Abandoned 84 FJ60 gets some love, and a 4bt! (3 Viewers)

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Joined
Sep 28, 2021
Threads
2
Messages
417
Location
Middle TN
Hey folks, my name is Eric, and I'm a 4x4 addict.
I've had many jeeps, about a half a dozen Toyotas, and a few other things.
I'm currently trying to acquire my first Land Cruiser as a restoration project, an 84 FJ60 that was brought to my friend's mechanic shop for repairs a couple of years ago, and then the owner went totally MIA, possibly even died. (Was told he was battling cancer). My buddy, the shop owner, says he has been trying to contact the owner and/or his family about the car for over a year, with no success, so now he is working to get a title for the thing.
From what I've been told, the engine is stuck from sitting, and the starter is fried from trying to spin a stuck engine.
From my own brief inspection, the truck is VERY solid, considering the current "patina" and paint damage. There are no bad rust spots, other than some bubbles at the bottom of the tailgate, the rest is just surface rust that will easily sand off with a DA.
The interior is pretty well screwed, and there is about a 2" layer of raccoon crap in the floor, wall to wall, front to back, but the floors are solid.
The engine wiring looks hacked up, but there is a weber carb (38/38), some kind of long tube header, what looks like a points distributor and some kind of universal ignition coil, and a Facet fuel pump bolted to the inner fender.
I'm guessing that the last time this thing ran, it wasn't very good. The odometer shows over 388k miles.
The 4 speed feels like it shifts solid and clean, as does the transfer case, but the clutch has no pressure and goes straight to the floor. The brakes seem to work.
Headliner actually isn't too bad, and the windows roll up and down, all doors and tailgate open and close solidly without any drama.
I can get this Cruiser for $1000 cash, or he seemed interested in trading for my old rusty Jeep XJ with some upgrades, but needs an engine swap. I'd also give him a good engine for it.
I've wanted an FJ60 for a very long time, but as you know, the prices have gotten a little out of hand for anything that doesn't need a ton of work. This one needs work, but at least it isn't rusty. I am a mechanic, but not a body guy.
Yesterday I pulled the spark plugs and flooded the cylinders with some Marvel Mystery Oil. In a couple of weeks, I'll hopefully have it home, and I'll stick it in 4th gear and gently rock it back and forth with the plugs out, and maybe pull it around the field with the tractor. I've freed up a couple of engines this way before...
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Subscribed! 🍿 🍻
 
My first 60 was an 84 in that color. It was a rust bucket that maybe never had an oil change... drive it home a few dozen miles and the transmission puked all the fluid in the driveway that night. I bought a second one from 87 and used the 84 for parts. That’s when my fiancé left me 🤣🤣🤣 But I kept on working in the truck and got the 87 running. Was it worth it? Hell yes.
 
Keep us posted
 
Keep us posted
I intend to document everything along the way, however, the title issues will be a big delay, as will my budget. The next real update may not come along for another month, but I don't want to start spending time and money on the thing until it is 100% mine and legitimate.
I will say, that I had every intention of buying a brand new Tacoma TRD Off-Road in 2022, but now I am strongly considering spending my down payment to fix this thing up. I'd think that by the time I had $10 grand in the Cruiser, it would be a reliable daily driver/expedition rig.
If this engine isn't salvageable, it is somewhat likely that I'll go down the LS swap or Toyota V8 swap path, or possibly even more modern Toyota straight 6, depending on what will work.
EFI is an ultimate goal, be it with a Holley or Fitech kit on a 2f, or with a more modern engine and the management system that goes with it.
I want reliability, because several times a year, I drive across the country with my kid and go camping somewhere that might otherwise not be accessible without a helicopter...
I've always considered a 2f to be a great reliable engine, but this one is more than likely beyond being used up. We will find out once I get a chance to truly start working on this thing.
 
I intend to document everything along the way, however, the title issues will be a big delay, as will my budget. The next real update may not come along for another month, but I don't want to start spending time and money on the thing until it is 100% mine and legitimate.
I will say, that I had every intention of buying a brand new Tacoma TRD Off-Road in 2022, but now I am strongly considering spending my down payment to fix this thing up. I'd think that by the time I had $10 grand in the Cruiser, it would be a reliable daily driver/expedition rig.
If this engine isn't salvageable, it is somewhat likely that I'll go down the LS swap or Toyota V8 swap path, or possibly even more modern Toyota straight 6, depending on what will work.
EFI is an ultimate goal, be it with a Holley or Fitech kit on a 2f, or with a more modern engine and the management system that goes with it.
I want reliability, because several times a year, I drive across the country with my kid and go camping somewhere that might otherwise not be accessible without a helicopter...
I've always considered a 2f to be a great reliable engine, but this one is more than likely beyond being used up. We will find out once I get a chance to truly start working on this thing.
I’m installing a Holley sniper as we speak. You can easily dump 10 grand into that thing trying to salvage that engine. If you’re gonna swap it you might consider a 1hz diesel.

How’s the suspension looking?
 
I’m installing a Holley sniper as we speak. You can easily dump 10 grand into that thing trying to salvage that engine. If you’re gonna swap it you might consider a 1hz diesel.

How’s the suspension looking?
The suspension looks pretty good, leafs are kinda flat, but not reverse arch yet or anything. The shocks look new, and the bushings aren't rotten.
Steering stuff looks newish and tight, and it looks to have a Saginaw steering box, and there is a Saginaw pump with a TPI Land Cruiser billet pulley laying on the back seat.
As for the 1hz, is it a direct bolt in? I love diesels.
 
The suspension looks pretty good, leafs are kinda flat, but not reverse arch yet or anything. The shocks look new, and the bushings aren't rotten.
Steering stuff looks newish and tight, and it looks to have a Saginaw steering box, and there is a Saginaw pump with a TPI Land Cruiser billet pulley laying on the back seat.
As for the 1hz, is it a direct bolt in? I love diesels.
No you’ll have to do some mods to get it in there but I don’t think it’s any more than you’d have to do for an LS swap, except you’ll have to deal with a fuel tank too. I’ve been debating a diesel for some time now but I think I’ll squeeze this 2f till it’s dry. If you had a 12HT I think it’s more of a direct swap but good luck finding one in the states or finding support for it for that matter. The 1HZ is fairly common in the states. There’s a bunch of threads about all those swaps. If you go to google and search there and add “Ih8mud” you’ll get better search results than the forum search function in general.
 
I stopped in and took a few more photos of this ride, and got some updates on the title process.
Some things of interest are the distributor, coil, and resistor/ignitor deal on top, as well as the pickup in the actual distributor. I have a strong feeling that I'll have to get creative with a way to make sparks happen if this junk doesn't work.
Also I looked harder into the rust situation, and again, I'm quote happy to see that this sucker is SOLID. Even in all the most common places to find rust, I'm not finding any, other than a couple of small blisters on the bottom of the tailgate.
Anyway, here are the latest photos. My buddy even broke out the weed whacker so it doesn't look quite as abandoned lol.
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I think you will have no guilt about throwing out that interior and replacing all of it.

Wire nuts....classic automotive wiring at its finest. My uncle will fix that for you...he has been doing his own house wiring for years :)
 
That ignition system should probably be replaced with stock parts. That’s probably the first thing I would do. No telling where all that stuff came from and what condition it’s in. If you can get spark with it and get the engine to fire that’s a good sign but I would try to get that stuff out of there. That Weber carb needs some attention. Since you’re not smogged you could get a non USA carb from cityracer.com and you’ll be running a factory style carb. There’s a debate about which is better. Webber seems to handle inclines better than the stock, but the stock is a solid unit and works well with the F engines.

I think I’ve got those headers too. Look like tri-mill from JTOutfitters.

Ditch that rear seat and build a sleeping platform back there! No 3 point belts or headrests in the stock setup... not safe at all. I ditched mine last year.

Looks like a solid truck to build!
 
That ignition system should probably be replaced with stock parts. That’s probably the first thing I would do. No telling where all that stuff came from and what condition it’s in. If you can get spark with it and get the engine to fire that’s a good sign but I would try to get that stuff out of there. That Weber carb needs some attention. Since you’re not smogged you could get a non USA carb from cityracer.com and you’ll be running a factory style carb. There’s a debate about which is better. Webber seems to handle inclines better than the stock, but the stock is a solid unit and works well with the F engines.

I think I’ve got those headers too. Look like tri-mill from JTOutfitters.

Ditch that rear seat and build a sleeping platform back there! No 3 point belts or headrests in the stock setup... not safe at all. I ditched mine last year.

Looks like a solid truck to build!
The first order of business will be to remove all of the interior, and clean the heck out of everything. Once I'm satisfied that the car is sanitary, I'll put some seats back in, either recovered stock stuff, or something nice from a junkyard. This thing needs to be family friendly, so some version of a rear seat, as well as seat belts will be in there, so I can take my wife, kid, and dog on some good camping trips.
The next step from here will be freeing up the engine, and doing some baseline checks such as a valve adjustment and compression test, then I will see if the included hardware can make spark or not. Once I establish spark, I'll pull the fuel tank and either clean or replace it, depending on condition.
I will probably get a stock fuel pump for now to try to get the thing running, if that will work with the Weber carb, but once I'm satisfied that this engine is worth messing with, I will be looking at EFI, most likely a Holley Sniper setup, or the 2bbl kit from Fitechefi.com. I've had excellent luck with the Fitech stuff in the past. EFI will necessitate an electric fuel pump, that will need to make around 60 psi or so. On my 1980 hilux, I used an inline pump for an LT-1 Corvette mounted on the frame rail, and it was perfect for the Fitech and hopped up 302 V8.
If the 2F is no good, I'll be looking more into V8 swaps and used engines and all that. It seems a known good 2F is hard to find at a decent price, but I'll figure something out, and weigh costs between that or likely an LS swap.
After all the mechanical stuff is sorted out and the thing is clean and dependable, I'll start on body work and make some decisions on paint.
At the moment, color-matched Raptor Liner is winning, for its toughness, cheapness, and it looks pretty good.
I am building this Cruiser for me, not for the next owner, so I really don't care if the bedliner will make it less appealing to a purist collector.
In the meantime, my used grill from Ebay arrived today. Lol.
I didn't want to spend money on a vehicle I don't actually own yet, but I figured for $30 if I don't get the Cruiser, it would look cool on the wall in my garage. 😎
 

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