Alright guys, the bug finally bit and bit hard....
First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Joey, and I'm a helicopter pilot currently living in San Diego (originally from Arizona). I've built a couple vehicles previously, but it has been a few years, and it's time that I get started on a new project. I'm no stranger to working on cars, but this is the first Land Cruiser I've ever had. I've been eyeing cruisers for a couple years now, and five months ago I ended up with an Isuzu 4BD2T engine just looking for a good home. Well, now I've found it. After scouring Facebook and Craigslist for ages, I finally came across a truck for the right price, and in the right location.
Meet Kaori. She's an '84 FJ60 that needs some attention. She's lived her whole life in southern California, but has been sitting for a long time, and as such is a little...rough around the edges. Before I detail what my plans are for this build, I'll start off with a couple lists of her current state:
The Good:
- Complete, original condition FJ60 (only missing a couple small parts).
- SOLID frame
- straight body
- complete interior
- original engine, transmission, and drivetrain
The Bad:
- Doesn't currently run
- Interior needs some DEEP cleaning (will eventually get replaced). 15 years of sitting in one location makes a great home for some rats...
The Ugly:
- Rust. Along the rooftop. Original owner covered it with a tarp that trapped water under it, and naturally it rusted out in several places along the drip rail.
So what am I planning on doing?
Well first things first, I'm going to get her running again. Even though an eventual engine swap is coming, it's a lot easier to move a car that moves itself, rather than one you have to push. After that, cleaning the interior so that it's drivable at least, then....on to tackling the rust and body work.
The long term plan is to do a frame off restoration and engine swap, but that will have to wait until I have a place that I can leave it in a torn down state for a period of time (i.e once I finally buy a house...which is a whole other story).
Expect more updates and videos along the way, but for now, here is a video of me picking her up. I realized when I got in to editing that it was mostly me talking, and very little footage of actually moving the truck, but It's a decent introduction.
First off, let me introduce myself. My name is Joey, and I'm a helicopter pilot currently living in San Diego (originally from Arizona). I've built a couple vehicles previously, but it has been a few years, and it's time that I get started on a new project. I'm no stranger to working on cars, but this is the first Land Cruiser I've ever had. I've been eyeing cruisers for a couple years now, and five months ago I ended up with an Isuzu 4BD2T engine just looking for a good home. Well, now I've found it. After scouring Facebook and Craigslist for ages, I finally came across a truck for the right price, and in the right location.
Meet Kaori. She's an '84 FJ60 that needs some attention. She's lived her whole life in southern California, but has been sitting for a long time, and as such is a little...rough around the edges. Before I detail what my plans are for this build, I'll start off with a couple lists of her current state:
The Good:
- Complete, original condition FJ60 (only missing a couple small parts).
- SOLID frame
- straight body
- complete interior
- original engine, transmission, and drivetrain
The Bad:
- Doesn't currently run
- Interior needs some DEEP cleaning (will eventually get replaced). 15 years of sitting in one location makes a great home for some rats...
The Ugly:
- Rust. Along the rooftop. Original owner covered it with a tarp that trapped water under it, and naturally it rusted out in several places along the drip rail.
So what am I planning on doing?
Well first things first, I'm going to get her running again. Even though an eventual engine swap is coming, it's a lot easier to move a car that moves itself, rather than one you have to push. After that, cleaning the interior so that it's drivable at least, then....on to tackling the rust and body work.
The long term plan is to do a frame off restoration and engine swap, but that will have to wait until I have a place that I can leave it in a torn down state for a period of time (i.e once I finally buy a house...which is a whole other story).
Expect more updates and videos along the way, but for now, here is a video of me picking her up. I realized when I got in to editing that it was mostly me talking, and very little footage of actually moving the truck, but It's a decent introduction.
