looking to get into an 80. Need some advice/guidance

[Pura Vida]

Hello everyone,

I used to have a 40 series a few years ago, but I haven't had a land cruiser in a little while. Trying to get back into them. I want to buy a project cruiser for trails, this will not be my daily driver

I am checking this one out on marketplace on saturday to hopefully buy as long as it isn't a total junker. Has around 228k miles, it is a 1997 LX450 and I will be getting it for 8000 dollars. Apparently only some surface rust, check engine light, ABS and airbag lights. The motor allegedly runs well but I will see on saturday. My roommate will be helping me with the project since he likes this stuff too and he is a mechanic. I made an excel spreadsheet of some expected costs for it to get it where I want it to be. I also have a 35 or 37 inch tire option on the spreadsheet.

Am I on the right track? besides the mystery repairs for the ABS and airbag lights, which I may or may not do, what other maintenance items should I look at on an old cruiser like this?

 

[Aloha Jen]

For $18.3K, couldn’t you find an 80 that has most of those things already on there and sorted out? Or are you wanting a project to do all the work and learn?

 

[Pura Vida]

For $18.3K, couldn’t you find an 80 that has most of those things already on there and sorted out? Or are you wanting a project to do all the work and learn?

You bring up an excellent point, but part of it too is that I can stomach the cost of mods and repairs, but I would feel bad dinging up an 18,000 dollar Land Cruiser, and instead I would be dinging up a modified 8,000 dollar Land Cruiser haha.

I could just do 35s though and I would be at 13-15k ish and that is a little better. I want 37s but 35s can do….

I kind of like projects too. I took my F150 raptor to the Offroad park here, and it was fun, but it felt too nice to do all the time. I kind of want something I can throw around more.

 

[Godwin]

You're going to spend more on deferred maintenance than expected. Needs a battery hold down, maybe a new radiator, etc. etc, because once you begin to dig in you'll find smaller issues that need attention before they become major issues.

 

[60 toy ota]

$500 for an oil change??
Yeah you'll want more set aside for the surprise maintenance/ while you're in there stuff

 

[Pura Vida]

$500 for an oil change??
Yeah you'll want more set aside for the surprise maintenance/ while you're in there stuff

I just put that for the fluids

 

[12bit]

I'd get the truck completely sorted out and chase out any gremlins before jumping to a 4 inch lift. Also, 35s or 37s are going to require a rear swingout for the spare.

 

[Brindleboxer]

Nice to see another person wanting to get rid of their excess funds (I mean get into an 80 series).

I would suggest checking out the buyers guide that Slee has in addition to reading the tagged FAQ at the top of the page. There is a lot of good information to use. You could even use it to create a checklist to use when looking at potential 80s.

Now, for the reality check. As others have said it will be the little things or items you didn't think about that will inch the cost of your getting this truck on the trails. If you don't have emissions there are kits to eliminate so me of the problematic systems (egr, etc.) that can cause issues in the future.

Check the typical areas for rust, if that is a deal breaker. Look around the steering box for cracks and/or steering shaft twist. Look at the radiator and all associated hoses. Look for oil leaks, one thing often overlooked is the cost to replace the rubber parts that are soaked in oil and therefore deteriorated and should also be replaced. Look at the heater control valve, if brownish add it to the replacement list. Plan on looking at the PHH and see if it is original, if it is or bulging plan to replace. Look at all the small vacuum lines and if original or cracking, you guessed it replace.

Decide on a lift that will work for your final build, you have both a 2.5" and 4" lift listed. The 80 is very capable off the shelf and your use case might not require the larger lift and therefore reduce cost of all the "other" parts required when lifting to 4". IIRC the 37 will even fit with the 2.5" but you need to get wheels with the proper backspacing. The 35" should be no issue with 2.5" though. Also, don't believe a 35" will fit under the truck so plan to store it elsewhere (e.g., rear swing out or interior mount).

Is the 450 locked? If not, and you really feel you need lockers that needs to be put into the overall project cost. Also, to be considered is the gearing when you go up in tire size, you may find it lacking once you have bigger tires.

Lastly, remember lockers before lights! This is a general rule I try and follow with any of the 80 I have owned.

Sorry for the longer post but it is all food for thought. Good luck with whichever vehicle you decide and post pictures or it didn't happen.

 

[Pura Vida]

Nice to see another person wanting to get rid of their excess funds (I mean get into an 80 series).

I would suggest checking out the buyers guide that Slee has in addition to reading the tagged FAQ at the top of the page. There is a lot of good information to use. You could even use it to create a checklist to use when looking at potential 80s.

Now, for the reality check. As others have said it will be the little things or items you didn't think about that will inch the cost of your getting this truck on the trails. If you don't have emissions there are kits to eliminate so me of the problematic systems (egr, etc.) that can cause issues in the future.

Check the typical areas for rust, if that is a deal breaker. Look around the steering box for cracks and/or steering shaft twist. Look at the radiator and all associated hoses. Look for oil leaks, one thing often overlooked is the cost to replace the rubber parts that are soaked in oil and therefore deteriorated and should also be replaced. Look at the heater control valve, if brownish add it to the replacement list. Plan on looking at the PHH and see if it is original, if it is or bulging plan to replace. Look at all the small vacuum lines and if original or cracking, you guessed it replace.

Decide on a lift that will work for your final build, you have both a 2.5" and 4" lift listed. The 80 is very capable off the shelf and your use case might not require the larger lift and therefore reduce cost of all the "other" parts required when lifting to 4". IIRC the 37 will even fit with the 2.5" but you need to get wheels with the proper backspacing. The 35" should be no issue with 2.5" though. Also, don't believe a 35" will fit under the truck so plan to store it elsewhere (e.g., rear swing out or interior mount).

Is the 450 locked? If not, and you really feel you need lockers that needs to be put into the overall project cost. Also, to be considered is the gearing when you go up in tire size, you may find it lacking once you have bigger tires.

Lastly, remember lockers before lights! This is a general rule I try and follow with any of the 80 I have owned.

Sorry for the longer post but it is all food for thought. Good luck with whichever vehicle you decide and post pictures or it didn't happen.

The 450 has a rear locker

Also, I know Land Cruiser prices are always high. Toyota tax and all, but is 8k somewhat near the net for a truck with 228k miles and needing some work? It allegedly runs and drives fine, and has surface rust, but like I said, has airbag, ABS and check engine light on

 

[Brindleboxer]

Honestly, I cannot tell you if it is a good deal without actually looking the vehicle over and in truth anything is only worth whatever someone is willing to pay (each persons threshold and tolerance is different). I think you are on the right path, asking questions, making lists and such, doing all this will let you enter the deal with a better grasp of what you are expecting to have to spend.

I will say that a clean truck with some work (as you stated) in my area would probably list for about the same. I do however think the Toyota tax is really strong in my area as I see trucks listed in other areas (non-rustbelt) for less.

 

[ttFJC]

to run 35s or bigger your gonna need to regear. otherwise you will have a fat slow whale. and the LX450 either has both lockers or none. theres a dial to look for. your gonna spend alot more in PM to get this thing to a safe baseline. 8k is a good price if it has lockers, otherwise its not really that great IMO

DO NOT PUT MODERN TOYOTA WHEELS ON YOUR LX. ( this is my opinion) they look like poop and the stock LX wheels are actually a good offset if you can handle the tire choices on a 16 inch rim

read the SLEE buyers guide.

dont just buy it because its the first one. theres plenty of 80s out there if your willing to travel put in a little bit of effort. and your gonna have a 25K cruiser but the time your all said and dont.

you dont wanna know how much has been spent on my LX. its also built AF

 

[Pura Vida]

Another one I saw was this one, he said he would let it go for 17,500. Built basically exactly the way I put in my parts list. 37s, slee 4 inch lift, front ARB, but the only thing is it has like 315k miles and no lockers. I know these run forever but I feel like 17,500 is a lot for one with that many miles. It looks nice but I need a reality check. I have no baseline for this market.

I am also reading the slee guide in my spare time today. Very helpful. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Brindleboxer]

IMO, that is strong especially if it hasn't already been regeared. To put lockers and new gears you are looking at several thousand dollars. Wait, one will come around. Maybe look for something a little in between the two you showed and preferably with some maintenance history.

Another thing and it may be down the road but once you put all that weight on the truck you might find you want more power. Decide on that now and it will drive some of the other decisions we have already talked about. Turbo kits are cheaper for OBD-II rigs than pre-95s and engine swap is a lot of cash and time.

 

[ttFJC]

i feel like this one is strangely similar to one that my brother was looking at here in MT. said a air force guy bought it i wonder if he drove it across the country and decided to sell it. it was a 97 simular mileage and same everything. listed for the same price ..very nice interior and new aftermarket seats and a bunch of PM, very nice drawer system and apple carplay. id say the say the same thing i said to him to you. if thats exactly what you want thats a steal of a price, you cant build it for that much. but also, if you go and change anything, its a waste of money. and if you wanna wheel it harder then casual overlanding ( like 6s and 7s in moab) you will need lockers and regear. which isnt cheap .

the higher milegage wouldnt scare me if its had good PM and its all up to date, good compression and not bad oil leaks.

if this is the same land cruiser....fat chance but like i said its stangely simular like doppleganger level...this was one of the cleanest 80s ive ever seen. and all my friends have 80s.

 

[Kernal]

"I know these run forever"

@Pura Vida

So just to toss some cold water into the dream of owning a 30 year old 80 Series, they don't run forever (or run at all) without a ton of catch-up preventive maintenance, and that is much more than just changing fluids.

One of the biggest ticket items is the head gasket, some blew in under 100,000 miles, some are still running with the original head gasket,
but it is a major expense if it goes (or has already leaked and someone along the line has dumped head gasket sealer into the radiator).

Think $5000 to replace a head gasket if you're lucky, double that if you're not, so worthwhile to have someone who knows this model to go over it with you.

And if the HG hasn't been replaced at least the valve stems seals would need to be replaced if they're the original
and generally the head comes off to replace those, so in the end you may have to replace the head gasket and valve
stem seals sooner or later. Or, just drive it until it needs that work done.

If you however can find an 80 that has already had the head gasket replaced and the head rebuilt you're ahead of the game.

IMHO I would focus on those potential issues and all the other PM (not just replacing fluids) before planning to dump $12,000 worth of accessories into one of these trucks.

 

[mudgudgeon]

@Pura Vida there is no cheap 80s.

Buy a cheap one, you'll spend your money on replacing all the 30 year old rubber parts fixing oil leaks, and catching up on 30years of neglect. Then, build it up, if you sell a rig you build up, you'll get back pennies on the dollar.

Or, buy a built rig that's been someone else's pet project. You'll spend a tonne more up front, but hopefully benefit from someone else's efforts in catching up PM, and adding accessories that hoepfully match what you want.

Or, find the best maintained example you can, and land somewhere in the middle.

Any 80 you buy will need maintenance and repairs as does any 30 year old vehicle.

Wheeling it harder than just hitting forestry roads well shake down any weaknesses, so expect mood repairs with more wheeling