May have found the one...need advice

[86 Bronco]

I found a 93 Cruiser with 140K .....old emu springs, arb air lockers and onboard air, Kazuma supercharger, new transmission, new tires. It drives nice and tight. Leather, electric everything , sunroof ....etc. The A/C was switched over to 134 and then quit blowing cold, the guy said he hasn't taken it back to his mechanic but told his mechanic and he said it is probably an expansion valve. I couldn't take it to a mechanic today, but what do you guysd think it could be or more importantly how much it will run(ballpark) to fix. I can get the truck for 6K.....good deal or not?

 

[nodaksn3]

Find out if the head gasket has been fixed- most go sooner or later, and if you don't DIY, it's costly ($1700 or so) to fix. Rust? Otherwise, seems like an OK price. But really, bottom line=does it seem OK to you? Ned

 

[inkpot]

I found a 93 Cruiser with 140K .....old emu springs, arb air lockers and onboard air, Kazuma supercharger, new transmission, new tires. It drives nice and tight. Leather, electric everything , sunroof ....etc. The A/C was switched over to 134 and then quit blowing cold, the guy said he hasn't taken it back to his mechanic but told his mechanic and he said it is probably an expansion valve. I couldn't take it to a mechanic today, but what do you guysd think it could be or more importantly how much it will run(ballpark) to fix. I can get the truck for 6K.....good deal or not?

Howdy! Overall, I'd say its a fair price. BUT, I'd check into the A/C. If it was switched over to 134a by a shade tree wizard, it could be a mess. If it was done by an A/C shop, then it probably is OK. I'd be a little leary of how it has been driven/serviced since it has a super charger on it. They tend to be a heat problem in the summer around here. Could be a good rig, but take the time to do a good hard look at it. John

 

[jfz80]

Is this the truck in Austin TX. It looks like a real good deal, esp. w/ some of the accessories being new or very near new. I agree on checking into how professionally the a/c was converted. I dont agree w/ the statement that MOST HG's go sooner or later. It is a pain and quite likely to be more than 1700 if you dont do it yourself, especially if there is any other associated damages, so its definately a worthy inquiry. Agreed there is a suspected defect in the old gasket design but i consider it a possibility more than a likelyhood. Price is nice for what your getting if it checks out further.

 

[super90]

As mentioned, 134a conversions are not all alike. Even if an a/c shop did it, it isn't necessarily done right. Last time I did a conversion on an R-12 vehicle, I ended up having to change the coil too, as the old coil was't designed for the new refrigerant and wasn't nearly effecient enough. Also added a big aux fan to get some good air flow over the coil when the vehicle was at stop lights. Without all that, the system didn't cool worth a darned here in the great state of TX.

I personally would find a vehicle that was new enough to have a 134a system from its Birthday. 80s are a dime a dozen right now. Lots are for sale. I thought about selling mine, and then thought better about it.

Be patient and find one that is really right.

But, that's just my opinion.

 

[maybe_a_80...]

heck if that's all you might have to do, that's a great deal for 6k. most spend thousands right away in PM. If most of the PM as discussed in this forum has been handled, that's great news for your wallet post purchase.

I bought a one owner with almost no PM for the past 70k because I wanted to baseline the rig myself. Maybe you'd prefer to buy a rig with all of this done already...

Good luck and welcome once again!

 

[jsuthey]

Sounds like a good deal,did you say if they had maintaince records,rec.stuff done,you might have to baseline everything to feel better thats its' been done if you get the truck.So factor in that w/your buget.
My 93 has a 134-a sticker under the hood in front by the hood latch.I used to think mine had the r-12 in it also.The sticker looks stock(my Ac does not work anyway)But at least that wil make it a lot easyer to work on in the future.

 

[Beowulf]

The S/C is currently unobtainium and new was over $3k. Very few pop up on the used market. I would quit worrying about the A/C. There are plenty of shops in Houston that can fix an air conditioner. They get lotsa practice.

That truck has close to $6k in add-ons. You should realize that you will have to run premium fuel. ARB lockers F&R would be $3K or more. New tyres are $1k. OME lift at least $1k. My OBA system was over $1k by the time it was all over with.

That is a lot of truck for $6k if you ask me.

-B-