I've been on this forum for about 6 years, mostly as a spectator admiring the work and ingenuity some of you put on display. Slowly putting my 88 FJ62 back together with the help of some friends (Gunnar & Deo in Gainesville, FL). It is getting close to completion so I thought now might be appropriate to start sharing with you guys.
So I bought my first FJ62 off of eBay from Philly PA about 6 years ago. I live in Florida and while I've dealt with rust to some degree, I had no idea what real rust from Philly and the snow covered roads would do to a vehicle. I also wasn't aware of the level of cancer these vehicles can suffer from either.
The good: So the rig was super clean, inside and out. Family owned since new. Had roughly 225k miles and a perfect interior with no dash cracks, original radio and everything worked. It drove awesomely from the moment I got it. However, I sprung a serious oil leak in the first week and replaced the oil pan (OEM of course) and drove it every day for the next couple of years.
The Bad: in those couple of years, the rust basically ate my rig from the inside out. It became very apparent to me the day I busted my rear shock tube while wheeling in some dunes. Also my rear quarters were beginning to disappear from the cancer as well.
So I had to make the call on whether to sell it or restore it. I was on the fence until one day I found an amazing frame for sale that had been removed from a cherry 62. It had the body removed for a swap to an 80 series (which was an amazing build). So I bought the frame along with the axle housings, wheels and tires and had it shipped down.
About 6 months later I made contact with Deo (MelLowe) down in Gainesville and we discussed what it would take to get the frame swapped out and fix the cancer on the body. I trailered my rig and the rolling frame down 4 years ago and of course it's turned into a complete nut and bolt resto but also a great friendship.
I am posting some pics to tell the story and I will elaborate over the coming weeks with updates until it's complete. I'm not very good at taking pics of progress when I'm down there but I think knowing that this thread is posted will make me more apt to capture Gunnar's work and the small bits I get accomplished when I spend a night on the rig.
Enjoy and thanks for reading.
So I bought my first FJ62 off of eBay from Philly PA about 6 years ago. I live in Florida and while I've dealt with rust to some degree, I had no idea what real rust from Philly and the snow covered roads would do to a vehicle. I also wasn't aware of the level of cancer these vehicles can suffer from either.
The good: So the rig was super clean, inside and out. Family owned since new. Had roughly 225k miles and a perfect interior with no dash cracks, original radio and everything worked. It drove awesomely from the moment I got it. However, I sprung a serious oil leak in the first week and replaced the oil pan (OEM of course) and drove it every day for the next couple of years.
The Bad: in those couple of years, the rust basically ate my rig from the inside out. It became very apparent to me the day I busted my rear shock tube while wheeling in some dunes. Also my rear quarters were beginning to disappear from the cancer as well.
So I had to make the call on whether to sell it or restore it. I was on the fence until one day I found an amazing frame for sale that had been removed from a cherry 62. It had the body removed for a swap to an 80 series (which was an amazing build). So I bought the frame along with the axle housings, wheels and tires and had it shipped down.
About 6 months later I made contact with Deo (MelLowe) down in Gainesville and we discussed what it would take to get the frame swapped out and fix the cancer on the body. I trailered my rig and the rolling frame down 4 years ago and of course it's turned into a complete nut and bolt resto but also a great friendship.
I am posting some pics to tell the story and I will elaborate over the coming weeks with updates until it's complete. I'm not very good at taking pics of progress when I'm down there but I think knowing that this thread is posted will make me more apt to capture Gunnar's work and the small bits I get accomplished when I spend a night on the rig.
Enjoy and thanks for reading.
