September POTM - FJ55TLC (1 Viewer)

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I am still waiting on the high performance 2F so I have not installed the electric fan yet. I was hoping to do that with the engine out. I am happy to report that I have been driving with the old "blades of death" stock belt driven fan installed and can say that the cross flow radiator is a success so far. I have not four wheeled it yet, but the temperature does not climb over 190 on the gauge. I use to hover around 210 and higher when wheeling in the summer heat.
 
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I still am waiting for the high performance 2F. I have been told it is almost ready for months now. So, I couldn't take it any more and had to go do what cruisers do best.
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We did Schubarth Road, Hay Creek, and Hell Creek. We also did the road connecting Hay Creek to Hell Creek called the Hell Creek spur road on the GPS but it does not show up in any of my books. It was difficult for sure. Very tight and had one hard climb in particular that put you at a 35 degree side hill turn at the top. All fun roads, especially with the snow.
 
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Got a few more pictures from the other guys that went. One is a fellow ih8mudder and the other ... well, it's a Ford and I am still working on him to step up to a Toyota.
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I drove it to work today. Slow day, so I had time to invest in it. I recently bought LED lights off of Amazon. There was a set of round lights that are rated at 23 watts each. They came in a set of 10 for $95. I already had rock lights wired but they were just old fog lights and didn't spread around too much light. So I put all 10 underneath my truck. Yes, 10. They are wired on 3 separate circuits that can be turned on independently or all together. Anyone who has wheeled in the Rocky Mountains has probably found themselves in the dark unexpectedly. The sun sets fast here and you are hardly ever near the end of the road when it happens. Anyway, it looks like this:
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Also, off of Amazon, I purchased a set of LED driving lights. I had a mix matched set of Hella 2000's up front. One was a driving light and the other was a fog light. No one ever noticed but it bothered me. They were 100 watts apiece and were very bright, but I wanted a matched pair. These LED lights are rated at 68 watts each and over 4600 lumens. Pulls less power, are brighter, and don't get as hot. Looks like this:
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I will still keep the four Hella 500's for now. I can use those on the road, these LED ones will destroy a retina. I also added two small LED lights in the inside of my Tuffy console. It is a deep dark hole at night and impossible to see anything that is hiding in there. One is mounted on the inside front and the other is mounted on the inside rear. The blue ring on the lower left is the button that turns them on. Looks like this:
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Next is upgrading the dome lights and adding a few small LED lights so I can see my overhead console switches at night. I am just doing some small things because I am still waiting on the new engine to arrive. Still ... it is tough being patient.
 
The story goes like this: the original 1.5F engine I currently have is getting a bit tired. It is all original and has not been out or apart except for a head gasket and 1 burnt exhaust valve that my father replaced when I was a kid. It hasn't needed much it's whole life. I know it is getting a bit low on compression and I can not seem to get the front crank seal to stop leaking oil. So I looked into rebuilding this engine to find that there are very few rebuild parts available. I will probably rebuild it anyway in the future. I happened to run into Justin from Redline Land Cruisers who provides the high output 2F. It has taken a year and a half to get, but hopefully it will all be worth it. Here are the specs:
  • 9:1 Compression Custom Forged aluminum pistons
  • RV camshaft .450 lift
  • Full engine balance, port and polish
  • New clutch and resurfaced flywheel
  • “Tuned” 2 into 1 header
  • Crank shaft line bore
  • Full engine rebuilt complete
  • New STRONGER valve springs
  • New lifters
  • 3 way valve job
  • Beadblasted and clear coated aluminum valve cover and manifold
  • Cam break in and initial motor break in procedure with valvoline oil and Zinc additive
  • 150hp to the rear wheels on average. Dyno Tested.
  • New unleaded valve seats
  • New valve guides
  • Shipped “WET” Fluids included.
I will be installing it and will be keeping the 3F fuel injection. I am not looking to build a racing cruiser. I am looking for Toyota reliability and hope this one will last for the next 43 years. I currently have a lot of parts to install (water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, ect.) and then I will install it in the coming month. The excitement builds!
 
fj55tlc said:
The story goes like this: the original 1.5F engine I currently have is getting a bit tired. It is all original and has not been out or apart except for a head gasket and 1 burnt exhaust valve that my father replaced when I was a kid. It hasn't needed much it's whole life. I know it is getting a bit low on compression and I can not seem to get the front crank seal to stop leaking oil. So I looked into rebuilding this engine to find that there are very few rebuild parts available. I will probably rebuild it anyway in the future. I happened to run into Justin from Redline Land Cruisers who provides the high output 2F. It has taken a year and a half to get, but hopefully it will all be worth it. Here are the specs:
  • 9:1 Compression Custom Forged aluminum pistons
  • RV camshaft .450 lift
  • Full engine balance, port and polish
  • New clutch and resurfaced flywheel
  • “Tuned” 2 into 1 header
  • Crank shaft line bore
  • Full engine rebuilt complete
  • New STRONGER valve springs
  • New lifters
  • 3 way valve job
  • Beadblasted and clear coated aluminum valve cover and manifold
  • Cam break in and initial motor break in procedure with valvoline oil and Zinc additive
  • 150hp to the rear wheels on average. Dyno Tested.
  • New unleaded valve seats
  • New valve guides
  • Shipped “WET” Fluids included.
I will be installing it and will be keeping the 3F fuel injection. I am not looking to build a racing cruiser. I am looking for Toyota reliability and hope this one will last for the next 43 years. I currently have a lot of parts to install (water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, ect.) and then I will install it in the coming month. The excitement builds!
Click to expand...

SBC valves?
 
OK, so the engine is in and it is all back together including some upgrades that I have been meaning to get done for a long time. I made a bracket that hold my air flow meter, put a real bolt inside the transfer case that fastens it to the crawler box instead of the horrible stud and nut that Advance Adapters provides that barely clears the gear (I realize that they didn't intend for someone to run the crawler box and a 4:1 Orion together), replaced the track bar bolts with ones that are the correct length, and I installed a 17", two speed electric fan with a shroud.
So to answer the question that is burning in your mind ... it runs great! I can keep up with traffic with no problem, climb hills with hardly a slow down, and it runs cooler and quieter. It is also very smooth. It definitely been balanced well. It really is as smooth at 3500 rpm that it is at idle. It has run well in the past but it has never been this quick. Well, quick for a heavy, lumbering truck. It sure doesn't feel as heavy as it is anymore. I am pleased even though the builder has left many things loose and I have redone a fair bit of it. I hope it lasts ... I haven't dropped the pan to take a look in there. We will see, it does have a 1 year warranty.
Now, for paint and rear winch installation next.
 
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