V8 FJ60 move trans back? (2 Viewers)

[Sporin]

Hey guys,

One of the trucks I've been looking at is a really ncie 87 FJ60 with a Chevy V8 in it. The current owner bought it from the guy who did the conversion and said it;s a Mark's kit. It's a veyr clean install and it runs like a dram.

One thing I noticed is that the 4 spd shifter is VERY far forward so they POx2 had the shifter bend to make it more accessible to the river.

It's not a deal breaker by any means, but I was curious if this is common with V8 swaps? Do the current adapters do this or do they make provisions to keep the trans in it's place? this is an older kit iirc.

I realize I don't have a ton of info to give you on this but I'd love to hear some conjecture and ideas.

Thanks.

 

[John Smith]

It is very normal to move the chevy v8 forward to keep the distributor off the firewall. The same bending is done in many a 40 unless you lose the heater box. Of greater concern is how the swap was done. Since you say it is very clean and runs like a dream you should be fine.

 

[Nightshadow]

I am using a 400 small block with a th350 trans/203 transfer case, and the crossmember for the trans has been moved back a couple inches, but everything lines up like it should...

 

[Sporin]

I haven't seen the truck in over a year. I almost bought it last time around but decided on my 4runner instead. The guy still has it and wants to sell it in the coming months so I'll need to get under it and give it the real going over when the time comes, this is just one issue I remembered that I wanted some clarification on.

It's the stock Cruiser 4spd and Tcase mated to an older Chevy truck engine iirc, basic, no ac (not an issue up here) and a simple carb set up. It's amazing how much room there is in the engine bay. I remember the exhaust is routed way too low as well so that wil need to be redone for wheeling.

My father in law is a bit of an SBC guru so I figure we can crack open the Summit catalog this summer and have some fun.

The truck itself is virtually rust free, the frame and underside has been kept oiled and is very clean for a VT rig. He's even popped off the interior panels to oil the insied of the rockers and suck. Very meticulous. guy.

It has a big kaymar rear bumper on it and a Belton lift. I figure I can put on some bigger tires, maybe some 4.11's if necessary, sliders and have a good family rig for the moderate offroading I do (mostly class VI roads and "stocker" level stuff) as well as a great truck to haul a popup camper and act as a second "car" when necessary.

Thanks for the input guys, I owned an FJ62 and am pretty familiar with these trucks, please add more if you think of specific V8 swap issues I should look for. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

 

[Cruisergreg]

I have no idea why you would have to move the tranny forward with a Marks adapter. It is designed to keep the motor well forward of the forewall and close to the radiator. Sounds fishy - you should get some more info on the bent shifter before laying down cash.

 

[Sporin]

I will look into it for sure. What other reputable adapter makers are there? AA? Downey?

 

[Tinker]

You're hoping the tcase hasn't been moved forward in which case the front driveshaft would've had to be shortened.

See where the crossmember is mounted & look for other holes fore & aft. Measure the distance to a fixed point if you can't tell if it's been moved & post up the measurement here.

My tcase had to be moved back since the 4L60E + adapter was so long compared to the 4spd.

 

[DaveWest5150]

You didnt say what kind of 4 speed it was... if it's an sm 420/465 the shifter will be about 6 inches farther forward than a toyota 4 speed.

 

[Cruisergreg]

.. if it's an sm 420/465 the shifter will be about 6 inches farther forward than a toyota 4 speed.

Which would mean its definitely not a Marks but maybe an AA adapter to the tcase?

 

[Sporin]

Toyota 4 speed.

I was wondering about the driveshafts and will make sure to take measurements. If the rear wasn't lengthened accordingly then it could slip apart the first time I really flex it out.

The guy who owned it now uses it in the fields and woods but not rockcrawling. I'll need to do more digging.

 

[D'Animal]

The FJ 40 and the FJ 60 both use the H42 four speed transmission. The 60 uses an H42 Long version. It is the same transmisison internally, just a longer one. The PO may have put a 4 speed out of an FJ40 in it.







In conclusion, it's just a thought and I really don't know.

 

[Sporin]

I appreciate all the input guys, and like I said, I'm going by memory from more then a year ago so I may have some of it wrong.

The guy who did the conversion was a local "gentleman farmer" a real tinkerer and it's been on the road a number of years that way so my guess is that it's fine... I just need to give it a thorough sorting through to make sure al the conversion details as they pertain to offroading were done (driveshaft length, etc.) because I know it hasn't been used in that manner.

The guy who currently owns it also owns a number of FJ40's and seems to really know his stuff (his plow rig 40 has a walter moses tub) so I guess we'll see in a few weeks.

 

[FJKai]

I have no idea why you would have to move the tranny forward with a Marks adapter. It is designed to keep the motor well forward of the forewall and close to the radiator. Sounds fishy - you should get some more info on the bent shifter before laying down cash.

I'm running the Mark's adapter on my sbc 400 and we had to move nothing. Engine lined up well and we bolted it in. No shifter problems or bending needed was encountered. One thing I did have to do was shorten my rear driveshaft by about 1/2" because of the engine placement. No big deal really, didn't even notice it till about 6 months later when I went to un-bolt the driveshaft because I couldn't figure out why the bolts kept getting loose. Well I found out right away, took a pry bar to disconect the driveshaft completely. Problem solved though. Just curious if anyone else using the Mark's came across this issue? Other than that minor "adjustment", I have nothing but good things to say about the Mark's adapter.

 

[Sporin]

I wonder if it's not a Mark's or if its' an older version? I don't believe the swap is recent.

 

[Sporin]

I notice when reading about the Ranger overdrive, which goes between the engine and transmission, it says....

"This unit acts as the adapter bellhousing, which provides the proper spacing to leave the stock 4 speed transmission in the stock location."

So that leads me to believe that there re kits out there that DON'T leave your transmission in the stock location.

 

[Sporin]

I just sent him an email with a bunch of questions, thanks guys.

 

[Moby]

My bet is that it's a Downey adapter. I've seen how far back that puts the engine with the trans in the stock location. Pretty sure you either need to move everything forward, "massage" the firewall and live with the engine pretty much up against it.

 

[Sporin]

If I remember correctly, and I rarely do, the engine was back pretty far in the engine bay though not so close as to be an issue as far as I could tell.

I found this..... look at the Downey "short" adapter.

http://www.downeyoff-road.com/EngineComponents/EngineConvAdaptLand.html

 

[Cruisergreg]

Just curious if anyone else using the Mark's came across this issue?

I didn't have that issue with my Marks and I guess I don't really understand why you did. Was it because the angle of the tranny changed when you mated it to the V8?

 

[Sporin]

This is a truck I looked at a while ago and will be looking at again to possibly buy, I don't own it.