Buying a FJ-60, Need Advice

[jcoles]

I am looking at a 1986 FJ-60. Everything mechanical runs perfectly and the frame is in good shape. However the body and interior are in terrible shape. I am looking to do some extreme modifications and beat it up off road. Is 1200 a good price? Also, what do those of you with this 2f engine and manual transmission think about the motor?

 

[BadgerManBEN]

I love the 2f engine, It has some great low end power. It is pretty big for straight six. What kind of use are you going to with it? I have seen the 60's chopped into some sweet rock crawlers. For the price I wouldn't go more than a thousand if it is really rusted out. My buddy bought a 60 that had rear ended someone and he only paid $1000. He had to replace the front and the fenders but the radiator looks okay. It had some rust around the rear wheals.

 

[bridges]

As a new cruiser owner, I'd say $1200 is a good deal

I wish I had found this site before purchasing mine to get a better feel for the prices. I paid $1900 for an '82 with an engine that needed to be rebuilt and rust on the rear quarters and tail gate. I really wanted the V8 conversion and thought the it may be above my skill set, this one already had one so I jumped on it. On top of that, I'm not a purist, but hated to take out the straight six from another one... I had a 1971 FJ40 in 1999 that I never got running but did a little research and there is a ton of love for the original engines.

The interior of mine is in great shape everywhere except the carpet in the rear and the drivers seat.

I haven't updated my website with the engine install steps yet, but did pick up a complete V8 with just 60K miles for $400 and it cost about $700 in parts/hoses/gaskets/etc to get it up and running.

$600 in tires puts me at $3600 so far, the guy I bought it from was a dealer and it was his son's truck, but he wanted my old daily driver for his lot and I ended up making $2K profit on it so I'm really in for only $1600. (In theory)


In the end, I know I will not make a profit on this, but I also do not plan on selling even if I switch to a different daily driver. I went for personal preference and local ease of purchase and didn't get the best deal, but man am I happy with this cruiser!!! 14 MPG and V8 torque...

Sorry about the rambling, but I searched for a while mostly e-bay and autotrader and in the end it was convenience, I probably could have found a few hundred $$ better deal but I would've paid that getting it to TX.

Sounds like your purchase is mechanically sound and a fun project. If the problematic rust is limited to the body and not the frame, I'd say go for it.

 

[Mike S]

I have put quite few miles on both the F engine and the 2F engine. The 2F is a better engine, IMHO. Reliable and strong on the trail. If you tune it well, you can get reasonable mileage from it.

M