buying advice- 85 mini

[anderaa13]

Hey guys,

I've had a few cruisers, but I don't know too much about pickups. I found an 85 standard cab 4x4 for $1000.

Frame, steering, axles, trans, clutch and transmission seem pretty solid. The body is beat up, but doesn't really have much rust. Interior is pretty rough. 118k. new tires.

The engine runs fine, but the guy says he has to add a quart every other fillup. There is no visible smoke, but the exhaust does smell pretty bad.

Also, no AC, no Fuel injection, no power steering.

Questions:
Does the price seem reasonable?
Was power steering an option in 85?
What is the best/cheapest source for a 22r- salvage/reman?

thanks for any input,
aaron

 

[pappy]

What do you plan on doing with it?

 

[Bob_Garrett]

Check out Pirate4x4.com. There's a huge FAQ section there on minis & 4Runners.

Power steering was an option. Not hard to add, but if you're going to build it up, it would be better to convert to hy-steer and use a ps box from a 86 or later ifs truck.

You can get an engine rebuild kit from Ted at engnbldr.com for less than $250. Rebuilt 22Rs are around $1200.

$1k seems a little high for a carbed truck. I paid $700 for an 83 about 18mo ago (22R). Some body rust, but solid frame. Fair interior. Engine needed a new timing chain (broken guides) but ran well with good compression and no oil burning or leaks. Had AC but no power steering.

Oil usage in a 22R with only 118k mi (assuming thats actual mileage) could indicate some abuse or neglect. Those motors are usually good for 200-300k with reasonable maintenance.

Bob

 

[anderaa13]

thanks for the response. I'll check out the faq on pirate.

I'd like to make it reliable enough to drive around town plus a small lift, power steering, a locker or two, etc.

aaron

 

[pappy]

If this is going to be a daily driver I would keep looking. There are clean 85's out there with EFI.

 

[mabrodis]

Wow, this is almost exactly what I asked a few months ago. I just got a '85 mini std-cab, longbed, carb, base interior (bench seat, etc) for $1000.

Runs/drives great everything solid been my daily driver since I got it...I need to put in a new clutch, just haven't gotten around to it.

I'd say $1000 is not a bad deal at all, having a carb certainly hasn't been a problem for me, starts great, runs great, etc...I know some people prefer the carb for the simplicity of it.

I guess you could find a better deal maybe, but IMO it's hard to knock a $1000 vehicle that's probably not even halfway through it's useful life...

Good Luck...

 

[KliersLC]

I prefer the carb because it is easier to replace with a weber than to have all your injectors tuned for more power. All of that efi crap gets in the way, and for your usage, you don't really need the efi(extreme rock crawling) Looks like a good price to me, with the exeption of the oil usage, any leaks??? the bad exhaust smell could be from that or incorrect vaccuum junk.
Good luck,
Dan