Is it worth it? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Threads
23
Messages
150
Location
Durango
My 84 60 is a great vehicle, no doubt about it. But I am tired of worrying about its reliability. Not that its unreliable, but a few things caught my attention and I am wondering if I should sell and strap down some car payments or slowly fix this machine into something great. First of all, my transmission is going (whiny, synchro gone, etc.) My transfer case pushes oil into the tranny, which I have rigged with the feeder hose back into the t.c. There is an annoying exhaust leak that cant be pinned down (you know, tick tick tick) Cant start in morning without choking. Strange sound just behind steering wheel when turning. Power steering pump appears to be leaking slightly. carb blower fan is gone. gas mileage is total crap. Thats all the major stuff. I know this is pretty much standard for cruisers and many of you might say it wouldnt be a cruiser without this stuff, but this is my Daily driver and I am in need of reliable transportation. I am considering selling, paying off some debt, and taking the plunge into car payments. What do you think should be done? Keep it, restore it slowly and hope it doesnt crap out on me at a crucial time, or sell and be hated by you all forever? :) I know that for the price of a newer truck this could be totally restored into something sweet, but I don't have the time or money right now to work on this truck here and there. I am lost, please help.
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where are you located? if we know this sometimes we can suggest a local mechanic or shop.

are you mechanically inclined? we can help you fix, repair or swap in a newer motor but we need to know what you are ready for.

How much do you want to spend? thats what will often determine what you can do with your rig.

When these cruisers are well maintained they are the shizznit. if you want something reliable, capable off and on road with room for friends or kids then keep your cruiser and repair it. If you just drive to and from work and dont go andventuring buy a car.

I think you should put some time aside on the weekends to do some of these repairs and slowly build it up. Take care of the bugs one piece ata time as budget allows. Or borrow money and get someone to do it all at once or swap in a 350.
 
Word, on the above reply. Even tranny work is not that bad. I'm sure that you can score a pretty decent used tranny for pretty cheap, especially with the people that are on this forum. And like the feller above said, take a few hours on the weekend and fix 'er up.
One more thing to think about too, I don't know where you're at but 84 fj60's don't seem to fetch a whole lot of cash. Much less one that needs work. The body looks to be in pretty good shape but I still don't think that you're gonna get alot for it. My two cents is that you keep it and fix it over the years if you have to.
 
I am located in Durango, Colorado. I suppose I am mechanically inclined, but I guess my problem is I don't have the right tools for doing major work on her. I am 27 and single, so there is a lot of time and money saved right there! I think if I were to keep it, I would want to drop a lot of work in all at once, perhaps new engine and a 5 speed. I love the fact that there is such a community here, thanks for all your ideas, and keep em coming. A 350 huh? I take it that includes fuel-injection (i.e. better gas mileage) How heavy is that engine? As much as 2F? The body is in pretty good shape, minor rust on rear wells, tailgate, etc. I am willing to spend whatever it takes to be able to drive this baby and not worry about every little thing. Any ideas as to exhaust leak? EGR pipe? I have taken it to several mechanics and they all seem to think its a crack in the exhaust manifold, but they cant pin-point it exactly. Looking at my EGR pipe, it is stock and rusted as hell. Regards.
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...and by the way, I live just an hour from Utah desert, which is where I really just want to go and play. Just dont want to get stuck out there.
 
1) get a 5-speed and rebuild the TCase, R&R Clutch $2500 total
2) exhaust leak may be the J (EGR) pipe its really common $100
3) P/s Pump (OEM) $300 do it before it leaks on the smog pump.
4) They all need to be choked a little $0
5)Sound behind the steering wheel, no big deal
6) Gas mileage, yea thats always a factor! SBC may get you a few extra MPG, start easier, and LOTS more power, but several thousand dollars....do everything else first than start scheeming on the engine later.

Like mentioned above, if you USE it like a cruiser should be used KEEP it, if it's just a commuter, SELL it.
 
I think the questions that you have are similar to questions a lot of us have. Do we put money into these old trucks or do we sell or trade in the old rig and buy something new? A new truck has a warranty and should run for 100k miles without any problems. Every day you go out it should start and if something does break then it is paid under warranty. with the old truck there is always a question of something breaking and if it does you must come up with cash to fix it.

Another way of looking at it however, is if you buy a new truck you are looking at debt for 4-7 years depending on what you buy and how much you put down. If you are in the position where you can pay cash then toss out the old junker and get something new. If not think seriosly about the opportunity cost of new. what else could you do with 300-600$ a month. Well if you saved 400 a month for a year you could get a new tranny from one of the venders like Man-a Free or Specter of cool cruisers and still have a bunch of change to get other things done. for one years car payments you can pretty much rebuild one of these old trucks.

If you have no debt then you can do some really neat things like take a few months off and drive to Alaska or South America. you are young and have alot of adventures ahead of you. If you keep the old beater running you have freedom. debt is a huge ball and chain that is hard to get rid of. If you have no debyt then you are free to do alot of things others can't. sure the dude down the street might have a new rubicon, but most likely he is so in debt he needs to go to work just to pay the truck payments, whereas you, with no debt can go out and take time and explore around.

You live in a great part of the country. You have access to the best exploring there is. You have Utah, arizona, New Mexico and of course Colorado to go out and explore and an old 60 that has been carefully built and maintained can go anywhere you like.

Look at the opportunity cost of everything you buy and always remember that we do not actually own this stuff, it ends up owning us so keep things simple. It has taken me many years to learn all this. I am hoping my children will learn from my mistakes and will stay out of debt and look at all they buy because it makes life much more fun when you don't have to spend your time working to pay of things that were worn out years ago.
 
Poe Dog,

"... cold, dead hand." Appology to Charlton Heston.


If you recognize how uniquely suited the FJ60 is to off pavement exploration in your region and that is something you enjoy, repair and maintain it. If you are only comuting to work and running errands you might as well have a better date mobile.

Bill Clinton used to drive an El Camino with asto turf in the back, Just a suggestion.
 
You cant replace it for the price to fix it. FIX IT. My 84 was bought by my dad in 83 for $14,500. Would you pay that for a brand new 84 now. Hell ya you would. You cant buy a truck that realiable and capable for less than 30k now.
 
holy cow, you are all exactly correct. Thanks for pulling my head out of the clouds. If YOU were going to start to upgrade this beast, where would you start. Obviously as said, replace or rebuild the tranny. Fix all little leaks here and there, and then what? Should I replace the carb? It is stock and not sure if it is tuned for my altitude (6500). I guess I should work on the basics first, huh? Damn, I am so green to this sort of thing.
 
You will need a few 17mm wrenches and sockets as well as a handfull of 12mm sockets and wrenches.

Thats a start.

as well as a few 10s, 14s, and 15s between those sizes and the ones Dan mentioned I think you could take all but a few bolts/nuts out of the truck

lunyou
 
If memory serves, isn't there a few forum members in the Durango area? Maybe someone will chime in on this. I vaguely remember someone doing upgrades on an FJ60 near durango. They may be able to help.

...
 
I ditto everyone's response.
I went thru the same soul searching and even went as far as "trying" to sell it (at a price I knew I couldn't get - for the wife)
The bottom line is that you will not get much value out of it right now - so you may as well keep it.
You could also buy an inexpensive 2nd car - used 2000 Honda civic for example - and not be so worried about downtime in doing the repairs
 
Buy a 500 piece Craftsman tool set ($300) and a set of FSM's (Factory Service Manuals; Engine, Chassis, and emissions) (aprox $100). That equals about one month in new car payments. Then READ, Search and Read more about cruisers on this site and you will be ready for anything your 60 can throw at you.

Dynosoar :zilla:
 
I'm in the same boat bro:( I have an 89 and right now, the front axle needs servicing (throwing grease all over the outer wheel and tire), just replaced the engine (although not a problem with the truck-was caused by faulty workmanhip by garage), and just had the tranny rebuilt.

Approx cost:

Engine w/R&R - $3600.00
Transmission - $2600.00

Have that same annoying tick tick, but I think mines the header?

I hate the fuel mileage and cringe everytime I have to fill 'er up!

I don't have tools or necessarily the time or knowklege to work on it and no one to turn to for assistance:(
And like you, I drive it daily sometimes 2000-300 miles. I never know if I'm going to end up in a cow pasture, muddy field or the interstate. When it rains, the streets flood. I wanted something that will keep me going through no matter waht! This suiits the bill.

If it were all highway, I'd buy a Saturn Sky or the Pontiac equivalent.

Instead, I'll find a way to start to learn this raggedy beast and buy some tools. I guess if I f**k it up, there's always some way of fixing it?

As stated, 3-4-500.00 a month car payments can make a TON of repairs and still buys a few gallons of fuel;)

Keep the truck
 

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