Installing a Body Lift and new Body Bushings on a Landcruiser // 60 Series (HJ60) Body Lift

[@jamesmasanja1963]

Thanks man love from Tanzania 🇹🇿

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for your comment. Glad you like my cruiser content.

[@khabarovmaksim3768]

Hi to all! From Moscow 60. Thanks for video!

[@MikeFreda]

You’re welcome. Cheers.

[@matsworld9386]

Super helpful, thanks Mike!

[@MikeFreda]

You’re welcome, thanks for commenting. Cheers.

[@matsworld9386]

@@MikeFreda Ordered the bushings .. thanks again for the video ..

[@RobertsAdventure]

Nice rundown, easier than I expected to be honest and surprising how off-level the frame bushes made things. What mirrors are you running on your 60 series, I like the look of the larger size vs the stock on the '86 FJ60

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for commenting. My mirrors are stock HJ60 that came with the vehicle from the factory. I think Canadian HJ60 and BJ60 have the same larger mirror. Cheers.

[@redcentreridin9751]

hi mate any problems with radiator fan rubbing the shroud? or steering linkage going stiff?

[@MikeFreda]

With a 1” lift there is typically no issues with the steering linkages. At, not with mine. The fan shroud was very tight. It didn’t rub but it probably would when flexing. I lowered the shroud a bit and reshaped the bottom section of the shroud to clear. No issues. Cheers.

[@MoaByte-v2z]

Thanks. Did it cure the "Land Cruiser Lean" that you had brfore?

[@MikeFreda]

You’re welcome. Yes, the new bushing did help with the lean. My frame and suspension has also been replaced so that helped as well. It sits pretty level now. Cheers.

[@foxbloomfield7294]

Hey mate! Sick video. Did you have to do any cutting for when your in 4x4 ??

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks. With the new bushing and 1” spacer lift all I has to adjust was the fan shroud. I had to lower it a bit and clearance the bottom the bottom of the shroud a bit. That was it. If you go more the 1”, you will have to do a few other things to make it work. Cheers.

[@daleaustin7964]

G’day Mike really informative video, I have my eyes on barn find HJ 60 so I’m doing the research so that I can get it right the first time”hopefully fingers crossed 🤞🏾 “. I’m from Northern Territory Australia proper Toyota country.

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for your comments. Sweet, barn find Landcruisers in my area is rare… but when they happen people want a pretty penny. Check the rear part of the frame and if you can check compression. Cylinder 5 and 6 are prone to have piston issues. (Check on IH8MUD.). Cheers.

[@jaredfun3861]

Hey do you have a video on how to lift the body of the frame. I have a 89 land cruiser and really want to get the frame all solid

[@MikeFreda]

Unfortunately, I don’t. Without a proper lift, replacing the frame is a lot of work. What I end up doing is removing the interior, removing the front clip (hood, fenders, grill and rad). I then loosened all the body bolts, break lines…. Etc. (You can leave the gas tank in place) I then used 6 large bottles jacks and large blocks of wood to lift the body up as high as I could and rolled the frame and running gear out. You may have to make a stacked wood blocking system that they use for house moves. I also placed some large wooden cross members under the body to help lift it up. The frame swap took me solid 5 days working 10-12hrs a day. By the end of day two I was rolling the frame out. It also takes a day to swap the suspension and drive train over. Good luck. It’s a big job with out the proper tools and lift.

[@vincegiulitto]

Did you have to do anything with steering, radiator, or fuel hose?

[@MikeFreda]

With just doing a 1” lift the only thing I had to check and adjust was the fan shroud. I did not do anything to the steering or fuel hose. The steering wheel angle did change a bit but the tilt function fixed that. For the fan shroud, I was able to adjust it by making the mounting holes larger, cutting the top flange a bit and sliding the shroud down. Some people cut the bottom of the shroud, bend it and re-weld it. There are a couple other ways to make more room, you can look on line. You will see how yours lines up. It’s not that hard to figure out. If you do a 2" or more, you will have issues with all this items, cheers

[@vincegiulitto]

@@MikeFreda Thank you for the reply. I'm in the process of reversing a body lift. I had a 3" done and do not like the look. I just wanted to make sure that I do not ruin anything in the process.

[@mikeslebodnik5724]

Great tutorial! Are you using the stock body mount bushings with the DIY 1-inch spacer? Any reason you didn’t get the larger bushings from 4crawler to avoid using the spacers?

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for commenting. I purchased new standard size body mount bushings and made a 1" spacer. I was able to make the spacers way cheaper than purchasing them premade and I knew it would all fit. A 1" body lift seems to be the highest you can go without creating issues. (ie. rad placement / Fan shroud, Steering linkage and steering wheel angle, all the lines that drop down from the body the frame odd body gaps from the bumper and frame...etc...) The 1" body lift is all I need to clear my 33" tires. nothing rubs on full stuff and lock. You can go higher but be prepared to deal with these other issues that will take money and time to sort out. Cheers.

[@Joseph-ld7vr]

Hi Mike, great video, gonna do a 2 inch body lift on my 80 series, can you do maintenance videos on your 60 series, because they are very similar design to an 80 series I've been told Cheers

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for your comments. Some things are similar, some things are not. What sort of maintenance things are you looking for?

[@Joseph-ld7vr]

@@MikeFreda thank you for replying, I just recently brought my 80 series and want to do all the maintenance myself, so everything to do with maintenance, also any tips and tricks anything to look out for, and common breakages and repairs would be awesome 🙂

[@skhochay]

hello where did you got the bushings kit?

[@MikeFreda]

4crawler. The link is in the description. Cheers.

[@skhochay]

@@MikeFreda ty

[@Mrbeast0099]

Was there any other modifications you had to make to the car because of the lift? Great vid by the way, I’m in Australia and also have a hj61

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks. With a 1” lift the only thing I had to check and adjust was the fan shroud. I was able to adjust the fan shroud by making the mounting hole larger, cutting the top flange a bit and sliding the shroud down. Some people cut the bottom of the shroud, bend it and re-weld it. There are a couple other ways to make more room, you can look on line. You will see how yours lines up. It’s not that hard to figure out.

[@Mrbeast0099]

Mike Freda yeah that’s an easy mod , thanks mate 👍

[@benbujwah]

Hey mike, do you have a link to the rebuild kit you used for your 12-ht? Any parts hard to find? Keep the videos coming.

[@MikeFreda]

Hello, no real link since they change. The genuine Toyota gasket kit I got from PartsSouq. Misc parts I got from Amayama and the pistons, rings and bearings I got from Engines Australia. I do plan to do an engine rebuild video on my process.

[@dahimalayancruiser4434]

I like your land cruiser. If I change the 2 inch body lift up bush in stock land cruiser can I increase the size of tires or not?

[@MikeFreda]

Well, it depends on how big of tire and offset/back spacing of the rim. I was able to fit skinny 33” tires with not lift (body or suspension). So, yes you can fit slightly larger tires with a mild body lift. The issue with a 2” body lift is that you need to adjust other things to make it work. Fan shroud, shifter, brake lines…. Etc…

[@RamblinJackets]

Did you you make the rock sliders or make them yourself.

[@MikeFreda]

They aren’t really rock sliders. The original rockers were rusted out. I cut them out and graphed in a piece of square tubing. This tube is welded to the body, not the frame. It “can” take a little bump but it’s not meant to slide along rocks. It also make it handy to lift the body up but not the weight of the entire vehicle.

[@detourexplore6615]

Being better able to clean the frame seems worth it alone. I like the look of those headlights. Are they any good?

[@MikeFreda]

The headlights are pretty good. I’m very happy with them. I like the colour temperature of them. The high beams are so bright that I find I do not need any additional lighting. That being said, they are expensive. I think you could get similar performance with high end H4 bulbs (ie Osram) and a very good light bar or auxiliary lights for 1/2 the cost.

[@dahimalayancruiser4434]

Is there any safe,DIY method to lift up land cruiser? Just like adding suspension leaf and gig bone shackles.

[@MikeFreda]

I did my suspension lift in my driveway. I did one end at a time. I jacked it up and put large Jack stands on the frame. Took the tires off and lowered the suspension to full droop. You can then loosen all the hardware and use a floor Jack to support the axle. This was actually easier than the body lift.

[@dahimalayancruiser4434]

Thank you so much. If I got any other questions on this can I mail you?

[@MikeFreda]

Yes, you may. The website IH8MUD is a good resource for Landcruiser information.

[@Jman-uh7xr]

Does lifting the front affect the fan and radiator ?

[@MikeFreda]

Yes, it can. I was lucky that all I had to do is adjust the mounting hole of the shroud. Some people have to lower/reshape the bottom section of the shroud. You can also “slice” the shroud in half horizontally and weld in a small strip of new metal.

[@AppleManne]

thank you for the video! How did you solved the issue with the angle of the steering box? The steering box is connected to the frame. By raising the body the angle will change and pressure will be on the steering column.

[@MikeFreda]

Thanks for the comment. With only going 1” the steering angle didn’t change that much. I did have to adjust the tilt of the wheel just a bit to put it back to where I’m used to by using the tilt adjustment. The other issue is the fan shroud. You need to make sure you have enough clearance to the fan.

[@AppleManne]

@@MikeFreda Hi Mike, thank you for your fast reply. I purchased mine with a +3,5 cm Body lift. I had / have those issues and looking for a solution. One solution would be to add a aluminium block below the steering box. …But then the linkage will also raise and is very close to the damper. I would like to avoid that. No idea how to solve my problem…. :(

[@MikeFreda]

I see. Yes, going higher may bind the linkage. If you have enough led clearance you may be able to lower the steering wheel assembly a bit to lower the angle. I’d need to have a closer look to see if that is even possible.