Am I driving the wrong truck?

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62's ROCK !!!!!

My 62 is (as they all are) slow.

But like everyone else said. You just see it and think, "Man I love this truck"

I'm also considering a turbo in the future. I work with a turbo nut who has
several extra turbos lying around so it is VERY tempting.

Anyhow the 60/62's are both awesome trucks...... :D
 
I'm running into the same issue... I have a 60, my brother has an 80. I love em both!! The 60 is slow and my radio just stopped working so I can't even chill with Bob right now. But, it doesn't matter, I still can't get enough of it. Just the other day I went surfing with my Dad and he drove to the beach because he wanted to drive my 60. He said it was FUN!!!! I'm looking to replace my 60 in the next year or so and I still can't decide between a 60 or an 80. I go back and forth between the two every day.
If you have been to the TLC website lately they have an 80 that they put a 60 body on, and if I had $88,000 I'd buy it... but I don't so I'm left droolin over it!!! I think I'm going to go insane if I think about it anymore.
Atleast you guys understand...
 
Think Im just gonna keep her. We made a deal. I will accept going s l o w but she has to last me until 300,000 before she gets a new engine. :princess: Has anyone figured out why I posted this lame topic or why I would dwell on something like speed in my truck. = UNEMPLOYED SON OF A BIT*H. I need work!
 
so nobody has any suggestions for gearing for the 33's.. I too am DD'ing the vehicle and would be very interested in regearing for maximum performance.. up hills, through canyons etc.. probably for the grapevine getting out of los angeles, the hills in the city are too backed up 24-7 to worry about speed, too much traffic to care..
 
I think it's a valid discussion, and it's one that I'm playing over and over in my head as well. My 60, I swear, is the biggest piece of crap ever built - on some days - on other days I think it's the best built vehicle on the planet. I've totally got the love/hate thing going, too.

I can't run it out travelling - to drive more than three hours in a row is to run the risk of a catostrophic break down. The drive line, for the most part, is great. All the crap that's hooked to it is the problem. The rear-main is blown, the rear axle seal is blown. I think the seal between the transfer/transmission is blown. The PO had the knuckles rebuilt (it's been less than 10k miles) and I've started to see a leak in one of them...it's frustrating. I'm not even sure if an 80 is a viable option, to be honest, because I wonder if an 80 would be any better.

I guess my problem is less in the comfort/speed - that doesn't bother me at all - my problem is in the reliability. The crap that I've had to go through just to keep the damn thing on the road is discouraging, and I worry that an 80 wouldn't offer much relief. I can't drive more than 300 miles without something totally going wrong (f'ing alt that I just replaced 3 weeks ago blew AGAIN - get to pick it up today and put it back in.)

Also, this is the third time I've written this rant in the last 6 months. I've erased all of the others just thinking "ah, it'll go away" and it does for a while...just looking for some support, I guess, but Hell, I don't know.
 
don't give up Swank.

we all feel your pain.

i compare my 60 to my wife. both give me much pain and grief and cost me lots of $ at times, but i wouldn't trade either one in for the world. :D

the 60 seems to be the perfect vehicle as long as it is not a DD in my opinion. unfortunately i have to use mine as a DD, but my trips in it are very short around town and to and from work. thing that sucks is i don't trust mine on long trips either. maybe one day i'll drop a new engine and tranny in it and will feel more comfortable. until then i know it has its limitations just as i do.

hang in there dude.
 
swank60 said:
I think it's a valid discussion, and it's one that I'm playing over and over in my head as well. My 60, I swear, is the biggest piece of crap ever built - on some days - on other days I think it's the best built vehicle on the planet. I've totally got the love/hate thing going, too.

I can't run it out travelling - to drive more than three hours in a row is to run the risk of a catostrophic break down. The drive line, for the most part, is great. All the crap that's hooked to it is the problem. The rear-main is blown, the rear axle seal is blown. I think the seal between the transfer/transmission is blown. The PO had the knuckles rebuilt (it's been less than 10k miles) and I've started to see a leak in one of them...it's frustrating. I'm not even sure if an 80 is a viable option, to be honest, because I wonder if an 80 would be any better.
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I went thru this very issue with my near prisitine 62. Seemed like every day was something new to fix and old fixes wouldn't stay fixed. Long distance travel wasn't gonna happen with the family and it towed like s*** anyways.
So I broke down and sold it, even though I loved that truck and I knew I wouldn't find another one that clean. Bought a nice Suburban and it does everything my 62 couldn't. I still miss the 62 but reality has to be given a priority sometimes.
 
Not the best choice for long hwy trips but I would jump in my $2000 60 and go anywhere without hesitation. I might have to do a little wrenching along the way, but most vehicles with 220,000 miles and a previous owner that neglected it are ready for the junk yard. I just painted it so it should run pretty good now! :D
 
gulp3000 said:
Not the best choice for long hwy trips but I would jump in my $2000 60 and go anywhere without hesitation. I might have to do a little wrenching along the way, but most vehicles with 220,000 miles and a previous owner that neglected it are ready for the junk yard. I just painted it so it should run pretty good now! :D
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in the last four years, i've been stranded (needed to call a tow truck) for new fuel injected and computer-controlled vehicles about 8 times.

in the same last 4 years, the Cruisers never once needed anything but their own power to drive home.

I think only twice have i done an on-the-road repair on my fj40 (none yet on the 60). I rebuilt the carb while camping, then later in the same trip, I stopped at autozone, bought new points and a feeler gauge for $8 total, drove the remaining 500 miles home.

pretty good track record!

Tim
 
I'm driving an '82 BJ60 that I wouldn't trade for most any other vehicle (I might take a 100 or 120 series turbo-diesel!!). I'm about to turn over 400,000 km and I've just driven from Canada to Central America and the only failure was due to some corrosion that delayed us one day. I figure 8,000 - 10,000 km with one failure (due to the age only, not a mechanical failure) is decent reliability. I wouldn't hesitate taking my '60 anywhere and I used my '84 BJ60 as a daily driver for nearly 2 years before selling it in anticipation of this trip.
 
Hmm, interesting reports.

I've had my Diesel 61 now for about a year, and in that time it hasn't (touch wood) let me down once, BUT!!!

I have taken the time and $$$ to make sure things are right. Full front end rebuild, new springs, shocks, oil seals..And had them done professionally.

I guess its like anything, if you treat it right and look after it, it will in turn look after you. Also bear in mnd that IT IS A 15 - 25 YEAR OLD VEHICLE....

On another note, the TD with 160Kms on it runs like a dream, and quick (for a cruiser) too!!!

N :beer:
 
you could drive a cruiser for a very very very very very long time with out doing anything major(most likly)..but this site changes us...well me anyways...as soon as seal goes i get the part and im on it...soon as hear a diff sound im on it...cruiser hyprocondrac (dude could not spell that word if my life depended on it)
 
Thats what I mean man. If you expect the vehicle to run smoothly, and without problems then little things HAVE to be sorted....Sways the odds in my favour I think....

N
 
Well, I certainly don't let mine go to pasture - I've always kept it up, fix what needed to be fixed, etc. The only real long trip I ever took it on only got me half way there and left me stranded for a week in Memphis, TN. That was fine when it was just me leaving for a backpacking trip, but now I'm looking at family vacations with two kids and the wife. I can't be replacing u joints on the side of the road at midnight anymore.

As far as having work done on it professionally, that's what the PO did with mine - took it to local dealers and the local LC specialist (who is, by my judgement, not a very good mechanic at all) - spent thousands of dollars on it too. So why wouldn't my truck pass the emissions test? The smog pump hoses were put on backwards. Why was I having vapor lock? When the head was redone, the mechanic neglected to put the censor for the carb fan back on. Why was the knuckle leaking? Half of the bolts had come loose because they weren't tightened correctly.

At least I found out today that the knuckle leak wasn't a blown seal (knock on wood - that still has to pan out by putting miles on it) - which is funny. Ownership was totally hinging on that alone (come on, you know you've done it) I was thinking, okay, if the seal is bad, I'm selling it. If the bolts are loose and tightening fixes it, I'll keep it. Guess the Cruiser Gods want to torture me a little longer...
 
I hear your pain, I guess at the end of the day there are "bad" ones that roll off the factory floor. I also agree with mechanics...I luckily have found a good one whom only works on 4x4's.....

for what its worth, and my 2c worth, sell it and buy another, it might just be what you need. Oh, and as for long trips with kids and wife, I have just got back from traveling 7500 kms with 3 kids under 8 and a very cranky wife:)

http://www.sheridan.id.au/halls_creek.htm

Av a gr8t day dude
 
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