Currently have 1992 fj80 and wonder if I should sell if fora fjz80?

[Shea]

Paid 3.5k for 1992 with 230k on the truck about 2 years ago, over all decent condition.
Going thru and finding the gremlins and replacing as needed, maintenance was nill prior to my possesion. So far nothing major other than replace radiator, wheel bearing, O2 censor, plugs, wires, fix exhaust leak pre cat., throttle cable adjustment, kick down cable adjustment, change of all fluids, fuel injector cleaning, set of 265x70x16 ko2 tires on 16" TRD rims. She's been running pretty good after I adjusted kick down cable took away what I thought was transmission issues and shifts smoother, but low acceleration and uphill speed, or lack of speed, still persist. Coupled with only 6 mpg average and code 25 "lean mixture" light and a pretty Nasty rattle I have been hearing sounds like catalytic converter which will be going in tomorrow. Sure hope it makes a difference....
Furthermore work to be done include shocks, coils, tie rods, u joint, front axle assembly ect...
Question is the fj80 worth doing all this work to? Or would I be better off selling it now and put the money towards fjz80 that has the bigger engine and ff rear end ect....

 

[Shea]

 

[zoojp]

I'd keep it. Fix the front end and drop a GM V-8 and transmission in it. You already know the issues with your truck and buying a newer one will net you 55hp or so? A GM swap will cost a few thousand if you can plan well and have some patience to wait for the right Craigslist ads. Plus you'll get double the HP or more then the 3FE. You'll likely lose a few thousand or more buying a different truck.

There are 80's being parted out, so finding a FF rear axle should not be difficult.

There is another thread going right now on 80 values and it looks like a decent one costs $6-10k at a minimum and will probably need the basic 80 maintenance done.

Edit: just saw the plate and you are in Cali...that makes an engine swap difficult!

 

[DSRTRDR]

first: what's your intended use of the truck ?

second: 80 series trucks are not speed demons by any measure, so a newer 80 won't get you there all that much faster afterall

third: by now, you probably know more about the truck you have than any new one, so why not fix the remaining things and just enjoy it ?

 

[DSRTRDR]

and, why not hook up with your local club and get some input there ?

 

[Shea]

and, why not hook up with your local club and get some input there ?

Def would like too! Great option.

 

[DSRTRDR]

search here: North American Clubhouses - West Region | IH8MUD Forum

 

[Shea]

first: what's your intended use of the truck ?

second: 80 series trucks are not speed demons by any measure, so a newer 80 won't get you there all that much faster afterall

third: by now, you probably know more about the truck you have than any new one, so why not fix the remaining things and just enjoy it ?

Mainly as daily driver but a capable off road weekend camp rig.

 

[ATXFJ80]

Do an LS swap or sell it and get an FZJ80.

 

[jdayment]

I would like to know why youre only getting 6 MPG I have front and rear bumpers lift and roof rack and average about 9-10.

 

[Broski]

Is the inside as clean as the out side. It sure is looking good. I prefer the FJZ but if you can find one as clean as yous it's going to coast you. It sound like you have some motor problems to work out to get your mileage where it should be and bring back some power. If your cat. is bad it would kill both.

 

[jonheld]

The newest 80 Series you can get is now 19 years old. Unless you're willing to pay a premium price, you're going to have to spend the time/money doing the exact same type of baseline routine.
In the interim, your truck is now 24 years old and replacing worn out parts is part of the contract you signed when you bought it. Here's a good thread you might want to look at:
General 3FE Tune Up Info

 

[Josey1972]

I've owned both. The fzj gives a bit more of a comfortable feeling i.e. Quieter engine, a little more power, nicer stuff in side etc.

Personally I'd agree with the other comments. Stick with what you've got. You can do things to get a little more power out of it. I didn't buy my truck to go fast. I bought it for the experience. My family and I are going to have a great time seeing places in it.

Nice truck by the way.

 

[Heckraiser]

Some folks prefer the fj80... it's all just a matter of how much "slow" you can tolerate. 6mpg would drive me nuts. Get that sorted out and I bet a little bit of pep comes back. I'd keep the truck, you know what kind of shape it's in and what it needs. Getting a new one would be a crap shoot and you might end up with something worse. And I agree with @ATXFJ80, I think a vortec swap should be in the long term plans.

You'd think it would be peppy with smaller-than stock tires

 

[Josey1972]

I'll add that I get more satisfaction out of torque than I do speed. It didn't used to be that way. Happened to me as I'm entering the mid 40's.

 

[Josey1972]

I've owned both. The fzj gives a bit more of a comfortable feeling i.e. Quieter engine, a little more power, nicer stuff in side etc.

Personally I'd agree with the other comments. Stick with what you've got. You can do things to get a little more power out of it. I didn't buy my truck to go fast. I bought it for the experience. My family and I are going to have a great time seeing places in it.

Nice truck by the way.

 

[2 E L O]

I've had a 96 LX450 and now I have a '92 LC. Honestly, for just driving around town use I can't really tell the difference in power. They're both total dogs...

Also, the simplicity of a desmogged 3FE gives me a warm fuzzy and helps me sleep well at night. No walking around on egg shells and constantly staring at the water temp gauge waiting for the head gasket to give up.

Financially, you'd have to outlay quite a bit of cash (and a lot of wrenching time) to get into an otherwise 'equal' FZJ. I just can't think of any overly redeeming quality of a later truck that would justify the investment... Although, LCs aren't typically good investments, anyway.

The main thing I prefer with the later trucks over the earlier trucks is airbags. I wish my truck had them...

With all the work you've already put into it and the relatively minor problems, seems like a good idea to hang onto it and continue building it to suit your needs.

Alas, in the end you just need to do whatever is going to make you happy.

My 3FE sure makes me happy!

 

[Josey1972]

I've had a 96 LX450 and now I have a '92 LC. Honestly, for just driving around town use I can't really tell the difference in power. They're both total dogs...

Also, the simplicity of a desmogged 3FE gives me a warm fuzzy and helps me sleep well at night. No walking around on egg shells and constantly staring at the water temp gauge waiting for the head gasket to give up.

Financially, you'd have to outlay quite a bit of cash (and a lot of wrenching time) to get into an otherwise 'equal' FZJ. I just can't think of any overly redeeming quality of a later truck that would justify the investment... Although, LCs aren't typically good investments, anyway.

The main thing I prefer with the later trucks over the earlier trucks is airbags. I wish my truck had them...

With all the work you've already put into it and the relatively minor problems, seems like a good idea to hang onto it and continue building it to suit your needs.

Alas, in the end you just need to do whatever is going to make you happy.

My 3FE sure makes me happy!

Whoah hold it right there partner! LC's aren't good investments? They are for the guy who just bought one from a schmuck like me who put 15k on fire getting it all fancy and stuff. Realistically, I believe they will only go up in value as time goes on. Will my pretty nice 80 be worth 100k? No, but I wont loose much money when I sell it. Look at the fully restored one's... they fetch pretty big bucks.

 

[2 E L O]

Whoah hold it right there partner! LC's aren't good investments? They are for the guy who just bought one from a schmuck like me who put 15k on fire getting it all fancy and stuff. Realistically, I believe they will only go up in value as time goes on. Will my pretty nice 80 be worth 100k? No, but I wont loose much money when I sell it. Look at the fully restored one's... they fetch pretty big bucks.

They 'can' be good investments, but I'm guessing at least 75% of Mud members have a higher total investment value than they do resale value, especially if you consider labor.

A few lucky ones get to pick them up for cheap from someone that doesn't know what they have, or they get lucky and buy a built one for pennies on the dollar.

I agree that they'll likely continue to go up in value, but unless something crazy happens I don't think that growth will keep up with the never ending money pits that are LCs...especially when their owners have OCD.

However, as far as my wife knows my '92 is a rare gem that oozes return on investment from every orifice. It makes it a lot easier to justify (and get approval for) spending money on it that way...

 

[Hornd]

Putting it up for sale is Free.

The 1FZ-FE is snail slow as well.

What is keeping you out of a 100?