454 into 60

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coolotisdog

coolotisdog

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 4, 2008
Threads
36
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462
Location
Arizona
So anyone have any experience with dropping a 454 into your FJ60? I was in an accident last week and slammed into a concrete wall. Long story short, everything seems fine except that the motor, tranny and transfer case popped off their mounts and slammed into the radiator. I think it might be time to do an engine swap. My cousin has a 1 ton early 80s chevy truck with a 454 and a t400. Its 2wd but my friend told me supposedly you can just change the output shaft on the tranny and set it up for 4x4 pretty easy. Then if I just mate that to a np205 which seem to be pretty easy to find and take the axle and break it down from dually to single tire I should be good to go right? Thats the plan I think. The only thing I can think of is the frame not being strong enough, which after my experience of slamming into a concrete wall and the frame looking fine, I think the frame will take it. I'm prob gonna go down to my cousins this week and pick up the truck because its one of his work trucks that he's been trying to get rid of for a while. I've talked to him before about it, but I never have been able to justify an engine swap until now.
 
I want to say the BBC engine mounts are pretty close if not the same as the SBC mounts and in the same location but i dont remember 100% really it would be just like any other swap, there is plenty of room for it so that is not an issue.
 
CruisinFJ60 said:
I want to say the BBC engine mounts are pretty close if not the same as the SBC mounts and in the same location but i dont remember 100% really it would be just like any other swap, there is plenty of room for it so that is not an issue.
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Yeah it shouldn't be too bad. Thats a good question about the motor mounts. I'll have to look into that. I also realized after thinking I'll have to get a different rear axle either at a junkyard or off craigslist probably.
 
I say go for it. It would be a great swap and build up to see happen. There's an Iceland Rig in the registration with a 540 in it :eek:
 
Yeah its an old 454 but it still will be more powerful than the 2f and probably get about the same gas mileage. Plus if I want to do tbi I can set it up later and get a 4l80e or something. Either way ill be going to pick up the donor truck this week some time so it's not really a question of if I do it, because I'm going to. Just a question of how fast it happens.
 
You have smog checks where you are? If so, you may want to make sure that the 454 is newer than your current 60.
 
Mace said:
You have smog checks where you are? If so, you may want to make sure that the 454 is newer than your current 60.
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Yeah we do in this county in arizona where i live but I opened up an office in a county that doesn't do smog and I don't see it coming any time soon because there is so much agriculture over there.
 
What Tcase? are you going to a centered diff?
Motor mounts are same location big or small block.
 
baxter650 said:
What Tcase? are you going to a centered diff?
Motor mounts are same location big or small block.
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I'm going to use an np205 I think. You can't even use a centered diff can you? If you can I'll prob end up with a center diff.

Note: After thinking about it for 2 hours I finally realized for some reason I still kept thinking I was going to keep my landcruiser transfer case, which I'm not, so yeah it'll be centered.
 
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Yes I've been told the SBC and BBC share same engine mount specs. A BBC weighs more, but I expet the disels that people are installing weigh more than a GM BBC. You might want to make sure that you have no issues with exhaust or width on the BBC. One the SBC...its very tight cleance on the driver side at the steering linkage and steering gear area.

There is a guy on the forum that has a BBC in a 60 (Marine 502 I think) or he installed it in the truck and sold it. Anyway he may be a good source of info on the BBC.

I would go with the SBC myself, just for part sources alone. You may have cooling issues with a BBC.

I have a 496 in my suburban and it would be "cool" to have that setup in a 60, but you would never really need that kind of torque.
 
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Elbert said:
There is a guy on the form that has a BBC in a 60 (Marine 502 I think) or he installed it in the truck and sold it. Anyway he may be a good source of info on the BBC.

I would go with the SBC myself, just for part sources alone. You may have cooling issues with a BBC.

I have a 496 in my suburban and it would be "cool" to have that setup in a 60, but you would never really need that kind of torque.
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Gary Coberly did the swap you are referring to. it was a mercruiser 502 into a FJ62 now portfj62 or something like that owns it, or did, he had it for sale a bit back.

as far as parts availability its a chevy engine parts will be around.

and how can you say one would never need that much torque? lol, is there such a thing as to much? my cummins makes over 750 ft/lbs of tq and i want more. lol.
 
Motor mount to the back face of the BB is the sane distance as the SB. The BB is longer to the front of the engine/waterpump though.

Plenty of room unless you are running a drivetrain combo so long that you need to shift things forward. In a wagon I can't see that ever happening.

I pulled a 454 out of a Pig this summer and will eventually drop it back into another Cruiser. No more complicated than a SB swap... just a bit tighter on the sides.

Mark...
 
I think the doner truck has a dually axle. I told coolotis we should put that out back and make this thing a SOA dually with the 454 and air bags So isntead of Taking our trucks to the Dunes we could just take the Land Cruisers with our trailers and stuff. I don't think I'll be able to convince him on the dually but i'm going to try. Plus it would probably get awesome traction in the sand with some mud terrains, dually's and over 400lbs of bb torque. This is defiantly going to be sick and will probably be going down soon.
 
Kurtis said:
I think the doner truck has a dually axle. I told coolotis we should put that out back and make this thing a SOA dually with the 454 and air bags So isntead of Taking our trucks to the Dunes we could just take the Land Cruisers with our trailers and stuff. I don't think I'll be able to convince him on the dually but i'm going to try. Plus it would probably get awesome traction in the sand with some mud terrains, dually's and over 400lbs of bb torque. This is defiantly going to be sick and will probably be going down soon.
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Dude I told you dually wheels in back only if we fab up some sick fenders.
 
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