Me and My 80 Series

[Kuneefay]

So I thought Id introduce myself. Im a complete newb when it comes to cruisers and toyota in general and consiquently i've been diving relatively blind. I spent a couple days researching these forums and slee's site which helped quite a bit. I pulled the trigger yesterday and picked up a 1993 fzj-80 with the 1fzfe(which I know next to nothing about). Within the last 20k miles its had a full transmission rebuild, heads resurfaced, a long block imported from japan put in, a 2" OME lift with track bars and caster correction, safari snorkel, sliders, front and rear bumper and piaas put on. Also aquired a few descent body badges from trails. I crawled under it this morning and greased up the driveline and to check for leaks after my commute to work, looks pretty good other than a trans pan leak and a dipstick hose leak which are both liveable for awhile. After a few months of settling in my wife and I's 2nd baby(due december) I plan on throwing my hat in to start volunteering for a local search and rescue group which was the main reason for buying the rig(with occasional daily driving). Until then I plan on putting some elbow grease into it and replace the passenger rear door(descent dent and lock/window doesnt work on it), putting fender flares back on, full synthetic redline oil swap to everything, cross drilled rotors and ebc green stuff pads, undercoating, and possibly plasti-dipping it or getting a cheap maaco paint job. All in all I think I got a pretty solid deal for $3600. Thing drives just like a tank but has a super smooth ride(ome) and accelerates way way better than i had expected it would.

So, I had a few questions.

1. What weight of oil for the diffs(no lockers except center diff btw), trans, engine. Keep in mind I dont mess around when I buy oil, I buy imo the best synthetic you can so the parameters for viscosity stretch.

2. What should I expect out of the 1fzfe? Any problems? Didn't see to much on them for the 80 series

3. Were online would be a good place to pickup used parts(fenders, doors, hub caps)

4. How could I improve my MPG? Probably a dumb question and wont happen unless I do a trans swap but is there overdrive kits for these?

Thanks for your guys' time

Blade

 

[Flagster]

If it had a long block imported why were the heads resurfaced? Did they use the old heads?

The 1FZFE is a dog...but adequate...google 1FZFE along with PHH, overheating/cooling upgrades...that is a couple weekends worth of work
I get all my parts from Lowe or American Toyota...
Best mileage I get is idling...goes downhill from there

 

[Lionsgarage]

I am sure you will get loads of advice on here and over on mud so buckle up! MPG isn't an 80's strong suit, not sure if less rpm from more gears would help....(engine would move the engine way out of its optimum torque range)....plus there is a bunch of gear train loss in the drivetrain.
(I am swapping in a late 5.3 and 6L80 this winter) we shall see what the mileage is after that.
Btw, I live a bit west of you in Aberdeen.
Good luck and welcome.

 

[peneumbra]

Improve the MPG???!!?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHA...

Transplant a diesel into it.

 

[Kuneefay]

Well I had the biggest face palm in I dont know how long a few days ago. I found a little black button on the side of the drive selector and clicked it and Lo and behold overdrive!! I dont know why the previous owner was running around with it off but there was no dash indications stating it was off and all the lettering was black so I hadnt even noticed it. I thought I was stuck doing 3k rpms doing 60mph on the freeway. The longblock was imported to a relatively local yota shop Torfab and apparently they completly tore it down for inspection and to reseal everything before they put it in. The 80 wasnt in my posession at the time they did this. It really wouldnt surprise me if its been regeared. The previous owner put so much into it its surprising it doesnt have air lockers. And the 1fzfe isnt as much of a dog as I expected it feels dare I say peppy? From what I can tell its got good cooling cores on it the only thing lacking is electric fans for them. The engine and trans oil coolers both are quite big, the power steering cooler could probably be improved but seems fine for my application. My only goal is to get the mpg to 15. And it might be there, I havent been able to run a tank out of it yet. It has to get better than my fricking v10 8k pound boat.

Thanks for your guys' input

 

[concretejungle]

Looks like you got a good truck.

I would go to IH8MUD.com and go to the 80's section.... TONS of info. Just don't get offended since there are a lot of opinions over there.

The 80, in my opinion, is the best cruiser ever made. Many will argue that, but it does everything well.... EXCEPT gas mileage.

Not much you can do to fix that other than leaving it parked.

A little heater hose called the PHH (pesky heater hose) is known for going out and is hard to get to, but once you replace it you should be good to go. Also, for some reason the #6 cylinder is known for a head gasket leak. But, the new HG is designed to fix that issue and from what i've read once the HG is replaced i have not heard of any other HG issues.

Other than that, keep the birfields serviced, keep your Ujoints greased and you should be able to drive it for a long time.

 

[AndrewP]

Do yourself a favor and forget now about improving fuel economy. It isn't going to happen. People will say they get 18 mpg. They are lying. You will get 12 mpg in town, and 14 mpg on the freeway. Sometimes less. Get used to it.

It's otherwise an excellent, versatile, long lasting vehicle. It's the last of the real iconic Land Cruisers in North America. It's easy to work on, reliable as a rock, really a good truck. I've had mine since '99 and it's essentially never needed more than maintenance. I did do the HG pre-emptively at 140k miles, but it was still fine when replaced.

If it feels too slow, immediately find and buy buy an FJ60 for cheap. Then your 80 will feel fast. This is by far the best and the cheapest way to improve the perception of power in the 80.

Enjoy your truck. Even though 80s are getting old, they still are good at what they do. Take care of it, and you'll be rewarded by many more adventures.

 

[NM-Frontier]

If it feels too slow, immediately find and buy buy an FJ60 for cheap. Then your 80 will feel fast. This is by far the best and the cheapest way to improve the perception of power in the 80.

Enjoy your truck. Even though 80s are getting old, they still are good at what they do. Take care of it, and you'll be rewarded by many more adventures.

X2 Excellent advice!