Finally got my FZJ80! 1997 $2500

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I am sure this thread has number of people with the same question that should help both remove stuff and also prepping info
are you following the FSM??


Thank you guys, these both will help out a lot tomorrow!
 
Congrats that’s a steal!

Baseline it... go through the suspension I’m sure it’s tired.. don’t Bedliner it! I’m working on one right now that was done some years ago and it looks like crap and is a mess! It’s hard to get the rest of the crap off..

I wouldn’t sweat the motor if it’s not knocking, I’m rolling one with 385k and zero issues.. check phh, fix oil leaks, (I’m sure it has some) and roll on rollercoaster!
 
I sold my '76 FJ40 over a year ago and have been missing it since. I've always loved the FJ80's but they have become more and more difficult to find over the years. Then last week I went on Craigslist and found one for $2500! The lady selling it got it from her brother(who purchased it in FL) and was moving to CA and needed to get rid of it. Very little surface rust(rare for MN), but its got high miles, 315k. Drivetrain is solid still and body is in great shape besides the passenger door.

I'll be doing cosmetic work on it at first; raptor line desert tan/black highlights, headlights/tail light upgrade, rims, etc. After that the engine is going to get a rebuild and the suspension upgraded. Wheel bearings and tie rod ends need to be replaced also.

I'm still new to the 80's so let me know what you guys suggest and I'll keep this thread updated with progress! I'm looking mainly for price conscious upgrades as this is my first rodeo with the 80.

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Man, you got a steal! That would be at least 5 grand here in CA!
 
Congrats that’s a steal!

Baseline it... go through the suspension I’m sure it’s tired.. don’t Bedliner it! I’m working on one right now that was done some years ago and it looks like crap and is a mess! It’s hard to get the rest of the crap off..

I wouldn’t sweat the motor if it’s not knocking, I’m rolling one with 385k and zero issues.. check phh, fix oil leaks, (I’m sure it has some) and roll on rollercoaster!
It's going to get some baselining done this weekend. I am going to bedline it. Planning on buying a cabin in northern minnesota that is on a lake but only accessible by state forest trails or boat.

Engine is good but it burns a LOT of oil. Surprisingly it doesn't leak that much though!
If your in Minnesota the climate will destroy the body of you put bedliner on it. Is their any trails in Minnesota where you can use a locker? Might be worth just flipping it and buying 4runner with ifs, will ride nicer.
Northern MN has quite a few trails. Maybe not as difficult as other states but still a decent variety.

Fj80s and Fj40s are my favorite 4x4s. Ill be keeping this 80 for quite a while. Ive had bedliner on other vehicles before for 8+ years before selling them where it still looked good so I'm not too worried about MN climate. Just have to keep washing the damn salt off in the winters
 
Have you determined the cause of the oil burn? Rings or valve seals?
 
If your not planning on a rebuild anytime soon, I've had good results using this stuff in an older fj60 and noticed an immediate improvement on oil usage. No affiliation.
 
If your not planning on a rebuild anytime soon, I've had good results using this stuff in an older fj60 and noticed an immediate improvement on oil usage. No affiliation.

I've never used that before. Does it have any negative effects on the engine at all?
 
Update: Liner went on good overall. i was short by about 2 liters so the roof isn't finished. And theres a few small light areas that need to be touched up. Tomorrow the bumpers and fenders will get black liner applied. Im happy with the results over all. I'm not much of a painter and this stuff is practically dummy proof. Almost anyways. Placed my elbow on the hood after it was tacky to get the wiper blade on. The texture stayed fine but it picked up all the black residue on my arm from washing it earlier:mad:

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Good color. What lights are those?
 
Good color. What lights are those?
I purchased the headlights and tail lights on ebay. Wouldn't recommend buying them there. One tail light was damaged and they sent two left side sets of headlight trim and no right side set
 
Sweet deal, that is a great price, and a 40th with lockers no less.

But dude.....bedliner and aftermarket ebay lights? This thread took a turn for the worse.

I'm not innocent! I regret pulling my stock seats and trashing them and replacing them with corbeau seats. Should have paid to have the OEM seats re-foamed and recovered.
 
Sweet deal, that is a great price, and a 40th with lockers no less.

But dude.....bedliner and aftermarket ebay lights? This thread took a turn for the worse.

I'm not innocent! I regret pulling my stock seats and trashing them and replacing them with corbeau seats. Should have paid to have the OEM seats re-foamed and recovered.

I'll admit, im not completely sold on the lights and I'll be keeping the OEM. As far as them coming from ebay, where else can you find aftermarket lights? After searching around it looks like there is only one overseas manufacturer thats actually producing them.

I don't regret the liner. It'll suite my needs better than paint. Seats will be recovered in leather as they are beat up pretty bad. Then Im going to try to save the carpet before replacing it
 
I've never used that before. Does it have any negative effects on the engine at all?
I didn't notice any negatives, the engine ran noticeably smoother after just a short drive. I wouldn't take any chances on a lower mile engine, but with yours, it might help with the oil consumption.
 
Update: Liner went on good overall. i was short by about 2 liters so the roof isn't finished. And theres a few small light areas that need to be touched up. Tomorrow the bumpers and fenders will get black liner applied. Im happy with the results over all. I'm not much of a painter and this stuff is practically dummy proof. Almost anyways. Placed my elbow on the hood after it was tacky to get the wiper blade on. The texture stayed fine but it picked up all the black residue on my arm from washing it earlier:mad:

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To be clear It's the fender flairs you talking about black lining not the finders ?
 
I'll admit, im not completely sold on the lights and I'll be keeping the OEM. As far as them coming from ebay, where else can you find aftermarket lights? After searching around it looks like there is only one overseas manufacturer thats actually producing them.

I don't regret the liner. It'll suite my needs better than paint. Seats will be recovered in leather as they are beat up pretty bad. Then Im going to try to save the carpet before replacing it
I hear you on wanting better more modern lighting. After driving a vehicle with modern HID headlights, it is very hard to go back to halogen. HID headlights are pretty incredible, and probably my favorite improvement to automobiles in general that has come along in my lifetime.

If you aren't aware, for the OEM headlights, swapping in some 9011 (high beam) and 9012 (low beam) bulbs is a good improvement. For around $75 total, you can give it a shot. More info in this thread:

That would be great if a reliable parts manufacturer produced a nice set of HID headlights for 80's.

Respect for digging your heals in on the bedliner! After thinking about it, it wouldn't scare me off from buying a locked 40th rig!
 
I hear you on wanting better more modern lighting. After driving a vehicle with modern HID headlights, it is very hard to go back to halogen. HID headlights are pretty incredible, and probably my favorite improvement to automobiles in general that has come along in my lifetime.

If you aren't aware, for the OEM headlights, swapping in some 9011 (high beam) and 9012 (low beam) bulbs is a good improvement. For around $75 total, you can give it a shot. More info in this thread:

That would be great if a reliable parts manufacturer produced a nice set of HID headlights for 80's.

Respect for digging your heals in on the bedliner! After thinking about it, it wouldn't scare me off from buying a locked 40th rig!

Im going to run these headlights for a while but keep the OEM as backup. But I'll keep those upgrades in mind!

If I had more confidence in my painting skills I might have tried to repaint it. But I do like the liner, now I just have to see how it holds up.

Still have to sandblast and repaint the wheels. Just rattle canned them for now. Grill will be customized too. Have the mesh and emblem just need the motivation. Then I have to sand down the brush guard and repaint that too.

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