WTB: 80 Series

[Ratpuke]

No, not for me...

A friend & former RMLCA'er who now lives in Vancouver emailed me to find out if I could help him find more info on 80s. He thinks he wants a 1993-1997, with lockers but isn't sure what other things he should be wary of or want and whether or not the post 97 models have diff locks.

So, is there anyone out there willing to feed his mind with info regarding obtaining/importing an 8os? I know nothing about them but I'll recommend he check out the 80s section of mud.

Thanks.

 

[Greg_B]

No, not for me...

A friend & former RMLCA'er who now lives in Vancouver emailed me to find out if I could help him find more info on 80s. He thinks he wants a 1993-1997, with lockers but isn't sure what other things he should be wary of or want and whether or not the post 97 models have diff locks.

So, is there anyone out there willing to feed his mind with info regarding obtaining/importing an 8os? I know nothing about them but I'll recommend he check out the 80s section of mud.

Thanks.

RHD, LDH...does he care?

Semlin is probably the best local contact I can think of for info on the 80 series. My knowledge is lacking with the 80, and the best area here as you say would be the 80 series forum for chassis info, and the diesel forum for 1HD-T info.

hth's

gb

 

[Riley]

Yep, check out IH8MUD 80's section for losts of info.

Semlin has a good post on MUD on importing, I used it when bringing in mine.

The 80 series is simply the best 4X4 ever built. Add a OME suspension, sliders and maybe a skid plate and you are set.

 

[Enigma]

speaking of 80's.....

I guess I could look in the 80 section and get this answered...but Im lazy and still tired from Turkey overload.

Whats the difference between the D and Z designation...different engines it would seem, so what engine (diesel) would be preferred for these large metal beasts?

Yes, I want an 80..cuz i dont have one! and can fit more kids into one

 

[Greg_B]

speaking of 80's.....

I guess I could look in the 80 section and get this answered...but Im lazy and still tired from Turkey overload.

Whats the difference between the D and Z designation...different engines it would seem, so what engine (diesel) would be preferred for these large metal beasts?

Yes, I want an 80..cuz i dont have one! and can fit more kids into one

1990/92 FJ80

3FE gasoline engine

1993-97 FZJ80

1FZ gasoline engine

Some other changes in the FZ such as tranny and ABS. 80 series FAQ should cover it all.

Lexus 450 - I understand it's same as the FZJ cept plusher ride, and exterior body mouldings slightly different?

HDJ81 - 1991-97

1HD-T diesel engine, bumped to 1HD-FT engine part way through the run. You will only get this in RHD here, unless someone has done a swap. Other changes year to year too...like the FZJ run.

HJZ will mean the HZ engine (naturally aspirated, idi)

That's real basic, but gives you a start. Work through the turkey haze and read the 80 forums FAQ.

gb

 

[baxter650]

As of today there is one for sale in Abbotsford at the Volkswagon stealership. Not sure of the price, it was at $13.000 and i think it was sold but came back. I know it is locked front & rear but don't know about the center diff lock. Its white in color and very stock, 1993, not sure on the ks. If there is any interest i can stop by and check it out again as its on the way home. Vince

 

[baxter650]

Come to think of it there is a right hand turbo diesel 80 W/ fact. winch in the bumper running about Abbotsford.It had a for sale sign in the window but i didn't get the number But i will if i see it again. It was lifted and had tires & wheels, ladder on back. Check out Slee offroad's newbi buyers or owners Guide for some usefull info. Vince

 

[Greg_B]

Come to think of it there is a right hand turbo diesel 80 W/ fact. winch in the bumper running about Abbotsford.It had a for sale sign in the window but i didn't get the number But i will if i see it again. It was lifted and had tires & wheels, ladder on back. Check out Slee offroad's newbi buyers or owners Guide for some usefull info. Vince

That one is sold. Was speaking to the fellow who brought it in the other day.

Wonder why the one at the dealer came back...

gb

 

[baxter650]

That one is sold. Was speaking to the fellow who brought it in the other day.

Wonder why the one at the dealer came back...

gb

Don't know why it came back but i went by today and didn't see it on the lot. Was kind of wondering what they wanted for it now. Did you ask what the diesel one went for?

 

[semlin]

the 80 was sold 91-97 in north america and all are sold front axle with an i6. the post 97 cruisers are 100 series. the 100s are iFS with a v8 and initially had a rear locker option and later traction control. the 100 forum here is the place to learn about those. prices in canada are still insane for these or for the lx470. they are capable offroad vehicles but generally not considered as good as the 80 because of the IFS.

the north american 91-92s do not have f/r lockers, have the less powerful 3FE and have rear drums and no rear ff axles. they do have 15 inch rims which make extra rims and tires cheaper. they usually have cloth interiors and there are a number of subtle differences in body and finish parts so they don't always cross over to the 93-97 80 series. You can get a high miles 91-92 in the US for $3-5,000us.

Any 80 can be lifted up to 3 inches with an old man emu kit for about C$1000 and 4 hours of your time, and the ride will be better than stock. They will take 33s in stock form and 35s with the lift and lowered bump stops.

the 93-97s are all very similar except for a tiny amount of povery pack 93-94s that had rear drums and no abs. the faq section in the 80 forum will explain the differences. less than 10% had f/r lockers as an option. 100% had a CDL but after 1992 you need to buy an accessory cdl switch from Toyota for us$40 (harness is in the dash ready) and make the simple "7 pin mod" or the cdl engages in low automatically and not otherwise. you can get a locked 93+ cruiser in the US with say 120k miles plus for us$7000 but it will take patience. A nice sub 100k model will still cost over 10k. you can get comparable or better deals on US lexus lx450s (96-97) as they seem to have less cachet than badged landcruisers or maybe their non-offroader buyers are pickier. they are the same truck with a very small number of differences (usually better with the lexus) and can be serviced with toyota parts.

the jdm rhd 80 imports are up to 1991 now for legal canadian import and the 80 was sold in japan as a 1990 model so you have 2 years to choose from. tons in the buy and sell. the only ones coming in are the diesel hdj81s. f/r lockers was an option for these trucks and a few have them but I think you would need to special order through an importer to get them because 95% of those i've seen do not have them. the only special issues I know about on the hdj diesels is the need to replace the bottom end bearings as preventative maintenance (greg and sheldon would know all about this) and also the risk with all jdm imports of having problems due to poor coolant maintenance. the international cruiser forum here has way more info. Radd cruisers or wayne at crushers know far more than me.

as for the local market for gassers. what is for sale is a mix of the grey market 80s that came into canada new (very small number asnd what you want), canadian 97 LX450s, and recent us imports. the recent us imports are us auction cars bought cheap in the us by local dealers. they invariably have no lockers and no history except for crap the dealer makes up. also, some dealers know what lockers are and will lie to you if you call to ask. I have seen 1993 80s down as low as $12k or $10k for a 91-92. I would be very very careful buying a recent import from a dealer and do a carfax and full body/mechanical inspection. One us Lx450 i saw a while back that I looked at for buddy was a salvage vehicle according to carfax but the dealer was not declaring it.

when looking especially long distance get a photo of the door vin badge to find out if they have lockers. many vendors don't know what lockers are while others will tell you they have lockers when all there is just the cdl. also, there have been cases of the locker switch being installed with no lockers. the door badge code for lockers is found in the 80s forum faq.

I do have a post on importing into canada somewhere here. you can pm me for more info. i also have an excel spreadsheet for costing it out. i did mine in the 63 cent dollar era when prices for 80s locally were in the mid 20's so the math was different. today it is possible to get one in canada that is a good deal although most are overpriced. what works in your favour is that the crap us auction cars have driven the local cars down. If you can find a good one that has been in canada from new or a canadian lx450 you will likely get a price not too far different from what you would pay in the us for an equivalent truck. Note also that supposedly all canadian lx450s had lockers and all i have seen do.

major issues on the 80

-birfield repacks - do a search in the 80 section but basically once over 100k this needs to be done as preventative maintenance b/c the 80 has fulltime fwd and the birfs wear. if it isn't done, which is frequently the case, actual damage to birfs can ensue and they are pricey to replace and do not rebuild very well. Best test is to make truck do a tight turn uphill in both directions with lots of throttle and listen for front end clunking (repeat in low and most older 80s will do this so it is useful to scare the seller). birf job is $1200+ at a dealer or $400 in parts and a weekend for you.

-air care. 93+ 80s are hard to get through aircare unless all emission systems are in order. they are prone to egr system failure (1993s except from california have no sensor so no CE code while others do not send a CE code until the system completely fails). do a search on egr in the 80s forum and then check the egr modulator filter on a truck you are looking at (this only takes 2 seconds). if you find carbon build up inside you need a new modulator and, likely, a new vsv valve. $500 at a dealer or $200 in parts for you.

-head gasket. the 93-97 80s, especially the 97s are prone to hg failure. not like the old 4runners but enough that you are lucky to get past 200k without one. do a search on head gasket in the 80 section for more info, but basically you should check for fluid loss, look around the head for signs of dried coolant crystals (esp. at the rear #6 cylinder where 90% of failures occur) and see if you can get the overflow tank to blow bubbles (search on bubble test in the 80 forum). if really keen pull the #6 plug and compare to others. Toyota has replaced the h/g part in 2002 I think and none of the new ones have been known to fail. A h/g is $1500 plus from a dealer, or $500 and 3 days of your life. on the plus side a light head shave and cleaning up your injectors and intake while you are there will yield significant performance imporvement.

-sunroof leak - not really a major issue but takes patience to fix. very common and wet front footwells might help with the seller.

-rust - not known to rust anywhere but the upper rear tailgate. if you see one with a lot of frame rust underneath keep looking. there are many clean trucks out there.

-pinstriping - 80s are wider than most vehicles around here going offroad. if you plan on hitting the trails around here much expect your paint to take a beating.

 

[Greg_B]

Thanks for that Semlin...

I was hoping the gaps I left would be filled in by someone more in the know then I...

gb

 

[Greg_B]

Don't know why it came back but i went by today and didn't see it on the lot. Was kind of wondering what they wanted for it now. Did you ask what the diesel one went for?

Nope...did not ask.

gb