Hey, I've been a 4runner and pickup guy for a long time and I love all the toyota 4x4s. I just know absolutely nothing about the FJ's. My brother is looking to sell his 97 taco 2.7 for something bigger for when we load up 3 dogs and 1000 pounds of gear for hunting and camping. His regular cab cant hold all the dogs, and my 4runner cant haul that much. I guess he is looking at about an 84 landcruiser with the straight six motor. That year is the 60 series right?

What kind of problems are these guys known for, if any. Is it a good hunting, camping rig? What kind of gas mileage? Im hoping better than 10 mpgs because both me and him are used to 20 plus in our rigs.
The one he's looking at is all original, 200K, and the price was 3600 I think. Is that kind of high?

Any thoughts, ideas, scolds for not searching, or advice is appreciated!

thanks

 

I think you are correct about the series number.

I would assume better than 10mpg. My dad's 80 series with full time 4wd gets 12 or better city.

Probably pretty good for hunting/camping because of the size and space.

I think they're pretty cool, I love the looks and wouldn't mind owning one.

 

The biggest issues with those are the rust. Just make sure to check everything with reguards to frame and sheetmetal for rust. The next biggest area is the suspension. They usually get sagged out after 25+ years, so a little freshing up will be in order.

The motor and trans are good, but it all depends on how it was maintained.

Also check the front for any leaks around the birfs. If it looks like black soup, the front end will need to be re-greased and sealed up.

 

I think Im going to go look at it with my brother. I'll bring flash light and search it through and through. I always look for the rust, motor and tranny leaks, and worn suspension. What should I look for on the solid front axle? Sorry, what do you mean by the birfs? The front axles? THe knuckle?
How much curve should the leafs have? If they are worn out, theyre going to be at a negative curve, or just flat right?
thanks for the tips guys

 

Look for greasy oily slop coming from the steering knuckles, a rebuild is no big deal though. The birfs are the CV joints or outer axles in the front axle. The springs will likely be close to flat if they are original. $1000 or so for a decent set of 2.5" lift springs, spring over can be done very well with flat springs but gets pricey when doing the steering shocks and drive shafts properly. Watch for rust on the rear fenders, its very hard to repair properly on the forward half of the wheel well. tail gates can be a problem when they get rusty too. Look at the basic stuff on the motor trans and tcase.

 

I had an '82 FJ60 and loved it! Got around 15mpg, but I've heard of others getting as low as 9-10. 200k is just fine for a 2F motor, as long as it has been somewhat cared for. The drivetrain in these rigs are solid. I de-smogged mine and bought a Trollhole carb (he's on Ih8mud). Don't know about NM, but Arkansas doesn't have smog laws.

3600 seems a bit steep, but that depends on the condition. It is common for rust around the rear fenders, and almost all have rear sag.