The long drive home; The next chapter (2 Viewers)

[Seth S]

I started a thread to introduce myself and detail an 84 Fj60 I bought last summer out in Grand Junction Colorado and that can be found here: "1984 FJ60 New Owner". I thought i would create a second thread detailing the adventure to actually go out and retrieve the machine. So here it is.

Note: I don't have a clever dog companion at my side during this trip though there were several dogs I visited and there were dogs at home waiting eagerly to see me. I don't have any drone footage or fun drive by the camera shots as I was focused on getting back to Vermont in the time i had off and making sure the beast made it under its own power.

Before I left home I invested in the most comprehensive AAA plan offered (for the first time ever) as I had recently paid $160 to have a sprinter van towed 25 miles. Suddenly triple A made a lot more sense. I packed lightly and the one bag I checked on the airplane contained a gallon of Vermont Maple Syrup; I was delivering to the person who was kind enough to look at, test drive, pickup, exercise, and store the 60 until I could come get it. Also in this bag were two brand new H4 7" headlights that I have in storage for many years (even had them in the original Hella boxes).

I live in Vermont and I travel a lot for work and the airport i fly out of most often is Bradley located near Hartford CT. This is a 2 hour and 15 minute drive for me when there are no road or weather issues. And as this was a one way trip i had to get a rental car to drive down in so I wouldn't have to worry about retrieving a car from the parking system at a later date. Too far for Uber/Lyft/Taxi/Grab etc and I have no friends interested in driving 5 hours round trip to drop me off . As a bonus of traveling a lot I was able to get a ticket to Denver on Southwest and use airline miles. (bonus #1).

So October 26th I boarded a plane around 8am and headed to Denver on about a 5 hour flight.

Having criss-crossed the USA multiple times in cars, trucks, motorcycles, and airplanes I can say without a doubt that the North East is visually interesting and the West is visually interesting and almost everything in-between looks like this....albeit with less water.

The approach into Denver:

These nice sunny pictures are of course hiding that it was 36F (2C) with warnings for a snow storm in the afternoon.

Once I landed and collected my one checked bag (which actually arrived and was still in the shape it was supposed to be in) I scooted over to Hertz to collect my awards points rental gem. This days rental would prove to be an almighty Toyota Rav 4 in 2wd. I'm so glad this car was a rental because i got to give it back after several hours of use and try to forget how awful it was as a vehicle. I'm not sure how big the engine was but it was likely 4 cylinders and guessing that it was 2.0 liter or less. to its credit the cruise control would hold 75 mph climbing passes on I70 but it had to rev to about 6000 rpm to do it.

 

[Seth S]

With I70 electronic signs warning of an afternoon snow storm and dark weather moving across the sky I pushed my little Rav 4 into action and headed west hoping to beat any storms and risk of slippery roads.

The drive proved to be uneventful. The Rav 4 was under-powered and had rather vague steering tendencies. It was not a car that inspired confidence when cornering but it didn't break down and it got all of 33mpg on this trip leg....I was expecting higher as much of this drive is coasting down hill.

I left Denver where it was in the high 30's temperature wise and arrived in grand junction in the early afternoon where it was a nice sunny day with temps around 70f. I dropped off the rental and met my friend. and we went back to the house so I could finally see the machine in person:

I started looking things over myself and also started making a list of things that needed to be done or replaced:

for trip home:
Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter

for spares:
belts, hoses, gorilla tape, tools, coolant, oil, towels

The tools and jack were missing so I also picked up:
a bottle jack, a lug wrench, copper anti seize, break-away, Wd-40

For additional issues I picked up a tow strap and jumper cables.

I was in Grand Junction Thursday - Sunday morning and spent that time running around town finding parts and spares. I pulled the plugs and found they were "might core" plugs? It had a Denso cap and rotor and some sort of ancient wires. I picked up 6 NGK plugs, some Autozone cap and rotor and wires and was unable to find any air filter anywhere....but the old one wasnt so bad. The truck ran noticeably better with the new ignition components. The oil was nice and clean and the coolant looked ok.

 

[Seth S]

Sunday morning I said goodbye to my friends and her animals:

and

I headed out and chased down one or two small items before heading East out of town on I70. I drove a few miles to warm the truck up and decided to top off the truck. As I recall that first tank proved to be 48 miles on 4.1 gallons of fuel....but that was all in town stop and go with lots of low gear and time spent at stop lights and included a bit of driving on old ignition components. Thats 11.7 mpg iirc .


After filling up on the East side of Grand Junction I decided to start off by driving a few miles on Rt 6 so I could get a feel for how the truck handled and what sort of speeds it liked. Rt 6 parallels, joins, and departs from I70 off an on all the way through the mountains. Its a great road to drive an old truck on because its in good condition, has about 0 traffic, and if you get tired of it you can alway jump on I70.

*Side Note*
I snapped this picture while at a tractor supply. It always amazes me how much bigger modern cars look compared to older vehicles.

On the road:

Rt 6 just East of Grand Junction. Beautiful afternoon with temps in the 60's

I've spent a lot of time in Colorado and explored a fair bit of the back country...but the last couple trips have been rushed and I look forward to getting back out to explore more of the roads and trails and camp along the way.

The author:

Rt 6 with I70 traffic hooning past on the left. Great road to drive if time is not a factor.

Coming from the East where we have trees, and green, and water and mud I always find this landscape both captivating and threatening as its always shedding rocks and requires a different mentality when traveling through it.

I swear this is a different photo than above...see the traffic on the left is different

Good road for testing how well your vehicle holds a steering input

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Following. Awesome thus far. I’ve added you since I’m in CT, were practically neighbors.
If your not already find Yankee Toys in the clubhouse section. They are the local mud club that have a handful of events from late spring till fall.
Great bunch of folks!

 

[Seth S]

Following. Awesome thus far. I’ve added you since I’m in CT, were practically neighbors.
If your not already find Yankee Toys in the clubhouse section. They are the local mud club that have a handful of events from late spring till fall.
Great bunch of folks!

Awesome, thanks for the heads up. I'm still finding out about the community and parts sources etc.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Watch out for CruiserParts up there. Many conflicting words here on mud regarding how they do business. And the other one Cruiser Solutions I hear is very $$$.
Order stuff from Kurt @cruiseroutfit or @beno or Toyota Parts Deal (TPD). Or like me I open up TPD and call your local dealer and play ‘let’s make a deal’ on part prices. I have one guy I deal w/ and he always gives me a nice discount.

 

[FJACS]

.

Good looking rig. Halfway across the country in November in a 34 year old vehicle. Nothing to worry about.

 

[mongoose2231]

I did the same trip, although from a little farther away, from NM to NY. My truck needed a bunch of things but never missed a beat. I replaced and fixed everything after I got home, so I basically drove it home as I bought it, with crap brakes and no A.C.. electrical were s*** and so on.

 

[bentonrover]

Awesome man. Safe travels heading back east.

 

[RND1]

Great story - love the 60 and the cross country drive! My LC is a bit newer, but I drove out to Silverton, CO this summer with my 11 yr old daughter for the Hundreds in the Hills event and then back to Boston. We ventured through Grand Junction and up to Nebraska, even stayed in Lincoln too, but never ventured further North into Canada.

Not sure how far you live from White River Junction, but I venture up there every Fall to have my undercarriage sprayed with Krown at Davis Automotive. It's held up really well since starting that annual tradition a few years ago and I drive mine all Winter.

Also, if you're not already familiar, check out Vermont Overland Rally. It's right in your back yard and seems to be a great event. I'll be going next year.

 

[Seth S]

Actually the Vermont Overland Rally is pretty much right in my backyard. My parents live about 1.5 miles from where it's held every year and I live just over the mountain in the next town over. Connected by a great series of trails I have spent many years exploring on mountain bikes and dirt bikes.

 

[FirstFJ60]

Are you planning to do the gally plug just in case before the trip? I had a 4 hour drive when i picked up my 84 fj60. I wish I knew about Mud forum before the trip because it was leaking. I dodged that bullet on my trip...thankfully. the plug was the 1st thing i tackled after the trip was to fix. Easy fix. Be safe on your travels.

 

[Seth S]

Some time later while cruising along Rt 6 I came across this place and doubled back to take some photos and get a better look:

This proved to be a good place to stop as I saw the garage doors were open and there were a couple people inside. I walked over and introduced myself and talked trucks for a few minutes. Then I asked them if they had any 1.5" coolant hose and they gave me a piece about 13" long. I needed a spare for my lower rad hose as mine was looking pretty sketchy and I had 0 luck with the generic autoparts stores. So i figured that if 1.5" didnt work at least I might be able to fabricate something with the new and old hose and the tape...worst case to get me off the highway.

 

[FirstFJ60]

I love the Chevrolet flatbed. Awesome pics. Will you take more during your travel?

 

[Seth S]

After leaving Casey Concrete I decided it was time to get on I70 and start covering some miles. I was running about 60-65 mph and much of I70 is posted at 75mph. being the much slower vehicle can be a little nerve racking when other traffic is passing you at 20-30 mph faster.

I love this section of I70 even though its kind of crazy with the way the highway is layed out. There are all sorts of old mining operations and old structures up high on the sides of the mountains that I'd love to go check out at some point.

The way the roads are split along here is kind of crazy. There isnt much to prevent a truck from plunging over the edge above to the roadway below. I am sure its much safer than it looks...but its a road that looks like it should just fall apart.

Out of the the canyon and headed for Silverthorne/Frisco.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

I drove from obx nc to summit county co to go snowboarding at Breckenridge stayed in Breckenridge for almost 2 weeks then stayed in fairplay "south park" and drove back and forth to Breckenridge for another week then drove back home fun trip in my 62.

 

[DickM]

Just saw this thread. Your last picture of the exit at Gypsum is 7 miles from my house in Eagle, the next exit on I-70.
Glad your drive is going well. Nothing like a road trip!

 

[OGBeno]

If you end up in the Boulder area, stop on by and we can get your new truck a little gift.

Safe travels.

 

[DirtRoads]

Y'all, I'm pretty sure this is a retelling of the trip from months ago. I'm sure the retroactive hospitality is appreciated though

 

[Seth S]

If you end up in the Boulder area, stop on by and we can get your new truck a little gift.

Safe travels.

Thanks. Unfortunately I got home last Saturday night so this trip report is more of a summary.