KC Masterpiece
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- May 4, 2019
- Messages
- 1,364
We are going to restore and build out the 60. I have been pretty spotty about build threads before and hope to improve with this one.
The current plan is a cosmetic and mechanical restoration followed by a mild build out. The 80 will take care of our harder wheeling needs. The 60 is going to fill a new role as our cool cruiser, weekend driver, and camping rig. Because we plan to use the truck once its finished I decided to go with a frame on restoration. We don't want a finished product so nice we will hesitate to use it. There are some corrosion issues around the rear spring hangers and shock mount crossbar. The rest of the frame is in great shape.
Truck History
This was a BAT truck that I found back in May. Admittedly I had a few beers on memorial day and did not expect to win the bidding. We ended up with a nice truck with quite a few modifications I already planned to add. Here is a link to the original listing. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-toyota-land-cruiser-fj60-127/
The ARB front bumper, LRA tank, Newish 5 speed, window tint, OME lift, and 10k winch were all on the build list so this truck did make a ton of sense. It is a 1987 with 160k that has already been through a handful of owners. Life started in Virginia then moved to Tennessee in 2016. The vehicle then bounced between 5 owners. There was a bit of covid flipping in 2021 and it switched hands 3 of the 5 times between 21 and 23. Looking at the maintenance records we received the previous owner purchased it for $31,500 at a classic car consignment dealer and only had it for a few months. He was pretty disappointed in the final sale price when we spoke after the auction closed. I was able to track the vehicle down to a LC group in Nashville but it looks like they only have an instagram page. I don't really use social media but did toy with the idea of trying to hunt down a previous owner to get some history. The group was Music City Cruisers if anyone happens to have a contact.
Time under our ownership
When the truck first arrived the transport vehicle overheated climbing up I70 and we drove out to meet the driver at the chain station near Georgetown. That whole story was detailed in my thread looking for purchase advice. The short version is that we had to push a dead vehicle off the trailer to get the 60 down, then winch it back on to a different spot. The evening ended with a late night drive back to Silverthorne hoping the truck was in good shape. Thankfully there were no mechanical issues and we had enough gas in the tank to get it home. The owner and listing had presented the vehicle as having original paint but it was quickly evident it had a 7/10 respray at some point in the last few years. Not a bad job but some overspray issues on the window gaskets. The rust was only in the regular spots and I was really pleased with the purchase until I went to spray out the frame rails at the carwash and saw the pressure washer blasting what looked like clean metal away. The problem spots were loaded with mouse nesting material and must have been holding water for years. Once I got over my disappointment at the discovery I reached out to the folks at Proffits and sent them a few photos. By that point I had hit the whole area with a wire wheel and punch to get a good idea of the damage. They were confident the frame could be properly repaired and a full swap was not necessary.
The truck then went into daily driver duty from June until mid November. This included multiple trips over Vail and Independence pass since we moved from Silverthorne to Snowmass towards the end of the summer. The first week I had the truck the rear brake line gave out from a small rust spot right where it passed over the nasty part of the frame. To my great surprise all of the brake line retaining clip bolts came out without a fuss and a replacement from SOR arrived a few days later and she was back on the road. Good opportunity for a brake flush anyways. Other than that I have had zero issues with the truck over the last 8000 miles.
Themoney pit build begins
I had reached out to Rust Doctor after looking at the work he did on @Telly 60. I had a general idea of what the pricing was going to look like for the full workup and we traded a few phone calls and emails discussing the problem spots on the frame. Jason's work looked really impressive and he has repaired so many 60s I was confident he was the right man for the job. We spent quite a while debating if it was worth the expense and ultimately decided to move forward. I really love the 60 platform and it puts a smile on my face anytime I drive it. We had considered a 40 but after spending two consecutive summers in a FJ Cruiser running tube doors we have really grown to appreciate heat, AC, and windows. When all is said and done we will have the equivalent of a new modern 4x4 in this truck, and I am okay with that.
I do not want to cut any corners with this build. My first Toyota build out was a 2008 FJ Cruiser. That truck was really great to me but nearly every modification came as a craigslist purchase. 2nd or 3rd hand everything. At the time I was single and had no money to throw at nice parts. Because of this the build was completely random with no end goal in mind. I learned to wrench on that truck and did every bit of work myself other than the body mount chop that was outsourced to Slee. That vehicle was sold in 2018 right after we purchased our current 80 series.
The 80 was the next vehicle I built out and although I did cut a few corners in the beginning the end result has been fantastic. This 60 build is going to be well planned and well executed. For the first time I have a real heated garage and other vehicles for daily transport. Extended downtime is no concern.
Build plans and more info to come!
The current plan is a cosmetic and mechanical restoration followed by a mild build out. The 80 will take care of our harder wheeling needs. The 60 is going to fill a new role as our cool cruiser, weekend driver, and camping rig. Because we plan to use the truck once its finished I decided to go with a frame on restoration. We don't want a finished product so nice we will hesitate to use it. There are some corrosion issues around the rear spring hangers and shock mount crossbar. The rest of the frame is in great shape.
Truck History
This was a BAT truck that I found back in May. Admittedly I had a few beers on memorial day and did not expect to win the bidding. We ended up with a nice truck with quite a few modifications I already planned to add. Here is a link to the original listing. https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1987-toyota-land-cruiser-fj60-127/
The ARB front bumper, LRA tank, Newish 5 speed, window tint, OME lift, and 10k winch were all on the build list so this truck did make a ton of sense. It is a 1987 with 160k that has already been through a handful of owners. Life started in Virginia then moved to Tennessee in 2016. The vehicle then bounced between 5 owners. There was a bit of covid flipping in 2021 and it switched hands 3 of the 5 times between 21 and 23. Looking at the maintenance records we received the previous owner purchased it for $31,500 at a classic car consignment dealer and only had it for a few months. He was pretty disappointed in the final sale price when we spoke after the auction closed. I was able to track the vehicle down to a LC group in Nashville but it looks like they only have an instagram page. I don't really use social media but did toy with the idea of trying to hunt down a previous owner to get some history. The group was Music City Cruisers if anyone happens to have a contact.
Time under our ownership
When the truck first arrived the transport vehicle overheated climbing up I70 and we drove out to meet the driver at the chain station near Georgetown. That whole story was detailed in my thread looking for purchase advice. The short version is that we had to push a dead vehicle off the trailer to get the 60 down, then winch it back on to a different spot. The evening ended with a late night drive back to Silverthorne hoping the truck was in good shape. Thankfully there were no mechanical issues and we had enough gas in the tank to get it home. The owner and listing had presented the vehicle as having original paint but it was quickly evident it had a 7/10 respray at some point in the last few years. Not a bad job but some overspray issues on the window gaskets. The rust was only in the regular spots and I was really pleased with the purchase until I went to spray out the frame rails at the carwash and saw the pressure washer blasting what looked like clean metal away. The problem spots were loaded with mouse nesting material and must have been holding water for years. Once I got over my disappointment at the discovery I reached out to the folks at Proffits and sent them a few photos. By that point I had hit the whole area with a wire wheel and punch to get a good idea of the damage. They were confident the frame could be properly repaired and a full swap was not necessary.
The truck then went into daily driver duty from June until mid November. This included multiple trips over Vail and Independence pass since we moved from Silverthorne to Snowmass towards the end of the summer. The first week I had the truck the rear brake line gave out from a small rust spot right where it passed over the nasty part of the frame. To my great surprise all of the brake line retaining clip bolts came out without a fuss and a replacement from SOR arrived a few days later and she was back on the road. Good opportunity for a brake flush anyways. Other than that I have had zero issues with the truck over the last 8000 miles.
The
I had reached out to Rust Doctor after looking at the work he did on @Telly 60. I had a general idea of what the pricing was going to look like for the full workup and we traded a few phone calls and emails discussing the problem spots on the frame. Jason's work looked really impressive and he has repaired so many 60s I was confident he was the right man for the job. We spent quite a while debating if it was worth the expense and ultimately decided to move forward. I really love the 60 platform and it puts a smile on my face anytime I drive it. We had considered a 40 but after spending two consecutive summers in a FJ Cruiser running tube doors we have really grown to appreciate heat, AC, and windows. When all is said and done we will have the equivalent of a new modern 4x4 in this truck, and I am okay with that.
I do not want to cut any corners with this build. My first Toyota build out was a 2008 FJ Cruiser. That truck was really great to me but nearly every modification came as a craigslist purchase. 2nd or 3rd hand everything. At the time I was single and had no money to throw at nice parts. Because of this the build was completely random with no end goal in mind. I learned to wrench on that truck and did every bit of work myself other than the body mount chop that was outsourced to Slee. That vehicle was sold in 2018 right after we purchased our current 80 series.
The 80 was the next vehicle I built out and although I did cut a few corners in the beginning the end result has been fantastic. This 60 build is going to be well planned and well executed. For the first time I have a real heated garage and other vehicles for daily transport. Extended downtime is no concern.
Build plans and more info to come!
