69 FJ40 build - 5.3 with H55f (1 Viewer)

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allworknoplay

SILVER Star
Joined
Oct 14, 2012
Threads
30
Messages
205
Location
Phoenix AZ
I finally think I'm at a good point to start a build thread. I have a 69 FJ40 that I've been threatening to do something with for about 4 years. It's a really solid AZ truck that I got from the family of the original owner.

Here's the recipe:
• LS1 5.3 from a 2002 Silverado
• H55f 5 spd and FJ60 transfercase
• Wilwood disk brake converted front axle
• Restore rear wheel wells to stock with realsteel patch panels
• Some new paint
• Reupholstered stock seats

I will put in some cruiser porn here, before the back story...

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Personally not a fan of a V8 in an FJ40. Have V8s in a 4Runner and Sequoia. But that is a personal choice. My original FJ40 is a 68. Over the years I H42 four speed, front buckets seats from 74, small jump seats from a 76, hard top vent windows from 78, front doors from a 79, roll bar from a 79 and three point seat belts from a 79. Have many other items I purchased and never installed. I now have multiple 40s and thinking about returning my 68 back to stock. Going back to the stock front seats would be the hardest thing for me to do. I have the seats I just hate them off road. Second would be the vent windows in hard top. I'm in AZ as well and dead space behind the front seats is awful in any type of heat.
 
You should consider late 40 or 60 series front knuckles and brakes
I agree, I'd find large pattern knuckles with the larger TRE's and fine spline birfields. Using Wilwood discs, you will end up using your weaker stk drum brake course spline birfs. If you decide to upgrade in the future you will be sourcing the large pattern stuff anyways.
 
I've owned 5 fj60's since 2004. I love those trucks and daily drove them for years (usually without A/C), but kept selling them to get a more economical or comfy daily driver's. I always dreamed of dropping a V8 in one. But man...every FJ60 was just a little too nice and way to stock to desecrate. Every one I've been able to get running well with the stock 2f (thanks to this forum mostly).

I have a strong respect for classic original Toyotas, and cars in general. But i can't consider myself a purist...more a pragmatist.

I tripped across a fair deal on a rough 66 FJ40 a few years back with a Buick 350 and i thought here's my chance to not feel like I'm sinning by doing a restomod. But then i came across this beauty that was in much better shape...but had previously been converted to a Chevy 283.

I bought it from a 60 year old guy who owned it since the 90's after buying it off his grandpa. His grandpa bought it new, but yanked the 1f in 1971 to drop in the 283. This guy told me he blew that engine around 2000 and it's been sitting in his yard for the past 18 years or so. I was in love at first sight.

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Sorry, I'm trying to post between bouts of work, so I may not be able to keep up with replies between getting out my initial posts.

I've done a lot of the work already...fitted the engine and trans, installed the axle with disks and a bunch more. But it takes me so long thar I never felt it prudent to start a build thread and make it last 5 years....I would never keep up with posting about it sporadically.

I'm going to throw a bunch of pics out right away, then clean up the story and plans as I can fit it in.

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Did you put the h55 & splitcase on the ls ? I am curious as to the cost & sourcing the parts, I need a change and the h55/splitcase with a 4:1 would be sweet but I fear the cost is similar to an auto with atlas ?
 
I've bought an sold a lot of parts and made friends with several other mud members. This forum has been my friend since about 2007. I have definitely taken more than I've given.

I'm an ok mechanic and ok fabricator and have done all of my own work. That will continue with maybe a few exceptions depending on timing.

I'll need help with a few details for sure. But I hope to be helpful to any others going through similar challenges. I know I've learned a ton reading through other's random builds. Sometimes I see what I like, and other times I've learned what I won't consider tackling.

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Living in the Past, I completely respect that. 10 years ago I may have been more apt to getting a decent 2f to pair up to a 4 speed or the 5 speed, but now prices for a decent 2f or rebuilt seem to rival the cost of an LS swap.

Peesalot, I bought the h55f and and transfercase already mated up from a guy in California, I think it was @Mightymes if I remember correctly. He gave me a deal I couldn't resist. I had the adapter and clutch set up from some parts swaps. The LS requires a spendy flywheel that has the right offset. All in all I have about $3k in the tranny, split case, adapter and flywheel/clutch. But I sourced that stuff over a few years. I don't think you can touch the h55f alone for that now.
 
SipLife... I am excited to hear your review of that drive train setup! I have watched a lot of YouTube videos of people driving their's.

JimLand and Pb4ugo, I bought the axle pre-built by another mud member with all new components and 0 miles on it. I'll try to find a pic before I installed it. I'm not sure what year housing/axles it is. But it will work great for me. I will wheel it, but I'm too practical to beat my stuff up anymore.
 
Living in the Past, I completely respect that. 10 years ago I may have been more apt to getting a decent 2f to pair up to a 4 speed or the 5 speed, but now prices for a decent 2f or rebuilt seem to rival the cost of an LS swap.

Peesalot, I bought the h55f and and transfercase already mated up from a guy in California, I think it was @Mightymes if I remember correctly. He gave me a deal I couldn't resist. I had the adapter and clutch set up from some parts swaps. The LS requires a spendy flywheel that has the right offset. All in all I have about $3k in the tranny, split case, adapter and flywheel/clutch. But I sourced that stuff over a few years. I don't think you can touch the h55f alone for that now.
Yup, that was me....I often wondered what you were doing with that...lol!
 
SipLife... I am excited to hear your review of that drive train setup! I have watched a lot of YouTube videos of people driving their's.

JimLand and Pb4ugo, I bought the axle pre-built by another mud member with all new components and 0 miles on it. I'll try to find a pic before I installed it. I'm not sure what year housing/axles it is. But it will work great for me. I will wheel it, but I'm too practical to beat my stuff up anymore.
I did a full review on page 16 of my thread. Link is in my signature if you want to check it out.
 
Ha! Yes, the dream never died! I loved checking out your trucks. Very inspiring
Awesome! Thanx! I got another one a few months ago...just can't stay away....lol.
 
If my truck looks familiar to you Phoenix Craigslist perusers, it's because I had it listed for sale recently. I picked up a 77 FJ40 awhile back and was having trouble figuring out which one to keep so I let the universe decide for me by putting both up for sale. Another local mud member, i don't know his handle, bought it to build. I bought some parts off him awhile back and saw some of his work. His rigs are nothing short of amazing too.

Alright, back to some project specifics.

I have the 5.3 mated to the tranny with an older (and slightly modified) advance adapters bellhousing for a regular chevy 350. I believe Mightymes threw that in with my tranny combo ge sold me. And i have the advance adapters special flywheel to mate a manual trans to the LS.

The top bolts of the back of the LS hit the adapter so I did some strategic grinding to get it to seat properly. I mated it up and everything seems just right. Input shafts fits into the pilot bearing and all of the clutch components fit nicely.

I've never heard or seen anyone do this, so I won't recommend it. However I'll give you an update of it's success after this thing is moving on its own.

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I bought an in tank fuel pump and retrofitted it to my stock tank. I'll have to pull it out of storage to note where I bought it from. My '02 LS has the fuel rail with a built in pressure regulator and a return line. I measured for fuel lines and I'm going to have a hose shop make them for me with AN fittings.

I can't find pics on my phone of this, but I will take some when I'm home next.

I bought Dirty Dingo adjustable motor mounts and fitted them. I tacked them to some 3" angle iron because I couldn't commit to burning them in yet.... I'm a little chicken. These guys are well built and allow about 2" of forward/back adjustment. I just have it all tacked for right now. I'll burn them in solid soon.

Right now I have about 3/4 inch of clearance to my firewall, and I held the engine as high as practical to keep clearance for the oil pan. I bought the Hummer oil pan for extra clearance. My engine is tilted a few degrees downward in the back, giving me about 2° of difference to my rear pinion. Also, I angled the back an inch or so to the passenger side to line up with the pinion vertically and give more clearance for the front driveshaft. The top of the transfercase is just about 3/4" below the floor pan. I will need to notch slightly into the floor outside of the transmission cover for my tcase levers to come up....but very little and I think I can fabricate the pan decently to make it look good.

Right now I have a adjustable transmission crossmember holding its place. But I'm going to fabricate a new one out of 2x4 1/4" wall tube.

I will try to remember to take more pics of all of these details. I know I get a lot from the minutiea from all of other's pictures.

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Looking good! Making fuel lines isn't all that difficult if you want to save a few bucks.
 
Looking good! Making fuel lines isn't all that difficult if you want to save a few bucks.
My whole life I've had the mindset of doing everything for myself, if not to save money, at least to learn. But I've made some a few dollars on some of my projects, and I'm working about 80 to 100 hours a week consistently (24 hour shifts). So if I ever want to see this thing get done I need to take some stuff off my plate.

My other battle is going to be brake lines. I have my 69 rear axle with, I believe, 9mm fittings that seem to be pretty much non existent. Since I need to cobble things a bit for the odd ball fittings for the front axle calipers, I kinda planned on rediong everything.

Can anyone confirm that I can go with newer wheel cylinders that take a 10 mm fitting? That way I may just buy some pre-made brake lines from a vendor and adapt to whatever I need for the wilwoods. Although my old lines look great from the outside I'm not going to pend any time on cleaning and inspecting them. V8 power = new brakes and new lines.
 
My whole life I've had the mindset of doing everything for myself, if not to save money, at least to learn. But I've made some a few dollars on some of my projects, and I'm working about 80 to 100 hours a week consistently (24 hour shifts). So if I ever want to see this thing get done I need to take some stuff off my plate.

My other battle is going to be brake lines. I have my 69 rear axle with, I believe, 9mm fittings that seem to be pretty much non existent. Since I need to cobble things a bit for the odd ball fittings for the front axle calipers, I kinda planned on rediong everything.

Can anyone confirm that I can go with newer wheel cylinders that take a 10 mm fitting? That way I may just buy some pre-made brake lines from a vendor and adapt to whatever I need for the wilwoods. Although my old lines look great from the outside I'm not going to pend any time on cleaning and inspecting them. V8 power = new brakes and new lines.
9mm can be found: Tube Nut 9mm x 1.0 3/16 SAE Fitting - Classic Tube - https://classictube.com/product/tube-nut-9mm-x-1-0-3-16-sae-fitting/
Is your front axle also a 69?
 

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