 Many would argue that the Toyota LandCruiser 60 Series was the start of the more civilised and comfortable breed of 4WDs, especially in the large vehicle market. The old 60 hit our showroom floors in 1980 with its big, square, no-nonsense look about it.
Although it was still in the era of leaf-sprung 4WDs, it came with car-like features such as standard power steering. Coupled with its roomy and sophisticated interior, the 60 Series began to attract the attention of many.
As the series progressed over the years, the move towards luxury options started appearing. Items like an automatic gearbox (available from ’85) were unheard of in the previously agricultural 4WD segment, along with a fancy rear window washer.
The progression eventuated with the top-of-the-line, twin-headlight Sahara models that even found leather interiors as an option.
Rumour has it that Toyota initially had plans to release the 60 Series with independent rear suspension, but instead scrapped the idea to keep the attraction for genuine off-road enthusiasts like us. Leaf springs hold the big roomy body to the front and rear beam axles, and there are live axles front and rear with an increased wheel track over the ageing 55 Series.
The 60 came with the option of two petrol or diesel engines, and the factory turbo-diesel option is rare as hen’s teeth these days. When maintained, the engines will go until the end of time.
In researching this story, we came across a WA couple working as a pilot/escort for heavy machinery around Australia who regularly clocked up 1000km a day when working. Within 10 years of buying their 60 Series with 75,000km on the clock, they had taken the big bus to 1,000,000km, including two trips around Australia towing a caravan.
The diesel engine apparently needed new rings at 860,000km and a new front diff soon after, but otherwise, it retained many items like the original gearbox and running gear. Talk about Toyota tough!
Behind the Wheel
It’s hard to give grace to a big leaf-sprung vehicle now that we’re mostly used to modern, precision-engineered suspensions on new vehicles. However, taking into consideration the age-induced shortcomings, the 60 Series drives like a dream.
It is big and roomy with seating for up to eight occupants, and the square lines mean a windscreen with little rake and plenty of visibility out over the nose. They are unusually spouse-friendly too thanks to the factory power steering, disc brakes up front and predictable, if not a little rough, handling.
All the engines available aim for reliability over performance, and each engine model carried a separate series name for the 60 Series. The FJ60 has the initial big-six petrol engine – a 4.2L straight-six petrol guzzler that is surprisingly torquey to drive. Although with an asthmatic 93 ‘killer wasps’ of power, there’s little to get excited about.
Down the track, Toyota released the FJ62 with a more powerful – yet smaller capacity – petrol six in the form of the 4L 3F engine. With 111kW on tap, the engine needed to work harder to use the torque available, which further ups the thirsty rev range.
The super slow and reliable diesel engine shared an equally simple engine code – the 2H. Pulling the HJ60 model, the 4L naturally aspirated oiler was a slug, but a reliable one at that. Compared to today’s engines, the power per litre efficiency is fairly average. It only has 76kW flat-out downhill.
If you can find one, the HJ61 is the pick of the 60 Series range with its turbocharged 12HDT engine – the first turbo-diesel 4WD wagon in Australia. The whistling six made a respectable 100kW@3600rpm and a tractor-like 380Nm coming on from just 1800rpm.
Initially available with a four-speed manual cog swapper, the 60 scored a super-strong five-speed box in 1982. The luxury of power-sapping automatic gear selection became an option from 1985 through to the end of the range when the 80 Series set new standards upon release.
Off-road
The 60 was made to go off-road, and it’s as simple as that. From over-engineered gearboxes that love V8 conversions to diff centres big enough to take a holiday in, the 60 Series is all business. The big engines will happily plug along just off idle, which makes for slow, controllable progression in low-range.
The stiff leaf-sprung springs come alive with a bit of tweaking to soften them up, and adding longer shocks is an instant recipe for easy articulation. Add some chunky rubber and a diff lock or two and you have an off-road weapon ready to go at it again and again.
There is a swag of aftermarket goods still available, so you can have just about anything you could want to add to a vehicle. With the age and nature of the beasts, smart shopping should see you pick one up already decked out with bar work and other off-road goodies, which would save a bundle in the process.
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