Well, that was way too easy.... Yes I finally broke down and got an 80! It is a 1997, locked, with 174k miles from Grand Junction. The guy I bought it from was super nice and Dave was able to put eyeballs on it before I made the drive. I've been busy doing PM on it so it can do CM this year.. It will be stock for this year's event but will hopefully not have any mechanical/engine issues.
It spent most of it's time in arid climates so it is as rust free as I've seen so that's nice... but it's a 22yr old truck so stuff is.....old. And I knew it'd be that way.
It had the P0401 code and was otherwise pretty good minus some weird bearing chatter noise from the front/middle of the truck that I heard on the drive. It has also had some PM done by the previous owner. He actually got a lot of stuff done to it. Radiator, starter, fixed engine oil leaks from the front.. a list of other things I can't remember now.
Anyways, when I got it back to Boulder, it had no coolant in the reservoir and very little in the radiator so I immediately feared the worst. Head gasket. After a few panicked texts to friends (thanks thanks thanks.. you know who you are) I calmed down and tore into it. Since I wanted to make sure the P0401 code was going to be gone for ever I opted to remove the throttle body and upper intake manifold to clean them and replace the VSV under there, Fuel filter (since it is close by), and the EGR modulator on top. Everything looked pretty good but I bumped into a bunch of bulging and leaking heater hoses as well as I think finding the source of the P0401 code.... a vacuum line simply fell off. A lot of the vacuum lines are crumbling so I am replacing those. Anyways, I'm thinking my mystery coolant leak was the heater hoses. I sent a sample of the oil off to Blackstone anyways, just to see... plus I love doing that.
Sooo.... I'm replacing the heater hoses, rad hoses, the clamps for it all, thermostat and flushing it all really well and filling with the famed toyota red. Hopefully that will cure the leaks. For the rest of it I am replacing all the vacuum lines, PCV Valve, Plugs, Wires, Cap and Rotor. The spark plugs were pretty ripe.
Then maybe figure out the bearing chatter/groan noise.
Last of the parts come in this Wednesday... So it should be close but good to go to Moab! I'll post pics and get some tech in the thread.
Not sure where this one is going to end up yet but I'd be lying if I told you I haven't been looking at the new turbo kit from Wit's End... and dreaming of a nice suspension with King shocks. Or a V8. Heck, I don't know. For now it needs to get me down the road. It will grow up how ever it chooses to do so, I will let it choose it's path.