STLCA 60 Series Club Thread (1 Viewer)

[Elbert]

looking for good solutions on attaching warn winch power cables to battery. I have dual batteries right now and they are the dual post types...where they have side post and conventional old school post on the top. I'm thinking about trying to max the size/capacity of the batteries vs the battery tray and the local napa guy is telling me the next size up in battery only comes in side post configuration. I do have a wiriing mess to clean up on the passenger side battery anyway and thats where the winch is connected now and will be connected in teh future as the ALt feeds this battery directly. Any great ideas on how to incorporate the winch power cables? I'm going to clean up my otherwise mess using some blue sea fues blocks at some point where I will jsut have a primary wire comoning over to the batter for a feed to the blue sea box and then other things feed off it. I do have the ham radio feeding off the driver side battery and I'll leave it over there. If you've seen any good ideas on the winch power cables let me knows..pics always are good.

 

[Elbert]

I need a new am/fm antennae for the 60. I've broken 3 since I took the stock automatic one out (or broke it). Any recommendations for a good flexible off-road fixed one?

here is a pic of what I bought, yet to be installed. I assume that it came from Amazon. I also bought an extension cable since my radio is in the console rather than the dash.

 

[sk8salomon]

Thanks Elbert. The only thing I really hate is that little plastic taper ring that mounts to the fender. Those things crack and break over time and then it's junk. I'm looking for something with a heavy duty base, metal preferred.

 

[Elbert]

Thanks Elbert. The only thing I really hate is that little plastic taper ring that mounts to the fender. Those things crack and break over time and then it's junk. I'm looking for something with a heavy duty base, metal preferred.

post up details when you find a good alternative antenna. I wonder if something made for the marine market my be a good choice, but if the limitation is a flexible mast...I'm guessing there may not be too many choices, or potentially ham radio.

 

[Tennessee80]

Well folks I finally moved over to a 60 series as my daily driver and all purpose rig. Not planning on making it a hard core wheeler, but plan on building it up a bit more to handle expeditions and up to medium plus trails. The previous owner named it Roscoe!

1988 Fj62
H42 4 speed conversion (really gives it some pep!)
TPI Smoky Mountain suspension
33' tires (old and need replacing)
factory roof rack
310,000 miles, runs like a champ

It is a lot of fun to drive, and it was sad to sell the 80, but I am a vintage dude. The 80 went to a local guy in Nashville that is friends with Jacob in the club.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics, and hope to get out in the woods more this next year, it's been crazy busy!

 

[jynx]

That is a clean 62 Joel. I love the graphics! Looks like everyone approves. I'd totally rock that as a daily too (well if I didn't drive over 1,000 miles a week). Congrats

 

[jason in tn]

That looks like the one I posted about in the spotted thread a week or so ago. Nice score.

 

[Tennessee80]

Yeah, I found it on Nashville craigslist. I actually test drove it a couple of years ago and didn't pull the trigger, and when it showed back up it was meant to be... The owner was a great guy, and kept the truck in very good shape. The 80 sale fell into place right before I got Roscoe.

 

[oldredfj60]

Nice, Joel! I daily drove a 60 for a couple of years and loved it. Miss that rig more than any others. Shoulda kept it!

Well folks I finally moved over to a 60 series as my daily driver and all purpose rig. Not planning on making it a hard core wheeler, but plan on building it up a bit more to handle expeditions and up to medium plus trails. The previous owner named it Roscoe!

1988 Fj62
H42 4 speed conversion (really gives it some pep!)
TPI Smoky Mountain suspension
33' tires (old and need replacing)
factory roof rack
310,000 miles, runs like a champ

It is a lot of fun to drive, and it was sad to sell the 80, but I am a vintage dude. The 80 went to a local guy in Nashville that is friends with Jacob in the club.

Anyway, here are a couple of pics, and hope to get out in the woods more this next year, it's been crazy busy!

 

[Elbert]

anyone else here running dual batteries on their 60? If so what case size on the battery are you using? Presently I have the stainless dual battery trays (left and right) and have some generic napa 34/78 batteries, these have the dual post configuration but I leaning towards an AGM style battery, 34 case size, only top post and maybe odyssey brand. Any comments on dual setup....I am going to run identical batteries.

Update... (I had to buy batteries anyway since one would not hold a charge and the other failed the test my smart battery charger does)...neither would hold a charge and one was worse. I just decided to get some 34 case size batteries (normal) from Napa, since I want to be able to buy one on the road if something happens and it was either Napa or Autozone...for sources (my view) as I also wanted to make sure I got something from a place that had a reasonable distribution of stores. Going with top post only this time and right now I'm going to run a crude dual battery setup like I had before but I'm looking at various options to include the blue sea auto relay and others. I need to upgrade/update some of my wiring and I want to install a Blue Sea cut-off switch on the wires feeding the winch. I also replaced one of the ground too, and I had to use what I could get, so later I'm going to get some better cables made.

 

[Elbert]

well nothing crazy but I thought I would document for the record here. Recently I had my full exhaust changed....over to ceramic coated rams horn style manifolds, with two magnaflow mufflers (one feeds the other) and then single tailpipe. So anyway the truck is running smooth (ECM programming is basically stock, with edits for emissions). As I mess around with the batteries I though I would drive it around today and I just decided to check the milage...15mpg on hwy, which is an all time high. I think the increased back pressure is better for the stock type tune on the ECM. Anyway this was around 60 to 65mph, just casual driving. tires are 35's, with 4.11 gears and toyota 5speed, with GM 5.7 vortec v8. FYI. I have one large magnaflow muffler that feeds another smaller high flow muffler. Nice and quite and no drone, along with change in exhaust , equals far less radiated heat on the floorboard and in the engine compartment.

Can someone post up a pic of the bracket that holds the AC drier to the radiator core ? I've misplaced mine and I need to do some red-neck engineering.

 

[Elbert]

anyone know the thread pitch on a 14mm toyota bolt off a FJ60? For example the two bolts that hold the rear seat belt to the floor board?

Right now I"m guessing at 8mm * 1.25, but that's a raw guess.

 

[Elbert]

Looks like my guess above is wrong. I took one of the bolts with me to HomeDepot to see what works on their thread tool (the ones they have). Well to my suprise the bolt threaded into the 7/16-20 fine thread sample and based on a google search it appears this bolt is an 11-1.25, but that a 7/16-20 bolt would also work. I wanted to think about using the threaded inserts in the floor for a hold down attachment (cargo). My rear seat belts are MIA. Bolt for sure is not a 10-1.5 or 10.1.25 and not a 8 at all.

 

[Elbert]

ok...looks like I'm my own fan club here in the 60 section.

For anyone who's had the fun of swapping out the heater core on a FJ60...did you find that it required removal of the two heater hose pipes that run through the fire wall, or could you leave those in place and just mate the heater core with the pipes once you removed the old heater core? I'm hoping the small clasps that hold the heater core to the pipes that run through the fire-wall do not break when I get there to remove them, because I have no idea in @##$#& where you might find replacements.

I'm hoping to make headway on this heater core project ...this weekend. Of course I prepped the dash about a fewyears ago in my attempt to set a world record for longest time working on same project....someone has to go for the gold!

 

[jynx]

So I haven't seen a 60 up close, but I'm guessing you will have to disconnect the hoses from the engine side before you can pull the barbs thru the firewall. Unless the hose connections are separately removable from the core, but I can't say that I've seen that configuration.

Wait, I reread your post and it sounds like the pipes do separately from the core? If that is the case, the if there is room to move the core around enough, then I'd see no reason why you couldn't pull it all as a unit.

 

[Elbert]

I've done heater cores on normal cars/trucks and on those the pipes that run through the firewall are part of the heater core. ON the FJ60, the heater core has two short pipes that mate to the heater pipes that actually run through the firewall, so one heater core, and two seperate pipes, that join the heater core by some crazy ##$% butt splice with o rings and some clasps. (Yeah I'm not a big fan of the design). I'm getting advice to pull the heater pipes out with the heater core as one and then separate on the bench. Throw out all pre-conceived notions on a "normal" heater core arrangement. See beautiful diagram here Page 188 Land Cruiser 60 and 62 Front and Rear Heater

front heater core

I'm hoping all things go smooth, no breakage and no leaks once re-assembled. I bought a double LED shop light on a stand so I could see better. The fun starts this weekend. I hope this is a one-time (life-time) repair.

I posted a few questions over in the main forum....see this, it might help others too. heater core swap ? / FJ60 1986 version

 

[Elbert]

I expect many to shed tear of sympathy on my behalf, I sure will be #$(#&$ pissed if this thing leaks when I get done... I may have to take a break on this as I know its going to be a long haul to get all the little things back in and fixed. I did find I need to improve some of my wiring and re-do a few things on that side, but the good is I know know what was crap. hope none of the primary heater components / housings break or get deformed. Already lost one of my 10mm sockets so kicking off things in normal status.

 

[Elbert]

you need one of these too, dual head LED shop light....its bright as ##$% and does not put off much heat. I put the light at the rear and let the rear seat down and its working great without getting in the way or giving off a bunch of heat.

 

[Elbert]

Well after a few choice words and frustration combined with aggravation, here is where I'm at.

 

[Elbert]

I posted up some notes in the main forum on the thread I linked to. A couple of notes (a) the evap core does not have to come out nor do you have to discharge the ac (2) as you can see I took the entire dash out (3) shifters don't have to come out. (4) yes it sucks. Do you have to tear down teh entire dash...maybe not, but I was trying to ensure I did not break anything and I expect the more that comes out the eaiser it will be to get the heater core back in. I'm wondering if the heater core pipe grommet is installed from the engine side right now. I may not get to fired up on working on the re-build for a few days since I have to get some ear surgery next week which I hope will not be too much of a pain in the @$$ itself...yet to see. Anyway, the magic now will be the install and getting everything working right. Just about all the foam or what use to be foam in the duct work crumbles like dust on touch and its useless. I'm considering on how I might deal with that.

I'm looking to win that lifetime achievement award, "Longest Time to install heater core in the known Universe"....now if only someone will come over and finish this job....I'll feel better about life