Well getting a new rig, desperately need opinions

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beatdown83fj60

beatdown83fj60

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Threads
57
Messages
615
Location
Evergreen, Colorado
Might be getting this...http://denver.craigslist.org/car/448373254.html

I've got him talked into $800 bucks. It looks like a really clean rig but the auto makes me nervous, I've never had an auto toy 4x4 and I haven't heard a whole lot of good about them. But like people say, don't believe everything you hear. I blue booked it and it comes out to being worth around $1300 in FAIR condition, which I consider it to be needing a radiator. I was thinking SAS, 5 speed swap, blah blah, but that just sounds like so much work when there are plenty of toys out there with 5 speeds and solid axles lol. What should I do? Buy it, do a few small things to it and see if I can flip it for $1500-$1600? Or buy it and just dd it or sas it? Just seems like it is a decent deal. I talked to the guy and he said he installed a new head about 2 years ago but the bottom end still has 210,000. Im so confused :confused:

And another kicker is I should have that cherokee from the tow company any day now so if I sold both I could probably end up with about $2500 to put towards a nicer SA truck, that might even put me up into the EFI SA bracket.
 
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id jump on that. i paid 1700 for my 86 a few years ago. with a manual trans.
has 200K Miles

my buddy has a 87 with 20K more miles than me with an auto.
both trucks kicks ass. and as a bonus, in the summer, you rip that top off, and you got a super cool convertable truck :D

ifs does not suck. for some reason there is a myth that ifs sucks ass, and you best stay off the trails unless its a SAS'd truck. thats BS.

you need to buy that. you may have to put some work in it. im only in my 4runner about 400 bucks in the last 3 years...
 
IFS: "Gettin' things done since 1986" :D

DSC04599.jpg
 
Well this would actually be my 3rd 1st gen 4runner. My first one was an 89 with nothing more than a body lift and 33's, it did a lot of what I wanted it to do. My last one, the 84, was a rust bucket from hell and this one is clean as a whistle. It will be my first rust free runner. The guy said I could pop off all the interior panels and I won't find a spec of rust, he promised. I really want to throw a solid axle in the front though :grinpimp: just because I have been seriously welding for about 8 months now and I'm finally confident in my abilities. Plus I hate changing cv's and couldn't justify gearing an IFS front end. No complaints, Toyota put together the finest IFS system ever from 86-95 if you ask me, it's just not what I want right now. Me + IFS= fireroads and police lol, not quite that bad but those things rally with IFS! Im torn, sell that thing for a profit and sell the jeep to fund a really nice SA truck, or drive the jeep daily and put the time, money, and love into the Runner. My dream truck is a 1st gen runner, 3rz, SFA, 4.7 case, detroit rear, detroit front.
 
2ndGenToyotaFan said:
IFS: "Gettin' things done since 1986" :D

DSC04599.jpg
Click to expand...

So are those the 33 10.5's? BJ spacer and shackle lift? I'm kind of leaning away from building this truck because it's too clean. I could use it for mild to medium trails/camping/dog hauler/snowboard wagon, and trade the jeep cherokee for a SFA truck to just really beat the crap out of. I really like the way your truck looks and another thing that is selling me is that my 89 4Runner with 2" BL and 31" BFG muds did better in snow than my stock 84 Runner did with 31"BFG All Terrains. It didn't pile up under the IFS truck like the SA one, it just kind of flattened it out instead of collecting it. I'm almost wondering if having a 1.5 inch lift like you (I think that's about what you have??) and a 1 inch 4Crawler body lift could clear a set of 34 10.5 LTB's?
Here are pics of my last 2 runners
ill008.jpg

Small pic of two things I don't have anymore but loved and have replaced :D
paige3.jpg
 
Is anyone else bothered by 1/2 a quart of oil burned per tank of gas? Feel like doing some rings soon?

Still, it is only $800. I wouldn't be posting links (to this, or any vehicle I was interested in) till you had it purchased.
 
FWIW, its an A/T. Not great for turning into a crawler given the difficulty of going to dual cases. My old one only got 17mpg too and that was with a fine running 22RE.

$800 is a great deal on any car that runs and drives. Be careful of the "clogged radiator" though. That oil is likely going into the radiator(blown headgasket or timing chain ate through the water jacket). If you know you want a new motor, just use it as leverage.
 
LeftCoast said:
Is anyone else bothered by 1/2 a quart of oil burned per tank of gas? Feel like doing some rings soon?

Still, it is only $800. I wouldn't be posting links (to this, or any vehicle I was interested in) till you had it purchased.
Click to expand...

It's actually already paid for, I just need to wait a couple weeks until there is an available trailer to go get it. I'm going to run this truck til' the A/T dies and swap in a 5 speed. My first plan is going to be a new lower end and a small IFS lift, I'll save the straight axle for a more beat up truck. The guy found the paperwork for the head he put on it, apparently it has had a little modification done to it, and has an aftermarket cam as well. It also has a brand new header on it. I figure if I can throw a bored out lower end in it, the thing will do fine, even with an A/T. It should make great DD material and a good camping machine.
 
I've dreamed of a rust free 84-89 Runner ever since I had my first one about 9 years ago. It wasn't bad but had rust in the rear wheel wells (only a little but still too much). Now I have one, it's just going to be a little work to get it running like a champ. I figure with a new motor and when the A/T dies and a 5 speed goes in, I probably won't have to mess with anything super major for a loooonnng time.

At the very most.

BJ spacers/torsion bar crank or OME bars
2 inch lift springs rear
33's
Music
Snowboard rack

The Ironman IFS suspension lift on Ebay is looking like the trick also. $350 for torsion bars, rear springs w/bushings, greasable pins and shackles for the rear springs, shocks front and rear, and new u-bolts for the rear. Seems like a good deal for even a stiff lift to fit 33's.

Oh and for the sake of my love for Toyota's it's getting a rear aussie locker/lockright etc. I figure IFS,33's, and a locker should go where a solid axle, 36's and no rear locker will.
 
I can say cranked stock torsion bars with low profile bump stops in front with a Downey 2" rear lift spring and a 1" body lift will clear 33" by 12.5" tires with a bit of fender trimming. Throw in 4.88 gears and a lockrite in back. A bit of trimming is only necessary if you plan to twist it up on a rocky trail (like the Rubicon) or jump it over dunes (like Pismo Beach). This combo has worked well for me on the trail and still makes a decent daily driver and I even tow (against recommendations) a 2500 lb tent trailer on occasion. the 22re and ifs seems to be getting the job done. The plan is to do sas/chevys/arbs/etc but it will then no longer be a good daily driver or tow vehicle. Right now the truck is set up as well as can be without committing to "major compromising (and expensive) modifications".
 
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