Hello All,
I need some advice. Ive been lurking here trying to gather info on what it will take in order to join the LC club. Ive been searching Craigslist in search of an FJ60 or 62.
I recently came across an 84 FJ60 that is in my area and Inexpensive.... 144k miles. But, I went today to check it over and there were issues... some the owner knows about and some he hasnt really considered.
The story goes that he bought from a friend and then let it sit for 8 months. His friend had it on the road inspected and running but ended up running into mechanical problems and let it go cheap.
The New owner had intended to fix it up for winter 4x4 transportation but got caught up in other projects. So it has been sitting. He knew that there was an issue with the carb. It stalls out when going up an incline. Down incline does not effect the running of the vehicle. Other than that he hadnt dug into the mechanicals.
Ive been trading emails back and forth and that was about all he knew.
Today i go over and check it out. Looks awesome!!! some rust but ive got my cruiser goggles on. I start to look it over and it is typical sitting issues; dry rot vac and hoses, leaking seals, dead battery... the normal stuff. I checked the fluids before starting, oil looks good, coolant needs topped off, power steering fluid needs topped off and is obviously a leaker. I put my battery in, I prime the carb (which looks to have been recently rebuilt) and it fires right up! OH Thats why you guys called it a tractor motor! Still it is running smoothly. White smoke out the tailpipe till it warmed up. It didnt smell of oil or coolant so Im hopeful it is just steam from sitting.
I drive around a field and throw it into 4 high to check that it engages. then 4 low. Both work just fine. Hub locks turn easy. I take it up an incline and yeah it stalls out. I would guess at around 15 degrees of incline.
Sweeeeet Sweeeet Sweeeet!
Drive it around some more around that field. Got the fluids warmed up and parked it to give it another look. Checked the brakes, they work fine, ebrake too.
Rust... Hmmm there is a lot. It is in the back on the frame. Starting to get bad under the tailgate. Pass Rear Body mount is not really holding much anymore. Rear crossmember pretty much shot.
Underneath, Leaking seals. Both Diff pinion seals, Transfer case has RTV and looks to have been a real leaker at one point. I believe it is still leaking from the rear output seal.
While underneath I see a bit of smoke/steam from the bottom of the engine compartment. I open the hood and there is a leaking seal right next to the thermostat housing on the valve cover. That was too much for me. I told the Owner that it was more than i could handle confidently. I told him i didnt want to insult him on a price and that i would have to pass. He said "well im not going to be insulted" so i throw out an offer... he says for another $100 it was mine if i wanted it.
SOOOOO.
I havent bought it yet but he said he would like it gone by Wednesday. I told him i would give a yes or no by then. I have about a week of solid free time before I start back at school so I could invest some real work in that time, But i dont want the purchase price to be a down payment on a giant money pit. I just want a vehicle to get back and forth to school (20 miles/day), and out to the mountains for camping on the weekends.
Here are some pics, What am I getting myself into?
What should I do? Buy or not to Buy?
VA residents, am i going to run into problems getting the vehicle inspected?
What do you recommend in order to get this on the road as a DD?
Thanks In Advance!
Capdaddy
I need some advice. Ive been lurking here trying to gather info on what it will take in order to join the LC club. Ive been searching Craigslist in search of an FJ60 or 62.
I recently came across an 84 FJ60 that is in my area and Inexpensive.... 144k miles. But, I went today to check it over and there were issues... some the owner knows about and some he hasnt really considered.
The story goes that he bought from a friend and then let it sit for 8 months. His friend had it on the road inspected and running but ended up running into mechanical problems and let it go cheap.
The New owner had intended to fix it up for winter 4x4 transportation but got caught up in other projects. So it has been sitting. He knew that there was an issue with the carb. It stalls out when going up an incline. Down incline does not effect the running of the vehicle. Other than that he hadnt dug into the mechanicals.
Ive been trading emails back and forth and that was about all he knew.
Today i go over and check it out. Looks awesome!!! some rust but ive got my cruiser goggles on. I start to look it over and it is typical sitting issues; dry rot vac and hoses, leaking seals, dead battery... the normal stuff. I checked the fluids before starting, oil looks good, coolant needs topped off, power steering fluid needs topped off and is obviously a leaker. I put my battery in, I prime the carb (which looks to have been recently rebuilt) and it fires right up! OH Thats why you guys called it a tractor motor! Still it is running smoothly. White smoke out the tailpipe till it warmed up. It didnt smell of oil or coolant so Im hopeful it is just steam from sitting.
I drive around a field and throw it into 4 high to check that it engages. then 4 low. Both work just fine. Hub locks turn easy. I take it up an incline and yeah it stalls out. I would guess at around 15 degrees of incline.
Sweeeeet Sweeeet Sweeeet!
Drive it around some more around that field. Got the fluids warmed up and parked it to give it another look. Checked the brakes, they work fine, ebrake too.
Rust... Hmmm there is a lot. It is in the back on the frame. Starting to get bad under the tailgate. Pass Rear Body mount is not really holding much anymore. Rear crossmember pretty much shot.
Underneath, Leaking seals. Both Diff pinion seals, Transfer case has RTV and looks to have been a real leaker at one point. I believe it is still leaking from the rear output seal.
While underneath I see a bit of smoke/steam from the bottom of the engine compartment. I open the hood and there is a leaking seal right next to the thermostat housing on the valve cover. That was too much for me. I told the Owner that it was more than i could handle confidently. I told him i didnt want to insult him on a price and that i would have to pass. He said "well im not going to be insulted" so i throw out an offer... he says for another $100 it was mine if i wanted it.
SOOOOO.
I havent bought it yet but he said he would like it gone by Wednesday. I told him i would give a yes or no by then. I have about a week of solid free time before I start back at school so I could invest some real work in that time, But i dont want the purchase price to be a down payment on a giant money pit. I just want a vehicle to get back and forth to school (20 miles/day), and out to the mountains for camping on the weekends.
Here are some pics, What am I getting myself into?
What should I do? Buy or not to Buy?
VA residents, am i going to run into problems getting the vehicle inspected?
What do you recommend in order to get this on the road as a DD?
Thanks In Advance!
Capdaddy
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