Replacing the old 3FE cruiser (1 Viewer)

[AKHunter]

Hi guys and gals, longtime lurker, first time posting!
I'm looking to replace my wife's daily rig, and I'm looking for thoughts and opinions from ya'll. She currently is driving a '91 3FE cruiser. It's pretty thrashed, mostly (but not completely) by previous owner(s). I don't have the time to bring it back to where it needs to be right now. I'm pretty sure the almost 300K mile engine is tired and possibly in the early stages of headgasket failure. Fuel consumption averages between 7-11 mpg depending on how heavily its loaded (35s and stock diffs).
"Daily driving" is probably different than most of you think of. She's driving 30-40 miles a week on mostly unmaintained gravel and dirt roads and 30 mph or less. Roads are snow and ice in the winter ('cause it's Alaska!). Once a month it takes a 300 mile trek to Anchorage for supplies and groceries. Road glaciers are common on the last 60 miles (springs that ooze water all winter and 20-40 below F turns to ice across the road) in the winter.

The main considerations I'm looking for are:
Better fuel economy (we are talking land cruisers, so I'm well aware that the only way to break 20MPG is diesel, and I'll likely barely clear that with a diesel)
More power (25mph uphill on the highway when loaded gets old fast)
Ability to tow a small to medium trailer occasionally
35-37" tires (deep snow- I don't think flex is much of a concern for now, but clearance to fit aggressive tire chains is)
Lockers (totally fine with either OEM or aftermarket- air lockers might actually be a plus for onboard air dealing with the occasional flat)
3rd row seats (4 boys and counting... and all of them are enamored with "Mommy's Landcruiser!")

I'm pretty certain I can find all of that in one rig, but it'll cost. I'm not opposed to buying and building to a certain degree, but I don't think I have the time to do anything major like an engine swap.
How will a 1HZ or 1HDT in good shape stack up against a tired 3FE? Will there be a noticeable difference in power?
Do I need to consider a Cummins or LS swapped rig to see better power?
Is a 1FZ-FE worth considering? It doesn't sound like that'll be much of an improvement by the numbers, but I've never had the chance to drive a 1FZ powered cruiser. The price difference between it and the other options is tempting...
Are there any other options I'm missing? I'm not totally set on an 80, but there aren't many options out there unless I'm willing to give up capability or reliability.
I'd love to take the family on a road trip down the Alcan and wheel some of the west coast trails, so I'd like to take that into consideration too.

My current vehicle is an '85 pickup (22RE in good shape) on 36s and 5.29 diffs. I'd like to see a similar or better level of performance in her cruiser if possible.

Since such a long post without a pic should be a crime, here's a pic of hauling supplies to build our house.

 

[White Stripe]

You say it's thrashed. Besides the mileage on the motor what else is thrashed? You have a great cruiser shop in Alaska called Cruisers Only that could rebuild whatever on it. With that size of a family though I would say a 80 is too small. I would get a 7.3 Excursion.

 

[AKHunter]

You say it's thrashed. Besides the mileage on the motor what else is thrashed? You have a great cruiser shop in Alaska called Cruisers Only that could rebuild whatever on it. With that size of a family though I would say a 80 is too small. I would get a 7.3 Excursion.

I'm sure this isn't a comprehensive list:
Engine burns oil and leaks oil. It's really hard to tell how much is burnt vs leaked. Everything has a nice film of oil on it, but I rarely see any on the ground. It uses somewhere around a quart every 1000 miles.
I'm pretty certain it's producing less power than it should, and 7MPG seems excessive even for a cruiser.
A considerable amount of the leaked oil is coming from the head (not the rocker cover like I'd expect), but no coolant burn yet as far as I can tell. I haven't done the coolant/ exhaust gas test yet, but it doesn't bubble in the radiator and doesn't really use coolant.
Transmission occasionally clunks and shifts hard, around 20% of the time on the highway. Anticipating it, and backing off the throttle just before it shifts (like you would in a manual) eases the clunk considerably.
Electrical gremlins from one end of the truck to the other. I don't think the rig has ever been sunk, but previous owner(s) have done a pretty hack job on wiring.
I discovered last week (while chasing taillight wiring) that someone thought a sawzall was a great solution for rear quarter panel damage interfering with a rear bumper install.
I'm confident there's A pillar rust due to clogged sunroof drains. Water occasionally leaks on the inside of the A pillar, and clearing the drains doesn't help much.
Door locks are hit or miss all the way around.
Spotted a couple of coolant drips in the snow a week or two ago, I'm not certain, but I expect an impending PHH job soon.
Heater is really weak in the front, strong in the back. I suspect a clogged heater core (air side, not coolant).
AC is virtually non existent (but not really an issue, we're in Alaska after all).

This list doesn't touch the routine stuff like the knuckle job or the tierod job I was about to tackle. Short answer is that we needed a bigger rig for her (previous was a '94 4Runner) and a bit more capability when we moved across the state a few years ago, but it was during the used vehicle price insanity. Since I wasn't familiar with the 80 series, and I had very limited options, I got suckered into an over priced, poorly cared for rig. With enough time, I'm confident in tackling all of those jobs except possibly the A pillar and transmission. But I don't have that much time now, and I'm pretty sure I can replace with a better condition one for less than I can pay a shop to tackle all that.

The 80 really seems to hit a sweet spot for size and capability, so I'm not really thinking we need something much bigger. And yes, I'll admit to having both a bias towards Toyotas and a bias against Fords. I have looked at 100 series cruisers and sequoias as Toyota alternatives, and suburbans and youkons as Chevy/GM options, but I just keep coming back to the 80.

 

[White Stripe]

I'm sure this isn't a comprehensive list:
Engine burns oil and leaks oil. It's really hard to tell how much is burnt vs leaked. Everything has a nice film of oil on it, but I rarely see any on the ground. It uses somewhere around a quart every 1000 miles.
I'm pretty certain it's producing less power than it should, and 7MPG seems excessive even for a cruiser.
A considerable amount of the leaked oil is coming from the head (not the rocker cover like I'd expect), but no coolant burn yet as far as I can tell. I haven't done the coolant/ exhaust gas test yet, but it doesn't bubble in the radiator and doesn't really use coolant.
Transmission occasionally clunks and shifts hard, around 20% of the time on the highway. Anticipating it, and backing off the throttle just before it shifts (like you would in a manual) eases the clunk considerably.
Electrical gremlins from one end of the truck to the other. I don't think the rig has ever been sunk, but previous owner(s) have done a pretty hack job on wiring.
I discovered last week (while chasing taillight wiring) that someone thought a sawzall was a great solution for rear quarter panel damage interfering with a rear bumper install.
I'm confident there's A pillar rust due to clogged sunroof drains. Water occasionally leaks on the inside of the A pillar, and clearing the drains doesn't help much.
Door locks are hit or miss all the way around.
Spotted a couple of coolant drips in the snow a week or two ago, I'm not certain, but I expect an impending PHH job soon.
Heater is really weak in the front, strong in the back. I suspect a clogged heater core (air side, not coolant).
AC is virtually non existent (but not really an issue, we're in Alaska after all).

This list doesn't touch the routine stuff like the knuckle job or the tierod job I was about to tackle. Short answer is that we needed a bigger rig for her (previous was a '94 4Runner) and a bit more capability when we moved across the state a few years ago, but it was during the used vehicle price insanity. Since I wasn't familiar with the 80 series, and I had very limited options, I got suckered into an over priced, poorly cared for rig. With enough time, I'm confident in tackling all of those jobs except possibly the A pillar and transmission. But I don't have that much time now, and I'm pretty sure I can replace with a better condition one for less than I can pay a shop to tackle all that.

The 80 really seems to hit a sweet spot for size and capability, so I'm not really thinking we need something much bigger. And yes, I'll admit to having both a bias towards Toyotas and a bias against Fords. I have looked at 100 series cruisers and sequoias as Toyota alternatives, and suburbans and youkons as Chevy/GM options, but I just keep coming back to the 80.

I don't really have a bias against any car brand as most tend to have at least one good product. Anyway, if your set on toyota, then I would look at a 200 series, and Sequoia as well. Older 200 series prices are coming down. Sequoia's are well built and often overlooked. They are nice too. The 5.7 toyota motor is a decent engine and the power would be nice for you. For the 80 the 1fz will give a bit better fuel mileage. The diesels will be even better. Power is decent with the diesels. In my opinion the ideal 80 series would be a 6bt swapped 80 for your situation or maybe even a 4bt. I would just pick one and try it. If you don't like it you'll get your money back unless you roll it or hit a moose. I think the 200 or Sequoia would be a better fit. You could even add a supercharger to the 5.7 to help with deep snow.

 

[PIP]

I have lots of miles on Superduties and would not want one for my wife and kids to drive in Alaska winters. I'd want them in an 80 series. 80 series goes anywhere in the snow in just awd. Superduty needs hard-core chains and lockers to do the same thing.

I don't think the Toyota diesels are worth the premium.

6BT Cummins 80 would be ideal. I drive my P-pump 12 valve powered 97 FZJ80 in the NW mountains frequently. It does awesome in the snow and starts fine in sub zero temps with one group 31 battery. It gets 17 mpg with an auto trans and 33" tires in the winter.

Cummins seemed pretty popular when I visited Anchorage. I would imagine parts and service would be pretty straightforward for a 6BT swapped 80 in Alaska.