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- #41
I have a Camry too, that's my DD. My Cruiser is only used for off road, hunting and trailing my TT.
This could be my last post :( (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter 80 Cruiser Rod
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- Thread starter
- #42
Right now I'm looking at a Tundra which will be a lot more than repairing the Cruiser but would be much better for towing. If the cost was around $2,500 I'd do it but with $3,000 w/o parts being a low number and not knowing other problems encountered while doing the HG doesn't make a lot of sense. My biggest problem outside of this is the rust under it. Sad but I was told the body would fall apart long before the engine would die.
Well, technically, he doesn't have that place for me. That place is ruled by a much more honest deity.
And I never said that "he can't handle them". What I said is if he exists he does a s*** job of it all and relying on it is foolhardy.
That aside, I truly wish you the best of luck with whatever you decide to do here.
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- #44
Whatever dude!
FastCarGuy
SILVER Star
I'd sure get another bid. I had mine done by a dealer ~4 years ago for $1500. Both parts & labor.
Do you have a technical college nearby? Maybe they will fix it for parts and teaching?
Save her if you can! Its so worth it. The values are only shooting through the roof on these old LCs. the 80 series is starting to see the jump now that the 40s & 60s are in collector car territory. To replace what you have will cost more (even after the repair) if you end up regretting selling.
I just had the same issue. 94 FZJ80 blew its head gasket a month after I bought it, then after the teardown we discovered the timing chain guides were completely shot and the chain was rubbing. So $5000 and two months in the shop I just picked her up yesterday and the smile is right back on my face. She is running like an absolute champ and even quiter/smoother than when I originally purchased it. 233k on the clock now and now its time for another 250k!
I just had the same issue. 94 FZJ80 blew its head gasket a month after I bought it, then after the teardown we discovered the timing chain guides were completely shot and the chain was rubbing. So $5000 and two months in the shop I just picked her up yesterday and the smile is right back on my face. She is running like an absolute champ and even quiter/smoother than when I originally purchased it. 233k on the clock now and now its time for another 250k!
I honestly would post up in the local community forum and ask for help. It’s really amazing how far some food and cold beverages will go in the assistance of another cruiser head.
Do you have the space and tools available if others were to help you repair it? The only “special” tools needed for the head gasket job are a torque wrench and breaker bar. It’s actually a very straightforward job and the FSM outlines everything.
The ones I’ve rebuilt usually take 2 weekends due to waiting for the head to come back from the machine shop.
Do you have the space and tools available if others were to help you repair it? The only “special” tools needed for the head gasket job are a torque wrench and breaker bar. It’s actually a very straightforward job and the FSM outlines everything.
The ones I’ve rebuilt usually take 2 weekends due to waiting for the head to come back from the machine shop.
Now, now, that's not the only special tool you'll need to do a head gasket if your over 60 years old. Another helpful tool I've found is someone young with good back to lean over the fender for hours when removing, and installing the head.
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
Bingo.
You may have just spent alot of money & it may be inconvenient, but voice of experience: 80 > Tundra, all day long.
And God reserves ‘miracle motors’ for single moms & seniors on fixed income, not us guys with multiple cars (as in your case already having a S-box to drive around in hand). The people that need it, not kitchen reno- crowd or people who replace washer/dryers as sets.
If you think the 80’s rust is just that bad, screw it - part off the $$$$ mods you invested & sure, get a 1st gen Tundra or whatever.
But you’re $$$ ahead to drain the crankcase, shoot some oil down the spark tubes and get clean oil coming out the oilpan, drain the coolant so nothing freezes if this takes all winter & slowly assess how you pencil out a way to fix the HG.
Heck, sell that Slee bumper - you’re now ~$2500 closer to a paid fix.
If you can sit in a treestand & handle 300WM bolt recoil or draw a compund bow, you could fix this motor if there was no other option on the table.
Advil & Miller High Life / long showers (AKA redneck sauna) & you can knock this out.
Just saying.
Your wife isn’t as honest as you like to think, and you only think He’s doing a crappy job because He isn’t the “I dream of Jeannie” -type or you don’t have that bigger house / shiney car. He’s not 7-11.
Revelations is the ‘spoiler’ book, so a quick read shows we don’t leave the planet in a shower of gumdrops & unicorn/rainbow farts.....
Believe it or not I've read the entirety of the bible (and grew up having to attend Sunday school, church in many occasions, etc). And no my beliefs are not based on the fact that I think he would be 7-11. That's what it sounded like OP was getting at.
$3000 without parts is insane. Tell that place to shove it and look elsewhere.
LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
I had a over-under on the both of you, and I happened to have a double-barreled scattergub in hand.
So you each caught a barrel.
But I agree God’s sympathy towards people in America has a threshold.
We’re already in the top 90% of the world in how we live, just by that citizenship / birth document.
I have a hard time finding empathy myself despite being 3/3 on blown HG’s for a guy who just reno’d his kitchen & lives like washer/dryers need replacing in pairs
Not exactly the single mom trying to feed formula to a baby whose father would bounce mom off 3 walls whenever he decided home was better than whatever bar he rolled off a stool from.....her ‘91 Honda Civic burning oil & the fan was either off or full blast.
His rear bumper is worth 5x more than most peoples’ total assets who live below USA levels of life.
I’m not caustic to either of you, but geez....1st world problems, yeah?
For what it's worth...
I had a '94 FZJ that I sold back in 2014. It was my Mom's rig for about 12yrs, then she let me have it. It had a blown head gasket & I was quoted like $6k to fix it. I ended up just selling it because I didn't want to spend that much money. This LC was one of the nicest I've ever seen. The exterior and interior were in perfect condition – it was a sharp looking rig. We sold it for a measly $3k...
I REGRET SELLING IT SO MUCH.
For one, that LC was sentimental to me. Secondly, it was one of the nicest 80's I have ever seen. And third, I sold it for basically nothing. I should have asked way more, in retrospect.
So I guess my point is with this story is that I was in your shoes once. I wish I would have spent the money to fix my rig instead of giving up on it. I now have a new 80, and I love it — but it's not as special to me as the one I sold (we called her Bessie).
TL;DR: My vote is for you to spend the money to fix it! See if you can get some more quotes. Maybe you can connect w/ other 80 owners in your area and get recommendations and advice.
I had a '94 FZJ that I sold back in 2014. It was my Mom's rig for about 12yrs, then she let me have it. It had a blown head gasket & I was quoted like $6k to fix it. I ended up just selling it because I didn't want to spend that much money. This LC was one of the nicest I've ever seen. The exterior and interior were in perfect condition – it was a sharp looking rig. We sold it for a measly $3k...
I REGRET SELLING IT SO MUCH.
For one, that LC was sentimental to me. Secondly, it was one of the nicest 80's I have ever seen. And third, I sold it for basically nothing. I should have asked way more, in retrospect.
So I guess my point is with this story is that I was in your shoes once. I wish I would have spent the money to fix my rig instead of giving up on it. I now have a new 80, and I love it — but it's not as special to me as the one I sold (we called her Bessie).
TL;DR: My vote is for you to spend the money to fix it! See if you can get some more quotes. Maybe you can connect w/ other 80 owners in your area and get recommendations and advice.
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I hope you didn't let a mechanic convince you an 80 series has two head gaskets
Had a blown headgasket, I meant. ***
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LINUS
Waiting for the Great Pumpkin
I hope you didn't let a mechanic convince you an 80 series has two head gaskets
You didn’t know they stack HG’s over here?
-Yeah, that way you either have double as tough a motor, or double as much $$ to repair.....
I’d try for a better line, but we all know @nukegoat -is the resident expert of HG stacking or fallout from poorly done ones
So I defer......
I figured it was down to inbreeding, and you guys somehow ended up with a load of two headed monsters
All this talk about god and hg's makes me want sit in my 3 row seats and meditate for a spell.
The big question here is how bad is the rust ?
Just saw a post where someone patched a 2 foot hole in the floor of an 80 so anything is possible.
The big question here is how bad is the rust ?
Just saw a post where someone patched a 2 foot hole in the floor of an 80 so anything is possible.
