New here - just picked up 89 FJ62

[IDKGiveItAShot]

Two owner car that lived its whole life in Chapel Hill, NC. 157k miles. Seems to be in really great shape. Bone stock minus the ~1999 alpine radio.

Plan, at least for now, is to keep it as original as possible.

Current things I'll be doing/parts ordered:
Replacing crumbling front side marker lights
Replacing burnt out high beam bulbs
Replacing chewed up rear wiper blade
Replacing rear hatch struts (hatch currently functions well as a guillotine)

Future list:
Need to take the slop out of the shifter
Interior gas cap pull handle doesn't work - seized up somewhere
Windows are very slow up and down
Driver door lock is very sticky
Hatch lock is not in great shape
Tailgate hinges are only rust I can find on the car

 

[red66toy]

Welcome!! Looks like you purchased an awesome example.

 

[franklin40]

wow that’s clean!!

 

[majdomo]

Very very clean, congrats! All the stuff on your list is easy. Shifter slop is about $10-$15 in bushings and 30 min of fun, give or take. Drive and enjoy!

 

[onemanarmy]

Nice! Hope to see it around town!

Was it advertised locally?

 

[Hokie LX]

That looks like one that was on FB for a while.

Welcome! Come out to one of the ONSC monthly meetings.

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

Nice! Hope to see it around town!

Was it advertised locally?

That looks like one that was on FB for a while.

Welcome! Come out to one of the ONSC monthly meetings.

not sure if PO had listed it earlier - i found it on marketplace posted by Brendon @ Top Secret RTP who was consigning it for PO - it was only up for a couple of days before i snagged it.

Since i mentioned him, Brendon / Top Secret mostly deal in Kei trucks and random JDM stuff and not many LC, but he and his team were GREAT to work with - super easy process and we negotiated a number we both liked quickly.

definitely plan to come out to some ONSC events!

 

[kevin in okinawa]

that's a super clean specimen, congratulations! As someone said, the shifter rattle is fixed in about 10 minutes with a few new rubber bushings. For everything else, and everything else that you will eventually want to work on, there is a thread on this forum to show you how. Purchase an ih8Mud silver star and all of your projects will be blessed ones.

 

[zeeklafreek]

And, never underestimate the quality of a 1999 Alpine stereo.

 

[onemanarmy]

absolutely...it may not be as lightining quick or flashy as the new stuff.....but it'll work longer

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

Current things I'll be doing/parts ordered:
Replacing crumbling front side marker lights
Replacing burnt out high beam bulbs
Replacing chewed up rear wiper blade
Replacing rear hatch struts (hatch currently functions well as a guillotine)

Future list:
Need to take the slop out of the shifter
Interior gas cap pull handle doesn't work - seized up somewhere
Windows are very slow up and down
Driver door lock is very sticky
Hatch lock is not in great shape
Tailgate hinges are only rust I can find on the car

Updates!

Front marker lights have been replaced - if you wanna hang out in the garage with me for 15 minutes while I stumble through that process - check out the video here.

Rear wiper blade has been replaced.

High beam bulb replacement has turned into a project, which will be a future video.

Rear hatch struts are on back order (although not listed as such when I ordered... grumble grumble)

Drivers door lock seems to have come around just with a little use.

Turns out the interior handle for the fuel door DOES work - but the spring is missing from the fuel door, which is why it doesn't open - will order that at some point.

 

[majdomo]

Updates!

Front marker lights have been replaced - if you wanna hang out in the garage with me for 15 minutes while I stumble through that process - check out the video here.

Rear wiper blade has been replaced.

High beam bulb replacement has turned into a project, which will be a future video.

Rear hatch struts are on back order (although not listed as such when I ordered... grumble grumble)

Drivers door lock seems to have come around just with a little use.

Turns out the interior handle for the fuel door DOES work - but the spring is missing from the fuel door, which is why it doesn't open - will order that at some point.

Fuel door spring is easy to get from your local parts store. 3 minute fix, tops.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, Fuel door is a plastic part,snaps in. I still check All fluids and valves.

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

Welp, since it's been sitting with the hood up while I wait for headlight hardware, I've been poking around.

Suspected a slow coolant leak - pressurized system and... yep, definitely making a nice puddle. Believe it's the soft line between the water pump and the oil cooler hard line, but haven't confirmed because it's so hard to see around all the stuff bolted to the front and driver side of a 3FE - so, starting the hunt for replacement hoses and clamps and putting that job on the list.

Also noticed the thermostat housing looks very rough (two different types of bolts in it, sloppy RTV job evident, and cold start sensor is nearly broken off between the plastic housing and bolt - so that's why I always have to pump the gas pedal or pull out the throttle to get a good cold start, eh) - so pulling the thermostat housing and refurbing it is also on the todo list now.

Hope this headlight hardware gets here soon before I find more previously non-existent issues.

 

[diesellibrarian]

That cold start timer switch is super easy to break, especially when it's old and the plastic is brittle. Ask me how I know.

It's a good idea to replace as many of the coolant hoses as you can, but wherever possible, try to re-use the OG hose clamps: they're far superior to worm gear hose clamps from the hardware store. Even if they look kinda nasty, clean them up and lube the threads and reinstall.

 

[tarheel40]

Congrats! I saw that listed on FB not long ago for a very reasonable price, you did well. I’ve really enjoyed my 62 for the last couple of years and have tackled a handful of the projects you mentioned in my build thread.

The stock headlights are pretty bad on these, even with new bulbs. Look into the ARB harness upgrade from Cruiser outfitters and some Hella’s with upgrade bulbs. Absolute game changer.

The slow windows and auto door lock/unlock not working well are very common issues, there’s a great thread about adding relays at the drivers door for the locks and the 3 passenger doors for the windows. I’ve done that and it helped a ton.

Some great double din touch screens that fit the factory opening in the 62 if you decide to replace the alpine. Apple car play is a really nice modern feature that makes these rigs more enjoyable of longer drives. I went with the Pioneer XAV 9000ES and have loved it.

Enjoy and good luck with the build!!

 

[MWM1]

Regarding the gas door release, mine was missing the V shaped spring at the door. Cheap part and easy fix.

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

started on the oil pan gasket job tonight. pretty sure it’s the original one and the pan is cemented in.

set a bottle jack between the frame on the driver side and some wood on the side of the pan. hopefully there’s a pan on the ground in the morning.

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

started on the oil pan gasket job tonight. pretty sure it’s the original one and the pan is cemented in.

set a bottle jack between the frame on the driver side and some wood on the side of the pan. hopefully there’s a pan on the ground in the morning.

View attachment 3809473

(also i snapped this picture before zipping out the last bolts - i triple counted the 22 bolts to make sure i didn’t leave any in before i started trying to knock the pan loose )

 

[IDKGiveItAShot]

hopefully there’s a pan on the ground in the morning.

no such luck. relocated jack to a different angle and waiting another while.

if bottle jack doesn't work what's Plan C for this job?