prep fj62 to Hawaii

[surf40]

Any input on work I should do before I ship my 90 fj62 to Hawaii from WA? My a/c works great and I am running a 350 and h55 tranny. I need a new rad. are the performance radiators any good? Just lifted with emu suspension and will run 33's. Do 350's run hot in really hot muggy conditions? I have a nice custom fan shroud and have had no overheating issues. Thanks J.

 

[Mace]

Get one of those vacuum packers that they use for salmon. Seal the enire rig up for the entire time you are there..

 

[SurfPonto]

Any input on work I should do before I ship my 90 fj62 to Hawaii from WA? My a/c works great and I am running a 350 and h55 tranny. I need a new rad. are the performance radiators any good? Just lifted with emu suspension and will run 33's. Do 350's run hot in really hot muggy conditions? I have a nice custom fan shroud and have had no overheating issues. Thanks J.

We lived on Kauai for 4 years. I have seen cars disentegrate in front of my eyes.

Well OK that is an exaggeration.
But I would rust proof the heck out of it.

The bed of my Nissan 4X4 basically rusted to hell in the 4 years we were there. That was with a lot of beach driving though.

We used to call rust on trucks "Hawaiian Termites" because the rust holes would start small and seem to grow over night.



What island are you going to?

Bob

1977 FJ40 "MuMu"
1992 FJ80 "Tubbs"

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Be advized that you will need to aquire a vehicle "reconstruction permit" from the local DOT to cover your tire and suspension mods before you'll be able to get a (required) safety check. Make sure your horn, all running lights and emergency brake work OK, and your windshield isn't cracked, otherwise you will fail the safety check. Don't be scared off by the tales of instantaneous rust. If you keep the cruiser out of the salt water and otherwise keep it clean you'll be OK. If it's rusty to start with, however, the disintegration will likely accelerate in the Hawaiian climate.

 

[Tinker]

I have a BeCool in mine - they're expensive ($650) but no more worries.

 

[hammer1]

many moons ago, when i was in honalulu, i used to make the trip over to the other side of the island, every so often. I was, and still am, amazed on the rusty hulks that just seemed to be abandond on the roadside, in the cane fields.
i think i read while i was there that this is what people did, just dumped them along the road.

 

[sixty]

It all depends on what island & what part of the island you live on. Hawaii has hundreds of different microclimates & some really cause rust & some don't.

You will not need a reconstruction permit to get a safety check as long as your suspension doesn't look extremely backyard. Just make sure all your lights, Brakes & horn work as well as a functional E-brake. The Ebrake was the only problem I had getting my SOA 60 saftied.

Tell us where exacly your rig is going to be & we can offer much more insight. for most areas the same rust prevention you would need in western washington should suffice.

Not Many beaches left to drive on... I lived on Kauai for a few years back in the early 90's and they have closed some of the best beaches to driving.

 

[Toadhopper]

I would look into some undercoating for the frame. POR-15 has some good products, and also do a search here under the rustproofing keyword.
Since things are generally more expensive in HI ($3.25 pr. gal. for reg. gas, as of last week) I would try to get as much done as possible before you go.
I had a 77 datsun pickup when I lived in Maui (late 80s - early 90s) and it was well taken care of by an older Japenese guy, so there was very little rust. If you keep it rinsed off and well waxed it'll slow down the whole rust process.
Toad

 

[Devils Paw 80]

You will not need a reconstruction permit to get a safety check as long as your suspension doesn't look extremely backyard..

I wouldn't count on it. The stations that are licensed to sell safety checks are obligated to enforce the law, which does indeed require a reconstruction permit for a modifed vehicle. One service station tried to make me get a permit simply because my Scout had white spoke rims, but I was able to show that they were a dealer installed option. It seems that the State of Hawaii is more of a stickler for rules than they used to be. For instance, if you run wide tires that protrude beyond your fenderwells, you must install fender flares to cover them before a safety check will be given. I'd second the recommendation for painting your undercarriage and frame. Another very important consideration is covered parking. Vehicles left out in the sun and rain in windward areas can rust rapidly.

 

[sixty]

I wouldn't count on it. The stations that are licensed to sell safety checks are obligated to enforce the law, which does indeed require a reconstruction permit for a modifed vehicle. One service station tried to make me get a permit simply because my Scout had white spoke rims, but I was able to show that they were a dealer installed option. It seems that the State of Hawaii is more of a stickler for rules than they used to be. For instance, if you run wide tires that protrude beyond your fenderwells, you must install fender flares to cover them before a safety check will be given. I'd second the recommendation for painting your undercarriage and frame. Another very important consideration is covered parking. Vehicles left out in the sun and rain in windward areas can rust rapidly.

I last had mine saftied about a year ago & they never said anything about the suspension. I have good friends with built rigs right now in Kona, Hilo, Kauai & North shore of Oahu, & they have not had to obtain Reconstruction permits. Sounds like a prick inspector who does not like fawking hoale's Been there done that.

They do measure the bumper height every time though. The fenderwell thing has been around since the late eighties when it was too cool thing in Hawaii to have 15" wide 31" Mickey Thompsons to run on the sand.

 

[CWO]

The best thing you can do to the truck is get HI plates and get yourself a HI drivers drivers license. Get to know the people and the place. You will never experience anything like it or a Loco Moco. Maui No Ka Oi....

 

[Front Range 4x4]

Talked to my son in Maui and he suggests bypassing your heater and making sure your A/C is working.

Then load as many spare parts as you can in the back and not to worry too much about the safety inspection.

 

[surf40]

wa fj62 to hawaii

Thanks for all the input and I am pretty sure to pass safety and I am going through cooling system. fj40 will stay in Wa until for sure about da islands. Post when I get there. Jeremy

 

[ChuckB]

Jeremy, if you are going to O'ahu I will be there in September. We should meet up.

This is great info, now to get my horn working...

 

[40forfun]

Move to Hawaii

Surf40,

Just did the move over from Wa last July. I have lived over here previously and had a 40 series with afour inch lift and 33 tires. Never had any trouble with saftey inspection. (In the dark days I had a fiberglass bodied CJ that used that was a pain to get stickers for)

PM when you get here. I have an ARB bull bar in great condition that you may be interested in. I took it off my 62 prior to selling it and now run an 80 series so I don't use it.

40forfun