zipposrule

hey guys, i just picked up a 1986 land cruiser this morning for free on craigslist. i am new to land cruisers so does anyone have any tips or suggestions of stuff i should be checking out? not quite sure what im doing with it yet, it does have mouse damage in the interior, i dont think its run in at least 3 years and has been off the road since 2006. what do i need to know about these? if possible this would be a great truck to put back on the road and drive. what kind of mpg do these get. its got the straight 6 manual transmission. is it a 4 speed or 5 speed transmission?
thanks for any help!

BigBluePile

iTrader: (3)

Lots of great info on ih8mud.com specifiy for LC's

westjohns yota

you got it for free? post some pics, if you wanna sell it I could triple what you got in it!

zipposrule

Ill have to check out ih8mud.com thanks for the tip! And as for selling it, I told the previous owner I would at least try and get it running again. Id like a chance get into before I make any decision of what to do with it in the end. Id hate to see it sit and rot or go to the scrap yard

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

I presume it's an FJ60 wagon. 4-spd trans, 4.10 gears, 2F engine. Near bulletproof drivetrain, but the bodies tend to rust. Rear quarters, tailgate, roof seams, etc. Not to mention the underside, frame and everything down below.

It's a simple system, so it shouldn't be to hard figuring what's wrong since it's not running. I'm sure it needs some cleaning of fuel system and carb. Not to mention all the usual for sitting vehicles, oil, coolant, greasing everything, checking all the rubber stuff for dry-rotting, etc.

FJ60s are awesome trucks, even if they've only been partly maintained.

zipposrule

yes i believe it is a f60 (its the wagon one) i dont mean to sound so ignorant but i am completely new to land cruisers. i know it has the 2f engine and i guess a 4 speed. were they all made with 4.10 gears? the body on this looked ok (not great but not as bad as my tacoma lol) but it was covered with some mud lol. The frame didnt look the greatest thou but i have yet to get it in the garage and put it in the air. Also is there any good source for parts land cruisers need?

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

There are several vendors for Cruiser parts, depending on what your looking to do. CruiserOutfitters in Utah is my fave. Kurt is a big Cruiserhead and knows them well, and is just an all around good guy that cares for his customers. Good stock build-up outfitter, as well as lifts and some used parts, and a good selection of stock OE quality parts. Profitts Cruisers are great guys too, good aftermarket and used selections. I know there is TPI Cruisers in Tennessee, but I personally haven't dealt with them yet. And I believe Iron Pig (nickname for the FJ55 Cruiser) Off-road is in Virginia. Haven't dealt with them either.

Yes, the FJ60s all came with 4.10/4.11 gears. If it has 2round headlights, and a 4-spd transmission, & a wagon it's an FJ60. (Although the FJ55 does fit these parameters, it's a more squared body wagon). If it has 4rectangular headlights and has auto trans, it's an FJ62. Which, in my opinion, is when they started leaning towards more luxury and creature comforts. The FJ60, however, is built to work. Again, this is my opinion. All the Cruisers to current date are workhorses, and can be wheeled, but here in the States, they were geared more towards luxury in the late 80s to now. You didn't see many FJ80, 100s, or 200s with snorkels and diesels when they were released in America. You saw rich folks running them to the store, soccer practice, and to the office. Not to the river, swamp, or mountain passes...

zipposrule

yes it has the round headlights, Im glad to know its little workhorse. really hoping to at the least make it a yard truck/plow truck but id love to make a off road rig

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

So long as the drivetrain has been maintained, it's usually the body that falls apart/rust long before there are any major drivetrain issues. The carbs can be finicky sometimes, but keeping good fuel in it, and running it through regularly can help stop the carb gumming. Most carb issues come from lack of use. Sometimes they do just wear out though.

Just keep oils changed, engine every 3K miles, trans and t-case and diffs once every year or two, depending on mileage. The differentials are big (9.5") and the actual drive axle itself is close to Dana 60 size. The 2F engine is basically a tractor motor, in my opinion. Very torquey and prefers low RPMs.

As a side note, if you remove the 2F inline six, and replace with a small block V8, you lighten the front end by around 300lbs. That gives you an idea of how heavy and overbuilt the 2F is. Holds 7qts of oil, I believe, and a few gallons of coolant. I'm not sure on the FJ60, but on the FJ40s, there is a hand crank unit on the crank pulley. You take the jack handle from the spare tire kit and insert it through a place below the grill, and you can turn the engine to crank it, if the battery were to die.

zipposrule

that hand crank idea is cool! thats the little things i love about these old toyotas, not that id want to hand crank a 2f engine from the sounds of it lol. any idea of the best parts to buy a carb rebuild kit? i assume it could use it after hearing these carbs are finicky. do the big parts stores stock parts for these still?

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

Yes, most parts stores carry some things for Cruisers.

As far as carb kits, there are only a couple that have everything you may need in the kit. Most carbs are good-to-go with new gaskets, float (& float properly adjusted), thorough passage cleaning (Berryman cleaner 2-3 day soak), and a lot of care upon reassembly. If you have to MAKE something line up or fit, it's wrong. Carbs don't like "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" rebuilds...

zipposrule

any tips on the best rebuild kit? advance auto carries a gp sorensen kit 96-309B but reviews say it does not include the diaphragm for the 81-87 carbs. id prefer to just get something that has everything so i have it all. im guess it needs all new stuff. its been sitting a few years at least so i was going to drain all fuel, rebuild the carb and then run 5 gallons of non ethanol 91 octane through it to clean everything out and get it running good.

zipposrule

actually that carb kit doesnt include the right secondary diaphragm, i misread the review

zipposrule

so today i pulled the air intake/airbox off and found not only a mouse nest but also a shedded snake skin. and i found a mouse nest between the carb and head but when i turned the motor over and put an aux fuel tank to the input line on the carb and sprayed some carb cleaner into the intake and it fire right up and ran beautiful. threw some gas in the tank and after some priming it fired right up and runs pretty good right now. still doesnt wanna start on its own but also i have yet to choke it. (lubed all the thou and saw how all that worked, clever design) for how easy it was to start it leads me to believe it was run dry of fuel. pushing it in the garage was fun with 8in of snow and just my tacoma to push it with. didnt realize until we got it in there that the hubs and transfer case were locked in 4x4 still. but the pass rear brake it barely rolling too. (brake lines are shot anyways)

julsruls

Ih8mud is a definite. Cruiser resource for sure.

Ill take it off your hands that way you dont have to worry about it.

rokblok

iTrader: (1)

Good news! Glad you are able to save another Cruiser!!

zipposrule

got the truck running and idling alot better yesterday, i think most of the crappy running is now due to the air cleaner housing being off and all the vacuum lines that go on that being off. i was even able to drive it up and down the drive way once (1000ft each way) no brakes (lines are shot) but it moves under its own power! i do have a power steering leak and a coolant leak. the coolant is leaking out of a block on the pass side of the engine block. it has a smaller line right off the water pump going to it. is this something to do with the heat? it looked like it was cracked. i was able to solder the leak in the top crank of the radiator.