Here's the rig I picked up today. Hopefully this one won't have any of the baggage/drama that the last couple that I've taken on have had. Not a hint of anything other than a tiny bit of surface rust. Not a drip of oil coming out of the 135k 2F engine. New clutch, and the thing drives GREAT! I'm excited...





I owe a huge thanks to Grasscat (of the Mitsu Forum) for taking me all the way from the Bay Area to Kernsville to pick this up. Michael, you are truly a friend!

That body style is one of my favorite FJ bodies.

Oh, wait... I like pretty much all of them (except for the new mall Cruisers <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />).

Nice ride! Time for some tires? Are suspension lifts available?

Yep, aftermarket/OEM support is everywhere for this one. I'll get a set of OME lift springs in the not-so-distant future and probably run 33" tires with rocker protection.

It ran a little hot coming home last night, so my first order of business is to find out how reliable the OEM gauges are and probably get the radiator rodded out. It's got 135k, but it's still 23 years old.

YES! I love it! Round headlights rock!

I'd like to have one with a 1uzfe Lexus V8 swap!

Haha, thanks Adam. Yes, I'd like to have one with that swap, too! People want an arm and a leg when those engines are available, though, so we'll see. I've read a lot about Cummins swaps in these, so I'll have to weigh my options when the time comes.

My wife has been very cool about my "mid life crisis" rig orgy, but I don't think she'll remain that way for too much longer. This one will have to be what I stick with, so I'm looking to make the best of it. She told me tonight that I need to take my time refining it, and I agree. I have a whole bunch of stuff in the garage that's been waiting for the right rig, and it's here, so I'll start with installing the CB radio, aftermarket stereo/speakers, high-lift mount, GPS and CO2 tank. From there, it'll get rock sliders and 4" OME lift. Once I sell the D44s, and associated equipment, that I have sitting around, I'll get an FJ80 rear axle with disk brakes and the proper ARB locker. I still need to rebuild the Warn 8274 that I have on the shelf...

I'm trying to take it easy, but we'll see what happens. There are forces driving me to make the Sierra Carnage pre-run that is coming up in a couple of months.

Thanks for posting!

Sounds good!

Around here, a cummins 4 or 6cy is 3000-4000 where a 1UZ is 1000 or less.

Congrats on the new rig Jon. Cant wait to wheel with you in in it! <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Thats my favorite cruiser. I wanted one back in 92 but the price was still too steep for me back then on Cpl's Pay. That will make an excellent adventure rig...

Thanks, J. The drama continues, however, and I'm sick to my stomach. I bought this rig 4 days ago, and obviously spent too much. I noticed it was getting hot at the end of the drive home, and today pulled the dipstick to find runny "milk" coming off of it. I can't win for losing with these freaking things! I've got to get the head off of this 135k original mile paperweight, boat anchor, or whatever you want to call it. I'm tired of this crap...

Damn. Pop by NAPA and get their coolant test for exhaust to verify, or get a leakdown done before you tear into that thing.

FWIW, these guys have been quite helpful to me in the past while working on my friend's FJ60:

http://www.fjparts.com/toyota-manual-c-33.html

Ya might as well toggle these for your thread faves:

FJ60 2F water pump

FJ60 thermostat swap

Thanks for the links Margie. Those will prove helpful as I'm doing a complete cooling system overhaul while I save my pennies for an H55F and eventual V8 swap (thanks for the pointer on the UZF Adam).

I posted a question in O/T about a leak down test hoping to pull in some of the tech guys from the other sections. I bought the tester but don't know how to use it yet, and I find conflicting procedures when I google the test.

Thanks...