2017 Rig of the Year - FJ60Cam’s 1985 FJ60

[FJ60Cam]

In June 2006, shortly after we brought my son home from the hospital, I took off work for a few days and dove into the H55 project.

By now I had done the lift, and been in both axles. Surely I could do this.

Surprisingly, it went pretty smooth. I took my time and got it all back together, rolled it off the ramps, started the truck, and...


...the transmission was bound up and stuck two gears

I could go forward only, in 3rd gear. Nothing else.

 

[FJ60Cam]

I had no idea what to do. The thought of taking it all out made me want to cry.

I called CDan, who called ULC of all people, and he told me what was going on.

Sometimes in shipping, the shift collars slide around, and when you put in the shifter, the guts aren’t lined up right.

The result is you can’t move the shifter.

You’re supposed to figure this out before you put it in the truck

So, I pulled it all back out and took off the top cover to the transmission. I had no idea WTF I was doing or looking at, but played around with it until it worked.

One more install and I now had 5 speeds.

All I needed now was the new engine.

 

[FJ60Cam]

Fast forward a few month...

Right around Christmas, I get a call from David telling me they need my truck around New Years. The motor will be here and they’ll need it for a few days.

I bought a $75 one way plane ticket home from Atlanta and drove the now very poorly running truck down there.

A few days later, I repeated the process, but in reverse.

I landed early, and took the MARTA out to the bad part of town where ULC was located. Mike picked me up from the station in my truck, and I did not even recognize it.

It was almost dead silent, except for the thundering pulses of power unleashed when you mashed the throttle. WTF kind of new beast is this?

Through a series of seemingly unfortunate events, I had unknowingly ended up with a racing motor, truly built by a master wizard. Every rotating part was balanced and polished to perfection. This high compression power plant laughed at the redline, the second barrel kicking in like nitrous. It would rev as high as you dared, not losing even an ounce of oomph as the tach climbed. This was no ordinary 2F.

The sting of the huge price tag instantly disappeared as I drove away.

Dave was no where to be seen (part of his MO), but Brian and Mike were helpful and friendly. They did a lot of cleanup under the hood. Not only did they desmog, but also put a nice coat of black on the air cleaner & shroud.

It looked good when you opened the hood.

143,000 miles, motor #3:

 

[FJ60Cam]

By this time I had also put in a set of Procar seats from Iron Pig, a console from Cool Cruisers,and a new headunit & speakers.

I had the ultimate super stock 60. I probably should have stopped there

 

[Cruiserdrew]

probably

 

[wngrog]

I didnt know you also had a right leaning redhead once as well.....

 

[FJ60Cam]

High octane redhead. With taught seat upholstery

 

[FJ60Cam]

...I had the ultimate super stock 60. I probably should have stopped there

probably

I really should have. And I did for several years. I took it to GSMTR at Tellico a few months later. We were pulling up to the first trailhead and a guy was admiring it. He offered to buy it on the spot if I didn’t set tire on the trail.

Feeling like he even though he may have jinxed me, I built the truck to use, not just look at. But sure enough, later in the week, I got a pretty gnarly dent in the rear quarter panel. No turning back now...

I did the event thing for several years. GSMTR, Razorback Ramble in Hot Springs Arkansas, Cruiser Crawl at all the places it has been held, more East Tennessee wheeling, plus the local muddy swamps.

Throughout, the truck remained pretty much unchanged.

 

[Godwin]

The ‘low-usage front axle FJ62’ diffs turned into the biggest clusterfawk...

Not only were they not low-use, one of them wasn’t even a 4.11 ratio

Cruiser Parts ......

Had the same experience in receiving a 3.7 when I had ordered a 4.11.

 

[kirvesmies]

what can i say, that seat upholstery does look good.

 

[FJ60Cam]

I eventually added a TBI fuel injection kit by AFI. While it didn’t really add any power or fuel economy, it really improved the drivability. It also kept me interested in the truck.

Me and my Memphis homies also built a front bumper from scratch... Front Bumper Build

 

[FJ60Cam]

In 2013, I felt the calling to do the Rubithon. It was the 25th anniversary, and Georg offered to drag any East Coasters through if they showed up (though I later switched to the Wagon Run to be with my own kind).

I told my wife I really needed a front locker, which of course meant I needed some Longfields. And I also needed a rear bumper (Fourruner diy kit). Oh yeah, I need a fridge too

I worked the truck right up until the final moments of departure, but we were ready.

I invited my Dad to tag along with me and my son, since it seemed fitting. Three generations off on an epic adventure...

If you have a bunch of time to kill, here’s the tale...
Three Dudes, One Truck - Rubicon or Bust

 

[FJ60Cam]

We drove through sunsets...

The high altitude of Tioga Pass at Yosemite...

The low altitudes and heat of Death Valley...

... and everything in between.

 

[FJ60Cam]

We even had a major breakdown in Oklahoma City on the way home...

The bearing in my desmog idler pulley seized, causing the belt to shear the pulley in half.

Thanks to the generosity of a Good Samaritan named Tom, and the resourcefulness of my friends on the Internet, I was able to source a non-PS belt from the parts store and make it home.

We even turned 200K later that evening.

 

[FJ60Cam]

 

[FJ60Cam]

 

[FJ60Cam]

 

[FJ60Cam]

We were chewed up and spit out on the other side, but we had a badass time, made a bunch of new friends on the other side of the country, and acquired the thirst for more of this type of adventure (and a thirst for another round of truck modifications).

 

[FJ60Cam]

Which brings us to...































... Engine #4!!!

 

[FJ60Cam]

At this point, I probably should have just punted and got an 80. They are great at everything, and that’s what I wanted - great at everything.

On the other hand, other than the low lift and small tires, my truck could handle anything up to and including the Rubicon. It could drive for days straight at 80, and then slide into low range and idle down the trail. But even though it could go 80, and maintain it for days, it was sprinting pretty hard. I needed something more relaxed on the highway.

After the the Rubithon, @Cruiserdrew invited me to tag along as a passenger on a trip to Utah with the NorCal crew. After that trip, I knew what I wanted to do.

I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the 60. My wife had an LX450, but it would have cost a fortune to bring it up speed.

So, I did what any rational person would do - an LS swap