Blueberry the 1988 FJ62 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Feb 24, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
65
Location
Maryland
Website
www.hallout.com
After having spent lots of time and more money than I should have on initially cheap, but later expensive FJ60s that turned out to have garbage frames, I decided to put enough money down to get a 60 series that was actually decent. The result of that is my newest addition, a 1988 FJ62 that is in pretty good shape. It has a little bit of body rust, but the key is that the frame is good, which is what had been my downfall in the past. The fact that I can just jump in it and go, without having to feel like I'm at risk of the frame or other things failing on me is a great feeling. Also, the kids love it, too, which is always an upside.

My initial plans are to baseline it. Fluid changes, accessory belt change, things like that. From there, I have grandiose plans for it. From bumpers and a winch to an eventual H55F swap, in the end, it should be a great expedition rig.
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Good find! You’ve got the elusive snake blinders too! Cool! I have mine but the clips are broken. H55F is awesome. Do you plan to lift it at all?
 
Good find! You’ve got the elusive snake blinders too! Cool! I have mine but the clips are broken. H55F is awesome. Do you plan to lift it at all?
OME (or equivalent) 2.5" lift and 33x10.5r15s is the eventual plan. I put the 31s on because I needed new tires, and happened to have these ones waiting to go on a different project. That rig threw a rod, though, so I figured the tires could get me around in the drivable rig until I had money for the lift and tires, lol. The first mod will probably be a bumper to mount the winch I've had for ages, though.
 
OME (or equivalent) 2.5" lift and 33x10.5r15s is the eventual plan. I put the 31s on because I needed new tires, and happened to have these ones waiting to go on a different project. That rig threw a rod, though, so I figured the tires could get me around in the drivable rig until I had money for the lift and tires, lol. The first mod will probably be a bumper to mount the winch I've had for ages, though.
You’ll love that suspension and tire setup. I’m running that on my 60 with a 5 speed.
You might consider the suspension before the bumpers. Those things will be heavy for those original springs and it will ride so much better. Cruiser outfitters is the place to go for suspensions. They will talk to you about your project plans and how you use your truck and they’ll help you get the correct spring packs and shocks. They’re great at communicating too. Can’t recommend them enough. They’re also the place to go for the 5 speed.
 
You’ll love that suspension and tire setup. I’m running that on my 60 with a 5 speed.
You might consider the suspension before the bumpers. Those things will be heavy for those original springs and it will ride so much better. Cruiser outfitters is the place to go for suspensions. They will talk to you about your project plans and how you use your truck and they’ll help you get the correct spring packs and shocks. They’re great at communicating too. Can’t recommend them enough. They’re also the place to go for the 5 speed.
I've worked with Cruiser Outfitters in the past, and can definitely say I agree with your assessment of them. In all reality, the first real mod is going to be that 5 speed, lol.
 
I've worked with Cruiser Outfitters in the past, and can definitely say I agree with your assessment of them. In all reality, the first real mod is going to be that 5 speed, lol.
I know... it’s a big upgrade! I put it off for years. I had some dangerous issues with my suspension. I had a busted shackle mount that wasn’t letting the springs move properly and it caused some weird angles in the axles which I believe led to failure in my diff and axle seals. I didn’t want to put a brand new transmission in it with a dangerous suspension that was misaligned. But when I finally got it installed it was like driving a whole new truck. Get the extended spline input gear for the t case while you’re at it. Well worth the money.
 
I got her out off road, which was a lot of fun! I think that the suspension and tires will need to happen before I do the transmission swap, though. It was a lot of fun, even as is, though, so I'm pretty happy about it.


Oh yeah. Put that suspension on there first. Most certainly. If you’re doing the work yourself, you’ll have a hell of a time getting that tall transmission out from under those sagging springs. You’ll be impressed by how much better it rides once you do that. You might also strongly consider doing body mounts before the suspension. You can get a nice set of polyurethane bushings from 4crawler.com for around $250-300. Doing the body mounts before the suspension will be better as you won’t have to lift the body as high off the ground to get them in and out of their perches. Definitely get under there and measure your bushings before you make an order with 4crawler. The website is a little hard to navigate but the product is great.
 

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