My New High Mileage 4x4

[sick620]

Traded a boom stick for this 1985 720 4x4. It runs and drives amazingly for its mileage and condition. It has a lot of options cruise control, ac, power steering etc… has 240k miles… has a few rust spots on body but none on floor boards or rockers or underneath… 

it’s going to be my wife’s little fun run around town truck. 
 

AC does not work, do you think it’s worth trying to get it working on this old of a truck or should I remove it? 
 

power steering was whining and grinding, cut off the old belt. It is hard to steer but nice and quiet. Worth just getting a new power steering pump for $100? 
 

First plans for this project (torque head to prevent head gasket failure, adjust valves while I’m in there, and new valve cover gasket) we want to lift it a few inches atleast and put a nicer wheel and bigger tire on it 31-33 inch. Will probably do a 3inch body lift. also considering doing a tractor supply paint job on it. 
 

Edited August 31 by sick620

[Logical1]

Nice score! With 30"+ tires (which are a little big for the Z24 IMO) I would absolutely get the power steering working again! No yards by you with a possible donor 720? A guy down the road from me has a crashed 720 I might be able to talk out of the steering pump.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Dude. Keep the A/C. Not even an option.

[bottomwatcher]

Steering pump rebuild is a bearing and seal. Under $20. Get the truck tuned up and running well. Once you start with bigger tires using 5th gear goes out the window and it is gutless not that fun to drive.

[sick620]

2 hours ago, Logical1 said:

Nice score! With 30"+ tires (which are a little big for the Z24 IMO) I would absolutely get the power steering working again! No yards by you with a possible donor 720? A guy down the road from me has a crashed 720 I might be able to talk out of the steering pump.

Ha let us know power steering pump would be awesome 

[sick620]

what should we do for the ac? would it be worth the effort doing it myself and getting some dye and checking for leaks etc? Or should we bit the bullet and have a shop do that? 

[powderfinger]

14 hours ago, bottomwatcher said:

Once you start with bigger tires using 5th gear goes out the window and it is gutless not that fun to drive.

What he said! My advice is just don't do it. You might make the truck look better (subjective) but it's very possible you will absolutely hate driving it due to lack of power and the truck will end up sitting more than it's driven.

 

As far as the AC is concerned, you are in Idaho so I am guessing you won't need it as much as I do here in NC. I would pull a vacuum on the system to see if there are any leaks and if not, replace the drier since it's cheap, put some oil and freon in it and cross your fingers. Maybe you get lucky.

 

You cannot buy new replacement compressors for these so if the compressor is bad which is very likely, you will either have to replace the entire system which is very expensive and unnecessary or put a compressor from an 86 D21 on it and have custom hoses made since the D21 compressor hose connections are different than the 720. 

 

Even if your compressor works it wouldn't surprise me if it fails within the first few months since it's so old. But, who knows, if the system has been sealed the whole time it has sat around maybe you get lucky.

[datzenmike]

29" diameter tires are the limit stock and there is still limited 'rub'. If body lift you might get larger but it lowers the overall gearing making it sluggish. Just get wider tires for the look.

 

PS might just be the tension adjusting pulley bearing. It's common for them to growl.

[NC85ST]

19 hours ago, sick620 said:

AC does not work, do you think it’s worth trying to get it working on this old of a truck or should I remove it?

AC is not difficult to rehab. Time consuming yes, but not difficult. Go through and o-ring the system and replace the dryer and expansion valve. To o-ring the system, you can buy universal AC o-ring kits designed for 134. Everywhere the AC can be disconnected there’s an o-ring. Use PAG oil to lubricant the o-rings. Replacing the expansion valve is the most difficult because it’s in the evaporator box under the dash. The little clips that hold the box together are a pain to put back on, especially the 2 or 3 on the backside next to the firewall.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

10 hours ago, sick620 said:

what should we do for the ac? would it be worth the effort doing it myself and getting some dye and checking for leaks etc? Or should we bit the bullet and have a shop do that? 

There is an option that will give you better A/C and potentially a slight horsepower increase. Use a modern compressor, like a Sanden or a compact Denso unit. Yes, you'll have to make a bracket for it, but the old compressors that came in cars/trucks of that era are huge and not very efficient.

 

Rehabing an A/C system isn't hard. As long as the unit wasn't open to mud bees and other flying insects, the major components should just need a flush. Maybe some hoses, a drier and a recharge. If the compressor is bad, they go for around $300. If you want to do the work yourself, ask your local A/C shop what you can do to save some money, then bring it to them for flushing, charging and testing. They can also build hoses for the same price or less than buying new hoses.

[bottomwatcher]

Kind of relative I just replaced the condenser and compressor on my beater highlander. Parts prices are similar and I had a shop vacuum it down and recharge afterwards. "Rented" guages and vacuum pump from autozone, pag oil, ac flush = $600 if you do it yourself. Do the cheap things first that are kind of labor intensive first. Deep detail which means removing carpet for wash, deep clean, degrease engine bay, correct oil leaks, buff paint, really know what you have and it will either stoke you to keep going or stop before you throw wads of cash and lose interest. Please don't find a $200 dollar KA and think it will "drop in" they don't. This is how most end up in the scrapyard.