Hey guys, Anthony here, first post. I found an 80 series (year unknown, just remember what it looked like and came home and looked it up on wikipedia). It looks like this vehicle can be had for very cheap or free. Parked in someone's yard collecting tree gunk. The windshield is busted/cracked (no open spaces, but pretty bad cracks, looks like a limb fell during a storm or something). Its not wrecked, body looks good (except from being dirty). My guess is the engine or transmission is kaputsky and the owner didn't want to repair it.
I've studied up a little bit on these 80 series, and IDEALLY, I would like to have a diesel motor, but I read a thread about a guy spending 18k to get all the stuff imported to the states and having it installed professionally.. realistically, though, it will be a direct replacement of whatever's in there now. my mechanic skills are fairly amatuerish, regular tuneup stuff and replacing alternators/starters.. as far as rebuilding a motor, that's a nightmare for me, so I will take it to a shop to re-build or just get a new one dropped in. Of course, as a project, I will want to restore it to showroom quality, with a little aftermarket thrown in (OME lift, all-terrain/off road tires, stealth sound system).
The vehicle will be a daily driver, with a long commute to work, and a little offroading during my free time. I've read that gas mileage in these things is terrible, but a desmog trick will help.. Is there anything else that will help me with fuel economy other than regular maintenence?
Right now, my options are the LC80 (as stated, a project vehicle until I at least can get it running), a jeep grand cherokee, and a chevy trailblazer. The latter two would obviously be running vehicles in good condition, and not really any kind of "project" involved.. The reason im considering the LC is because i read that theyre great off-roaders for the type of stuff i like, they're rare (only 15000 imported to US?), and this one could be a freebie.. My concerns are sourcing the engine/transmission (or whatever the problem is), and expensive parts.. Oh, and gas milage..
I've studied up a little bit on these 80 series, and IDEALLY, I would like to have a diesel motor, but I read a thread about a guy spending 18k to get all the stuff imported to the states and having it installed professionally.. realistically, though, it will be a direct replacement of whatever's in there now. my mechanic skills are fairly amatuerish, regular tuneup stuff and replacing alternators/starters.. as far as rebuilding a motor, that's a nightmare for me, so I will take it to a shop to re-build or just get a new one dropped in. Of course, as a project, I will want to restore it to showroom quality, with a little aftermarket thrown in (OME lift, all-terrain/off road tires, stealth sound system).
The vehicle will be a daily driver, with a long commute to work, and a little offroading during my free time. I've read that gas mileage in these things is terrible, but a desmog trick will help.. Is there anything else that will help me with fuel economy other than regular maintenence?
Right now, my options are the LC80 (as stated, a project vehicle until I at least can get it running), a jeep grand cherokee, and a chevy trailblazer. The latter two would obviously be running vehicles in good condition, and not really any kind of "project" involved.. The reason im considering the LC is because i read that theyre great off-roaders for the type of stuff i like, they're rare (only 15000 imported to US?), and this one could be a freebie.. My concerns are sourcing the engine/transmission (or whatever the problem is), and expensive parts.. Oh, and gas milage..