Thinking about picking up an fj60 (1 Viewer)

[PirateMcgee]

So I'm currently a student at OIT studying mechanical engineering in Klamath Falls OR and I'm thinking about picking up an fj60. My purpose for the vehicle would be exploring around beautiful southern OR, getting back into trail heads for hiking/mountain biking/fishing etc, winter treks in the mountains for snowshoeing, and it would be my winter daily driver.

My question is what should I look for in an fj60???? I've always been a toyota guy but 2wd sport trucks have been my thing so I'm not at all familiar with landcruisers or most 4wd's for that matter.

The fj60 I'm looking at has 143,000 orig miles, straight, virtually no rust, 3 owners with maitenence records, and is unmodified. The manual choke sticks sometimes and it has an exhaust leak at the donut. Brand new tires and everything works. The guy only want $1,800 for it which seems like a deal too me. What do you guys think?

Thanks in advance for everyone's help. Hopefully my car will sell soon so I can pick this thing up.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Sounds like a great price.

 

[bridges]

Some good info here from the FAQ:

Buying a 60 / 62

FJ60 or FJ62?

FJ 60 / 62 gas mileage

60 Series Paint Color Chart

Just bought an FJ62 - What's next?

 

[Heartworm]

Everything you have described sounds good. Get out your wallet and join the addiction.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Drive the cruiser.Drive for about half hour.Drive up the biggest hill you can find,drive slow, fast..no more than 3000 rpm.Does it get hot, shake,rattle etc.Does the clutch slip? Radiator leak? Any leaks under the cruiser? Will the spare tire go down or is the chain frozen in place?Take to a car wash or flood outside with a garden hose,any leaks to the inside?Let idle with a.c. on is a.c. cold, does car overheat?Dont be in a rush on your inspection. Good Luck!

 

[5280Hawk]

Dang sounds like a good 60 for the price to me. There are fewer and fewer of them so I say Jump on it!

 

[Randy88FJ62]

At $1,800 it sounds like something is wrong or someone just wants to get rid of it. Proceed with caution. Read everything you can on this site so you make an educated decision. Good luck.

 

[PirateMcgee]

The guy selling is into wheeling but he said he bought this from the second owner thinking about turning it into a trail rig but he had second thoughts on doing it because the truck is so original and in such good shape so he just drove it during winter and then bought a chevy for dirt cheap to thrash so he wants the fj to go to someone who will appreciate it and he has no use for it especially since he picked up the chevy to wheel. Truck looks pretty solid to me but I will definately be taking it for an extended drive. It sounds like the guy just let's it sit and wants to get rid of it, it's just sitting off a main road a bit with a small for sale sign. It's not even on craigslist or any want ads.

What I like about it is the low mileage. and the fact that he has a binder full of service records from both prior owners.

I'm selling my car for 6k then paying off some credit cards I had to use to pay for a term of school a year and a half ago so after buying the cruiser that leave with me a little over 2k of which 1k I would like to save for unseen repairs. So for a 1k bucks I'm thinking full tune up, a new carb, some smog removal, new lights, and stereo system.

 

[PirateMcgee]

oh it also has a new gas tank

 

[Trapper50cal]

PTT

Pull the trigger, you'll be glad you did.

 

[theRash]

The price for what you get appears to be great But whether the price is good or not, you need to still make sure you do your due diligence when purchasing this vehicle like you would any vehicle. Plus if this cruiser is going to take you into the mountains where there isn't help and tow trucks cost an arm and a leg to tow it, make sure you know what is wrong with it (if anything) and if you are willing to live with it and/or fix it yourself (or pay for getting it fixed).

Oh, btw, the new gas tank is part of a recall. He didn't pay a dime for that work. My big thing is rust. I hate bodywork, I'd gladly take on an engine/tranny issue over bodywork, but that's just me.

 

[Qwaarjet]

that's a whole lot less mile and less money than i got mine for 2 months ago, i'd jump on it, but be prepared to spend some cash on it! like Randy88FJ62 said though, it does seem like he's trying to get rid of it other than just to do somebody a favor by providing them a great rig at a great price

other than replacing the PS pump and alignment work done (along with new tires) she's been running great, gotta replace the vacuum lines though, they have a bad habbit of disconntecting on their own.

make sure you post some pics

 

[PirateMcgee]

Ok well I just got done driving it.....apparently the guy is a member here and posted a bunch of pics of it before he bought it and people were suprised at the lack of rust or something. Guy is selling to fund his blazer project.

Drives great except the exhaust leak is hurting the performance a bit. I actually love working on stuff and taking it apart (ME major at OIT). Repairs would be done by me with help of buddies. 4wd works great, tranny works great......after I got used to an old 4spd and the location of reverse lol after driving that my sentra felt weeeeird lol. Doesn't overheat even on long very steep hills, brakes well but does wander a bit under hard braking (could be tire pressure).

Only bad thing I noticed besides the exhaust leak was the charging guage would bounce 12 to 13 while idling is that normal?

Also has 173k not 143k. Like it really matters though and it's an 82.

Over all it was fun driving slow for a change and 55mph felt fast enough again lol!!!! It was pretty sweet going off the hwy too! Just put it in 4h and the truck felt solid and at home much more so than on the road. Put it in 4L and it just seems like a tank that could go up anything lol.

So what would be a good electric choke carb upgrade? Is a header worth it?

Everyone pray my car sells soon so this Cruiser can go to a good home, more specifically my home!

As for towing that's what I have free towing/roadside assistance for with my insurance....oh and buddies with full size chevy's lol.

 

[Randy88FJ62]

Sounds good. If he's a fellow mudder then you can search all his posts and see what he fixed / modified. Searching someone's screen name shows the history of their truck really well. Keep it in mind when you get one. Find a vehicle that is built all the way up like you want it and start reading their history. For me I was following Akarilo's rig for a bit.

 

[hank14]

Only bad thing I noticed besides the exhaust leak was the charging guage would bounce 12 to 13 while idling is that normal?

So what would be a good electric choke carb upgrade? Is a header worth it?
QUOTE]

That's probably normal for the volt gauge, but there can be some electrical gremlins hiding. The wiring is 26 years old, and it gets really hot in that engine compartment.

The last thing I'd be worrying about right now is an electric choke and header. Plan to spend a lot of time tinkering with getting everything tuned up to stock. I'd plan on having the carburetor rebuilt (spending about $300.00) if it hasn't been done in a few years.

I like my manual choke. It's unique and reliable. A new choke cable and carburetor service should take care of it sticking.

The header may be worth it, but not until you have all the other vacuum items inspected and working properly.

The price sounds good, but I'd plan on having a repair and maintenance fund available of at least what they're asking for it, so you can replace and repair as you go.

 

[hank14]

I forgot to ask- does it have all the SMOG equipment in place? You don't have to SMOG test in Oregon, do you?

 

[PirateMcgee]

Some places require smog but where I live they do not.

Good news is a lot of stuff has been maintained on this vehicle and the guy did a tune up when he bought it.

I will have $2,000 after the purchase for fixes/mods

For $300 woudn't it make more sense to buy an aftermarket carb?

I also work at a lube shop while attending school so I have access to all free fluids (redline, castrol, and prestone are the brands we use) so that helps!

 

[Heartworm]

Drive it and see what kind of mileage you are getting. If above 14, you probably don't need a carb job if it cranks well and runs smoothly. If you do, I would recommend a rebuild by Jim C. The only downside will be lost time while the carb is off to Ohio. Sounds like your first job is going to be exhaust leaks. If the manifolds are really bad, that could cost you. Could be something simple like the EGR pipe. If you are going to have to take manifolds off, you might as well get the carb done, eh?
This group is split, although unevenly I think, between the stock carb and aftermarkets. However, Jim has had a lot of satisfied customers and that speaks for itself.
Glad to hear that you have budgeted some real money for maintenance/improvements. The mundane stuff like power steering pumps, brakes, radiators, etc are what you need to deal with to get you home again and with 21yr+ rigs, there always seems to be something.

 

[PirateMcgee]

exhaust leak is at the donut where the manifold meets the head pipe.

so someone with an actual ability to buy looked at my car today and is going to the bank tomorrow, hopefully it will sell and I will be on my merry lil way to buy the beast.

As for budget I know this thing will need a little work to get tip top that's why I've budgeted 2k AND a couple of months before this cruiser would need to be my daily driver to get me to school and work.

Couple of questions??????
Where can I get a new choke cable?
Does the back seat lay down flat?
How do you turn on the rear heater?
Are synthetic fluids ok for these engines and gear boxes? What weights to use? I was thinking 5w40 syntec in the engine??? I have access to 5w50 too

 

[PirateMcgee]

Oh and if somehow I can save enough money my senior project for my MET degree could possibly be to develop a 1uzfe swap kit. I already got it all approved through the school for my old supra so why not a cruiser!! The last year of my degree is almost completely focused on senior projects so time actaully forced upon you to work on the projects and I would have free access to solid modeling/CAD (which I can already use well enough), and I would have access to waterjets/cnc machines/machine shop.