newbie, and some questions....

[A3M0N]

hey people,

i've thinking about getting a '82 fj60. i just like '82 better.

if i do indeed find one in decent (i say decent cause i want to do some wrenching) condition, it will also be my daily driver. i have some experience under the hood of an american pickup, so i know my way around somewhat, but i'm still learning.

having said that, i want to do some of my own bodywork if need be, and engine work, maybe swapping when time, money, and need arises. how hard are these trucks to work on? i want a learning project, that will be easy enough to get running again by monday for work. ya know?

thanks in advance!

later

 

[VTCruiser]

any older rig will require maintenance, so its good you are willing to put in time. the 60 are generally easy to work on, (manual everything and simple carb's motor) so its a great "learner" rig in my opinion.

what about the '82s do you like in particular?

welcome

 

[jesterb]

hey people,

i want to do some wrenching

You have come to the right place. It wouldnt matter if you bought one of those rigs from that place out in cali or the one in texas, your gonna wrench. As far as ease goes, I think they are pretty straight forward. Get every service maual you can find or do like me and just borrow a buddies. This forum has a ton of borderline geeks(no offense) that really know their stuff. Go buy one.

 

[A3M0N]

what about the '82s do you like in particular?

i think i like the way it looks more actually. and i've never owned a manual tranny vehicle, or worked on one. also i've never had a 4x4. and the truck just speaks to me. it looks to me like it just fits me, my wife agrees.

Get every service maual you can

which is better by the way, chiltons or haynes? or can a factory service manual still be found?

one more question while i'm at it. how much should i be lookin to spend one an fj60 that runs, err, well, and is still decent looking (the paint i dont care that much about, i want to do some bodywork in fact). there is a dude selling an '87 for $15,000. its trashed. the tail has just about rusted through, and the bumper is falling off. the kelly blue book value for that '87 is less than $1000.

thanks again!

later

 

[jhstatts]

If you look around a bit you can find a pretty sweet rig for under $5k. I paid $5k for my '87 and it is in great shape, IMO. I have learned a hell of a lot in the past two months on this board... I am sure you will too. The regulars here really know their stuff.

I say get one. As soon as you do, you'll be hooked.

 

[woody]

$15k or $1500??

The FSM's are available, cruiserdan (forum vendor, PM him) can order, and he deals for forum peeps.

Check the vehicle sale corner here for some pricing ideas...they range all over, depending on condition. 87 is "relatively" new for a Cruiser tho...lol

 

[A3M0N]

that would be $15k. he may have made a mistake, but it still isnt worth 1500.

i'm not looking to buy one right now, i havent even been looking really. my wife and i just moved back to charleston, and got new jobs, so maybe in a month or so i'll see what i can find. i was hoping to find on under 1K. i may just be being uneducated thinking i'll find one that runs for that much, but thats what i'm hoping for.

later

 

[swank60]

spending less than 1k isn't going to get you much. The prices on the 60s has been coming down the last year, so you get a lot more truck fro the money these days. I'd look at spending a little over 4k here in the DFW area.

It's an easy truck to work on and easy to get along with, but parts can get expensive. One thing that I've noticed is you really have to sit down and WORK on these things. If you sit and throw parts at 'em, you may or may not fix what's wrong - but you sure can spend a lot of money. However, getting into it and working on it and testing everything will really pay off in the end. It's definitely a gear-heads truck.

Don't just limit yourself to the '82 though. pretty much all 60s are the same '82-'87. I think after '85 they've got better headliners. Also, late '84s are more conducive to a 5-speed tranny swap.

 

[Mike S]

Do yourself a favor... buy a later year FJ60, and in the best condition you can afford. The cost of parts for a beater will not be offset by your willingness to do the work yourself.

FJ60's - thru 1987 all look essentially identical and all have manual transmissions.

Mike S

 

[jhstatts]

Woody... true, '87 is pretty "new" for a 60. But hey... she's a beauty. Heh.

 

[patride71]

not to sound negative, but i doubt you'll find a daily driver for $1000 or less that would not require a lot of work.

finding one as a daily driver that might need some work would probably cost you at least
$2500 + and that is probably on the low side in my opinion.

it really just depends on how much work you want to do on it though.

good luck with your search!

 

[saint60]

keep your eye on the cruisers on ebay. i've seen some cool rigs go for not too much cash. i've even bought one off ebay and it went well. i got it for $1800, new paint, decent engine, and everything works. it wasn't perfect, but i drove and was in good condition. be cautious and buy smart, but don't be afraid to do it. that's my take. if i were you i would also try to get one with as little rust as possible. if you can see dime size rust bubbles, there is way more you can't see. i've had 3 fj60's and in my opinion it is easier to work on the engine than to try to track down rust and get it taken care of. good luck!

 

[A3M0N]

thanks for all your help and advice.

i drove back by and had a look at that '86, it must have been a mistake cause the 1 was scratched out, i just didn't notice. its $5000, which i think is still too high for the condition the body is in.

anyway, thanks people!

later

 

[A3M0N]

i'm going to borrow a digi cam and get some pics to show you guys. i'm not really looking to buy this particular cruiser, but just doing some homework to see what i want.

thanks again!

later

 

[patride71]

keep your eye on the cruisers on ebay. i've seen some cool rigs go for not too much cash. i've even bought one off ebay and it went well. i got it for $1800, new paint, decent engine, and everything works. it wasn't perfect, but i drove and was in good condition. be cautious and buy smart, but don't be afraid to do it. that's my take. if i were you i would also try to get one with as little rust as possible. if you can see dime size rust bubbles, there is way more you can't see. i've had 3 fj60's and in my opinion it is easier to work on the engine than to try to track down rust and get it taken care of. good luck!

watch this though. make sure you have someone check it out for you if you can't.
also, don't get too caught up in the competetiveness of the bidding process. i have overpaid for some things in the past on ebay because i am a little competitive sometimes and didn't want to get "beat" by someone else

 

[saint60]

good advice!!