FJ60 Kauai Overlander Build (1 Viewer)

[KauaiOverlander]

Aloha! Just wanted to say hello and share our build. Based on the island of Kauai, we are a small island with big adventures and I hope to share them with you here. We just started our rooftop rental company with a 1998 Toyota 4runner. This FJ60 is our 2nd vehicle and are hoping to have it on the road in the upcoming months. We purchased it from the 4th owner on the north shore of Kauai. It had been sitting for a few years and the rust has started to get to it. Before that, a friend of mine had shipped it over from Texas back in 2008. He bought it from the old owner who according to the papers had it since 1991! Talk about some solid history. We hope to bring it back to life and get it on the road soon. We started by ripping out the carpet and lining the inside. Vinyl comes soon so I'll get images up whenever we make some progress. Aloha!

 

[roscoFJ73]

Good luck with it

 

[SteveH]

In your climate, I'd be looking hard at the roof gutter seams and making sure they are sealed well. Roof rust is a royal pain to fix after it happens.

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Roof Gutter is pretty much toast. We are looking into getting it redone in the next few weeks. But Here are some images of the progress.

Lining came out pretty nice if you ask me!

 

[KauaiOverlander]

2nd Image is after we dropped the Tranny today! Literally, it just dropped off the jacks. We had to do the good old tow the truck to get it give. When it came down the tranny fluid went everywhere. Quick question. Do we need to remove the rear main seal to change the pilot bearing?

 

[jdayment]

You should link up with @Aloha Jen she and her husband I are working on a 60 to go with their 80

 

[Aloha Jen]

Welcome @KauaiOverlander, this is a great forum for advice and inspiration for getting your Land Cruiser back on the road. We are on Oahu, but were just out in Kauai the week before last visiting friends in Kilauea. It's great you're bringing that 60 back, we are at a similar stage in our 60 resto-build. Best of luck with your new 60 and your business!

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Welcome @KauaiOverlander, this is a great forum for advice and inspiration for getting your Land Cruiser back on the road. We are on Oahu, but were just out in Kauai the week before last visiting friends in Kilauea. It's great you're bringing that 60 back, we are at a similar stage in our 60 resto-build. Best of luck with your new 60 and your business!

Right on Jen! We will keep you updated on our build for sure. Let us know if you have any good parts sources as well in Hawaii. It's always hard to come by non-rusty parts. We are having a welder tackle the rusted roof gutter soon and other than that it looks like simple patch work.

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Build is going well and we got the tranny back in place. Started installing the diamond plate vinyl. It is an exact match to spectre off road.

 

[gregnash]

Are you just doing rolls of the vinyl or did you actually get a kit like SOR sells?

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Are you just doing rolls of the vinyl or did you actually get a kit like SOR sells?

Bought it on amazon. The 10ft length covered the frontcto middle of cab. Link is Rubber-Cal Diamond Plate Rubber Flooring Rolls, 1/8-Inch x 4 x 10-Feet, Black Amazon.com: Rubber-Cal Diamond Plate Rubber Roll Garage Flooring: Sports & Outdoors

We already had an SOR mat in the back but if you purchased two 10ft lengths you could cover the whole truck. Looks really clean and is super flexible for installation. Good luck!

 

[gregnash]

Bought it on amazon. The 10ft length covered the frontcto middle of cab. Link is Rubber-Cal Diamond Plate Rubber Flooring Rolls, 1/8-Inch x 4 x 10-Feet, Black Amazon.com: Rubber-Cal Diamond Plate Rubber Roll Garage Flooring: Sports & Outdoors

We already had an SOR mat in the back but if you purchased two 10ft lengths you could cover the whole truck. Looks really clean and is super flexible for installation. Good luck!

Nice! Do you feel that the mat in the rear gets overly hot in warm weather with sun on it? I want to do this for my dogs as my carpet is pretty nasty and torn (but still good enough to make a template) but don't want them burning themselves if the truck has been sitting in the sun for a few hours on a hot day.

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Nice! Do you feel that the mat in the rear gets overly hot in warm weather with sun on it? I want to do this for my dogs as my carpet is pretty nasty and torn (but still good enough to make a template) but don't want them burning themselves if the truck has been sitting in the sun for a few hours on a hot day.

I haven't had that much time to test it. Time will tell but ask me in a few months. The rhino liner is rubber and should absorb some heat. Or just use your old carpet liner.

 

[gregnash]

I haven't had that much time to test it. Time will tell but ask me in a few months. The rhino liner is rubber and should absorb some heat. Or just use your old carpet liner.

Yeah I may see if I can repair to spots that I have tearing/ripping.

 

[slomoe]

my sister lived on Maui years ago. i never was able to visit, then she moved. she recommended we visit kauai as its her favorite is. i was checking out your website and it sure looks spectacular. is there a "best" month to visit weather wise and is there a better time to visit when there would be good weather but fewer tourists??

 

[Cgbeachbum]

Aloha! Looking good, thats my next project after I get some oil leaks and carb rebuilding done... I'll be curious too how it works in HI, Im over on Big Island and trying to bring my 60 back to life as well! She's got the roof cancer and a I did get most of it fixed myself, but not being a body guy, is turned out ok, not great... very time consuming! Just remember that you can use some early 4runner (plenty of those on the Islands) parts that bolt right in, I used a brake booster off of one and it works great... The 60's are perfect for the islands, especially Kuaui and Big Island where there are a ton of offloading to the most killer places!

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Clutch is in and it MOVES! Shot of the elusive FJ60 in the mountains yesterday. Charged right up the mountain and floated in 2nd on the sand.

We got really lucky and the splines lined up pretty

 

[KauaiOverlander]

my sister lived on Maui years ago. i never was able to visit, then she moved. she recommended we visit kauai as its her favorite is. i was checking out your website and it sure looks spectacular. is there a "best" month to visit weather wise and is there a better time to visit when there would be good weather but fewer tourists??

Best time to me is Feb, or October. They tend to be the slower months as well as have pretty solid weather. Thanks for checking out the website, our first guests arrive on Christmas day and we can't wait to get it going. Money is going straight back into the FJ60 build and will help us grow the fleet.

 

[KauaiOverlander]

Aloha! Looking good, thats my next project after I get some oil leaks and carb rebuilding done... I'll be curious too how it works in HI, Im over on Big Island and trying to bring my 60 back to life as well! She's got the roof cancer and a I did get most of it fixed myself, but not being a body guy, is turned out ok, not great... very time consuming! Just remember that you can use some early 4runner (plenty of those on the Islands) parts that bolt right in, I used a brake booster off of one and it works great... The 60's are perfect for the islands, especially Kuaui and Big Island where there are a ton of offloading to the most killer places!

Right on! Good to meet you CGbeachbum. Would love to see some shots of your build and what kind of mods you plan on doing. I hear Big island has some epic ramble zones. Our roof is pretty thrashed so we are hoping to trade some parts for labor with a welder and body guy. Good luck with your build and I can't wait to see it looking cherry!