Experienced opinions required/buying an 80

[Mercurial]

G'day all! This is my first post on this forum, so thank you for welcoming me.

I'm looking at picking up an 80 series, and I'd love some opinions on its condition.
Its a 91 GXL 80. Originally with the 1hdt, but after that died. Previous owner dropped a 1hz with a DTS Turbo with 240,000kms into the old girl. The body has 580,000kms on her, and I'm curious as to what components would be due for replacement around this amount of kms. Brand new fuel pump.

The syncros for 1st and 2nd are worn, and you have to double clutch to downshift only into those two. I've heard this quite common, and it's just something you can learn to work with. Upshifting is great. Visible oil leak around gearbox seals.

I'd love your opinions! Thanks!!

 

[clx16]

If you don't know what else has been changed. You will need to change just about anything rubber... bushings everywhere and axle seals. Usually when seals are changes so are fluids and bearings.

This will likely include soft brake lines as well as power steering hoses. (Some what assuming that coolant hoses etc were changed with the swap). You may need to bring the brakes in to spec when doing this so that may mean some new calipers, master and booster.

I don't have that engine so I can't comment on what might be due in it now.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

That’s a lot of kms. Not sure how we can comment on condition just given this limited info.
Lots of things need to be checked, service records or not. Fluids, hoses, brake linings, knuckles, etc. For components absolutely needing to be replaced, my approach is if it isn’t broken don’t fix it.

 

[mudgudgeon]

DTS turbo on a 1hz would not be my preference.
Does it have an EGT gauge installed? Can the owner tell you what EGTs they see?

Turbo on a 1hz can be a recipe for cracked heads. Unless things have changed, DTS were using old turbo technology, not the best suited for the 1hz. It'll wake the 1hz up, but unless it's carefully tuned, and driven accordingly with an eye kept in EGTs, i'd steer clear of it because of the turbo choice alone.

The 1st and 2nd gear issue is common.
It can be improved a hell of a lot (not fixed) by using a good aftermarket oil such as Redline MT90, or Redline MTL, or Castrol VMX-M if you can still get it.

As mentiibed above, the age of the car means URL need a lot of maintenance, then, add in the high mileage. You're looking at a car that's likely to need a lot of up keep