Sourced From Texas, Sorted in Maine

    December 16, 2017

    A Beautiful Driver

    We acquired this 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 from a Land Cruiser enthusiast here in Maine.  He sourced this FJ60 from Texas in 2016 and was planning to do a diesel conversion.  Soon, time and other commitments took priority and he reached out to us and asked if we were interested in finishing the project.  Mandatory in the sale of this 1985 FJ60 was another, 1986 FJ60, which had a Toyota 2H diesel haphazardly implanted by its previous owner.  

     

    We didn’t know what to expect and assumed both Land Cruisers were total projects that would have to be pieced together utilizing the best parts each unit offered.  To our surprise, this red FJ60 was insanely clean, original (minus the head-unit) and bone-stock.  The paint was original on certain panels and a mismatched door, fender and peeling clear were also present on the remaining.  The interior was filled with junk, but somehow maintained its factory allure with the only major wear showing on the driver’s seat.  It was amazing, to say the least.  We could not believe the owner was going to rip into this timepiece and install a diesel engine.

    So, we trailered both FJ60s away and began making this 3F4 Red, Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 into a beautiful driver.

    With the purchase of this FJ60 we received a clean, transferrable Texas Title, maintenance records dating back to 2008 and all literature this Land Cruiser came with when purchased in 1985.  We have also included the most recent Carfax, which shows two owners, no accidents or any other “red” marks on the history.

    Since our ownership, we have done a lot to get this FJ60 to look presentable and drive well.  In terms of mechanics, we had the harmonic balancer replaced, new timing cover gasket installed, update all maintenance including engine oil, filter, air filter, checked all fluids in the differentials, transmission and transfer-case.

    For steering and suspension, we replaced the outer tie rod ends and had the rear leaf springs re-arched and added an extra leaf to maintain the stock height of the vehicle, which was performed by McFarland Spring in Portland, Maine.

    We fitted the truck with a set of 30x15x9.5 BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires and had them properly mounted, balanced and aligned.  This FJ60 tracks straight and even down the road with no shakes, vibrations or pulls on and off the highway.  It’s a very smooth ride.

    To fix the exhaust leaks at both the manifold and muffler, we took this FJ60 to Lou’s Custom Exhaust in Portland, Maine.  They replaced the pipe and muffler from the catalytic converter back and also installed new gaskets at the manifold as well as the down-pipe.  This significantly reduced exhaust noise.

    Lastly, we had the exterior of this FJ60 completely refreshed with DuPont 2 Stage (Base/Clear) mixed to the original 3F4 Toyota Red finish.  No body work was required as the body was remarkably clean and free from dents, rust or any other notable imperfections.  The paint shows well and really livened up the overall appearance.

    The Details

    This 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser is fitted with Toyota’s 2F, inline six cylinder engine pushing 135 hp and 200 ft-lb of torque.  This particular model is fitted with the H42F 4-speed manual transmission with manual four-wheel-drive.  It cruises comfortably around 65-70 mph and 2900 rpms.

     

    This FJ60 is mechanically sound with just over 190,000 miles on the odometer.  This mileage is accurate.  It starts, idles, drives and engages into all gears flawlessly.  The manual four-wheel-drive works without hesitation in both Hi and Lo.  As stated above, 65-70 mph is achievable and comfortable, but 55 mph is definitely the sweet spot.

    The exterior is in very nice condition with not a speck of rust.  All chrome pieces are present and intact, but do show some shallow dents and imperfections from age in various spots.  All glass is free from cracks and pits.  The seams of the body are excellent as are the floors, door jams and pillars.  Both the front and rear bumpers are stock and in very good condition as are the factory, 15” chrome wheels.  The mud flaps are original, but have been refreshed with rubber paint to match the quality of the exterior paint.

    The interior is nearly stock except for the aftermarket CD player.  The most notable wear is on the driver’s seat.  We have a replacement piece of vinyl for the small rip and will attempt to patch this before the sale.  Other than this rip, the other seats, carpeting and headliner are in very nice condition.   All gauges, lights and controls work including the rear heat and A/C.  The A/C isn’t ice cold and hasn’t been upgraded, but still functions.  I have some extra cans of R12 that will come with it.

    The chassis is unbelievable.  After degreasing and cleaning off some dried undercoating, the joy of seeing factory paint on the frame rails was incredible.  There is not a single, questionable section.  All crossmember, body mount points and suspension mount points are excellent.  Everything is intact including the skid plates.  We haven’t seen such a clean frame on and un-restored FJ60.

    Some other, notable work within the last 2000 miles have been:

    • New front and rear brakes (drum in back, rotors and pads in front)
    • Rebuilt alternator
    • New battery
    • New Water Pump/Thermostat
    • New Drive Belt
    • New Choke Cable
    • Brake Booster and Master Cylinder

    This 1985 Toyota Land Cruiser (FJ60) is now live on Bring a Trailer.