My growing obsession with 80's...

[Nay]

We all need to remember that Toyota designed these for 32"|235/85r16|7.50r16 tires. In the USA they put on 31"|275/70r16 as indicated by the interchangeable 31|32 teeth speedo gear.

I just don't see that 35" or even 37" tires were ever design-spec. :smiley_drive:

Nay, I love the look of the 37s but there is a lot of geometry correction needed at these sizes. I wish I had that, but reality is these trucks were made for a different duty. I bet a 3F-E rolling 4.10s on 235s at 14k feet would feel "normal," or as normal as any naturally aspirated older vehicle at that altitude.

Nah, you can run 37's on the same basic lifts that you can run 35's with a little bit of tuning - I stayed low on lift to avoid suspension geometry issues. My rig feels no different onroad between the two sizes (35/37) - these two sizes generally have a weight within about 5% of each other - but it is night and day offroad (crawling). I figure if 37's fit they were in the design spec, or at least the theory must be tested :wings:

At the end of the day, what is "enough" is a personal preference. In 2010, you could probably sell about zero of these pigs with 12-14 mpg ratings and this little power compared modern V8 power and fuel economy. Yet we seek them out and plan to keep them for 20 years because the damn things still have soul of a true offroad truck and for that you just have to drive a little bit slower.

See you in the right hand lane. :coffeedrink:

 

[Pskhaat]

See you in the right hand lane. :coffeedrink:

LOL, I'll be on the shoulder letting you pass :wavey:

 

[ashooter]

...In 2010, you could probably sell about zero of these pigs with 12-14 mpg ratings and this little power compared modern V8 power and fuel economy. Yet we seek them out and plan to keep them for 20 years because the damn things still have soul of a true offroad truck and for that you just have to drive a little bit slower...

Fk-ing poetry, Nay... fk-ing poetry.

:costumed-smiley-007

 

[thecriscokid]

I'm jumping in! Got my Tundra up for sale, have a couple leads on what I think is a good 80. Kind of makes more sense now. My boy will be 1 this summer and my pick up just isnt getting used very much. I am kind of worried about the highway speed but just pushing that to the back of my mind. I have an awd bmw wagon for the highway trips and daily driving. That's my thinking anyway. I'm only a few hours from Utah and have summer passes that I want to drive all over the place were I live. Hoping I am making the right decision letting the Tundra go for an 80 (the right 100 still has a chance too)

 

[anthonycds]

Goodluck! Pickin's are gettin slim kid. 100's are everywhere.

 

[Wheelingnoob]

I just got an 80 and going from a 3VZ 93 4runner to the 1fz was like night and day. Very drivable and had lots of power to get up to hwy speed with.

Its off the road now getting all its PM done including a HG and all hoses and tune up. Base lined all the fluids too and did all the body work. Scored and got one with factory lockers. At the price I got it for after all the work done its still cost me less than others I looked at in worse shape with not service documentation, and its only got 150K miles on it.

Love the truck and all the things truck its got, only driven it about 60 miles since I got it but love it already.

 

[thecriscokid]

I SOLD my Tundra this morning and will be picking up my 80 in 2 weeks. If it happened 1 day sooner I would be picking it up today as I am leaving on a trip 1st thing in the a.m.. At least I will be on a trip for the next 2 weeks and not thinking about it "as much":victory:

 

[Wheelingnoob]

I SOLD my Tundra this morning and will be picking up my 80 in 2 weeks. If it happened 1 day sooner I would be picking it up today as I am leaving on a trip 1st thing in the a.m.. At least I will be on a trip for the next 2 weeks and not thinking about it "as much":victory:

Congrats and welcome! You have a new place to send countless hours and countless dollars....best part is they are all worth it. :sombrero:

 

[Torquey]

Congrats! We will need to see some pics. There's a lot of good resources available to you here.

 

[thecriscokid]

I ended up finding a factory locked 94 with 170k on chassis and 130 swapped in motor, sliders, no lift, transfer skid, 4x4 labs rear bumper and nice interior. The PO was going to continue building but had a change of plans. Really nice guy, did full syn fluids, full front axle rebuild, and has been patient with my timing! I have a set of 285's left over from my Tundra and just enough coin to pick up a OME 850/863 kit and an ARB front bumper. I will have to wait a little while for a winch and battery set up I guess. Time will tell if I get pulled into a re-gear/315 combo....

 

[JayBlack]

Cost of Ownership of an 80 ?

I have wanted an 80 for years I have gotten to a point where I can get one, I have found 2 (both 1997's ) #1 has 112K #2 has 159 K both stock with almost no maintenance history . what should I expect to spend immediately on maintenace ? and what is the general cost to own a cruiser yearly ?

thanks Jay

 

[eric1115]

I have wanted an 80 for years I have gotten to a point where I can get one, I have found 2 (both 1997's ) #1 has 112K #2 has 159 K both stock with almost no maintenance history . what should I expect to spend immediately on maintenace ? and what is the general cost to own a cruiser yearly ?

thanks Jay

Tons of variables at work. Do you turn your own wrenches? I'm not as familiar with the FZJ as some guys on here, but they'll chime in with cost and things to add to the list. For most of these, it's not the part that's super expensive. It's the labor if you have to pay someone to install it.

On any vehicle with questionable/limited maintenance history, I'd do the following pronto:
Buy a factory service manual. Skip the Haynes/Chilton step and get the right one first.
All new fluids: Coolant, oil, trans, tcase, diffs, brake, power steering.
Check and replace as needed: all belts, hoses, vac lines.

On an 80 series Cruiser:
If it's got the factory e-lockers, plan on them needing work.

Replace the pesky heater hose now instead of on the trail.

Head gasket - same. They're known to fail. On an FJ80, not an issue. FZJ, it is.

Front axle. This one isn't expensive if you do it yourself, just super messy. Knuckle rebuild kit, inner axle seals, and wheel bearings from Marlin is only $165. Add $30-50 for grease, rags, gear oil (but you were already doing that anyway). Plan on a greasy weekend.

Once all that's done, you should have a pretty bulletproof rig. Some guys change fluids obsessively, but it really depends on you and your driving conditions. If you're fording streams regularly, you'll want to do knuckle repacks and change gear oil more frequently than a guy who's mostly doing desert stuff.

--If you have to pay someone to do all this, it will cost you a fortune. There's nothing better than doing all this yourself and knowing your rig that much better. You'll save enough money to buy whatever tools you're missing to do all these, and if you break down on the trail that knowledge is invaluable.--

edit: general cost to own a cruiser yearly is HUGELY variable. If you put 12k miles on it, that's ~$3000 in fuel. It also depends on how susceptible to MIBS you are. Bumpers, winch, recovery rigging, RTT, OBA, Lift, tires, lights, drawers, water, sound deadening, battery/power management, HAM, CB, the list is endless. The purchase price of the vehicle can be only a small part of the equation.

 

[JayBlack]

I can do most of the wrenching myself I probably wouldn't tackle the head gasket but I have enough friends that work at Toyota dearships that I think I could swing it , Rig would be pretty much a DD with 10% offroad use , Fuel is the discouraging factor as reg. is $3.78 near me hmmm I think a 4runner might be in the works thanks for the info. Jay

 

[redthies]

Head gaskets are not a "PM" item. Mine has 220,000 on the original, and the oil is golden, and the coolant clear and red. The front axle service and PHH are a good idea though. These trucks are NOT cheap to own compared to some, but I would suggest you drive both before you decide. One of my friends has a 09 Tacoma with heated leather etc etc, and actually likes the comfort of my 80 better... and it is 15 years old and FAR from perfect. The main differences will be fuel cost. Does the Frunner need premium? The 80 only drinks regular.

 

[eric1115]

I can do most of the wrenching myself I probably wouldn't tackle the head gasket but I have enough friends that work at Toyota dearships that I think I could swing it , Rig would be pretty much a DD with 10% offroad use , Fuel is the discouraging factor as reg. is $3.78 near me hmmm I think a 4runner might be in the works thanks for the info. Jay

I would suggest that fuel economy won't be as big a difference as you think. you can likely pull down ~15 in a Cruiser, ~17-20 in a 4Runner (both close to stock).

The other thing to consider, is that with an 80 you are getting a vehicle that (I think Scott described it this way) is a legacy vehicle. The MB G-Wagen is probably the only vehicle being produced now with that combination of offroad capability and sophistication/comfort/pleasant DDabilitiy. I strongly doubt there will be another. The 80 was the end of an era; a few guys here will argue, but once the 100 went IFS, it lost some serious Cruiser cred in my book.

How many 4Runners do you see out and about? They are a dime a dozen and will gradually depreciate to nothing. How many nice 80s do you see? I bet, in 10 years (assuming you keep it) your 4Runner will be "old" and you'll be looking at a newer one. Your Cruiser will be "classic" and you'll be thinking about a way to put a more powerful heart in her so you can keep driving her. You'll have named her. You'll have sworn you were going to sell her but then found that you couldn't. You'll look at all the older classics and smile when you turn on your AC and set the cruise control for the drive back home. You'll look at all the newer wundermobiles and smile as you engage your factory lockers on your factory solid axles and crawl up that ledge, knowing that every corner of the planet has been explored by these Cruisers.

Sorry for the long winded post, and truthfully I haven't owned either of the vehicles you're considering. I've had Mini's, 1st gen 4Runner, and now an FJ60 that is SO much better. My sincere hope is to pass this truck to my son (he's a year and a half now)... when I die. I might own another 4Runner; open top and 35s makes for a fun trail rig, but the Cruiser will always stay. I know I'm wired a little different from most, but that's my perspective.

Eric