Builds Mike's disaster of a landcruiser project, 1992 "big red" (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Sep 18, 2017
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Location
RIVERSIDE CA
Hi everyone. My name is Mike and I live in Washington state. I've always wanted a land cruiser but I've never considered getting one since they are too expensive for my beater budget (I have one "nice" car and one beater). My beater until recently was a 1989 Toyota pickup, 5 speed 22RE 2WD. Good truck but not ideal for use in winter, or rough forest roads on camping trips, though I used it for that, a lot.

Long story short, there was a land cruiser on my local craigslist with a blown head gasket and the dude was open to trades, so I thought what the hell I'll see if he wants the truck. Turns out he did (the truck was in great mechanical shape and got 28 mpg) and we traded straight across. The truck was a bit rusted (beyond permanent repair) and the land cruiser has basically no real rust so that sealed the deal for me... Not to mention IMO the 80 series is the best looking SUV of all time.

Here is what I ended up with:

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248k miles, started right up and drove onto the trailer. I figured how bad can it be, I can fix it, right?

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Made it home with no issues, the F150 is savage and pulled it like it was nothing! No front bumper, s**t wheels and tires...

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The paint has seen better days but, it's mine!

The interior was a s**t show but it's not the first time I've gotten a nasty rig, so the first thing I did was tear it out and clean everything.

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Much better!

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Pretty good besides the ripped front seats...

Next was wheels and tires. Got a cheap set of steel 15" 32x11.5 from craigslist and washed the outside of the rig... I like the looks of the black steelies, always have.

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Is it lifted? Seems like it. Still need to replace the wheel studs on one wheel but I figured I'd better take the engine apart and get the head to a guy I know.
 
So I started tearing into it...

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Normal, dirty engine bay.

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Well that's gross, how was it still running? It idled a bit rough and blew white smoke but it wasn't THAT bad?


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Nasty!

Why is everything so rusty? All the coolant hoses were rusty! Why?!

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Well, I've seen enough. The motor is disgusting and seems to be rusted out inside. I found pieces of metal in the coolant. Not good.


So at this point I'm saving up for a new engine. I will also need a front axle rebuild, and something is up with the front hubs since there was a lot of play in the wheel and a clinking noise coming from the inside of one of the hub cover things (sorry about the terminology, I am a sports car guy I don't know solid axles). Will also need a front bumper, tail lights, and who knows what else at this point.

Akin to a stray cat, now that I have it I'm "stuck" with it. With the truck and tires I have maybe $1500 into it at this point so it could be worse, and to be honest I don't mind a project, although the timing was bad since winter is coming.

The plan now is to save money, research, learn, and get it going this spring. This forum is an awesome resource and I'm very excited to make the truck "mine" and turn it into a long-term reliable adventure slash camping rig.

Here is a bonus picture of my car. My car funds recently went into the cooling system overhaul for this thing (mishimoto, stewart, etc... any BMW guys here?).

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Thanks for looking at my thread! I will update it as progress is made, but it might be a while until I get anything significant accomplished.
 
According to a few, the 92 is the best year made (not me, but @LS1FJ40 and @jonheld and a few others) and they are great resources for information. You have the 3FE engine. Slow as hell, but (usually) never dies. I think this makes the third or fourth head gasket on a 3FE in as many weeks. Usually, the HG is reserved for those with 93-97 with the 1FZ engine.

Pull it and rebuild it. It's probably in better shape than you think.

The front axle is no big deal, @cruiseroutfit (Kurt) can help you out with rebuild parts.

I know you're a long way away, but @arcteryx in TX has a lot of parts but may be able to steer you the right direction.

Find a local club (also above) and meet up with other 'Cruisers. This group is different than ANY other group you've been in. They help a LOT.

Check out the classifieds at the top of the board.

The 91 and 92 are the ones you're looking for. Once you hit 93, some stuff starts to change. Some of the body parts are the same.

Oh....and WELCOME! :flipoff2::flipoff2::flipoff2:
 
Look around on CL I wish I had of known a month ago we scrapped a 3fe and also sorry you have a BMW I sold mine I am no car guy 97 328i manual auto swap m3 brakes and other goodies. Welcome :flipoff2:, I will keep my eyes open for a motor
 
Mourn your wallet....it will be missed :frown:
 
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Well that's gross, how was it still running? It idled a bit rough and blew white smoke but it wasn't THAT bad?

Wait a second, it was still running like that?
 
Pull it and rebuild it. It's probably in better shape than you think.
That might be very optimistic. Lots of coolant in the oil along with other goodies. I can't imagine that the mains and crank are looking good at this point. Add in all the crap that's now in the throttle body and a nasty looking top end. Not sure it's worth the time/money.
 
Thanks for the encouragement and kind words! I was second guessing my decision at first, but seeing pics of all your guys awesome cruisers and how much you seem to enjoy them has made me willing to go all the way. I'll do my best to build it right since I don't want to ever get rid of it.
 
I agree with Jonheld, as rough as it looks in the pics I think you would end up ahead by getting a new engine, and re-building it. Once in a great while you can find a COMPLETE 3FE in the classifieds or parting out section of the ‘Mud listings...... if not, other options are there......GM gassers, foreign diesels,??. It sounds like you have time, sit back for “a few” and see what you can find. But, whatever you do.... don’t just “trash” the old 3FE, a lot of good parts left on it!
Either way..... GOOD LUCK TO YOU.
 
I agree with Jonheld, as rough as it looks in the pics I think you would end up ahead by getting a new engine, and re-building it. Once in a great while you can find a COMPLETE 3FE in the classifieds or parting out section of the ‘Mud listings...... if not, other options are there......GM gassers, foreign diesels,??. It sounds like you have time, sit back for “a few” and see what you can find. But, whatever you do.... don’t just “trash” the old 3FE, a lot of good parts left on it!
Either way..... GOOD LUCK TO YOU.

Thanks. Have you heard of car-part.com? It looks like complete 3F-E's can be had for about a grand, the question is finding a solid one without crazy miles. But you're right, I'm considering my options for now.
 
Dang that looks nasty.

The few 3FEs I've seen with blown head gaskets have been severely neglected.

I'd check the front axle for diff fluid and the knuckles for grease. If you are hearing a clicking sound when you turn you could be low on moly in the knuckle. My guess is that both are pretty low, if not dry. Crawl under your rig and look at the exposed ball on each side. That is he birfield. If it is dry you don't have any grease in your knuckles.

Have fun, these things are virtually indestructible. However it seems that some people try to test that.

Welcome! And sorry about the horrible color.
 
I cant believe I'm about to type this. As much as I hate desecration of land cruisers with Chevy junk; I've seen a few whole swap packages on CL under $1000 over the last year. 5.3 and 5.7 vortec engines with transmission and complete wiring harnesses. That's puts you a t-case adapter and some fab work away from an LS swap. There were times while developing my swap I considered sh!t canning it and just picking up one of
These swaps since at one point I was ordering just as much in maintenance and replacement parts as the swap would have run. There was one complete 5.3 engine trans and transfer with complete wiring and all sensors last Christmas for $700. Search around and they can be had cheap. Anyway, I honestly wouldn't throw money into making it a 3fe again if it's going to be more than $1k. At that point you'd be better off saving for an upgraded swap. My opinion, but I'm a glutton for punishment lol.
 
If I could swap in a v8 for less than $2000 I would consider it. I've been doing a tiny bit of research but it sounds like the 3F-E replacement would be the cheapest and most reliable option. Can you swap in a Toyota v8 from a tundra or something?
 
And also if I get another 3F-E I can save all the good parts off the one I have as backups. I guess the main reason I'm hesitant to spend too much on a swap is because I want bumpers and a winch and all that stuff which isn't cheap.
 
Here is a bonus picture of my car. My car funds recently went into the cooling system overhaul for this thing (mishimoto, stewart, etc... any BMW guys here?).

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Thanks for looking at my thread! I will update it as progress is made, but it might be a while until I get anything significant accomplished.

Yup, nice looking E36. I have one myself:

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I don't know why BMW did such a poor job on the cooling systems in this era. Did you replace as preventative maintenance or did you have a failure of a component?
 

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