So... My wife decided that she wanted more seatbelts and room than her 96 4runner had.
I found a FJ80 with a whole lot of miles (313k) for not a whole lot of money (1300.00).
The rig is sort of a conflict in maintenance history. On one hand, I think I have every single smog certificate, maintenance record, etc since the vehicle was almost new. I know that it spent 1992-2002 in Southern California, where it was owned by a radio engineer who would use it to go out to remote repeater sites. In an email that he sent the family that sold the rig to me, he claims that he "did air" only a couple of times and only for a few seconds. He then goes on to define "doing air". He also writes about his bug screen, which is a piece of residential screen stapled to a wooden dowel. It sits in front of the radiator to prevent bugs from getting caked in the radiator. It's still there, even though the rig is on its third radiator... Which is leaking.
The body and interior are in great shape. The clear coat is shot. The driver's seat bottom is shot. The window tint (aftermarket, I assume) is purple, faded and torn.
The maintenance list is extensive. Most immediately, it needs the entire front axle redone from hub to hub to pinion flange. The bearings are wailing. The differential backlash is about an inch, by the sound of things. The birfs are clicking like they are completely dry.
The one benefit to living near Fresno is that both Trail Gear and Marlin Crawler are easily accessible. Along with 4.88's from Iron Pig, and Yukon Zip air lockers (best price I found was actually Amazon), I've got rebuild kits and rubber wipers in hand. Next week, I'll try to knock out regearing and rebuilding the knuckles.
The engine had some obvious vacuum leaks. I've been chasing those down as I go. The vacuum hoses were original, by the looks of it. I bought all the vacuum line that my local Napa had... And still didn't have enough to replace everything. It's idling smoother, but still has an intermittent miss.
I likely have an engine oil leak somewhere. It was pretty grimy. I've been cleaning as I go. It's getting better. Running a bottle of seafoam through identified an exhaust leak at the rear exhaust flange coming off the manifold.
I'll keep this going as I work. Initially, here is my catch up list:
Diff breather extensions
Remove running boards
Remove mud flaps
Fix radio antenna
LED interior lights
5% tint rear / 30% front windows
Clean window switches, fix drivers side rear
Dialectic grease and clean contacts on all plugs and connectors
LED marker, brake, tail, signals
Back row seat retainer straps
Tailgate carpet fix
Gear shifter window
Transfer case lever boot
Hood struts
Spark plugs
Wires
Cap
rotor
Waterproof ignition
Fuel filter
Transmission flush, filter, adjustment
Seafoam treatment
Control arm bushings
Hitch pin sway bar disconnects
Parking brake handle replacement
Left rear door panel
Drivers seat bottom replacement
EBC FJ 100 brake pads
Adjust rear drums
Adjust parking brake
Adjust throttle cable
Check timing
EGR system cleaning
Steering column screws
Radiator
Rear hatch child lock
Door window and lock switches and relays
Factory Parts to Acquire
Top of steering column cover, black
Transfer case shifter boot
Gear selector indicator strip
Parking brake handle, brown
Sun roof trim, rear, brown
Drivers seat bottom for sure, back maybe.
I found a FJ80 with a whole lot of miles (313k) for not a whole lot of money (1300.00).
The rig is sort of a conflict in maintenance history. On one hand, I think I have every single smog certificate, maintenance record, etc since the vehicle was almost new. I know that it spent 1992-2002 in Southern California, where it was owned by a radio engineer who would use it to go out to remote repeater sites. In an email that he sent the family that sold the rig to me, he claims that he "did air" only a couple of times and only for a few seconds. He then goes on to define "doing air". He also writes about his bug screen, which is a piece of residential screen stapled to a wooden dowel. It sits in front of the radiator to prevent bugs from getting caked in the radiator. It's still there, even though the rig is on its third radiator... Which is leaking.
The body and interior are in great shape. The clear coat is shot. The driver's seat bottom is shot. The window tint (aftermarket, I assume) is purple, faded and torn.
The maintenance list is extensive. Most immediately, it needs the entire front axle redone from hub to hub to pinion flange. The bearings are wailing. The differential backlash is about an inch, by the sound of things. The birfs are clicking like they are completely dry.
The one benefit to living near Fresno is that both Trail Gear and Marlin Crawler are easily accessible. Along with 4.88's from Iron Pig, and Yukon Zip air lockers (best price I found was actually Amazon), I've got rebuild kits and rubber wipers in hand. Next week, I'll try to knock out regearing and rebuilding the knuckles.
The engine had some obvious vacuum leaks. I've been chasing those down as I go. The vacuum hoses were original, by the looks of it. I bought all the vacuum line that my local Napa had... And still didn't have enough to replace everything. It's idling smoother, but still has an intermittent miss.
I likely have an engine oil leak somewhere. It was pretty grimy. I've been cleaning as I go. It's getting better. Running a bottle of seafoam through identified an exhaust leak at the rear exhaust flange coming off the manifold.
I'll keep this going as I work. Initially, here is my catch up list:
Diff breather extensions
Remove running boards
Remove mud flaps
Fix radio antenna
LED interior lights
5% tint rear / 30% front windows
Clean window switches, fix drivers side rear
Dialectic grease and clean contacts on all plugs and connectors
LED marker, brake, tail, signals
Back row seat retainer straps
Tailgate carpet fix
Gear shifter window
Transfer case lever boot
Hood struts
Spark plugs
Wires
Cap
rotor
Waterproof ignition
Fuel filter
Transmission flush, filter, adjustment
Seafoam treatment
Control arm bushings
Hitch pin sway bar disconnects
Parking brake handle replacement
Left rear door panel
Drivers seat bottom replacement
EBC FJ 100 brake pads
Adjust rear drums
Adjust parking brake
Adjust throttle cable
Check timing
EGR system cleaning
Steering column screws
Radiator
Rear hatch child lock
Door window and lock switches and relays
Factory Parts to Acquire
Top of steering column cover, black
Transfer case shifter boot
Gear selector indicator strip
Parking brake handle, brown
Sun roof trim, rear, brown
Drivers seat bottom for sure, back maybe.