Greetings and salutations. short-time lurker, new member here!
well, i bought "Lesley" my FJ60 wagon a month ago.
she's in great nick for a 28 year old vehicle. very little rust in the body, just one spot up under the drivers door sill that needs attention. the paintjob shows it's age, pretty much everything else is as smooth as the day she rolled off the production line. she spent 23 of the past 28 years living on a property nearby and owned by the kind of bloke who treats all of his equipment like newborn babies and regards regular maintenance as nothing less than Holy Writ.
for the past 5 years, it's been owned by Lesley (hence the name of the truck), the mother of a work colleague of mine, who also has a similar attitude to maintenance.
I live in outback Queensland, Australia. please understand, when i say 'outback', i damn well mean OUTBACK! i bought Lesley rather than fix up my beloved old Ford XF Panel Van because there are numerous places i need to get to regularly that a 2WD panny just won't take me.
The 2F engine is in good condition with 254,000km on the clock. there is a slight oil leak which i'll have to pay some attention to in the not too distant future.
she just had a complete front end rebuild. new front suspension and fittings, steering gear and hubs overhauled &/or replaced.
i've always had a soft spot for these older model 'cruisers. i rekon they look better than the new ones, are generally better made and more capable off-road.
Looking into the future, i can see myself spending a lot of money and giving her a complete Heart+Lung transplant to set her up for another 28+ years of service.
why would i do this rather than just buy a new V8 diesel 100 or 200 series? why not! besides, i figure that the full restoration/rebuild will A: be cheaper than a new 200 series and B: leave me with a better vehicle at the end of the day. not to mention the whole "Built, not Bought" cachet.
right now the plan is to get stuck into the bodywork and stomp down hard on any rust i find and to get the research done on my planned rebuild.
so, i'm after some help, advice and ideas from my fellow forum members.
here's the basic plan: strip out the 2F engine and replace with some kind of swish, modern V8 diesel fitted with a GasTek for improved fuel economy/power and cleaner emissions. If i can get one for a vehicle this size, i'd love to stick a PermoDrive in her too.
Replace the ageing 5spd manual box with a 6spd manual box that can take the extra power and for fuel economy on the highway (while i need 4WD a lot, most times i have a decent highway blast to get to where i need the 4WD......)
Replace the transfers and diffs to newer ones that can handle the extra power from the more modern engine.
Upgrade the brakes.
Completely re-do the electrics (if i'm stripping it down to bare body/chassis, i might as well do the job right huh?).
Give her a new paint job (deep, Spartan blue!) along with a serious underbody coating of Rhino coat or similar along with a protective coating on the entire chassis.
Rebuild the dash with new guages and stuffs, possibly fit a head-up display (HUD).
Install some extensive custom bar-work including side rails, new steps etc.
Fit a ~1" lift kit and ~2" higher tyres.
Lesley has two fuel tanks, a 90l standard and a 120l stainless steel auxiliary. i may or may not have to replace one or both of these for the petrol->diesel conversion.
so, after all that background, here are a few questions!
1: Suggestions for the power plant please! i'm tempted by the new Cummins V8s, but im open to ideas.
Something in the ~4.5l-6l range (~300cu - 360cu) would be more than enough.
This is one thing i'm really set on. i want a top notch, modern (2005 at the earliest) diesel engine.
I'm not averse to supercharging/turbo charging it either
please understand, i'm not 100% up on all the acronyms for various powerplants, so a link would be really nice.
I'm also open to V6 suggestions, but if i'm going to spend all this dosh on the rebuild, i might as well just say "hang the fuel costs! gieb V8!", but list V6 suggestions too please.
2: Any suggestions for the gearbox/transfers? i was thinking that perhaps the 'box from a Dodge Ram or similar might suit?
Given the timeframes i'm working on, i don't mind ordering parts from the USA as/when i can afford them and start the whole build once everything is ready. Again, i doubt i'll be starting anything major for at least 2 years.
i'm sure i'll have many, many more questions and need much, much more help, so thank you in advance for any ideas or advice you can throw my way.
well, i bought "Lesley" my FJ60 wagon a month ago.
she's in great nick for a 28 year old vehicle. very little rust in the body, just one spot up under the drivers door sill that needs attention. the paintjob shows it's age, pretty much everything else is as smooth as the day she rolled off the production line. she spent 23 of the past 28 years living on a property nearby and owned by the kind of bloke who treats all of his equipment like newborn babies and regards regular maintenance as nothing less than Holy Writ.
for the past 5 years, it's been owned by Lesley (hence the name of the truck), the mother of a work colleague of mine, who also has a similar attitude to maintenance.
I live in outback Queensland, Australia. please understand, when i say 'outback', i damn well mean OUTBACK! i bought Lesley rather than fix up my beloved old Ford XF Panel Van because there are numerous places i need to get to regularly that a 2WD panny just won't take me.
The 2F engine is in good condition with 254,000km on the clock. there is a slight oil leak which i'll have to pay some attention to in the not too distant future.
she just had a complete front end rebuild. new front suspension and fittings, steering gear and hubs overhauled &/or replaced.
i've always had a soft spot for these older model 'cruisers. i rekon they look better than the new ones, are generally better made and more capable off-road.
Looking into the future, i can see myself spending a lot of money and giving her a complete Heart+Lung transplant to set her up for another 28+ years of service.
why would i do this rather than just buy a new V8 diesel 100 or 200 series? why not! besides, i figure that the full restoration/rebuild will A: be cheaper than a new 200 series and B: leave me with a better vehicle at the end of the day. not to mention the whole "Built, not Bought" cachet.
right now the plan is to get stuck into the bodywork and stomp down hard on any rust i find and to get the research done on my planned rebuild.
so, i'm after some help, advice and ideas from my fellow forum members.
here's the basic plan: strip out the 2F engine and replace with some kind of swish, modern V8 diesel fitted with a GasTek for improved fuel economy/power and cleaner emissions. If i can get one for a vehicle this size, i'd love to stick a PermoDrive in her too.
Replace the ageing 5spd manual box with a 6spd manual box that can take the extra power and for fuel economy on the highway (while i need 4WD a lot, most times i have a decent highway blast to get to where i need the 4WD......)
Replace the transfers and diffs to newer ones that can handle the extra power from the more modern engine.
Upgrade the brakes.
Completely re-do the electrics (if i'm stripping it down to bare body/chassis, i might as well do the job right huh?).
Give her a new paint job (deep, Spartan blue!) along with a serious underbody coating of Rhino coat or similar along with a protective coating on the entire chassis.
Rebuild the dash with new guages and stuffs, possibly fit a head-up display (HUD).
Install some extensive custom bar-work including side rails, new steps etc.
Fit a ~1" lift kit and ~2" higher tyres.
Lesley has two fuel tanks, a 90l standard and a 120l stainless steel auxiliary. i may or may not have to replace one or both of these for the petrol->diesel conversion.
so, after all that background, here are a few questions!
1: Suggestions for the power plant please! i'm tempted by the new Cummins V8s, but im open to ideas.
Something in the ~4.5l-6l range (~300cu - 360cu) would be more than enough.
This is one thing i'm really set on. i want a top notch, modern (2005 at the earliest) diesel engine.
I'm not averse to supercharging/turbo charging it either
please understand, i'm not 100% up on all the acronyms for various powerplants, so a link would be really nice.
I'm also open to V6 suggestions, but if i'm going to spend all this dosh on the rebuild, i might as well just say "hang the fuel costs! gieb V8!", but list V6 suggestions too please.
2: Any suggestions for the gearbox/transfers? i was thinking that perhaps the 'box from a Dodge Ram or similar might suit?
Given the timeframes i'm working on, i don't mind ordering parts from the USA as/when i can afford them and start the whole build once everything is ready. Again, i doubt i'll be starting anything major for at least 2 years.
i'm sure i'll have many, many more questions and need much, much more help, so thank you in advance for any ideas or advice you can throw my way.
