2f vs LS - A Character Discussion

[Boss Hog]

I wish I could keep mine stock & unmolested, but the practicalities of driving on freeways (which I try to avoid) & going up long mountain passes have me exploring engine swap options. It’s almost a matter of safety to me to be able to keep up with current highway speeds. And I’ve had to get an old-school ARB front bumper for the a****** drivers that weave in & out of lanes. I’ve been hit twice in two years-a drunk driver totalled my 80 & I was rear-ended by a 1 ton Ram in my 92 Range Rover Classic (hence the ARB). I hope the character doesn’t change too much, but it’s what I feel I have to do if I want to continue driving it in modern traffic.

 

[Willard]

I like these kind of threads.

I had a 60 with a V8 (TBI though) ranger over drive and everything hooked up correctly (AC worked etc). I hated it and realized I wanted the simplicity of the 2F.

I drove it from Colorado (where I bought it) to Virginia. No issues, but was not what I thought it would be. The HP was not much more and while geared right and had a ranger overdrive (it was loud), up hills is was steady but not fast. Fuel economy for a moving brick was ok but not great (not that I really cared). V8 swap or not you do not buy a 60 for fuel efficiency.

My new 60 has a 2F with a rebuilt motor and I am doing a ton of other things to make it more bulletproof. I like the fact if the fuel system has a problem it can be fixed easily.
No computer, no real sensors in the need to keep it running. Can be fixed for the most part with some basic tools.

While lots of people have no issues with the swap some do. There was someone on here who had a sensor go and was sitting waiting for a tow to get home and put the new sensor in.
For me that is exactly the reason I went for a 60 over say my F150 or another 4x4. After experiencing limp mode in a LR3 due to a bad battery, I was sold on the simple non computer system. In the bush, I would rather be able to fix my rig on the trail, rather than be stuck because of some computer system failure (sensor or otherwise).

One day I may get tired of that and move to a V8 in the 60 (I do have a Marks 4wd kit for a Ford 302/351 on the shelf), but even then I may just stay carbed.

 

[Well Sorted]

I'll put in my two cents... I own both, a recently completed 5.3L swap in an 86 and an 85 that's bone stock with 137k miles. Both have their place, but in my opinion if you really want to use the truck it's hard to beat an engine swap. I daily drive the 5.3 truck and have put 11000 miles on it since I finished my swap 6 months ago. From subzero winters to now summer heat it starts and runs every time I hit the key with no hassle. I use it around town, on cross country trips, offroading in CO, over slick rock in Moab, towing trailers - it does it all with room to spare. Some have said the 2F is simpler, I find the opposite to be true. I'm very comfortable with the LS motors, and the OBDII allows me to monitor all key functions and any error codes quickly help diagnose problems. When you factor in the dependability of fuel injection to handle all weather conditions it's hard to beat.

The 2F truck is more of a novel drive in the sense that it's feels like a true vintage rig, but that basically means a lot less refined. My wife and I use it to run errands around town but it doesn't get any long distance trips any more and the LS truck is much better offroad (however it does have many other upgrades). I'm considering a 2UZ swap for the 85 truck to keep it a little more authentically Toyota, if not I will probably sell it . If I wanted a true unmolested 60 I'd look for something more than a US spec 2F truck, probably an HJ61.

If I had a 40 I'd be much more reluctant to stray from it's heritage. A LandCruiser isn't a weekend driver trophy piece to me, it's supposed to be a truck to take you anywhere you want to go and get you home again. The LS swap truck just simply does that better than the stock one, so I definitely think it's still true to the spirit of the design. As you can tell though, I'm not a purist.

 

[NCFJ]

I participate in quite a few swap/no swap conversations, go figure. One point about the LS/Vortec swap many purist types point out is that all that HP is not really required. I do not agree. I believe that the 60/62 and 80 series were all under powered from the beginning. This is an opinion. The power to weight ratio is in a word, sad.

Enter the V8, most any V8 with good power. The LS/Vortec platform is preferred by most for all the common reasons II won't go in to. Obviously, a 60 series with an LS3 in it is going to run like a raped ape, but that is a benefit that will rarely be used (once the owner gets over how cool the happy pedal can be). The real benefit comes in every day driving. Light to light driving along with highway driving are both improved greatly.

Instead of getting on the old 2F hard just to keep pace from light to light simply lightly rolling into the throttle keeps you at pace with ease. Interstate type driving also improves in other ways aside from maintained top speed. Just getting up to traffic speed on an on ramp is no longer an ordeal where you are a moving pick entering the traffic stream at a speed of 45 MPH. Another benefit is when following a vehicle at 60 MPH and pulling out to pass, you actually have the power to accelerate from 60-75MPH in a hurry rather than have to plan the pass for a downhill run over the course of two miles.

What an LS/Vortec swap does in practical terms is make your 60/62 series more civilized in today's traffic. You do not have to floor it every time, nor does it have to be loud etc. What you can do is slow down, take a back road and enjoy the countryside, just like you did with the 2F. Think of the swap as similar to upgrading the water heater in your house from tank to tank less. You still get hot water, but it comes faster, longer and it is on demand.

 

[MANUCHAO]

What you can do is slow down, take a back road and enjoy the countryside, just like you did with the 2F.

Word....!!!

 

[lcwizard]

The only time i love my 2F is off road or in a place where the posted speed limit is 45 and under. As far as V-8s, I like the off road feel of the TBI better than the LS. 100 less HP than the LS but the torque is better than the 2F above 800 rpm. Between 5 and 800 the 2F has a slight advantage but since I put an auto behind the V-8 you'll never see the motor chug that low. The key to V-8 performance off road is gearing.
The lower the options the better. The 2F is usable at 45:1 and lower where I like the v-8s about 65:1 and lower. The V-8 and auto will keep up with any 2F/manual combo when geared right but the 2F will never match the highway manners of the V-8 no matter what the gearing.
A TBI /auto with a low stall and 100:1 will crawl anything you want at idle. It will creep through stock brakes at 1/2 MPH with your foot on the pedal.