- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
Thought we would have discussion about some of the thoughts rattling around in my head... feel free to join in if you like. 
I really love the FZJ and it's truly one of the most beefy, built 'factory' vehicles on the planet, but I do miss having the use of a truck bed. I have a utility trailer, but the convince of a pickup would be so much better than a trailer.
I'd be looking for a multi-purpose use vehicle, with the main usage being for weekend camping trips, followed be hauling motorcycles, moving materials out to our property, exploring around UT/CO, etc, etc. It would eventually see road trips down to Baja and explore the backroads down there. It may tow the beater buggy that's in the works, but shouldn't see a load over 5-6k pounds.
I really want a vehicle that gets decent mileage, has good power and well... is a noisy diesel. Two reasons for wanting a diesel... the fuel mileage and the torque. I'd really prefer a truck that wasn't massive, for use on the trail, but there aren't too many midsize diesel options available in the US. A short bed is a must for me. The bottom line is that whatever I end up with, it must be reliable... the FZJ80 has almost 200k on it and I wouldn't hesitate to drive cross-country in it. I'd want similar reliability out of the truck as well.
The options I'm considering are few... I do want something affordable, as I plan to built it up somewhat so it's capable on the trail and need to keep the initial purchase price low enough that I have some left over money to set up the truck.
I do want a truck with a somewhat modern interior and clean body. I think an extended cab would work for us just fine. I've mostly ruled out a Dodge Ram with a Cummins, due to the crappy interior quality, front suspension issues and heavy weight. I'm not a Ford fan and don't know much about the Powerstroke engine and all its intricacies, so I'm not too excited about that option, but it would be easy to overcome my Ford dislike since swapping a Dana 60 into a F250 isn't all that hard. Wouldn't take too much work to have a nice truck with beefy axles and a diesel engine for good power & economy.
About the only option that I really like is a late 90's GM truck with a 6.5l turbo diesel. Most everyone knows the 6.5's aren't the most reliable diesels, nor do they compete with the Cummins or Powerstroke when turning up the power or towing a massive load. I think for my needs, the 6.5 would be fine, as well as return some of the best MPG's out of the other options.
Other pluses about the GM trucks, besides the IFS, are the other drivetrain components. Most 6.5's have a 4L80e behind them which is a very beefy auto, or a NV4500 5 speed, which is a killer manual transmission. The t-case is usually a NP241, which is a strong t-case with a great low range ratio. I would do a solid axle swap and dump the crappy IFS. There are a few Chevy SAS kits out there that allow a person to swap in a Ford Dana 60, which would be ideal. Obviously a SAS adds a lot of $$$$ to the picture.
As far as rounding out the rest of the package, I think I'd really like to run 37's to make the most out of the approach/breakover/departure angles. I would prefer to keep the truck as low as possible for a good center of gravity, but I'm not sure how well 37's would fit into the wheel wells with a low lift height. My roof top tent, winch, HID lights, on-board shower and all car-camping gear would get transferred over.
I would have to sell the FZJ to make this happen and would have to find the 'right' truck before committing. I think that if I did all this, I would regret selling the FZJ... it's such an incredible vehicle! But a truck would be so much nicer to have.
So that's what I'm considering at the moment... anyone want to weigh in?
I really love the FZJ and it's truly one of the most beefy, built 'factory' vehicles on the planet, but I do miss having the use of a truck bed. I have a utility trailer, but the convince of a pickup would be so much better than a trailer.
I'd be looking for a multi-purpose use vehicle, with the main usage being for weekend camping trips, followed be hauling motorcycles, moving materials out to our property, exploring around UT/CO, etc, etc. It would eventually see road trips down to Baja and explore the backroads down there. It may tow the beater buggy that's in the works, but shouldn't see a load over 5-6k pounds.
I really want a vehicle that gets decent mileage, has good power and well... is a noisy diesel.
Two reasons for wanting a diesel... the fuel mileage and the torque. I'd really prefer a truck that wasn't massive, for use on the trail, but there aren't too many midsize diesel options available in the US. A short bed is a must for me. The bottom line is that whatever I end up with, it must be reliable... the FZJ80 has almost 200k on it and I wouldn't hesitate to drive cross-country in it. I'd want similar reliability out of the truck as well. The options I'm considering are few... I do want something affordable, as I plan to built it up somewhat so it's capable on the trail and need to keep the initial purchase price low enough that I have some left over money to set up the truck.
I do want a truck with a somewhat modern interior and clean body. I think an extended cab would work for us just fine. I've mostly ruled out a Dodge Ram with a Cummins, due to the crappy interior quality, front suspension issues and heavy weight. I'm not a Ford fan and don't know much about the Powerstroke engine and all its intricacies, so I'm not too excited about that option, but it would be easy to overcome my Ford dislike since swapping a Dana 60 into a F250 isn't all that hard. Wouldn't take too much work to have a nice truck with beefy axles and a diesel engine for good power & economy.
About the only option that I really like is a late 90's GM truck with a 6.5l turbo diesel. Most everyone knows the 6.5's aren't the most reliable diesels, nor do they compete with the Cummins or Powerstroke when turning up the power or towing a massive load. I think for my needs, the 6.5 would be fine, as well as return some of the best MPG's out of the other options.
Other pluses about the GM trucks, besides the IFS, are the other drivetrain components. Most 6.5's have a 4L80e behind them which is a very beefy auto, or a NV4500 5 speed, which is a killer manual transmission. The t-case is usually a NP241, which is a strong t-case with a great low range ratio. I would do a solid axle swap and dump the crappy IFS. There are a few Chevy SAS kits out there that allow a person to swap in a Ford Dana 60, which would be ideal. Obviously a SAS adds a lot of $$$$ to the picture.
As far as rounding out the rest of the package, I think I'd really like to run 37's to make the most out of the approach/breakover/departure angles. I would prefer to keep the truck as low as possible for a good center of gravity, but I'm not sure how well 37's would fit into the wheel wells with a low lift height. My roof top tent, winch, HID lights, on-board shower and all car-camping gear would get transferred over.
I would have to sell the FZJ to make this happen and would have to find the 'right' truck before committing. I think that if I did all this, I would regret selling the FZJ... it's such an incredible vehicle! But a truck would be so much nicer to have.
So that's what I'm considering at the moment... anyone want to weigh in?
