Fitz's Red 87 FJ60 Build

[Fitzwho]

Figured I would start myself a build thread real quick.

Have new tires and wheels so far, will be rebuilding the front axle, replacing wheel bearings on the rear, along with rear disc brakes. Speedhut gauges and a dash cap are ordered, as well as new side mirrors and headlights. After that I just have a lot of cleanup under the hood from wiring this truck up with all sorts of stupid crap when I was in college. Further plans will include new door cards and front seats, new center console (mine is legit toast), dual battery setup, ARB front, 4x4labs or similar rear, etc, etc. Needs just as much cleaning and detail work as general tune up (new radiator hoses, new spark plugs and wires, and so on).

Here's a pic of the truck about 10-11 years ago after pulling a Ford out of a ditch:

Here it is just a week or two ago after getting it back home oxidized paint and 11 year old Yokohamas and a totally toasted out dash:

Played around with it last night after putting the new Toyo's and ProComp wheels on and pressure washing the mud off and decided pull the rear vents and wiper arms off for repaint, then found some cleaning wax and decided to see what that would do to it. You can see the difference with just a quick wipe down:

 

[Fitzwho]

Fooled around with the dash cap yesterday. Due to the severity of cracking in the original dash, it's not going to be as straight forward of an install as I had anticipated. Also pulled the gauge clusters out and prepped the dash panel for paint as I got my shipping confirmation from Speedhut. I pulled all the plastic so they could get cleaned up and I didn't have to worry about taping anything off.

I didn't realize until last night that I am going to have to figure out a new "bright" indicator for the dash. I'm thinking of finding some blue plastic to replace the "CHOKE" indicator and rewiring the lighting. Otherwise I'm drilling a hole in the panel and adding the indicator between the blinkers... Not sure I like that idea.

I need to get some more pictures of the truck. I painted the wiper arms, replaced the wiper arm bolt covers and blades, painted the front and rear vents, and added the bigger black side mirrors. I should have new headlight bezels in today and will be installing them with LED 9004 bulbs. Havent figured out how I want to do the headlight trim and grill yet. Simple full black with tracing on the TOYOTA seems right for the look I'm going for, but I don't think I will ever get rid of the chrome around the windows (or if you can really).

 

[Fitzwho]

Have too many simultaneous projects on the 60 to the point I feel like I’m not getting anything actually accomplished.

Dug out and cleaned up a bunch of auxiliary wiring that “high school”/pre-engineering degrees me installed. Still a lot to go and this picture wasn’t even all of it. Also pulled the old gauge pod my dad threw in and installed the Speedhut oil sensor in preparation for installing the dash and new gauges. And installed new battery terminal connections as well as a remote positive terminal to help clean up future wiring.

Pulled the old headlights and replaced with new bezels and LED bulbs. Still have some aiming to do there. But pulled the grill and headlight trim and painted them a textured black.

Still have lots of wiring to clean up and double check everything is still operational. Work on the radio install while the dash is off, etc.

 

[Fitzwho]

Got the new door cards installed. Including painted door pulls and pockets, new handle trim and crank handles. 6.5” Rockford Fosgate speakers in the front doors (1/2” spacer), matching 5.25” RF speakers in the rear doors. Put some sound deadener in the doors prior to install of all this.could have done the entire door, but ended up putting 2 square feet in each front door, 1 in the back and used 2 each on the wheel well prior to putting the arch covers back on.

Ended up “building” an aluminum crossmember for each rear door in order to get the last mounting screw to actually tie in to anything but the ABS door panel. Made it from roughly cut aluminum angle (1/2” x 1” angle I had laying around for some reason). I was able to line this up with existing holes in the door so I it saved me 2 fresh holes in each door.

The handle trim require about an 1/8” of trimming to get them to fit flush with the panel. The holes for the pockets are not precut, but I wanted to keep them. I painted them black and then covered with Rattle can truck bed coating. I know they are technically backwards (switched from door to door), but I liked the curved side matching up to the laser detail this way.

The best and worst part of the card install is the fasteners that come with the package from Australia Door Cards (I picked up mine from @Willard ). Easily removable, easy to install. The worst part being having to remove the stock plastic inserts from the doors. A flat head and some bloody knuckles get it done pretty quick though. Other than that just figuring out the rear door speaker install and cutting into brand new door cards were the biggest hurdle.

Have a pair of RF Prime 6x9’s lying around BNIB if anybody wants them that I ended up bypassing in lieu of this setup.

Next up is finishing wiring up everything under the dash (really just finishing up the Speedhut sensor install) the. Reinstalling the dash and then I can figure out what all I screwed up while I had everything apart.

 

[NookShneer]

Got the new door cards installed. Including painted door pulls and pockets, new handle trim and crank handles. 6.5” Rockford Fosgate speakers in the front doors (1/2” spacer), matching 5.25” RF speakers in the rear doors. Put some sound deadener in the doors prior to install of all this.could have done the entire door, but ended up putting 2 square feet in each front door, 1 in the back and used 2 each on the wheel well prior to putting the arch covers back on.

Ended up “building” an aluminum crossmember for each rear door in order to get the last mounting screw to actually tie in to anything but the ABS door panel. Made it from roughly cut aluminum angle (1/2” x 1” angle I had laying around for some reason). I was able to line this up with existing holes in the door so I it saved me 2 fresh holes in each door.

The handle trim require about an 1/8” of trimming to get them to fit flush with the panel. The holes for the pockets are not precut, but I wanted to keep them. I painted them black and then covered with Rattle can truck bed coating. I know they are technically backwards (switched from door to door), but I liked the curved side matching up to the laser detail this way.

The best and worst part of the card install is the fasteners that come with the package from Australia Door Cards (I picked up mine from @Willard ). Easily removable, easy to install. The worst part being having to remove the stock plastic inserts from the doors. A flat head and some bloody knuckles get it done pretty quick though. Other than that just figuring out the rear door speaker install and cutting into brand new door cards were the biggest hurdle.

Have a pair of RF Prime 6x9’s lying around BNIB if anybody wants them that I ended up bypassing in lieu of this setup.

Next up is finishing wiring up everything under the dash (really just finishing up the Speedhut sensor install) the. Reinstalling the dash and then I can figure out what all I screwed up while I had everything apart.

View attachment 1953550View attachment 1953552View attachment 1953554

Sick. I have a similar build plan. Keep sharing the deets.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

You'll need a make shift slide hammer to pull the rear semi float bearings. What rear disc swap are you going with.

 

[Fitzwho]

I have the parts laying around to do the JTO rear setup with Cadillac calipers (built in E-brake). I thought I could figure it out, but definitely waivering on whether I do it or not after reading some more on it. I know those particular e-brakes are built for a foot pedal system, not the pull handle.

I was thinking I could figured out a way to extend the lever to get the additional stroke I would need or replacing the pull hand with a pedal system and fabricating a Hurst shifter in place of the pedal pad. I'm not a small man, so releasing it by hand wouldn't be an issue.

I may leave the rear axle alone for a bit and rethink what the plan is. I will still be changing out the drop brake line to the SS one I have, take off the drum setup and get it cleaned up and painted so I don't have to look at the surface rust through the wheel.

The front will be getting rebuilt pretty soon and SS hoses installed, new brake pads, etc.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

The rear drums are pretty good if in good shape and adjusted correctly.

 

[Fitzwho]

Yeah, I'm not running anything crazy on the truck. 285/70r17 Toyo OC AT's and the Pro Comp 51's. I don't have any plans on going any bigger anytime soon, but plans can always change...

Be spending my time and money on getting it clean and running as well as I can for as long as I can until I need to replace the engine. At some point the T-case will get rebuilt, new crate motor, multi-port fuel injection, and a H55F or NV4500.

 

[cruisermatt]

Why would you waste your time and money on a crate 350 and a whole EFI kit when you can get a complete running Gen 3 motor which is practically bolt-in for a couple hundred bucks ?

 

[Fitzwho]

The current engine is a rebuilt Gen 3, its just running a carb on the Vortec heads. You make a good point that I could just pick up another full setup, but then I'm staring down a rebuild or trusting a (more than likely) high mileage piece and figuring out the ECU and wiring harness.

The engine that is in the truck currently may last for as much as I drive it. The EFI and new engine probably won't be at the same time. I would do the EFI tomorrow if I had $2k to get it ordered, the stand alone kits available now with tuning tablets included are pretty straight forward. Then, at some point if I blow the engine, I can take off the accessories and EFI and drop in a new Gen III crate for less than $2,000.

 

[Fitzwho]

I pulled the rubber diamondplate floor, which took half the dynamat with it, so those sections were filled in prior to putting this foam down. It's 1/2" closed cell foam and now installed on the floor in the cargo area and below the back seats up to the base of the front seat mounts.. I had enough to fully cover the wheel arches and some of the interior of the driver's rear quarter panel, but was over taking pictures by then. Also replaced the insulation on the front leg box trim because I ended up with two pieces that fit perfectly. 12-ft by 39 inch piece did all this. I'll be getting another piece to add below the front seats up to the firewall and a foil faced piece to do the hood.

I'm going to be building enclosers in the rear quarters to add the 6x9 speakers that I already own and had decided against putting back into the tailgate. Went ahead and bought a 4 channel amp that I am going to run the 6.5's in the front door and the 6x9's in the rear, while letting the head unit run the 5.25" speakers in the rear doors.

 

[SteveH]

Lots of good progress!

 

[Dubs2017]

Very nice.

Do you have any pics of your front door 6.5" speaker spacer? I am getting ready to do the same thing and would be curious to see how you worked through it.

 

[Fitzwho]

I used the spacer to push the speaker out far enough that I didn’t have to open the hole in the door metal.

 

[Dubs2017]

Sweet. That looks really clean. Thanks man.

 

[Fitzwho]

Better shot with the wheel wells covered up. Admittedly haven’t tried to put the covers back on yet.

 

[Fitzwho]

About 90% on my rear cargo panels. May turn the left hand side into storage at some point, and thinking about adding a USB/cigarette lighter panel on the right. For some reason my driver’s side 6x9 isn’t working, so going to have to chase that down.

Bought a 4x8 sheet of 3/16” ABS for $140, cut these out with Bosch Plexiglass jigsaw blades. Getting the mounting holes lined up was a chore to say the least. They aren’t perfect, but they get the job done. I have a lot left over, so I’m thinking about building a panel to cover the back of the rear seat and the underside of the bench as well, so when it’s folded down there’s no carpet left and I don’t like the rubber diamond plate on the back of the seat. Looks terribly unfinished.

Have to figure out what’s wrong with my Flex-a-life Black Magic fan controller (just stays on if plugged into power, it should start at a certain temp), get the AC checked out. Hopefully just needs a recharge and not a new compressor. After that just need to get around to rebuilding the knuckles, then the transmission and T-case, new bucket seats and a cover for the bench and I shouldn’t have Much to complain about.

 

[Fitzwho]

Haven't had a whole lot of time to work on the truck. Obviously since I haven't posted here in 13 months. Had it running nicely, took it to get inspected for registration and somewhere between home and the inspector, my AC and Brake/Tail Lights quit working. Haven't figured out either one of those, but in the mean time I had to get at least something done. Still have a few electrical gremlins that pop up here and there. Like the dome lights do not work at all, have checked fuses, replaced bulbs, etc. Nothing doing.

Have had the dash off a few times now. Finally removed the stereo deck from the dash and replaced with a pocked, much easier to do this with the dash off. I was able to cut some aluminum angle to create new brackets for the pocket. This will be a nice spot to throw the phone while its on a charging cord to keep it out of the way, plus I installed the pocket with a slight downward angle so that I shouldn't get things sliding out during acceleration. I then ran all the wiring to the stereo deck in the Center Console (Smittybilt). Adding a powered 8" sub under the passenger seat (took the rear heater out years ago). After finding a short, the 6-speaker and 1 sub sound system sounds great with just enough bass to be enjoyable without being over-bearing.

Also installed hood struts to clean up the sides of the engine bay for future projects. Based the geometry on my wife's SUV that only uses one strut but stays out of the way entirely. Took two 150lb, 20inch struts to hold the hood up. Had tried with 120 pounders to start, but they were just shy of holding it up. Messed up the mount on the driver side (I know, its killing me), didn't take into account the location of the VIN badge until after I had the passenger side installed already, will have to rethink the mount on the driver side at some point in the future. There is also a little more flex in the 10mm ball brackets than I would like anyway, so custom brackets will be in order.

The list of things to do is ever growing. AC and Brake lights are high on the list, new rear upholstery, and new front bucket seats, new front seat belts, new fuel pump, better headlights, general clean up and fresh wiring under the hood, Wits End Glove box insert (probably ordering next month), reworking the tailgate cover to add storage, new radiator hoses, cheap-ish shocks to place hold until I can talk myself into 80 axle conversions, and probably a snorkel and that's before I get into buying new bumpers, etc. Plan is to have the 60 ready for my western hunting trips next fall (2021), usually put 6-8k miles on my truck each fall running around hunting and fishing CO, AZ, NM, WY, etc. wherever I can get tags.
'

 

[Fitzwho]

Nothing too much to report as of yet except I made the plunge and just ordered my H55F and a T-Case rebuild kit.

Truck's build date is 10/86, so should be a quick and easy drop in, with no other driveline mods required. Local shop quoted me $1000-1100 for dropping the old assembly, rebuilding the t-case, and reinstalling the new/rebuilt setup. Scared him at first, because apparently he has done a H55 swap on a 62 before. Have about double that labor cost built into my plan for the moment. Will throw in a new clutch kit along with it.

I have a employer supplied work truck, and my Titan XD was in the shop waiting on a new turbo that is backordered until the next millennia, so I just had them work up a trade. I picked up a 2013 Lexus GX 460 on straight trade and we'll be selling my wife's Acadia to fund the FJ build.

After the transmission, next up will be:
Holley Sniper or similar TBI setup
Interior - new buckets, rear upholstery, and new seat belts
Replace 15 year old radiator hoses, etc.
Then the fun stuff - ARB or 4Plus front bumper, 4x4Labs rear, and the like

Still needs to go to the shop because for the life of me I cannot figure out the brake lights and the AC needs work. Got the fan blowing and the taillights working, but still nothing on the brake lights.