2nd thoughts on the practicality of owning a nice bj60 (1 Viewer)

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You can always do what I did and lock the wagon and put 4.88's in it! Besides all you would have to do is swap the thirds out of the forty if it has the right splines....

With kids the wagon is the best of both worlds! I vote for keeping the wagon.

Tony
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What your showing in the vidio is just superficial damage no big deal. Show what you can underneath the frame and rear wheel fenders, then we will know the true extent of what work, if any it needs.
 
Tony, nice rig! and you're rockin 33x9.5 bfgs! cools!

harvy, the frame is solid, i have one small hole on the drivers side rear well under the carpet...but the frame rails/rear cross member/rockers/etc..are in great shape (took a ball peen hammer, srcrew driver and wire brush to different sections)...i wouldn't have picked her up if it wasn't, but i have more pics...

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after some scrubbing, bare metal.
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caked in 26 years worth of rusproofing.
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the worst spot.
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parking lot rash! doh!
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and the PO added a moonroof, which works nice.... don't know if the purists will agree though...but i'm glad it's there.
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original chrome bumpers

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standard issue, drivers seat, wear and tear...
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original paint as you can see and no fade. and after seeing what's beeing sold in western canada, i'm confident she's in better shape than the majority...how 'bout that for an eastern canada rig?! hats off to the PO! see, the reality of it is that all the 60s in canada that have been used year round WILL and HAVE suffered the same fate...heck, i've seen 10 year old vehicles here with waaay more rust. and i've seen some jdms with holes too...

yeah, i have an album for each cruiser.....

and i have 2 buddies running wvo on their rigs....i so want that too! again, funds...
 
OK. I'm going to be in the minority here. I am assuming that keeping this rig, along with your 40, and getting yet another rig is out of the question. So, if you have to keep this as the family rig or get a different rig instead, I'd get a different rig for all the reasons that you state.

I think for the uses that you state, a newer rig that wasn't so "truck-like" would serve you better. I think these rigs are safe, but newer rigs really are safer with airbags, crumple zones, rear shoulder belts, etc. Getting older people into a 60 on 33's is not a pretty thing. Newer rigs are way more powerful and pleasurable to drive (for non-cruiserheads that is). Plus the creature comforts and ride quality are on a different plane.

If I could save one of the rigs, I would save the 40. Before you know it, the kids will be old enough to go out wheeling with you. I think that it's a great family activity, or at least one for father / child if mom's not into it. Everyone that I know that went wheeling as a child has such fond memories of those experiences, often being the happiest childhood memories. A great way to strengthen the bond with the kids. JMHO.
 
40's are great rigs. (I bought one new in 78 then was dumb enough to sell it) But lets be real, there is really only room for two people and there gear for anything more than day trips close to home. Camping gear, kids and the dog all fit comfortably in my wagon. And a properly equipped wagon will go anywhere a 40 will go with a few exceptions. A 40 may have an easier time with it and will probably return with it's tail lights but I will get there.

A wagon is a better road rig as well. Take a long trip with both and see which one you want to ride home in. My BJ is a daily driver.

There is no minimum age to enjoy the woods with your kids. If they will fit in a car seat, they are old enough. You just can't get crazy with an infant, save that for later when they are stronger. Lots more room in a wagon for them and there stuff. It may not be fun to put old people into a 60 on 33's, try putting a kid in a car seat into the back of a 40

Tony
 
great points cruzerman. that's why i thought about a JDM mitsubishi delica van that seats 7 or 8, have turbo diesel AND 4x4. and they can wheel too!

a newer vehicle that's not a cruiser that fits your criteria would likely be an import van like an oddysey or previa, maybe a pilot or highlander....or a caravan... none of which i'm interested in, i'm just too sold on the diesel...and the newer rigs are more money and are gassers... the older folks wont be going on the rig all the time though so it wont be too big an issue and they're in their 60's and still okay to step up a little higher..my grandparents...another story, lol. i'm a minimalist so i wont be sold on creature comforts and ride quality...not just yet at least as we've been fine with our "older" 91 jdm 80 series, which still rides like new and has power doodads and coil sprung..

the 40 will be an ultrarare beast by the time my kids are old enough to enjoy it...that's IF i can get it to that level...she's slow on 4.88 gears/35's/locked and a stiff ride...to get places will take forever and not much room for stuff....AND it'd be an insult to the old girl to take her on gravel roads camping..lol. she will remain a bush truck that will take a beating and not a family rig.... (unless it goes back to stock and i get good seats in the back, i don't have any...) so realistically, a 60 would be best to haul a young fam in with tonnes of storage and mild mods to go over some rocks and water crossings...so with that, i agree with kynot62.

so right now, sure, the 80 will do perfectly.. it'll fit us 3 + new baby next year comfortably....hmm, mind you, on our trip out west with our then 6 month old, even with us 3 and gear, it was cramp (mind you we had a playpen/stroller and slightly overpacked, lol)...a roof rack would've been perfect. it'll be camping most of the time and the odd mild trail when goin out with friends with kids...it'll be a long while before i take older kids to the hydrolines...and 3foot water crossings.

right now, i can live with 2 rigs (with the 40 gone) and my rig could have the mods to serve a combination of what the 40 could do in the comfort and room of a 60...just like Tony's rig! that's sweet man!

ah well, back to pondering.. really appreciate all the input, thoughts, and advice fellas! i'm definitely looking forward to building more memories with my lil guy who says "mama's truck" and "papa's truck" about 100 times a day..pretty soon he'll be saying "mama's eighty" and "papas sixty"! and "locking diff-er-entials"! lol.

so who's lookin for a clean bj60?! maybe i'll just put a feeler out there and see what happens...it's not like i'll suffer if i kept the bj60 for a lil while longer...;)
 
Doug 720, could not agree more with your post. I just love the simplicity, ruggedness of my 60, yet would not want it for my DD, thankfully my 4runner does the job. KEEP THE 60!
 
...we've found out that we're expecting a 2nd baby.

:beer:Congrats on the new arrival:beer:

...long term ownership and how practical it will really be to owning a meticulously maintained legend. been told not to wheel it and go overboard, i agree. i believe she's one of the last nice ones left in original shape.

These things aren't really "practical" from a $$ and cents standpoint at all IMO.
But if you're not going to wheel it, whatever wheeling is to you, and not be able to do what you want to do with it cosmetically, performance wise, for concern over deteriorating the value, then I'd lose it and get soemthing else.
so, im in southern ontario with bad winters and lots of salt on the roads... i've been using her as a DD and she will be used in the winter time. the PO heated garaged the rig and used a winter beater which explains why it's in such good shape (regular oil spray and detailed maint. records since new). so there's that.

I'm somewhat fortunate that I don't have to deal with snow, ice and salt.
I say somewhat because first I think the countryside with snow in the hills, is a beautiful sight.
2nd, we have salt spray and heavy humidity here that wreaks its own forms of havon on vehicles.

then there's the other things like not having AC, not having rear head rests, and the plain fact that she's not the fastest thing out there (but she get's me there)... so we do a lot of convoys with fam and friends and i know i'll be slowing the crew down...especially on long gentle uphills...lol. thanks to the 3B!

The no AC would be a deal breaker for me and the Family, but we're in Florida too.
The no rear headrests can be corrected.
Speed?
If you want speed, buy a full sized diesel (Excursion)!!

You'll have all the speed you want, it can carry 2 families and thier gear, climb grades loaded and towing without missing a stroke, and with regular maintenance, can be more economical to own.

It won't get the around town (or even highway) fuel economy you'll get with your toy diesel, and the only way the toyota would keep up with it, would be passing it at diesel stops:lol:
But it would eliminate all the above concerns you have.

but don't get me wrong, i freakin love this rig! there's just something about it's simplicity, robustness, and reliabilty that i love very much! i like cruising in the slow lane and drivng the 5spd... she could use a turbo, but she's just to nice to mess with if ya know what i'm saying?? so i moslty think she should be kept stock, maybe a mild lift...

...and that, my friend, is the ADDICTION:cheers::D

in the end, she'll eventually sucumb to the winter/salt and will end up being one of those high mileage 60s with strong engine/tranny but body is gone.... a part of me wants to see this thing staying rust free in a place where there's better climate (maybe the USA) and living a long healthy life with a good owner. or at least be a hobbyists rig where it get's less than average use and stored in teh witner time.

The elements are going to get to everything that isn't made of some sort of plastic or expensive metal:frown:
There are not that many places in the states that she'll be "protected."
Arizona and California come to mind. You really want to send it to a life in the PRK?:lol::lol:

finally, maybe it's more practical to have a minivan so the aging inlaws can go on our road trips and not have to drive (so i thought about JDM mitsubishi delicas, turbo diesel 4x4)... we're lucky that the wife has the 80 and we're likely to keep that rig for a longer time. she loves it and it's perfect for trips with just us.

If you're really going to be hauling the inlaws along frequently, then I'd say yes.
I wouldn't even worry about the 4x4 if I were planning on hauling the in laws. Unless you're taking them camping.

Then again, the Mitsubishi can get a little cramped with 4 adults, 2 kids and all the baby and camping gear.
I'd seriously stick with a full sized rig for the "huge family outings."
Even then, you can get the X with 4wd, it's easy to get in and out of and still relatively capable for the terrain you mention.

I'd keep the 80 and convert it to a "family" trail rig, for you the wife and kids.
Enough room for a couple days on the trail, comfortable, very capable, and newer.

oh yeah, only 238K kms, 5spd, new exhaust, rad, and she's running like a top!

Nice for someone:cheers:

the 40 will need to go soon too i think, too built to have young kids in it and it'll still be a loooong while before i can take that out to the woods with my son...??? if all else fails, at least we still have the 80 for our main family rig.

I don't know?

I had a 40 when my son was born. Let the wife talk me into selling it because of the still ride, lack of "creature comforts" poor fuel economy, and lack of safety features.
If I'd known then.....I'd have kept it, made a beach/weekend camping rig out of it, and went ahead and bought a DD.
Hindsights a beotch!

I have my FJ62 now, and for all but a team rig (SAR TEAM) it's perfect for my uses.

Tough decisions for you my friend. I wish you the best:cheers:
 
off duty, thank you for that assessment and time spent in your post, really preciated it! that's what i like about this forum, lots of different honest perspectives!

and yes, the country side whether with snow on the hills or a sunny fall day...is just beautiful (heck, if i had that scenery all the way to the west coast, i'd skip the freeway and cruiser at 50mph!)

and at one point i did think about a diesel suburban! lol. but yeah, too big for most of my uses for it and like you said not quite as efficient in the long run.

just had a thought, where's that dry place in nevada where they keep all the retired military aircraft? there should be a storage place there for these types of rigs...heck, i can park it there under the shade and come back for it in 10 years! :hillbilly:

yeah, in hindsight is a biotch, lol...i had/have dreams of just takin the 40 apart and learning as i go over a span of a few years and gettin her to fit my needs...but you know what sometimes happens to these long term projects and time and funds get tight...(how many times do we see that post on the classified, the typical, " with kids/family, not enough time and funds to finish the project" sale...lol) ah well... a few years from now, i'll be older and i'll be responding to the same post from a guy that's in my shoes when i was him...hhahaaaa!

i think it boils down to the timing of me aquiring these rigs. if i had a 15 year old and passed the little kid stage, it'd be a whole different story, if ya know what i mean.

well, at least the 80 doesn't really need much as she's awesome bone stock (it'd be more wants than needs with a lift/winch/bumpers/etc..)

well, we're headed down to florida next year, maybe i'll come visit a cruiser gathering with the 80 if all works out!

okay, think i'll start putting my add together, maybe tomorrow i'll have a "feeler" out. :)

cheers and happy canadian thanks giving! gobble gobble!

romey
 
We bought our first 60 before we had kids. DDer'd it right from the start. Wheeled it when my wife was pregnant with our first. Brough first, 2nd and 3rd kids home from the hospital. We wheel (even if it's just mild wheeling) all the time. All of us. My kids are 8,4,2 years old and they all love it. Don't wait to take your kids out wheeling, you'll miss out on some great times!!!!!

You will never be able to replace that 60! But if it really doesn't matter to you, sell it and move on, there are many good TLC's out there that perform just as good and better as the 60 does.

I love our 60, we really own this truck, not just drive it. We plan on dumping a bunch of $$$ into it this coming year and we have no regrets about it. We know we will never find another vehicle with the same utility as the 60.
 
We bought our first 60 before we had kids. DDer'd it right from the start. Wheeled it when my wife was pregnant with our first. Brough first, 2nd and 3rd kids home from the hospital. We wheel (even if it's just mild wheeling) all the time. All of us. My kids are 8,4,2 years old and they all love it. Don't wait to take your kids out wheeling, you'll miss out on some great times!!!!!

You will never be able to replace that 60! But if it really doesn't matter to you, sell it and move on, there are many good TLC's out there that perform just as good and better as the 60 does.

I love our 60, we really own this truck, not just drive it. We plan on dumping a bunch of $$$ into it this coming year and we have no regrets about it. We know we will never find another vehicle with the same utility as the 60.

that's awesome mainlander, good for you and the fams! i can't wait for next summer when i can at least do some light trails with my son. i just can't dump a bunch of money into her right now.
yeah, these 60s are just so strong, reliable, and roomy! the diesel is the best part though as i wouldn't have been able to justify a straight 6 gasser for my use. . . . if this was never the case, i wouldn't have had an suv in the 1st place...and wouldn't be on this forum...maybe in a jetta TDI wagon forum...:)
 
I completely understand... pondered the thought myself of the original post.

The person that will keep it "well" might wheel the pants off of it cause they are looking for a clean rig like that.

You never can tell, but be tempted to keep her and give her all the love she desrves. Find a commute and that can be your family camping bonding truck. or sell it and hook up your wifes 80 for camping trips!

Good luck, sweet looking rig.
 

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