Looking for BJ60

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PeeZed

PeeZed

10 Year
Joined
Jan 4, 2015
Threads
56
Messages
785
Location
Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
Hey folks,

Long time lurker, and I think I had an account about ten years ago when I had '84, '82 and '81 BJ60's. Sold them to pay for school and now I'm back in the market to hopefully find a solid 60.

If this is the wrong place to post then moderators can delete or tell me where would be best.

I'm located in the Lake Cowichan area, but willing to travel anywhere on the Island or Mainland if necessary.

Probably $10,000 would be the top end, but I'd like some wiggle room for repairs if necessary.

There's one in Maple Ridge that looks clean and has suspension upgrades, but high km's and no turbo, and pushing my price limit. Maybe it's worth it?

Hoping to get back to my Cruiser roots and start hanging with other Cruiserheads in the coming years.

Cheers!

-paul
 
Well good luck. Keep your eyes peeled on the TLC on usedvictoria thread here and on the coastal cruisers club page.
Lots of good advise here, and lots of not so good advice.....have fun.
 
Welcome to VI cruisers. Good luck in your search. Could maybe get a clean FJ60 in the US and do a diesel swap from a rusty BJ60 back here? Could keep your costs down a bit. I'll let you know if I see anything.
 
Paul,
The blue 84 in Maple Ridge has a repaired and solid frame. It doesn't have a turbo, only EMU's.
It is also advertized as having no rust but I called and he says there is bubbling on one of the wheel wells. Nice example of a solid 84, but I personally think he's asking the top end, full-pop price. Not trying to take anything away from it. Unless you find a nice US body diesel swap, you likely won't find a cleaner CDN 60. My $0.02.

I don't know the owner, never met him.
 
There's a pair of 60's in Bellingham,
Canadian donor and rust free fj60...
 
Thanks folks.

Yeah, the Maple Ridge Cruiser seems like a nice rig...hard to find one that's solid(ish). For the price I'd expect both lower km's and maybe a turbo.

I missed out on one over a year ago for $10,000 and it was MINT, with turbo, full custom interior, exhaust and bumpers, etc...financing fell through last minute.

As for the 'ol FJ/BJ swap...I'm not setup or competent enough to tackle that at this point.

We are looking for a second vehicle as our youngest son was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and if he strikes a fever we have 30 minutes to get him to a hospital and put on IV antibiotics, or bad things could happen. So, with only one vehicle, if one of us is in town with our only vehicle, then there's not enough time to return home and then get back to the hospital. As well, EMT (Ambulance) is often not in town so relying on it to get here within 5 minutes and then make the 25min commute to the hospital just isn't worth the risk. Hence, purchasing a solid running truck is the hope.

I'm comfortable enough having owned a few BJ60's before to wrench on them for minor stuff, and hope to learn a bunch through this forum and meeting up with other VI folks once we find the right truck for us.

Thanks again!

Cheers!
 
There's a couple options out there currently.

1. I looked at the blue 60 in Victoria. Actually really clean. FJ frame 9yrs ago and is still solid. Body has been cut and welded but is actually really solid too. Owner is straight up and I'm still considering it for purchase. My only concern is the leafs are flat, it has 400k's, and is an out-of-province rig without import inspection yet. So, as an immediate daily driver it doesn't stand out as a great purchase at this point.

2. Talked to my buddy on the Mainland who's a Cruiser genius and regarding the '84 in Maple Ridge his first question was why the rear main seal is leaking if the clutch had just been done. Was the main seal not done? Was it done poorly? Was it done well but has already failed? Big questions mark if due diligence had been done and it's already leaking (again?).


3. Another Vancouver truck...'87 BJ60 with 2H and turbo. 300k. Seller says wife can't drive stick so selling. Nice tires, but seller seemed fairly naive when I began asking the typical Cruiser questions. Sending me photos tomorrow. I've heard the 2H with turbo doesn't work so well? Stick with a 3b or go to 12HT? The sleeved cylinder thing? Anyways, he's asking $9300.

4. There's an '83 BJ60 on the Mainland with a solid 20yr history, owned by my Cruiser buddy's friend. Usual rust and patch work but all posts and load points are still solid or repaired/replaced. It has a SOA, 35's, and is in (apparently) solid mechanical condition. It would be a 3-6yr truck before major body/frame work is necessary. Has custom front and rear bumpers, winch, saginaw power steering setup, injectors serviced, fuel tank painted/sealed with new sending unit and flex/soft lines, brakes, etc... It's a beast for sure, but if it's mechanically sound and has a few nice extras, then it could be a winner. Painted Camo...Asking $7,000 It's not on CL or Used anything currently so it would be a private sale to me. If I don't buy it then he will list it in a few weeks...possibly for more.

DSCN0647.jpg


I'm really hoping something jumps out as a real winner here soon...I'd like to purchase in the next week or so.

Thanks for the feedback on the above questions/hesitations.

If I had the cash I think I'd buy #1 & #4 so I have a solid frame/body and a second 3B to tinker with...but the money tree is only so generous!
 
Agree, met the owner of the blue one in Vic and he is as straight up family man as they come.
 
77cruiser77, I believe that's the #3 option in my comment above. I spoke to him on the phone and he seemed completely unaware of the typical issues that I was asking about. I requested more pics...never heard back. Also, since the 2H isn't sleeved I've heard turbo's on them can cause more overheating issues and when 2H's go, they go bad...maybe this isn't always true, but the 3B's and 12HT's seem to have a more reliable history.
 
PeeZed said:
77cruiser77, I believe that's the #3 option in my comment above. I spoke to him on the phone and he seemed completely unaware of the typical issues that I was asking about. I requested more pics...never heard back. Also, since the 2H isn't sleeved I've heard turbo's on them can cause more overheating issues and when 2H's go, they go bad...maybe this isn't always true, but the 3B's and 12HT's seem to have a more reliable history.
Click to expand...

3B's definitely stand up to turbos better. The 2H is an excellent engine, and will last a very long time, but not with a turbo on it. The thing I've seen go wrong most is shattered piston ring lands. Seems the pistons just don't have the strength to stand up to boost? I don't have personal experience; this is more just what I've read. Lots of threads on mud on this though.

To the original poster, why do you not consider an HDJ81? Seems like a better family vehicle, and still a very capable landcruiser. For the same money you are looking at spending, you get a complete package without the need to deal with rust and install a turbo. Great fuel economy too. They regularly come up now in the $6-$10k region. I've seen some very nice loaded, low km (lockers, winch, etc) HDJ81's for $10k. Was one in Fraser Valley area on craigslist a few days ago for less than $10k, but I can't find the ad now; probably sold.
 
Seemed to not notice but yes my suggestion was your #3.

Good to know about the turbo. I knew the 2H was not set up for taking a turbo but didn't realize how poorly they took to them.

Perhaps sticking to the 3B would be better

An 80 series would be the smarter option and if you forgo options such as lockers, winch, and bumpers money can be saved. Biggest thing I'd look for in one is service history showing if injectors, pump and beb have been addressed. Those along with knuckles can make a bargain find turn into a pricey investment but same goes for any vehicle.
 
Probably going to go with the Camo rig. 20yr known history through my buddy so no surprises. Bunch of extra parts/pieces too. Probably going over to pick up on Saturday. Also, if I get something with some scratches on it already then the bush wont be so hard one the 'ol ego ;-)

Thanks for all the input guys...I look forward to getting it over to the Island and hopefully meeting up some time to learn from the pro's!

Cheers!
 
Is the SOA camo 60 turbo'd?
What gears does it have?
lockers?
5 speed?
Is the front end cut and turned?
Does it have a high steer kit?

These are all important questions to ask. If the answer is yes to all of the above then its a fair price as long as the rust isnt too bad. Good luck.
 
slowandsteady...

According to my buddy it drives beautifully.

No turbo.
4.56 gears
no lockers
5 spd
No idea what you mean by front end cut and turned...
I believe it has a high steer kit.

More pics now...

DSCN0653.jpg


DSCN0645.jpg


DSCN0657.jpg


DSCN0664.jpg


DSCN0656.jpg


DSCN0655.jpg
 
Those are pretty gross looking mounts on the axles... (very high) without an antiwrap bar in the rear I guess it will not be the happiest thing to drive. And depending what you do and how hard the leafs are liable to snap a pinion. That said lots of guys run lift blocks... just something to be aware of.

Also without a turbo I'd say the price is a little high. I have the same gears in mine and I'd put a turbo very high on your list of todo's, the 3 -> 4 shift won't be happy.

A cut and turn is when the front axle is sliced and the knuckles turned to allow for correct alignment. Without this the truck will have bumpsteer and burn through tires. Make sure it has a cut and turn or else you'll be burning through tires and have horrid bumpsteer. On that note before you buy I'd take it for an alignment and see if it is "alignable" aka did they do the fabrication correctly.
 
Well shoot guys...now you have me 2nd guessing! Good thing is I haven't purchased anything yet.

I will call the guy who did the fabrication (17yrs ago) and see what he says about potential bumpsteer and alignment issues.

Hugh Jazz...that FJ looks nice. If I were to get an almost free 3B engine, how hard is the swap to do? And how much? That FJ doesn't have some of the "functional" upgrades that would come in handy for me (bumpers, winch, clearance with SOA, etc). Nice looking rig though!

Guys, I have essentially $9,000 at my disposal here (I have to keep $1000 for taxes). I just don't see anything available with a 3B (fuel economy and reliability), with a turbo and some other functional upgrades and a solid mechanical history for that price anywhere! So, if it's unrealistic to find such a beast in that price range then something has to give...and at this point daily reliability is of the highest priority, then fuel economy, then upgrades and a "solid" body/frame.
 
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