New to 80s, pickup up for a friend and delivering 1000mi away... any items to look for?

[The Great Him]

So my best friend is possibly getting a lx450, in the next few days, and if he does i will be driving it from its location to my place and then down to the bay area in CA to deliver it to him. i dont think ill be able to pre-purchase inspect it for him, as its 2-3hrs away(one way) from me, but he has bought numerous vehicles online and without having full inspections and almost always been ok(except for that one....) anyhow im looking for help looking it over and making my assessment on it to do any minor repairs it might need to get me through the trip trouble free before i go. obviously im not gonna rebuild the front axle or overhaul the top end for him before i go. but i am looking for basic common preventative maint items or tell tail signs of things to come that i could give him a heads up on that are specific to the 80s.

we are both toyota fans, i have had several mini trucks(85s) a 94 4runner, and currently a 97 4runner, and a 2004 gx470 as well as various cars. i have worked as a tech for several shops so i know my way around mechanics and typical diagnosis of generic items, i am very familiar with the vehicles i have owned but not owning a 80 im looking to you guys for any tips on them or the likes. -i have already called Slee and spoken with a guy(forget his name) there about them and he gave me some insight on the HG issue and things to look for. im hoping to have at least 2-3 days with the truck to kinda "feel it out" and get a sense for it and whats "normal" as best i can in that time. i will be flying back home so i cant exactly take a tool kit id normally have with me if i was driving back(if i did id be less nervous/anxious about it). my father in law is a toyota master tech and been working for a dealer for over 30 years and he would be on my way home from picking up the truck so i will most likely be stopping by to see him and have him give it a good look over(and under) to see if he sees anything that should be addressed or shows concern

again so yeah any input from you guys would be great

 

[gofast]

pesky heater hose - search for PHH. A failure with that is stranding and possibility a rebuild due to overheating if not caught soon enough.

Other than that, if it runs, has all its fluids, rad holds pressure, and sufficient thickness on the pads, I'd just run it

 

[gofast]

Forgot to mention - go over the suspension fasteners. The studs on the knuckles have been known to loosen so its good to check these as well.

 

[LS1FJ40]

And get AAA Gold. They will tow it 200 miles to whatever shop you choose.

 

[The Great Him]

And get AAA Gold. They will tow it 200 miles to whatever shop you choose.

already have that lol i just hate being on the side of the road -its why i drive Toyotas, and not j**ps or Rovers...

my fear is that because 80s have gotten the reputation of being a "last forever" rig and "built like a tank" ect that people have in turn taken that to mean they dont need regular maintenance and get neglected... -i know i have been guilty of this at times with my rigs and sometimes its cost me... the advantage there is i know the history and its past behavior.

 

[LS1FJ40]

I'd pull in to a Discount Tire (or similar) and have them rotate the tires for free. When they have it up on the lift grab the wheels and shake to see if the bearings are bad. Check the brakes to make sure there is enough pad to get the 1000 miles. Check the knuckles to see if they have grease in them. Give the hoses and belts a look see. Then grab a couple gallons of distilled water and drive it like you stole it. And grab some Bosch Icon wiper blades before you hit the road. Nothing worse than finding out the wiper blades are shot and you can't see.

 

[Hornd]

Make sure it has gas, air in tires, oil in motor, oil in Tranny, gas in tank, and hard brake pedal and just drive it. There are about 1 million things that can go wrong, and when they do you can rent an U-Haul and tow it home. I was super worried about bringing mine home about 2 hr drive (up 75) and I worried for nuthin. If you were asking about marriage on the other hand...

 

[Hornd]

I mentioned gas twice since you need lots of it.

 

[LS1FJ40]

100 miles is not the same as 1000...

It is only prudent to give an unknown vehicle a thorough safety check before getting on the highway. There are too many stories about bad things happening on the way back to not be proactive.

 

[grizzlygibbs]

I know you said you talked to someone from Slee, but check out their writeup on inspection for the 80/450 series when checking the rig out. Where is it located exactly? If it is close to me, I could swing by, I have learned my way around these vehicles over the 9 years of ownership.

Slee - 80 Series Land Cruiser Newbie Guide

 

[grizzlygibbs]

Maybe get a Costco style tool kit that you do not mind leaving with the rig, or that would be easier to bring back with you. At least it would give you a little bit of a piece of mind.

 

[The Great Him]

I know you said you talked to someone from Slee, but check out their writeup on inspection for the 80/450 series when checking the rig out. Where is it located exactly? If it is close to me, I could swing by, I have learned my way around these vehicles over the 9 years of ownership.

Slee - 80 Series Land Cruiser Newbie Guide

i read their write up on them and i agree with it, but its also very generic... most of the stuff you should be looking for in all used cars to some extent. the PHH was a great example of what i am after here.

ill try to get some more info on the truck... if its the same one he was talking about the other day with me it sounds like it has been sitting for a while with little use, but is in remarkable shape. -another friend of his turned him onto it (i somehow got the impression it was closer to him though -northern end of the centeral valley in CA). last night he said it was about 2-3hrs east of me, so im guessing that puts it in a the yakima to john day to hermiston area... if its up your way ill let you know -and thank you for the offer, i appreciate it.

you guys have about as much info as i have... so maybe you can see why im a little on the "whhhaaaaat" train here, i dont know whats in this bag and i dont wanta find out the hard way.

the only thing i know for sure at this point is the truck will need to be delivered by jan 7...

 

[Hornd]

100 miles is not the same as 1000...

It is only prudent to give an unknown vehicle a thorough safety check before getting on the highway. There are too many stories about bad things happening on the way back to not be proactive.

If it last 3 hrs, I bet it lasts 15.

 

[120mm]

Make sure the Birfeld joints are greased.

Take it from me; an LC that is driven occasionally, or on short trips will last a long time with dry Birfeld joints. But a 1000 mile trip will strand you, and not in a small way with dry Birfs.

 

[Whileemptyheadsdream]

I know you said you talked to someone from Slee, but check out their writeup on inspection for the 80/450 series when checking the rig out. Where is it located exactly? If it is close to me, I could swing by, I have learned my way around these vehicles over the 9 years of ownership.

Slee - 80 Series Land Cruiser Newbie Guide

Having an experienced 80 owner offer to help you Is by far your best choice !! Try to make that work. Good Luck

 

[LS1FJ40]

Make sure the Birfeld joints are greased.

Take it from me; an LC that is driven occasionally, or on short trips will last a long time with dry Birfeld joints. But a 1000 mile trip will strand you, and not in a small way with dry Birfs.

I was specifically talking about your trip back from getting Marjan...

 

[Jorgito]

I consider myself as complete noob in car mechanics. I bought 1997 Land Cruiser in Phoenix and driven it to Kansas City. The true is that I had one MUD member checked the car and had car inspection in Toyota dealership together with leak down and compression test. There was no issue going 1500 miles ...

 

[The Great Him]

Well thank you all for your replys. Tonight I learned a lot more about it, it has 110,000 original miles, it is in almost pristine condition tear in drivers seat and some oxidation of the wheels and a dent front bumper, but other than that its perfect. It's been sitting for about 4 years but driven occasionally. It was driven for about 45mins at thanksgiving and had no issues then. The guy who drove it has a couple of Land Cruisers and is well versed in them. He also is the brother of the current owner and the friend to my friend who is buying(and the one who told him about it). So I feel confident in picking it up and driving it to my father in-laws to put it up on the lift and give it a good once over and check the fluids. Being as its sat as long as it has I'm gonna replace the motor oil even if it's golden, and I'm gonna drain the coolant and see what that looks like and put new in it. I'll also replace the wipers(thanks ls1fj40) and I'll be sure to check the front knuckles and top them off if needed, as well as the front brakes. Other than that I should be good to go. I got pics of it tonight and looks great. Once I get it to my place I'm gonna wash it and clean out the interior. I'll take a few shots of it with my two and make it feel at home. It's only down fall is its lack of lockers... But alas it will be his wife's daily, and not his wheeling rig(for now) he has two 40s for that....

And thanks to grizzlygibbs for the offer to go take a look at it. It's a little far from you, its in goldendale, so that 3hr drive was round trip (nice surprise). And makes it just as close for me to go look at it, plus we my father in-law lives in the area and I will be bringing it directly to him so we can look it over.

If you guys haven't already guessed buy now he did buy it. I'm not gonna say how much he paid for it, as its not my place, but I will say had he not, we might not still be friends, and I'd own two Lexus SUVs lol



Sent from my XT1585

 

[120mm]

Since newly purchased Series 80s have a certain tendency to "develop" Head Gasket leaks, I'd examine that #6 spark plug as well.

If you do get a HG leak while driving it, Bar's Leak makes a head gasket sealer product that many here have used to make it home.

 

[grizzlygibbs]

Yeah, Goldendale is a bit of a stretch for me. Sounds like you got it all squared away though. Keep us posted on your drive home and post some pictures !

Good luck with everything.