Possible 1994 80 purchase (1 Viewer)

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That's a buy all day for a grand or under. You can't go wrong (you can part it for over a grand) and would make some money on it, or turn it into a driver for yourself.
I suggest looking at the build plate on the door to make sure it has code K294 which indicates factory diff locks. If it says K292 then someone just put a locker dial in there for fun (unlikely). You can also look at the axles themselves, the locker motor resides on the PS of each axle.
 
Buy it. If it's not a blown head gasket just drive it while you fix the other smaller stuff. If it does have a blown head gasket you should be able to fix it yourself for under a grand in parts. If you've done a 4 liter jeep you can do this. If you get it a part and the block is trash you can always part it out for considerably more than what you have in it. I doubt that there's anything seriously wrong with it after the pics that you showed earlier though. The oil pressure gauge is known to be wonky like was said earlier.
 
That's a buy all day for a grand or under. You can't go wrong (you can part it for over a grand) and would make some money on it, or turn it into a driver for yourself.
I suggest looking at the build plate on the door to make sure it has code K294 which indicates factory diff locks. If it says K292 then someone just put a locker dial in there for fun (unlikely). You can also look at the axles themselves, the locker motor resides on the PS of each axle.
The dash does have 2 lights for front and rear diff locks, so I think it's legit.

Buy it. If it's not a blown head gasket just drive it while you fix the other smaller stuff. If it does have a blown head gasket you should be able to fix it yourself for under a grand in parts. If you've done a 4 liter jeep you can do this. If you get it a part and the block is trash you can always part it out for considerably more than what you have in it. I doubt that there's anything seriously wrong with it after the pics that you showed earlier though. The oil pressure gauge is known to be wonky like was said earlier.
I called him last night...no call back yet, but the guy has been kinda intermittent in his responses to me so far. It's only 2 miles from my house, and I let it run for a few minutes with nothing bad happening so I think I can probably limp it home without having to haul it.

Here's a minute of it running.....I'm hoping I can pick it up this week.
 
Just FYI a reputable shop around here will charge about 3500 for a top end rebuild, but I believe that's without counting stuff like the oil pans and timing chain guides like @BILT4ME said.

I'll echo the others that for a grand it's a good buy even with the softening market. But keep in mind that projects like this can easily become very expensive paperweights if you're not motivated and/or don't have the time to go through everything and deal with the unexpected. I'm not saying you won't, just something to keep in mind.

People talk a lot about the importance of "baselining" shortly after purchase. I thought it was a bit overblown at first, but I think the reasoning is that these trucks will keep rolling down the road even with multiple systems in poor condition and various parts hanging on for dear life. It can happen that this lulls you into security, then the house of cards comes falling down when you least expect it. In other words they're super reliable, until they're not.
 
You should be able to drive it home no problem. Just keep an eye on the temp gauge. The first 80 series I purchased I drove almost 100 miles with the head gasket blown. The owner told me it was blown but it drove perfectly fine. It was almost 100 miles on the highway and the temp gauge never got above where it was supposed to. It wasn't until the next say that I was driving in traffic that it began to creep up. I got out and popped the hood and noticed that I was getting air bubbles in the coolant reservoir. That's usually the first sign. Mine never had oil and coolant mixing. I fixed for about $500 in parts. I removed the head and took it to my indy who determined it was within spec and didn't need any work luckily. I purchased the oem head gasket kit, through it back together and put about 10k miles on it before I sold it.
 
I was quoted $7800 to do head gasket by the premier Toyota shop in Denver area. Just another data point. Inflation has hit Colorado a bit harder than most places, cost of living here is as bad as California.
 
I was quoted $7800 to do head gasket by the premier Toyota shop in Denver area. Just another data point. Inflation has hit Colorado a bit harder than most places, cost of living here is as bad as California.
Time to find a good independent mechanic or learn to do it yourself.
 
I've got an engine swap almost done on another Toyota now so I can tell you first hand. Sure Proffits will charge you that much but realistically it is a sub $10k project for a gasser. More for a diesel. I'm sure I'll be told the definition of "properly done" by someone....
 
At $1000, it's a buy all day long, even if you don't do anything to it and flip it to another mud member for profit. Seal the deal before someone else grabs it. I'll echo everyone else's recommendations, but you need to jump on it or walk away. Good luck!

P.S. Do not remove the two screws from the VAFM( the silver box next to the air filter box). If you do, you will destroy a no longer available part.
 
It's probably just disconnected or a bad sensor, but I wouldn't drive it until you've verified oil pressure.

The first thing you should do is look at what oil filter is on it:

And sometimes the meter gets blown because the connector comes loose on the sensor and contacts ground. Those old connectors next the engine see a lot of heat.

And if the engine is toast maybe consider splashing out on a turbo diesel:
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I saw this last RHD night in Sharjah. It was sold already for 27.5K AED - 7500 USD.

Also this skanky aftermarket turbo on a 105 half-cut
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I see the JDM 80 fire engines up in Sharjah from time to time. Very low mileage 1HZ's for the most part. Been thinking about buying one for my tired Omani diesel 80.
 
Well it took a freaking month for the feller to get back in town, but I bought it this morning. It's still where it's been listed for sale, and I ended up giving him $1,200 rather than $1k because he started hemming and hawing about the parts that are in a box in the back, and the new tires on it etc... I'll plan to pick it up after work and put an oil pressure gauge on it, check out the front end, brakes, all of the immediately important stuff. It's not a rustbucket, so as far as I'm concerned it was worth the price even if it's a pos.
 
It's still a good buy at $1200. Someone mentioned that the drive train alone is worth way more than $1000 and most here will agree. For the price of an iphone 13 pro max, you got yourself, at worst, a solid rolling chassis to create a great vehicle. If you don't have the tools and are not that mechanically inclined, you should expect to spend several grand to get it up and running reliably, but I don't think you'll regret it. Great find!
 
The previous owner said that he heard a "screeching" sound and the truck died. He restarted it and then decided it was blown up. I drove it home....the battery light came on and the truck did die (no real warning besides a few flashes from the battery dash light) I put it in neutral, got a ride home, and brought a spare battery that I keep on hand out. Drove it home after that.......I'm ordering an alternator as we speak, but is there any other explanation?
 
The previous owner said that he heard a "screeching" sound and the truck died. He restarted it and then decided it was blown up. I drove it home....the battery light came on and the truck did die (no real warning besides a few flashes from the battery dash light) I put it in neutral, got a ride home, and brought a spare battery that I keep on hand out. Drove it home after that.......I'm ordering an alternator as we speak, but is there any other explanation?

Fusible links are a possibility and should be changed during any battery replacement.
 
Idler pulley could be the culprit, they sound like a loud shriek and will cause the engine to lug. $40 at the dealer.
The previous owner said that he heard a "screeching" sound and the truck died. He restarted it and then decided it was blown up. I drove it home....the battery light came on and the truck did die (no real warning besides a few flashes from the battery dash light) I put it in neutral, got a ride home, and brought a spare battery that I keep on hand out. Drove it home after that.......I'm ordering an alternator as we speak, but is there any other explanation?
 
Fusible links are a possibility and should be changed during any battery replacement.
Wouldn't have thought about that....easy to do and can rule out an additional problem going forward. Thank you
Idler pulley could be the culprit, they sound like a loud shriek and will cause the engine to lug. $40 at the dealer.
I have yet to hear the sound that was described, but if it comes back I'll try to pinpoint it an post a video.
 
6 hours with a braided wire wheel and 30 minutes with a shutz gun at 70psi. The rust you see is probably flakes that got sir up...or it's just rust and I'm done hunting it. I also wish I had a better eye for brake lines....Mine were too long and I didn't want to reflare so it's creative.

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