Possible Rover to Cruiser Swap

[GregFrench]

I have a 97 Land Rover Discovery, and am thinking of getting rid of it for an FJ62 that I found. I love my Rover, but hate that it is so needy. I find myself working on it all the time to keep it running. Something is always breaking. I DO use it off road...not a soccer mom truck. Will I be happy with a 62? Will it take all of my time away from my family on a regular basis? I don't mind working on it...in fact I kind of enjoy it. I just hate doing it every week.
The thing I like most about my Rover is the community. I am always going to Rover events, campouts, expeditions, and trail rides. I have found a few things like this for Land Cruisers. How common are they? Is it a good community?
I had a Toyota PU for 11 years and loved it. IT took all of my abuse and never let me down. The only reason I got rid of it was that I needed something for a family.
I am going to look at the 62 tomorrow, and am very excited to see it in person

 

[tclndcrz]

The land cruiser community is AWESOME. everyone if friendly and helpful and want to get together with each other. I have an 88 fj-62 and i havent had to fix much on it. If you buy the land cruiser will it be going offroad much?

Good luck on the decision

 

[Jim_Phillips]

Mine is a 1989 HJ62 - I've only had it a couple of months so there are still jobs that I want to do on it.. front axle service, new UJs .. well, that's it actually. The good news is that since I've had it, no new problems have arisen.

How much work you will have to do will obviously depend on the age and condition of the vehicle. Being in the UK I know lot of Disco owners and am sure they spend as many hours working on their trucks as I spend driving mine. If I were you I would still go to the same LR events but go in the Cruiser - I do.

Good luck - you will love it. No oil leaks. No British engineering.

 

[swank60]

I'm not that familiar with the Disco, but I've heard about it's rep...

The biggest thing with the old Crusiers is maintenance and if it's been done or not. There is a lot of work to be done on them, depending on condition, but it's not dificult and I know that here on the boards, you can get just about all of the info you'd ever need for anything.

Should we turn this into a "What to look for in a 62" thread now?

My first input would be to look for rust, oil leaks, and check to see if the power steering pump is leaking or not. Also check the emissions stuff, see if it's all factory and in good condition. Ask the owner about oil consumption, service records, if it's passed all of it's emissions tests (if applicable) - those are all 60 things, but it wouldn't hurt. For the 62, I'd ask questions about the fuel injection - if it's been worked on, etc.

These things are amazing though. My 60 has 205k on it, I ran into a guy a few weeks ago that had 265k on his 62 - he said the AC went and his radio wasn't working...you know, big stuff...

let us know what you do!

 

[tclndcrz]

[quote author=swank60 link=board=29;threadid=17087;start=msg165510#msg165510 date=1085754782]
These things are amazing though. My 60 has 205k on it, I ran into a guy a few weeks ago that had 265k on his 62 - he said the AC went and his radio wasn't working...you know, big stuff...
[/quote]

LOL yeah i have 167k on it and the only thing i had to do is replace the radio

 

[Jim_Phillips]

...my radio isn't working either... could be something everyone needs to start worrying about ???

 

[tclndcrz]

it seems that the previous owner of my truck after dipping my truck mirror deep in mud left the windows open and let the mud run inside . My speakers were crap due to that. but really i think my stock radio still works. the PO had it in a box for me and left the hole in the dash. thanks bud : . After tons of abuse since 88 and the only thing ive had to do is replace my radio and speakers i think its a pretty tough dependable truck.

oh i forgot.. do you care about gas mileage much? i get about 11 in the city... Other cruiser get better though...

 

[Aseif007]

I got my 88' FJ-62 stock with 200,000 miles on it from the original owner. Everything was still original, not rebuilt. Then I lifted it and put no 33s and 4.88 gears and wheeled it a little while it was my DD. Never had a day in 4 years of daily driving my FJ-62 that I didn;t have a car !!!! Now it has 300,000 miles and I decided to rebuild the t-case and motor. When I got in the motor, I found that everything was still in great shape. The machine shop asked how many miles were on the block and they didn't believe me when I said 300,000. A friend bought a Land Rover, and when they told me that the passenger door on their 4.6 HSE fell off more than once in the first year they owned it I almost died laughing !! The cruiser community is a very good one. If I ever have a problem there are many message boards to post to and get good info. You can join the TLCA and they have many events that they plan. Hope you enjoy your FJ-62 if you decide on one.

Andrew

PS- My stock Toyota radio went out in 1996. I have owned 2 FJ-62s and both of their radios died.

 

[Pskhaat]

A 60 we had had 250k+ on it and it got three things: 1) fuel, 2) oil, 3) tires. That's it

I think you will be happy with the LC community. The only thing the LC community lacks in my mind is the general `expedition' type interest that the Rover community has. Most in the LC arena build their trucks for harder-core off-road IMNSHO, and the LC events (Cruise Moab, . But what we lack in expedition events, we make up with in intimate and ubiquitous knowledge of the vehicles; this knowledge base alone has kept me from straying many a time.

 

[swank60]

Amen to that. I wish that there was more of the expedition mindset too...would love to do that sort of thing. And there really is a tremendous amount of knowlege here and in the LC community. There are Chevy conversions, de-smoggers, people who run stock, anything and everything...if you ever have a question, for the most part, you can always expect several answers/possibilities...which is great.

 

[GregFrench]

Ok...Here's the deal. I went and looked at it today, and it was better than I could have expected! No rust, No leaks (which, in the Rover community means that it is empty), no puddles underneath, very clean, started right up, new tires and wheels, 3" lift, tinted windows, a/c, all power things work, etc...
I couldn't find anything wrong with it-
Until I drove it.
Are they all that slow? I couldn't get it going in traffic, and when I took it on the highway, I could only get it up to 55. There were cars backed up behind me, and I had it floored. The RPM's read over 3000 (like I was in passing gear) most of the time.
Is this normal?
The only thing I would consider ever trading my Rover in for would be a Cruiser, but not if they are that underpowered.
How easy (read: expensive) is it to change this? What options are out there?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[fsusteve]

Something's not right, it should do 75 mph on the highway easy. Get a compression check, are those the original gears in the differentials?

 

[TJDIV]

something was wrong with that Cruiser.

unless you don't know how to drive (which is doubtful).

 

[TJDIV]

[quote author=fsusteve link=board=29;threadid=17087;start=msg165913#msg165913 date=1085788972]
Something's not right, it should do 75 mph on the highway easy. Get a compression check, are those the original gears in the differentials?
[/quote]

get outta my forums beyatch.

 

[lovetoski]

Greg,

Something's wrong with the 62 you drove. No question they aren't fast, but they go way faster than you describe. I've been looking for an early 80 (91 or 92) which use the same engine/tranny as the 62. Only diff is that the 80 is heavier. I've test driven 6-7, and all were plenty fast. Not quick, but fast enough.

Maybe it just needs a tuneup? Plugs, rotor, etc.

The landcruiser community is amazing. My wife couldn't believe the help we got when she had an "electrical event" in her 1994 fzj80.

Best

 

[GregFrench]

Thanks for the fast responses. I was hoping they weren't all like that. I guess I won't get it.
I don't think it was tune-up related. Everything looked fairly new. The enging didn't hesitate or skip or anything.
I asked the guy about it, and he said it has always been slow, but even slower with the new (larger) tires.
I had a 89 pickup with a 4 cil 22RE engine pushing 33's that had more balls than this 6 cil. It just didn't feel right.

It's a shame, too...I had a pocket full of money for him- Just in case.

 

[fsusteve]

[quote author=TJDIV link=board=29;threadid=17087;start=msg165916#msg165916 date=1085789171]
get outta my forums beyatch.
[/quote]

Fawker, you ain't got no 60 either

Don't give up on the truck so quick, if you're no mechanically inclined, have a pro check it or see if someone here more familiar with Cruisers lives nearby.

 

[GregFrench]

I have a fair amount of mechanical ability. I have been doing all of my own work on the Rover since I bought it...and that is a LOT of maintenance.
If he says it has always run like that, it may just be a problem with that truck. I don't want it to turn into a money pit. I have one of those already.
He has his own mechanic. Apparently this is not the original engine, but one from a wreck. I talked to the mechanic, and he said he thought he did something wrong once he drove it, but the owner said it was how they are.

Also, I don't much like the fact that is an automatic. I had to look for a long time before I found a 5-speed Rover.

 

[Mike S]

[quote author=GregFrench link=board=29;threadid=17087;start=msg165946#msg165946 date=1085791666]
... Also, I don't much like the fact that is an automatic. I had to look for a long time before I found a 5-speed Rover.
[/quote]

Now you are getting closer. An FJ60 is basically the same truck, but with 370 gearing instead of 4.11, No fuel injection, and a MANUAL transmission. The swap of a H55F 5 speed into a late ('85 to '87) cruiser makes it a useable street vehicle, and they are great off the pavement.

Think about an FJ60, maybe.