[Kavik]

Great project! Very interested in the 4l80e to 203 adapt.

[boots4]

Kavik Great project! Very interested in the 4l80e to 203 adapt.

I'm pretty sure I'll have to redrill the bolt pattern and change out the input, but what I won't know until I get them together is if I'll need to shorten the the output on the tranny.

I've emailed murdak about the 203/splitcase adapter but haven't gotten a return. Are he and that other place mentioned in the 203 doubler thread the only ones that sell this adapter? I'll try calling him, too.

[Kavik]

Originally Posted by boots4

I'm pretty sure I'll have to redrill the bolt pattern and change out the input, but what I won't know until I get them together is if I'll need to shorten the the output on the tranny.

I've emailed murdak about the 203/splitcase adapter but haven't gotten a return. Are he and that other place mentioned in the 203 doubler thread the only ones that sell this adapter? I'll try calling him, too.

I got my adapter from Gary (Mudrak). I have a 700r4 w/ the AA tailshaft already installed. But, my donor 350tbi has a fresh 4l80e already bolted up.

Try the coloradok5.com forum for GM stuff...

Decisions, decisions....

[boots4]

Let's try and finish the catch-up. The rest of the pics will be some misc. parts and the start of some of the little stuff.

Here is the intercooler that came from the stepvan. It was black so I sanded off the paint from the fins and painted the ends a cream color. I like the aluminum look through the grill. It almost fits between the supports, so I'll have to do some cutting and this will go first in the cooling row.

I do have a question, but let me set it up first. I plan on stacking the cooling row like this: intercooler-FJ60 AC evap (if thats the right name for it)-FJ60 radiator. I'm going to run a large tranny cooler too, so where would you put it? In the cooling row or locate it separately?



infamous rusty inner channel being yanked



other side. It's not bad but I need to box in the rear section for the shackle mount and it doesn't make sense to leave it in to rust away.



it ended up taking me 1 full day just to get these suckers out! Only have a grinder, drill, and BFH, and prybar to get those out. I was sore the next day from pounding so much. But, alas... Victory!



You can see where the water stays and the rust forms. Luckily it will be fixed by cleaning and painting and not surgery. Back to the pass. side.



The brakes worked well on the stepvan so I'm using the system. Master cylinder painted with rustbullet.



my hydroboost came with a separate resevoir. cleaned/painted.



the hydroboost unit. Since diesels don't produce enough vacuum to run a brake booster I'd have to get a vacuum pump or go to hydroboost. Yup, that was an easy decision.



brake master goes on this side



other side. it's got three ports.



measured the distance from the mounting plate to the center of the hole on the back side of this to find out how deep to mount the hydroboost unit on the firewall



and then I made this



so that it could to here. reused some more parts from the original bracketry in the stepvan



secured those studs and quickly slapped on some paint (I'll probably repaint it)



and it mounts to the back of the hydroboost unit like this.



I just cut up the bracket on it and welded the center section into a new plate. I did it that way because it has that notch in it and I didn't want to run to the store to find the perfect sized hole saw. I might not have gotten the notch in the right place meaning the tilt on the brake master might be too much. It did have some tilt on it and if it ends up being too much I'll probably just remove that notch in the circle and rotate it accordingly. The circle is a tight fit and I won't need to find something special to seal the hole on the firewall. I will reuse the cruiser gasket that was on the firewall when I took off the original unit. That should seal it up so I don't have air leaks for cabin comfort.

[boots4]

I really like what I've read about the 4L80. If you are going to run big power and that 700r4 is just stock I would lean towards the 4L80 but I know the decision isn't as simple as that.

Stuff you might know: to operate the 4L80 you will need a controller, either aftermarket or the computer that you got that combo out of. What I've read is it's easier to set up an aftermarket controller rather than trying to get the factory stuff to work right. Then there are the sensors like the VSS that you probably don't have since the 700r4 isn't electronically controlled. Plus the 4L80 is bigger and tranny mounts might not line up. The flywheel flex plate also has a different bolt pattern than the 700r4 so if you plan to slap the new engine and the 700r4 together that will have to be dealt with. You will probably get more money out of the 4L80 if you sell it, thus funding other projects.

I choose the 4L80 over the 700r4 mostly because I'm running a diesel and wanted the extra strength. The lower first gear ratio didn't matter to me because of the torque curve of this diesel. Sounds like a good decision to wrestle with.

[Kavik]

Originally Posted by boots4

I really like what I've read about the 4L80. If you are going to run big power and that 700r4 is just stock I would lean towards the 4L80 but I know the decision isn't as simple as that.

Stuff you might know: to operate the 4L80 you will need a controller, either aftermarket or the computer that you got that combo out of. What I've read is it's easier to set up an aftermarket controller rather than trying to get the factory stuff to work right. Then there are the sensors like the VSS that you probably don't have since the 700r4 isn't electronically controlled. Plus the 4L80 is bigger and tranny mounts might not line up. The flywheel flex plate also has a different bolt pattern than the 700r4 so if you plan to slap the new engine and the 700r4 together that will have to be dealt with. You will probably get more money out of the 4L80 if you sell it, thus funding other projects.

I choose the 4L80 over the 700r4 mostly because I'm running a diesel and wanted the extra strength. The lower first gear ratio didn't matter to be because of the torque curve of this diesel. Sounds like a good decision to wrestle with.

The 700r4 has been beefed up a bit during the rebuild, and the TBI will remain mostly stock. So, I think the simpler & "beefy enough" route is the 700r4. Plus all of the adapters I have are based on this combo.

That being said, the 4l80e should be perfect for your application. I know a good running diesel can produce some evil torque, so you should be in good shape on and off-road.

By the way, I'm doing a similar SOA lift (shackle reversal w/ low profile hangers, etc).

Your build is looking good. Keep up w/ the pics.

[boots4]

I've got some rust on the back lip that holds the weatherstripping on . I pried it away from the body and found minimal transfer of rust. I'll just replace it with some angle iron so that the gate will seal better.



more rust



this is the seal between the tranny and transfercase. Mine leaked so I'll replace it. Too bad Marlin doesn't make a new improved seal for this like he does for the axles. I guess I'll have to do this again in another 20 years.



blacked out the headlight bezels



cleaned up the pressure fittings that connects stuff after the turbo



comparison between front and rear stock axles. Those rear landcruiser axles look stout!



I'm just going to run the rears and if I break one I'll upgrade.



rear disc idea. I bought new front discs and plan on doing the 4runner upgrade but when I started pulling stuff apart the fronts looked pretty good. So, not to be wasteful, I'm going to use my old front stuff to set up rear disc brakes. The mounting ears for the drum assembly will need to be ground down just a little for clearance and I'll mount the discs to the backside of the axle since it won't fit over the flange. The original rear studs don't have a long enough shoulder to bite into the axle flange so I was going to check if front studs will work. If not I'll need to find some that will work. Then it's just making a bracket and lining up the caliper.



the nut on the bottom is what I pounded on to get the studs out. I'll get a new one.



the axles





Well guys, I'm finally caught up. Thanks for going through so much in such a short time. I started the project only 5 or 6 weeks ago. I am plowing on so I hope to be wheeling in a couple of months. And I've finally decided on the configuration that I want to run so now it will be about getting some time on it, and of course sharing the pics along the way. I'll generally get new pics updated at the beginning of the week after a weekend of wrenching. Post away.

[boots4]

Thanks for all the post so far, I'll probably have questions when I really get into the building part of the build-up.

[72cruiser]

lookin great man...i want to put a 4bt into something i build in the future


what's the plan for an e-brake? interested in any ideas you've got, i'm stickin w/ the rear drums on my fj62 axles for now...not a fan of the GM swap or of the t-case mounted setup.


also, how large is that intercooler in relation to the radiator?



malphrus

[too tall]

have you hooked the linkage to the hydro unit yet? I cut the end off the hydroboost rod and then threaded it to accept the stock toyota clevis. Lookin' good .

[boots4]

Plans for the ebrake will be line locks and/or probably a tcase unit. I haven't liked what I read about the GM stuff either and I have all this stuff already in good condition. It will be a cheap way for me to get disc brakes and control the 38s on the slow down.

I'll have to get a pic of the intercooler and radiator together so you can see what it looks like. They are close to the same size.

The good news is that I just sold the Turbo400. Yeah it was cheap but at least it's gone (less clutter, I still have a cut up stepvan that I need to haul off the yard) and that's more money for the project. I'll be picking up my 4L80 today too.

[boots4]

Too Tall,

I haven't hooked the linkage up to the hydroboost unit and I like your suggestion. Do you have any pics of that setup?

[boots4]

Bummer... Called the place I'm getting the tranny from and there was a "shipping" problem. My tranny is at a different location and they only have a truck coming on Monday. Looks like I'll be waiting another week to pick it up since they close before I get off of work on my work days. Guess my luck ran out.

On another note I did get the 203 separated this morning. I've got a show tonight (play keys in a local band) so unfortunately I won't get a full day in today.

[brokenparts]

where ya playin at?

[boots4]

We just played at Tiger Bar tonight. It was a good show. Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. We are working on some public access TV thing so I'll let you know if it airs anywhere.

[brokenparts]

cool... I just work up the street from there.

[boots4]

Had to work on the DD some. It's going to need some attention in the near future but it's hard to divert my cruiser attention. I got some pics for 72cruiser asking about the intercooler size relation.

Started separating the 203 and ended up doing the cheater cut with a grinder on the rod that controls the backhalf. Anybody have any pics of drain and fill ports on a 203 doubler?

Backhalf



front half (gear reduction part)



203 s****



intercooler and radiator. It's about as wide but not as tall as I thought.



Other side. I might offset it slightly for radiator fill clearance. We'll see if it's that big a deal in the rig.



Front wheel stud on the right, rear wheel stud on the left. I pounded a set in with the disc on the rear axle using the front studs. Everything looked great until I tried to mount the rims and found that the lug nuts were bottoming on the stud and not the rim. Either I'll need new studs to work or put a spacer between the back of the stud and the disc. I'd rather find new studs that will work.



cleaned the back of the flanges where the discs will mount



next I started doing some painting. Front hangers



painted rear channels



painted the front calipers I'll be using on the rear



another shot



made a bracket to interface the brake pedal and the hydroboost unit. made it longer so I could adjust if needed. I haven't decided whether to drill a hole and weld it, or tap the hole and the rod on the hydroboost unit to just screw it on.





I'll have to cut that eye off to weld or tap.



got a little carried away grinding and cut into this wire. Electical tape will fix that right up, don't ya think?



some parts I've had waiting to be installed. I ordered a set of used FJ62 diffs for the 4.1 ratio. I'll throw this locker in the front and work on funding for one in the rear. The rear will be easier to do later with the access cover.



these boxes are shiney bling



my slotted bling going on the front with 4runner calipers

[Tapage]

Dude it's amazing ... Nice proyect and thanks for share all those pics, comments and story

I have one comment in your build up .. and a side note I never dealing with cummins engines.

But .. in Toy engines in 60 series, 2H and 12H-T the temp issue is important coz you haven't really much flow rate coz the 60 haven't a wide front grill to allow it ..

So if you gonna palce the intercooler in front I thought you don't gonna have enought room to grill+intercooler+AC condenser + rad .. ( forget tranny cooler )

IMOP you can run without grill intercooler + AC stuff and rad .. and place the tranny cooler in other side .. with a electric fan.

[boots4]

Thanks tapage for your comment. I've followed your cruiser and I think many here including myself feel it's one of the nicest chop tops done. Do you have a site where you post your wheeling pics? That would be great to see.

I've been reading that diesels tend to run cooler than gassers and some of the guys doing these swaps (4bt's but not landcruiser specific) are having a harder time heating up during the winter months. I pulled the water pump just to check it out and it looks like it will move a decent amount of fluid.

I was thinking that with some restriction I could get it to heat up better. I was thinking of running an electric fan (ford contour-dual fans) with the DCC controller even though my 4bta came with a mech fan. I have ideas that I could wire one side or both to be on a low speed so that the intercooler gets constant air flow through it, but maybe it doesn't need it. I'll have to post that question on the 4btswaps site to see what they think and if any of you are running and intercooler perhaps you could chime in: Does an intercooler need constant air flow through it?

That's the only reason I could come up with as to why this 4bta had a mech. fan and others come with electrical fans.

Where do you guys recommend placing a tranny cooler if it's not grouped with the radiator? If it's not in front should I look into a cooler/fan combo?

[boots4]

Also, as for placement of the intercooler-AC-Radiator I will probably have to do some custom mounting meaning the radiator probably won't bolt into the same location. That should make room for the whole stack to fit behind the grill. I love the 60's grill so I've got to keep it.

[Tapage]

Originally Posted by boots4

Thanks tapage for your comment. I've followed your cruiser and I think many here including myself feel it's one of the nicest chop tops done. Do you have a site where you post your wheeling pics? That would be great to see.

I have some wheeling pics in the local forum ( here in Panamá ) and videos .. but haven't yet any with the ragtop evolution

Originally Posted by boots4

I've been reading that diesels tend to run cooler than gassers and some of the guys doing these swaps (4bt's but not landcruiser specific) are having a harder time heating up during the winter months.

Fact it my bad .. I'm alwais thinking you are here in Panamá where the heat it's a issue .. but fortunately for you not !

To get better performance form a intercooler, you must keep the air flow throught this .. but if it centanly afecto your performance .. maybe you don't gonna feel it at low rpm/speed ..

In fact when you need all HP and lb/p from your engine, most of the time gonna be in the HW at high rpm/speed when the aire flow thought the intercooler/AC/rad come great .. and you get the better performance from your intercoled engine.

Anycase at low ARM with a manually activated electric fan front or behind the intercooler make the job ..

[CreeperSleeper]

It was good meeting you last night! Get this thing done so we can go wheelin!

[boots4]

I've been waiting to find someone with a 1 inch breaker bar to get those lug nuts off of the stepvan rear so I could get to the leaves. I didn't want to wait any longer so I yanked the leaves and preped them for painting.



I tried a couple of configurations and decided on this: ranger main-stepvan 2nd-ranger 2nd-stepvan 3rd-stepvan 4th. So it's a 5 leaf pack. I thought it might be too light since the landcruiser packs have more than that and the 4bta is a few pounds heavier than the 2F, but the landcruiser leaves are thinner than these so I'll start with this and if I need more I preped 4 more leaves for add on front or rear. The center bolt is too long so I'll need to pick up a shorter one to tighten it up.



the front and rear packs for comparison



the rear pack mock up. I want to move those back just a little because cuting the well up behind the wheel will be easier than messing with the front of the well. I already plan to cut the rear quarter panels anyways.



about where the front will hit



about where the rear will hit



here is my grill finished. I thought I might be the first to try this sceme out but there was a FJ62 that posted a similar look, darn. I used that hammerite stuff.



cutting up some of the stepvan frame to make my box sections for the cruiser rear end.



made these to fit inside the cruiser frame for welding. Painted the inside side.



outside side



here's what they look like in the frame. I'll put a diamond-shaped plate over the vertical weld to tie the two together.



finally got my tranny. shipping dilema over. 4L80e passenger side.



drivers' side, it had a gear position sensor unit on the shifter but I took that off since I don't plan on using it.



bellhousing and torque converter. I'll need to get a different torque converter to better suit the torque curve of the diesel. Will definitely want to keep it lock-up too.



4L80e rear. I did get the 4x4 adapter but I took it off to see what it looks like on the 203.



painted the front hubs



4x4 4L80e adapter tranny side.



4x4 4L80e adapter transfer case side.



4x4 4L80e adapter side view

[boots4]

Rough mock up of the 4x4 4L80e adapter on the 203. I won't be able to mark any holes for drilling until I get a 32 spline input shaft and install it to center it on the tranny output.



cut up the front disc backing plates and kept these for the spacing.



That's what I got done last weekend. I have a baby "coming" next weekend (he'll come when he really wants to but the induction will be next weekend) so I'll get outside when I can. I also received my FJ60 3rds this weekend. I wanted the 4.1 diff ratio and used ones were much cheaper than new gears.

[CreeperSleeper]

Wow... you did get a lot done last weekend! (Thanks, Grandma!)

[boots4]

Yeah, it's always great when grandma comes. No matter how old I get she likes to fill up our freezer whenever she comes.

[boots4]

No baby yet so I got a chance to work outside.

Finally got the rear frame boxed in. Since my ready welder is powered by batteries and I was only able to get a five inch bead before a charge was needed I knew my batteries were shot. I had my batteries tested and only needed one. Once I hooked them up together I was able to weld all I wanted. Much better.

Passenger side



driver side



I've got 4.10s and the original 3.70s to play with. I plan on running the 4.10s since I have an overdrive tranny.



made the rear hangers, just need to drill the holes on my neighbor's drill press.





started cleaning off the tranny. This is the torque converter and the filter. I talked to txchange.com since they are local and got a quote for a HD diesel converter for $230 and a billet one for $293. They will also take my TC even though it's a higher stall for the core charge. I've got a few more places to call but I thought that was alright plus they are local.



input shaft. I grabbed a seal to replace since I'm in there.



took off the pan and wiped up. I just bought the trans-go kit to convert it to full manual and will be reading the instructions 7 times before I do anything.

[projektdotnet]

awesome rig so far

[CreeperSleeper]

Lookin good!

[Mace]

Originally Posted by boots4

Rough mock up of the 4x4 4L80e adapter on the 203. I won't be able to mark any holes for drilling until I get a 32 spline input shaft and install it to center it on the tranny output.

the 203 centers on the bearing retainer, not the input shaft. So it makes no difference what spline count the input is.