Eco 45
Supporting Vendor
[FONT="]After buying this truck over a year ago under the impressions that it was in driving condition---quoted from the seller “Mechanically pretty good. Runs and stops real well. I drive it occasionally when I head up north, but not all that often. The tires still have the little nubbs. This truck is a blast.” The truck can finally move under its own power—Cummins B3.3 Power.
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[FONT="]A little back ground first---I bought this truck when living in Wyoming in a home with no area to work on a vehicle with the intentions of enjoying it until I could fully restore another FJ45 from the ground up. The truck showed up via transport and the driver said that he had to winch it onto his truck and that nothing worked---and by nothing he meant he couldn’t get it started, brakes didn’t work and parking brake didn’t work. Not the first thing you want to hear when a new vehicle shows up at your door step. So I set to work out in my driveway in the snow of Wyoming---did I also mention I was at 7200 feet with temps below 0 F. I finally got the truck to run and not long after was greeted by the lovely bells of fire trucks stopping at my home. You see the truck smoked so bad that one of my neighbors thought my house was on fire and called the fire department. I would have moved the truck away from my house---but turns out metal to metal does not act as a good clutch surface so I was unable to get the truck in gear. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Thought about finding a large cliff for the truck and collecting insurance money---but instead got online and began researching shops in my area that could work on the truck. From what I could tell almost all mechanical components were on life support, so everything would have to be gone through---not something I wanted to play with in a snowy driveway with temps heading south of 0 F. Luck would have it I was about four hours from Proffitt’s Cruisers---and seeing that they offered diesel conversions sealed the deal of me dragging the truck down to them. I see Gasoline engines as an engineer’s idea of a joke—diesel is the only true way to power a vehicle.[/FONT]
[FONT="]I had planned on doing a 4BT with 700 R4 transmission swap into the truck with a few other upgrades. But a couple weeks before the install was going to take place the guys at Proffitt’s mentioned that they came across another Cummins option being used in mining trucks---Cummins B3.3 rated at 85 hp and 215 lbs torque---mechanical engine—no computers. Unlike the 4BT to install this engine a minimal amount of lift would be needed, the engine was a little quieter and can be purchased new for half the cost of a rebuilt 4BT. So I decided to be a Ginny pig and let Proffitt’s install one of these engines in my truck---and boy was I happily surprised. I have only had the truck back for less than a week and am surprised how quickly it can move around and it seems to be getting great mileage. For only being rated at 85 hp that little engine can sure move the FJ45 in a hurry and that is even with me running a three speed auto. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The current specs of the truck are as follows:[/FONT]
[FONT="]Engine: Cummins B3.3---all mechanical no electronics---optional grid intake heater Transmission: TH475 with Toyota split T Case---went this option over the 700 R4 due to strength of transmission and hill braking Axles: 3.73 gearing with disk brakes in the front Suspension: Old Man Emu springs and 2.5” shackles Saginaw Power steering Tires: 31” BFG’s---soon to be updated to 33” tires[/FONT]
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[FONT="]A little back ground first---I bought this truck when living in Wyoming in a home with no area to work on a vehicle with the intentions of enjoying it until I could fully restore another FJ45 from the ground up. The truck showed up via transport and the driver said that he had to winch it onto his truck and that nothing worked---and by nothing he meant he couldn’t get it started, brakes didn’t work and parking brake didn’t work. Not the first thing you want to hear when a new vehicle shows up at your door step. So I set to work out in my driveway in the snow of Wyoming---did I also mention I was at 7200 feet with temps below 0 F. I finally got the truck to run and not long after was greeted by the lovely bells of fire trucks stopping at my home. You see the truck smoked so bad that one of my neighbors thought my house was on fire and called the fire department. I would have moved the truck away from my house---but turns out metal to metal does not act as a good clutch surface so I was unable to get the truck in gear. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Thought about finding a large cliff for the truck and collecting insurance money---but instead got online and began researching shops in my area that could work on the truck. From what I could tell almost all mechanical components were on life support, so everything would have to be gone through---not something I wanted to play with in a snowy driveway with temps heading south of 0 F. Luck would have it I was about four hours from Proffitt’s Cruisers---and seeing that they offered diesel conversions sealed the deal of me dragging the truck down to them. I see Gasoline engines as an engineer’s idea of a joke—diesel is the only true way to power a vehicle.[/FONT]
[FONT="]I had planned on doing a 4BT with 700 R4 transmission swap into the truck with a few other upgrades. But a couple weeks before the install was going to take place the guys at Proffitt’s mentioned that they came across another Cummins option being used in mining trucks---Cummins B3.3 rated at 85 hp and 215 lbs torque---mechanical engine—no computers. Unlike the 4BT to install this engine a minimal amount of lift would be needed, the engine was a little quieter and can be purchased new for half the cost of a rebuilt 4BT. So I decided to be a Ginny pig and let Proffitt’s install one of these engines in my truck---and boy was I happily surprised. I have only had the truck back for less than a week and am surprised how quickly it can move around and it seems to be getting great mileage. For only being rated at 85 hp that little engine can sure move the FJ45 in a hurry and that is even with me running a three speed auto. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The current specs of the truck are as follows:[/FONT]
[FONT="]Engine: Cummins B3.3---all mechanical no electronics---optional grid intake heater Transmission: TH475 with Toyota split T Case---went this option over the 700 R4 due to strength of transmission and hill braking Axles: 3.73 gearing with disk brakes in the front Suspension: Old Man Emu springs and 2.5” shackles Saginaw Power steering Tires: 31” BFG’s---soon to be updated to 33” tires[/FONT]