1986 FJ60 Frame Off Restoration

[Aircooled1]

Even took some time with orig bottle jack. Like everything on this truck, its well made and smooth after all these years.

 

[Aircooled1]

Forgot to include a few "before" underside shots. I have an iphone full of about 1000 cruiser pics. Trying to include the important ones only.

 

[Aircooled1]

Thermostat works. Flywheel resurfaced. Make sure your machine shop knows about the steps on the flywheel. One local shop had no idea. But when the next shop asked me if i was OK with the factory steps like OEM I knew i was in the right place. That place was amazing. Like going back in time . Can't believe it exists around here. Also used them to resurface my intake/exhaust manifolds.

 

[Aircooled1]

"before" axle shots. Leaky and surely in need of gaskets and seals.

 

[Aircooled1]

Pinion seals were in rough shape. Got the right parts and no more leaks from this area. Thanks for all your help on the forums. ANd of course the knuckle job. Was really satisfying once completed. And of course i had just tossed a fish scale. had to borrow one. Friend asked where i was going to fish. I said it was for my axle job. They asked no more questions. If you're considering the knuckle rebuild , just do it. It is not hard at all. Takes some time and a lot of paper towels. But i was prepared for much bigger mess than i had. Way cleaner than replacing torsion bars on old porsches, thats for sure.

 

[Aircooled1]

Final product for front axle. VERY satisfying to see it come together. Also serviced and greased the locking hubs. I know the original color is gold/bronze but they look so good in red. and if i ever want the orig color i guess i could easily remedy that issue. Unbelievable how smooth the axle is once its serviced. very impressed with the engineering.

 

[Aircooled1]

heres a few boxes of plated parts. kind of hard to organize before you get it plated. here's a good tip that i found works. used it on some other restorations and i've been pleased: get a pad of graph paper and lay out the hardware and write what each subassembly is for with groups of hardware (i.e. firewall, front axle, etc) then you can take pics of it as you dip it in evaporust and spray with WD40 before you toss it in the box for the plater. Then, you can lay it out on graph paper when its all nice and shiny. Kind of helps. But still a headache. Totally worth it though imo.

 

[Aircooled1]

new wheel bearings. Went in easy. brake caliper rebuild was not hard either. Got new rings from SOR and took some time but not a big deal. The old seals were shot.

 

[Aircooled1]

Rebuilt steering box. Turned out nicely.

 

[Aircooled1]

before and after transmission and transfer case. had leaking output shaft seals x 2. easy fix. serviced all the switches and hardware . didnt need any major seals. replaced speedo cable gaskets as that was leaking a bit. new fluid and plug gaskets. once again, the serviced unit was so smooth i kept playing with transfer case and enjoyed the end result

 

[Aircooled1]

New clutch and slave cylinder . Rear axle finished up and ready to go. new rear brake cylinders and hardware, new pinion seal, diff cover gasket, etc.

 

[Aircooled1]

got some good suspension parts in the mail. was ready to put these in . will follow with some installed pics. Had an issue with the bushing size for my shocks. Apparently in 85-86 there was a transition to smaller bushings in the rear shocks. keep this in mind if you are getting new shocks. and don't install the bushings until you know they fit. was a PITA to get the wrong size bushing out of the rear shocks prior to installation.

 

[Littlebilly]

Great job —yeah our projects are very similar —great eye for the small restoration details .
My Fj60 was built April 1986 also

 

[Aircooled1]

machined manifolds. block off plate for heat riser installed. not really that cold in south mississippi.

 

[Aircooled1]

You've prob seen enough engine build threads. new rear main and all gaskets replaced and torqued properly. surprisingly the oil pan gasket was the hardest one in my opinion. but guess what? no leaks. amazing. and toyota FIPG is nasty stuff . people start asking why your hands are stained black.

 

[Aircooled1]

And thank you toyota for designing the bell housing in such as way to make it difficult to access the clutch plate. But it turned out OK. Again, tons of info on the forums and could not have done it without the mud people. new TOB and pilot bearing . clutch slave went in easy.

 

[Aircooled1]

Overtorqued this one the first time. learned the hard way. had to get new gasket. second time was a charm.

 

[Aircooled1]

Got the frame sandblasted and painted with epoxy based paint with hardeners. Turned out amazing. A fresh frame painted is really a treat. Got the axles ready to go.

 

[Aircooled1]

frame ready to go

 

[Aircooled1]

drivetrain ready to go on frame. Pretty darn heavy. Had to support transmission with a block of wood. didn't want to have the pan get uneven pressure. Borrowed a wooden holder to place on my hydraulic lift table. What a great system . worked wonderfully.