The Machinist's "Project" Thread: 86' FJ60 [Lots Of Pics]

Darrell, that is weird. Maybe your voltage regulator is going out? Since I replaced my belts, alt, and vr I have not had that random low idle other than when she is first warming up after sitting for a few hours. Other than that the idle has seemed to be rock sold, however that has opened up the can o' worms for other things like the t-stat going, possibly temp sending unit, all my bushings showing their age and "klunking" and now it looks like the fan clutch may have gone as well. Oh and dont forget the random sudden, intermittent hose leak. Gonna be replacing that damn auxiliary heater hose (90* up to heater valve) and what looks like the heater hose from the head to the heater valve (one that is right by the temp sensor). Funny that she is nickel and dime-ing me right now but runs like a top! A true testimate to these trucks.

i might just take you up on that offer Darrell, you should definitely bring my truck up to me since my parents cant get it to me until memorial day weekend I think. have you thought about fishing Gold Lake? I hear its really good right now, or even Lake Davis in Portola tp the north, I pulled an 18 inch Rainbow out of there last week

KWalkerM said:

i might just take you up on that offer Darrell, you should definitely bring my truck up to me since my parents cant get it to me until memorial day weekend I think. have you thought about fishing Gold Lake? I hear its really good right now, or even Lake Davis in Portola tp the north, I pulled an 18 inch Rainbow out of there last week

Click to expand...

I snapped my rod on a snag in gold lake last summer. Fishing it is a high probability though, considering my dad and his friends usually fish sardine lake, which is maybe a few mile away from gold.

Bringing up your truck MIGHT me a possibility depending on if my dad drives through Stockton on the way up, but no guarantees. What did George and his guys end up doing to it?

The Machinist said:

I snapped my rod on a snag in gold lake last summer. Fishing it is a high probability though, considering my dad and his friends usually fish sardine lake, which is maybe a few mile away from gold.

Bringing up your truck MIGHT me a possibility depending on if my dad drives through Stockton on the way up, but no guarantees. What did George and his guys end up doing to it?

Click to expand...

check my build thread, just updated it. don't worry on driving it up, my dad and I are coordinating it right now lol hes gonna meet me half way in sac to switch rigs prob this weekend.

so since you snapped your rod, next time you get a snag, point your rod tip directly at the line so there is no pressure on the riod and only the line will snap. I recommend turning around as the line can slingshot back at you with the lure attached if it breaks free and the line can also snap back when it breaks

KWalkerM said:

check my build thread, just updated it. don't worry on driving it up, my dad and I are coordinating it right now lol hes gonna meet me half way in sac to switch rigs prob this weekend.

so since you snapped your rod, next time you get a snag, point your rod tip directly at the line so there is no pressure on the riod and only the line will snap. I recommend turning around as the line can slingshot back at you with the lure attached if it breaks free and the line can also snap back when it breaks

Click to expand...

Been there and done that... took some fishing weights to the cheek bone when I was about 12 doing this.

I think I am going to have to get in contact with you later this summer Kyle. Been wanting to get back into fishing and specifically learn to fly fish. Still need to pick up a cheap beginners rod/reel combo. But if I can get my BIL involved we may see about doing a weekend trip somewhere in the mtns to fish and mtb.

gregnash said:

Been there and done that... took some fishing weights to the cheek bone when I was about 12 doing this.

I think I am going to have to get in contact with you later this summer Kyle. Been wanting to get back into fishing and specifically learn to fly fish. Still need to pick up a cheap beginners rod/reel combo. But if I can get my BIL involved we may see about doing a weekend trip somewhere in the mtns to fish and mtb.

Click to expand...

don't buy the cheapest rod you can find is my advice. im teachin a friend of mine and he was a horrible metal reel, his rod is way too stiff and the line is not the right weight for the setup. the reel is not that important though, you can skimp out for sierra trout and what not as it is mainly just for holding line and not for fighting fish like with steelhead and salmon rods. find a large or mid-arbor reel and a 6 weight line. the rod is where you will want to spend money and you can get a decent rod for 100 bucks but if you want something that throws better go with a higher $ rod. 200 bucks is generally where they start preforming better

Update

Been a while since I've added anything to this thread...

In the mean time I've done a few things to the truck:

-UrbanLandCruiser's wire upgrade kit
-new alternator (the Oreilly's one I put in last year died...)
-new battery (last one was killed by that alternator^^^... luckily I still had my recipt and got a free replacement!)
-All new silicone vacuum tubing
-New distributor cap, rotor, and wires
-Fixed improperly re-assembled hub dials (the mechanic I had replace my brake rotors last minute before SurfN'Turf didn't snap the spring into the groove in the engagement gear!)
-Had the windows tinted 70% on the front doors and 22% on all the rest

I'm also almost done fitting the last few parts I got at the Stockton swapmeet. I got the panel with the handle for the rear hatch on, (although it needs some silver paint!), and the skidplate and receiver are almost ready to get bolted up.

I'm considering getting a new set of shocks, but will probably put it off for a while. How exactly do you tell when you need new ones?


_DLV4348 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

The UrbanLandCruisers kit comes with some pretty beefy cables for the battery positive, negative, and lead to the starter, along with slightly thinner gauge cables for several chassis grounds.

_DLV4358 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4356 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4360 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4354 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4353 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4343 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr


_DLV4344 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

When I bought the skidplate from Georg he said to me, "You want that bashed rusty thing?" I pulled the receiver off the same red 60 as the rear hatch panels, and the skidplate came off a silver 60 that was swarmed and stripped like a piranha feeding frenzy after the meet.

It started out like this, the receiver is there too in about the same condition.

Untitled by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

After cleaning all the grease off it with degreaser I took an angle grinder with a wire wheel and went to town on it getting rid of all the surface rust and grime, then straightened out some of the dents and bends. I went through the same process with the receiver.

Untitled by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

A few coats of primer and paint later....

_DLV4362 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr



I mentioned in my last update that I made a replacement for the ManAFre swaybar link that I snapped wheelin a while back, here's a pic of the one I made and the remaining ManAFre one.

The replacement was made out of 7/8-20 allthread and some generic strut bushings I found at the auto parts store, along with the appropriate nuts and washers. The MAF one was also made of allthread, but of considerably smaller diameter and with a tube sleeve over the center section.

My replacement:

Untitled by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

MAF link:

Untitled by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

Sweet! Did you you notice a jump in volts after installing the Urban wiring kit? One came uninstalled with my truck and when I replaced all the old wires with it... It was pretty much exactly the same.

I believe you need new shocks when you compress them VERY easily with your hands.

Good work!

Looking good dude... So the tinting is 22% in the back? Still seems pretty light as I can see through the other side in the pic. Though i know CA is nazi about tinting.

nice

that skid plate looks good now that its been cleaned up. wasn't there a tailgate pad on the red cruiser you pulled stuff off of?

oh and you wont break swaybars if they aren't attached while wheeling haha

(your knuckle leaks)

Nice

Nice job young stud,Georg is really cool when it comes to almost giving away stuff like that.keep up the goo job.

IMHO you should have bought a Toyota reman alternator and get done with it,that alternator may not last.

vipergrhd said:

Nice job young stud,Georg is really cool when it comes to almost giving away stuff like that.keep up the goo job.

IMHO you should have bought a Toyota reman alternator and get done with it,that alternator may not last.

Click to expand...

The last one that died was from the parts store, but this replacement it a Toyota reman.

just re read the update, did you really prime and paint the skid plate? lol a quick rattle can job will do it since it should get scratched off in a few wheeling trips haha

Man looking good! I haven't checked in with you in a while and your truck looks great! Do you feel a high steer is in order after the lift and SRV? Are you going to use the skid plate? I have one but never thought it was "beefy" enough to take more than a little skimming over pebbles and have been working on making one from Kevin at Wagon Gears design.

Terminal

Your negative batt. terminal seems to be facing the wrong way,just looks a bit awkward.just my observation.

You need to get those wires secured and make sure your running a fuse so you can avoid potential fire.

robustbambi said:

Sweet! Did you you notice a jump in volts after installing the Urban wiring kit? One came uninstalled with my truck and when I replaced all the old wires with it... It was pretty much exactly the same.

I believe you need new shocks when you compress them VERY easily with your hands.

Good work!

Click to expand...

Voltage stays pretty much the same, but it should "in theory" reduce the resistance to stuff. << at least thats how I understand it...

Preventative maintenance and general unnecessary beefyness is never a bad thing.

gregnash said:

Looking good dude... So the tinting is 22% in the back? Still seems pretty light as I can see through the other side in the pic. Though i know CA is nazi about tinting.

Click to expand...

That's what I picked out anyway! I like it and it definitely makes a difference in heat when the truck sits in the sun.

You can go as dark as you want on all the windows except the windshield and driver/passenger windows in California, although I didn't want to go so dark that it became dangerous to drive at night.

KWalkerM said:

nice

that skid plate looks good now that its been cleaned up. wasn't there a tailgate pad on the red cruiser you pulled stuff off of?

oh and you wont break swaybars if they aren't attached while wheeling haha

(your knuckle leaks)

Click to expand...

Yeah there was a talilgate pad on that one, but honestly I like having it bare so I can use it like a workbench without worrying about messing anything up. Maybe someday I'll make something out of some sheet metal or plastic, but for now it suits me just fine.

KWalkerM said:

just re read the update, did you really prime and paint the skid plate? lol a quick rattle can job will do it since it should get scratched off in a few wheeling trips haha

Click to expand...

You must not have paid attention to this thread very well or possibly don't know me as well as you think... EVERYTHING I do to this thing is overkill!

When I have enough time/motivation to do something, my perfectionist brain kicks in and all hell breaks loose! ... if the fact that I used primer isn't enough proof of that for you, then perhaps you'd like to also know that I used high heat paint on the top side of the skidplate to prevent any defects from the heat the cat puts off.

tat2matt said:

Man looking good! I haven't checked in with you in a while and your truck looks great! Do you feel a high steer is in order after the lift and SRV? Are you going to use the skid plate? I have one but never thought it was "beefy" enough to take more than a little skimming over pebbles and have been working on making one from Kevin at Wagon Gears design.

Click to expand...

I dont really know enough about high steer to answer that, explain it to me and I'll be hapy to describe what its like.

Yes, I do plan on using the skidplate. At this point, I just want there to be something between my transfer case and the ground just in case some evil rock somewhere down the road decides to take a bite. To be honest though, I don't really ever do any trails that the average 4x4 guy would consider really "serious".

vipergrhd said:

Your negative batt. terminal seems to be facing the wrong way,just looks a bit awkward.just my observation.

You need to get those wires secured and make sure your running a fuse so you can avoid potential fire.

Click to expand...

The battery cable kit wasn't exactly perfect, and that was the only way I could make it work, but a terminal is a terminal so .

My next big project is going to be to go through the wiring, (mainly all the crap I put in there), and clean it up. Some of the stuff is from its past owners and I need to see what is what. Where should I put fuses and such; I'm not too well versed in electrical stuff.

I was in the automotive class at CCOC for half a year before I transferred to machining, and despite literally being at the top of the Engines/HVAC class, the Automotive Electrical class that followed it the next quarter was a complete sham that left a bad taste in my mouth and a complete shut-out of electrical crap in my brain. (the instructor just handed each kid a workbook and said, "bring it back when your done and I'll give you the next one." ) Happily though, its starting to interest me again!

I havent taken a day off or spent much money in the last 2.5 months, so I decided to go out and spend some money on some new toys today....




I went to 4WheelParts to get a fire extinguisher and compressor and they happened to be raffling off a Smittybilt 8k winch... filled out a ticket and happened to win it.... now I need to find a bumper to put it in!

Felt kinda bad for the guy that apparently waited there all day to win it, considering I just walked in completely oblivious to there being a raffle!

I also picked up a Garmin 62s.

like I said, Ill sell you my hitch set for the front end for a good price. you just drop the winch on a hitch plate and GTG once wired

Hey man, love this thread. It semi-inspired me to bite the bullet and buy an FJ60 myself! I've always loved Land Cruisers, and my dad had one back when I was in High School (makes me sound old, and I'm only 22...).

I bought an '85 FJ60, original everything (except crummy re-spray). Your thread makes restoring them look easy! Although the last 18 pages have been a great help into seeing where I should start/how I should go about it, so thanks for the thread! I don't have much time to spend writing up my build, but I'll chronicle it when I have most of what I want done.

Its been a while since I've posted in here so here's a small update. By the end of the month I'll post again with a good list of new stuff, but I'll wait until I have everything on the truck for that.

My focus this year was to use the truck as much as possible and so far I think I'm right on track for that goal. Since my last update I've taken it up to the mountains 3 times, and at the end of this month I'll be heading down to Pismo for Turf N' Surf.

The first trip since the last post was up to gold lake with my brother and a friend where we met up with KWallkerM and spent a few days driving around, fishing and hanging out with some other cruiserheads we ran into up there.


_DLV4890 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

The next trip after that was the FJ45 Run put on by Georg at Valley Hybrids which was a blast and involved Metal-Slug's first dent.


Capture by KWalkerM, on Instragram

And this last week my Dad, his friend, my brother, and I were back up in the Gold Lake area because our planned hike of Half Dome in Yosemite that week was shot down by the fools in DC. At least we still got to hike to the top of something...

Photo taken on the fire lookout tower atop the Sierra Buttes, overlooking Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes.


DSC02729 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

We were also there for the first snow of the year which was cool.


DSC02741 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr

Lower Sardine Lake the same morning, below snow level.


DSC02749 by Darrell Vaughn, on Flickr