3" bodylift and Diesel Install (1 Viewer)

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Project FJ80

Project FJ80

Joined
Jun 29, 2005
Threads
22
Messages
420
Location
Phoenix, AZ
Website
www.phxds.com
Hello All,
Ive been talking about doing this for a while now. I am going to start this project sometime next month. When depends on weather or not I can find a place to do it. Right now, I cant do it at my house because of the HOA.:mad: I cant do it at my work, Cause there closed on sat/sun.:frown: I have one other place that might work, but I wont find out untill tomarrow. If not, im up for suggestions.

Most likely, as soon as I tear my 80 down, It wont be finished (On the road drivable) for a month or two. That will give me 8 days a month to work on her.
1 day to strip her,
1 day to locate where to mount the engine/tranny mounts, install the engine/tranny, hook it up and start it.
1 day to install the body lift, and reasyemble most of the beast.
1 day to find out what im going to do about the tansfercase.... can I reuse the Toyota one with an adapter to mate with an automatic dodge 47re? .. Or do I have to buy an Atlas?
1 day to send out the drive shafts to be sized (or just buy new ones), and install them, install the transfercase, and new front bumper to match the body lift.
1 day to leangthen all the lines and cables under the body. put the hood on, install the snorkel, check the wiring.
1 day to start it, test drive it, and fix any bugs.
1 day to take her on a run, bring her home.. and have a party.:popcorn: :beer:

Can it be done, Sure it can. Will it be this easy/fast probably not... but Im gonna try anyways.

I can use all the help I can get. If you want to and your able.

Oh, by the way... Do you think it would be easyer to just remve the body off the frame first, Then do all the work... Ir would it be better to mount the diesels & motor rmounts while the frame is on for a better/more accurate fit?
Thanks,

-Ron
 
Sounds very optimistic to me. Wouldn't mating the wiring take a while....long while? Sorry don't have any suggestions on location...but good luck!
 
Nah, The wiring shouldent take all that long. There is no comptuter to deal with. Just hook up the batt. to the engine, plug in the tranny, and start her up. As far as the sensors go, you have oil & water, and ill have to install a pyro. gague. I wont be reusing the toyotas computer, cause I wont have a toyota engine.. As long as the lights and horn radio and misc. stuff works,.. Ill be fine.
Well, I wont beable to use the shop I thought I might, So, Ill have to see how much I can get away with here at the house. Which answers my question before about the body on or off the frame.
Ill beable to drop the trans and transfer case and everything but the engine here at the house. Ill just have to tow it somewhere to pick the engine, and place in the new one.

-Ron
 
If you plan to register this beast in Maricopa Co. You might want to check into the emissions requirements.
 
Ive never gotten my truck emissioned... I just pay the tags as they come in the mail..
I dont do emissions on my other car or truck either. But I think all the above are regestered in Maricopa already.
 
I think you're completely delusional, and can't wait for you to prove me wrong (as the guy who set up his 80 on portal axles in like 3 hours or something crazy proved his doubters). I always estimate jobs as realistically as possible, and then double the estimate, and that generally hits the mark. A day to drop in an unfamiliar engine and tranny and start it? I can't see you unbolting the stock engine, pulling it away from the truck, and then reinstalling the same engine and starting it in a full weekend, let alone one day. Forget putting in a completely different engine. Honestly, I'd at least quadruple every time estimate you gave, and that's only with no unforseen problems. Like that ever happens. Good luck, and if you find a place in the northern Phoenix area I'd love to come by and check it out!

If you need a shop for short durations like a weekend here and there I could probably accomodate you, and have most of the tools you'd need including an engine hoist. I can't make the offer long-term though, I need my shop space. Greenway and Cave Creek roads are my cross streets.

-Spike
 
I may be, But Im not trying to be. All though, I did base the time on having a shop with an over head crane, and I work 12-16 hrs a day. I installed my 6" lift and mounted 5 tires on bead lock rims with in a day and a half. or about 20 hours.
I started today, after I was not able to use a shop down town. I have striped the interior to all but the drivers seat. removed exhaust, under tire carrior, hitch, front bumper guard and loosened all body mounts. Tomarrow I will install the lift blocks, adj. radiator/shroud, and whatever else needs adjusted. From that point, I will decide weather or not to began to remove the drive train. Because as soon as I do that.. she will need to be towed to go anywhere.
As far as pulling and dropping, it can be done in a day. Less than an hour to pull the engine out. then, Id say, 4-6 hours to line the cummins up where you want it, mark the spots for motor mounts, Weld them in place, drop the engine back in , and bolt it up. It might not be the smartest thing to do to start her up with out extra support, but a 12v batttery and a water bottle of diesel is all it would take to test fire her up. No computer, no spark, no messy wires with this diesel. just a 12valve. need air fuel and compression.
I do live in the north valley though.. 101 and I-17 are my cross roads.
I can drop the tranny and transfer case here... But I dont think I can get away with pulling an engine or welding in the street. Then theres the task of getting the cummins out of my garage and into the truck... but thats another day.
Thanks,
-Ron
 
is the vacuum system figured out yet?

are the fuel lines of sufficient size or must them be up sized or addition inline pump required?

air cleaner system in order?
(breathe, feed, and suck)

does you radiator work, or will it need to be cooked out?

a/c compatability (mine has taken 2 compressor exchanges)

In the event of Atlas needs, what are you going to do about rear driveline offset?

I easily have 100 hours in my 1HD-T conversion in a 70 series using many factory parts (bolt on) and still am not road worthy. I began in late September and I started the engine 2 months ago. Little things like Mark's gears install, gauges, glow, tranny harness, etc. have taken longer than expected. I have also had 50 hours in discussions with experts on different solutions along the way which need a little digestion between thought and action.

best of luck and screw HOA's (have CCR's from 1960's and I'm a neat freak so no issues)
 
ok ok .. Well, I wasent tring to be smart when I posted. Yes, I have thought all of this over, thats why I wrote it will probably be down for a few months. It could get doen sooner.. but Its also probably not likely. Im not trying to say this will be done by next month... My gole is to have it done by June.. I would like to make it to the alaska trek in july... but well see what happens.
Right now... alls I want to beable to do, Is take out whats in there.. and replace it with the Cummins, auto tranny, bolt up the transfercase and start her up. From there, I will address the exhaust, cooling, fuel supply (fuel tank) lines and axel posiblities,
Because the cummins is a little longer, I will be removing the fan, and using electric fans, the Engine I bought came complete. so I will use the a/c compressor which came with it. I will use the brake system that comes off the dodge as well for the vacuum.
I have been planning this for many years now, but that doesent mean I know it all.
Which is why im here asking for all of your opinions. And I appreciate all of your input good or bad.
If I do need to get an atlas or one more compatable, Ill have to dig deep in the pocket book, Im hoping there will be some way I can reuse the stock T/C temporarly, If not.. I dont know what Im gooing to do yet.. Ive also been looking at the portal-tek axles,... But wasent planning on thoes for another 2-3 years.. thoes are not cheap either.
Ill keep you all posted on how things go.. or dont go,..
-Ron
 
Well, Its the end of the day. I got my body lift in.. Looks good. Im beat. Ill post pics up some time next week, or when ever they get developed. Is not as easy at it might seem.. Took an extra hand to do the front 2 blocks, all the rest were doable alone. By next week ill figure out weather or not to drop the drive train.
 
well project i really dont think your being unrealistic if you have all the parts and bits you need. its most difficult in a one off maneuver like this but if you truly have what you need its a long w/e project. hell i pulled the drivetrain out of my old patrol and got the new 5.0, auto, t-case and both axles in on a sat, hooked it up and test drove it sunday. so i know it can be done.
 
Tis true tis true.. It also helps if your a diesel mechanic, and have all the tools you need at your disposel. Unfortuantally, the only item I lack is a cherry picker, but Im thinking thats no longer going to be an option, Considering that the engine bay is about 5 feet from the ground. I Think I will need a shop hoist or a large service truck crane, inorder to saftly clear the body. Ill take Spike up on his offer when im ready to pull the engine.
I do have to say though.. If I wasent a mechanic, and I didnt like getting dirty.. I would still have a stock cruiser, Because installation costs are outragious. It costs 3K for the lift and just about 2K to install it.
 
All I have is an engine hoist, AKA 'cherry picker'. Not sure how high it will lift, should be able to check before you are ready.

-Spike
 
Could always let the air out of those 37's that would give you some height.
 
I still have the stock rims with the michellens on them, that would put me down a bit.. I donno if it would be enough though.. the Cummins is tall. Thats alot of enigne to lift. Well, If I can lift out the toyota 6, I should beable to do the same with Diesel.,
 
Well, I removed the transfer case, and transmission today. along with the drive lines and electrical. Kinda a pain, but not to bad over all. I also picked up my transmission today. The 47re is actually a bit shorter than the Toyotas FZ transmission. Ill probably start taking some heavy items off the engine tomarrow. It may get pulled, But I doubt it.. I think ill be looking at next week. Im also gonna have to clean a space out, and figure a way to get it into my garage, I dont think Ill beable to slide that one up the drive way and into my garage on a pallet. The picts I had were developed, but i didnt check the cd box, so, youll have to wait untiill next roll of film to see the progress.
-Ron
 
Its the second weekend, and Im on day 4. Day 1, I pretty much sripped the inside and took off the large un-needed items out from underneith. on day 2, I installed the body lift. Day 3, I dropped the transfercase transmission drivelines and wiring. today, Day 4 I have removed most of the engine acc. that are atached to the body still. So by next weekend, I will get the engine pulled.
I have come to find out, That I will not beable to use the Toyota Transfer Case. It just isint going to happen with the 47RE transmission I will be using. So, I am thinking that I will end up with one of thoes Atlas 4-Speeds, That will give me more than enough options for gearing, an I can get it with the drive shaft comming out on the passenger side.
I also found out this afternoon that I will beable to use the factory A/C. Toyota's mounting bracket is the same as the one on the Cummins, I just have to change out the pulley. Ill have some picts sometime later this week.
 
Yes...just add the price of the camera to the cost of the build. :D
 
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