Daily driving a 60? (1 Viewer)

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Dec 19, 2022
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Michiganistan
Looking at an ‘85 carb’d FJ60 with a 4 on the floor. Most of the year I commute on a motorcycle so this will be a winter time car. I currently use an ‘08 Grand Cherokee that averages 17mpg for my 80 mile round trip commute.

What do I need to do (besides fuel injection) to get an ‘85 FJ60 to 17mpg? Is it even possible without a diesel swap? It’s all back roads, no freeway. If I need to travel down the freeway, I’ll use my Jeep.

I was thinking a TBI from a 4.3l v6 and some sort of OD…. But what’s the most expedient way to do that?
 
I have a turbo'd 3B in my 60, and the last 2 tanks of fuel I have gottem 17MPG. My driving is a bit of a mix of highway and idling through town. My commute was 50miles round trip.

I have 4.11 gearing, 285s, and a 5speed, and I leave all my spare parts, tools, camping gear in the truck all the time, so I roll pretty heavy, around 6000lbs, so I bet it would get better if you left the 3.7s, and emptied the truck. I'm not sure what an FJ60 gets mileage wise, but if you do that math on the MPG difference, and how many miles you are going to drive annually, it would take a lifetime to pay off most diesel swaps. And to top it off right now, up here, diesel is 20% more expensive than gasoline.
 
You'll never average 17mpg a tank in a FJ60/2F with any type of fuel delivery. I consistently got 15mpg/tank when driving leisurely on the freeway with 5th gear and no traffic. Never in 30 years did I ever get 17mpg even with tailwinds.

On “back roads” you’ll get less mpg than on the freeway.

If you get 15mpg on the freeway, consider that very good. 17 is unrealistic.
 
I would never make a '60 a 'wintertime car' in Michigan, unless you want to be a slave to greasing/oiling the underside and watching it rust out anyway. In the winter, a '60 will get even poorer mileage than normal due to low temps. 10-12 mpg would be typical for a carbed 60 slogging through winter conditions.
 
Agree with all the comments so far - anything better than 15 mpg will require a diesel or EFI V8 swap.

Full disclosure - I have daily driven my 60 for the last 4.5 years with an 5.3 LS / NV4500 swap. 33" BFG KO2s, stock 3.70 gear ratios, lightly loaded aside from bumpers / winch / sliders, and I get an average of 15 city / 18 hwy on regular gas.
 
15mpg is going to be tough, even with fuel injection.
 
I'm guessing you could get 17MPG highway (55 or 60MPH highway, that is), with some highway tires on a well tuned rig. Otherwise I'd be impressed if you were getting 14-15MPG with backroads winter driving.

I think your best chance at 17 MPG would be building a 2FE, possibly with the H55F 5 speed, although you might not need that extra gear much depending on the speed of the backroads. But don't undergear it and don't be too aggressive with your tires for the best fuel economy.

I'd also rather be getting 13MPG gas than 17MPG diesel these days, unless the purpose was overlanding and maximizing distance between fuel stops.

As far as the comfort of daily driving them, I think the ride is a little rough, but definitely doable. They have a lot of character.
 
Been driving mine daily for 6-7 years now. I put a 5 speed in with 4:10 gears in the diffs. I installed a Holley Sniper EFI system a while back and it is not an improvement on fuel consumption at all. These trucks are heavy and boxy. 17 mpg is a pipe dream. I averaged 9-10 with the carb and I’ve been getting 10-11 with the sniper when it’s running correctly. When it’s not it’s more like 7-8 mpg or worse…

There’s not much you can do to improve steering and alignment outside of heavy modifications. It will never track like a modern vehicle. It has two solid axles and leaf springs all around so it’s not responsive like a sports car is or even a modern truck or suv. These issues really hold you back from getting the higher miles per gallon you’re looking for. It’s like squeezing blood from a stone. You can try but it ain’t gonna happen.
 
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You can do it, lots of us do. They are great for Michigan winters as long as the heat and 4wd works. You can keep them from rusting with minimal work. You won't get 17mpg, more like 12. But they're fun. Go for it!
 
I daily drove my 83 for five years, its definitely an old car. I put a new carb on mine when I bought it which brought the MPG from 10 to 13 lol. Don't expect to go faster than 60mph on the highway
 
So …. As far as road salt… the frame has been undercoated on the inside of the frame rails and the outside has a textured rubberized coating and the front of the frame rails are plugged… the back is open to drain.

It now sits on 31’s but has what appears to be an OME 4” lift. Couldn’t tell you if it still has the 3.7 gears.

If I can get 19 average out of a ‘91 2500 Suburban then I can figure out how to get 17 out of a LandCruiser even if I have to swap in a TBI 350/ 4L80e

I do have a line on a 6.0l/ 6L80e for cheap…..

What about a 4L80e? Doesn’t the 2F use a sbc bell pattern?
 
just my opinion:
for the cost of a swap versus the savings at the pump isn't there
very basic math
80 miles a day divided by 12mpg= 6.6 gallons
80 divided by 15mpg=5.3

1.3 gallon a day diff x $3 a gallon= $3.90 a day diff

$3.90 x 5 days= round it up to $20 a week x 50 weeks a year= $1,000 a year

you pay back would be 15-20 years

it will be nicer to drive during that time

it is your money and your rig, do as you wish.


another option would be an H55 plus some rubber overdrive
 
just my opinion:
for the cost of a swap versus the savings at the pump isn't there
very basic math
80 miles a day divided by 12mpg= 6.6 gallons
80 divided by 15mpg=5.3

1.3 gallon a day diff x $3 a gallon= $3.90 a day diff

$3.90 x 5 days= round it up to $20 a week x 50 weeks a year= $1,000 a year

you pay back would be 15-20 years

it will be nicer to drive during that time

it is your money and your rig, do as you wish.


another option would be an H55 plus some rubber overdrive
This is exactly the math I was talking about. I still daily drive a big SUV because the cost of replacing it with a car is so much higher than fuel savings.
 
I get what you guys are saying. I recently bought a brand new motorcycle for commuting to work and factoring in the 9 month riding season here I need gas to be $4 a gallon to break even on the payment.

As far as a 6.0L/6L80e swap….. I talked to our maintenance guy last night and he said he would sell me the whole truck for $1000. It has a broken frame and we can’t use it anymore and it’s just taking up space in our back lot because we can’t sell it to the public.

But the point is clearly academic… it seems this guy has so much interest in the FJ60 that he now wants $10,000 for it… I offered him $6,000 when he wanted $6750….
 
I get what you guys are saying. I recently bought a brand new motorcycle for commuting to work and factoring in the 9 month riding season here I need gas to be $4 a gallon to break even on the payment.

As far as a 6.0L/6L80e swap….. I talked to our maintenance guy last night and he said he would sell me the whole truck for $1000. It has a broken frame and we can’t use it anymore and it’s just taking up space in our back lot because we can’t sell it to the public.

But the point is clearly academic… it seems this guy has so much interest in the FJ60 that he now wants $10,000 for it… I offered him $6,000 when he wanted $6750….
Time to walk away.
 
I've daily driven an FJ62 for 5 years or so now and things that have improved my MPG have been replacing the old worn out O2 sensors and rebuilding the blown out rear diff. One item that might get overlooked for a DD cruiser in terms of MPG gains is sticking with factory tires sizes, IIRC it's a humble 27". These days, I work from home so the cruiser is not truly a daily anymore. I've got a 2nd car now, but nothing speeds up the process on a project car like taking the bus because you let a maintenance item slip.

It also helps that I'm in NC, so we really on get salt on the roads maybe 1-3 days per year. I usually coat the chassis in fluid film in the colder months and it lasts about 6mo-1yr.
 
I get what you guys are saying. I recently bought a brand new motorcycle for commuting to work and factoring in the 9 month riding season here I need gas to be $4 a gallon to break even on the payment.

As far as a 6.0L/6L80e swap….. I talked to our maintenance guy last night and he said he would sell me the whole truck for $1000. It has a broken frame and we can’t use it anymore and it’s just taking up space in our back lot because we can’t sell it to the public.

But the point is clearly academic… it seems this guy has so much interest in the FJ60 that he now wants $10,000 for it… I offered him $6,000 when he wanted $6750….
$6000 for a truck with a broken frame is too much.
 
$6000 for a truck with a broken frame is too much.
$6000 for Texas FJ 60 with a frame that was undercoated before being introduced to salted roads. $1000 for a 2016 Silverado with a broken frame that has a low miles 6.0L and 6L80e (I think it’s a 6L80e) for the inevitable LS swap.
 
My DD was a 60 for 3-4 years, but not 80 miles round trip. I couldn't imagine going 80 miles round trip everyday. That sounds a bit miserable to me, but I'm older and enjoy creature comforts more now. I'd daily drive my 100 or even back when I had my 80. The 60s are fun, but there is a huge step up on comfort from a 60 to 80 etc. Just my 2 cents. All gasser cruisers get crappy mileage of course.
 

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