What to do?? CLEAN 84 diesel Mighty Max

I just joined the site after stumbling across this forum from googling "4D55 Seized;" because that is what Im dealing with. Just this week I purchased an 84 mighty max turbo diesel from a guy who had it as a parts truck. Apparently it ran rough when he parked it back in 09, but it ran. Myself being an avid project hoarder, I thought it would be an easy fix and a sweet swap for one of my monteros. But as I dug into tonight, I discovered that it's locked up tighter than a snare, so I'm having mixed emotions on my next move.


To my surprise, I was intrigued to hear that there is a market for restoring these pickups and after reading your posts, oem parts are few and far between in good shape. With that said, this donor truck I picked up is in damn good shape for an 84. The bucket seats must have had covers on them since new and the black paint looks immaculate under the layers of mildew and moss. If these trucks are rare, my automotive minded self knows better than to dismantle and separate parts from a "diamond in the rough" just for an off-road rig's donor engine. So the question is, would I have better luck selling the truck complete and continue my engine search, or pull the motor and part out the truck? Personally I try to put rigs back on the road rather then part them out, but these engines aren't your common Toyota 22R that u can find a dime a dozen. So your input will be appreciated.

I should add it's NOT PERFECT but it's pretty nice for its age. I'm trying to post pics so you can be the judge.

Here are some pics

I too was looking at this truck but live in Oregon and didn't want to pay a tow truck to haul it down here, If you end up selling parts I could use the air box. and a hub cap. Wish I could give you advice on the what to do with it, But I'm new to the site and vehicles as well. It seems that parts are hard to come by and most recommendations have been to buy a crate 4d56 from Canada to do a swap and save time and money. Or do a complete restoration. Both of which seem to cost more $ than i would like to spend. I am also still deciding on what to do with my 84 4x4. Welcome and its good to see some better pics of that then sitting in the field!

If someone wanted to trade me a complete running engine I would probably do that. I've decided to just sell it complete and let someone restore the truck. It's just too nice to part out.

That is kind of a rare thing there. Nice color and looks to be pretty straight. The camper shell is a little outdated, but would make a cool dog house, lol. to bad she is froze up, that would make a great truck if it ran.
Oh man, your in Washington too! I gotta think about this, hmm.