Need help with FJ 60 purchase

[Bad Chicken]

Hi, I need advise from the wise forum members. I looked at an '85 60 today. 180K, 1 high quality repaint, great body and frame no rust. Pretty nice interior. This was a daily driver. The orig owner and current owner have replaced alot of things but the engine looked very neglected. it was wet around oil filler, Very wey rear main and trans, wet PS pump filler, Bearing noise from smog pump. The worst was the white smoke that changed with acceleration. It drove ok but it sounded like something broke/came off one time when shifting from 1st to 2nd. But drove ok after that. Temp was 2/3 up after 20 mins of idleing, oil pressure was 2/3 up. Idle a bit rough and ac took a little while to get cold. What do you think? Blown head gasket minimum. Engine ready to go? I'm torn between making an offer based on worst case scenario and walking away. How much $ do you think I'm in for? I don't mean to sound ghey but I'm not sure if the body/frame overrides the mech problems. I could do the work myself but wouldn't beacuse of time restraints. I'm looking for your opinions to help me decide what to do. Thanks in advance!

 

[cody c]

if hes not asking too much for it, you should scoop it up. the biggest problem with a cruiser is usually rust. And if you say its basically rust free its probally a good starting point.

there has been more than a few who have regretted not getting a cruiser with better body condition, and alot tend to modify or rebuild the drivetrain anyway.

However i would get the engine checked out to see how bad it is, It still might not be a bad purchase if you can budget in a rebuild or drop in a 350 and get the transmission rebuilt. which it sounds like it might be the case, but not always too expensive for the thrifty and mechanically inclined.

There is also a FAQ section with a bit of info to help you out, id reccomend doing a lot of reading in there if you havent already.

Cheers and welcome to the forum.

 

[Bad Chicken]

Thanks for confirming my thoughts. I went ahead and made an offer last night. I'm waiting to see if he says yes or F%^& you. I'm not sure he beleives me when I tell him the cruiser has problems. I told him to take it to his mechanic to verify what I found. I'll post pix if I get it.

 

[Tinker]

Did you check the typical rust areas with a flexible refrigerator magnet? If the repaint is fairly recent it could hide "repaired" rust.

 

[archie]

I would walk away unless he was selling at a giveaway price. Based on your time, would you rather enjoy the summer or chase around problems with that vehicle. It's not like you need more problems in your life and more stuff in the back of your mind to think about. I would suggest buying it if you got alot of great storage space and can take your time fixing it. You got a 62, so you could always take your time. But, as you know, even the 62 will need a little work here and there.

 

[Bad Chicken]

I checked all the usual rust areas with a magnet. He has before paint pix of the cruiser as well. The body is the best I've ever seen. The frame is great also. If it ran as good as it looked it would be in my driveway right now. My offer to him is low and I still have not heard back. I know he has put alot of money in this 60 (the paint was 3k) and is probably having a hard time realizing that he won't get it back when he sells it. If it works out I may just hide it in the garage for a few years until I have the time. I really appreciate all the input.