Is the FZJ80 worth it in today’s market?

[85_Ranger4x4]

Hahaha you call Bronco big and heavy ?

have you been next to 80 series with 35 inch tires and 3 inch lift,

let’s see
Fzj80 weight is 4982 stock add 35s and lift, it will be over. 5500lb ( Bronco 5300lb including all metal bumpers and rock guards and 35s

Cruiser is 74.8 inches wide without mirrors (Bronco is 71 )
Cruiser is Near 82 inches tall with 35 tires and lift

( Bronco is 73 tall with 35 tires)

I won’t even mention Broncos amazing approach and departure angles, cruiser doesn’t even stand the chance against that.

I love the 80 series, but let’s not make it a gods masterpiece.
It has tons of shortcomings,

The curb weight on our pending 4dr black diamond is within a couple hundred pounds of my scab 4wd F-150. Cast iron block V8 and all.

They are not light.

There is a list of stuff Ford won't sell you if you get a squatch over gvw comcerns up to and including paint protection film.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Hahaha you call Bronco big and heavy ?

have you been next to 80 series with 35 inch tires and 3 inch lift,

let’s see
Fzj80 weight is 4982 stock add 35s and lift, it will be over. 5500lb ( Bronco 5300lb including all metal bumpers and rock guards and 35s

Cruiser is 74.8 inches wide without mirrors (Bronco is 71 )
Cruiser is Near 82 inches tall with 35 tires and lift

( Bronco is 73 tall with 35 tires)

I won’t even mention Broncos amazing approach and departure angles, cruiser doesn’t even stand the chance against that.

I love the 80 series, but let’s not make it a gods masterpiece.
It has tons of shortcomings,

I never said the 80 series was light as a feather with solid axles and a thick and fully boxed frame.

I also never said it was an infallible chariot of God.

I just wish someone would make a basic, light 4x4 these days like the old minitrucks from Toyota, Ford, and others. For some reason every new truck has to weigh 5000 pounds these days.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

I never said the 80 series was light as a feather with solid axles and a thick and fully boxed frame.

I also never said it was an infallible chariot of God.

I just wish someone would make a basic, light 4x4 these days like the old minitrucks from Toyota, Ford, and others. For some reason every new truck has to weigh 5000 pounds these days.

Remember though those old vehicles were loud, rode rough and were relatively underpowered.

 

[calicamper]

Hahaha you call Bronco big and heavy ?

have you been next to 80 series with 35 inch tires and 3 inch lift,

let’s see
Fzj80 weight is 4982 stock add 35s and lift, it will be over. 5500lb ( Bronco 5300lb including all metal bumpers and rock guards and 35s

Cruiser is 74.8 inches wide without mirrors (Bronco is 71 )
Cruiser is Near 82 inches tall with 35 tires and lift

( Bronco is 73 tall with 35 tires)

I won’t even mention Broncos amazing approach and departure angles, cruiser doesn’t even stand the chance against that.

I love the 80 series, but let’s not make it a gods masterpiece.
It has tons of shortcomings,

Had a cherry 1 owner j80 for 8 yrs. Small and light are NOT a LC trait!! Hell even in the Serengeti the operator’s avoid all wet season in LCs because they sink like a brick. Wet season they switch to Defenders which are considerably lighter weight and don’t sink like the J80 and the converted troopys.

Not to mention 35’s and a hot head wind out west the J80 will only do 60mph any faster and the old 4.6 is sweating like a pig in a tin shed, in a AZ summer.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Remember though those old vehicles were loud, rode rough and were relatively underpowered.

No, not really. Especially if you factor in the 55mph national speed limit at the time they were built.

Mine has double the OEM power but with a rebuilt suspension it rides very well at speed. Noise is very tolerable, with OEM tires and exhaust it would be better yet. For as beat as the stock engine was when I got it I think it would have been fairy decent for power when new.

Not to mention 35’s and a hot head wind out west the J80 will only do 60mph any faster and the old 4.6 is sweating like a pig in a tin shed, in a AZ summer.

Pigs can't sweat...

 

[tacollie]

Stock the new Bronco will smoke any stock Toyota off road. It hurts to say that because I'm a Toyota guy in a Ford family. The 80 never came with 35s and the stock suspension wasn't great. A modified 80 is amazing because it's modified.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Stock the new Bronco will smoke any stock Toyota off road. It hurts to say that because I'm a Toyota guy in a Ford family. The 80 never came with 35s and the stock suspension wasn't great. A modified 80 is amazing because it's modified.

Why do you say the suspension on the 80 isn’t good? I thought it along with the early Discos we’re considered some of the best stock set ups you could get? Upgrade radius arms and it’ll be even better.

I’d like to see a twin-clocked 80 go up against a similarly equipped Bronco, both on 33s. It’s hard to beat a solid front axle, no matter how many gadgets and gizmos you have. What’s about the new Bronco would make it so much better anyway? Any body on frame truck with a low range and lockers will do more or less the same thing, I’d imagine.

 

[HUMMER/Expeditions]

With all DOT mandate and regulations, it’s practically impossible to make light weight SUV of a sedan.
I am looking at my 2018 Tacoma, it’s 4 ft longer and 1000 lb heavier than the OG little beautiful Tacoma

look at the 2022 Camry now and Camry in 90s era,

I am sorry my friend, those days of simple and small is gone

This example is unfortunate and comical

my brother just got. New Cadillac, when you turn off the car
It keeps beeping saying make sure you didn’t leave a child on the back seat,

Are you F ..in kidding me ? What kind of nonsense is that,
That’s one Extra relay, one extra wire, one extra fuse and lots more of crap that adds weight.

I am not gonna lie, I have 1997 Toyota Camry Manual transmission, during wild fire, one side of the car got roasted it was parked closer to a tree she still runs, all the hub caps and moldings melted.
I’ll never sell that car, I’ll be restoring her.
Simplicity is amazing,

I feel like a moron selling my 1997 land cruiser,
3x locked i sold it for 9500 in 2017

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

With all DOT mandate and regulations, it’s practically impossible to make light weight SUV of a sedan.
I am looking at my 2018 Tacoma, it’s 4 ft longer and 1000 lb heavier than the OG little beautiful Tacoma

look at the 2022 Camry now and Camry in 90s era,

I am sorry my friend, those days of simple and small is gone

This example is unfortunate and comical

my brother just got. New Cadillac, when you turn off the car
It keeps beeping saying make sure you didn’t leave a child on the back seat,

Are you F ..in kidding me ? What kind of nonsense is that,
That’s one Extra relay, one extra wire, one extra fuse and lots more of crap that adds weight.

I am not gonna lie, I have 1997 Toyota Camry Manual transmission, during wild fire, one side of the car got roasted it was parked closer to a tree she still runs, all the hub caps and moldings melted.
I’ll never sell that car, I’ll be restoring her.
Simplicity is amazing,

I feel like a moron selling my 1997 land cruiser,
3x locked i sold it for 9500 in 2017

Yea I’m sure everyone will be so much safer driving around 2.5 ton land yachts. This makes me wanna sell my Cruiser and look for a nice single cab Hardbody or OG Tacoma. They really won’t make something like that again.

 

[tacollie]

Why do you say the suspension on the 80 isn’t good? I thought it along with the early Discos we’re considered some of the best stock set ups you could get? Upgrade radius arms and it’ll be even better.

I’d like to see a twin-clocked 80 go up against a similarly equipped Bronco, both on 33s. It’s hard to beat a solid front axle, no matter how many gadgets and gizmos you have. What’s about the new Bronco would make it so much better anyway? Any body on frame truck with a low range and lockers will do more or less the same thing, I’d imagine.

Stock shocks and springs really limit the 80 off road. Longer springs and shocks fix that problem. Bronco comes stock with 35s and decent suspension travel. You have modify an 80 to have those things. What I'm trying to say is 80s stock aren't that great but they have a lot of potential. But once you start modifying a vehicle you really can't compare it to a stock vehicle. Stock for stock though bronco wins.

My buddies 80 with long travel coils, shocks, and 35s is pretty good on the trail. He doesn't mind getting 11mpgs and pulling passes at 35mph behind RVs and semis. He also runs hot now. He also bought it 13 years ago for $6700. Personally I like running the speed limit with the AC on.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

Stock shocks and springs really limit the 80 off road. Longer springs and shocks fix that problem. Bronco comes stock with 35s and decent suspension travel. You have modify an 80 to have those things. What I'm trying to say is 80s stock aren't that great but they have a lot of potential. But once you start modifying a vehicle you really can't compare it to a stock vehicle. Stock for stock though bronco wins.

My buddies 80 with long travel coils, shocks, and 35s is pretty good on the trail. He doesn't mind getting 11mpgs and pulling passes at 35mph behind RVs and semis. He also runs hot now. He also bought it 13 years ago for $6700. Personally I like running the speed limit with the AC on.

Well even if the Bronco flexes better with its IFS, shocks and springs are a relatively inexpensive upgrade for the 80. Those are just wear items anyway. I’m not saying you’re wrong on the Bronco outperforming the 80 off road stock for stock; in fact that seems like a great idea for a video series.

There are plenty of overheating threads on Mud. With a properly serviced fan clutch and cooling system, you should be able to stay below 90 C, even on 37s and fully armoured in the summer heat. Yea it is slow, but they were designed to trundle along unimproved roads in the global south.

For me, the sluggishness is part of the charm of owning an old straight 6 solid axle LC: the last of its breed, at least in NA. Admittedly it can get old at times though.

 

[HUMMER/Expeditions]

80series is a beast
She towed 5600lb Humvee and 1600 lb trailer from LA to Northern California 560 miles

my Tacoma takes a sh..it towing half that weight

 

[Tex68w]

I think a lot of us get caught up in romanticizing the idea of these older rigs when in actuality they aren’t livable by today’s standards. I had a triple locked 80 and I liked looking at it and dreaming about the places we would go more so than actually doing it. Underpowered, always running hot, constantly searching for issues brought on by age and possible rust and the worry of finding reputable and affordable replacement parts that are quickly drying up. Let’s be honest with ourselves here, what we envision is far more appealing than reality. That’s not to say that it isn’t worth it, all classics and antiques are more about the process and the romance than the actual reality of ownership.

I miss my 80 and 60 at times and I start looking again but then I remind myself of the other side of the coin and I push myself back from the table and move on. Now if I could only apply that same philosophy and practice to classic cars and bikes too lol.

 

[Ozark_Prowler]

I think a lot of us get caught up in romanticizing the idea of these older rigs when in actuality they aren’t livable by today’s standards. I had a triple locked 80 and I liked looking at it and dreaming about the places we would go more so than actually doing it. Underpowered, always running hot, constantly searching for issues brought on by age and possible rust and the worry of finding reputable and affordable replacement parts that are quickly drying up. Let’s be honest with ourselves here, what we envision is far more appealing than reality. That’s not to say that it isn’t worth it, all classics and antiques are more about the process and the romance than the actual reality of ownership.

I miss my 80 and 60 at times and I start looking again but then I remind myself of the other side of the coin and I push myself back from the table and move on. Now if I could only apply that same philosophy and practice to classic cars and bikes too lol.

If it’s running hot all the time your cooling system is (or was) likely in less than optimal shape. Usually a fan clutch service and new radiator does the trick.

Also, I’m curious what you think is so unlivable about it? It’s not like it’s a 1950s Jeep or something

 

[Tex68w]

If it’s running hot all the time your cooling system is (or was) likely in less than optimal shape. Usually a fan clutch service and new radiator does the trick.

Also, I’m curious what you think is so unlivable about it? It’s not like it’s a 1950s Jeep or something

Mine was in overall great condition, but that straight six would run warm off-road and when idling a lot in traffic in this south Texas summer heat. Reading comprehension is a skill, I said that it is unlivable "by today's standards", that should be pretty self explanatory, i.e., loud cabin, mediocre brakes, few gears, meh air conditioning, subpar ride, etc., this is of course just one mans opinion and you are obviously entitled to your own. I appreciate the 80's mechanical simplicity in comparison to what's on the road today, but it doesn't mean I want to daily one, not for how/where I drive and what I expect out of a daily driver in 2021.