60 series cruiser for a first car?

[Elias Perris]

Hey guys, i've found a decent hj61 for $4000. It has got some panel damage, but next to no rust. It has 516k on the clock with a rebuild 80,000k ago. I've been getting a lot of mixed advice, some people at work (mechanics) tell me 60's are crap, or not a great car, then other people say they're awesome, especially for a first car. I personally think they look like an awesome truck.

I'd like to hear what people think. I'm only on $10 (first year) an hour so it is hard to save a lot. Cheers

 

[ShaunOz]

Slow,reliable truck mate. Plenty of spares around. Does the rebuild come with receipts? Or promises?

 

[Albynsw]

Great truck to own
My young bloke has one and I am amazed at what it can do

 

[dno67]

Most people can't see past the Slow engine to make an honest comment these days. If you
get a good one and not looking to break any landspeed records hard to go wrong.

 

[Mickkk]

Is it petrol or diesel? I have a 55 witha 2f, (as a 3rd car) so I don't rely on it every day. They are very basic are easly worked on. If you have access 2 a car if this needs work, or can use public transport if needed it will be a great car.
If you will be screwed if it's off the road then you may want something a little newer, altho there's still a risk that that can break down too.
If you are wanting to learn about motors and how they work it's a pretty good start

 

[itlldoo]

a "today" mechanic would say that, cause there is no computer interface with a 60, you actually have to know what your doing ! you need a yesterday mechanic, these car have weird stuff , like : steel,

 

[Elias Perris]

Is it petrol or diesel? I have a 55 witha 2f, (as a 3rd car) so I don't rely on it every day. They are very basic are easly worked on. If you have access 2 a car if this needs work, or can use public transport if needed it will be a great car.
If you will be screwed if it's off the road then you may want something a little newer, altho there's still a risk that that can break down too.
If you are wanting to learn about motors and how they work it's a pretty good start

Its a 2h diesel.

I am a first year automotive mechanic apprentice, so i do gain some knowledge from work but it'd be good to be able to expand my knowledge on something of my own!

 

[itlldoo]

is it really motor tappy, (noisy), has the fuel pump any leaks, is it blowing any smoke if so what colour? how easy is it to start in the morning, are the gear changes smooth and easy, are the windows mist up in the mornings........ we need more info dude !

 

[SeaJay]

check for rust in the roof around the sills, its good if you can peel back the roof lining a bit to see from the inside. If there is no rust in there, and there is paperwork to prove the engine rebuild, then go for it. There a good solid car, and plenty of room to sleep in the back

 

[Outrage]

Assuming the engine is ok with the rebuild, the rest of the car is still 500k km's and 30ish years old (depending on what else has been fixed recently).

Anything plastic/rubber may be perishing, if they haven't been done in recent times, expect to replace things like steering/suspension bushes, possibly swivel hub seals. Any loaded component with high load cycles could be approaching its fatigue limits, things like bearings and shafts (drive, axles/CV's).

My brother has had two 60's (rolled his first one), the first one seemed alright in the yard, but would slip out of gear once we got it on the tracks (contributed to the roll over), its drive shaft was also deformed and added to vibration, as other mentioned, a slow vehicle. His 2nd was the turbo model, not so slow with that but cost more, this one the swivel hubs were leaking, it snapped a driveshaft at traffic lights, later discovered it was an aftermarket one that was a weaker design than a factory one, wheel studs fatigued on one or two wheels (had them all replaced after that).

All things that can be fixed and great learning experience for an apprentice mechanic, just keep in mind it is an old vehicle and things wear out (and these things can happen to newer vehicles too).

 

[Elias Perris]

Assuming the engine is ok with the rebuild, the rest of the car is still 500k km's and 30ish years old (depending on what else has been fixed recently).

Anything plastic/rubber may be perishing, if they haven't been done in recent times, expect to replace things like steering/suspension bushes, possibly swivel hub seals. Any loaded component with high load cycles could be approaching its fatigue limits, things like bearings and shafts (drive, axles/CV's).

My brother has had two 60's (rolled his first one), the first one seemed alright in the yard, but would slip out of gear once we got it on the tracks (contributed to the roll over), its drive shaft was also deformed and added to vibration, as other mentioned, a slow vehicle. His 2nd was the turbo model, not so slow with that but cost more, this one the swivel hubs were leaking, it snapped a driveshaft at traffic lights, later discovered it was an aftermarket one that was a weaker design than a factory one, wheel studs fatigued on one or two wheels (had them all replaced after that).

All things that can be fixed and great learning experience for an apprentice mechanic, just keep in mind it is an old vehicle and things wear out (and these things can happen to newer vehicles too).

Cheers. Yeah i am prepared to be replacing stuff. I do own a hj60 good for parts so hopefully, i could exchange some worn out stuff, but worst case scenario just buy new replacements.

 

[Silveredition]

Go for it! I am certainly biased (currently on my 3rd), but with a spares truck, and being an apprentice mechanic, you can't go wrong! A lot of issues can be fixed on the side of the road, and the engine relies on very little to run (no computers).
Have fun!