It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Yak. Second only to my girls, she's my baby.
This truck started life as a California spec 1987 FJ-60. It's had many owners since.
I found it in AutoTrader. It was listed by a broker who was selling it for a private party. I was unemployed. My trusty old Chevy Lumina was totaled by a confused little old lady. I needed a car. I decided it was time to have a car that I actually want to drive, rather than one that is dictated to me by necessity. Then there was the problem of finding something I like. New cars these days are ugly.
I was coming from the FJ-40 community, not really wanting a 60. Couldn't find a 40 that I could rely on. I started looking at 60s, thinking since they are a little newer that I could find one I could drive every day.
I drove it. I liked it. I haggled over the price. I took it home a few days later. The alternator and smog pump quit on the first day.
Based on what I have discovered on my own and info from the mechanic that used to work on it, the old Yak has a spotty history. It's been wheeled and repaired. The PO bought it on ebay and got shafted. Someone had fixed the body, slapped on a ghetto paint job (pisses me off every day), and replaced the recently rebuilt engine (the reason I bought it) with one of unknown origin. Of course none of this was discovered until after I had the truck in my possession for some time.
Instead of doing the honorable thing and taking the hit, the PO decided to pass the savings on to the next guy, me. I spent two years and $3K trying to right the many wrongs of the mystery engine before I decided that was more than enough and I would just drive it until it quit. Shortly thereafter the engine swap bug bit.
I looked at the usual options and settled on a 12H-T from G&S Cruiserparts. Starting with the engine swap, I've been slowly pimpin' 'er out over the last 18 months.
This truck started life as a California spec 1987 FJ-60. It's had many owners since.
I found it in AutoTrader. It was listed by a broker who was selling it for a private party. I was unemployed. My trusty old Chevy Lumina was totaled by a confused little old lady. I needed a car. I decided it was time to have a car that I actually want to drive, rather than one that is dictated to me by necessity. Then there was the problem of finding something I like. New cars these days are ugly.
I was coming from the FJ-40 community, not really wanting a 60. Couldn't find a 40 that I could rely on. I started looking at 60s, thinking since they are a little newer that I could find one I could drive every day.
I drove it. I liked it. I haggled over the price. I took it home a few days later. The alternator and smog pump quit on the first day.
Based on what I have discovered on my own and info from the mechanic that used to work on it, the old Yak has a spotty history. It's been wheeled and repaired. The PO bought it on ebay and got shafted. Someone had fixed the body, slapped on a ghetto paint job (pisses me off every day), and replaced the recently rebuilt engine (the reason I bought it) with one of unknown origin. Of course none of this was discovered until after I had the truck in my possession for some time.
Instead of doing the honorable thing and taking the hit, the PO decided to pass the savings on to the next guy, me. I spent two years and $3K trying to right the many wrongs of the mystery engine before I decided that was more than enough and I would just drive it until it quit. Shortly thereafter the engine swap bug bit.
I looked at the usual options and settled on a 12H-T from G&S Cruiserparts. Starting with the engine swap, I've been slowly pimpin' 'er out over the last 18 months.
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big league dude ! 
Chad
