buying 80 cruiser

[low40]

Hey people looking at getting a 80 cruiser ,would like some info if possible on anything i should look at when checking them at.
ie
body rust where abouts to look
engine & driveline noise at certain klms
chassie cracks
just any info would be great
cheers people

[Spoon]

Awesome duder, I've had my fair share of problems but it's all worth it.

I bought my petrol 92 GXL with 250xxxk's on it, problems I've had so far;
- Seals in steering knuckle and diff had gone, thus leaking oil into the steering knuckle and leaking out around the ball joint, this looks like a big thing of sludge around it.
- CV's had worn from being full time 4wd, I suggest getting a part time kit ASAP
- None greasable UNI's had seized
- Air con pump fuxored, getting it fixed at the moment

I've spent a few grand on it getting it to nixxy, but I've gotta give props to the Bigballsoffroad distributers down at moss street in springwood cause they did me a great deal on the front end.


Some of the other guys here have been blowing steering boxes, I gave mine quite the beating the other day and was unable to twist anything...yet lol

No rust or cracks so far.

[low40]

yeah cool thanks looking at a petrol one this arvo 300ks 90 model
dont now if fulltime or part time , would like part time due to running cost
but if price is right hten wil see
thanks for the info spoon
might be low 80 after to day

[geoff70]

i have a 80 series which i bought from a car yard it was running fine till last week, the distributer died it had been in sum deep salt water and rusted the all the electrics , im finding it hard to get parts for it

[+dj_hansen+]

Hey people looking at getting a 80 cruiser ,would like some info if possible on anything i should look at when checking them at.
ie
body rust where abouts to look
up under the front guard where the inner guard bolts to the firewall, inside the rear doors where the c-pillar joints just below the window, bottom of doors/sills if the drain holes are blocked.

engine & driveline noise at certain klms
depends on what engine and how many KM's. A vehicle approaching or just past a multiple of 100k that is well maintained should have had the service done/or due which would inc. front end rebuild, all hoses/fluids, cooling system check etc. Look for notchiness/noise in the gearbox but some notchiness is expected when cold 1st > 2nd, 2nd > 3rd and vice versa. Give the uni joints a good wiggle, 93 onwards has better brakes and 94> longer splines on the CV's which results in less driveline backlash long term

chassie cracks
Early 80 models there are some instances of the upper coil seats in the rear cracking, but this was rectified in 92 IIRC, other than that look for any dodgy bar work welded directly to the chassis which can create weak points.

just any info would be great
Have a good read through the articles listed here: http://www.lcool.org/technical/80_serie ... nical.html
cheers people

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

if i was you unless its verrrry cheap i would go a diesel.
i have a dx diesel and its good for wheeling etc. cheap, reliable and vinyl makes for easy cleaning.
and they have come down a heap in price.

[bj on roids]

Petrols are very thirsty...

That's the reason they are so cheap!

[krakatinny]

Give the vehicle a good test drive up hills etc,you will find that the 3F petrol engine is a real slug and hopeless for towing, i did, fuel consumption issues compound the towing greif also, whilst being a verry reliable motor you can forget about overtaking forever. Having said this, my vehicle has done 240k of touring, towing and offroad and has never once let us down all but a couple of air con belts. It needed a lpg conversion and got one 18 years ago to lighten the fuel bills, and just recently had a v8 transplant due to the desperate situation with towing, looks set for another decade or two of reliable, comfortable and reasonably cheap to run motoring, the later model 80 with the fuel injected 4.5l engine is a whole lot better in all aspects for performance in my books and goes well on lpg also, thats my two bob anyway.

[thrashlux]

this is the only real bad rust spot follow the link let me know if it does not work for you

http://www.lcool.org/forum/viewtopic.ph ... ad283344ef

if you get the 80 this is a really good forum to join

cheers

jonathan

[RV80]

Some of the other guys here have been blowing steering boxes, I gave mine quite the beating the other day and was unable to twist anything...yet lol

Your not trying hard enough then

Grant

[cpt-mud]

the main points are rust in the fire wall, rust along 3rd row windows, rust in rear window. Cv jounts, Backlash in the driveline(full time 4wd) but a very easy fix. Power steering box leaks, Dont expect the lsd diff to work, leaking hub seals, I have had and heard of instances of the 4 bots on the bottem of the knucle working loose, and falling out

[80diesel4play]

I have had and heard of instances of the 4 bots on the bottem of the knucle working loose, and falling out

yep - had this happen to me while moving quick on a track - took an hour to fix including walking back up the track top find the missing bearings again! Not a biggy - more locktite and resolved!

[Simo63]

I have had and heard of instances of the 4 bots on the bottem of the knucle working loose, and falling out

Yeah this happend to a mate of mine. Fortunately (or unfortunately as it may be) his wife was driving and she never even noticed the steering getting worse until it fell out and the front hub collapsed

They had it repaired but it did it again due to the threads being worn. Ended up replacing hte whole hub and used plenty of lock-tite .. no problems now.

The other advice you've been given is all about right. The only real place I have seen rust is the front body mount area (you can usually lift the floor mats and see if a hole has developed around mid floor onthe angled-up sheetmetal), and around the rear side and upper tailgate windows.

The 80 is an excellent car, personally I prefer the factory turbo diesel but they are dearer to buy. The 3F is a gutless and thirstly wonder and the replacement 4500 EFI (is it 1FZ-FE?) is far more powerful but still as thirsty as buggery.

And of course, Toyota LSD's stop working the moment you drive it out of the showroom so you can forget that helping you. Better off going air lockers front and rear (I did ) and she will get you just about anywhere you need to go.

Good luck

[Auto-Craft]

The king pin bolts are to be done up to a specific tension, and if they are over tightened the bolts stretch, and lose thier clamp force.

They should also be checked regularly as part of servicing the vehicle.
We use a small spray gun brush to clean out the holes and loctite the studs back in when we do front swivel rebuilds, so this doesnt happen also.

The axle studs are also to be tightened to a specific tension as well, and when they stretch, they lose clamp pressure and break, the studs get blamed for being to small, but its a maintenance issue really.

Also, re broken steering boxes, always ensure the box hits the lock stops, many [especially patrols] who wont spend on a steering arm to adjust or cheat and take the steering wheel off and turn it on the shaft to straighten the wheel have an issue with the steering box bottoming out before the lock stop, this is what normally breaks the steering box.

[80's_delirious]

chassis cracks are fairly common around the steering box

if its full time 4x4, CV joint and front hub drive flange wear is common and causes backlash in the driveline, can get very bad and is noticable if you remove or place foot on throttle quickly while driving

[Auto-Craft]

chassis cracks are fairly common around the steering box

if its full time 4x4, CV joint and front hub drive flange wear is common and causes backlash in the driveline, can get very bad and is noticable if you remove or place foot on throttle quickly while driving

Chassis cracks around the steering box is pre 93's mostly.

Changing drive flanges on c4wd models to 95 on type which have 8mm more spline area solves the problem there too. [as does some lube occasionally]

[crankycruiser]

if ya gunna buy an 80 get a Nov 92 upwards... bigger brakes better motor (in the petrol) and a few minor changes on the chassis