new company cruiser

[jfz80]

So I guess its no secret, really just never said much for fear of jinxing the whole deal. Plus I know how the ONSC club and cruiser acquisitions have gone lately

Ive been looking for about a year but a good 9 months a little more actively searching for a 45. The requirements are a bit different than most cruisers I would consider.

I needed a vehicle to perform safely as a DD with todays roadway and traffic standards and still be able to run some materials around if necessary. I almost fell for a 66 with a 1f but I do like going the speed limit. Plus it was waaaaaay to nice to ever put anything in. My fate was sealed a few weeks back at rockvember I believe as I got to see in the flesh Darins 45 parked next to brett's 60 (same color as my 45) and I knew what I had to do

So purist look away b/c there a lot of non toyota parts here, but perfect for me as it can get me across town or state, and not so nice that I would be afraid to use it.

As purchased....

[SIZE=+1]1977 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45. Imported from Canada ~2004 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]The Color is 1985 FJ60, Gun Metal Gray, Code 8B4 [/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]1990 Chevy 350 Engine[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Quadrajet TBI System[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]SM420 4 Speed Transmission[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Saginaw Power Steering Conversion[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]Spring-Over Axle Conversion[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1]4 Wheel Disc Brakes[/SIZE]


So it looks alot nicer in the pics (as well as in the rain and dark in a jersey suburb) but its still in decent shape. It has some rust to deal at some point, mostly the rear cab supports, front of bed wings, and underside of cab. Not real bad, and really the only ones i plan to touch in the near future are the cab mounts.

Plans include a canvas canopy over the bed and some company decals and ENJOY!!!

pic series of the restoration

haha and remember everyone's definition of that word is up to scrutiny





[/SIZE]

 

[krzyabncanuck]

Looks pretty nice. Let me know when you are ready for that rear cover as i would like to have one for mine also. So, how does it drive and what about the looks you get driving it around ?

 

[jfz80]

it rides great on a flatbed part of the cruiser experience I guess.

It drives well. The saginaw is loose feeling coming from the 80 but just about identical to the 55's. It does seem to get a wobble or vibration you can feel in steering column/wheel around 65 and especially noticeable in long sweeping curves. Today it cut off on me on the way back from RDU. NO noises or warning just died. So tomorrow well be looking at fuel filters, spark plug wires, and the dizzy o-ring. I just walked out ten minutes ago and it fired right up???

I need to determine if a cut and turn was done b/c at some points it seems a little lacking on castor.

No gawkers compared to driving around in the 55 but thats just the first 24hrs.

Darin--- are you thinking flat taneau style or troop canopy style cover. I was thinking the latter with ribs.

 

[little_joe]

Very nice score Jason! It looks as if it was well worth the wait. Can't wait to see it on Kodak and Daniel!

 

[southerncruiser62]

Seems as if a conduit style troop canopy could be made very easily, something worth considering is the "on the market" products like can-back and softtopper. Get some measurements and see what/how they match up. I think I could probably find you a sofftopper to give a shot with.

 

[shellb]

That thing is so sweet man! Congrats again...can't wait to see it with the soft top and company logos.

 

[FJinTegaCay]

Glad your search is over. Hope you work the gremlins out soon so you can really enjoy her.

 

[rutbeer]

Cool! Nice find, even if it is powered by Chevy.
Let me know on the canvas topper.....have been wanting to do that with mine for a long time. TLC made some a while back that were pretty sweet.

 

[krzyabncanuck]

I was also thinking of a troop style cover. I know Eshan makes them still.

 

[R.K.]

Very nice!

 

[jfz80]

Cool! Nice find, even if it is powered by Chevy.

Well ya see, there used to be this local diesel import dude 'round here

Phase II

 

[shinton]

Sweet ride!! Just a thought on steering stabilization and that is ram assist? Certainly eliminates all death wobble, bump-steer, at least in my experience. It is not truly fixing it, but hiding it behind brute strength...but...

Just a dead simple / cheap topper solution is to build a 2x4 frame that fits inside the bed. Top it with a 1" thick (approx) particle board. Round the 4 corners just a bit.

Put a little bit of foam over the top of the particle board. Cover the whole thing with black vinyl, stretching it over the corners, and stapling below the top where the board meets the 2x4 frame under neath.

Add a couple brackets / chains etc just to make sure it doesn't bounce around. Dad used another 2x4 leg that was on a swivel so that we could lift the rear, put the leg down to hold it up while loading/unloading. (Cheap mans hatch pneumatic thingy)

We put some rubber membrane / plumbers something as cushion between the topper and the bed rails. "Sorta" water tight too in theory but not 100% by any means.

It came out looking very sharp and MUCH cheaper than a custom / fiberglass topper. Was a bit heavy, but with a locking tailgate, pretty secure. We built one for his S-10 and then later for his Nissan.

 

[rutbeer]

I still have a line on some 1HD-T engines if you are interested. Probably cost just as much as the truck though....but there is a 5spd on one of them. I am dragging my feet on this current round of imports just a bit. I'm trying to determine if it's worth bringing them in with the economy still in the toilet. I would hate to sit on a drivetrain for 6 months or longer. Not sure the neighbor would put up with them in his shop for that long.... Now, if you have a loading dock or a fork lift and somewhere to store, we might be in a different situation.

 

[diggity]

Jason - this is awesome, beautiful...cannot wait to see it in person. Good luck with it.

 

[jfz80]

I think I know why she cut out coming home from Raleigh....

so drained the tank, new lines, and replaced the fuel filter and t-stat gasket

 

[rockdragster]

 

[Fort Knox]

Saw this truck in person at the meeting/dinner this past weekend and it's pretty friggin' sweet. Very jealous man!

 

[shinton]

Uh...is that an egg sunny side up? (No idea what I am looking at there or why it would cut off an engine!?)

Was thinking this morning if it was really sudden (like you turned the key off), to check the wires from the ignition key to the ground, little black module (name escaping me) that tells the starter to spin, etc. With an engine spliced in, I could see that wire getting spliced, or just old / brittle with a short in it?

If you thought it was the wire from ignition switch, when running, trace the wire and jiggle it to see if you can find the short.

 

[jfz80]

oh yeah..... thats a bucket of dirty gasoline.

It was very sudden, and actually I did not realize it was not running till I tried to pass but no go.
Wiggled all kinds of wires while it was running yesterday with no ill effect. Will trace ignition>ignitor>coil>dizzy connections today. Thanks.

 

[lt1fire]

Uh...is that an egg sunny side up? (No idea what I am looking at there or why it would cut off an engine!?)

Was thinking this morning if it was really sudden (like you turned the key off), to check the wires from the ignition key to the ground, little black module (name escaping me) that tells the starter to spin, etc. With an engine spliced in, I could see that wire getting spliced, or just old / brittle with a short in it?

If you thought it was the wire from ignition switch, when running, trace the wire and jiggle it to see if you can find the short.

I was wondering what that was also