Collective genius at IH8Mud,
I recently bought my first Cruiser, an 83 FJ60, bone stock, doors and top removed, roll bar added, 150K miles. Found it on CL, flew out to IL, and drove it home to UT. The 1800 mile trip was awesome. It ran fine, pretty gutless, averaged 11 mpg, would get hot from time to time ( I found a pinhole leak in the radiator).
As there are some issues to be addressed, I'm seeking advice on whether there are other parts I should replace while working on the rig. Like unto my house, I'm glad we repainted the walls while I had the old carpet torn out. As I don't have a ton of experience on Cruisers, I need your expertise. The body is in excellent shape, shocks need replaced, brakes need done, parking brake needs repaired, radiator needs replaced, steering damper needs replaced, exhaust (including cat) is rusted through, the trans can be rough shifting into 2nd and difficult to get back into first, and lastly it is leaks a small amount of oil in 2 places and a lot (8 oz over 10 days) of a light/clear colored fluid (similar in viscosity to oil) that I am guessing is power steering fluid.
In particular, is there anything I should replace while replacing the radiator and associated hoses? I plan to replace then power steer with a Saginaw unit, anything else while I am there? For the trans, should I just deal with it the way it is as its not too bad? Is it worth it to replace the cat and muffler, or maybe just the muffler and get rid of the cat (as it is 30+ years old I don't have to get emissions done)?
I don't see any of the repairs being too major, but I'd like any advice on other components that may be on their way out for this timeframe/mileage. Any help will greatly appreciated, thank you! I've attached a picture from the epic drive home, enjoy!
I recently bought my first Cruiser, an 83 FJ60, bone stock, doors and top removed, roll bar added, 150K miles. Found it on CL, flew out to IL, and drove it home to UT. The 1800 mile trip was awesome. It ran fine, pretty gutless, averaged 11 mpg, would get hot from time to time ( I found a pinhole leak in the radiator).
As there are some issues to be addressed, I'm seeking advice on whether there are other parts I should replace while working on the rig. Like unto my house, I'm glad we repainted the walls while I had the old carpet torn out. As I don't have a ton of experience on Cruisers, I need your expertise. The body is in excellent shape, shocks need replaced, brakes need done, parking brake needs repaired, radiator needs replaced, steering damper needs replaced, exhaust (including cat) is rusted through, the trans can be rough shifting into 2nd and difficult to get back into first, and lastly it is leaks a small amount of oil in 2 places and a lot (8 oz over 10 days) of a light/clear colored fluid (similar in viscosity to oil) that I am guessing is power steering fluid.
In particular, is there anything I should replace while replacing the radiator and associated hoses? I plan to replace then power steer with a Saginaw unit, anything else while I am there? For the trans, should I just deal with it the way it is as its not too bad? Is it worth it to replace the cat and muffler, or maybe just the muffler and get rid of the cat (as it is 30+ years old I don't have to get emissions done)?
I don't see any of the repairs being too major, but I'd like any advice on other components that may be on their way out for this timeframe/mileage. Any help will greatly appreciated, thank you! I've attached a picture from the epic drive home, enjoy!
