God help this truck

[Beau]

It all comes down to maintenance and looking after the truck. I've taken care of my 90 series and it's over 200k miles with very minimal work done, especially to the drive train. Sure, I gave it a coat of paint every couple years underneath, greased up everything, did my general fluid changes, but these are things I'd do in every car I own. You can buy the best Landcruiser (Your choice of best here) and thrash it and not look after it well. It will eventually let you down.


It looks like the OP wasn't too lucky with his purchase, but with some care it can be like new again.

On a side note, there's not a lot of 80 series in the US here. But on the other hand the 3rd gen 4runner which is the exact same drivetrain wise to our 90 series trucks are in abundance. Probably Toyota's best sold vehicle hear in the US, and these things rack on the miles no problem.

 

[Shayne]

My stab at the 80 probably read harsher than it was intended . For the record i think Toyota reached its summit with the 80 which combined the strength of the 70 series mule with the luxury of a Rangerover , and you can only go in one direction once you've reached the top .

What i was meaning to point out is that everything suffers with age and the 80 is over engineered to a point that working on requires some heavy duty tools and it is not for a novice , whereas the 90 is by comparison very simply designed , just as reliable and probably easier to maintain .

My fantasy truck would have my shortys body on a defender chassis with patrol axles probably .

 

[clivehorridge]

My stab at the 80 probably read harsher than it was intended . For the record i think Toyota reached its summit with the 80 which combined the strength of the 70 series mule with the luxury of a Rangerover , and you can only go in one direction once you've reached the top .

I always knew you knew it Shayne, just never heard you say it before .

Back to the op, don't give up, take it one step at a time.

My 80 when purchased was 11 years old with 212 k km on the clock and the po self confessed he'd spent as little in maintenance as possible.

So I started at the bottom and worked my way up. In 10 years ownership, I've never replaced the same genuine Mr T part twice. The truck will never be a "good" one but at 21 years old it runs sweet, everything important works, and it's heaps of fun as well as practical for me, I still wear the grin.

I'm sure your 90 can be just as you want it, given time and patience.

 

[Shayne]

The 80's strength is what appeals to me Clive but i can't convince myself its a better vehicle for me personally , in fact i know its not .

It does seem you made an unlucky purchase Jake but perhaps that's because all your problems more or less came at once and if you think about it all are minor problems mostly caused by the knock on effect of driving with a broken turret .

Its catch up maintenance your doing , making up for the previous owners neglect , as Clive says just work through it and with every repair it will become more of a personal possession .

 

[StarCruiser]

I agree Jake, stick at it.
Photograph everything you're not sure about and post it on here. We'll soon tell you if it's a lost cause or more likely the way round the problem. Lay it all down on here and let's have a look starting with the rust and the whole underneath.

 

[flint]

I agree with all the comments, keep at it and it'll see you right. My Colorado was not the best when I got it, rust, knackered parts, basically unloved, but it's slowly getting there. Perhaps it's not as strong as an 80, but then do I need it to be for the use that I want it for ? Mine has surprised me a few times with what it has been able to do. It's a temptation to think, shall I look for a better one or am I spending more on it than it's worth if I sell it, but as with the 80s, they are getting to an age where, unless you're lucky and find one that's exceptional (probably with a price tag to match), there will always be something to do, problems to fix.

 

[clivehorridge]

The 80's strength is what appeals to me Clive but i can't convince myself its a better vehicle for me personally , in fact i know its not .

It does seem you made an unlucky purchase Jake but perhaps that's because all your problems more or less came at once and if you think about it all are minor problems mostly caused by the knock on effect of driving with a broken turret .

Its catch up maintenance your doing , making up for the previous owners neglect , as Clive says just work through it and with every repair it will become more of a personal possession .

I know how much you love your truck Shayne, I'm only teasing!

I really don't think you'd like the change from 90 to 80, because everything you like about it are 90 things, lightness, power to weight ratio, 2 doors, shortness, etc.

Yep, post up Jake, let us give you some pointers. We can't have anyone giving up on a cruiser

 

[Shayne]

Age makes them all projects which can make life difficult if it was bought to be a daily driver so the question while deciding which you want is - do you want to weld a couple of mounts and change a few bushes and replace the rad or do you want to change big end bearings , rebuild axles and refit the windscreen .

If i had the space for it to be an option i would likely choose to both sets of problems