Hello, and a question (winter use) (1 Viewer)

[cheezypoof]

A bit of an introduction, and a question.

As of Wednesday I'm thrilled to be a first time FJ60 owner. Took me awhile to figure it out, but I fell in love in the 80s. A close friend's dad had one, and I spent many hours in the backseat on adventures to the mountains and beaches of New England, sometimes being the lucky one who had to jump out and lock the hubs

Fast forward and I now have a rust free, well loved '86 with 265k in my garage. Couldn't be happier! (there's a thread in the classifieds, and an extensive build thread by a previous owner - on mobile, too lazy to link here...)

Now the dilemma. Do I drive this baby at all in the winter? I don't need to, but I want to (drive it)! How many of you take your FJs out on our Michigan roads in the winter?

I'm considering two options:

1) drive until our first salt event, then keep her safe in the garage until spring - maybe a couple quick joy rides thru the neighborhood to keep her loosened up

2) Fluid Film the crap out of the undercarriage, fenders, etc. and drive through the season - washing frequently to minimize salt.

The truck's underbody is currently very clean, barely any surface rust. I want to keep it that way. Does option 2 even stand a chance? I'm afraid it doesn't, so wondering what others in this area do.

Anyway, it's great to be here!

ps anyone know a good mechanic around Ann Arbor / metro Detroit? I plan to do most things myself but at some point will need professional help

 

[Sandroad]

Wow, way to go. A basically rust-free 60 is super rare. Don't even think about driving it in salt. Fluid Film is great stuff, but it can't and won't get into areas that salt will and very soon you will have a rusty 60. Take option 1 and then spend the winter on preventative maintenance and and mods. If we get a warm, dry day after a winter rain that washes all salt away, maybe consider a short drive, but otherwise hide the key from yourself until the salt is finished. (IMHO).

Edit: And the usual "pics or it didn't happen".

 

[Jsway7]

I daily drove a rust free 1986 4runner in NE Ohio for a winter season. 50 miles a day, half on the highway, half suburb 35mph streets. all heavily salted roads. I coated the underneath with Fluid Film. I'm pretty happy with how it protected the frame and underneath. There were areas that got some rust due to the fluid film getting washed off. Lower ball joints, tie rods, front of lower control arms, rear third member; high splash zones. The areas that didn't wear off were perfectly protected; still had a film on it in the spring.

Keep in mind, I did not drive around on a dirt road after applying fluid film to help it stick better (i think that is recommended). Not too many dirt roads where I used to live in NE Ohio. Believe it or not, random dirt roads as seen in MI is not normal everywhere.

Driving here and there, you might get away with it. But, I would probably just stay away from driving it. Wait for the salt to get washed off the roads. There are places where salty water can get that you won't be able to spray with fluid film. Just think of the salty water spraying all over the engine. All your fresh hose clamps, nuts, bolts, and other small metal pieces will soon start to rust.

I am currently having this dilemma as I just bought a 94 80 series. Rust free. I want to drive it, but know what salt does to cars...

Hope this helps.

 

[69LC]

If you’re up to a drive tomorrow three of us so far are meeting near Kalkaska to do some light trails.

 

[cheezypoof]

Thanks guys - this helps for sure. Sounds like Fluid Film AND locking away the keys is the way to go.

Pics coming in a couple days! Meanwhile here's the sale thread from two owners ago (just earlier this year). Tint and tail light brush guards have since been removed, which I'm happy about.

SOLD - Ann Arbor: 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 - Originally from Texas - No Rust

$13,500 Original 2F motor with Aisin carb w/266k miles This vehicle has had the fortune of being owned by Land Cruiser enthusiasts who cared for this vehicle. Some of you will recognized this vehicle as previous owners have shared their build progress and documented it on this forum. I have...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[cheezypoof]

If you’re up to a drive tomorrow three of us so far are meeting near Kalkaska to do some light trails.

Thanks for the invite! Can't make this one

Funny enough we just drove through the Kalkaska area on our way up to the Leelanau - but not in the 60. Had to take the highway car.

Have a great ride, looks like Saturday will be a perfect michigan autumn day. Maybe next time

 

[RoadRamblinFJ60]

Welcome to the club, a rust-free truck is one heck of a way to start out! I wouldn't chance driving it on salted roads, like the guys said before. My FJ60 came from Big Bay, MI and while the body is in great shape, the frame is rotted out from being a DD for many years. Now I'm doing a frame and engine swap, so save yourself the headache down the road and don't drive it in the salt.

As a side note, the old timers in this area (I'm in the Monroe area) use chassis saver as their coating of choice. I've used it once before and was skeptical but it seems to work extremely well and still allows the frame to flex while not chipping off, exposing the metal you're trying to protect. It's expensive (about $130 a gallon) but a little goes a long way. Just make sure you apply it with the understanding that it will never come off again. I haven't tried myself, but I hear even hitting the stuff with an angle grinder doesn't hurt it very much. Pretty tough stuff. That's why anything getting welded to my new frame is getting welded on before I apply the chassis saver!!

Good score on the FJ60, looking forward to seeing photos!

Edit: Cheezypoof, you will find that not many shops in the Monroe/Ann Arbor/Detroit area will work on older carbed motors anymore. That's what I ran into around town here. If need be, I work at my old high school in Monroe and we have an automotive shop that works on just about anything, to teach kids how to work on cars. That's where I'm doing my frame and engine swap for my Land Cruiser. I teach a machine tool tech and CNC class next door. The auto teacher and I might be able to help out, in a pinch if you needed it. Due to COVID stuff, things are under a tight noose, but keep that in mind if you need something that you can't find other help with.

 

[dogfishlake]

Welcome!
Nice score on the 60!
Unfortunately the 60’s and 40’s have very rust prone bodies so it would be best the put it away. The 80 and 100 series are a lot better but still not great. I put the cruisers up for the winter except for runs around the woods out of salt. Michigan is great but the salt roads suck.
looking forward to seeing your 60 at some point

 

[cheezypoof]

Welcome to the club, a rust-free truck is one heck of a way to start out! I wouldn't chance driving it on salted roads, like the guys said before. My FJ60 came from Big Bay, MI and while the body is in great shape, the frame is rotted out from being a DD for many years. Now I'm doing a frame and engine swap, so save yourself the headache down the road and don't drive it in the salt.

As a side note, the old timers in this area (I'm in the Monroe area) use chassis saver as their coating of choice. I've used it once before and was skeptical but it seems to work extremely well and still allows the frame to flex while not chipping off, exposing the metal you're trying to protect. It's expensive (about $130 a gallon) but a little goes a long way. Just make sure you apply it with the understanding that it will never come off again. I haven't tried myself, but I hear even hitting the stuff with an angle grinder doesn't hurt it very much. Pretty tough stuff. That's why anything getting welded to my new frame is getting welded on before I apply the chassis saver!!

Good score on the FJ60, looking forward to seeing photos!

Edit: Cheezypoof, you will find that not many shops in the Monroe/Ann Arbor/Detroit area will work on older carbed motors anymore. That's what I ran into around town here. If need be, I work at my old high school in Monroe and we have an automotive shop that works on just about anything, to teach kids how to work on cars. That's where I'm doing my frame and engine swap for my Land Cruiser. I teach a machine tool tech and CNC class next door. The auto teacher and I might be able to help out, in a pinch if you needed it. Due to COVID stuff, things are under a tight noose, but keep that in mind if you need something that you can't find other help with.

Wow, thanks for the offer! This forum really is great, I've owned a few different makes over the years and those forums pale in comparison.

I'll baseline until next year and see what comes then, but you might hear from me if any surprises pop up that I can't handle...

pics will come soon!

 

[Ocho77]

Welcome. That's a beautiful truck!! As most have said, fluid film it and try to not drive it in the winter. I drive mine, but live around a lot of dirt roads and they don't salt anywhere around me. If you're near a city where they heavily salt, it's probably not worth driving.

Hopefully you can make it to a meeting sometime. We will have another cruiser get-together in the summer at my place. Will be the 4th year in a row - would be awesome if you can make it!

 

[TCEd]

Interesting, A2 round trip. As nice as that 60 is I'd make every effort to store and save it. ed

 

[cheezypoof]

Welcome. That's a beautiful truck!! As most have said, fluid film it and try to not drive it in the winter. I drive mine, but live around a lot of dirt roads and they don't salt anywhere around me. If you're near a city where they heavily salt, it's probably not worth driving.

Hopefully you can make it to a meeting sometime. We will have another cruiser get-together in the summer at my place. Will be the 4th year in a row - would be awesome if you can make it!

A summer get together sounds great! Been looking forward to summer 2021 for awhile now...

 

[cheezypoof]

Picture time!

Been enjoying this truck more than I expected! I've been so used to the ease of modern cars and forgot what it was like to actually drive

Now its not without issues. It very quickly became apparent we need a new clutch. I ordered parts and hope to tackle that late next week/weekend. Depends if my buddy with a lift and trans jack is available.

Carb idle mixture/speed needs attention, at least I hope that's the issue. Warm idle is fast, like 1300-1400 fast. If I mash the throttle it settles to 1000 but then usually pops back up. Now and then (when warm) idle surges +/- 200rpm. Mashing throttle stops it. Cold idle is a steady 1000 (after choke in).

I'd like to improve this, but honestly I was already thinking a sniper was my first upgrade, might advance that plan vs real carb work. It's really more of a nuisance, we'll see how successful my lean drop attempt is and go from there.

Last little quirk, yesterday and again today I noticed the dash voltmeter showed 9-10v. All other trips over the past few days, including my most recent, show a solid 12.5-13. next time it's low I'll test voltage from the alternator to see if it's just a goofy dash gauge.

As you can see I'm already knee deep in the joy and pain of owning a 60