60 Build-up begins shortly - need input (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Dec 18, 2002
Threads
20
Messages
204
Location
Davidsonville, MD
Hey all. Long time since i posted, busy with work, 40 Resto, etc.

Since my 40 is coming out of restoration in the next few weeks and i'll be able to drive that for the first time since september, i'm getting prepared for the rebuild of my 60. (long overdue)

Here's the plan so far:

Vortec V8(2000- later)
4l60/80 E, whichever comes attached to it.
stock rebuilt 19 spline split case, 85 later (38mm idler shaft)
stock axles (already have 4.88's and lockers - detroit i rear, lockrite in front)
37" SSR's (already on the truck)
Dual Batts (already there)

What i need are ideas on the interior and add-ons. This will be (as it is now) my daily driver and kid hauler (once they're born :) ) and as such needs to have all the accoutrements necessary for long trips and sitting in traffic. Tentative plans are to do 2 rows of buckets, lower the floor and do a third seat. Anyone ever done this? What about interior fabric. I was going to go with leather for durability, but has anyone used anything better? what about sourcing the seats from another vehicle? which ones fit the best? What about heat shielding on the floor, insulation in the doors, rear cargo area, etc?

Also, i need headliner and carpet, where is the best place for these? Specter? how's the quality vis-a-vis price?

Dash layouts. Has anyone swapped a 62 dash in to get the more modern instrumentation? I'm going with Autometer gauges, so i guess the biggest thing will be the way it's laid out and the HVAC controls, which in my 60 are shot.

Speaking of HVAC, anyone done rear air?

Interior lighting and entertainment. I've got a few monitors (5" for the headrests adn 7 for the dash) already, but i'm wondering about the centermounted ones and the experiences anyone might have had with installation isuees, etc.

The truck is getting taken down to bare metal and fully stripped, new frame and suspension, everything painted, repaired, or replaced, and i don't intend to leave a stone unturned. So, if you have suggestions, let's hear them.

Thanks
Rob
 
I know nothing replaces HP, but it seems lots are turning to the chevy V-6, lighter.

If I remember correctly Spaceghost is dropping in a six and jamming back as far as possible, even cutting into the firewall.


Also a reminder, do all you engine and suspension work prior to stripping the frame, then pull it apart for blasting and paint.

Rob
 
WOW Rob.....

That sure sounds like a great truck....I have the TBI 350 in mine...sure wish I could drive the truck:-(

I have Recaro's up front and had looked into the rear buckets but they get awfully close almost make a bench in teh back because of the wheel wells...IU ran Autometers in the palce of stock gauges...do a quick search on guges/dash...really lookin foward to your progress..

Tim
 
i wanna tag along for this please post pics of the process.
I would be interested in the 3rd row seat idea. as well as rear air as my cruiser will hopefully one day be the family car if $ ever comes around :)
 
Last edited:
Cool beans, Rob, the Blue Ox has been needing it for a while...

One the headliner, are you interested in back to stock look? I recently saw an FJ60 here in Austin that had marine carpeting installed by a shop in replacement of the stock headliner. Looked BADASS and the owner had put some Dynamat underneath. I don't have pictures, but if (I guess I should say "when") I have to do headliner on mine, I'll do something like that. Pretty clean look, durable, and stronger than the stock stuff.

On the upholstery, some people prefer fabric, but I've had good luck with the factory leather on mine, it's stood up pretty well with minimum (okay, neglectful) maintenance. Can't say they look like a concourse restoration, but they're fine. I will eventually (was planning to do this soon, but the project went over budget and the chairman of the appropriations committee (wife) vetoed the proposal) replace the OEM front seats with some nice aftermarket ones, and probably splurge and reupholster the rear bench in the same material to match.

FJ60 to FJ62 dash swap is really straight forward if you have a parts truck to do it, I helped a couple of buddies do this.

On the center seat, I've often dreamed of putting two aftermarket bucket seats with another Tuffy in between the two, but I still use my cargo area a LOT and don't know if I want to give up the use of the knock-down seat.

Third row seat is practically impossible to do right on a 60 series because of the height of the floor, and dropping it would be impossible without sacrificing a lot of offroad clearance. I've seen several different setups and will dig up some pictures for you from the archives, but I've never been impressed. How many kids are you planning to have, anyway?! :)

The Cummins 4BT is supposed to be pretty loud, so I did set aside funds to do Dynomat on the floors, doors and firewall. I'll still put the carpet over it, but it makes a huge difference on the noise (and hence driveability), especially on the doors. My friend Dave Reljac did it on the front doors of his FJ60 and the difference was phenomenal.

Looking forward to this buildup, let's see some pictures!
 
Sweet. This is the kind of stuff i needed.

I like the V8 - i did consider the V6 but, and i know it'll sound dumb, i don't like the fact that the V8 is so tiny in the engine compartment and the 6 is even tinier. I turn VERY heavy tires, and i don't the 6 would cut it. I DID consider the inline Vortec 6, but then decided that i'd just better keep the whole thing as simple as possible.

I haven't given much thought to the headliner material, per se, but i do like the idea additional soundproofing. Not a fan of the velour type, though.

The second row/third bucket is going to be a challenge. I'll lower the floor to do it right. As far as ground clearance is concerned, i'm not too worried. Being sprung over on 37's pretty much takes care of clearance issues. The new frame also has a 3" suspension lift on it, so it'll be even taller. (Dobinsons)

Thanks for all the good ideas and keep em coming. As the project begins and progresses I'll keep everyone appraised and post pics.

Gotta get through the 40 restoration first! Almost there!
Rob
 
bernefj60 said:
stock rebuilt 19 spline split case, 85 later (38mm idler shaft)

Thanks
Rob

Pretty sure the 38mm idler t-case didn't start until 4/86. Just hoping you get the right one! I just put an 87 case behind my H55f and that shaft is huge!
 
as the aspect of rear air. my 6 y/o complains the "this isnt like mommys car, mommys car is cold"
well, mommys car doesnt get 6 mpg with the air on.
anyway...i tapped into the duct under my dash with a peice of 1" flexable corrigated pipe, called ENT from an electrical supply house. fed it out under my radio, under the Tuffy console, and now it blows up toward the back seat.
when i disconnect it, i can plug the whole with a weatherproof gasketed plug.
it looks kida mysterious...a bright orange hose running acronn my tranny hump.
Hammer
 
Good on you Rob. Sounds like some fun ahead. Ex has some cool ideas for sure. I'm going to Hurculine my interior before I carpet it too. The stock Toyota diesel isnt to loud so I wont worry about noise, and I dont suspect your 350 will be either. That tub lining should do much to cancel out road noise though too. Good luck.
 
Radd Cruisers said:
I know nothing replaces HP, but it seems lots are turning to the chevy V-6, lighter.

If I remember correctly Spaceghost is dropping in a six and jamming back as far as possible, even cutting into the firewall.


Also a reminder, do all you engine and suspension work prior to stripping the frame, then pull it apart for blasting and paint.

Rob

you mean mock everything up before getting everything pretty so i don't have to strip all the nice powdercoating off? I learned that lesson on the 40 project when i decided to do power steering late in the game. Thankfully, it's just frame paint and cna resprayed with some epoxy leveler and a few new coats.

Rob
 
Cruiserdrew said:
Pretty sure the 38mm idler t-case didn't start until 4/86. Just hoping you get the right one! I just put an 87 case behind my H55f and that shaft is huge!

I got 8.5mpg last fillup. I've NEVER dropped below 12 - even loaded with a trailer and AC on. Found the culprit - bad clutch fan staying on.

Rob
 
HZJ60 Guy said:
Good on you Rob. Sounds like some fun ahead. Ex has some cool ideas for sure. I'm going to Hurculine my interior before I carpet it too. The stock Toyota diesel isnt to loud so I wont worry about noise, and I dont suspect your 350 will be either. That tub lining should do much to cancel out road noise though too. Good luck.

I wouldn't rely on just Herc to deaden any significant noise. My 40's tub is herc'd and it didn't deaden any noise at all. Herc is great stuff, but go with a some type of dynomat-esque product as well.
 
wesintl said:
Longs for the front axle. How many miles does that 2f have now?
the front is going to need longfields, but i've yet to break one, knock on wood. The 2F has 288,345 miles on it as of today. Still runs great, and with awesome compression. Kind feel like i should keep that motor, but practicality prevails. I'll pull the 2f, clean it up, and either stuff it in my 40 or just hang onto it. I'd love to build a stroked 2F. :D
 
chitown40 said:
I wouldn't rely on just Herc to deaden any significant noise. My 40's tub is herc'd and it didn't deaden any noise at all. Herc is great stuff, but go with a some type of dynomat-esque product as well.

I'd love to do the diesel, and have thought long and hard about a 6.5 conversion, but in the end i think that a nice quiet ride that is easy to find parts for and is easy to source is in my future. I thought about a japanese take out, but then realized the cool factor wasn't worth the month wait for parts to come in.

I'm going with the Speedliner in my 40 - it looks good and i hope will wear well. Whether or not i use it in my 60 will depend on how it holds up in my 40.

Rob
 
bernefj60 said:
I'd love to build a stroked 2F. :D

Uncle Ben a local rising sun guy has a built simese head F motor that just screams.

It was fun listening to him bash snow drifts. :D
 
poor man

poor man i do not envy the headaches you are embarking on , I just finished a huge build on mine and almost went off the deep end
 
PolishX said:
poor man i do not envy the headaches you are embarking on , I just finished a huge build on mine and almost went off the deep end

Do tell. I'd be interested to hear about the issues you ran into and things that you might have done differently.
Rob
 
while we're on this and while i'm thinking about it, does anyone know if it's possible to buy the high roof for the 60? I'm thinking from toyota if it could even be ordered it would be ridiculously expensive, but what about used?

Ideas?
Rob
 
6.0/NV4500.... or 6.0/4L80E gets my vote. If you plan to tow... get the 4L80E no doubt over the 4L60E if you go auto.

The 5.3 engines are cheaper as they are in less demand. Buy a complete takeout so you have all the parts. The little things will nickel and dime you to death. Get the eFans from the truck as they are huge (5,000cfm I believe).

http://www.car-part.com is your friend for takeouts

Can you post a picture of your truck in its current form? It sounds like it should look pretty wild with those 37" tires. Is it SOA or just a lift?

-Mark
 

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