Here i am again,
I'll get right to it. Previous owner of an '86 FJ60, i was cruising through an industrial area in the Northern Emirates when i saw a very distinct roofline out the corner of my eye. Needless to say i stopped to take a look. It was parked in a ditch outside some sort of workshop that wasn't marked with a pad-locked gate, the closer i got to the shop doors the more i found. This guy had three U.S. spec 60's that he was cannibalising for parts. The one i was looking at is a Gulf Spec G.C.C. market 62 which as a bunch more options. So i find a Bengali shop worker there and use all of my language skills to speak to him in his language and ask for his boss, he draws me a map to what looked like a dealer lot just a couple streets away. I meet the boss and get the deal done a couple days later....
Now the fun starts,
I get a few things out of the deal like a spare hood and windshield. On paper, It's a barn door 62 with a 3F, H55 (factory) and other things like a factory cool box as well as front and rear A/c as well as rear jump seats and a jerry can mount.
So i thought things were going well, lets see:
Day 1: Picking it up, looks pretty clean
Looking closer, those roof channels don't look too happy
interior looks great for its age, look at all the options
The center cool-box reads "Keep only canned food or beverage to avoid smell. Alway use only fresh water to make ice."
The rear A/c unit (controlled from a switch on the dash)
The Rear jump seats:
The plan is to restore it with a bit of desert proofing it to make it last longer and drive better. I've already sourced all new chassis rubbers and body mounts as well as some holy grail parts i'll reveal later. More to come soon with ugly surprises along the way.
I'll get right to it. Previous owner of an '86 FJ60, i was cruising through an industrial area in the Northern Emirates when i saw a very distinct roofline out the corner of my eye. Needless to say i stopped to take a look. It was parked in a ditch outside some sort of workshop that wasn't marked with a pad-locked gate, the closer i got to the shop doors the more i found. This guy had three U.S. spec 60's that he was cannibalising for parts. The one i was looking at is a Gulf Spec G.C.C. market 62 which as a bunch more options. So i find a Bengali shop worker there and use all of my language skills to speak to him in his language and ask for his boss, he draws me a map to what looked like a dealer lot just a couple streets away. I meet the boss and get the deal done a couple days later....
Now the fun starts,
I get a few things out of the deal like a spare hood and windshield. On paper, It's a barn door 62 with a 3F, H55 (factory) and other things like a factory cool box as well as front and rear A/c as well as rear jump seats and a jerry can mount.
So i thought things were going well, lets see:
Day 1: Picking it up, looks pretty clean
Looking closer, those roof channels don't look too happy
interior looks great for its age, look at all the options
The center cool-box reads "Keep only canned food or beverage to avoid smell. Alway use only fresh water to make ice."
The rear A/c unit (controlled from a switch on the dash)
The Rear jump seats:
The plan is to restore it with a bit of desert proofing it to make it last longer and drive better. I've already sourced all new chassis rubbers and body mounts as well as some holy grail parts i'll reveal later. More to come soon with ugly surprises along the way.
