The FJ62 Beach Cruiser Thread (1 Viewer)

[Rabango]

Bought my first Cruiser about a week ago! And it has been exciting...

The PO had the transmission, and t case and pretty much the whole front end rebuilt like 10,000 miles ago. They sold it because the rust is getting out of hand. The rust seems so far to be only surface and the frame is super clean. But I did some welding in metal shop in high school so I got this. Here are some pictures

 

[Rabango]

First move was to get her cleaned up. Here on this soul crushing island of Oahu vehicles need a yearly safety check. It's mostly a joke but we gotta pass so I can register the old girl. The PO had hit something which dented the front bumper pretty good. So I pulled it off and sawed of the off the dent and the other side for good measure. There's also this weird hoop welded on the front of the frame. Anyone seen this before? Picture 2

While we were at it pulled of the trim and front grill which was faded and s***ty and painted it BLAAACK.

Wifey got busy cleaning up the chrome and interior.

 

[NookShneer]

Great project! Save that 62!

 

[Rabango]

Next up was the oil change and fluid top off. And holy s*** the 3FE requires all the oil. After pouring over the faq section I went with delo 15w40. Thankfully my local Napa had the 1515 filter (Same as the Wix 51515, thanks again FAQ) The Welded hoop makes a nice place to stand anyways.

Does anyone know why this filter is installed so all the oil spills on my garage floor when I remove it? How do you guys get it off with out this happening?

While I was down there I noticed the suspension is definetly not stock. The 62 didn't come with greasable shackles did it? Also it doesn't appear to be sagging I have 270,000 miles. I will investigate this further.

 

[Kmonty66]

Hard to tell but looks like an OME lift. I run the same oil, pretty happy with it. Great project rig, have fun!!

 

[rrv333]

When I know I'm going to change the oil in my 62 or 40, I let them sit for 3-4 days, sometimes longer. Neither one of them are daily drivers so I can afford to let them sit for long periods prior to oil changes. Letting them sit keeps the mess to a minimum in my experiences.

 

[Rabango]

Safety inspection Day!
So the truck definetly has after market suspension. Not sure on the extent of it. But here in Hawaii if your modify suspension at all, in order to pass Safety check, you first have to get an alignment done and then make an appointment to get a "Reconstruction" inspection. But nobody got time for that so I figured I might as well try for safety w/o it. The truck also has a power steering leak and too much play in steering wheel. I'm gonna fail.

But hott damn we passed! Thankfully the safety inspector turned out to be a huge fan of the cruiser and was more interested in talking about it as his dad used to have one.

 

[MACFJ60]

Congrats! Enjoy your new cruiser.

 

[Rabango]

Next up was the nagging high idle. After a quick search of mud came across the error 51.

fj62--3FE idle problems finally fixed!!

This thread was money. Put the ECU in diagnostic mode. (So awesome that this can be done) and sure enough Error 51! Followed the FSM and pulled the throttle body off.

It was nasty in there. But with some throttle body cleaner and some elbow grease it cleaned right up. Next was to readjust the TPS to spec. And after a good hour of adjusting and measuring resistance with a multimeter and adjusting again I gave up and settled for close enough.

I could not get a different reading with .77mm and the 1.09mm spacer inserted. But I was able to get continuity and no continuity with it opened and closed. So it was better than when I started. Does anyone know if I screwed my self?

Unfortunatly the replacement gasket is not available and the island and I didn't want to wait a week+ to get it one delivered so I bought some gasket sheet and cut my own after tracing what was left of the original one.

The cruiser runs noticeably better now! And the error was cleared now! Money.

The whole process was way easier than I thought it was gonna be. The hardest part was reattaching the air intake hose.

 

[rrv333]

If it's not already on your "to do list" replace every single line/hose that you can. They often have hairline cracks and leaks that are hard to diagnose. I ordered all of the lines from McMaster Carr and changed them all. I don't remember the diameter of the lines but I'm sure someone from the forum can chime in and answer the line diameter question.

 

[Rabango]

If it's not already on your "to do list" replace every single line/hose that you can. They often have hairline cracks and leaks that are hard to diagnose. I ordered all of the lines from McMaster Carr and changed them all. I don't remember the diameter of the lines but I'm sure someone from the forum can chime in and answer the line diameter question.

Thanks! Yeah definetly on the list. I have leak in the high pressure power steering hose. So I'm gonna have to pull the whole front end apart to change it. Gonna try to do the rest of the hoses then as well

 

[tucson_sailors]

Get familar with Onur also known as "Beno" who is a cruiser god and can find the hard to find OEM hoses for your rig. He is a member of the forum. Have a looksee at the following link - hope its the current and correct one. beno

Glenn in Marana, AZ

 

[Aloha Jen]

Thankfully the safety inspector turned out to be a huge fan of the cruiser and was more interested in talking about it as his dad used to have one.

View attachment 1435758

Yearly safety inspections are easy to pass with a mild lift on the 60 without recon if you go to the right place. We never have issues passing or have to do recon on all our lifted cruisers. But looks like you place past you with no problems. Your 62 is looking good! How are you going to address the rusty areas?

 

[Rabango]

How are you going to address the rusty areas?

It depends on the area. For the roof, and some door parts I'm gonna have to cut it out and weld in some sheet metal and bondo over it. And other spots I may just be able to grind down, bondo, and paint. It'll be process that's for sure. Getting started this weekend.
Found some good threads on mud that I'm using for guidance but if you got any advice I'm all ears.
Also do you know any spots on the island that tackle rust repair if I get in over my head?

 

[Aloha Jen]

It depends on the area. For the roof, and some door parts I'm gonna have to cut it out and weld in some sheet metal and bondo over it. And other spots I may just be able to grind down, bondo, and paint. It'll be process that's for sure. Getting started this weekend.
Found some good threads on mud that I'm using for guidance but if you got any advice I'm all ears.
Also do you know any spots on the island that tackle rust repair if I get in over my head?

Yeah, I can forward you the contact info of the guy that welded in new metal and did the body work on our 60, he's in Pearl City. My husband Mike @pescado cut out all of the rusted areas before taking it to him. You are welcome to check out our 60 to see his quality of work. I will tell Mike to PM you the guys info, and Mike probably has some good advice on the rust mitigation also, as he just went through it.

 

[Rabango]

The rust repair is underway! Pulled of the front bumper and bottom (dented) sheet metal and wire wheeled down all the rusty bits and rust bubbles. And man rust is always way worse than it looks! I also learned the doors of the cruiser are filled with bondo so yay! P

Cleaned it up wth acetone and treated with rust inhibitor or naval jelly.

 

[Rabango]

For the smaller holes that I can get behind I'm just gonna fiber glass and bondo. Considering the amount of rust and bondo already on this bad boy I'm not to worried about it. I will probably need to replace the doors at some point anyways.
I squared up the roof holes and treated the rust on the inner layer of roof. I'm going to weld in some patch panels. I'm planning on using some angle iron (1/2 in by 1/2) to replace the rotted out gutter. I would like to add a roof rack and I need the roof/gutter strength

If you guys have any advice I'm all ears. This level of body work is all new to me.

 

[Rabango]

Can anyone tell me how to remove the rear hatch? I not sure how to remove the hose/ wires

 

[Aloha Jen]

If it's like my 60, you pull out the rubber wire grommets on both sides. Once those are out, you can pull the wires out if you have unplugged the defroster wires and unplugged the wiper moter wire. Also undo the water tube for the wiper and pull out. Then it's just the 4 bolts up top and just lift off. It's been a couple months, but that how I remember us doing it.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Instead of bondo, you might consider this product, or something similar. It's underwater marine duty, which seems appropriate for humid oceanic climates. Can sand and paint, just like other fillers.
Your headlight screws look pretty rusty, quite typical, so if you can get them out now it might be a good idea to either soak them in PB blaster or replace with stainless, otherwise they will eventually become impossible to remove easily.

Z-SPAR A-788 Splash Zone Epoxy | West Marine