RodrigzCrzr
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Builds Rediscovering an '87 FJ60
- Thread starter LazarusTaxa
- Start date
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LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #42
Great job
Where did you get the plug for the blower fan switch?
Thanks! Which plug is that?
RodrigzCrzr
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LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #44
Ohh. I got that from McMaster Carr with the oven wire.
RodrigzCrzr
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Thank you!
Wow, just found this killer thread. You’re doing great work! Coincidentally, I’m local to you and my 60 is the same color! HMU if you ever want to wrench or wheel. Also, have you ever checked out cars and coffee? There are usually a couple cruiserheads there and it’s a fun time!
@LazarusTaxa Man .... this is incredible stuff. I feel like a real piker over here, scribbling part numbers in a little notebook and whatnot. Will be watching from now on.
I really need to do my weather seals, Windows, and regulators. My driver side window drops an inch every time I close the door. This is a great thread! Good work so far!
LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #49
Aight, its about time I added something to this thread.. Though, I don't have much to add as I broke my wrist at the beginning of the summer and have had my right hand in a cast pretty much up till now. Sucks big time. I was 95% of the way through completely redoing my AC system (in prep. for summer) and adding 62 seats/belts...
So first up, my AC hasn't ever worked.. I removed the main lines when I put in my aussie style aircleaner as they were in the way. In doing so, I noticed the INSIDE of the steel fittings were rusty.. Not a good sign for a closed (and dry) system:
So I figured it was a good reason to pull everything out and replace it all.. I didn't want to deal with filling up the system only to realize one of the old parts was the leaky culprit..
Mainly, I ordered a reman denso compressor, condensor and evaporator from rock auto and then new TEQ pressure sensor and expansion valve. I still need to source the correct dryer to run R134 and get new hoses made. If anyone has a good suggestion for someone to make new hoses (with new fittings) let me know.
Here's the evaporator as I pulled it apart:
Not actually as bad as I would have thought. Regardless, it got cleaned up and reinstalled:
Then I got put in a cast and work stopped entirely.. Now it's cold and I'm hoping to take the whole car apart in less than a month. Here are the parts I've ordered so far:
So first up, my AC hasn't ever worked.. I removed the main lines when I put in my aussie style aircleaner as they were in the way. In doing so, I noticed the INSIDE of the steel fittings were rusty.. Not a good sign for a closed (and dry) system:
So I figured it was a good reason to pull everything out and replace it all.. I didn't want to deal with filling up the system only to realize one of the old parts was the leaky culprit..
Mainly, I ordered a reman denso compressor, condensor and evaporator from rock auto and then new TEQ pressure sensor and expansion valve. I still need to source the correct dryer to run R134 and get new hoses made. If anyone has a good suggestion for someone to make new hoses (with new fittings) let me know.
Here's the evaporator as I pulled it apart:
Not actually as bad as I would have thought. Regardless, it got cleaned up and reinstalled:
Then I got put in a cast and work stopped entirely.. Now it's cold and I'm hoping to take the whole car apart in less than a month. Here are the parts I've ordered so far:
| Part | Quantity | Part Number | Notes |
| Evaporator | 1 | 476-0072 | Denso part |
| Condenser | 1 | 477-0154 | Denso part |
| Compressor | 1 | 471-0204 | Denso part |
| Expansion valve | 1 | 88515-87004 | |
| Pressure Switch | 1 | 88645-30250 |
You got further on your AC than I did and my wrist is fine.
LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #51
The last project of the summer was attempting to get the rear seats and belts from a 62 into my 60.. I got all the parts off a fellow mudder and set about getting them in good shape. The seats I sourced had been in a dank PNW basement for years and were covered in mildew... I took the covers apart and got everything cleaned up.. Here's a shot of the bottom bench:
I cant let that rust lurk in my truck so I of course had the seat pans blasted and coated.. here's the seat back after powder... Much better:
Overall taking the seats apart is a SUPER easy job and I'm really glad I did. I was a bit nervous to dive in at first but it's one of the simplest things I've done so far and there's no better way to get the upholstery and foam clean.. My interior is pretty pristine so I want to be sure any used parts I source dont detract from that. I cleaned the upholstery and foam with some warm water, laundry detergent, and folex spray all mixed together. It worked out really well and everything looks pretty mint.
A couple tips for anyone taking it all apart for cleaning: Wash the foam gently as it does want to degrade a bit and be sure you do this on a sunny hot day... It takes the foam forever to dry as it wants to hold on to as much moisture as it can. The upholstery covers are easier.. I washed them by hand and then threw them in the "rinse & spin" cycle of my front load washer and that removed 95% of all the moisture.
Putting it all back together is super easy with a set of hog ring pliers and hog rings. Sorry, I forgot to take any pics of this process, but it's all really straightforward.
Got the seats mounted and finally the back of my 60 is just slightly safer:
I also like that the 62 seat bottom has holders for the headrests when the back is down:
I cant let that rust lurk in my truck so I of course had the seat pans blasted and coated.. here's the seat back after powder... Much better:
Overall taking the seats apart is a SUPER easy job and I'm really glad I did. I was a bit nervous to dive in at first but it's one of the simplest things I've done so far and there's no better way to get the upholstery and foam clean.. My interior is pretty pristine so I want to be sure any used parts I source dont detract from that. I cleaned the upholstery and foam with some warm water, laundry detergent, and folex spray all mixed together. It worked out really well and everything looks pretty mint.
A couple tips for anyone taking it all apart for cleaning: Wash the foam gently as it does want to degrade a bit and be sure you do this on a sunny hot day... It takes the foam forever to dry as it wants to hold on to as much moisture as it can. The upholstery covers are easier.. I washed them by hand and then threw them in the "rinse & spin" cycle of my front load washer and that removed 95% of all the moisture.
Putting it all back together is super easy with a set of hog ring pliers and hog rings. Sorry, I forgot to take any pics of this process, but it's all really straightforward.
Got the seats mounted and finally the back of my 60 is just slightly safer:
I also like that the 62 seat bottom has holders for the headrests when the back is down:
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LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #52
The seatbelts I scored were in similar shape.. The belts were kinda mildewy and the brackets like everything else in a 60 had some patches of light rust. I knew I was going to get them re-webbed and of course couldn't fight my urge to take them apart.. Its actually really simple to do so, so if any one is interested in painting the retractor brackets or anything it's totally doable. Here's the parts layout:
Also, the "tongues" of my buckles were all broken.. I didn't want to go through the expense of getting the belts re-webbed only to use broken buckles so I got another set of used 60 series belts and cannibalized all the parts into a good set.. This also allowed me to use the shoulder mounts & bolt covers from a 60 which are different than a 62.. the 62s are more rounded whereas the 60s are more square and boxy. So, once these are put in, all my belts will match.
Here's the retractor after powder and re-webbing all put back together:
And all the finished belts:
I used safety restore for this.. Overall they were good.. Quick turnaround and the grey webbing matches really well (you can see a dirty old belt up there to compare). The stitching and finishing though is kind of a 6/10.. I'm obviously pretty picky so this might not matter and its not something anyone but me is ever going to notice. It was ~$250 for all three rear belts and receptacles to be re-webbed, so a lot cheaper than seatbeltplanet.
I wasn't able to get these in before my injury so I'll post an update once I do the cutting and drilling to get everything to fit.
Also, I definitely had an ah ha/I'm an idiot moment when I finally realized what the pockets in the seat back are for:
Also, the "tongues" of my buckles were all broken.. I didn't want to go through the expense of getting the belts re-webbed only to use broken buckles so I got another set of used 60 series belts and cannibalized all the parts into a good set.. This also allowed me to use the shoulder mounts & bolt covers from a 60 which are different than a 62.. the 62s are more rounded whereas the 60s are more square and boxy. So, once these are put in, all my belts will match.
Here's the retractor after powder and re-webbing all put back together:
And all the finished belts:
I used safety restore for this.. Overall they were good.. Quick turnaround and the grey webbing matches really well (you can see a dirty old belt up there to compare). The stitching and finishing though is kind of a 6/10.. I'm obviously pretty picky so this might not matter and its not something anyone but me is ever going to notice. It was ~$250 for all three rear belts and receptacles to be re-webbed, so a lot cheaper than seatbeltplanet.
I wasn't able to get these in before my injury so I'll post an update once I do the cutting and drilling to get everything to fit.
Also, I definitely had an ah ha/I'm an idiot moment when I finally realized what the pockets in the seat back are for:
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LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #53
Sooo, my frame and drivetrain are all pretty much entirely covered with a layer of surface rust and scale. I'd thought it was pretty superficial, but I didn't want to to get any worse. I considered laboring away under the truck to paint the exposed parts of the frame by hand, but I knew that wouldn't really fix the problem... There would definitely be places I couldn't get to and it would be a total PITA. Mostly, I just want to be totally sure that any rust or issues under the truck have been dealt with so I can drive in the rain/winter/etc and never have to worry.
That of course means I gotta take the body off. I thought about this for a year and had planned to spend the fall and winter restoring the bottom half of the truck. The goal is to:
Take the body off
Strip down the frame
Strip down the axles and all the drive train
Clean everything up and replate all the hardware
Powder coat everything else
Rebuild transfer case
Add an H55F and probably 4.10 gears
Balance drive shafts
Replace all bearings, etc
Put everything back together
I also want to deal with the underside of the body.. IE get it painted or undercoated.
This way, hopefully by spring, the bottom side of the truck will be restored and totally good to go. Any future work won't require taking the body off. Then, possibly next year I'll take out the interior, glass, etc and get it painted a different color. Possibly then I'll also get the engine rebuilt and a Holley sniper added.
The main issue with taking the body off is that I'm relegated to my half of a two car garage plus an additional single car concrete parking space outside. Not much space and I definitely don't have a lift. I spent a lot of time figuring out the best and safest way to get the body off with my tools and space. I settled on using an engine hoist connected to the seatbelt mounting bolt holes.
Overall, this worked pretty well. It's definitely a two person job, and you also have to remove all the front body panels. I found that the body leaned around a lot while lifting so the second person is there to hold it level. We jacked it up enough to get two 2x6s under the front and rear pinch welds supported by 4 cinder blocks.
This was just high enough for the transmission and tires to clear the 2x6 supports. I was originally concerned about stability so was going to re-lift the body and lower it , but after getting it up there it's solid... No amount of pushing or rocking gets it to move at all.
Overall, it took a few days to get all the parts stripped down, everything setup, and the body off. But overall it went pretty smoothly.. The process definitely included tons of stress about "am I actually doing this" and "what kind of hole am I digging for myself". Hopefully this won't be a terrible idea.
Here are some pics of what it looked like right after pulling it out:
That of course means I gotta take the body off. I thought about this for a year and had planned to spend the fall and winter restoring the bottom half of the truck. The goal is to:
Take the body off
Strip down the frame
Strip down the axles and all the drive train
Clean everything up and replate all the hardware
Powder coat everything else
Rebuild transfer case
Add an H55F and probably 4.10 gears
Balance drive shafts
Replace all bearings, etc
Put everything back together
I also want to deal with the underside of the body.. IE get it painted or undercoated.
This way, hopefully by spring, the bottom side of the truck will be restored and totally good to go. Any future work won't require taking the body off. Then, possibly next year I'll take out the interior, glass, etc and get it painted a different color. Possibly then I'll also get the engine rebuilt and a Holley sniper added.
The main issue with taking the body off is that I'm relegated to my half of a two car garage plus an additional single car concrete parking space outside. Not much space and I definitely don't have a lift. I spent a lot of time figuring out the best and safest way to get the body off with my tools and space. I settled on using an engine hoist connected to the seatbelt mounting bolt holes.
Overall, this worked pretty well. It's definitely a two person job, and you also have to remove all the front body panels. I found that the body leaned around a lot while lifting so the second person is there to hold it level. We jacked it up enough to get two 2x6s under the front and rear pinch welds supported by 4 cinder blocks.
This was just high enough for the transmission and tires to clear the 2x6 supports. I was originally concerned about stability so was going to re-lift the body and lower it , but after getting it up there it's solid... No amount of pushing or rocking gets it to move at all.
Overall, it took a few days to get all the parts stripped down, everything setup, and the body off. But overall it went pretty smoothly.. The process definitely included tons of stress about "am I actually doing this" and "what kind of hole am I digging for myself". Hopefully this won't be a terrible idea.
Here are some pics of what it looked like right after pulling it out:
LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #54
First step was cleaning everything up. Whoever had the idea of hooking up a power washer to your washing machine's hot water tap is a very smart person. I've got a tankless hot water heater and this method cleaned off ALL of the oil, dirt, grease etc. I didn't take any pictures but my front diff was literally just a sphere of caked on dirt and grease. The bottom of my body was covered in a heavy layer of gear oil, dirt, grease, etc. The hot water pressure bath cleaned all that up with no problem.
I'm gonna get all the usable fasteners replated which means it's all going into a box uncategorized. I need a way to keep track of everything as I pulled it off the truck. I figured the easiest thing was to use a white board, colored markers and a ruler to label everything for pictures. I use a red marker to tag any parts that need to be replaced. Black or green mean they are good to be reused. This way I have pictures of every part with an idea of scale:
Now, the sad realization when I got the body off was that the rust was worse than I thought. I knew my C-channels needed to be replaced and knew the rear most crossbar (behind the rear bumper) was rusting out. But, to my knowledge everything else was surface scale that should clean up fine with sand blasting. Unfortunately that was not the case.. Maybe the power washing took off some cosmetic dirt or something but I immediately saw some rot above the rear front spring hanger:
I really hoped that It was limited to this spot and that I could cut a strip out of the sidewall and have it patched... I did some exploring and am not psyched with what I found. This was the view immediately after opening it up:
and after scraping and hammering out the scale, it still looks bad:
I checked the rest of the frame.. There is are no other places where it's rotting through. Most places look fine. But, feeling around on the frame rail opposite this one, it seems like there is pretty bad rust on the bottom of the channel in there as well. I notice there are the rectangluar frame holes just forward of the rear wheels. My guess is that the rear wheels get water in there when you drive in the rain and that after 30+ years of driving around on the wet side of the cascades, this is the result.
So, it seems that I need a new frame.... But, what does everyone else think?? Try to patch? It seems that at a minimum I'd need to cut out the bottom half of these sections of the frame.
In the meantime if anyone has an FJ60 frame lying around, or knows someone who does, please let me know.
I'm gonna get all the usable fasteners replated which means it's all going into a box uncategorized. I need a way to keep track of everything as I pulled it off the truck. I figured the easiest thing was to use a white board, colored markers and a ruler to label everything for pictures. I use a red marker to tag any parts that need to be replaced. Black or green mean they are good to be reused. This way I have pictures of every part with an idea of scale:
Now, the sad realization when I got the body off was that the rust was worse than I thought. I knew my C-channels needed to be replaced and knew the rear most crossbar (behind the rear bumper) was rusting out. But, to my knowledge everything else was surface scale that should clean up fine with sand blasting. Unfortunately that was not the case.. Maybe the power washing took off some cosmetic dirt or something but I immediately saw some rot above the rear front spring hanger:
I really hoped that It was limited to this spot and that I could cut a strip out of the sidewall and have it patched... I did some exploring and am not psyched with what I found. This was the view immediately after opening it up:
and after scraping and hammering out the scale, it still looks bad:
I checked the rest of the frame.. There is are no other places where it's rotting through. Most places look fine. But, feeling around on the frame rail opposite this one, it seems like there is pretty bad rust on the bottom of the channel in there as well. I notice there are the rectangluar frame holes just forward of the rear wheels. My guess is that the rear wheels get water in there when you drive in the rain and that after 30+ years of driving around on the wet side of the cascades, this is the result.
So, it seems that I need a new frame.... But, what does everyone else think?? Try to patch? It seems that at a minimum I'd need to cut out the bottom half of these sections of the frame.
In the meantime if anyone has an FJ60 frame lying around, or knows someone who does, please let me know.
Dekeman
SILVER Star
Great thread that hits so many of the issues so many of us have faced. Thanks for documenting so well.
LazarusTaxa
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- Thread starter
- #56
OK Mud, I need your advice.. So please help me out with this decision:
I've found an FJ62 frame about 3.5 hours away. It's sold by a reputable land cruiser shop who also does restorations. They guy says its in good condition and can be used and sent me a few pics (two of which are below). From what I can see it's got obvious surface rust but the c-channels look to be in OK condition. I suppose I'd need to fix them now anyways to get it out of the way. Other than that, all I can see is that one of the rear bumper tabs is all bent up... He says this is common? I suppose I can just bend it back.
Now, I do not know anything about how severe the rust could be on the inside of the frame. I've asked for pics but haven't gotten any (yet).. It's also been laying on the ground for who knows long in the wet willamette valley, so who knows what those surfaces look like? The cost of this frame is $500 plus a trailer rental and 7 hours of my time to go get it. Then, I'd need to pay a welder to move the transmission mounts to fit the 2F and tranny combo. I also would need to swap in my FJ60 front bumper brackets so that I can use my existing bumper. All in, I'm guessing ~$700-800
FJ62 frame (its the bottom one):
Option two is that I keep my frame and get it fixed. I've done a fairly thorough inspection and believe that any significant rust really only exists in three places: First and second are the box channels right under the rear-front spring hanger (see pics).. I'm guessing 18-24" of the bottom half of the frame needs to be cut out, replaced, then the spring hanger and crossmember need to be welded back on. Second is the rearmost crossmember.. Common on 60's, mine is also rusted out and will need to be either patched or replaced. I've got a welder who would do all this work for i'm guessing ~$600-700. The rest of the inside of the frame looks clean with only surface rust and very little to no scale.
So what do you all think? What's the best way to go here. The price isn't too big of a difference, though the 62 frame will take more time on my part (a day to go get it at least). But, I've heard that overall 62 frames are stronger, don't rust as much, and are a better frame than the 60s. I'm OK with the extra $$ (its not much) and work if it's gonna end up with a better product, but also keep in mind I'm not gonna be wheeling this thing heavily..
The other aspect which I have NO idea about is any kind of legality... my frame has a serial number linked to my VIN.. Does it matter if I swap it out for either myself or any possible future buyers? What about repairing a rotted frame? I suppose I can ask my insurer, but are there any implications there?
I'd very much appreciate any input anyone with experience has to give.. Help me make this decision
I've found an FJ62 frame about 3.5 hours away. It's sold by a reputable land cruiser shop who also does restorations. They guy says its in good condition and can be used and sent me a few pics (two of which are below). From what I can see it's got obvious surface rust but the c-channels look to be in OK condition. I suppose I'd need to fix them now anyways to get it out of the way. Other than that, all I can see is that one of the rear bumper tabs is all bent up... He says this is common? I suppose I can just bend it back.
Now, I do not know anything about how severe the rust could be on the inside of the frame. I've asked for pics but haven't gotten any (yet).. It's also been laying on the ground for who knows long in the wet willamette valley, so who knows what those surfaces look like? The cost of this frame is $500 plus a trailer rental and 7 hours of my time to go get it. Then, I'd need to pay a welder to move the transmission mounts to fit the 2F and tranny combo. I also would need to swap in my FJ60 front bumper brackets so that I can use my existing bumper. All in, I'm guessing ~$700-800
FJ62 frame (its the bottom one):
Option two is that I keep my frame and get it fixed. I've done a fairly thorough inspection and believe that any significant rust really only exists in three places: First and second are the box channels right under the rear-front spring hanger (see pics).. I'm guessing 18-24" of the bottom half of the frame needs to be cut out, replaced, then the spring hanger and crossmember need to be welded back on. Second is the rearmost crossmember.. Common on 60's, mine is also rusted out and will need to be either patched or replaced. I've got a welder who would do all this work for i'm guessing ~$600-700. The rest of the inside of the frame looks clean with only surface rust and very little to no scale.
So what do you all think? What's the best way to go here. The price isn't too big of a difference, though the 62 frame will take more time on my part (a day to go get it at least). But, I've heard that overall 62 frames are stronger, don't rust as much, and are a better frame than the 60s. I'm OK with the extra $$ (its not much) and work if it's gonna end up with a better product, but also keep in mind I'm not gonna be wheeling this thing heavily..
The other aspect which I have NO idea about is any kind of legality... my frame has a serial number linked to my VIN.. Does it matter if I swap it out for either myself or any possible future buyers? What about repairing a rotted frame? I suppose I can ask my insurer, but are there any implications there?
I'd very much appreciate any input anyone with experience has to give.. Help me make this decision
FWIW, I was quoted $3-4k by a welder for nearly the same work. And that's with me cutting out the inner c-channels and prepping that area. I'd say repair what you have. The price on that other frame seems pretty good though....
LazarusTaxa
SILVER Star
- Thread starter
- #58
Yeah, thinking about it, I'm probably underestimating the cost for the welder to fix my frame. But, if it's much more expensive then it starts making a lot more sense to go with the 62 frame. Why do you say keep mine?
Anyone else got an opinion??? I can't believe people on Mud would be shying away from giving their two cents.
4runner2FJ60
SILVER Star
You can argue either way really. Maintain serial numbers and originality and have the enjoyment of fixing all those areas yourself, or try to swap? Not sure how hard that is to accomplish, but might be easier than the repairs. Probably comes down to the $500 and your patience. Rust sucks.....we can all agree on that.
