My white '93 FZJ80 has given me a hell of a time. I took it in most recently for a rough idle. Plugs and wires were replaced, but did nothing to cure the stumbling idle. I was told they needed to troubleshoot the wiring harness wire by wire, and send the injectors out for testing - either that or start looking for a 4Runner. Frustrated and fed up with Land Cruisers, I did the next most logical thing: I got on mud.
I had barely been on for minute when a new post popped up about another '93 with problems. Evidently it had been sitting for two years and had some mechanical and electrical problems. The OP of that thread stated that he felt the need to sell so I PMd him. We traded contact info, spoke on the phone and agreed on a sales price. Evidently locals had offered him a little under $700, and we agreed he could sell the body armor and part it out for more than that. He named his price and I agreed.
If you've never dealt with uhaul on renting a car hauler, you haven't lived. They were ultimately convinced the Toyota Sienna would do fine on the trailer and my father-in-law and I headed for Virginia in his Escalade with the hauler in tow.
We met the seller, and looked it over. At that point the seller mentioned that the bottom end was bad - which changed things for me as I was thinking of swapping out the short block. The battery was dead, the alarm keyfob is gone. Using a jump we got it started and the alarm went off. Super fun. It had some rust. Everything was as seller had stated before hand except bottom end - which was not really a deal-killer for me. After discussion he remained firm on price, which was still a good deal for the body armor alone. I gave him the $$$ and he gave me the title.
We loaded the truck on the hauler to find the straps wouldn't wrap around 315s. Fortunately we had a roadside emergency kit in the Escalade. The kit contained a tow strap with two eyes spliced in. We cut the tow strap and tied it to the existing straps on the hauler using some rigging knots. We cinched it down, and headed out.
The drive home was exhilarating. We kept trying to determine if we were driving the truck or if it was driving us. By our best estimates the truck weighs a little over 6,000lbs. The car hauler is rated for 4,000lbs. I'm not sure what the Escalade is rated at, but it was a hell of a trip.
We check the knots around the tires at 5 miles, 25miles, and then again at the half way point. If anything they got tighter. They held great for the whole trip.
We got to @Trollhole's Cruisers after 9pm, and left the truck out front for him to go over. I had already told him I was planning on parting it out and wanted to hear from him what looked good, and what didn't. I wanted to get as much good stuff on my white 80 as I could before offering the rest of the red one up here on Mud.
I got the call a couple days later. "There's really nothing wrong with this truck. It's got 160k miles, needs exhaust work, an 02 sensor, and an intake hose," says Trollhole's. Damn.
We met at the shop and talked it over. The guys at Trollhole's Cruisers could find no electrical problems, and no problems with the bottom end. After about a week she was ready. I drove her home tonight.
There's still a ton of rust to deal with. I've got paint and body work to do. I'll need to find space and time to swap my locked axles off my white 80 onto this one. I also need to figure out how to get the stroller and groceries in the back past the big swing-out tire.
Thanks Trollhole.
I had barely been on for minute when a new post popped up about another '93 with problems. Evidently it had been sitting for two years and had some mechanical and electrical problems. The OP of that thread stated that he felt the need to sell so I PMd him. We traded contact info, spoke on the phone and agreed on a sales price. Evidently locals had offered him a little under $700, and we agreed he could sell the body armor and part it out for more than that. He named his price and I agreed.
If you've never dealt with uhaul on renting a car hauler, you haven't lived. They were ultimately convinced the Toyota Sienna would do fine on the trailer and my father-in-law and I headed for Virginia in his Escalade with the hauler in tow.
We met the seller, and looked it over. At that point the seller mentioned that the bottom end was bad - which changed things for me as I was thinking of swapping out the short block. The battery was dead, the alarm keyfob is gone. Using a jump we got it started and the alarm went off. Super fun. It had some rust. Everything was as seller had stated before hand except bottom end - which was not really a deal-killer for me. After discussion he remained firm on price, which was still a good deal for the body armor alone. I gave him the $$$ and he gave me the title.
We loaded the truck on the hauler to find the straps wouldn't wrap around 315s. Fortunately we had a roadside emergency kit in the Escalade. The kit contained a tow strap with two eyes spliced in. We cut the tow strap and tied it to the existing straps on the hauler using some rigging knots. We cinched it down, and headed out.
The drive home was exhilarating. We kept trying to determine if we were driving the truck or if it was driving us. By our best estimates the truck weighs a little over 6,000lbs. The car hauler is rated for 4,000lbs. I'm not sure what the Escalade is rated at, but it was a hell of a trip.
We check the knots around the tires at 5 miles, 25miles, and then again at the half way point. If anything they got tighter. They held great for the whole trip.
We got to @Trollhole's Cruisers after 9pm, and left the truck out front for him to go over. I had already told him I was planning on parting it out and wanted to hear from him what looked good, and what didn't. I wanted to get as much good stuff on my white 80 as I could before offering the rest of the red one up here on Mud.
I got the call a couple days later. "There's really nothing wrong with this truck. It's got 160k miles, needs exhaust work, an 02 sensor, and an intake hose," says Trollhole's. Damn.
We met at the shop and talked it over. The guys at Trollhole's Cruisers could find no electrical problems, and no problems with the bottom end. After about a week she was ready. I drove her home tonight.
There's still a ton of rust to deal with. I've got paint and body work to do. I'll need to find space and time to swap my locked axles off my white 80 onto this one. I also need to figure out how to get the stroller and groceries in the back past the big swing-out tire.
Thanks Trollhole.
