FJ62 hasn't ran in 10+ years-Need advice

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Adam Scherm said:
I talked to Georg at Valley Hybrids today. Definitely seems like a good dude, and someone I will do business with once I tear into this thing. The plan is to pick her up on Monday. Hopefully this rain holds off a little so I can start in on the fuel system first.
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Georg is the best. Hands down. Period.

Godwin said:
Dropping the fuel tank is a real pain, before doing that I would drain it and see what comes out, then decide if dropping it is warranted.
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Very much so, it's a real knuckle busting job. Seriously. Ive got it down to 30-45 minutes, depending on bolt stubbornness/rust, but I have done it many times. Double it for you.

I would pull it, but before putting it back in, cut out an access hole/panel over the fuel pump so the next time around you can just pull back the carpet. Mr T got smart and started doing this in the 80s on. Very easy to do once measured out and no one will know unless the carpet is pulled. But you have to remove the tank as the clearance is very minimal and you don't want to 1) cause a fire or 2) cut into the tank. Both of those are $$$$ options.
 
Ironically I did this exact same thing a year ago. Bought a 90 model that had not moved in 10 years. Gas tank, fuel pump, brakes, rear main seal (put in an h55 while I was in there), and all fluids. Oh, and gutted the interior and did a seriiis spring cleaning. Crazy as it seems...tuned it and once fired it settled into a smooth idle within 30 seconds. Great thing about fuel injection vs. a carb. AC even blew cold. Now my brother is enjoying this 62 and continuing the improvements. If your kick down cable is sticking, let me know as I have a brand new one that I put into this 62. Did not fix the tranny issue so we removed it.
 
Adam Scherm said:
Evening, I've spent years building and working on Toyota Mini trucks, and finally am making the leap to something more exciting.

I'm picking up an 1988 FJ62 this week from a good friend of mine. The rig has been sitting in a field at his farm in the Delta area of Nor Cal for a decade. From what I can tell, it's all original, and was only parked because a power steering hose had a pin hole and was removed, for replacement. The Jose was never put back on hiwever.

My questions are as follows:

What's the first thing I should do to deal with getting the motor running and clean out the fuel system?

With that much time exposed, is the steering box garunteed to need a full rebuild?

Body is straight and interior looks good for being parked in a field so long. Any additional advice is appreciated in terms of getting her road worthy and smoggable.

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I never get deals like this. Karma sucks.
 
it is what you make it...
 
She made it back to my house this afternoon. Rain was coming down in spurts all day, but I got her power washed (she had tons of moss everywhere) and vacuumed out. Looks like most stuff is there, but needs TONS of clean up before I can get to any mechanical stuff.

Even has the original window sticker

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Carpet was a mess in front. Driver side had about 1/2" of water and mud under the carpet. Had to pull it out. Not sure where it's leaking from.

Got some Marvel Mystry oil in cylinders, spark plugs could have looked better....

Pulled the cover from the top of tank (inside the cab) and fuel doesn't seem too bad. Haven't been able to drain the tank, can't get the spare off cuz it's missing all the tools jack etc. I have some spares somewhere, so I'll get to it in the next couple days.

Fingers crossed she starts without ok much work.

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Is the body as good as it looks in the pics? Were the windows down a little bit?
 
Mine was leaking when I cut out rust and drove it but just remove the rubber floor caps and at least it will drain while you find the leak.
Also there is a nice mushroom factory behind the engine bay cover (under wipers)
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I know you have enough to do but in the ventilation tubes a lot of dust and mess can gather:

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I appreciate the tips. The body on this thing is amazing. Small dent the size of a quarter on driver-side rear door and a small patch of rust showing through on the passenger side (about the size of 3 nickels)

Otherwise it is straight. Really looking forward to doing a moderate build, but bringing it back to her original glory.
 
Now that the carpet is out, and it is still raining pretty heavy around here I have standing water inside of the cab, near the driver side foot rest. It looks to me like it might be coming down along the a Dash pillar but I can't tell exactly where it could be coming from.

I don't see any external holes, or rust spots so I'm thinking possibly the windshield. The windshield does have cracks and chips, but overall the rubber weatherstripping around it looks like it's in pretty good shape. Any thoughts on where the water maybe coming from, or the best way to go about sealing it up? I don't want to replace the carpet to just have it leak again.
 
Windshield seals are common for developing leaks. If you search on here I think you will find quite a few people that have had the same issue. I'll let other people chime in here, but I'm fairly certain.
 
Thanks for the info. I'll check it out as soon as I can get out to the car again.

The wife wants the interior cleaned up first, I'd rather do the mechanical. Not enough time in the day
 
Compiled a list, please let me know if there is anything missing. The plan is to tackle all of this before I try to turn the key for the first time. (Brakes may wait until I get it running)
 
Those spark plugs are OEM so that is at least good.
 
Don't forget timing and adjust valve lash in there while you are at it.. May also want to look up the Rodney Flush or Party Trick on here for cleaning the tranny.
 
Got to the gas tank today. Pulled the spare tire cross members and drained the tank. Only had about 3 gallons in it. Fuel looked ok, smelled terrible. Inside the tank looks to have some debris in it, so I'll have it flushed and get a new pump in it hopefully in the next week or two.

Had to cut off a bolt for the cross member, other three came out ok.

Dealer said fuel tank was replaced for recall in '95 so hopefully it's in decent shape and doesn't need replacement now.

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