lay on the wet ground to get them. I'm interested in what the guys who have been through it think and besides wire wheel and other methods of cleaning and then POR15 to attempt to keep the rust at bay. What other things should I do to make sure it lasts. I'm debating a sand blaster honestly. Anyone think with the level of my rust that would be a good investment to get the rust off?

I am not a huge fan of POR15 unless you are taking the body off the frame. On mine, I scraped/brushed/wire wheeled, used Blackstar Rust Converter (snake oil) and then WoolWax. I also put in the Trail Tailor c-channel kit.

 

[Crzywlf]

I am not a huge fan of POR15 unless you are taking the body off the frame. On mine, I scraped/brushed/wire wheeled, used Blackstar Rust Converter (snake oil) and then WoolWax. I also put in the Trail Tailor c-channel kit.

Well the body mounts are shot is it possible to just lift the body enough to get the tops of the frame or do you mean a full sand blasting of the bare frame then POR15? I'm completely open to suggestions and opinions as I've never done this before. POR15 is known to me from other friends projects and honestly watching other people tackle this sort of thing.


I did forget to mention there are some potential upsides that came with the 60 a new Weber carburetor, header, and electronic distributor all nib. If I swap motors it won't really matter but a swap is hopefully years down the road unless this motor is just unusable. Even then I would likely look for another 2F if the price was right.

 

[zapatius]

I wouldn't do the POR-15 unless I was doing frame-off because of the amount of prep that has to go into it. It seems like, even with perfect application, there are still some failures with it. I think, if you just have surface rust it would be way too time consuming to take it off the frame to blast and seal. I would just Fluid Film it or Woolwax after getting the surface rust off. But, it is definitely your rig and it depends on how far you want to go. Most of us are OCD about the trucks, but even then, there are varying degrees. I used a Fram filter once even. Just once.

 

[Nostradamus]

That it the "saving grace" I paid $1200 knowing I might need to do a motor swap and a ton of metal work. It was a price where worst case scenario if I start to lose my mind I could probably get some if not most of my money back in parts. Even if that isn't the case it's not such a huge loss that my kids won't eat or get to do what we want. I have a buddy who likes rusty things and he is coming over this weekend so we can plan out how to stop the current rust and start cleaning it up and getting it ready to replace. I will admit I'm a bit scared and excited about all the work. We will see where I am in 6 months lol



Thank you for the advice any quick tips for getting them unstuck? In a lot of ways making it somewhat mobile are pretty high up my list with stopping the ongoing rust. I plan to do my own compression testing and investigation.

Here's a thread from MUD (includes an awesome video of two dead cylinders brought back to life) of an FJ62 that was parked for a decade being brought to life. Lots of content on how he unstuck the valves.

291k mile, 10 yr parked, FJ62 rescue!

Howdy everyone, you may have (but probably haven’t) seen my FJ60, “The Dude’s”, build thread. This is something a little different. A while ago I picked up a 291k mile FJ62 that had been sitting 10+ years. I tucked it away in storage after purchase, but finally got a chance to bring it home...

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