New to me 84.

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flagstaff

flagstaff

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Aug 27, 2007
Threads
49
Messages
380
Location
Flagstaff Arizona
I just picked up an '48 FJ60. 2F engine with a 4 speed manual. Very excited. I've had a few 80s, a 100, and a 200 but never a 60.
1776659450692.webp


I have a couple questions. I haven't had much luck with the search and was hope a few of you fine folk might chime in with some advice.
1. I'm not sure what kind of headlights these are. I have noticed that when a blinker is used, a ring on the headlight lights up with the blinker. (I also think the blinker is fast so perhaps the added LED is causing the car to think a bulb is burnt out.
2. Font and rear lenses are old, cracked and in need of replacement. Should I get new stock (or aftermarket) lenses or does anyone have recommendations on swapping out the front marker lights and rear lights for something better.
1776660137863.webp

3. The gas pedal seems to be bent toward the brake petal. This just seems odd to me and I'm guessing the gas pedal needs to be removed and then bent toward the passenger side a bit. If anyone has any pictures of their 3 pedals, it would be easier for me to get it in the right spot.
4. I purchased the car from a great couple in a town nearby where the elevation is about 1500 ft lower. Does that elevation change warrant an adjustment to the carb?
1776660311712.webp

5. I'm told i have a 2.5" OME lift. The springs are quite stiff and I would like a bit softer ride. Doe anyone have any suggestions on shocks?

Thanks in advance for anyone who wants to throw some advice or information my way.

Flagstaff.
 
Another question I forgot to ask. the car seems to lean to the left. (The driver side is about 1.5" lower then the passenger side.) I was planning on swapping the front springs, driver <--> passenger, to see if that reduces the lean. Any other recommendations?
 
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The hyperflash on the blinker is because the old Flasher/Relay needs update (probably). I believe @CruiserTrash has modified flasher units, but don't know if they're in stock.

The 'Cruiser Lean' is a known issue when installing aftermarket OME leaf springs. There are various ways to deal with it. There are many threads on the subject. It's because the A and B (Left and Right) rear spring packs are different and intended for weight distribution in the truck, but sometimes gets installed wrong or different issues. Check Cruiser Outfitter or ARB website (OME dealer). That's kind of a thin spring pack and I'm guessing it's CS003 ? People seem to like the Bilstein shocks with that, but there's a gazillion opinions. You'll have to read and decide.

1500 ft elevation won't affect the carb. There's an HAC (if functional) High Altitude Compensation device that kicks in above 4K ft. So in Flagstaff, you could conceivably go from 7K ft to Yuma, so it would be good to check the function of the HAC (It's in the emissions manual- free download in Resources section).

Good luck with new truck!
 
Congratulations, nice cruiser and imho the best color! Check under the springs and see if there is a shim on one side vs the other side. Otherwise just switch the springs from one side to the other like spike strip mentioned. Post up some more pics if you can.
 
flagstaff said:
I just picked up an '48 FJ60. 2F engine with a 4 speed manual. Very excited. I've had a few 80s, a 100, and a 200 but never a 60.
View attachment 4125572

I have a couple questions. I haven't had much luck with the search and was hope a few of you fine folk might chime in with some advice.
1. I'm not sure what kind of headlights these are. I have noticed that when a blinker is used, a ring on the headlight lights up with the blinker. (I also think the blinker is fast so perhaps the added LED is causing the car to think a bulb is burnt out.
2. Font and rear lenses are old, cracked and in need of replacement. Should I get new stock (or aftermarket) lenses or does anyone have recommendations on swapping out the front marker lights and rear lights for something better.
View attachment 4125573
3. The gas pedal seems to be bent toward the brake petal. This just seems odd to me and I'm guessing the gas pedal needs to be removed and then bent toward the passenger side a bit. If anyone has any pictures of their 3 pedals, it would be easier for me to get it in the right spot.
4. I purchased the car from a great couple in a town nearby where the elevation is about 1500 ft lower. Does that elevation change warrant an adjustment to the carb?
View attachment 4125574
5. I'm told i have a 2.5" OME lift. The springs are quite stiff and I would like a bit softer ride. Doe anyone have any suggestions on shocks?

Thanks in advance for anyone who wants to throw some advice or information my way.

Flagstaff.
Click to expand...
Nice looking truck! Welcome to the adventure...

1. Aftermarket, possibly Amazon, headlights. Some styles like that are popular in Australia. No idea on wiring, functionality, or quality. If you like bling and like figuring out wiring puzzles, keep 'em. Otherwise get a the Koito headlight kit for quality + simplicity. For the hyperblink you'll need to figure out if you have LED bulbs in the blinkers first and whether or not you have the stock flasher module (when you're driving, it's behind the dash, above your left foot - it's a square green thing). As Spike mentioned I modify the original flasher modules to work with LED blinker bulbs, but I have no idea how the headlight ring lights would affect that. So ... first step, figure out what you got.

2. Toyota still makes all the lenses. The side marker lenses come with the plastic body and electrical connector too. Go to your local dealership and order all that stuff!

3. Looks about right. The transmission tunnel takes up a lot of room and if the accelerator were any closer it might cause issues.

4. See Spike's advice above, that elevation difference shouldn't matter. A good carb clean & rebuild is good baselining for a new-to-you vehicle though. And where you're at, definitely make sure the high altitude compensator system (HAC) is working. That helps make some adjustments to timing and mixture for below and above 4000' elevation. More info here.

5. Shocks aren't going to make leaf springs less stiff, they'll only cut down on oscillating bounce after you go over a bump. Pull a leaf from each corner if you're able (it doesn't look like it in that photo), or buy a new suspension kit set up for a softer ride. These are old ladder frame, leaf sprung trucks, so they're never going to be plush. I'm of the opinion that a "heavy" Old Man Emu kit generally rides like a dumptruck though. I've enjoyed my Dobinsons springs much better than the OME I previously had, but I also have a modified suspension system so it's not apples to apples.

6. Toyota lean. Cruisers, Tacoma, and a lot of other Toyota trucks have that. Just stop looking at it haha.
 
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flagstaff said:
You folks are great!
Thanks for all the words of advice.
I'm going to see if I can remove a leaf from the rear this weekend when I swap the springs around.
View attachment 4126284
Click to expand...

Those metal "channels" on the rear leaf springs need to be removed. I'm betting the old rubber isolators are in there too. Look where the lower plate u-bolts to the axle ... those two metal sandwich things need to go. You'll have to get OME part number CBS01 - it's a little spacer that fits over the leaf spring center pin (appx 1/2") that makes it fit in the hole on the axle (appx 1"). It takes up the extra space so the spring packs cant shift around. Normally that upper metal channel piece accomplishes that, but the channels don't work on aftermarket leaf spring packs for a number of reasons.

You also do have 1 or 2 leaves you can pull in the rear, so that's good news!
 
Pictures of my pedals, 05/84 FJ60. Just line up the pedal with the stop bolt on the floor. Seems like there might be some wiggle room left and right though.

image.webp


image.webp
 
@CruiserTrash
I swapped the rear springs L<-->R, with and without the bottom 2 leaves, and without the shocks. Each time, I drove around the block then measured from the ground to the wheel well in line with the center of the axel.
Before, left side was 1.5" lower:
​
Left​
Right​
Front​
36 3/4​
38 1/4​
Rear​
36​
37 1/2​
swapped rear springs L<-->R, removed shocks, and 2 bottom leaves.
Left​
Right​
Front​
37​
37 3/4​
Rear​
36​
36 3/4​
Put the bottom leaves back in. Everything is much more even. Yay! Shock are still out. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem more bouncy with the shocks out... Not sure why.
Left​
Right​
Front​
37 1/2​
37 5/8​
Rear​
36 3/4​
36 7/8​
I did look at the springs when they were out and found I have:
Fronts: 2" Lifted Leaf Spring - Stock/Light Load - CS003F
Rears: 2" Lifted Leaf Spring - Medium Load - CS004RB
I also have unmarked white shocks. I'm not sure if it would make a difference to buy something different. Thanks again @CruiserTrash!
1777221382203.webp


@klinetime574,
I didn't have a stop bolt so I found a random 8x1.25 bolt lying in the garage and put it in. I was about 3/4" off from the channel on the back of the gas pedal. Loosened the bolts for pedal and discovered the was enough room to reposition the pedal in the right position. The gap between the gas and brake went from 1.25" to 2" Thanks much.
1777219778478.webp



The Next thing to do was to replace the fluids. I took off the skid plate and found what I think is the drain (in red) and fill (in green) plugs. I first unscrewed the fill plug and fluid started pouring out.
1777221806616.webp

Is this (in green) the fill plug? If so, is there a benefit to overfilling the transmission and how would one do that?
 
flagstaff said:
@CruiserTrash
I swapped the rear springs L<-->R, with and without the bottom 2 leaves, and without the shocks. Each time, I drove around the block then measured from the ground to the wheel well in line with the center of the axel.
Before, left side was 1.5" lower:
​
Left​
Right​
Front​
36 3/4​
38 1/4​
Rear​
36​
37 1/2​
swapped rear springs L<-->R, removed shocks, and 2 bottom leaves.
Left​
Right​
Front​
37​
37 3/4​
Rear​
36​
36 3/4​
Put the bottom leaves back in. Everything is much more even. Yay! Shock are still out. Oddly enough, it doesn't seem more bouncy with the shocks out... Not sure why.
Left​
Right​
Front​
37 1/2​
37 5/8​
Rear​
36 3/4​
36 7/8​
I did look at the springs when they were out and found I have:
Fronts: 2" Lifted Leaf Spring - Stock/Light Load - CS003F
Rears: 2" Lifted Leaf Spring - Medium Load - CS004RB
I also have unmarked white shocks. I'm not sure if it would make a difference to buy something different. Thanks again @CruiserTrash!
View attachment 4129503

@klinetime574,
I didn't have a stop bolt so I found a random 8x1.25 bolt lying in the garage and put it in. I was about 3/4" off from the channel on the back of the gas pedal. Loosened the bolts for pedal and discovered the was enough room to reposition the pedal in the right position. The gap between the gas and brake went from 1.25" to 2" Thanks much.
View attachment 4129461


The Next thing to do was to replace the fluids. I took off the skid plate and found what I think is the drain (in red) and fill (in green) plugs. I first unscrewed the fill plug and fluid started pouring out.
View attachment 4129505
Is this (in green) the fill plug? If so, is there a benefit to overfilling the transmission and how would one do that?
Click to expand...
Check your transfer case fluid level. Pop the full plug out and use a bent zip tie as a makeshift dipstick. I’m betting it’s very low. The seal between the transmission and transfer case goes bad and fluid migrates up into the transmission as a result - overfilled transmission and underfilled transfer case.

Couple of remedies for that:
Monitor the fluid levels and adjust accordingly, while living in fear.

Get a “bypass hose” that connects the transmission fill hole with the t answer case fill hole. It lets the excess fluid drain back into the transfer case. These have their own issues, like a false sense of security.

Take the transfer case apart and replace the seal. May as well do a full rebuild while you’re in there. The transmissions are pretty stout and even high mileage ones have lots of life left on the synchros, so that should be fine. The his is the REAL way to fix it.
 
You nailed it @CruiserTrash. Just added 1.4 qt into the transfer case and removed ~1 qt from the transmission. Maybe since its a 1984, its a Gen-x car and it's used to neglect form time to time.

I'll need to put a rebuild on the todo list.

For the interrum, ill check levels intermittently and see if i can get away with check-n-add when i do engine oil changes.
 
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Doing some baseline maintenance and decided to replace the front brake pads. After pulling out the old pads, i noticed i might need to replace the boots on the brake calipers. What do you guys think? Maybe time for a caliper rebuild.
1000011006.webp

Anyway, loving the car so far. Still so much to do.

Quick question, is there an easy way to correct the odometer from the larger tires?
 
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When I was baselining my 60 I replaced the calipers with some remans from O'Reillys. Over 18k miles on them and they've been great. I think they were only like $50 a piece.

I'd recommend replacing all of your soft brake lines while you're in there - you can bypass the metal hard lines completely with some longer rubber brake lines. You can get them new from Toyota still. (96940-33005 for the front caliper lines)

I'm down in Tucson, so you if you ever make it down here give me a holler!
 
yotadude520 said:
When I was baselining my 60 I replaced the calipers with some remans from O'Reillys. Over 18k miles on them and they've been great. I think they were only like $50 a piece.

I'd recommend replacing all of your soft brake lines while you're in there - you can bypass the metal hard lines completely with some longer rubber brake lines. You can get them new from Toyota still. (96940-33005 for the front caliper lines)

I'm down in Tucson, so you if you ever make it down here give me a holler!
Click to expand...
My son lives in Tucson! I'll definitely reach out.
 
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