60 vs 62 Which do you prefer and why?

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TDanley said:
Looking to add a weekend rig to get out and play in the beautiful high desert we live in. My husband has concerns in the fact that I like to have the ability to drive quickly. While I know these rigs aren't made for speed he has mentioned we have speed limits of 65 mph to get to our home. His thought process and research is showing FJ 60 = 60mph capped. I love the looks and manual transmission of the 60 however the ability to go at a little higher speed and ability to take a road trip uo the mountains is appealing too. Thoughts and real life experience? I currently have a 200 series but want something cooler to explore with. :)
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What's your budget? Probably quite a bit if you're looking for a nice 60 series. If your pockets are deep, this is an alternative I would consider: Colorado: 1976/Toyota Land Cruiser/ FJ55 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/classifieds/colorado-1976-toyota-land-cruiser-fj55.588/

For less money than a 60 you could buy a really nice 1st generation 4Runner with EFI, a manual transmission and better MPG. Also manual windows and locks. Just a thought...
 
I have owed both series of land cruisers. And I gotta say the 60 wins hands down for me. once you have the carb professionally rebuilt and dial that tractor motor in it is a reliable engine. I also enjoy shifting through the gears on a 60 series. yes both will come to a crawl pace on hills but when you get a good run a few miles before it can gain some ground but not for long.
 
i like the look of the 62 better personally. i love the 4 headlights for extra night lighting. i love the look of the dash (but finding an ac bezel to replace the old cracked one has proven difficult (rust farmers came though in the end). i love the power locks and windows for kids. i didn’t love the automatic in the end and did a diesel with an h55. now it’s the best of all worlds!!

not everyone will agree with me here but that’s my 2cents. mechanical stuff fails less often than electrical but it takes more effort to open windows and doors with out it. if it’s a back country warrior then you’re not like to lock your doors so it’s not an issue. mine is my daily driver so that was important to me. there are loads of upgrades you can do to fix or improve the electrical. all depends on how much time and $ you want to spend tinkering.
 
All excellent points made for both models. And having both is possible.

When shopping for a 60 series way back when, I loved the styling of the 60 and the idea of a manual and clutch in an old style truck. Also loved the "refinement" of the 62, mostly interior. Ended up with 1990 62 in almost pristine condition with all the 3 point belts, headrests, dash, power stuff, EFI. It took a few years for the plotting to begin, then the parts hoarding, then "built" the 6X series I wanted.

At one point I had 400W of 4 eyes going down range which was great (but pulled LOTS of power even with upgraded harness), but still yearned for the classic 60 styling.
So she got her eyes done...
tempImageeaIEXj.webp


The power windows became woefully slow over the years, and I did all the fixes to make them better (not the relay fix, still considering reversing back to that though).
I grew tired of them and wanted some 3rd world reliability. All my power window switches look like this now...
tempImageb6I27y.webp


I did appreciate the power locks, so I found this nifty item from a euro spec Cruiser (pretty sure I'm the only kid on my block with one of these)...
tempImagecYgCnF.webp


No need to rehash the auto transmission issues, it propelled us well for many years, and I ran it hard...it died completely.
The auto shifter looks like this now....
tempImageLHJ31P.webp


There's a couple other items I still want to swap/add (maybe), but every mod done is 100% OEM Toyota, plug-n-play, and completely reversible. Except the transmission sh!tbox, the only way that changes back is with an 8-holed Bowtie stuffed in the front.:hillbilly:

To each their own, but I wanted a little of each.
 
TDanley said:
Well I took y'alls advice and we are in negotiations on an FJ 60. Couldn't be more excited!! Thanks everyone. I will post pictures when it arrives.
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thats not the advice i gave you!! i said 62!! they’re just better 🤣. especially with a 1hdt and h55. im a luck guy because i have the prefect combo cruiser for me!!

i hope you’re negotiations work out. post pics when you become an owner. the beauty of these trucks really is that you can mix and match much of the parts to make it a hybrid if you want!!
 
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good luck. Its personal preference. I went with 62 for the modern conveniences of auto windows, auto mirrors, and auto transmission and rear seatbelts being the obvious. My kids used it as a daily driver for 4 years to highschool so I made it easy for them.
 
I would go 60 because of the round headlights and manual but those are both subjective topics. On the EFI, I have a Sniper and have had 20k trouble free miles. Sniper installs are not the “easy” button many think they are. Many installs I have seen are sub par which leads to poor running and justifiable complaints.

In the end, get the most rust free example you can find with a good history and go from there. The classifieds here are a great place to start your search.
 
Ideally you want a FJ62 back dated with round head lights and a manual trans.
 
TDanley said:
research is showing FJ 60 = 60mph capped
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Huh? I could run 80 mph (on the uncorrected speedo) all day with 31s and stock 4 speed at 4500 feet. That is, of course, assuming relatively flat ground.
Not the easiest but certainly doable is putting the 62's efi on the 2f. One of the best things I did with mine (link in signature)
 
For me the ultimate 6x series is a 62 body, axles (ok really 80 series locking), and efi with the 60's headlights and dash, 2f block, and 5 speed manual.
 
WarDamnEagle said:
Not a manual, at least not in US spec, but have you considered the last model before they went all cushy? I have had a diesel 100, 2 petrol 200s, and a 300 (UK, ME and ME respectively), and for outdoor adventures I'll take my '97 80 any day. I really like the looks of the 60 series so I get the appeal but I've never owned one so I can't really speak to their drivability. I do have an FJ55 though so if you really want the rugged LC persona then look no further. So my advice is to go one step backwards or forwards.
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Pretty sure the US never got the 105 series either, which is essentially a 100 series on an 80 series frame. Best of both worlds if you want the newer safety & comfort features but don’t want to give up the solid axle

I was looking at some before I bought my 60, but ultimately was swayed by the old-school charm the 60 has and preferring the 12HT to the 1HZ (sorry, that’s a real ‘my steak is to juicy’ problem to have for you Americans who never really got diesel LandCruisers)
 
I’m late to the party, but I split daily driving between a 40 with a sniper and a carbed 60 with 5 speed; both on 33’s. Either will go faster than I should drive them. They are slow getting up to speed as mentioned, and I need to downshift on big hills, but they aren’t “slow”. I think most people feel the need to baby them and not rev the engine so they keep them under 2500 rpm. Shift at 3000; 3500 if you’re coming to a hill or trying to get to highway speed and see what that tractor motor can do!

I’m about to turn 300k on my stock 2F in the 60. I’ve had it for about 30k of those miles. It can take it.
 
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