Crossroads..mod or upgrade?

OneTime

Adventurer
I've had my 92 80 for a few years now. Mainly as a second vehicle. Recently it is pulling DD duty. I knew nothing of LCs when I bought it, and didn't know about 91-92 vs 93-97. I have finally worked out a lot of the repairs. With the exception of a tune up, none of it was PM it was all M things broke So far I have replaced the radiator, alternator, various hoses and belts, axle rebuild and recently fixed the AC (expansion valve and cluth pulley).

I know the 3FE is a perfect Expedition platform Reality is the truck is for camping and mt biking trips. Im running 33x12.5 and will change to a 33x10 or similar 16" wheel tire soon. My question is would a new OME suspenion/lift and regearing make it "feel like a totally different truck" or am I just putting lipstick on a pig?

I wonder if a different platform (more HP and IFS) would better fit my needs. Like a Trooper or Montero. I can either spend $2500 to $3000 on the 80 or another rig. My worries are with a new truck I'll have to work out all the PM again.

But I dont want to regear and upgrade the suspension and not have the truck fit my needs. For the life of me, I just cant get use to 65 mph!!
 

adventureduo

Dave Druck [KI6LBB]
Shoot im going 4.88's with 33's and we have the 4.5 liter :D

I think you'll be happy with the new stiffer, more stable lift and gears over getting a used truck with worn out suspension and starting over for $2500-3000
 

OneTime

Adventurer
If you ask the Mud crowd about gears they all say 4.88. I know nothing about gearing, but I wonder if 4.88 is too much for highway speeds. If I regear if I would lean towards 4.56. There is a current Mud thread that says 4.56 is a waste of time. I always have to filter the Mud info for more of a wheeling crowd and the FZJ80.
 

Skim

Explorer
Keep your 80 and throw in the 4.88s and run the 33X10.50s.

Compared to your gear/tire combo now, it will feel like a V8.
 

rionorte

Member
I've had my 92 80 for a few years now. Mainly as a second vehicle. Recently it is pulling DD duty. I knew nothing of LCs when I bought it, and didn't know about 91-92 vs 93-97. I have finally worked out a lot of the repairs. With the exception of a tune up, none of it was PM it was all M things broke So far I have replaced the radiator, alternator, various hoses and belts, axle rebuild and recently fixed the AC (expansion valve and cluth pulley).

I know the 3FE is a perfect Expedition platform Reality is the truck is for camping and mt biking trips. Im running 33x12.5 and will change to a 33x10 or similar 16" wheel tire soon. My question is would a new OME suspenion/lift and regearing make it "feel like a totally different truck" or am I just putting lipstick on a pig?

I wonder if a different platform (more HP and IFS) would better fit my needs. Like a Trooper or Montero. I can either spend $2500 to $3000 on the 80 or another rig. My worries are with a new truck I'll have to work out all the PM again.

But I dont want to regear and upgrade the suspension and not have the truck fit my needs. For the life of me, I just cant get use to 65 mph!!

I dont think an Isuzu or a Mitsubishi is an upgrade to the Land Cruiser ;). But...I say you should:

Get a newer truck with everything up to snuff. There are newer Isuzus+Monteros out there that are in good condition and are good deals due to depreciation/current slow rise of gas prices. They probably have better MPGs compared to the 80 series too.

If youre not emotionally connected to this vehicle (which I sense from your posts) I doubt doing a suspension/gear mod is going to change that. Regardless if there is an improvement. The eyes are wandering to other vehicles. LOL. Your plans are daily driving, camping, and biking trips. You dont need a old truck with poor gas mileage. So go get something newer and that you know is reliable for the next 24k miles of your ownership.
 
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redthies

Renaissance Redneck
Or, you could do suspension and gears and 285 km2's, and then when you don't like it, sell me a perfect truck for cheap!!!:sombrero:
 

DBS311

Adventurer
Well, I don't have an 80, but I do have the 3FE in my 62. For years I ran the stock 4.11's with 33's, 35's and 37's, eventually staying with the 35's. When I made the jump to 4.88's, there was a HUGE difference, especially at cruising speeds on the highway. Slight uphills no longer kill my speed and I don't have to push the pedal through the floor to maintain speed. It's almost weird to once again be cruising at 70-75 mph and dip into the throttle and push 80-85 without a problem. Don't get me wrong, any decent hill slows me down. Driving from San Diego to Ridgecrest, there were only a handful of hills that slowed me down, and even then I wasn't dropping below 60. Before the gear swap, those same hills had me at 45-50.

Is it slow? Yes, but a lot more tolerable now. I would imagine that 4.88's and 33's would be pretty peppy in your situation. As far as highway speed and rpm, I was at ~2800 rpm at 80 mph (4.88's and 35's).
 

Redline

Likes to Drive and Ride
Short answer is it will be great.

Gears multiply torque. At highway speeds you will be turning higher RPM. But you will also not be working the engine/drivetrain as hard as it will take less pedal to motivate the chassis.

My question with the 4.88 is how will the do at highway cruising speeds?
 

OneTime

Adventurer
Well, I don't have an 80, but I do have the 3FE in my 62. For years I ran the stock 4.11's with 33's, 35's and 37's, eventually staying with the 35's. When I made the jump to 4.88's, there was a HUGE difference, especially at cruising speeds on the highway. Slight uphills no longer kill my speed and I don't have to push the pedal through the floor to maintain speed. It's almost weird to once again be cruising at 70-75 mph and dip into the throttle and push 80-85 without a problem. Don't get me wrong, any decent hill slows me down. Driving from San Diego to Ridgecrest, there were only a handful of hills that slowed me down, and even then I wasn't dropping below 60. Before the gear swap, those same hills had me at 45-50.

Is it slow? Yes, but a lot more tolerable now. I would imagine that 4.88's and 33's would be pretty peppy in your situation. As far as highway speed and rpm, I was at ~2800 rpm at 80 mph (4.88's and 35's).


If regearing would get me the same results in the 80 I'd be a happy camper. Two things, how much of a differnce would it be with the 80 being AWD and if you where turning 2800 rpm's at 80 mph with a 35"-4.88 combo, wouldnt it but me over 3000 rpm with only 33" tires?
 

DBS311

Adventurer
If regearing would get me the same results in the 80 I'd be a happy camper. Two things, how much of a differnce would it be with the 80 being AWD and if you where turning 2800 rpm's at 80 mph with a 35"-4.88 combo, wouldnt it but me over 3000 rpm with only 33" tires?

Yeah, you'd be over 3000 rpm at 80 mph. As far as the AWD aspect, I'm not sure how much that will change the overall experience (in regards to the gear change). There are part-time kits available for you, but I've often heard that 80 owners don't see much of a difference when moving to part-time.

If I were you, I'd do some research over on 'Mud (www.ih8mud.com). Do a search specifically in the 80's section and you will find a wealth of information. I understand your concern........nobody wants to spend all the $$$ on an upgrade that doesn't feel worth it in the end.
 

ntsqd

Heretic Car Camper
My question with the 4.88 is how will the do at highway cruising speeds?

http://www.4lo.com/calc/gearratio.htm

I find it helpful to plug in a range of engine speeds and see what the mph's are, and to plug in a range of mph's and see what the engine speeds are for both the current gearing/tire size and the proposed gearing/tire size. Doing that gives me a better sense of how the truck will drive in a variety of conditions rather than just knowing what the rpm would be at my desired cruise speed.
 

Brian894x4

Explorer
Maybe there's a more economical way to upgrade the gearing. The front diff is unique to the 80, but it's a very popular mod to the solid axle mini-trucks. I had one in my old truck. Maybe you can at least find a used high pinion 80 series diff with 4.56 or 4.88 gears for a good price then only have to pay to regear the rear.

Search the classifieds of various 4x4 clubs and message boards, especially involving mini-trucks and 4runners and rock crawlers.
 

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