A LS motor is much easier to work on than a 2f in my opinion.
Any heard of “A rusted development” shop? (1 Viewer)
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I really wish the 1fzfe was an easier swap as I think thats a nice engine upgrade for 60 series. More power without being crazy and still a 6. Unfortunately its still an expensive option and makes the LS a lot more viable from a cost point of view. If th 4.2 GM 6 gets worked out then I think that would check boththe power and convenience upgrade as well as the low cost .
red66toy
Supporting Vendor
The gulf between modern vehicles and our 60 wagons is only getting wider by the minute. I think anyone doing a swap needs to ask themselves what they want out their land cruiser. Do you want to keep up with the "joneses" and blast down the highway with every increasing hp and "upgrades", or do you want to just learn to appreciate the wagon as it is? It's a tough question and one only each person can answer for themselves. I agree with the others that you will not get v8 performance from a 2f. Sticking with the 2f comes with compromises, just like the v8 swap comes with its own compromises. Its your money do what you want. From a bang for your buck perspective considering hp, you cant beat the LS swap.
We’re working on one of these right now (in a 45) using the FJ Co bellhousing. It’s still a lot of work (it’s an engine swap after all), but should be a fun option over going to the dark side and yield a nice boost in power from the 2F.
With an aftermarket computer (pretty much required unless you find a manual ECM or a carb manifold), it should be 2UZ-ish in power.
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Which aftermarket computer are you using? Post some pics as you progress.
This one is running a Holley Sniper on a carb manifold, but they are difficult to find. We will be doing another with the EFI intake and will likely use either the Holley computer or a Haltech.
I won’t hijack this thread with pics, but there’s a thread over in the 40 section:
Builds - Project Hate It or Love It - 196(4) FJ45 Short Bed Fixed Top Pickup - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/project-hate-it-or-love-it-196-4-fj45-short-bed-fixed-top-pickup.1193777/
I won’t hijack this thread with pics, but there’s a thread over in the 40 section:
Builds - Project Hate It or Love It - 196(4) FJ45 Short Bed Fixed Top Pickup - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/project-hate-it-or-love-it-196-4-fj45-short-bed-fixed-top-pickup.1193777/
FJBen
SILVER Star
All about usage.
If you are doing lots of interstate travel and want to get there, then LS no doubt. If you don't care about the hustle, take slow backroads and enjoy the plodding along, a 2F, with a sniper setup can be a great rig.
I prefer the original engine just because I like that slow relaxed experience. If I were pulling mountain passes and interstate i would take a long hard look at an LS. I’ve had 2 V8 swapped cruisers. I liked them, it would really just depend on what I wanted and needed from it.
If you are doing lots of interstate travel and want to get there, then LS no doubt. If you don't care about the hustle, take slow backroads and enjoy the plodding along, a 2F, with a sniper setup can be a great rig.
I prefer the original engine just because I like that slow relaxed experience. If I were pulling mountain passes and interstate i would take a long hard look at an LS. I’ve had 2 V8 swapped cruisers. I liked them, it would really just depend on what I wanted and needed from it.
Rockymtnreaper
Colorado.Cruiser
I also want to entertain having the ability to be able to move out of the way for safety reasons, I have had some scary close calls that I could see coming that if I had some power to move out of harm's way I would have felt way better. I totally agree with @FJBen it comes down to usage. But for the money you are spending to stay Toyota, you are not getting that bang for your buck.
Care to share further? I was all ready to do a diesel swap and the thought of a hi po 2F with 5 speed entered my mind. Really want to keep the manual and not change the overall character of my 60. I like how reliable it is and when something does need a fix it’s generally not rocket science. Also, care to share you’re approximate cost? TIA
Rockymtnreaper
Colorado.Cruiser
I mean I can go on and on about pros and cons. I was keeping track of the main cost of the swap. But there is a lot of stuff that kept adding on after everything was back in place, not to mention tools and days of work that I didn't keep track of but kinda wish I would of just for the data. What you see is my cost, I got a deal on the h55F. But this was my cost doing all of the work myself and I am sure there is probably another 2k in parts, fluids, and cost that are not included in this spreadsheet.
You can do it cheaper maybe, but I felt like I did it the right way using all OEM Toyota parts.
12k and a lot of work and waiting time.
- Thread starter
- #31
Gotcha. What I’m gathering is LS Swaps run in the 20 range. Issue is I really only have 15 to give. And if I could wait I would. Anyone know of a budget LS swap option
is what I was trying to get across 
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- Thread starter
- #32
What’s your MPG and HP with the rebuilt powered up 2F?
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rhah
Admit it, your cruisers jealous
Yes I can get you swapped for less than 1kGotcha. What I’m gathering is LS Swaps run in the 20 range. Issue is I really only have 15 to give. And if I could wait I would. Anyone know of a budget LS swap option
have done it a couple times but your gonna have to be thrifty and resourceful
otherwise normally I’d say 10-15k should get a decent LS swap, even if you went with a new crate motor those are only 5-6k
300hp and 2F don’t go together 
200 (at the crank) is a more realistic (rounded up) number. Maybe a little more if you go full blown with the lighter custom rods & pistons.
We have not turbo’d any. I’ve seen one build that looks very promising, but is a side project and slow going. We (or the customer) do fuel inject pretty much every motor/truck that passes through.
Wear should be similar to a stock motor which, contrary to ‘mud lore, is about half of more modern designs like the 1FZ, UZ family, or LS.
Not to rain on the 2F parade, because I love them and put a lot of love into them, but they have their limits. We can take them from 135hp to 200, but if you want more than that, I’d look elsewhere.
200 (at the crank) is a more realistic (rounded up) number. Maybe a little more if you go full blown with the lighter custom rods & pistons.
We have not turbo’d any. I’ve seen one build that looks very promising, but is a side project and slow going. We (or the customer) do fuel inject pretty much every motor/truck that passes through.
Wear should be similar to a stock motor which, contrary to ‘mud lore, is about half of more modern designs like the 1FZ, UZ family, or LS.
Not to rain on the 2F parade, because I love them and put a lot of love into them, but they have their limits. We can take them from 135hp to 200, but if you want more than that, I’d look elsewhere.
You might consider the 2FE path. You would keep your bottom end and if you are lucky you might just get away with a cylinder hone, some new rings, and new bearings....gaskets and seals etc. You would need the 3FE head, intake, and exhaust, harness etc. Would be a nice bump in performance and could be done for less than a crazy 2F build or for V8 conversion. of course any time you hand the vehicle to someone else to do all the work its difficult to keep the total costs low.
Rockymtnreaper
Colorado.Cruiser
LOL I mean it's kinda hard for me to give you numbers on HP because I don't care and don't want to pay to measure that. MPG is 10-14mpg. I didnt notice a real change in that. I would like to think it's better mpg but the reality is everything is about the same with a carb instead of a sniper. The motor feels fresh and faster. But if you think you are going to see an insane change, its just not there imo.
Much appreciated!
- Thread starter
- #39
Hi all,
Spoke with Jake at a rusted, they’re booked out a ways. But the guy a bought the car from has a mechanic who has worked on land cruisers in the last (including mine) and has done LS swaps before. Made the decision that I’m going to go the engine swap route for a lot of reasons even though I love the classic feel of the 2 F and appreciate all the replies. Final couple questions, my buddy said after I ship it there in the next couple of days the build should take about 3 weeks- is this typical? I’m assuming he wants to go the used LS3 with used tranny route because he said it’ll only be around 10-15k including labor and parts Does this price seem a little low though and maybe he needs to get all the Additional parts quoted too? It’s not a full on land cruiser shop per se but they do off road etc. trust the guy very much and his mechanic seems to know what he’s doing, but does this time frame and price point seem realistic to everyone? Every shop in the US as far as I can tell is booked up a few months in advance, so it seems this is my only option but it may end up being a rabbit whole or I wait and borrow a car from family. My max budget is 18k unless I take an advance in pay. I Wouldn’t trade the rat race for anything though- luckily I’m young!
beehanger
Spoke with Jake at a rusted, they’re booked out a ways. But the guy a bought the car from has a mechanic who has worked on land cruisers in the last (including mine) and has done LS swaps before. Made the decision that I’m going to go the engine swap route for a lot of reasons even though I love the classic feel of the 2 F and appreciate all the replies. Final couple questions, my buddy said after I ship it there in the next couple of days the build should take about 3 weeks- is this typical? I’m assuming he wants to go the used LS3 with used tranny route because he said it’ll only be around 10-15k including labor and parts Does this price seem a little low though and maybe he needs to get all the Additional parts quoted too? It’s not a full on land cruiser shop per se but they do off road etc. trust the guy very much and his mechanic seems to know what he’s doing, but does this time frame and price point seem realistic to everyone? Every shop in the US as far as I can tell is booked up a few months in advance, so it seems this is my only option but it may end up being a rabbit whole or I wait and borrow a car from family. My max budget is 18k unless I take an advance in pay. I Wouldn’t trade the rat race for anything though- luckily I’m young!
beehanger
this is the guy who supposedly rebuilt the engine you have now which is coming apart?
