FJ60 #2....Rust Bucket Restoration (2 Viewers)

[FJACS]

Matt is right. Work on one aspect at a time. Right now it’s body work, stick with that. Sort that out. Get the body panels how you want them, and start on the next part. Avoid having it scattered across your storage unit with a body in pieces, trans apart and engine in boxes. It’s as good as parted out at that point.

That stuff you have in the box is good to replace if it’s unknown. Add in a new City Racer carb insulator.

 

[cruisermatt]

stopped moving around and have my own place to work on my own timeline.

this along with a truck that can't move under it's own power are not a good recipe

 

[FJ Noob]

Looks like a win for today....

The previous-previous owner had some business in town today and offered to drop off everything he had collected and had sitting in his garage from when he owned the truck. Worked out a package deal for $350. Merry Christmas to me.

All parts minus the mirror and roof rack brackets are OEM.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Nice score!!

 

[4runner2FJ60]

I wish my PO had some of that!

 

[FJ Noob]

Could someone post a picture of pages 7-2 & 7-3 from the 2F repair manual?

That's the pages that show the starting system circuit. The PDF version I have is missing those pages.

Thanks!

 

[FJ Noob]

I've worked out a deal to start storing the truck at a private shop so I can stop paying a storage unit fee and have an actual area to work on it. Unfortunately the owner is in the process of expanding the shop's footprint, so I'll have to wait until next month. In the meantime though, I was able to score a deal on what looks like a pretty good 4-bolt main SBC 350.

It was cold and rainy here with nothing planned for the day, so I recruited my oldest to help me with disassembly and inspection of the internals. She was a good help, but I'm pretty sure that had to do with the hourly wage I promised that would go towards her earning money to go to camp this summer. Either way, took me half as long and I got to hang out with her during some one-on-one time.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Memories that won't be forgotten!! Good for you man good luck on your build finally pulled the trigger on witch way you were going let the fun begin...

 

[Nostradamus]

I've worked out a deal to start storing the truck at a private shop so I can stop paying a storage unit fee and have an actual area to work on it. Unfortunately the owner is in the process of expanding the shop's footprint, so I'll have to wait until next month. In the meantime though, I was able to score a deal on what looks like a pretty good 4-bolt main SBC 350.

It was cold and rainy here with nothing planned for the day, so I recruited my oldest to help me with disassembly and inspection of the internals. She was a good help, but I'm pretty sure that had to do with the hourly wage I promised that would go towards her earning money to go to camp this summer. Either way, took me half as long and I got to hang out with her during some one-on-one time.

View attachment 2205660

That's great stuff!!! I had my son/oldest change the oil in his Highlander today. Life skills that will help them be independent + great one on one time. THen I took my other one (our daughter) shooting. They can both change a tire, change their oil, drive a stick shift, cook, and shoot. Love that you guys are wearing gloves.

 

[cruisermatt]

Any chance of selling that passenger side fender ?

 

[FJ Noob]

Any chance of selling that passenger side fender ?

Sorry, but I’m gonna need it.

 

[FJ Noob]

I'm a little overdue for an update, so here it is......

Not much was going on with the truck because of some work projects. Until recently, I've just been pulling bits and pieces of the emissions system to sell off to guys in Cali. With the COVID19 lockdown here in NC, we got sent home to telework as much as possible. Without additional meetings or random distractions and a zero minute commute for the last few weeks, I've found additional time to devote to getting this project off the ground. I spent the first few evenings and weekends finishing up a few things on Chloe since she was hitting the 200K mile mark....rebuilt steering knuckles, full tune-up, replaced front and rear wheel bearings, all new brakes front and rear. That's all the major stuff finished on her and some good practice for what I've got ahead of me. I've also spent the time gathering parts and tools for different portions of this restoration.

First thing was to pull the engine. I found a buyer from VA that was looking for something to swap into his late 60's LC. This was my first time ever pulling an engine, but turned out to be pretty easy. Between prepping for the pull the evening prior and the actual pull the next morning, it took me about 3 1/2 hours.

While I waited for the buyer to show up, I started stripping the body down. I pulled the doors, all the glass (except on the tailgate), and removed what little bit was left of the interior. This was by the early afternoon on day 1.

Besides the known damage on the body panels, I was looking for hidden rust issues. It actually turned out to be a lot better than I was prepared for.

PS rear window...

PS windshield...

PS rain gutter...

CONTINUED BELOW....

 

[FJ Noob]

Some more rust was found.

DS rain gutter...

Bed at tailgate...

In addition to the spots pictured, there's a small spot in the floor behind the DS rear wheel well and a large hole at the PS mounting bracket for the rear seat-back. All in all not too bad. I already have parts to splice in from a donor panel for most of it and a trashed door I can get good sheetmetal from. The only concerning part would be at the seat-back mount, but my original plan for the interior doesn't include the stock rear seat. If my plan works, that hole becomes a simple flat panel patch.

I finished up the day by giving the underside, axles, and engine bay area a soaking with some degreaser and a quick pressure wash. Besides the c-channels, the frame was looking pretty good.

 

[FJ Noob]

This past weekend I started digging deeper pulling everything apart and cleaning it out. This thing was FULL of pine straw and apparently home to a few hundred wasps at one point.

I pulled about a grocery bag's worth of crap out from the space behind the wiper motor.

Next, I started looking at the wiring harness...it was scary. There were examples of just about every way you could splice wires into a car. The vast majority of them would be placed in the "what not to do" column.

I bought this truck knowing that it wouldn't start "probably due to an electrical issue" according to the PO. After looking at the entire harness from start to finish, I realized it wasn't something that was going to be a quick fix, at least not if I wanted it to be done right. I put down the tools for a couple days and started researching and thinking through my options. Eventually I came to the conclusion that I probably needed to rebuild the harness. I also realized that I could probably do it myself, but it would take FOREVER for me to do while learning how to do it. I decided to outsource this part. I found an electrical engineer that did a good portion of this professional career at Icon4x4. He's trying to get his own gig up and running. I worked with him for a few days to outline the scope of the project and find ways to fit the cost into my budget. I think it's probably a wise choice given the effort I'm putting into the rest of this truck and it gives me a chance to semi-customize the harness to the project. I'm looking forward to feeling 99% sure the truck won't catch on fire after I've done so much to it.

Wiring harness pulled...

In the next couple days I plan on dropping the trans and x-fer case and getting the trans off to a local shop. As much as I'd like to do it myself, I think the additional cost of some of the tools required makes outsourcing it my most economical choice. After selling off the some bits and pieces, the emissions parts, and engine...I've made back the purchase price of the truck plus about $20. That doesn't even include what I "saved" harvesting parts that I used on Chloe. All in all, I think financially it's going pretty good. I give it a month or so until it begins to spiral out of control!

Rust repair and bodywork should begin during the Memorial Day weekend. I'm looking forward to that as the first visible positive change on this thing.

 

[FJ Noob]

Not much of anything exciting enough to take pictures of lately. Just pulling parts off, labeling, organizing, and storing them.

I’m a ways off from paint, but you can’t stay motivated if can’t visualize the goal. I got some paint samples from Paint House Tx today. Although both colors are great, it was a unanimous family vote for the “Randy Apple Red I Matte” on the right.

 

[FJ Noob]

Looks like somebody’s foam fix didn’t stop the rust. What the hell, let’s just replace all the quarter panels.

 

[FJ Noob]

Got the transmission and transfer case out of the truck a few days ago. It was pretty nasty with about a 1/4 inch layer of grease, oil, and dirt. I spent about an hour or two just scrubbing it down and cleaning it up. It's starting to look pretty decent.

I popped the top plate off to take a look inside and see what kind of condition it was in. It looked pretty good...or at least it was all there.

1st gear had a significant number of teeth that had been chewed up some on the front edges. Because of a lack of specialty tools, I'm dropping the transmission off at a shop for the refresh. We'll see what they say.

 

[MarkBC]

Looks like somebody’s foam fix didn’t stop the rust. What the hell, let’s just replace all the quarter panels.

Opportunity for some tubbing and clearance for big wheels! And better departure angle.

 

[FJ Noob]

Opportunity for some tubbing and clearance for big wheels! And better departure angle.

Haha...I already have enough work to do. Don’t start getting me sidetracked!

 

[FJ Noob]

Today FEDEX dropped off the Ranger Overdrive I was lucky enough to snag from another MUD member. A little cleaning and some new gaskets and seals, then into the “complete” column.