Can a NON Mechanic own an FJ? (1 Viewer)

[rusty_tlc]

IMHO if you plan to actually use your cruiser off road you must know how to do basic repairs. Do you need to know everything before you head for the hills? No. But every repair you do on your own makes you that much better prepared.

After a while you will start inspecting other stuff while you are doing other repairs. Some good shops do this but not all. This can be a double edge sword. Like Denver Cruiser you can get caught up in the "while I'm at" it cycle, we all do that sometimes. Or you can just note the problems and keep them in mind, then schedule them so they don't keep your rig on blocks to long.

 

[JJS]

That is a tough call. I suppose it depends on how well maintained a vehicle it is and what projects you decide to tackle yourself. Personally I am way over my head at this point and the cruiser just disapoints me more than anything else. Did a 4" BDS lift myself, replaced the radiator, fixed alot of wiring....all was going well. Then a year and a half ago I decided to tackle the clutch and took out the tranny etc. Now I am way over my head (see my current thread on fuel line)with a vehicle that hasn't run for a year and a half because everytime I work on it I find something else is wrong. I should have just spend the $500 bucks to have it done but now am contemplating just selling it as is for a huge loss. My 2 cents worth.

Just keep going. I've pretty much torn mine down completely, and it's getting close. Things take time. Like others have said, make a list and prioritize.

 

[Gawdly]

I bought a 1970 FJ40 cruiser for almost nothing back in 2000, with no knowledge of cruisers or mechanics. Within a year, I had pulled the engine (farmed out the rebuild) found and restored a hardtop, replaced all kinds of little pieces, did a column shift to floor swap, put the motor back in and was driving it. I sold it about 2 months later but that's another story.

Since then I have fully restored a 65 Chevy Impala, gotten a good start on a 68 Firebird and moved to a new house with an acre so I can build a shop. I just bought a 76 FJ40 with a locked up engine and am pulling the driveline out of another running 76 locally to swap in and get it on the road.

You'll either love it or it'll drive you nuts, or both. Cruisers were my gateway drug.

 

[Suarez0523]

I say go for it man. I am another one with very little knowledge of trucks, and I am in the middle of a resto. There are days that will suck when you have no idea what to do, and there are days that things will be really easy. Also, anytime you don't know how to do something, ask in the forum or look in the FAQ's.

Good luck man.

 

[fishlessman]

the one i have is a 71 and mostly stock, been working on it slowly. most things are simple enough that you can learn how to put it back together if you pay attention when taking it apart. it has to be the simplest vehicle ive had to work on. there is alot of info and help with this forum

 

[ducktapeguy]

I'm still pretty new at the FJ thing, but I have been working on other cars before this one. I think the answer to your question depends on what you're looking for. Do you like the idea of driving an FJ, or working on one? Because it takes a lot of maintenance to own one, you're going to be spending a whole lot of time or money on it, so you have to choose which one you're willing to give up. If you don't really have a passion for wrenching and just want to drive around in one, then just spend more money up front to get one in good mechanical shape. Otherwise, you'll just get overwhelmed and burned out trying to keep everything running. You'll still need to find a mechanic to work on it for you, and it's not cheap. This pretty much applies to any 30 year old car, though.

If you already have a regular daily driver, and really want to learn to work on cars, and don't mind giving up your social life to work on it, then they're pretty good cars to work on. Everything is pretty simple, lots of knowledgable experts on this site to help you out, and doesn't require a whole lot of specialized tools. Doesn't really matter if you have experience or not, I'm positive anybody CAN learn to fix it, it's just that not everybody WANTS to learn. About the only minor drawback that I can think of is the parts aren't as easily accessible as something more common, like a jeep, or as inexpensive. Not that big of a problem with so many online vendors, but sometimes that adds to the frustration, especially if you always have to wait around for parts to arrive so you can work on it.

Either way, just make sure you enjoy it. There are a few people that I know who had big dreams of fixing up some classic car, only to find out that it takes a lot more commitment than they first thought. I'm sure for every classic car you see on the road, there are probably a hundred more half finished restorations sitting in peoples garages that will probably never see the light of day again.

 

[RumBum]

Do it, Bacardi and cola, do it, do it.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

You have do do your own work, or most of it, or all the little items will quickly add up and break the bank. For instance-I replaced a clutch slave after work on my fj60 and had it bled, adjusted and ready to roll before dinner. If it had to go to a mechanic-it would take a whole day and cost time, money and aggravation. It would have likely needed a tow as well. Instead, 1 hour start to finish and good for another 20 years.

If you really have no mechanical know how, then a new car is best. It likely will need nothing at all for 5 years or so. If you want to go out in the boonies, into a high risk environment, then you better have good mechanical sense and abilities or very understanding friends. So much the better if you have basically built the truck yourself, then everything is familiar.

The other thing about doing most of the stuff yourself, is that when the big impossible stuff comes up (and it will), you won't feel so bad about paying a "real" mechanic to fix it.

 

[badass]

I didn't know nothin about being a mechanic when i first bought my fj40, but i knew that i would learn. That is how i learn everything in life, i buy something that needs work and make myself work on it. Trust me, these cars are way easy to work on. I'm 17 years old, and have done a lot of crap on my fj, you can do it too. Just takes time, money, patience, and effort. Good Luck and go for it, you won't regret it.

 

[BladeRunner80]

When I bought my 40 last year I was in the same boat. Prior to buying it, I had fairly liitle it not any knowledge on auto repair other then changing oil and installing some audio gear. But, like many, I always drooled over these trucks and finally decided to go for it and buy one. Like many have said, you get the experience real quick after buying it. Just remember, there is always this website.....just remember to use the search function first!

 

[numtel]

x2. My first car was a '72 Olds Cutlass. I had virtually no mechanical experience, and no real interest in cars prior to that. I blew the original motor the first week I had it. My dad and I overhauled another block, and we had it going again in about a month working on the weekends. By the time I graduated high school, I knew quite a bit about cars. I know a whole hell of a lot more than that 7 years later.

Exactly. I got an 83 mini truck when I was 16 for $800 with two engines, neither in the vehicle. That was a fast learning experience. It's only been 3 years and I can pretty much fix anything on my cruiser now.

 

[outdoork9lady]

I have just about 0 knowledge....

I have just about 0 knowledge, but lots of good friends willing to help me out (notice I said help, yep, they won't let me pull the "girl" card and I really do not want to) and I have beer always in stock, my own tools, tunes (most willing to listen to theirs), shop with a vehicle lift available to use and ....... my family owns a steel supply and fab shop, which I work at as the office manager.

 

[yotawheeler]

i had ZERO mechanical experience when i first bought my cruiser...i could change plugs, oil+air filters and all the no brainer stuff but not by any strech of the imagination a mechanic...found out that someone i knew was a cruiser head and basicly he kinda 'took me under his wing' and helped to walk me through a DB conversion and either him or another cruiser head (maybe both) are gunna help me spring 'er over and do PS....i think you will find that if you can find a good cruiser head in you area they will usually be more than happy to share info with you at the very least

 

[VTFJ40]

I was very mechanically inclined before I bought the last one. That didn't stop me from being baffled on more than one occasion by the previous owners fixes.

It's still a learning experience.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

"Can a NON Mechanic own an FJ?"

Sure. My previous owner did all his wrenching with a credit card.