"ultimate" h55f 5spd conversion combo

[orangefj45]

i was approached by a customer and fellow mudder to build a stout h55f combo for an fj40 conversion. we settled on a ew trans from the dealer since pretty much all the used transmissions out there have a ton of miles on them and everything i've seen that's hit these shores from oz has been worked hard and put away wet; including my 81 troopie. my 84 troopie seems to be the exception to that rule but that's a different story all-together.
anyways, along with the new h55f we decided on the split case from an fj62. we did so for a few reasons:
1) large idler shaft
2) bearing supported high and low speed gears on the main shaft
3) availability
part of the build was also to include some sort of parking brake. the kit from sor isn't cheap and replacement parts can be tough to come by. besides, the drum style ebrake setups just don't seem to have enouigh holding power. so we choose the disc brake kit manufactured by TSM. i have been using their components for doing rear disc brake conversions for years and the quality and service has always been excellent. this time was no different.
last but not least, my customer wanted to run a set of twin-stick shifters for the split case. nobody sells a kit but i had built a few one-off sets in the past so i decided to build my own set again, but this time with the thought in mind that i would keep in mind that i want to sell this in kit for in the very near future if there's enough interest.
well, i got the powertrain pretty much done today, just need to button up a few loose ends and it'll be off to it's new home. more detailed shots to come later this week........

georg @ valley hybrids

 

[amaurer]

thats purdy!

What'd you do about the H55 input shaft? Can they be bought with the proper shaft for a 2F already installed?

Someone in diesel tech just went through a real adventure with a new H55f - the 3B version of the H55 isn't available, so it came with the 2H input shaft and bearing retainer (nose), which wouldn't fit a 3B shaft.

 

[orangefj45]

the one sold here in the staes has the 10 spline input for the 2F and 2H, but the fine spline input may not be available here. not sure, would have to check. but i know they're available in canada. i just finished a conversion on a customers cruiser running a 13BT, h55f and split case. the powertrain for that swap came from BC.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

That output flange is an early one. Possibly 82 or 83. By 84 it was round. Did you swap one into the FJ62 t-case? Did you do the full manual conversion to the t-case?

Nice swap. that would be great in an FJ40.

 

[orangefj45]

i was hoping you'd see this and reply drew. your predictably sharp replies and valid input are always welcomed!

keen eye as well! i decided to go woth the early flanges so we could run an early cv front driveline from an early fj60 without any major mods.

yes, i did the full manual conversion on the 62 case. not difficult as long as the case is apart and you have the proper parts and tools to complete the conversion.

i think this is going to be a sweet setup in the 40. there are so many plusses to this setup starting at the smooth shifting of the toyota trans, the evenly spaced gear ratio splits, the strength of the split case, lots less noise than the earlier cases,.........i don't think you could do a whole lot better for running all oem stuff.

 

[mustardfj40]

That's a sweet setup!

Georg, how did you get the transfer case to look new like that? I have 2 valve covers that I struggle to get them look new again.

 

[hicruise55]

Looks awesome! And when you have a kit avail. for the twin-stick setup for the splitcase let me know as I am interested, thanks- Aaron

 

[orangefj45]

That's a sweet setup!

Georg, how did you get the transfer case to look new like that? I have 2 valve covers that I struggle to get them look new again.

i get pretty anal about rebuilding these so i go thru a "procedure" everytime:

1) disassembly
2) wash in parts washer by hand
3) run thru a hot rotissery-style parts washer
4) bead blast all the external case parts
5) hand wash with a brush and soap
6) dry very well
7) paint
8) assemble
9) done

realistically, i spend about half the time during a rebuild just on prep work. i also clean up all the bolts by wire-wheeling the heads and all threads. i then test-fit everything without the guts in the case just to make sure there will not be any hidden surprises when it counts. i could do it a lot faster but it's how i like to do things.

 

[orangefj45]

Looks awesome! And when you have a kit avail. for the twin-stick setup for the splitcase let me know as I am interested, thanks- Aaron

hey aaron.
thanks for the reply. i'm 95% sure i'll be selling the kit. if i do, it'll be ready to ship in 10-15 days. i'll pm you when they're ready to go.

georg

 

[redcorn]

fap fap fap fap fap fap.....

nice unit Georg

 

[mustardfj40]

i get pretty anal about rebuilding these so i go thru a "procedure" everytime:

1) disassembly
2) wash in parts washer by hand
3) run thru a hot rotissery-style parts washer
4) bead blast all the external case parts
5) hand wash with a brush and soap
6) dry very well
7) paint
8) assemble
9) done

.

Wow! That says something about the high quality of you works.

Thanks.

 

[subzali]

What's the gearing on the split case? That looks to be a very cool combination...

 

[1911]

Thanks for posting Georg, I would really like to do this on mine at some point in the future.

 

[joeyg1973]

i also clean up all the bolts by wire-wheeling the heads and all threads.

I used to do this, but I got sick and tired of firing bolts into the same dimension that lost socks go. I also got tired of wearing my fingers down till they bleed. I have switched to using a combo of a light acid such as white vinegar or sulfuric acid. Then a dip in acetone to stop the acid. Then a run in my vibratory tumbler with Metal Wash and a rust removing media. Then another dip in acetone. Then a run through the tumbler with polishing media. Another dip in acetone, then I shoot clear powder coat on the head/nut/washer with the threads blocked off so as not to coat them. It takes longer as the tumbler takes a long time to do it's thing, but it is still a time saver in the end as I can do other things. This whole process takes about a week and in the end I don't ever need to worry about rust and grime issues on them again.

 

[orangefj45]

I used to do this, but I got sick and tired of firing bolts into the same dimension that lost socks go. I also got tired of wearing my fingers down till they bleed. I have switched to using a combo of a light acid such as white vinegar or sulfuric acid. Then a dip in acetone to stop the acid. Then a run in my vibratory tumbler with Metal Wash and a rust removing media. Then another dip in acetone. Then a run through the tumbler with polishing media. Another dip in acetone, then I shoot clear powder coat on the head/nut/washer with the threads blocked off so as not to coat them. It takes longer as the tumbler takes a long time to do it's thing, but it is still a time saver in the end as I can do other things. This whole process takes about a week and in the end I don't ever need to worry about rust and grime issues on them again.

very true.
problem is that most of the time i can't afford to wait a week to get the hardware cleaned. on the other hand, i do have a plethra of extra cruiser hardware in the stash.

 

[orangefj45]

What's the gearing on the split case? That looks to be a very cool combination...

depends on what year. all the info for t-case ratios can be found here:

TLC FAQ - 8.1 Transmission & transfer Case Ratios (All :1)

 

[orangefj45]

more pics

i finished the combo today, just had to paint a couple of items and tighten up a few things. here are some more detailed shots of it.

 

[orangefj45]

close-ups of the twin-stick shifters

 

[orangefj45]

and a few close-ups of the disc brake setup.

 

[PabloCruise]

Nice!

Does the H55F output match right up with the FJ62 split case, or did you have to work that?

WIll this 40 be running flipped rear springs? Looks like that read drive shaft will be mighty short...