Hey,
New to ihmud and new to Cruisers. We've wanted one for a long time and finally made the plunge-I found a 1989 FJ62 in amazing condition and now she has a 2021. So we are IN!
The '89 FJ62 is in amazing shape for 280K miles with most of that spent in the south-no rust anywhere!! It sat for 4+ years before I purchased so currently just about every seal and gasket that can leak is being replaced (because they all leaked). I'm gathering info and suppliers to start my journey and have some questions and looking for input. I'm not aiming for a complete original restoration but rather a functional truck that can get me around, be interesting and have some personal "custom" touches.
We live in McCall ID so there's many opportunities to explore "off-road" right out our back door. I'm hoping to make it dependable and be able to do some backcountry camping adventures in something that works, is tight and has my stamp on it.
First question:The dash pad has a lot of cracks due to sun exposure. I've been able to locate a new pad but it's $600. I've done some fabrication in the past with air cooled VWs and replaced the dash pad with various materials (billet aluminum plates, plywood, etc). Has anyone replaced the dash pad with something home brew that worked with the rest of the instrument cluster?
That's it for now!
thanks,
Brian K
New to ihmud and new to Cruisers. We've wanted one for a long time and finally made the plunge-I found a 1989 FJ62 in amazing condition and now she has a 2021. So we are IN!
The '89 FJ62 is in amazing shape for 280K miles with most of that spent in the south-no rust anywhere!! It sat for 4+ years before I purchased so currently just about every seal and gasket that can leak is being replaced (because they all leaked). I'm gathering info and suppliers to start my journey and have some questions and looking for input. I'm not aiming for a complete original restoration but rather a functional truck that can get me around, be interesting and have some personal "custom" touches.
We live in McCall ID so there's many opportunities to explore "off-road" right out our back door. I'm hoping to make it dependable and be able to do some backcountry camping adventures in something that works, is tight and has my stamp on it.
First question:The dash pad has a lot of cracks due to sun exposure. I've been able to locate a new pad but it's $600. I've done some fabrication in the past with air cooled VWs and replaced the dash pad with various materials (billet aluminum plates, plywood, etc). Has anyone replaced the dash pad with something home brew that worked with the rest of the instrument cluster?
That's it for now!
thanks,
Brian K