Builds Where it all began... an FJ62 story (13 Viewers)

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An old friend of mine who runs a fly fishing outfit out of Austin has Yeti as one of sponsors. Good stuff.
I’ll bet you I know him.
 
So after racking my brain and trying to constantly adjust the hood latch to get the hood to not move at highway speeds, I did a little more research and realized we never put the center arm of the core support back on…

Then did a little perusing in the garage and 💥 there it was staring me in the face…

This’ll be going on this weekend 😍

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Ok that didn’t take long… gonna run her around later and confirm that was the missing link but honestly it’s just gotta be 🤞🏾

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For the record, that core support bracket was the ticket! No more hood wobble 👊🏾

Also just a note, bc I also drive my 1st gen Tacoma a bunch, which has bilsteins and an add-a-leaf… my 62 rides soooooo much better than the taco…
It becomes clear that the LC is Toyota’s flagship rig, almost 15 years older than the taco, on leaf springs and feels sooo much more grounded and stable!
 
She'll be headed into Merriam Automotive Monday (IYKYK) for some spa-time...

Couple of small things to take care of, tiny Timing Change cover oil seep, and 1 x coolant hose that we never replaced because it's a bear to get to. Along with that, a fresh oil change and a general check-up...

She purrs along like she's supposed to, and I love driving her, but I don't have the heart to LS-swap her, since she's ALL Toyota and doing everything right. Someone needs a sorted rig, with EVERY major component gone through, and a lot of modern creature comforts added.
 
Just got back from Merriam Automotive and Peter basically said don’t do a thing. Drive it and enjoy it, he’d never go through the 12 hrs of labor to fix that oil leak, as small as it is (a couple drops when I park it), so I’m just gonna get a fresh oil change and do like he said and just drive it!

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naw not out of hand. in fact you need another one to replace the taco (don’t get rid of it just part it somewhere else) and it’ll be perfect!!
 
@TRDPro Cooper just picked up the 62 with his dad and they’re driving it back to Idaho! It’s definitely the end of an era with the 62.

I feel full and pleased with what I did to it under my ownership and am happy it’s going to a mudder that’s going to enjoy it, while using it for what it was intended to be used for…

I think my pops woulda been proud had he gotten a chance to see it in its full glory 💙

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So do I keep the updates going in this thread or start a new one? 🤔 Tough to say. Feels like it would benefit me to keep it all in one place, but this is @jesus888 labor of love and I don't want to contaminate it or takeaway from everything that he did. For now, I'll keep it here I think.

Before I got home to Idaho, I already had a couple of packages on the way. I can see how owning a LC can become a serious problem for the bank account.

I noticed a listing on BaT that had the center hub caps and asked how that was something left off this beauty. Didn't get a strong answer, (I'm joking) so that was the first OEM parts purchase. I figured I'd start with something that requires zero disassembly and is literally a friction fit. Haha.

Second thing was wanting some stripes like Corsetti Cruisers do on most of their builds. Got those installed today. The vinyl guy was super cool and let me help in the process. I was going to attempt DIY but decided against it and I'm super happy with that decision. Bought the Seattle design from Touge Nation and it's a quality product, which is why the vinyl guy was willing to do the install and even slap his warranty on it. I was already getting a lot of looks driving and thumbs up. Now I can't imagine the attention. Haha

When doing the install, I noticed some of the aging gaskets could be replaced around the marker lights and tail lights. I have read some reviews and threads about Yoshi Parts and I think I'm gonna give it a try. Low risk of the shipping charges making any big changes and if I need to cancel an order worth $100, eh. I'll update on that later.

I am also collecting parts for a third row install using a bench seat from an 02 Suburban. Got the seat on Marketplace for $75, in great condition, and went to the pick and pull to get brackets ($11). I'll detail how I decide to perform the install.

As for now, I'm loving driving this classic daily and have already had several offers to purchase or trade.... I'm not interested in anything like that.

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So do I keep the updates going in this thread or start a new one? 🤔 Tough to say. Feels like it would benefit me to keep it all in one place, but this is @jesus888 labor of love and I don't want to contaminate it or takeaway from everything that he did. For now, I'll keep it here I think.

Before I got home to Idaho, I already had a couple of packages on the way. I can see how owning a LC can become a serious problem for the bank account.

I noticed a listing on BaT that had the center hub caps and asked how that was something left off this beauty. Didn't get a strong answer, (I'm joking) so that was the first OEM parts purchase. I figured I'd start with something that requires zero disassembly and is literally a friction fit. Haha.

Second thing was wanting some stripes like Corsetti Cruisers do on most of their builds. Got those installed today. The vinyl guy was super cool and let me help in the process. I was going to attempt DIY but decided against it and I'm super happy with that decision. Bought the Seattle design from Touge Nation and it's a quality product, which is why the vinyl guy was willing to do the install and even slap his warranty on it. I was already getting a lot of looks driving and thumbs up. Now I can't imagine the attention. Haha

When doing the install, I noticed some of the aging gaskets could be replaced around the marker lights and tail lights. I have read some reviews and threads about Yoshi Parts and I think I'm gonna give it a try. Low risk of the shipping charges making any big changes and if I need to cancel an order worth $100, eh. I'll update on that later.

I am also collecting parts for a third row install using a bench seat from an 02 Suburban. Got the seat on Marketplace for $75, in great condition, and went to the pick and pull to get brackets ($11). I'll detail how I decide to perform the install.

As for now, I'm loving driving this classic daily and have already had several offers to purchase or trade.... I'm not interested in anything like that.

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Nice work Cooper! Feel free to keep it all in this thread. I think it’s great!
 

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