Saving another FJ60! (1 Viewer)

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2mountainfish

NOTW
SILVER Star
Joined
Jan 18, 2014
Threads
28
Messages
967
Location
Grass Valley , Ca.
Hello all: Two years ago I picked up my first Landcruiser, joined this forum and have been going forward ever since. The information I have gained has been invaluable. The vendors and other members I have dealt with have been nothing short of awesome. When I found my 60 it was at the end of a long line of short term owners, who did little more than fix the bare minimum to keep it running. I have owned several Toyota 4runners and Pickups but always wanted a 60. Now that I have a camera, I want to share the resurrection with all of you. When I started it was rough to say the least. I have done a ton of work, most of which I don't have pics of, but from this point forward, I will post as much as I can. Come along for the ride.:)

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Time for a heart transplant:clap:

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Once I am done with the engine, I will have rebuilt the entire drive train.

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The interior is also mostly done. More on that later.

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One of the main reasons for buying a 60 was that I wanted to do all the work myself. I have always done most of my own maintenance on my other vehicles and am pretty handy with a wrench, but without the help of this forum and the free FSMs:clap: I could have never done some of the jobs that needed to be done. Here is a short list. I hope this encourages anyone who might be on the fence about doing their own work. Not only is it kinda fun, but it will save you a ton of $$$$$$ that you can use to buy more upgrades.
Knuckle rebuild
axle seals
heater core mod
t-case rebuild
headlight wiring upgrade
4:11 third member swap
Clutch rebuild/replace
Engine rebuild (this is my first).
 
Nice looking truck and I agree that doing the work yourself is fun. When I bought my truck a few years ago I had almost no vehicle experience but feel I am quick learner and was willing to give anything a shot (benefit of living 2 miles from where I work is if the truck is down I can ride a bike). Since then I have upgraded the suspension, done numerous little fixes to the drivetrain and recently went my deepest into the engine by pulling the head and having it rebuilt while replacing numerous items. Every penny I have put into the truck has been well worth it, now if they only got mpg standards of today it would be awesome!!!

What is the "heater core mod" and I assume you are running 33s if you upgraded to 4:11s?
 
Thanks. The heater core mod is when you pull your heater core ( the one buried under the dash) and have the inlet and outlet pipes soldered by a radiator shop to eliminate the O rings where they attatch to the core. This is a spot that will eventually leak. I did mine because I already had the entire dash out during my interior renovation. They had just barely started to leak, so I'm glad I did it. There are lots of post on here that discuss the problem. Yes I am running 33/12.50/15. I will be putting my lift on after the engine is done.
 
That is one nice, clean engine bay.
 
Thanks for the compliment. I will continue to post pics as I re-install the engine.
 
@2mountainfish When do you anticipate the build being done and driveable? Not sure what parts you still need but hopefully you know of @beno on the forums here (along with @cruiserdan) for your parts needs. Also, Georg at Valley Hybrid in Stockton will be having his annual swap meet/garage sale (he is moving shops this year!) so lots of good things to be had there if nothing more than just good conversation.
 
Great save!
 
@2mountainfish When do you anticipate the build being done and driveable? Not sure what parts you still need but hopefully you know of @beno on the forums here (along with @cruiserdan) for your parts needs. Also, Georg at Valley Hybrid in Stockton will be having his annual swap meet/garage sale (he is moving shops this year!) so lots of good things to be had there if nothing more than just good conversation.
I have dealt with Beno and Georg for alot of parts and knowledge already. I will be talking to Georg ,after his move, about a Terrain Tamer lift. I need to compare TT lift with the OME that Kurt sells. After that , I just need a 4Plus front bumper and winch. I plan on doing all the body work and paint prep and then pay someone to shoot it.
 
If all goes well it will up and driving by the end of March. It ran and drove before I pulled the engine. I had an exhaust manifold bolt just snap off one day causing a massive exhaust leak. After several failed attempts to remove the bolt from the head I decided if I was going to pull the head I may as well pull the tired engine and rebuild it. I am glad I did , as ther were two colapsed pistons and a crack in the intake manifold. I had the manifold welded up and proceeded to have the block machined and new parts ordered up. I am currently waiting for the head to get done so I can finish assembly.
 
Nice... ok just making sure... Other option for winch bumper would be Jason (@reevesci) for Trail Tailor stuff. Never know, if you play your cards right I know he is headed to my woods in a few weeks and you may be able to have him bring something for you and meet him up here in Reno/Carson/Tahoe area.
 
Been gone for a week out of town for work. Now that I'm back, time for more engine assembly.

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When i left off, the engine head was still at the machine shop. Here is an update on what was found. the whole reason I started the engine rebuild was because of a broken exhaust bolt extraction gone bad (fixed).

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Most of the problems found with the head were temperature related.We found one valve seat cracked and several valves badly worn. Like I said in the beginning of this build, previous owners had shown very little love to the engine. Some of the culprits were, vacuum leaks and timing related. I see now the long term damage that can occur if you don't keep these systems operating correctly.

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The valve guides were perfect

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