Be careful what you wish for FJ62 project: Grey Lady (1 Viewer)

[kengalbraith]

How this happened: I went to HS in northern NM in the early 2000s and my best friend drove this truck that her dad bought for her from an AZ relative. She got a new car when she went to college. Her dad eventually wanted this truck to be his project, he worked for the Forest Service at the time and wanted to build a trail rig. He ended up getting a Tacoma, and then an 80 series and Grey Lady (my new name for this project) fell by the wayside. At one point (estimated to be about 2008-ish) she stopped running and has now sat out in the yard for about ten years.

Fast forward to January 2018. I have been semi-joking with the father for years about the FJ62. Every time I stop by the family house (I have since moved away from northern NM but they are close family friends and I stop by when I'm in town) I tell him if he ever wants to get rid of the 62 that I want it. Keep in mind I know nothing about 62's, Toyotas, and have never been offroad, I just think the thing looks cool and would be fun to have another project car (even though I already have an E30 that mostly just sits and I talk about working on but never actually do). I have no idea of the cult following, the demand for older landcruisers, or how much people love these things. A little background on me: I am in my early 30s and live in urban Denver with no garage. I can change a tire and my own oil but the biggest project I have ever done is changing an alternator. I most definitely do not need another project in my life, but I'm also an idiot (or maybe a genius, because now I have a 62!).

So finally it happens: the dad calls me and says the wife wants the 62 gone. It has now been sitting for about ten years and they have 5-6 running other cars on the property including said Taco and 80 series. Did I want it? Um, HELL YEAH I DID.

I go down to NM the next weekend, put a wrench on the block to see if it spun (I googled a ton of wtf do I do with a car that has been sitting forever? threads) and it did so I put it on a flatbed and dropped it off across town at my dad's house.

Below is the car as I found her, after filling the tires. It had basically just been tenement housing for mice for years at this point, and we used a compressor to spray out a graveyard of carcasses and years of mouse poop. Dust is everywhere on the interior and exterior, but other than that the interior was in decent shape - the PO threw a sun visor in the windshield and an old sheet over the seats, so everything is pretty intact except the tops of the door interiors which are all cracked. The dry NM weather took care of the body - this truck has minimal rust.

Up on the flatbed to the new home:

Grey Lady was officially mine! Now to figure out why she wouldn't start... the previous owner doesn't remember why he parked her in the first place.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, Fuel ,fire and air ,start with that. Mike

 

[kengalbraith]

Head back down to NM from Denver for another weekend of fun in early Feb 2018 to see if I can get the 62 to start. I did as much research as I could on how to diagnose a car that had been sitting forever. This was about the time I discovered the iH8mud forum - thank god for this resource. My DD is a legacy GT and let me tell you - the people on that forum can be dicks. I have found this forum to be nothing but helpful, even with someone like me who has no idea what they are doing and is just trying to learn.

This is what I start with (and actually pretty much still looks the same as of Jan 2019):

I learn about fuel - air - spark and decide this is the best place to start. I drain the old gas and oil, swap the fuel filter and oil filter, swap the spark plugs, spray some fogging oil in the block, add new fuel and oil, and swap the battery. Will it start? Nah, of course it wouldn't be that easy. She turns over, but will not get started. I learn about spraying starting fluid through the air intake to see if it will turn over (I later learn this isn't always the best idea) and voila! She turns over and runs with starting fluid being sprayed in! So, I decide fuel is my issue.

I pull the fuel line at the block and try to turn it - sure enough, no fuel. I try to listen for a fuel pump running and can't hear it but am not really sure if I am supposed to or not. I read a ton on the forums and decide a bad fuel pump is my issue. In retrospect, I probably did not do enough diagnosis before deciding this and just got lucky that it worked. I pack it back in and drive back to Denver - the fuel pump will have to wait for another weekend. I PB blast every bolt I can find holding in the fuel tank and call it a weekend.

 

[kengalbraith]

Hi, Fuel ,fire and air ,start with that. Mike

Hi Mike! You are dead on. That is exactly what I do in the second post.

 

[Seth S]

I hate you.

Jk. Awesome score!!

 

[Michael Hanson]

You ought to be able to hear the fuel pump running in the fuel tank. But sitting that long it's probably no good. Denso makes the pump for Toyota. The filter sock on the pump also needs to be replaced. A second person dropping the tank helps. With tools the pump can be replaced in about 1 1/2 hours. Mike

 

[kengalbraith]

Here was my first post on IH8Mud back in February last year:

No Fuel coming through line - fuel pressure issue, fuel pump, or ?

After the above post, I ordered a new fuel pump and decided to drop the fuel tank mostly because I didn't know how to cut a hole in the floor of the truck. I read a ton on the forums about how long this would take and read anywhere from a few hours to the better part of a day. It took me just about the whole weekend! I had a nightmare of a time getting the metal fuel line disconnected and later, reconnected, and I'm really lucky I didn't bend/break the damn thing. Here is my thread for the fuel line:

Special way to disconnect fuel line?

Made sure to check the relay and sending unit before dropping per the forum but not sure I really did this correctly - I still don't really understand how to use a multi-meter properly. Mostly just got lucky that the pump was the issue.

Tank out:

Pump out:

Reinstalled the tank with the new pump and attempted to start. The damn thing started, and idled, on the second try! I have a video of it, but there is a lot of cussing because I'm so excited plus couldn't figure out how to embed, so decided not to share. The Grey Lady was running!

 

[mwebfj60]

Good stuff! The easiest way to post videos is to set up a YouTube and upload them there then copy link and paste the link here in a post.

 

[kengalbraith]

Once running, fuel was leaking from the metal fuel line that I hadn't tightened down enough. Another trip to the forum:

Fuel leaking where tank threads into line

The FJ was indeed running, but every time I got it up above 2000 RPMs, it would sputter out and die. Tried to put it in gear a few times and it would go in, but as soon as the RPMs would go up the car would sputter and die. Had to head back to Denver and save this for another weekend. While I was gone, my dad decided to simply pour more gas in it and suddenly it started working! I couldn't believe it. He drove it up and down our street a few times and even pulled an old boat and trailer that had been sitting for a bit. Suddenly, I had a running, driving, FJ62, for about 3 weekends of work and a few hundred dollars in parts.

I found a guy on craigslist who parts out and sometimes flips 60s and 62s and grabbed some used tires and threw those on there. I changed out the coolant and tried to change out the tranny fluid - screwed this up pretty quickly as I learned FJs have an insane amount of tranny fluid and you can only drain a certain amount at a time. I somehow managed to drain some of the fluid and replaced not enough back. The dipstick seemed low but my brother was paranoid about overfilling the fluid and would not let me add more. This turned out to be a mistake. While having no issues shifting with the ten year old trans fluid, the cruiser suddenly was taking a super long time to shift up. Like an idiot, I drove it to Classic Cruisers anyway. This somehow did not result in ruining the transmission - they just added fluid in and its pretty much back to normal. Definitely a testament to the bulletproof reputation of the cruisers.

After finding Classic Cruisers in Poncha Springs, CO via the forums, I decided this was the best place to take my cruiser in the area to have someone look at it and tell me what should be next. This also kinda turned out to be a mistake as well. After my cruiser sat for ten years, with only swapping spark plugs, battery, fluids, and a fuel pump, the thing made the 170 mile trip through the mountains of southern CO to Classic Cruisers. In my head, I thought they would just maybe make some recommendations on what to do next. Since the thing was running and driving, I didn't expect them to come back with anything crazy. What I failed to understand was that this is a full resto shop and people come in the have their FJs rebuilt top to bottom. What I did not convey very well was I just wanted my car to run and drive and maybe a bit of guidance on making it more reliable. What I got was an insanely thorough list of things that needed to be replaced.

I was told the block had good compression and that the tranny was fine once they added more fluid. They told me outside of that, everything was leaking and needed to be replaced and that they could build my dream truck for $15k. I should have known better considering where I took the truck, but I was naive and brand new to the cruiser cult. I asked them what it would be just to get it reliably running and they told me $7,500. I was shocked. I had just driven the thing 200 miles without anything crazy happening. I told them I might be in over my head with this project and needed to think. They asked what I was planning on doing with the truck and I said I wasn't sure, then said they would buy it from me if I wanted to get rid of it. I thought about it for a few days and decided to just go pick it up and figure it out on my own. So that's what I did.

I paid $400 ish to have them give me a list of all the things wrong with it and fill it with trans fluid. Here is the list of what they said needed attention:

Oil Pan
Valve Cover, Sidecover (not sure what this means), Timing Cover
Rear Main
Smog Pump (the Cruiser Passed Emissions in Denver a few weeks after this)
Radiator, Water Pump, All Hoses, and Thermostat (this was confirmed by another mechanic, the cruiser is taking almost a half hour to come up to temp)
T-Case Reseal
Knuckle Job & Steering Ends (will probably attempt this myself, there seems to be some awesome write ups on the forums)
Brake master cylinder (brakes don't engage until the pedal is pushed waaaayyy down and then it still brakes slow, not sure if this would fix that?)
Calipers, Brakes
Cylinders (also not sure what this means)
Rear Axel
Bearing Seals

Also, for some weird reason, the 4Low - High linkage was disconnected. I asked the PO about this and he seemed to not know. Classic Cruisers told me it seemed to be fine other than missing a linkage pin. The PO also disconnected the A/C in anticipation of a conversion, but it never got done. Also, the radio works only occasionally - can't seem to figure out why it feels like turning on and why it sometimes does not.

In October 2018, I drove the cruiser back to Denver - another 150 mi of mountain passes. Here is a pic from that road trip:

For better or worse, I have yet to do any of these things, and I have driven the truck approx. 1500 mi since. I am planning on addressing the radiator, water pump, hoses, and thermostat soon, it almost overheated after the road trip back from Poncha Springs, when I was sitting in Denver traffic on a warm day. I turned the heater on in the cab and that kept it from overheating, but it was definitely climbing up there. Also, it takes me almost my entire work commute (about 30 mins, half of that highway) to come up to temp but does seem to stay there, however, I have so far exclusively driven it in cold weather.

 

[kengalbraith]

The carpets were in desperate need of a good cleaning after years of spills and dead mouse carcasses. Here is what one section looked like. The top half of the photo is before, the bottom was cleaned. Carpets aren't in the best shape but at least they now look ok:

I used a mixture of basic carpet cleaner and tons of engine degreaser and a brush and scrubbed until my arms hurt. Here is the passenger side footwell before:

And here is after the scrubbing:

A significant improvement. The cruiser came without mats, so my fiance bought me some for xmas:

 

[kengalbraith]

I found out the spare rim was bent when I put on the used tires. I hit up my craigslist buddy and grabbed a new spare rim and tire and rear dome light (it crumbled when I was cleaning it), and a washer reservoir cap:

The liftgate was sagging, so I installed new hatch struts. I also ordered a pump for the front windshield sprayers, and possibly my favorite FJ62 feature: a new power antenna! The antenna motor still worked, so I installed a replacement antenna and it now works!

Haven't decided what is next for this truck, but it's most likely the thermostat, hoses, and radiator. Anyone have advice on the radiator? Do I try to get the original one fixed and reinstalled or pick up a new one? Also, will probably start researching A/C conversion, and definitely need the linkage pin installed so I can try this rig out on the trail next summer. Would LOVE to get it painted, but it seems incredibly expensive and may need to hold off on that for a while as the under the hood stuff is way more important. I have heard so many mixed reviews on paint jobs under 5k so it's pretty scary, plus I have no idea where to look or who to trust with the truck. Does anyone have any paint recommendations in the Denver area? Like I said, probably a while out before paint.

The radio is another need to have very soon. Driving around without one sucks. Who has good radio advice? Is there a way to stay stock and add an Aux somehow? Or do I need to get a new head unit? Whats a great aftermarket headunit? Getting really sick of driving around with my bluetooth speaker, lol.

Anyone got any good recommendations on what is the best thing to do next, after the thermostat and radiator? Kinda stuck on where to go with this project. Thanks again to the community - IH8Mud has been so incredibly helpful with this project.

 

[diesellibrarian]

Based on your description I would say take a pretty good look at the brakes? At very least pull the calipers and check for seized pistons, and then run some fresh brake fluid through the system. It's great that you're getting this truck running - but I'd say that stopping is the most important - for yourself and for the other people on the road.

EDIT: inspect your soft brake lines, too. Chances are they're pretty rotted and need replacing.

 

[mattressking]

Save paint money, it’s a dry truck with original paint, far more desireable in my eyes. Get the mechanics sorted, drive it for 10k miles and see where you are. There’s lots of baselining to do.

 

[kengalbraith]

Based on your description I would say take a pretty good look at the brakes? At very least pull the calipers and check for seized pistons, and then run some fresh brake fluid through the system. It's great that you're getting this truck running - but I'd say that stopping is the most important - for yourself and for the other people on the road.

EDIT: inspect your soft brake lines, too. Chances are they're pretty rotted and need replacing.

Good advice - will put this at the top of my list as well, thank you!

 

[kengalbraith]

Save paint money, it’s a dry truck with original paint, far more desireable in my eyes. Get the mechanics sorted, drive it for 10k miles and see where you are. There’s lots of baselining to do.

@mattressking I have wondered about this. I may sell the truck down the road and I have heard two different lines of thought - one seems to be keep the original paint and let the new owner pick what they want to do. The other that I have heard is that the truck will be way more valuable with new paint. Haven't decided for sure yet what I will do but it is very low on the list. I want to paint it, but my father swears he will kill me if I do - he thinks the patina is awesome.

 

[mattressking]

@mattressking I have wondered about this. I may sell the truck down the road and I have heard two different lines of thought - one seems to be keep the original paint and let the new owner pick what they want to do. The other that I have heard is that the truck will be way more valuable with new paint. Haven't decided for sure yet what I will do but it is very low on the list. I want to paint it, but my father swears he will kill me if I do - he thinks the patina is awesome.

Most don’t care about mechanics initially, only if it’s pretty on the outside...:/ thankfully mechanics are easier to deal with than rust.

 

[4Cruisers]

Looks like the Taos area in the first post. Have fun with your FJ62. Most of my version of the "Grey Lady", an '89 that I bought used in Santa Fe more than 15 years ago now resides in my '86 FJ60. The body shell is at its new home north of San Antonio, TX and the frame is at its new home in the Dallas area, both waiting to hit the road again in future projects.

 

[kengalbraith]

@4Cruisers Yes! This truck lived in Taos for half its life, now it is in Denver. The PO told me it came from a relative in AZ before that. Will have to pull a VIN check at some point to get the history.

 

[ZGMikey]

This was about the time I discovered the iH8mud forum - thank god for this resource. My DD is a legacy GT and let me tell you - the people on that forum can be dicks.

Ha! I used to have a 2006 Spec.B and you're spot on!

 

[kengalbraith]

Ha! I used to have a 2006 Spec.B and you're spot on!

Blew both head gaskets on the LGT last week. Sold it for very little. No more Turbo Subarus for me...time to update the profile.
Also, checked out your build - we have almost the same truck! My paint is not as nice as yours though!