1977 FJ40 engine swap (1 Viewer)

[truckerman96]

My dad recently gave me his old 77 FJ40. The engine is basically shot and rather than spend a boat load of money rebuilding the stock motor I would prefer to swap it out. I am thinking of either a chevy V6 or V8. I currently own a 89 chevy celebrity with a good running V6, but I am also considering a chevy 350. Can anyone advise me on which one would be the better choice as well as where the best place would be to get a swap kit?
truckerman96

 

[centerlineseal]

swap

V-8, Advance Adapters or Downey..Do a search thru FAQs, plenty of material there.

Have fun and lots of $$

 

[inkpot]

Howdy! Yea, what Lil' John said. But if you do it, not sure about that V6 you now have. The 4.3 liter from Astro vans and S-10s is the same as a chevy small block less two cylinders. Just about everything else bolts right on. JustWeldIt here in Phoenix did a 4.3 and is very happy with it. Other chevy V6s, like the 3.8, eh, not so much. Get the catalogs from the vendors mentioned by Centerlineseal. That's a great education in itself. John

 

[BDSeff1fitty]

im selling my downey adapter and motor mounts if you decide you wanna swap. i went back to a 2f.

if you want power get a 350, if you don't care and want the reliability of a 2f then do a re-build.

you can always buy a complete 350 off craigslist fairly cheap with everything you need.

 

[truckerman96]

Engine Swap

Thanks for the response. At this point I am still trying to decide what to do. To be honest I would really prefer to just rebuild my 2F or maybe trade it in for a rebuilt one. Thanks again.

 

[Greg1190]

I know SOR has good used engines fresh from Japan. They get a shipment every now and then. Marv told me that the Japanese trade engines after a few thousand miles. Why? I dont know. Give them a call, it might be worth the trade plus shipping. Or maybe someone on MUD is heading your direction and can bring it to you. Just my 2 cents..

 

[Downey]

You're forgetting the worst part of an engine swap that is once you swap out the engine you have to rip off the front "TOYOTA" emblem as it no longer is one.

Yep, you'd be trading your Toyota emblem for much more horse power, much more low end torque, probably better gas milage, and an engine that is so quiet that you can actually hear your radio for a change. Oh, and lest I forget the most important thing, your V8 will probably be fuel injected---no float bow disadvantages!!!

 

[ken_79-fj40]

Your 89 celebrity probably has a 2.8 V6. Nowhere near enough for a cruiser. I've gone back and forth on the V8 vs. rebuild for years now and right now I'm in the process of rebuilding. I just dropped off the block and rotating assembly at the machine shop monday. I dropped the head off last week and found out friday it was cracked, which is a bit of a setback, but it's still a heck of a lot cheaper than a swap. Especially a properly done swap. Every time i've sat down and realistically crunched the numbers even with 5-700 dollar junkyard tbi motors I keep coming up over 2 grand by the time all is accounted for. I figure i'll have about 1700 into my 2F by the time i'm done. And it will be fresh versus a 100k mile unknown condition junkyard motor. Granted it won't have as much power but it will be all Toyota. Besides if I want to go fast I have a mustang. There are a lot of people on this board who have been very pleased with a good rebuild, shave the head, balance, and RV cam. Which is exactly what i'm doing.

 

[Elbert]

I think Japan has very strict laws related to emissions and use of older vehicles related to milage or year.

I would go with a GM 5.7. If you want simple go with a carb version, semi complex go with a TBI version, one step above that Vortec 5.7. Or even a 6.0 would be nice...but somewhat expensive. I dont' think you are going to be able to reubild your 2F cheap, since I assume you would most likely have to pay someone to do that.

No way would I install a V-6 ... the only V-6 that might work is the 4.3. A 5.7 is the way to go, but only if you know how to do most of the work yourself or have help.

 

[Combat Chuck]

It'll be more cost-effefive to rebuild, or get a 2f pullout engine from japan. I've got a 350 Chevy V8 under the hood of my 40, and I know had it not come with it installed, I'd keep it stock, newer engines opne all kinds of problematic doors, such as the stock 4-speed can't handle the added torque for long. (my conversions recent, and my 4-speed's getting ready to make its final jump)
I love my chevy engine, but I could never afford to put one in.