Daily Driver... FJ62 or FZJ80

The hunt is on for the daily driver. Not having a shop & the family car parking the garage is a brutal reality of not being able to have a frame up build. So for now a J4 body build is out of the question. I'm referring to a FJ45LV long wheelbase 4 door wagon. About 500 to 600 made it to the states they are very rare & exspensive.

The next body style was th FJ55 it ran from 1968 to 1979. It's also is a very old wagon that would require a extensive go through.


Starting in 1980 to 1987 was the fj60 and many to this day are running up & down the roads of America.

The fj62 had a short run of three years from 1988 to 1990 these are more refined with a fuel injected 3F engine, electric windows, door locks & automatic transmission you can even find cruise control & 3 point seatbelts in rear on later years 89 to 90.
FJ80 ran from 1990 to 1992 and the FZJ80 93 to 97 it had the bigger 4.5 liter engine rather than the 4.0 liter engine.

 
So with all that said which is better? It depends on the intended use & personal preference. Below will be a detailed chart of the specs to compare by. Enjoy!

Model	FJ62	FZJ80
Years Available	1988-1990	1993-1997
Body Style	4-Door Wagon	Four Door Wagon
Seating Capacity	Five to Seven	Eight
Drivetrain	Front Engine, 4x4	Front Engine, 4x4
Engine	4.0 liter OHV Inline 6 cyl.	4.5 Liter DOHC 24 valve Inline 6 cyl.
Fuel System	Electronic Fuel Injection	Electronic Fuel Injection
Horsepower	155 @ 4000 rpm	212 @ 4600 rpm
Torque	220 ft-lbs. @ 3000 rpm	275 ft-lbs. @ 3200 rpm
Transmission	ECT 4-Speed Automatic	4 Speed Automatic
Wheelbase	107.5 in.	112.2 in
Length	184.0 in.	189.8 in.
Width	70.9 in.	76.0 in.
Height	68.9 in.	73.6 in.
Track, F/R	58.5/57.9 in.	62.8/63 in.
Cargo Storage	98 cu. ft.	90.9 cu. ft.
Towing Capacity	3500 lbs.	5000
Suspension	Semi-Elliptical Leaf Springs	Coil
Brakes, F/R	Power Ventilated Disc/Drum	disc/disc, ABS
Curb Weight	4480 lbs.	4760 lbs.
Clearance	8.1 in.	8.1 in.
Fuel Capacity	23.8 gal.	25.1 gal.

I can't make my mind up. They are both awesome.  I will just go with the best deal.

I will still be on the hunt for the elusive FJ45LV Wagon or Troopy.  Here is some pics of this classic beauty.   

Cool pictures of other 4 door FJs projects

Dream to Research to Reality...

OK, are you ready?

I'm going from the dream stage to the resourse & materials stage part of this project.

After a lot of thought & sleepless nights I will have to make a sacrifice of my 2012 Ford  F150 crew cab to fund the project.

It is a Ford f150 crewcab 4x4 with the AWESOME Ecoboost motor in it. Sell price is high KBB 30K. If anybody is interested please connect with me via posting below.

The next phase is to purchase a FZJ80 or a 87 through 90 Chevy or GMC Suburban.

I'm looking for a 93-97 FZJ80 or Lexus 450 (112" wheelbase) they hold good value & are a good base donor drivetrian for the future projectFJ4door.

The other option is to purchase a Suburban. The reason is in my area these are very cheap. Nobody wants a big boat anymore (gas prices are up). I can pick these up anywhere from 1,000 to 2,500 dollars for a very clean & in good condition.

 The sub will be my daily driver & later will possibly be the donor vehicle for my project.

The years of this vehicle that I'm looking for is 1987 to 1990, these models came with the throttle body injection TBI & and in 1990 they came out with an ABS automatic braking system in  the rear. 

This vehicle will have the Chevy 350 TBI, 700 R4 tranny, NP208 transfer case, dana 44 front or Dana 60 depending on if its three quarter ton or 1 ton & a 14 bot rear end.

I would be making repairs to the drive train as we go if something breaks.

After all that, I will be able to start shopping for a Troopy or 45LV. 

I'm liking this light green color.

HJ47 vs. FJ45LV Which is better?

WOW BOTH ARE AWESOME RIDES..

2-door or 4-door?

Diesel or gas?

116" or 104"

Over all body length (Im working on that).

I want both!!!

      Above is the HJ47 & below is a FJ45LV.

For me it's pretty much a toss up. Both are are AWESOME rides. But this is reality. I will get what ever I come across with the best price.

So if you are selling a LHD Troopy or 45LV and you live somewhere in the Central Valley of California, please post a comment below to connect with me.

I'm excited. Let's do this.

Many options to choose from

There are several options to choose from  when it comes to a complete ground up custom, some are more exspensive & some are more labor intensive.

Option#1.

Is to go to ICON and purchase a FJ44 straight up of course for $150,000. I don't even have that much in my Monopoly game, so that's the end of that option.

Option #2.

Redline cruisers in Colorado is currently putting together a UTE. What they are doing is putting on a aluminum body on an FZJ 80 chassis which is a hundred twelve inches 112" It looks pretty good but the back has a large overhang. This rig runs for approx. 50K. This is still out of my price range.

Option #3.

Third option taking a HJ47 troopy which has an 116" wheelbase & this seems to be a more viable option to add two more doors. HJ47's mostly come from Australia with diesel motors in them & the sell for any other FJ depending on it's condition.

Option #4

The forth option is to take a FJ45 long wheelbase truck that is also 116" & put on a 4-door tub. Then make a trailer out of the rear bed. 45's are easier to find in the US.

Option #5

The fifth option is just to go with the FJ45LV. I am starting to dig this rig. For me this will eliminate a the idea of adding two doors to a HJ47. This seems to be a very good option if a man can find one in good condition. The wagon has an 104" wheebase rather than a 116" wheelbase of the HJ47.

Later edit:

In one of my previous post "MANY OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM" all 5 have been exhausted. They all are out of budget for me. So here are a couple more options to choose from.

Option #6
Lwb frame 45 donor.

Option #7
Aussie ute with diesel motor. 40 tub in rear.