4 WD Advice needed

Site Notices

Posted: 9/5/2005 6:52:06 PM EDT

Looking for a 2nd vehicle for 2 people hunting, camping, fishing, etc. We do get off road on these trips, but not as a 4WD sport. Often it's a 6-7 hour drive to the hunting destinations.

My son saw a 72 Scout, but the guy wants $3K and I want something with easy parts availability, both body & mechanical.

A relative has a Wrangler with coil springs in front, but not long ago, I saw another with leaf (albeit flimsy-looking) springs. When did they change, and in which direction?

Frankly the sway is a bit too much in the corners for me, I keep thinking rollover (unlike the Bronco I had with coils in front). And the zipper windows are a major PITA around the city, not to mention highway noise.

What are the best Jeep models, years, engines, and transmissions since '90 or so?
I'm interested in plenty of room in the back and so naturally a Cherokee or Wagoneer comes to mind, but I'm limiting myself to around $5K cash. A Liberty doesn't sound so good, and I'd prefer manual hubs, real doors & top, good gross weight, economy, and simplicity (not a bunch of electric crap to fail). Towing isn't a major interest, though it would be nice to pull my friend's bass boat over the Coast Range. Obviously I will have to compromise, but the confusing part is that for every "thumbs up", there's a "what a piece of crap I bought!"

So far I haven't been able to categorize all these reports to know what to look for, but I've seen some that are definitely overpriced.

Posted: 9/5/2005 6:54:41 PM EDT

[#1]

IIRC, in 91, Jeep introduced the 4.0L 6 cylinder. I have been very happy with mine and have heard generally good things on the net about that engine. The manual 5 spd has been good as well.

My Wrangler was a daily driver from 91-99 and for fun since then. I have about 105K on it.

Posted: 9/5/2005 6:57:13 PM EDT

[#2]

Scout parts will be hard to find. A 75'-86 Chevy blazer, parts are easy to find and solid front axle. I love my 85'.

Posted: 9/5/2005 6:59:10 PM EDT

[#3]

Toyota

Posted: 9/5/2005 6:59:26 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Looking for a 2nd vehicle for 2 people hunting, camping, fishing, etc. We do get off road on these trips, but not as a 4WD sport. Often it's a 6-7 hour drive to the hunting destinations.

My son saw a 72 Scout, but the guy wants $3K and I want something with easy parts availability, both body & mechanical.

A relative has a Wrangler with coil springs in front, but not long ago, I saw another with leaf (albeit flimsy-looking) springs. When did they change, and in which direction?

Frankly the sway is a bit too much in the corners for me, I keep thinking rollover (unlike the Bronco I had with coils in front). And the zipper windows are a major PITA around the city, not to mention highway noise.

What are the best Jeep models, years, engines, and transmissions since '90 or so?
I'm interested in plenty of room in the back and so naturally a Cherokee or Wagoneer comes to mind, but I'm limiting myself to around $5K cash. A Liberty doesn't sound so good, and I'd prefer manual hubs, real doors & top, good gross weight, economy, and simplicity (not a bunch of electric crap to fail). Towing isn't a major interest, though it would be nice to pull my friend's bass boat over the Coast Range. Obviously I will have to compromise, but the confusing part is that for every "thumbs up", there's a "what a piece of crap I bought!"

So far I haven't been able to categorize all these reports to know what to look for, but I've seen some that are definitely overpriced.

Someone should've watched Trucks! this weekend. The subject was best bang for the buck 4x4, and they said it was the old-school full-size Jeeps. www.ifsja.org/index.shtml

Posted: 9/5/2005 7:01:29 PM EDT

[#5]

Look for a 95 or so cherokee. 4,0 6 and around 100K, excellent engines good for 200K if taken care of, cheap parts available everywhere. Decent milage for a 4by, have the tranny checked well and serviced. Change the diff fluids and transfer case fluids, put in synthetic. Jeep wrangler,c-j or TJ is just to darn small for towing and packing stuff. BTW the leafs came first then coils in or around 97 or 98.

Posted: 9/5/2005 7:05:40 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
Looking for a 2nd vehicle for 2 people hunting, camping, fishing, etc. We do get off road on these trips, but not as a 4WD sport. Often it's a 6-7 hour drive to the hunting destinations.

My son saw a 72 Scout, but the guy wants $3K and I want something with easy parts availability, both body & mechanical.

A relative has a Wrangler with coil springs in front, but not long ago, I saw another with leaf (albeit flimsy-looking) springs. When did they change, and in which direction?

Frankly the sway is a bit too much in the corners for me, I keep thinking rollover (unlike the Bronco I had with coils in front). And the zipper windows are a major PITA around the city, not to mention highway noise.

What are the best Jeep models, years, engines, and transmissions since '90 or so?
I'm interested in plenty of room in the back and so naturally a Cherokee or Wagoneer comes to mind, but I'm limiting myself to around $5K cash. A Liberty doesn't sound so good, and I'd prefer manual hubs, real doors & top, good gross weight, economy, and simplicity (not a bunch of electric crap to fail). Towing isn't a major interest, though it would be nice to pull my friend's bass boat over the Coast Range. Obviously I will have to compromise, but the confusing part is that for every "thumbs up", there's a "what a piece of crap I bought!"

So far I haven't been able to categorize all these reports to know what to look for, but I've seen some that are definitely overpriced.

There is only 1 part not available new anymore for 72-80 Scouts, and that is the oil pump. But there are lots of rebuild kits for them out there. Everything else is readily available, with most parts being available at most large chain parts stores. Some parts(mostly body stuff) has to be ordered from one of the MANY online Scout vendors.

Posted: 9/5/2005 7:27:13 PM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
Toyota

85 four runner with a solid front axle. would fit the bill nicely

I would stay away from anything with IFS. I am a Jeep person but Toyota has some strong offerings and the later 80's models can be easily changed to solid front axle setups.

FJ60 land cruisers are freaking awesome but hard to come by.

Blazers and Broncos have been done to death. this is a good thing. Lots of spare parts. It just seems hard to find a reasonably priced base vehicle.

My personal reccomendation is a early to mid 90's cherokee 4x4 with the 4.0 and a 5sp if you can find one. Upgrade the dana35 rear with better axle shafts and a locker, add a lift kit and 32x11.50's and you should come out under $5k. It might not be the prettiest thing on four wheels but it will get you there. There are a lot of aftermarket companys offering XJ parts nowadays, so anything that you could imagine is availble.

Posted: 9/5/2005 8:02:04 PM EDT

[#8]

Good stuff, keep it coming. The I-6 Bronco was a good one until some shot-up gang banger plowed into it out front; though the oil pressure was getting low at 180K it had plenty of power. 16-18 mpg doesn't sound so hot right now, but I'm probably gonna have to live with that until more $ come in.

Posted: 9/5/2005 8:06:23 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:

IIRC, in 91, Jeep introduced the 4.0L 6 cylinder. I have been very happy with mine and have heard generally good things on the net about that engine. The manual 5 spd has been good as well.

My Wrangler was a daily driver from 91-99 and for fun since then. I have about 105K on it.

The 4.0 was first available in the Cherokee in 87, and 87-91 had the RENIX ignition after that they went to the Mopar system.

Get a Cherokee with the 4.0L I-6 and the AW4 automatic.... the combination is unbeatable. From 87-89 they had the Dana 44 optional with the towing package, and it is definitly worth the effort to find them if you plane for an serious off-road use.

You get a strong engine that still gets decent mileage, a solid front and rear axle, easy upgrades, and parts that are in stock at every parts store nationwide.

Posted: 9/6/2005 3:22:18 AM EDT

[#10]

Jeep wranglers 97 and below will have leaf springs, 98 and up will have coil springs. There is no problem with the leaf springs, although you can get more flex out of coils. If it seems to sway to much someone most likely took off the sway bar, not good if your driving on road.

Posted: 9/6/2005 3:39:56 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Jeep wranglers 97 and below will have leaf springs, 98 and up will have coil springs. There is no problem with the leaf springs, although you can get more flex out of coils. If it seems to sway to much someone most likely took off the sway bar, not good if your driving on road.

Actually YJ Wranglers from 87-95 are leaf sprung and there was no Wrangler in 1996.

In 1997 the Wrangler introduced the Quadra-Coil Suspension and round headlights and was dubbed
the TJ.

CJ 73-86 Round headlights, available V8's, narrower axles and leaf spring suspension

YJ 87-95 Square headlights, leaf spring suspension. 1987-1990 the 4.2L I-6 was the 6 cylinder offering from Jeep. Avoid the 87-88 Peugot 5 speed manual transmisson which came with the 4.2L I-6.

TJ 1997 thru present. 4.0L I-6 with good 5 speed manual transmissions. 2001 and later TJ's with man-trans included the NV3550 tranny which is the best manual tranny offered by Jeep since the CJ's with
a T5 manual transmisson. Four coil springs suspension allows much more flex and vastly improved road manners.

HS1

Posted: 9/6/2005 3:41:56 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Toyota

+1

It's hard to kill em'

Posted: 9/6/2005 4:03:07 AM EDT

[#13]

I had a 90 cherokee with the 4.0. I bought it for about $2800 with 135k and sold it with 200k for about the same. The guy still uses it 6 years later as his winter car. If cared for, they will last with one of the best engines and drive trains around.

Posted: 9/6/2005 4:12:59 AM EDT

[#14]

My son saw a 72 Scout, but the guy wants $3K and I want something with easy parts availability, both body & mechanical.

There is only 1 part not available new anymore for 72-80 Scouts, and that is the oil pump. But there are lots of rebuild kits for them out there. Everything else is readily available, with most parts being available at most large chain parts stores. Some parts(mostly body stuff) has to be ordered from one of the MANY online Scout vendors.

I had a 75 or 76 with one of those weird ass 4 cylinders. I swapped it out for a 304. It was one of the neatest 4wd I ever owened. Unfortunetly the body rotted away. However that didnt happen without a fight. I must have put 150lbs of welding rod alone in that thing.

In the catagory of I couyld kick myself in the ass was a 1960 2 seat scout with removable top.The gear ratio was 5.38's or something insane like that.

The only thing that gave me troble was the distibutor. Yoiu could drive it through a pond but a slow rain would condensate in the cap.

The 4 and 8 used the same distributor, diffrent cap. The 4 was just half an 8.

Posted: 9/6/2005 4:49:38 AM EDT

[#15]

If you're going to be driving 6 hours to hunt, you're going to want truck that will let you go the speed limit without getting beat to death, that seals out wind, has A/C, and won't break weird - hard to find parts just because it's old. I'd look for a Bronco from 1987 (or the first year they went to fuel injection) to the last year of production. I had a 1989 model that I traded in on a car. They didn't give much and I wish I had kept it now. It's new enough to be reliable, but not so new that it's too expensive. There are plenty of aftermarket parts and you're likely to find them in salvage yards.

Just my two cents.

R.

ETA - I've got an older 4X4 (1975 FJ-40) and I have to tow it to the deer lease. The older vehicles are really better as dedicated off-road.

Posted: 9/6/2005 6:07:00 AM EDT

[#16]

Actually YJ Wranglers from 87-95 are leaf sprung and there was no Wrangler in 1996.

Jeep still sold the YJ in 1996 and you can still find YJ's that have a 1996 build date.

I would get an older solid axle Toy, or an XJ!

TJ Owner here...

Posted: 9/6/2005 6:45:54 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Good stuff, keep it coming. The I-6 Bronco was a good one until some shot-up gang banger plowed into it out front; though the oil pressure was getting low at 180K it had plenty of power. 16-18 mpg doesn't sound so hot right now, but I'm probably gonna have to live with that until more $ come in.

You don't want a Scout then. Going downhill with a tailwind on the freeway I am lucky to get 12 mpg

Posted: 9/6/2005 6:54:42 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:
Actually YJ Wranglers from 87-95 are leaf sprung and there was no Wrangler in 1996.

Jeep still sold the YJ in 1996 and you can still find YJ's that have a 1996 build date.

I would get an older solid axle Toy, or an XJ!

TJ Owner here...

Correct. Mid 96 was the intro year for the 97 model year TJ....which is a full coil suspension with solid front and rear axel as normal.

I just purchased a new Tj, myself and like it but nothing beats a good YJ ( post 92 for the full cage and the 4.0 litre fuel injection ) for stripping down and using for a hunting vehicle. The TJ has ZERO room for interior mods that are worth a shit...the YJ on the other hand is great for mods. Rip out the factroy center console and put a mini van center consol in and you can carry a 1911, mags, CDs, full size sodas, etc. The TJ interior, while nice and comfy, is TOTALLY GAY. I hate my TJ for that reason alone. I don't have anywhere to put anything and I can't change out the center console for anything that has any more storage room that my current one.

Wranglers are one of the last vehicles you can work on and modify to your most extreme or modest desires.

Posted: 9/6/2005 7:36:40 AM EDT

[#19]

As some have already correctly identified, the coil spring Wranglers are the TJ's, 1997 to current, also it's correct that there wasn't a 1996, 1987-1995 were the YJ's, they had leaf springs. Leaf springs aren't bad springs, what makes the YJ's really suck is the square head lights.

As far as the full size (FSJ) Cherokees and Wagoneers, I have a 1989 Grand Wagoneer myself, besides the shitty gas mileage it's a great truck and they can be had pretty cheap. They have way more room in them than the smaller XJ Cherokees. The XJ's are great 4x4's but they don't have near the room in them as the Wagoneers. The power train in the full size Cherokees and Wagoneers are very reliable, mine has 167,500 miles on it and still runs great. The biggest problem with the full size Jeeps are in the electrical department, expect some bugs here and there unless someone has alreay addressed them. Parts are very easy to get and are available just about everywhere since most FSJ's made from 1974 and on have 360 AMC V8's, some older ones in the mid 70's even had the desireable 401. Tranny's were TH400's in the older ones, the later ones including mine had the Chrysler TF727, both tranny's are very reliable.

I guess I'm partial, but I strongly recommend a FSJ.

Here's mine.

Posted: 9/6/2005 8:17:05 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Jeep wranglers 97 and below will have leaf springs, 98 and up will have coil springs. There is no problem with the leaf springs, although you can get more flex out of coils. If it seems to sway to much someone most likely took off the sway bar, not good if your driving on road.

Actually YJ Wranglers from 87-95 are leaf sprung and there was no Wrangler in 1996.

In 1997 the Wrangler introduced the Quadra-Coil Suspension and round headlights and was dubbed
the TJ.

CJ 73-86 Round headlights, available V8's, narrower axles and leaf spring suspension

YJ 87-95 Square headlights, leaf spring suspension. 1987-1990 the 4.2L I-6 was the 6 cylinder offering from Jeep. Avoid the 87-88 Peugot 5 speed manual transmisson which came with the 4.2L I-6.

TJ 1997 thru present. 4.0L I-6 with good 5 speed manual transmissions. 2001 and later TJ's with man-trans included the NV3550 tranny which is the best manual tranny offered by Jeep since the CJ's with
a T5 manual transmisson. Four coil springs suspension allows much more flex and vastly improved road manners.

HS1

Yeah, I was guessin a bit as I am a FJ-40 fan myself. My sis has had 2 cherokees and even under her awful driving they lasted great. Everyone I know who has had one was pleased at the reliability.

Posted: 9/6/2005 8:45:12 AM EDT

[#21]

I've been driving a 95 Toyota 4Runner 4wd for the past four years. It had 130K when I got it. It is V6 and auto trans.

It has been trouble free. Period. (Well mechanically, the clear coat on the paint is dying.)

In June, with 175K miles on it, we drove from SA to boston, got a big Uhaul, loaded up our daughters stuff. We drove to upstate new york, to Nebraska, to santa fe, to the Grand Canyon, and on to San Diego. Then the wife and I returned to San Antonio. The trip was 7K miles. What other vehicle, with 175K miles could I trust for such a trip?

Better, it dirves really well and it is tight and rattle free...except for the aftermarket sunroof.

I love my Runner.

Posted: 9/6/2005 6:25:40 PM EDT

[#22]

+ 1 for Toyota !

Posted: 9/6/2005 6:53:09 PM EDT

[#23]

Land Cruiser. Look for a good late model FJ60 or maybe even a decent used FJ80.

I have an FJ40 (1981) and a 79 Jeep CJ5. The Cruiser is a MUCH better built, heavier class vehicle. The parts are a little more expensive but they last a lot longer.

Posted: 9/6/2005 7:13:45 PM EDT

[#24]

Nothing wrong with IFS in your case...

Outside of hard core off roaders, there is no legitimate reason to fear it. The main reason "truck" guys don't like them is that they are impossible to lift by the average joe, and expensive to lift by the pros. With a solid axle up front, any bubba can head for the stars until his U-Joints start to scream for mercy. The reality is that you shouldn't lift a vechile unless you absolutely require the extra tire/ground clearance and extra articulation possible from it. Engineers spent lots of modeling time squaring away the suspension geometry, gear rations, and brake strength so you shouldn't mess with it unless you are prepared to deal with possible problems you will create.

Do not buy an old 4wd of any type unless you want to (and will enjoy) fixing up and constantly maintaing it...

The best plan would be to find a good condition high mileage soccer mom SUV that the owner things is worthless because of the mileage. The only thing you have to look for here is that the thing was in 4wd occasionally to bathe the gears/chain in lube. The best choice would be a Gen III (perferably 99-03) 4Runner as in that case you will get 20+ on the highway too...

Old jeeps have a huge cool factor, but may not be worth the hassle. After all, how many old jeep owners do you hear mention "Reliable as hell, don't really have to do anything to it..."

Posted: 9/7/2005 5:42:41 AM EDT

[#25]

I LOVE My TJ

Posted: 9/7/2005 5:57:03 AM EDT

[#26]

I have a 1998 Izuzu Trooper...auto with th 3.5l.

We're almost at 170k miles, and besides 1 EGR valve, nothing has broken. We've done the usually stuff like batteries, tires, brakes, etc.

Still get 17mpg on the hiway with the A/C on. Back seat folds down giving you a lot of room. Twice yearly trips to Durango or Florida. Driving it to Chicago later this month.

Come down to Octoberblast in Oct. at Tiger Valley. I'll be there camping with my truck.

Does use some oil, about a quart a month, but has done that since new.

If they still made them, I'd buy a new one tomorrow.

Posted: 9/7/2005 7:34:22 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Nothing wrong with IFS in your case...

Outside of hard core off roaders, there is no legitimate reason to fear it. The main reason "truck" guys don't like them is that they are impossible to lift by the average joe, and expensive to lift by the pros. With a solid axle up front, any bubba can head for the stars until his U-Joints start to scream for mercy. The reality is that you shouldn't lift a vechile unless you absolutely require the extra tire/ground clearance and extra articulation possible from it. Engineers spent lots of modeling time squaring away the suspension geometry, gear rations, and brake strength so you shouldn't mess with it unless you are prepared to deal with possible problems you will create. IFS isn't the end of the world, but I still think it sucks. There's also a lot more to it meaning a lot more things that can wear out or break.

Do not buy an old 4wd of any type unless you want to (and will enjoy) fixing up and constantly maintaing it...That's not necessarily true, besides an old 4WD won't have a bunch of sensors and bullshit to go wrong with it.

The best plan would be to find a good condition high mileage soccer mom SUV that the owner things is worthless because of the mileage. The only thing you have to look for here is that the thing was in 4wd occasionally to bathe the gears/chain in lube. The best choice would be a Gen III (perferably 99-03) 4Runner as in that case you will get 20+ on the highway too...Did you even read his post? He says he wants to spend 5k max, you're not getting any late model SUV for that price. Any 4Runner from 99 and up would be at least 10k if not more. Besides, how reliable would a really high mileage SUV even be? At least with an old 4X4 someone has probably already replaced a lot of stuff and they're way cheaper to fix than any late model would be.

Old jeeps have a huge cool factor, but may not be worth the hassle. After all, how many old jeep owners do you hear mention "Reliable as hell, don't really have to do anything to it..."Mine is, sure I've changed the fuel pump, power steering pump and water pump but it's 16 years old and has 167k miles on it, it's to be expected. I haven't touched the thing in the last year except for oil changes and gas. Besides if you get an old 4x4 with a strong motor, and replace the things that might cause you problems like the fuel pump, water pump u-joints and maybe the alternator, you're good to go. And all for less than 1 months new truck payment. There's no reason why anyone would need to keep fixing it all the time.

Posted: 9/7/2005 7:44:56 AM EDT

[#28]

I'd get a Wrangler. You should be able to find a pretty good condition mid 90s model, or a high mileage 97 or 98...

Posted: 9/7/2005 7:49:22 AM EDT

[#29]

another vote for the jeep sj series.

Posted: 9/7/2005 7:52:17 AM EDT

[#30]

My vote goes for a 85-90 4x4 350ci FI, automatic tranny Blazer like this:

Tons of room. Will tow a good load, leafs all the way around, manual transfer case, overdrive for milage improvment, top is removable, not alot of electronics to break, spare parts are easily found, will take 33" tires without lift (as long as you don't try to rock crawl with it). Easily lifted if you need flex or clearance for off roading.
ETA: Only one upgrade planned for my blazer and thats WARN premium hubs. Eventually I may add a winch bumper and winch if I find one used somewhere.

Posted: 9/7/2005 7:59:27 AM EDT

[#31]

I've got a '77 Suburban that will be for sale soon, set up for hunting/offroad.

Camo paint, 4x4, Warn hubs, custom fab front bumper w/hellas, roof rack, 4-inch lift, 33's, crate 350 [2 years old, runs great], has hitch+brake controller [used it to tow his 26 ft Airstream] ac, etc...I believe the drivetrain is new. The truck is street legal in TX, passes inspection etc.

Belonged to my brother who passed away a few months ago, I'll be selling it as soon as his estate is settled since I don't need it...he put WAY more money into it than I could ever get back out, as he intended to keep it...but I'll probably be asking $3500 obo. I have all the receipts for the work done.

Maybe too big for what your wanting, but I figured I'd throw it out anyway.

Posted: 9/7/2005 8:13:18 AM EDT

[#32]

Toyota

I drive a 4 door Tacoma now, ZERO problems in 80K

Before this one I had an '86 4x4 pickup. I had 180K on that one when I gave it to my son. It had over 220K when he sold it before going into the Air Force.

Very few stock 4x4s of any type will go where a stock Toyota 4x4 will go.

Posted: 9/7/2005 8:38:23 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
My vote goes for a 85-90 4x4 350ci FI, automatic tranny Blazer like this:
personalpages.tds.net/~eflanagin/blazer15.JPG
Tons of room. Will tow a good load, leafs all the way around, manual transfer case, overdrive for milage improvment, top is removable, not alot of electronics to break, spare parts are easily found, will take 33" tires without lift (as long as you don't try to rock crawl with it). Easily lifted if you need flex or clearance for off roading.

Not to nit pick, but Blazers only up to 1987 had leaf springs all around, 1988 and up Blazers have IFS.

Also I think Blazers before 1987 were carburated not FI. Over all Blazers are a pretty good choice. But I'm still partial to full size Jeeps.

Posted: 9/7/2005 9:03:23 AM EDT

[#34]

I dunno, mine (pictured) is a 1990 and has leafs all the way around. You can see the front leafs in the pic. No coils, just leafs and shocks. It is a 1990, for sure, and all stock.
ETA: Mine is also fuel injected. Better for steep inclines IMO, plus electronic fuel pumps can be very easily replaced as opposed to mechanical units on the cam lobe.

Quoted:
Quoted:
My vote goes for a 85-90 4x4 350ci FI, automatic tranny Blazer like this:
personalpages.tds.net/~eflanagin/blazer15.JPG
Tons of room. Will tow a good load, leafs all the way around, manual transfer case, overdrive for milage improvment, top is removable, not alot of electronics to break, spare parts are easily found, will take 33" tires without lift (as long as you don't try to rock crawl with it). Easily lifted if you need flex or clearance for off roading.

Not to nit pick, but Blazers only up to 1987 had leaf springs all around, 1988 and up Blazers have IFS. Also I think Blazers before 1987 were carburated not FI. Over all Blazers are a pretty good choice. But I'm still partial to full size Jeeps.

Posted: 9/7/2005 10:02:51 AM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
I dunno, mine (pictured) is a 1990 and has leafs all the way around. You can see the front leafs in the pic. No coils, just leafs and shocks. It is a 1990, for sure, and all stock.
ETA: Mine is also fuel injected. Better for steep inclines IMO, plus electronic fuel pumps can be very easily replaced as opposed to mechanical units on the cam lobe.

Quoted:
Quoted:
My vote goes for a 85-90 4x4 350ci FI, automatic tranny Blazer like this:
personalpages.tds.net/~eflanagin/blazer15.JPG
Tons of room. Will tow a good load, leafs all the way around, manual transfer case, overdrive for milage improvment, top is removable, not alot of electronics to break, spare parts are easily found, will take 33" tires without lift (as long as you don't try to rock crawl with it). Easily lifted if you need flex or clearance for off roading.

Not to nit pick, but Blazers only up to 1987 had leaf springs all around, 1988 and up Blazers have IFS. Also I think Blazers before 1987 were carburated not FI. Over all Blazers are a pretty good choice. But I'm still partial to full size Jeeps.

Are you sure your 1990 has front leaf springs? I don't think it does. It doesn't have coil springs either, it has tortion bars. 1987 was the last year for all leaf spring sold axle suspensions, 1988 and up have IFS in the front. Yours would definetely have F.I. and that is a good thing.

Check out this list of leaf srpings for Chevy's, it only goes up to 1987.

www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/suscon/scan/fi=products/st=db/co=1/sf=category/se=Leaf%20Springs/op=eq/nu=0/sf=veh_make/se=Chevy%20%3A%3A%20GMC/op=eq/nu=0/sf=model/se=Front/op=eq/nu=0/ml=25/tf=category/to=x/tf=veh_make/to=x/tf=model/to=x/tf=description/to=r.html

Posted: 9/7/2005 11:24:41 AM EDT

[#36]

**Thread hijacked all to hell**

89Grand,

Do torsion bars require leaf springs to function? I ask because I know that my Blazer has leafs in the front and rear. Although you may be right in that they work with torsion independently rather than a straight axle design. I'll take some pics tonight and post them. This is somewhat on topic so it'll probably fly. Suspension is an important consideration in selecting a 4x4.

Quoted:
Quoted:
I dunno, mine (pictured) is a 1990 and has leafs all the way around. You can see the front leafs in the pic. No coils, just leafs and shocks. It is a 1990, for sure, and all stock.
ETA: Mine is also fuel injected. Better for steep inclines IMO, plus electronic fuel pumps can be very easily replaced as opposed to mechanical units on the cam lobe.

Quoted:
Quoted:
My vote goes for a 85-90 4x4 350ci FI, automatic tranny Blazer like this:
personalpages.tds.net/~eflanagin/blazer15.JPG
Tons of room. Will tow a good load, leafs all the way around, manual transfer case, overdrive for milage improvment, top is removable, not alot of electronics to break, spare parts are easily found, will take 33" tires without lift (as long as you don't try to rock crawl with it). Easily lifted if you need flex or clearance for off roading.

Not to nit pick, but Blazers only up to 1987 had leaf springs all around, 1988 and up Blazers have IFS. Also I think Blazers before 1987 were carburated not FI. Over all Blazers are a pretty good choice. But I'm still partial to full size Jeeps.

Are you sure your 1990 has front leaf springs? I don't think it does. It doesn't have coil springs either, it has tortion bars. 1987 was the last year for all leaf spring sold axle suspensions, 1988 and up have IFS in the front. Yours would definetely have F.I. and that is a good thing.

Check out this list of leaf srpings for Chevy's, it only goes up to 1987.

www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/suscon/scan/fi=products/st=db/co=1/sf=category/se=Leaf%20Springs/op=eq/nu=0/sf=veh_make/se=Chevy%20%3A%3A%20GMC/op=eq/nu=0/sf=model/se=Front/op=eq/nu=0/ml=25/tf=category/to=x/tf=veh_make/to=x/tf=model/to=x/tf=description/to=r.html

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - 4 WD Advice needed

General » General Discussion

Warning

Confirm Action

About AR15.COM

Stay Connected

Newsletter

Contact Us