383 Chevy FJ45 (1 Viewer)

[Devon]

Hi all new to this Forum
Anyway I am currently in the process of rebuilding my FJ45 which has a longer tray than today's Land cruisers

Anyway It had as follows

1974 F motor
H41 4 speed
4.11 Gears
33 inch tyres

It now has

383 Chevy V8
Rebuilt H41 4 speed
Orion TC with lower low ranger gears
Ranger overdrive
Power steering
Front Disc brakes
Twin 2.5 inch exhaust Lukey Mufflers
New wiring
Battery Tray under the tray
LED bar and HID spotlights
New vinyl Floors with triple sound proofing
(Fuel tank still under drivers seat)

It will have

Rear Disc Brakes
AC/Heater/Demister-Defogger
Aluminium Pacer Rims
New 33 inch Maxxis Bighorns
Re-trimmed leather seats
Tipper Tray
Post mount spot lights ( Like U.S police cars)
Air lockers

Gearing? 4.56 or 4.88
Down the track I might want to upgrade to 35 inch tyres

and a few other smaller things but I am at a bit of a cross road when it comes to gearing I have read forum after forum about gearing but nothing with a setup similar to my Truck!
Now with a 6.4l 383 V8 and a h41 4 speed with ranger overdrive I would like it to be better than before

I will be having to drive it soon from Darwin N.t to Bendigo Vic. so close to 5000 km and it does go off road mud, sand and it has done a bit of climbing

So my question is should I have 4.56 or 4.88

What would it do to my top end speed before I pulled it apart It could barely hit 95 kph I really just want better fuel mileage and less wear and tear on my new V8 without losing the old girl's off road ability but still be good on road like able to overtake a truck or caravan with ease

Yes it will be repainted the same color!

 

[Devon]

FJ45

• Devon
• Aug 12, 2018

 

[Devon]

View attachment 1765426

 

[Devon]

 

[65swb45]

I would not re-gear yet. You've got enough new variables in the equation that I'd just leave that part alone right now. The power band of the V8 is very different to the 6, and you will feel the 8 'waking up' at about the same point the 6 was just starting to say 'leave me be'

Heating is often an issue with the V8s, which is another reason not to go deeper into gears before you road test.

And, the Orion has a small OD in it.

 

[Devon]

I would not re-gear yet. You've got enough new variables in the equation that I'd just leave that part alone right now. The power band of the V8 is very different to the 6, and you will feel the 8 'waking up' at about the same point the 6 was just starting to say 'leave me be'

Heating is often an issue with the V8s, which is another reason not to go deeper into gears before you road test.

And, the Orion has a small OD in it.

Okay I see what you are saying I should have also mentioned in the original post that I have put a big 3 row or core I can't remember which aluminium radiator and black widow fan but yes I see what you are saying!

 

[Devon]

Hi all new to this Forum
Anyway I am currently in the process of rebuilding my FJ45 which has a longer tray than today's Land cruisers

Anyway It had as follows

1974 F motor
H41 4 speed
4.11 Gears
33 inch tyres

It now has

383 Chevy V8
Rebuilt H41 4 speed
Orion TC with lower low ranger gears
Ranger overdrive
Power steering
Front Disc brakes
Twin 2.5 inch exhaust Lukey Mufflers
New wiring
Battery Tray under the tray
LED bar and HID spotlights
New vinyl Floors with triple sound proofing
(Fuel tank still under drivers seat)

It will have

Rear Disc Brakes
AC/Heater/Demister-Defogger
Aluminium Pacer Rims
New 33 inch Maxxis Bighorns
Re-trimmed leather seats
Tipper Tray
Post mount spot lights ( Like U.S police cars)
Air lockers

Gearing? 4.56 or 4.88
Down the track I might want to upgrade to 35 inch tyres

and a few other smaller things but I am at a bit of a cross road when it comes to gearing I have read forum after forum about gearing but nothing with a setup similar to my Truck!
Now with a 6.4l 383 V8 and a h41 4 speed with ranger overdrive I would like it to be better than before

I will be having to drive it soon from Darwin N.t to Bendigo Vic. so close to 5000 km and it does go off road mud, sand and it has done a bit of climbing

So my question is should I have 4.56 or 4.88

What would it do to my top end speed before I pulled it apart It could barely hit 95 kph I really just want better fuel mileage and less wear and tear on my new V8 without losing the old girl's off road ability but still be good on road like able to overtake a truck or caravan with ease

Yes it will be repainted the same color!

Update I should have said it also has a big 3 row or 3 core aluminium radiator with black widow electric fan!
You can just see them in the picture of the engine!

 

[Robs76fj40]

What kind of cooling fan arrangement are you using? I ran a high strung 355 sbc for nearly 20 years in my 76 as a daily driver(Michigan -23*C to 38*C temps) with an Edlebrock carb w/electric choke(looks as though you're running the same carb?) and stock clutch fan and both stock radiator and aftermarket aluminum. Found the aluminum did okay, perhaps a known name brand would've done better. Perhaps with a quality SPAL electric fan wired properly would have done the trick with the parts store radiator. The factory copper did fine, it just was unrepairable after all these years.. In any case never had a boiling over problem. Also your relay and breaker setup on your firewall looks very nice, well done! By the way I loved that carb, dead ass reliable! Easy to tune, simple to rebuild/service, and wonderful driveability! A vacume gauge, watching your plug color, and you can dial that in to be very reponsive and crisp for normal driving.

 

[Robs76fj40]

Update I should have said it also has a big 3 row or 3 core aluminium radiator with black widow electric fan!
You can just see them in the picture of the engine!

Funny, I was typing out my post when you posted this...

 

[Devon]

Funny, I was typing out my post when you posted this...

Ahh usually happens to me all the time especially when comes to texting!

I had to get the whole Truck rewired because god only knew how old the wiring was when I got it in 2011 bits were hanging everywhere and I had constant electrical problems like the headlights flashing on and off, wires falling off important things and random sparks coming from underneath the dash!

 

[White Stripe]

If u have a Orion and 33s I would go with 3.70 gears for better highway rpm or at least keep the 4.11s. 4.56s with 33s is too low for the street unless u have a 5 speed.

 

[Devon]

If u have a Orion and 33s I would go with 3.70 gears for better highway rpm or at least keep the 4.11s. 4.56s with 33s is too low for the street unless u have a 5 speed.

Don't forget I also have a Ranger Overdrive or Torque Splitter as some people call them!

 

[White Stripe]

Don't forget I also have a Ranger Overdrive or Torque Splitter as some people call them!

Oh I missed that. I would probably leave the 4.11s honestly unless your unhappy with your highway cruising rpms

 

[65swb45]

Oh, and BTW, I personally don’t trust the aluminum radiators made for the LCs. I will not install one at my shop... period.

 

[middlecalf]

^^same here for what that’s worth. I tried two, both ended up leaking fairly quick. I believe it’s due to their inability to handle the flex in the cruiser. I never achieved sufficient isolation.

 

[jim land]

I have 4:56 with 35 " tire and 4 speed and I plan to go back to 4:11
With this set up the rpm on the highway is 3000 3200 @ 60mph , way to high

 

[Devon]

Okay so I think I'll stick to the plan of seeing how the V8 goes with the Ranger Overdrive and then I'll decide from there I would like it to good balance of Fuel mileage, off road and highway driving where I can have the power when I need to overtake a road train or Caravan

I still have future plans for 35 inch tyres because I do love off roading and camping with the old girl!

I might try and find the rest of the pictures of the truck from when I pulled it apart and do a bit of a timeline and progress stage!