Build 1987 FJ60 Expedition Build

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robustbambi said:
come on man, working at mudrak and you don't even know what a fzjn80 is???
60 diffs are a direct swap into 80 rear housings, same gears and all. you will need an 80 series e brake cable tho (80 FF is 3" wider wheel mount point to wheel mounting point than a 60 axle).
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Hahahahaha yeah at first I thought "wow... never heard of one of those...." Woulda felt stupid if it was a real model though!

Thanks for the info on the compatibility. I think that would be a pretty great way to go if I coulda maybe trade for an axle at some point. I just didnt want to get the new diff gears for the diesel swap, drop them into my 60 axles, then have to spend more money on the 80 gears when I do decide to swap.

Thanks again Robustbambi!
 
Alright guys. Enough talk, time for a picture and some info on a SWEET rig.



So this is Gary's new 70 series.
It has about 30,000 original miles on it, doesnt have a dent, or a scratch, and is one hell of a rig.
The truck originally came from the middle-east (I think the UAE) but dont quote me on that. Its always been a turbo diesel, and originally came right hand drive.

Gary swapped the truck to left hand drive, completely re-did the interior (new seats, seat mounts etc.) He also somehow got ahold of lefthand drive everything for the interior (dash assembly, guagues, EVERYTHING that would have been right hand drive we switched with new/almost new components).

Onto the engine bay: Gary got his hands on a BRAND NEW (as in, never started, 0 miles) 1HZ-T diesel engine! The engine isnt completely in, and I think the exhaust still needs to be done. We still havent turned it over but the whole thing is so clean you could eat off it. Not sure what tires its sitting on, but they are 33's or 35's I think. Overall, pretty stock other than the ARB front bumper and Kaymar rear bumper. No winch or snorkel yet, but knowing Gary this thing will be all modded out in no time. (though he may keep this one a bit more classic-stock than his other rigs)

Overall, I think its killer. Total dream rig. Between the brand new body, and pristine 1HZ-t; this thing is one of the cleanest rigs I have ever seen. (I know the picture isnt the best. Ill get more)
 
Alright. Found a slight problem today. My rig was parked overnight and for most of the past day in my driveway. When I went out to get some stuff out of the back, I noticed a small puddle under my rear right shock. I crawled under there and found that the shock was infact leaking slowly, and had deposited a small (though still worrisome) amount of fluid on the concrete.
Im not sure what could have caused this as the shock has less that 1,000 miles on it, and less than 4 hours of off road time.

Any ideas as to whats going on?

I plan to take it in when I go to work in a week. If its in need of replacing Old Man EMU better give me a new one.....
 
Good news! I took the shock off and the guys at OME said they'd replace it for free!
Who doesnt like new, free shocks!?!?!
 
Small update:

My 12HT is enroute to Mudrak and should arrive within a couple of weeks. With it comes the h55 transmission, diff gears, and exhaust.

Im planning to start pulling my 2F once the 12HT is ready to go in. When I drop in the engine, I also need to replace the diff gears to accept the lower range of the new engine. When those new diff gears go in, I will most likely throw an ARB locker in the rear while I have the diff all opened up.

After the diff is all put back together, and the engine is in, I plan to put in a new exhaust. Im thinking straight piped 3inch all the way for optimal flow and sound quality. (I wanna hear that thrum and whistle!)

Ill have pictures up soon of some rigs we've been working on recently.
 
The Phoenician said:
loool SMALL update.

good stuff man, can't wait to see the end result
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Thanks! Im so stoked to get the swap started! I really cant wait to get a diesel under the hood. Especially when I just ran the numbers on my monthly fuel consumption....

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to tighten up my handling? I have a fair amount of wheel play on the highway even after a knuckle rebuild, new suspension, and a new steering stabilizer. Its not a huge problem but Im perplexed as to why its such a persistent problem.

Another thing. Sometimes at high speed when I use the brakes my car pulls to the left. Do you think my right and left calipers may be calibrated differently to cause uneven braking? My brakes have also been squeeking like a M***** F*****
How do I fix that?
 
KeepCruzin said:
. One thing I was really concerned about (and rightfully so) was the compatibility between my current transmission, and the new 12HT. Yes the donor truck has an H55 like my truck, but I wasnt sure about the input shaft having the correct length, or spline size. It turns out, the 12HT has the same spline size as my truck, but the input shaft is an inch or two longer, and I'd have to tear my brand new trany apart in order to change them.

So luckily I found that out BEFORE everything was all put together hahahaha. We decided that I'd take the whole trany from the donor truck aswell, and just pull out my current trany, and swap it into one of the two other 60's my family owns (my dad has a fleet of 4 cruisers).

With the transmission issues resolved, I turned to gearing, exhaust, shipping, payment etc.

)
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First off great build thread.....

You might want to do a little more research on your H55 input shaft situation. It is my understanding there is no difference in input lengths of your current H55 and the one behind the 12HT. You should be able to swap your new h55 directly behind the 12HT. I know you said you already bought the 12HT and H55, but for peace of mind I would put the newer one in there vs. the one with 120k miles on it.

Here is some H55 shaft compatability info. from Rick_d, guru of all things Land Cruiser,

"3 H55 input lengths.

1) the 3B which fits all B series engines, is longest and 21 spline and uses its own bearing retainer on the front side of transmission.

2) the HZ which fits, HZ engines (and PZ). It is maybe an 1" shorter than a 3B input and uses the same bearing retainer as a gas/2H series. It also has 21 splines- and when used with an isuzu clutch disk fits behind a 1HD-T etc.

3) The 2H/F series which will bolt behind the H-2H-12H-T and F-2F-3F family of engines. A tad shorter than a HZ input and 10 splines."


HTH :beer:
 
ClemsonCruiser said:
First off great build thread.....

You might want to do a little more research on your H55 input shaft situation. It is my understanding there is no difference in input lengths of your current H55 and the one behind the 12HT. You should be able to swap your new h55 directly behind the 12HT. I know you said you already bought the 12HT and H55, but for peace of mind I would put the newer one in there vs. the one with 120k miles on it.

Here is some H55 shaft compatability info. from Rick_d, guru of all things Land Cruiser,

"3 H55 input lengths.

1) the 3B which fits all B series engines, is longest and 21 spline and uses its own bearing retainer on the front side of transmission.

2) the HZ which fits, HZ engines (and PZ). It is maybe an 1" shorter than a 3B input and uses the same bearing retainer as a gas/2H series. It also has 21 splines- and when used with an isuzu clutch disk fits behind a 1HD-T etc.

3) The 2H/F series which will bolt behind the H-2H-12H-T and F-2F-3F family of engines. A tad shorter than a HZ input and 10 splines."


HTH :beer:
Click to expand...

Your right that it would be better to leave the new H55 in and drop in the 12HT, that was my plan for the first few months. I have researched this topic a TON and have found a lot of mixed evidence. Basically, it comes down to the YEAR of the 12HT. At Mudrak, we just finished rebuilding a 12HT that a guy brought in. I took the opportunity to completely dispel my fears on the input shaft length, and measured it. Then I compared it to one on a 2F. What I found after comparing 3 12HT's, and a whole pile of 2F's is that 2 out of the three 12HT's had the same spline length and number of splines as the compared 2F's.

So as a precaution, I got the h55 still attached to the 12HT to ensure I would have at least one compatible setup. I plan to check the shaft length before I put the engine in, and if it IS compatible, then Ill just throw the engine in, bolt it up to the existing trany, and drop the extra h55 into my dads 60.

If it doesnt match, Ill put the trany that came with the engine into MY rig, pull out my new H55, and drop THAT into my dads rig. Overall, Ill end the month with the same basic setup, but Im really hoping ill be able to keep my transmission where it is and just swap engines.
 
KeepCruzin said:
Thanks! Im so stoked to get the swap started! I really cant wait to get a diesel under the hood. Especially when I just ran the numbers on my monthly fuel consumption....

Does anyone have any ideas as to how to tighten up my handling? I have a fair amount of wheel play on the highway even after a knuckle rebuild, new suspension, and a new steering stabilizer. Its not a huge problem but Im perplexed as to why its such a persistent problem.

Another thing. Sometimes at high speed when I use the brakes my car pulls to the left. Do you think my right and left calipers may be calibrated differently to cause uneven braking? My brakes have also been squeeking like a M***** F*****
How do I fix that?
Click to expand...

About the steering, you can remove some of the play by tightening the powersteering box, just jack up your front end and tighten up the steering box (making sure it doesnt bind on far ends)...
 
KeepCruzin said:
Your right that it would be better to leave the new H55 in and drop in the 12HT, that was my plan for the first few months. I have researched this topic a TON and have found a lot of mixed evidence. Basically, it comes down to the YEAR of the 12HT. At Mudrak, we just finished rebuilding a 12HT that a guy brought in. I took the opportunity to completely dispel my fears on the input shaft length, and measured it. Then I compared it to one on a 2F. What I found after comparing 3 12HT's, and a whole pile of 2F's is that 2 out of the three 12HT's had the same spline length and number of splines as the compared 2F's.

So as a precaution, I got the h55 still attached to the 12HT to ensure I would have at least one compatible setup. I plan to check the shaft length before I put the engine in, and if it IS compatible, then Ill just throw the engine in, bolt it up to the existing trany, and drop the extra h55 into my dads 60.

If it doesnt match, Ill put the trany that came with the engine into MY rig, pull out my new H55, and drop THAT into my dads rig. Overall, Ill end the month with the same basic setup, but Im really hoping ill be able to keep my transmission where it is and just swap engines.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have the situation well under control, keep up the good work :beer:
 
Re: steering play.
Did you replace the Tierod and drag link ends? (Based on the high quality work it appears you're doing I assume you did). Thus, did you tighten the adjusting 'screws' on the drag-link ends? THose huge slots that you can see on the very ends? (yes a picture would be great here, but I don't have one handy). If you've got an FSM check the specs, I think it says tighten all the way down and then back off 3/4 turn or something.
I'll try to find a little more info after work but it should be pretty clear by looking under there - and maybe someone can chime in with a better description.
Hope to help.
TDC.-
 
awesome fast build .. but to be honest I'm fully hooked on 80 series front calipers .. are those FZJ80 front calipers and they just bolt in existing 60 series axle tabs .? ( or did I miss something )

Any pics .?
 
Tapage said:
awesome fast build .. but to be honest I'm fully hooked on 80 series front calipers .. are those FZJ80 front calipers and they just bolt in existing 60 series axle tabs .? ( or did I miss something )

Any pics .?
Click to expand...

ff347 said:
Ditto
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Alright, so I checked some parts numbers and did some digging on the brake swap. I did the swap at work, and was under the impression that the calipers I was using were the 80 series. In fact, the ROTORS were from an 80, and the CALIPERS were new 4runner calipers. <-- (the increase in size convinced me that they were 80's). The confusion came when I asked my co-workers "hey Im looking for a brake upgrade, what would you recommend?". I got a "try these" and was handed the rotors and calipers. Naturally I thought that the 80's rotors would pair up with the suspected 80's calipers. I was wrong.

So the 80 series calipers dont bolt up perfectly because the axles are different. The whole purpose of the swap is basically to get a big brake kit for your rig. We do them once in a while at Mudrak and now that I'v got some experience with them, I plan to do the swap for REAL.

Heres what will happen: My current rotors will work fine as they are FZJ 80 rotors. The 4 runner calipers from my rig will go onto my dads 60, and Ill be mounting a set of FZJ80 series calipers. Some fabrication is required to make this whole thing fit right, but it shouldnt be too extreme. I plan to start fabricating the brackets and taking measurements in the next few weeks and have the whole thing ready to go in the week before I start my diesel swap. (If my rig is going to be down I might as well do a lot of stuff to it)

I have yet to do one of these big-brake swaps to a 60 with stock rims, so spacers may be required.
My apologies for the misinformation guys. Normally I know EXACTLY what is going into my rig. This was an exception :/

Anyway, the brakes will be going in for REAL at some point, and I will be sure to post up some detailed information with measurements and whatnot so that you guys can tackle it if you want to.

Basically what you need to do is get a set of 80's rotors, (I used FZJ 80 rotors and calipers)
 
Little Mods!!!!!

So we had a donor truck come in on a flatbed today. This thing was WRECKED (it had been rolled a few times). Someone found it in a wrecking yard and got the whole thing for $500. So we pulled everything we wanted; seats, engine bay parts, dash, shift arm, lines, grill, emblems etc.

Once that was done, my boss let me loose to take anything I wanted before we shipped it off the next day. Somehow, the seats were in GREAT condition (no rips at ALL). So I took those, some AC parts, a couple gaskets and wiper arms, and finally, the running lights!

My rig's running light gaskets were gone, literally -->



So I grabbed a set off of the donor truck.
When I went in to remove the ones on my rig, they just disintegrated in my hand. The wires and lights had been flopping around in the engine bay for who knows how long, and the housing was simply dust.

So now I have better running lights!



The remnants
 
In other news.

My steering box has been tightened, and she handles like a dream now, no more drifting to the left anymore!!!!!

It has also been decided that the exhaust manifold is so full of leaks that it needs a rebuild......... HOLD ON 2F!! YOU CAN MAKE IT TO JUNE!
(I really dont want to rebuild anything at this point. With the 12HT SO close, it would really be a waste. So the old 2F is gonna have to chug on for another 30 days, then it'll get some love)
 
Look at this SWEEEET 40 that came to work today. It had a full off-body and the interior is PRISTINE. Eye candyyyyyyy

 
Great truck and you will like the drivetrain after you are done. Start saving up for any kind of motor parts.. the 12H-T only was produced for three or four years, which is why Gary is going with the newer gen motor. Move that hi-lift off your departure angle before you drop off a rock in the Sierras or Utah and regret the placement.

I would like to see Mudrak's 0-mile HZ-T since they only existed in trucks like a Hino bus in Japan. Wouldn't put it past Gary to find something weird like that, but I would think he'd get after a 1HD-T (direct injection, much better fuel flow capability) vs a weird 1HZ-T. I personally think the 1HZ-T is the way to go, for cost of parts and how relatively easy it is to add a turbo to a 1HZ, but I'm a bit biased. ;)
 
esh said:
Great truck and you will like the drivetrain after you are done. Start saving up for any kind of motor parts.. the 12H-T only was produced for three or four years, which is why Gary is going with the newer gen motor. Move that hi-lift off your departure angle before you drop off a rock in the Sierras or Utah and regret the placement.

I would like to see Mudrak's 0-mile HZ-T since they only existed in trucks like a Hino bus in Japan. Wouldn't put it past Gary to find something weird like that, but I would think he'd get after a 1HD-T (direct injection, much better fuel flow capability) vs a weird 1HZ-T. I personally think the 1HZ-T is the way to go, for cost of parts and how relatively easy it is to add a turbo to a 1HZ, but I'm a bit biased. ;)
Click to expand...

Great point about the hi-lift position. I never thought of that. I plan to do a slider, front, and rear bumper build over the summer after my diesel is in, and any recommendations on bumper or slider design are more than welcome.

Gary has a thing for the HZ's. He was trying to lobby me into getting one instead of the 12HT but there was something about the 12HT's legendary reliability that hooked me. HD's are a rarity at Mudrak from what I can tell. We only see a handful of diesels every couple months and most arent the real powerhouses like 12HT's, 1HZ's or HDt's. They're just too rare here in the states I guess.

Ill snap a couple pictures of Gary's 70's engine bay and you'll see just how mint that engine is. Its not completely installed, and the exhaust manifold is in pieces, but most of the engine is in there I think.
 
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