Please help a newb!

[SeattleNate]

Long time reader first time poster.

My wife and I have been looking for an FJ60 for quite a while. We recently located one close and within budget. We are new enthusiasts, and are hoping someone would be willing to scope these picture and give us any pointers.

I test drove it (and for the first time any FJxx) and noticed some things...

Cold blooded; it needed lots of choke for quite a while.

RMP; 2500. Thats where it runs and shifts. No negotiation.

Ticking; Are valves noisy in an '87? Have my ears been spoiled by our modern cars or are we going to have to rebuild this thing after it lunch's a valve in 2 months? It was rebuilt once "in the past" but 300k on a block is quite a lot. A compression test seems high on my list of to dos.

Seals; This thing is leaking like a... well, an old car. From the oil pan/transfer case, rear diff, power steering hose coupling, front axel hub, etc, etc... we can tell its been sitting for a while.

The winch; "Mickey Mouse" was my first thought.

We have budgeted for some repairs and many are quite simple but over all I'm worried that the $2000 price will balloon to $5000+ for a reliable rig. Or am I nuts?

Any help would be greatly apperciated,

Nate

 

[Terrainist]

Just to be clear, this is a vehicle that you are thinking about purchasing? Or have you already bought it?

Can you do quite a bit of the wrench work yourself to make things the way they should be? Or are you going to have to take it to a shop to get everything worked on?

Sometimes search engines aren't the greatest, but I imagine the "what to look for with these" question has been asked before. Being able to find the thread with the answers is a crapshoot. Maybe someone else can chime in with some pointers.

 

[Hltoppr]

I think your gut reaction is accurate. That winch/bumper combo is jury rigged to say the least, and the shifting is a concern.

Maybe good at $1500 or lower, but you're likely going to need to put at least $1000 into it to do some basic maintenance.

-H-

 

[NorCalLC]

Welcome to ExPo, thats quite a rig you're looking at there.

It seems pretty high priced $2k for 300 miles and with all the leaks etc you mention, are you really ready to do a lot of your own wrenching on it?

I found several just like it when I was looking a few years ago and for a little more money, you can usually find a lower mileage unit thats been cared for a lot better. There are even a few for that same $ amount, but you have to search around a bit.

No matter what though, it's an older rig and almost all in that range will need a good bit of PM to trust it on trips. There's another great site a lot of ExPo folks belong to IH8MUD.com
The site is a wealth of info on all the cruiser models and there's a great classified section with a ton of rigs for sale.

Good luck

 

[SeattleNate]

Just to be clear, this is a vehicle that you are thinking about purchasing? Or have you already bought it?

Can you do quite a bit of the wrench work yourself to make things the way they should be? Or are you going to have to take it to a shop to get everything worked on?

Sometimes search engines aren't the greatest, but I imagine the "what to look for with these" question has been asked before. Being able to find the thread with the answers is a crapshoot. Maybe someone else can chime in with some pointers.

Thanks for replying! I have a day to close the deal so I figured I would ask every one I know.

I will be working on it my self. I have done lots of work on cars and bikes; but it doesn't mean that I dream of pulling engines.

 

[SoCal_80]

That winch/bumber setup looks like a fatality waiting to happen!

 

[a.mus.ed]

Find another one.

 

[MarcFJ60]

I agree with the others about looking for another. Sometimes, even when priced right, it isn't the right rig for you. It looks fairly clean and if the rebuilt engine could be verified, it might not be a bad deal for somebody at $2000. But it also needs a lot of work and if your not the person to do that work, move on.

And as others have said, given that winch setup, I would wonder what else has been rigged up in it.

About the valves - the best way ot describe the FJ60 engine sound is that of a sewing machine (if it is running right). Not clanks or rattles, but definitely not quiet. You may also want to consider an FJ62 for the EFI and automatic transmission (as well as power windows and power locks).

$2000 landcruisers are all over the place. Be patient, you'll find the right one.

 

[SeattleNate]

The negotiations went better than expected so we have a new member in the fam.

So I am now looking for a exploded diagram of the carb! Need some tuning.

 

[Terrainist]

Congratulations!!

 

[BlueHZT60]

Well you're in now .

Axle rebuilds (front and rear)
Carb rebuilt (normal issue)
Exhaust
Suspension upgrades
Five Speed trani
new tires
Transfer Case
Brakes
Clutch
U-Joints
Rust (rear wheel wells, rear tailgate-right side)

Find a good mechanic to do the work if you aren't going to do it yourself. Not all these items will need addressing immediately, but they will soon enough. Carb rebuild and tuning the engine is probably the most important.

Check with the dealer for any recalls that have not been addressed (fuel tank and I think rear seat belts).

I sold an 87 about 10 years ago with a low end knock/tic - - it is still running and making the same sound as when I originally sold it. If your engine is shot, I have an 84-2f with 165,000 on it that runs perfect but it is desmogged with factory carb and a header, so that might not work with DOT.

ARB in Renton will become a depository for all extra cash.

Enjoy your new 60 series, you are going to love it. Bob

 

[jh504]

Congrats and welcome to ExPo! If you havnt already you need to join mud as mentioned before. Almost everything you need to know about a 60 series is there.

 

[Willman]

Welcome to the ExPo!

Love your new 60. Love the color

Search MUD for some FSM. I just got my carb/dizzy back from Jimc over on MUD.....Its a new rig!

 

[AndrewP]

You have a lot of work to do, but overall, it looks good. For 300k there is a minimum of rust. The most rust prone spots are the frame around the rear spring hangers and that area looks clean.

The leaks:

99% are likely to be the oil pan gasket. Fix that first (a messy but not bad DIY). Use only Toyota factory gasket. See what leaks remain afterwards.

Tuning:

Learn to drive it like a diesel. That's how they are set up. But if it won't go over 2500 rpm my guess is that the distributor advance is fubar'ed. Either the vacuum is not hooked up, or the vacuum pot on the side of the distributor just went bad.

I would do a complete tume up-plugs, wires, cap, rotor, set timing, and THEN see what you need to repair.

Base line all the fluids-tranny, t-case, differentials, brakes, clutch, coolant

Adjust the valves. Unlike a modern car, this is a yearly ritual. They will still be noisy. Replace the valve cover gasket while there.

The carb needs a rebuild. Trust me, it does. Having the secondary not open may be part of your RPM issue. Send it to Jim Chenoweth in Lancaster Ohio, or Mark Algazy in Burbank. THese two are the guys you want. If you use Jim, he will rebuild your distributor too for $100. For a carb rebuild expect about $300. While the distributor is being repaired, is a good time to replace the side cover gasket which is also leaking.

General:

You need to do the following:

front axle rebuild
new rotors/calipers/wheel studs
Strong likelyhood need for new wheel bearings
Replace all rubber parts connected to the motor-belts hoses etc
Go through the rear brakes-replace the wheel cylinders. Free the bellcranks so the ebrake/brake adjustment mechanism works.<<<important
Replace all the vacuum lines and make sure they are hooked up correctly
Radiator cap and thermostat<<do when replacing the rubber hoses

You *may* need the following:

Rear differential rebuild. The pinion bearing wears out around 200k miles. If the pinion seal is leaking, the bearing is most likely bad and needs to be replaced.

Windshield wiper linkage gets loose and funky. It is available and easy to replace.

New rear U-joints. Use only Toyota ones. Not a bad plan regardless at this mileage.




Enjoy! It should take 3-6 months to get it up to speed. These are great trucks and worthy of your attention.