What would you do? (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Mar 11, 2007
Threads
3
Messages
18
Location
Seattle, WA
With my 60 and $10k budget?

Done already:
New paint (3 yrs ago?)
Desmog
OME Light

Problems:
Head gasket leak
Rear seal leak
Other minor leaks
Exhaust getting ratty
Drivers seat needs redone
Headliner has some tears
Wheels have some rust

Considering:
Refurbish current engine to like new
Sniper FE
Higher power 2F rebuild
1FZ swap (or other high power motor)

Thoughts?

Chris

PXL_20230301_200952014.jpg


PXL_20230301_201056264.jpg


PXL_20230301_201112060.jpg


PXL_20230301_201150601.jpg


PXL_20230301_201215631.jpg
 
10K? Toss an 5.3 into it and merge into traffic like and keep up with modern traffic, and enjoy buying parts off the shelf at every single auto parts store in the country. If kept stock a 5.3 is absurdly reliable. 10K on a 2f is just burning money.
 
I would love to give it a few more horse power. Not sure why, but I like the idea of a keeping it "in the family" if I do a swap. Thus the 1FZ.

If I stick with the 2F and just give it a refresh, maybe I can do a few performance tweaks. Exhaust manifold, FE .. that kind of thing.
 
Gen 3 Vortec and Marks adapter easily done under $10K if doing yourself. You could probably do an H55f at the same time and come in under if you skip AC and are frugal in other places
 
10K? Toss an 5.3 into it and merge into traffic like and keep up with modern traffic, and enjoy buying parts off the shelf at every single auto parts store in the country. If kept stock a 5.3 is absurdly reliable. 10K on a 2f is just burning money.
@jesus888 this is the truth that nobody wants to hear about motor swaps.
 
Problems:
Head gasket leak .. ground pepper
Rear seal leak.. meh
Other minor leaks.. meh
Exhaust getting ratty.. bubble gum
Drivers seat needs redone.. blanket
Headliner has some tears… exacto knife
Wheels have some rust… meh

10k?.. work less travel more play more
 
Do not, I repeat, do not put a Sniper EFI on that engine. They work great if the engine is very healthy and you’re able to “tune” the computer to meet your needs. They are wrought with problems and will absolutely NOT improve a worn out engine.

Ask me how I know….
 
Do not, I repeat, do not put a Sniper EFI on that engine. They work great if the engine is very healthy and you’re able to “tune” the computer to meet your needs. They are wrought with problems and will absolutely NOT improve a worn out engine.

Ask me how I know….
How do you know? Kidding, I’ve read your nightmare haha.

My sniper has been great! Until yesterday, started getting the stall issue. But I believe mine might be an electrical bug. We will see.
 
keep stock. If you want something swapped sell it after you get it in good shape. So mush of the interior can be done by you and relatively cheap. If you can get your head gasket done and upgrade to an H55 you will get real happy with the 2F again. I added headers and got rid of the cats and desmogged. That really opens things up as well. Can you desmog?

Problems:
Head gasket leak
Rear seal leak
Other minor leaks
Exhaust getting ratty
Drivers seat needs redone
Headliner has some tears
Wheels have some rust
 
Part of this is preferences

Problems:
Head gasket leak - repair
Rear seal leak repair, I don't like leaks
Other minor leaks - same
Exhaust getting ratty - replace when not functional
Drivers seat needs redone - seat covers
Headliner has some tears - wait for a used one to come up for sale
Wheels have some rust - clean them up

Refresh the 2F and get the 5 speed
 
Looking good there. What's the intended use and how many miles on the engine? Oil leaks look minimal. Wheels don't look bad. Please don't ditch them for some ugly aftermarkets.

If it's healthy besides the HG, perhaps you could turn it into a 2FE using FJ62 parts. This would add a few HP while keeping it simple, mostly stock and relatively cheap.

Maybe keep the 4 speed and spend the extra money on other stuff.
The bolded would likely be my course of action. But then, my plans wouldn't include regularly driving 75-80 mph in the beast on highways down south. You might need that 5 speed.

I personally would not sink too much money into a tired 2F. You won't be gaining much from "tweaking" it. The FZ-FE swap would be sweet, but is it practical and cost effective compared to the V-8 suggestion? Not unless you can source a decent, used engine for a good price.
 
Can you/will you do work yourself? That will let you know how far $10k will go.
 
Head gasket, Desmog, rebuild carb and put in a 5 speed

If you can sell a kidney and get a little more money:
1uz or LS, depends on how much work you’re gonna do yourself.
 
Thanks for all the advice! I hadn't considered the 5 speed option. I'll add that to my list to consider. I am partial to keeping the 2F. I know the matching numbers thing doesn't really matter, but I like the originality of it. It's my daily. Mostly city, occasional highway. I treat it more like a classic car than an off road vehicle. :D Plans are to keep it fairly stock, and keep fixing it up. Though I do drool over the mods I see you guys doing here.

Planning to do the work myself. Sounds like head gasket is the first order of business.
 
DIY head gasket.

Pay someone to fix rust.








Drive into the sunset.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom