Frankie - '87 FJ-60 Refurbishment Plus a Few Mods

[Joe_E]

Keep at it man. Looks great.
You always get your highs and lows of enthusiasm, but stay the course.
You'll be happy in the end.
Even if it sits in the garage most of the time.

 

[gregnash]

Damn that looks good... you did a stellar job before but, now, this is just.....damn..

 

[Elbert]

very nice build....

 

[60Works]

Thank you, reevesci, Joe, Greg, and Elbert. Your opinions and enthusiasm mean a lot to me.

The OEM 5-speed knob is a different style from the 4-speed and the transfer case stick. For some reason this bothered me enough to look for different options. There are a few threads out there about this, so I'm not the only one. Supposedly the Corolla shared a knob and the label's font matched even if the knob shape was different. Following Spike Strip's lead, I ordered a couple of the knobs and moved one of the labels onto a spare transfer case knob.

All cleaned up it looks like right.

 

[60Works]

I also took the time to do the fan shroud mod. With a twist. Instead of screwing the top and bottom halves together I thought it would be handy to have a clevis that would sandwich the halves and avoid the screws. This didn't work as well as I'd hoped. It holds the sides snug and keeps the shroud from rattling. The problem is that, with the hoses installed, it doesn't allow enough movement to get either the top or bottom half out. Perhaps it would be OK if the legs weren't as deep.

I also slotted the bolt holes to accommodate a 1/2" body lift. Part of the reason to have the legs so long is to fill the resulting 1/2" gap.

 

[60Works]

I replaced the body mounts using Roger Brown's kit. Good guy, fast turn time, and all the right parts. He mentioned that the bottom portion of his mounts aren't quite as tall as the OEM and sometimes the nuts bottom out with the stock bolts. I had already purchased new OEM hardware and didn't want to use the SAE sets that he offered. I didn't intend to use a body lift. I didn't want to use a body lift. They cause all sorts of unintended problems with every system which is mounted jointly on both the body and frame. The tires on Frankie aren't large enough to need clearance and I didn't want ugly gaps below the tail gate. However, I've had difficulty with clearance on the top 2 nuts when replacing OEM mufflers and some of the vent lines to the fuel tank were extremely hard to get to. After careful deliberation I decided a minimal 1/2" lift of PTFE, less the shorter polyurethane mounts (the top puck on Roger's mounts are slightly shorter too), would not cause too many problems.

Overall, I'm pleased. The OEM bolt lengths still have a couple of threads extended, the steering shaft still has plenty of extension, and the radiator shroud bolt holes were only slotted 1/4" or so. I do need to adjust the throttle linkage. It might be the reason Frankie's idling so slowly. No other problems so far.

 

[drillduty]

Brilliant!!

 

[60Works]

Thanks, DD.

It's been nearly 6 months since I've added any posts to this thread. Not much has happened that is photogenic recently; a lot of little touch ups and an annoying amount of wiring glitches with the trailer harness mostly. In early September I used up the last of the left over bed liner to cover any missed or thin spots on the underbody and had the trailer hitch off of Jugg sand blasted, checked for cracks, and powder coated. I was pleasantly surprised that, despite the abuse and overloading I subjected it to, it cleaned up with no issues other than the pin holes are getting slightly elongated.

Here are a few more shots of the tail end before she went into storage for the winter:

 

[60Works]

The inner C-channels had to be replaced and were removed before galvanizing the rest of the frame. A local fabricator formed up a set and I inserted them with a thick layer of the corrosion inhibitor Mastinox in-between. That stuff will still be a paste 10 years from now and, while sealing out moisture, will not glue the channel into the frame.

 

[60Works]

The engineer in me scoffs at the decision to replace nearly all the hardware but it really makes a difference in the overall look.

And, finally, a shot with the hitch and spare tire mounted.

That's it until May for Frankie. I may get started on a different project over the winter. Until then, 'Happy Holidays, Mudders!'

 

[cruisermatt]

So do you have bolts replacing every rivet on the frame?

 

[gregnash]

Dude, Frankie looks clean enough to eat off of just about everywhere. It is hard to believe that you actually drive that truck.

 

[cruisermatt]

Also not trying to bash but why do you have ARB lockers in this 60, it's my understanding you have a rougher one that you wheel pretty hard?

 

[60Works]

Thanks Greg. I don't drive her much yet but it has been fun to take Frankie to the Toyota dealership when I go to pick up parts. It's a surprising cross section of people who are familiar with Cruisers. The sales guys flock around her like seagulls around an open bag of Cheetoes.

Also not trying to bash but why do you have ARB lockers in this 60, it's my understanding you have a rougher one that you wheel pretty hard?

The locker conundrum is still unresolved. Frankie still has her original open diffs (despite the air compressor and the dash switches implying otherwise). This would be OK, switches can be removed, except that the rear pinion seal is leaking badly and my attempts to do the 'quick fix' haven't worked. The blue line you see coming from the axle is actually the axle breather line. The local hose shop only had that size in blue.
So, at least the rear diff will have to be removed and when it does I'll rebuild it.

The conundrum comes from the other wheeling truck you mentioned. It's a 62 and when I rebuilt the axles I put in lockers and changed the gearing to 3.73's intending to run a Toybox and an H55F instead of the A440. Now, after reading Kevin's post about returning to 4.11 in his rig with the 1HD-T, I'm considering moving those 3.73 diffs to Frankie. The cost of labor for regearing isn't far from what the lockers cost. It seems like a waste to put lockers in a cream puff but it seems more of a waste to spend the money on labor.

The jury's still out on Lillith (Lilly for short). She's packed full of new and spare parts ready to be assembled but nothing can start until an engine decision is made:

SBC or 1HZ?

 

[mongoose2231]

1HZ Bud, for sure! Your truck is so fresh, damn....I feel bad for mine. Although mine also stays garaged in winter.

 

[60Works]

It's been almost 3 years of driving Frankie occasionally so I thought I'd review a few choices, add p/n documents, and detail the compressor install.

The smog pump died shortly after getting back on the road. Not too bad to change in the truck but I was wishing I would have replaced all the accessories when the engine was removed. O'Reilly's actually had a rebuilt OEM. The vanes are probably worn but the bearings are new, which is what really matters; no air pump = no water pump = no go go.

 

[60Works]

The fender aprons came from SOR years and years ago. Finally unwrapped and installed them.

The rear D-Pillar vents were originally a sparkly charcoal color. I found a SEM color match in a flexible, made for plastic paint. This color is also used on the headlight doors, instrument bezel, and rear door window glide.

There is no fix or replacement for the surrounding gasket that I am aware of.

 

[60Works]

Frankie also had some brake drama in 2015, partially documented in this thread:

RTH - Multiple Brake Issues, Multiple Cruisers

The master was leaking and I replaced it with a new Advics with days of soft pedal and bleeding problems. This prompted the replacement of the booster with a 4-Runner unit. After changing multiple masters and boosters, both new and used from a known good FJ-62, and bleeding nearly a gallon of brake fluid, I gave up and parked the truck out of frustration. A month later I decided to tackle the problem again, started the engine, tested the brakes and they worked perfectly. My best guess for what happened is that an air pocket remained in the master and gradually cleared itself over the month of sitting. I'll take the win but it wasn't my work that solved the problem.

the FJ-62 and 4-Runner's don't have an internal check valve like the 60's so one needs to be added when making the swap.

The short version about braking and brake upgrades is this:

The 4-Runner caliper swap is not worth it. It doesn't improve heat absorbing capacity and properly functioning stock calipers are capable of locking up the tires. It's not possible to get more braking than locked. I don't recommend the swap.

Many people also change the master. This too is not necessary. The OEM master feels just fine with the 4-Runner calipers. A bigger bore gives a harder pedal feel but actually reduces the pressure received by the caliper. I don't recommend the swap.

FJ-62/4-Runner booster is the key to getting better braking. The additional boost provides a remarkable difference in effort and feel at the pedal. I removed a working OEM 60 booster and replaced it with a cheapo A-1 Cardone and will not go back unless I sell the truck and someone insists on returning completely to OEM. I highly recommend this swap.

If you want really strong, modern brakes you have to address the tiny, thin disks. FROR sells a Tundra mod. I just installed one on my HJ and, so far, like it. I'll try to start a build thread on Ishmael in the next couple of weeks with part numbers and pictures. It's been done many times but I haven't seen a recent thread with details.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

It's been almost 3 years of driving Frankie occasionally so I thought I'd review a few choices, add p/n documents, and detail the compressor install.

The smog pump died shortly after getting back on the road. Not too bad to change in the truck but I was wishing I would have replaced all the accessories when the engine was removed. O'Reilly's actually had a rebuilt OEM. The vanes are probably worn but the bearings are new, which is what really matters; no air pump = no water pump = no go go.

View attachment 1737510

View attachment 1737511

I have vanes and a smog pump (tho dissembled) invery good shape. If I’d know I would have sent it your way.
Funny I don’t think I ever saw this thread tho that truck is unforgettable from the FG a few years back!

 

[60Works]

I have vanes and a smog pump (tho dissembled) invery good shape. If I’d know I would have sent it your way.
Funny I don’t think I ever saw this thread tho that truck is unforgettable from the FG a few years back!

Thank you, Yota. The pump seems to be working fine for the moment. Maybe we can work a swap for something you need at Fall Gathering. Pretty sure I’ve got a set of (only slightly tattered) bumpers that would look good with your new OEM chrome wheels.