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The Tank returns

When we got this SUV , my wife called it a tank because it is a few inches taller/longer/wider than the Mazda Tribute . Well , today The Tank came home from the "doctor" with a nearly-new "heart" . Some may recall I was tearing the motor down to repair what I thought was a seeping head gasket . Which turned out to be a cracked head . New heads would fix the current problem , but the bottom end would still have

347,000 miles on it ... so I decided maybe the best thing was to dump it . Until I looked at prices to replace it , and found out how much 1999 4Runners were going for . With over 200,000 miles they are selling for $7,000-$ 11,000 . So I've got just over $4,000 total cost in a motor with under 65,000 installed by someone else . I figger I'll be driving this 4Runner until I can't drive any more ... Metalworking content ? I'm adding the cast aluminum pieces to my pile of melt/casting stock . This is some really nice casting alloy , a lot of thin wall sand cast parts . Cast Iron parts will go the the scrap yard next time my neighbor makes a run . And now my truck can go back to "toy" status instead of "everyday driver" . Got a few parts on hand I was waiting to install ...
Reply to
Snag
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YEEEEE-HAAAAAAW!

Reply to
Bob La Londe

Indeed ! That thing has been a thorn in my side for a while now , I'm happy as a Murff that it's fixed . I think the wife is less than thrilled , she was kinda hoping we'd buy something a little smaller . She made it a point to let me know that the motor swap was MY idea . What she really wants is another Isuzu Rodeo Sport . That was her favorite of the last few we've owned . I really liked it too , though if we find another it'll be 4WD .

Reply to
Snag

Indeed ! That thing has been a thorn in my side for a while now , I'm happy as a Murff that it's fixed . I think the wife is less than thrilled , she was kinda hoping we'd buy something a little smaller . She made it a point to let me know that the motor swap was MY idea . What she really wants is another Isuzu Rodeo Sport . That was her favorite of the last few we've owned . I really liked it too , though if we find another it'll be 4WD . Snag

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You can tell her I prompted you by posting a link to the values, since I'm far out of reach. Unless she's a Wiccan.

Good luck with it! Apparently the expensive-sounding noise on my car is only a rusted splash shield rubbing the brake rotor. The previous expensive-sounding noise cost me a new catalytic converter, and before that an alternator.

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

That was part of the reason I decided to replace the motor . And part was figuring out that in today's market I'd be spending that kind of money or more for something equivalent . This was truly the most economic option . I think this car will outlast me now .

Reply to
Snag

That was part of the reason I decided to replace the motor . And part was figuring out that in today's market I'd be spending that kind of money or more for something equivalent . This was truly the most economic option . I think this car will outlast me now . Snag

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I keep fixing the old because I'm less than impressed with the new, it's crammed with 'features' that I don't need and reportedly decrease reliability. After a test drive it's a relief to get back into the uncluttered interior and less restricted visibility of my boxy old CRV which was partly designed to Land Rover tastes. Their Freelander is nearly a duplicate, minus the 20-year reliability. My BIL is a recently retired Audi mechanic who feels the same and restores and drives older ones. They asked a flatbed driver who was bringing them one about new cars and he said he sees plenty of electronics failures.

Still, some of the new ones are tempting. I was just Googling this:

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's one way to carry long loads with a small bed. My old truck has rain gutters for a roof rack and I made a ladder rack the same height to carry long items such as corrugated roofing, scrap structural steel or my canoe.

A Maverick was easy to maneuver through the narrow and crowded parking lot behind the dealership and it offers AWD that can be used on dry roads with icy patches, unlike the 4WD of larger models. The new Ranger will go straight but not turn in 4WD. All the sand pits where I used to ride my dirt bike are now shopping malls so those are the worst challenges a vehicle now faces there.

However the seats of my 2000 CRV fold flat into a bed and it has a rear 12V outlet for my 20 liter mini freezer, plus a folding table that's the floor of the cargo compartment and a basin to serve as the kitchen sink in the unused spare tire well under it.

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

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