Why do we do it?
Why do we put all the time and money into a vehicle that is 25+ years old and in alot of cases a ton of money?
My automotive teacher once told me that if you put repairs totaling over 1/2 of the total value of your vehicle, it is time to sell it.
So I am in the process of rebuilding my FJ60.
The PO rebuilt the head and short block, including a new oil pan and clutch the cost installed back into the rig was $8200 based on the receipts.
That was 2012-2013. Head and block were done at different times. Total driven miles from the time from the rebuilds when I bought it in 2016 = (5k on block, 7K on head). The front end including complete front brakes were done 500 miles before I bought it for another $1200 (3rd member was not done, but everything else was).
Now I have it.
I bought is for just over 1/2 the cost of the parts rebuilt above.
I have rebuilt the rear axle including the 3rd member
Complete new brakes
New tie rode ends
New Antenna and stereo
New seat fabric
New center console
New carpet
new wheel arches (repair panels that I am welding in)
ARB front bumper (got a killer deal)
New wheels and tires
Replaced the upper hatch
Rebuilt Jim C carb
Complete new AC components (not all are installed)
New alternator
New smog pump
New Springs
New Shocks
New Shackles
A bunch of stuff I forgot
To come
Rebuilt steering gearbox
New steering pump
Rear bumper
Roof rack
Long range tank
Paint
A bunch of stuff I forgot
Wish list
Fuel injection
5 speed
Lockers
rebuild and install spare 4:10 3rds
Install full floater axle
All in will be close to 18K without the wish list and 24K with it. All of that without my labor costs. That cost would be 10K+ (that is not a joke if you figure 250 hours min at $40 per hour, cheap compared to my IT consulting rates)
For that I can put a hell of a deposit on something else.
My wife calls it a sickness and cuts of the funding from time to time. Threatens me and tries to get me to sell it. At this point the loss it far to great.
My 60 is planned to be my daily driver, again against my wife's recommendation, never mind everything will have been rebuilt, it is old per her.
Why do I do it?
Well that is hard to answer.
I make decent money. I currently drive a 2007 F150 Lariat. It has 150K on the clock is fully loaded with power everything, leather heated seats and hell it has full radio and heat (temp and fan speed) controls on the steering wheel. It's current KBB value is around $8500-9500. It get about the same fuel economy as a 60.
I plan my 60 to replace this vehicle and I will be driving it daily. I think for me it is that I am tired of all the complexity of modern vehicles. When I lived in Canada, I fixed all of my own vehicles. Rare items like windshields and tires were done at the shop. I did everything else myself. While I can do a number of things on my F150 or my wife's Denali, I am always careful to avoid the electronics.
I use to have a fancy Land Rover LR3. Driving it one day and the suspension dropped (air) to the lowest point and the vehicle went into limp mode, fortunately I was 5 miles from home. I had it towed to the dealer and turned out it was a bad battery, WTF??.
About 6 months after I got my F150, it was used, there was a horrible noise coming from the front end, like the axles were engaging (it is a 4x4). Turns out when the 4x4 the vacuum actuator fails it engages the axles. Really Ford? Now the NAV DVD drive is dead (only a $700 fix and my phone works fine).
So the 60 is my way out of the nightmare that is modern cars. I like to fix my vehicles, I like to do the repairs and know it was done 'right' (that is a whole other story) and that everything was cleaned up correctly.
That and really it is just a great vehicle. Mine has just over 275K on the clock and it will go another 275K I am sure of it. There are few exceptions in modern cars that will ever see that.
I like the style of it, the simplicity of it and really how much it pisses off the save the world types.
So Why do you do it?
Why do we put all the time and money into a vehicle that is 25+ years old and in alot of cases a ton of money?
My automotive teacher once told me that if you put repairs totaling over 1/2 of the total value of your vehicle, it is time to sell it.
So I am in the process of rebuilding my FJ60.
The PO rebuilt the head and short block, including a new oil pan and clutch the cost installed back into the rig was $8200 based on the receipts.
That was 2012-2013. Head and block were done at different times. Total driven miles from the time from the rebuilds when I bought it in 2016 = (5k on block, 7K on head). The front end including complete front brakes were done 500 miles before I bought it for another $1200 (3rd member was not done, but everything else was).
Now I have it.
I bought is for just over 1/2 the cost of the parts rebuilt above.
I have rebuilt the rear axle including the 3rd member
Complete new brakes
New tie rode ends
New Antenna and stereo
New seat fabric
New center console
New carpet
new wheel arches (repair panels that I am welding in)
ARB front bumper (got a killer deal)
New wheels and tires
Replaced the upper hatch
Rebuilt Jim C carb
Complete new AC components (not all are installed)
New alternator
New smog pump
New Springs
New Shocks
New Shackles
A bunch of stuff I forgot
To come
Rebuilt steering gearbox
New steering pump
Rear bumper
Roof rack
Long range tank
Paint
A bunch of stuff I forgot
Wish list
Fuel injection
5 speed
Lockers
rebuild and install spare 4:10 3rds
Install full floater axle
All in will be close to 18K without the wish list and 24K with it. All of that without my labor costs. That cost would be 10K+ (that is not a joke if you figure 250 hours min at $40 per hour, cheap compared to my IT consulting rates)
For that I can put a hell of a deposit on something else.
My wife calls it a sickness and cuts of the funding from time to time. Threatens me and tries to get me to sell it. At this point the loss it far to great.
My 60 is planned to be my daily driver, again against my wife's recommendation, never mind everything will have been rebuilt, it is old per her.
Why do I do it?
Well that is hard to answer.
I make decent money. I currently drive a 2007 F150 Lariat. It has 150K on the clock is fully loaded with power everything, leather heated seats and hell it has full radio and heat (temp and fan speed) controls on the steering wheel. It's current KBB value is around $8500-9500. It get about the same fuel economy as a 60.
I plan my 60 to replace this vehicle and I will be driving it daily. I think for me it is that I am tired of all the complexity of modern vehicles. When I lived in Canada, I fixed all of my own vehicles. Rare items like windshields and tires were done at the shop. I did everything else myself. While I can do a number of things on my F150 or my wife's Denali, I am always careful to avoid the electronics.
I use to have a fancy Land Rover LR3. Driving it one day and the suspension dropped (air) to the lowest point and the vehicle went into limp mode, fortunately I was 5 miles from home. I had it towed to the dealer and turned out it was a bad battery, WTF??.
About 6 months after I got my F150, it was used, there was a horrible noise coming from the front end, like the axles were engaging (it is a 4x4). Turns out when the 4x4 the vacuum actuator fails it engages the axles. Really Ford? Now the NAV DVD drive is dead (only a $700 fix and my phone works fine).
So the 60 is my way out of the nightmare that is modern cars. I like to fix my vehicles, I like to do the repairs and know it was done 'right' (that is a whole other story) and that everything was cleaned up correctly.
That and really it is just a great vehicle. Mine has just over 275K on the clock and it will go another 275K I am sure of it. There are few exceptions in modern cars that will ever see that.
I like the style of it, the simplicity of it and really how much it pisses off the save the world types.
So Why do you do it?