New Owner of an old Cruiser

[FJ60inTX]

Hello,

Longtime lurker making his first post and in need of some advice.

I purchased my 87' FJ60 almost a year ago and have been tinkering with small fixes ever since. My wife and I affectionately refer to the cruiser as the money pit. That said, we love our cruiser.

Recently it has been running ROUGH. A visit to my mechanic, very reputable I might add, has them telling me I need to replace the exhaust and intake manifolds. Needless to say the quote I received is substantial.

Has anyone paid to have this work done and would you mind shooting me a pm with what you paid or I should expect to pay? They are telling me resurfacing is rarely successful and that it would be best to purchase new manifolds. I'm savvy enough I think I could do the work myself but my schedule just doesn't allow the time it would take. When I come home from traveling, I want to drive my cruiser not work on it. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

SH

 

[Michael Hanson]

Welcome,Im going to bet you have a crack below the carb in your intake. This can be pulled,cleaned,welded and put back on. 2 cents Mike

 

[FJ60inTX]

Thanks for the input Mike.

Take care.

SH

 

[hank14]

Welcome to the world of the money pits! I replaced my own intake and exhaust gaskets. I don't know what a mechanic would charge. What;s your nearest major city, and the Lone Star Landcruiser guys could probably point you in the direction of another cruiser mechanic.

You can also buy a used intake and exhaust manifold and have it worked on. The Remflex gaskets have a good reputation as well.

Good luck.

 

[worldspan]

When i first got my cruiser back in 2001, my intake was cracked underneath the carb.......cost me $800-$900 (i didn't even know how to change my oil). Needless to say, this was a used intake/exhaust manifold replacement (i did not have enough $ to buy a new one). It lasted 7-8 years until i replaced it again MYSELF. This only cost me $200 (used again) and a lot of elbow grease but WELL worth the satisfaction of being able to do this type of work on my cruiser and it actually running better.......hurray!

I know, i should have replaced it with a new manifold but what fun would that be....right?

 

[FJ60inTX]

The group over at Lone Star are who recommended this mechanic. So far I like them and feel they are straight shooters. Just having a hard time swallowing these all to frequent repair bills. As with the previous trip to the shop, I'm hoping this will be the last visit to the mechanic for a while. Time will tell.

New manifolds are ordered and labor has been negotiated down a bit. I can sit down now without too much discomfort.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Id like your old manifolds if you dont want them,Ill weld them up. thanks, Mike