I rescued this 1989 FJ62 last year while living in Dubai. It was a US vehicle originally, having spent the majority of her life in Arizona (so almost 100% rust free). I bought her from an Iraqi gentleman who had purchased her and a 1985 FJ60 via an online salvage auction, and used them just to fill up a shipping container he used to import a beautiful Porsche 550 as a restoration project. The cruisers just sat deteriorating in front of his shop for over a year before I happened to drive by and notice them. After a bit of negotiating typical of the region, she was mine!
Other than the lack of rust, the vehicle was not in great shape. The interior was original but shot, and a year in the Dubai heat and sun had taken a toll. It cranked, but idled terribly. The lights didn’t work, and it sat on bald tires with bent rims. I slowly drove it to a shop that I trusted, and asked them to evaluate it top to bottom (and hoped for the best). After their initial assessment, I asked them to do everything required to make it a reliable daily driver. They did a great job, and I happily drove it for a few months, doing various upgrade projects along the way.
I moved back to the USA last summer, and had her shipped back to me. We were reunited last fall after a long shipping process, and she is not splitting time with another vehicle for daily driving duties. I’m now at a crossroads in this project, so I’m trying to decide where to focus my attention next. I would really love some forum input! Oh, and here's how she looks now:
Here’s what has been done so far:
Other than the lack of rust, the vehicle was not in great shape. The interior was original but shot, and a year in the Dubai heat and sun had taken a toll. It cranked, but idled terribly. The lights didn’t work, and it sat on bald tires with bent rims. I slowly drove it to a shop that I trusted, and asked them to evaluate it top to bottom (and hoped for the best). After their initial assessment, I asked them to do everything required to make it a reliable daily driver. They did a great job, and I happily drove it for a few months, doing various upgrade projects along the way.
I moved back to the USA last summer, and had her shipped back to me. We were reunited last fall after a long shipping process, and she is not splitting time with another vehicle for daily driving duties. I’m now at a crossroads in this project, so I’m trying to decide where to focus my attention next. I would really love some forum input! Oh, and here's how she looks now:
Here’s what has been done so far:
- Full mechanic inspection of vehicle
- Replaced front brake pads and rear brake shoes
- Tie rod ends replaced
- Stabilizer links and bushings replaced
- Fuel pump replaced
- Leaf spring bushings replaced (24)
- Suspension bushings replaced (4)
- Front differential bushings replaced (4)
- Fuel pump strainer and fuel strainer grommet replaced
- Ventilation hose replaced
- Fuel filter replaced
- Spark plugs and wires replaced
- Vacuum valve replaced
- A/C system re-gassed
- Gas tank was dropped and cleaned out thoroughly, and fuel lines were flushed
- Window film removed and re-tinted with 3M film
- Interior carpet replaced
- All the interior upholstery (seats, door panels) replaced with leather
- New headliner installed
- Steering wheel and shift knob covered in matching leather
- Every light bulb on the vehicle (except for the headlights) with LED’s
- Broken light covers replaced with new or NOS replacements
- Installed HID headlights and upgraded the wiring harness
- Rubber-coated the front grill and rear vents
- Installed a Roadrunner Slimline II roof rack, with the hi-lift jack attachment (with jack)
- Installed Roadrunner cargo compartment locking drawers. I re-made the removable side wings to fit perfectly (they were originally for a 100 series), and installed rear speakers in them.
- Replaced the stereo with a Pioneer NEX-4100.
- Added a backup camera (and bought a forward camera as well, which I will install once I change out the front bumper)
- Replaced the old cracked dash pad with a brand new OEM replacement (this was a bit of a splurge, but it is really key to the interior looking and feeling new)
- Replaced the tires & rims with black Mickey Thompson rims and 33” Yokohama tires, and added spacers to get the fit I wanted.
- Replaced cracked/missing interior and exterior plastic pieces
- Replaced missing exterior chrome trim pieces
- Suspension upgrade. All the love for the OME kits is pushing me heavily in that direction, as the current setup provides lots of, um, feedback. I just want to make sure my ride height does not change much. I do not believe the current suspension is stock—I am running 33 inch tires with no issues as all, and it appears to sit higher than the stock vehicles I typically see.
- Bumpers/winch. My original chrome bumpers, front and back, are pretty scuffed up and do not necessarily suit the blacked out nature of the rest of the vehicle. I’m shopping for black aftermarket bumpers/brush guards. The ARB front bumper would be easiest I think, but I do not necessarily love the look of the tubing sections that surround the headlights.
- Power windows. The power windows work, but slowly, and the passenger window has to be helped back up. I bought the relays, etc. to do the upgrade detailed on this forum, and will do this whenever I find some time.
- Transmission. Sometimes it shifts into reverse fine, but seems to slip out of gear after I reverse for a short distance. Shifting into drive and back into reverse resolves the problem. What could be going on here? Also, certain grade angles (long, steady, mild inclines) seem to befuddle the transmission—it won’t downshift, so I’m stuck poking along slowly.
- Engine. The 3FE is what it is, and I appreciate the reliability. I’d love to do a Vortec or diesel swap eventually. The only real concern I have in the short term is the occasional really rough idle after being stopped for a few minutes (like in a driver through line). It has never actually cut out completely, but it seems really close to doing so.
- Brakes. She drinks brake fluid—I have to top off the fluid every week or two.
- Console. I would like to add a locking steel center console (Tuffy Box).
- Camping accessories. I want to add the Roadrunner rooftop tent and side awning.
